No More Resolutions – Part III (Kill
The Flesh)
Study Text: Romans 8:9-13
Memory Verse: Romans 8:13 – For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
This week we return to the subject, "No More Resolutions." You
see, in 1999 we want to serve the Lord like we’ve never served him before. In
order to do that we need to take step one–walk in the spirit (No More
Resolutions–Part I), step two–loose the carnal mind (No More
Resolutions–Part II) and add step three–kill the flesh. [See our webpage for
parts I & II–http://eyon.aus.fsu.edu] This third step is usually the one
that makes or breaks us for one reason: we don’t want to give up those old
ways. This includes everything from bad (ungodly) habits to bad relationships.
To justify hanging on to those worldly things, we often claim the spirit of
weakness. We say, "I’m just a man/woman. I know that I ought to…… but
I can’t." However, Paul gives us spiritual guidance on this subject to let
us know that weakness is a lame excuse. We are not weak; "WE GOT THE
POWER!!!"
In the 9th verse we are told, "ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you."(KJ) To further
clarify this the NIV text states, "You, however, are controlled not by the
sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." This
is an important point because it lets us know that we are not the "pure
flesh" that we see in the mirror. Just because we are encased in flesh we
should not allow the sinful ways of the flesh to dominate the way we live. We
are OVERCOMERS and WE HAVE the help that comes from our Almighty Father—-the
Spirit of God. By yielding to God’s Spirit within us we allow His spirit to
take over, and our flesh eventually becomes an "existence of
nothingness." The flesh will still be there but due to the POWER of God it
won’t control us – we would control it and get the results stated in the 10th
verse: a powerless flesh but a powerful spirit. "Because Christ is in you,
the body is dead due to sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness
(which God is putting into you)." (10th)
Therefore, if the Spirit is alive in you, you are well on your way to
killing the flesh because as you walk more and more in righteousness, the body
("flesh"–the old ways) begins to die. Now if God made you in His
image and wants you to be like Him and wants you to receive his manifestations,
don’t you think He would supply you with enough help? You’d better believe
it!!!!!
And to emphasize the point that we do have more than enough help, Paul tells
us TWICE in the 11th verse that we have access to the same help that raised
Jesus from the dead: "But if the Spirit of him that RAISED JESUS FROM THE
DEAD dwell in you, HE THAT RAISED UP CHRIST FROM THE DEAD shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth [continually dwells] in
you." We really need to meditate on this! The Holy Spirit, the same Holy
Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead…. the same Holy Spirit that moved upon
the face of the earth before it was formed…. the same Holy Spirit that has
dominion and power throughout the universe, dwells in US!!!! Not only that, but
that same Holy Spirit that dwells in us will, as the 11th verse
states, "quicken" our bodies. Yes, the Holy Spirit will put that pep
in our step so that we can start doing the things we need to do to be what God
planned for us to be before the universe was formed. Oh Praise God, Praise
God!!!!
To round out this message, Paul points out that we are NOT debtors to the
flesh (12th). The Blood of Jesus was the ultimate payoff for all
sins and transgressions. So we don’t owe the flesh; we owe HIM. How dare we sit
around and wallow in excuses when He has given us the power that we need.
That’s almost like sitting in a dark house, complaining that you can’t see, when
all you have to do is flip a switch. The power is there, but it doesn’t do us
any good if we don’t use it. Why walk in the dark when you have the Light? Why
choose death when you already have Life? (13th)
Because of Jesus we have the Holy Spirit’s help to make the wise and only
choice that we should make—-Kill The Flesh and Live by the Spirit. We have
the powerful presence of God living within us to "mortify the deeds of the
body"(13th). There is no reason for us to be overcome by the flesh; instead
be OVERCOMERS OF THE FLESH and not debtors to the flesh but to the Holy Spirit
of Christ—- and Live!!!!!!!!