Young Life Campaigners s2
Young Life Campaigners 9-15-04
YOUR WORST ENEMY IS…
v What or who is the main reason you don’t do the right thing all the time? Who is your worst enemy in the battle to follow God?
v Our greatest enemy is our minds, our wills, and our emotions, which the Bible sometimes refers to as our "sin nature" or our "flesh."
John 14:30
I'll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don't worry--he has nothing on me, no claim on me.
· Jesus was different because though his body was like ours, his nature was of God; thus, the Devil and evil had no hold of him.
1. Consider that if we did not have a sinful flesh nature then evil would have no hold on us. But if we are honest with ourselves, we know that we (and everyone on earth) has a sinful nature.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says that we are made up of "spirit, soul and body." Your body is aware of the physical world around you, your spirit is aware of God within you, and everything else is your soul, which is aware of "self." Your soul is made up of your mind (what you think), your will (what you want), and your emotions (what you feel). Our spirits can be "regenerated" (made alive) through Jesus (see John 3:3-8) for eternity (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
2. Despite this, we must wage a daily battle against our "flesh nature."
· For example, how often do we say or hear things like, "I know I shouldn't say this, BUT" or "I know I shouldn't do this, BUT?”
· Our "flesh nature" pushes us to do what it wants to do, and we often obey our "flesh" even when we know better!
Luke 9:23-27
9:23 The Message states: “Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat--I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.”
· Other translations (remember this was originally written in Greek) use the following phrases: If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]
3. What are we supposed to do to our own nature to get to God?
1 Corinthians 3:20 "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
SO WHAT DO WE DO?
Galatians 5:16-17; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5-10
PERSONAL APPLICATION:
Young Life Campaigners 9-15-04
YOUR WORST ENEMY IS…
v What or who is the main reason you don’t do the right thing all the time? Who is your worst enemy in the battle to follow God?
v Our greatest enemy is our minds, our wills, and our emotions, which the Bible sometimes refers to as our "sin nature" or our "flesh."
John 14:30
I'll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don't worry--he has nothing on me, no claim on me.
· Jesus was different because though his body was like ours, his nature was of God; thus, the Devil and evil had no hold of him.
4. Consider that if we did not have a sinful flesh nature then evil would have no hold on us. But if we are honest with ourselves, we know that we (and everyone on earth) has a sinful nature.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says that we are made up of "spirit, soul and body." Your body is aware of the physical world around you, your spirit is aware of God within you, and everything else is your soul, which is aware of "self." Your soul is made up of your mind (what you think), your will (what you want), and your emotions (what you feel). Our spirits can be "regenerated" (made alive) through Jesus (see John 3:3-8) for eternity (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
5. Despite this, we must wage a daily battle against our "flesh nature."
· For example, how often do we say or hear things like, "I know I shouldn't say this, BUT" or "I know I shouldn't do this, BUT?”
· Our "flesh nature" pushes us to do what it wants to do, and we often obey our "flesh" even when we know better!
Luke 9:23-27
9:23 The Message states: “Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat--I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.”
· Other translations (remember this was originally written in Greek) use the following phrases: If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]
6. What are we supposed to do to our own nature to get to God?
1 Corinthians 3:20 "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
SO WHAT DO WE DO?
Galatians 5:16-17; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5-10
PERSONAL APPLICATION: