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THE MESSAGE OF HOPE - VI
Titus 3:5b-7
Bob Bonner
June 21, 2009
Thanks to my wife’s labors, June is the month that the Bonner home really starts to look beautiful. Because of her creative eye and love of color, Becky is continually planting new flowers and moving colorful plants from one area of our yard to another. A couple of years ago, before Mother’s Day, she requested a smaller shove or spade that would be easier for her to handle than the large shovel we owned. As always, her wish is my command, and I bought her the perfect size lady’s shovel that she loves.
This past spring as I was repairing some of our broken irrigation lines, I needed a shovel. So, I grabbed the closest, most available one to do my digging and repair work. It was hers. Everything was fine until I hit a small bolder I thought I could remove. In short order, I damaged her shovel because I attempted to do a job for which it had not been purposefully made.
Similarly, you and I were created by God to fulfill a purpose here on earth. When we live our lives in line with the purpose for which God uniquely made us, then we find wholeness, usefulness, and meaning in life. On the other hand, when we ignore our Creator and His Biblically stated purposes for our lives, life becomes hollow and empty. All that we do appears to be futile, boring, frustrating, and meaningless. And the more we ignore His purposes for our lives, the more broken and severely damaged our lives will be.
Sadly, this is not just true for those who do not know Jesus personally as their Savior and Lord, but it is also true of many Christians, because they don’t understand how the Gospel, the Message of Hope, applies to their lives in the here and now. I believe that part of the reason for this is that we have a spiritual enemy named Satan who has deceived us into believing four very common but false beliefs. If one were to study the Bible, one would clearly see that these beliefs are false, and that God has answers to them. Furthermore, if a person puts their trust in Christ and grabs hold of the truth of the Gospel, they will find freedom from living a life controlled by these damaging false beliefs.
Several weeks ago, I introduced to you these four false beliefs, and since then we have begun to discover what God’s Word has to say about them. Allow me to remind you of those four false beliefs and the typical consequences they have in the life of one who believes them.
The first is, “I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself.” Consequences are the fear of failure, anger and resentment upon failure, depression due to failure, withdrawal from healthy risks for fear of failure, a drive to succeed, perfectionism, manipulation of others to achieve goals, and pride due to success.
The second is, “I must be approved by certain others to feel good about myself.”Consequences are the fear of rejection, attempts to please others at all costs, being easily manipulated, being overly sensitive to the criticism of others which can lead to anger, resentment, hostility, and depression, avoidance of criticism, and withdrawal from others.
The third is, “Those who fail (including me) are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished.” Consequences are the fear of punishment, the propensity to punish others, blaming of self and others for personal failure, withdrawal from God and fellow believers in order to avoid punishment, and blaming God for not quickly enough or too harshly punishing others. This leads to viewing God as the accuser of the brethren, when the Bible says Satan is the accuser of the brethren.
The fourth is, “I am what I am. I cannot change. I am hopeless.” Consequences are feelings of shame, hopelessness, inferiority, giving up and allowing destructive behavior to control one’s life, seeing oneself as a victim, feeling sorry for oneself, loss of creativity, isolation, and withdrawal from others.
So far in our study, we have looked at what the Bible has to say about the first two false beliefs. Basically, we learned that because of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross, because He died in our place and took the punishment we deserved upon Himself, those who have put their entire lives into the hands of Jesus are totally forgiven, fully accepted, completely approved of, and deeply loved by God. Therefore, we don’t have to fear failing in any way before Him or His rejection, because when the Creator of the Universe, the ultimate judge of the human race, accepts and approves of you, then it doesn’t matter what others think of you or your past mistakes.
If you have not been here during those past three messages, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of them, open up your Bible, and follow along. This morning, we want to finish looking at this very harmful third false belief that can cause great damage to one’s emotional, spiritual, and relational life with others. But before we return to our study, allow me to quickly remind you how we got to where we are.
We have been in a study of Paul’s letter, Titus 3:4-7. This passage is one long sentence that in a condensed form spells out some very significant aspects of the Gospel, the message of hope, the Good News. In order to better acquaint you with what I’m convinced many Christians don’t understand (or if they do, they have forgotten how the Gospel relates to them in the here and now), I have chosen to go on a short tangent to study in depth not just the terms we find in Titus that deal with the Gospel, but a few more terms that complete the picture of why the Gospel is so important to the Christian’s life today.
Now let’s return to looking at God’s complete answer to the third false belief that leads to the “fear of punishment.” The false belief states, “Those who fail (including me) are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished.” There are two key Biblical terms that speak to this lie. We have spent the past two messages looking at just the first of those terms and its particular application to our lives today as Christians. It was the term “propitiation.” As it is stated on your outlines, propitiation encompasses the idea that, “The crucifixion of God the Son so satisfied the wrath of God toward us that was aroused by our wrongful sin against God, that God now reaches out with His arms of love to wrap them around all of us who put our confidence in Christ’s finished work on the cross on our behalf.”
