Those who are followers of Jesus have been instructed (commanded actually) to deal with their ‘old man’…or their sinful flesh nature in the most severe way: as in put it to death! (Col. 3:5-9)

We were not advised to consider ‘dialing it down, putting it on a leash, or in a cage’. We were told it ‘must die’…and stay dead. And those who truly belong to Jesus and hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27)…have done this very thing. They 'have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal. 5:24). Did you notice that is written as ‘past tense’?

We are told by Jesus that ‘not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of His Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21). We also learn in scripture that it is those who are ‘led by His Spirit’ that are the true ‘children of God’ (Rom. 8:14). We learn that those who ‘walk in the Spirit will NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh (nature), since they are contrary to one another (Gal. 5:16-17), and therefore those who do follow the leading of God’s Spirit…are not subject to the law of God which we know brings wrath and condemnation and curses and death (Gal. 5:18; Rom. 4:15).

Do you know why those who are led by God’s Spirit are not ‘under’ or subject to the ‘law’? Because they are producing the fruit of the Spirit, like love, joy, and peace and kindness and gentleness and self-control…and against such things, there ‘is no law’. (Gal. 5:22-23). In other words, followers of Jesus who ‘do the things He says ’ (Luke 6:46) and ‘obey Him’ (Heb. 5:9) need not worry with the repercussions of the law…because the law is not written for them…since they are ‘doing what is right in God’s eyes’.

Now go read 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and see if that doesn’t connect a few more dots for you. You might be asking yourself- ‘who is a righteous person’ then? And that is a legitimate question. So consider what the Bible shares with us, in 1 John 2:29- “If you know that Jesus is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

In the next chapter, John doubles down, writing: “Let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” (1 John 3:7). And John wasn’t finished, as we read on:

“He who sins is of the devil”(8)…’whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin because he has been born of God.”(9). And…”whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God…for in this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.” (10).

Mind if I offer up one more from John? Read this one slow and aloud, if you would: “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin…and the wicked one does not touch him.” (1 John 5:18). This statement will come into play shortly as I’ll circle back to explain why.

If you read yesterday’s message, you might begin to better understand why these passages I’ve provided for you here today might be a ‘problem’ for many sincere church members... because they seem to not ‘fit’ with what many folks have been taught to believe, when it comes to this idea of sinning and not sinning. So then you have to make a choice- do you reject the word of God because it doesn’t agree with your ‘doctrine’…or do you receive the word of God and make some adjustments in your belief system? Let’s not forget…when you reject the Word…who are you actually rejecting, based on John 1:1,14?

So why is God so insistent that we deal with this flesh nature once and for all? Friends…’dealing with it’ as in ‘putting it to death’…is not an option for us. If we continue to live according to the flesh nature…we will die (Rom. 8:13). If we continue to practice the ‘evident deeds’ of the flesh nature…we will NOT…inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21). But even just as importantly…to not deal with this flesh…’gives place to the devil’ (Eph. 4:27) who we know comes to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’ (John 10:10).

How do you think the powers of darkness were able to work death and destruction ‘in us’ prior to our coming to Jesus? Go look at Ephesians 2:1-3 again, which you should have underlined by now. It’s very clear how the ‘prince of the power of the air worked in us: through the lusts of our flesh as we were fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind’.

Your old, sinful, flesh nature…is what ‘gives place’ for spiritual forces of evil and wickedness to reside and work death and destruction in your body. As I have said before on more than one occasion…if you want to get rid of unwanted pests and ‘critters’ in your home, try removing their food source. That would also include sealing off open spaces like cracks in the walls or broken windows or doors that don’t close properly. Have you been dealing with ‘lust issues’ of late? Maybe it’s time to turn off, or at least do a better job controlling those devices that feed you shows and images that stir those things up. Dealing with any kind of ‘pain’ in your body? Maybe it’s time to check your heart and see if there are people you have not fully forgiven for wrongs they committed against you. Perhaps letting go of resentment and bitterness has proven to be a challenge. Maybe a review of Matt. 18:23-35 will encourage you to deal with that, since at the close of that passage, Jesus tells us exactly what we can expect if we fail to forgive others…’from our heart’- we get handed over to the ‘tormentors’ (34-35).

I’ve touched on this previously as well, but do you recall what one of the ‘curses’ was that was placed on the ‘serpent’ by God back in Genesis 3? He was told he would “crawl on his belly …and eat dust all the days of his life” (14). And what is man’s ‘flesh’…made of, according to vs. 19? You might circle the answer there as it is ‘dust’. Your flesh nature is ‘serpent food’. (Give it a moment or two)

I’m not sure when you flew on a plane last, but imagine going to the airport to take a trip, and as you go through the TSA security check-line, they open up your carry-on bag and find an assortment of ‘threatening items’, like some sticks of dynamite, a couple of loaded 9mm pistols, a few switchblades and a box cutter. Which of those items of contraband do you suppose the agents will ‘permit’ you to keep as you board the plane? (You do remember the connection with ‘box cutters and 9/11, yes?)

Now let’s finish up with Revelation 21:7-8 and 22:14-15. When it comes to our sinful, carnal practices that have a tendency to cling to us throughout much of our ‘up and down’ walk with Jesus…which of those ‘evident deeds’ do you suppose God will turn a blind eye to and tell you not to worry…since all is well with your soul?

If He has dealt with you in the past through His word and His Spirit to lay down various sins of the flesh, and you have had a hard time letting go of them….did you know that those areas have become an ‘idol’ in your heart? Jesus said if we love Him, we’ll do what He says (John 14:15). And based on what we just read there in Rev. 21 and 22…where will ‘idolaters’ find themselves in the end? If you have some extra time now, it might be a good idea to have a little ‘quiet time’ with Jesus. The results could be incredibly remarkable, since His love and mercy know no end.