In other words, if you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, even when you sin God will not punish you or reject you. He may discipline you out of love so as to teach you how to grow up, but He is not angry with you one bit. He is all about helping you learn to walk with Him so that you can become the emotionally stable and fulfilled person that deep down you want to become, and He wants to show you how to get the most out of life right here and now.
Today, we want to look at the second Biblical term that answers or stands against this third false belief. It is the word “redemption.” What does this Biblical term "redemption" mean? During the first century, this Greek term “redemption” was a commercial term whose basic idea referred to "loosing, untying, delivering, freeing something up, or purchasing something for a specified purpose." In New Testament times, it was a term used in slave markets to describe slaves who were in chains and not free to act as they wanted. These slaves were forced to obey their harsh master's demands. But then someone came along, purchased them for a price, and set them free from their previous master in order to give them a new opportunity in life to do something useful.
As it is used in the scriptures, and as it refers to sinners or people who have not been forgiven by God and reconciled to Him, the term "redemption" carries with it four very important ideas. We will only have time to look at the first of these four important ideas that make up the concept of redemption.
First of all, redemption refers to people who are set free from something. But from what? The Scriptures point to two very distinctive things from which a Christian has been set free as a result of Christ’s work on the cross. The first can be seen in these three verses. The first is John 8:34. “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.’” The second is, Romans 6:17-18. “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Lastly, Romans 7:14 states, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.”
So what’s the picture we have of us as sinners? Before we came to Christ, what was our condition? We were slaves of sin; sin controlled our lives. As much as we may have wanted to quit doing wrong, by ourselves we couldn’t quit serving sin. Alone, we are powerless to set ourselves free from the control of sin in our lives. We need Someone to set us free from the slavery of sin. And Jesus Christ has become our liberator. When we seek His face and by faith ask Him to live His righteous life through us when temptation comes, He supernaturally will enable us to overpower sin. The slave master called sin will not have control over us, unless we choose to let it do so.
Furthermore, once a person realizes that sin doesn’t have to control his life any more because of what Christ has done for us, he becomes eager to obey this new, loving, and life-giving master, Jesus Christ.
Slavery of sin was one thing from which Jesus Christ has set us free. So what’s the second? The Bible teaches us that when a person comes to Christ, they can find freedom from the power of the flesh. What does that mean? First let me define what is meant by “the flesh” and then we will refer to a few Scriptural passages.
The term “flesh” is used at least two different ways in the Bible. The meaning of the term “flesh” is determined by the context in which it is used. The first way it is used is when it refers to the physical flesh of man or animal. This is not the use of the term that is in mind here.
The second way this term is used became a reality in human life shortly after the fall. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, this thing known Biblically as “the flesh” became a part of every human being’s life. This “power of the flesh” has driven us to live as though we were God and has lead us to not want to obey Him or even acknowledge or depend upon Him. Even today, as Christians, we still struggle with “the flesh,” this drive to live independently from God.
Typically this flesh, this independent spirit to live apart from God, reveals itself in the Christian’s life in two ways. The first is when he deliberately chooses to disobey God. The second is when he tries to obey God or do good for God in his own strength rather than depending upon God, by faith, to live in and through his life. This is why Jesus warned His disciples in John 15 that, like a branch separated from the grapevine, we are powerless to make any eternal positive impact upon our world. The life changing power of Christ that frees us from and overcomes our “flesh” only works as we, moment by moment, abide in the vine or acknowledge and walk by faith, in dependence upon Christ in our lives.
Now let’s take a look at a few passages of Scripture that point to the workings of “the flesh,” and then I will give you an illustration that hopefully will anchor in your minds the meaning of this concept of being freed from “the power of the flesh.”
Romans 8:5-8 tells us:
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the
Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile
toward God [stands independently against God]; for it does not subject
itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who
are in the flesh cannot please God.
Please note the relationship to the mind concerning either living in “the flesh” or living in “the spirit.” If your mind does not understand the truth about who you are or what Jesus Christ has already accomplished for you, and if you are not continually bathing your mind in the Word of God, what chance do you have of spending much of your time living free from the control of the flesh? The degree to which you prayerfully read your Bible for understanding will be the degree to which you will be able to have your mind influenced so that you learn how to depend upon the Lord by faith and live by the Spirit, rather than the flesh. Ignore the study of the Word of God and you are a target for the deceit and lies of the evil one. You will perpetuate the control of the flesh in your life. You have a choice to live in the flesh or in the spirit.
Farther down in Romans 8 we read in verse 12, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation [like a slave to a master], not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
These verses clearly demonstrate that as a Christian, you will have the moment by moment choice to either live according to your independent spirit known as “the flesh,” or to live according to faith, depending upon the Lord to do His work through you.
In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 we read, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.” And then Paul gives us some evidence of sinful lifestyles and independent living. He says, “For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” As in Romans, the Apostle Paul shows us in 1 Corinthians that we can choose to live either by faith in the Spirit or by rebellion in independence from God in the flesh.
Likewise in Galatians 5:16-21, Paul goes on to give us several indicators of what walking in the flesh looks like. He writes:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the
flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you
may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident,
which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities,
strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I
forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Allow me to go back to something I showed you several weeks ago. The following circles represent the evolution of the human condition. This first circle represents human life before the Fall. We are made up of a body, soul (our personality), and spirit. The spirit is the control center of our being. It is where the living God attaches Himself to our lives. It is what makes us different than animals. In the beginning, before the Fall, we were united with God, who enabled us to live righteous lives. But when Adam and Eve chose to rebel, God’s spirit was removed from our spirits, leaving us spiritually dead or separated from God. That void has been influenced and in some cases filled by our spiritual enemy, Satan. As a result of sin, the flesh, represented by the lines crossing through all three circles, has taken control of our control center and we are unable to overpower the flesh in our own strength. We are slaves to sin in our spirits.
But when Jesus Christ redeemed us, and when we turned over our lives to Him, this flesh was removed from our spirits and the void was filled with Jesus Himself.
But that does not mean we are automatically sin-free or unable to operate selfishly or independently from God. All it means is that now we have His supernatural power living in us, and thus now we have a choice to depend upon Christ’s power to enable us to live or to depend upon our own abilities. We can choose by faith to depend upon Him to live His life out through us, as He has called us to live. He will enable us to do so. Or, we can ignore His living in us and making His power available to us, and we can drive our own lives under our own power.
Typically, because we have been so used to living in the flesh, and because temptation and our own stupidity is still so rampant in our lives, it takes the ongoing transforming working of Christ to change us and to change our thinking about the reality that we have been freed from the slave master of sin in our lives.
All I want you to remember at this point is that Jesus’ redeeming work set us free from the slave master of sin and the power of the flesh. For instance, we have been freed from the slavery of hateful actions and thoughts. I didn't say that you are free from having hateful actions or thoughts, but free from those thoughts controlling or mastering your lives.
Different from the non-Christian, the Christian can experience true freedom from bitterness toward a parent who may have sexually abused them. He can experience freedom from food or drug addictions, freedom from gambling addictions, freedom from always having to be defensive about his ideas or actions, freedom from frustration and angry outbursts controlling his life, and freedom from the fear of rejection or failure.
But we can only experience that freedom if we truly understand that we have it. And it is Satan's goal to keep the Christian in the darkness of ignorance, to keep him from learning or believing that he is free from these things and no longer has to allow them to control his life.
Sin is no longer the Christian’s owner or master at the control center of their being. We are no longer held captive, trapped, or enslaved by our previous addictions or our bitterness. We have been set free.
Neil Anderson, in his excellent book, “Living Free in Christ”, uses the following illustration of the reality of freedom and the attempts by the forces of darkness to keep the believer ignorant. On December 18, 1865, slavery was abolished in the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation. Hence, on December 19, 1865, in reality, there should have been no slaves. On pages 53-56, Anderson writes:
Now suppose several plantation owners were devastated by the
Emancipation Proclamation. . . . [A prominent one slyly makes a
suggestion.] “Keep your slaves from learning the truth about their
emancipation, and your control over them will not even be
challenged."
But one cotton farmer asked, "But what if the news
spreads?"
“Don't panic. We have another barrel in our gun. We may
not be able to keep them from hearing the news, but we can still keep
them from understanding it. They don't call me the "father of lies" for
nothing. We still have the potential to deceive the whole world. Just
tell them that they misunderstood the Thirteenth Amendment. Tell
them that they are going to be free, not that they are free already. The
truth they heard is just positional truth, not actual truth. Someday they
may receive the benefits, but not now."
Years later, many slaves had still not heard the wonderful news that
they had been freed, so naturally they continued to live the way they
had always lived, as slaves. . . . Then one day, a former slave heard the
good news and received it with great joy. He checked out the validity of
the Proclamation and discovered that the highest of all authorities had
originated the decree. Not only that, but it personally cost the authority
a tremendous price so that slaves could be free. The slave's life was
transformed. He reasoned that it would be hypocritical to continue
living as a slave, even though his feelings told him he still was.
Determined to live by what he knew to be true, his experiences began to
change dramatically. He realized that his old master had no authority
over him and he did not need to be obeyed. He gladly served the one
who had set him free.
There is more to cover concerning the meaning and implication of “redemption,” but that is enough for you to chew on for now. If you have questions concerning what you have heard this morning, please don’t hesitate to write them down and give them to me, or if we have time, ask me afterwards.
If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, has His death on the cross made any difference to your life as it regards being a “slave to sin?” If so, explain what the difference has been. How does the Christian successfully overpower sinful temptation in his life, so that he or she can experience freedom from the slave master called “sin?”
If a Christian is struggling with a particular sin in his or her life and not finding victory over it, what is the cause of that ongoing failure and the remaining a slave to that sin?The “power of the flesh” reveals itself in two ways in our lives. Presently, for you, which of the two ways do you find most problematic?
Even with the challenge to live a holy life before the Lord, when you fail, do you deserve to be punished? Should you live under the fear of punishment? Explain your answer.
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