Symptoms vs. "the" Problem

There is a lot that we as Christians can do to make others aware of the problems facing our culture and our churches. I often see articles on:
- The dangers of pornography
- Addiction abuse with alcohol and drugs
- Abortion
- Rebellious children
- Marriage problems and divorce in the church

Can I point out that these are the symptoms of the problem and not the problem itself. We spend too much time on the symptoms and very little time to any on the problem. So you may be asking me right now, then what is the problem. The problem for all of us is "the sin" that still remains even though we in Christ have been saved from the penalty and the power of sin. As John Owen once stated "Kill your sin or it will be killing you." Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 18:7-9?
Matt. 18:7 ¶ “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
Matt. 18:8 ¶ “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
Matt. 18:9 “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

If you kill the root of sin then doesn't it make sense that you kill the fruit of sin? Watching pornography is the fruit of sin but killing "the"sin will kill the root of that sin. Maybe this will answer a more important issue. If you aren't constantly and consistently killing your sin then maybe you aren't a genuine Christian?

READ – ROMANS 8:5-13 - PRAY

There are three practical questions that will be able to be answered from our this text:
1. Are you a genuine Christian or just a professing Christian?
2. How are you supposed to daily live out the Christian life? Are you being what you say that you have become?
3. Why does it work this way Biblically?

General observations:
➢ Two options
o Set your mind on the things of the flesh
o Set your mind on the things of the Spirit
➢ Two results
o Death
o Life
➢ Two disciplines
o Eliminating sin
o Activating the Spirit

Specific observations about Romans 8:13
1. A condition – the word “if”
2. A person – the subject of the verb in this sentence is “you”
3. A cause or means – the Spirit
4. A duty – the verb “putting to death”
5. A result – life or death


QUESTION #1 - Are you a genuine Christian?
If you are living according to the flesh, constantly, habitually and as your normal way of life and not putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit then I would doubt if you are a genuine Christian. This kind of living ought to be the manifestation of one’s justification by faith that Paul covers in Romans Chapter 3-5.

QUESTION #2 - How are we supposed to live this kind of life?

Point #1 – “you” which is the subject of the verb are required to do something
You – are to put to death the deeds of the body

Let's look again at Matthew 18:8-9
Get violent against you sin! This is war and all traitors must be executed!

Point #2 – Do this putting to death “by the Spirit”
So in order to help us with “by the Spirit” go back to Romans 8:5-6
And it points us to “things of the Spirit”

The only other place where this phrase appears is:
1 Corinthians 2:12-14

Definition of “things of the Spirit” from reading this context:
Words of God
Spoken by the apostles
Taught by the Spirit

Condensed down into one phrase would be “the things of Spirit” is the word of God

Combine the thinking of the word of God and killing or putting to death the deeds of the flesh. The reason I think this is a good interpretation is because in Ephesians 6:17 when we are told by the apostle Paul to put on the full armor of God there is only one offensive weapon in that armor. That weapon is a sword and that is used to kill and we learn that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.

In summary so far:
1. You put to death the deeds of the body
2. But do so by the Spirit which involves setting you mind on the word of God

Question that needs to be answered:
How do you kill the deeds of the flesh in such a way that your doing it doesn’t preempt the Holy Spirit?

Turn to - 1 Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Turn to – Colossians 1:28-29 - We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Galatians 3:5
Two options:
Works of the law
Hearing with faith

Therefore if you want to find a way to triumph over sin so that it is the Spirit being victorious over it and not you then HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND BELIEVE IT!

Turn to Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me, the life I live now I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Illustration
Plug your faith into the socket of the word of God

You do this by believing the promises of God and that activates the Spirit to kill the deeds of the flesh.

QUESTION # 3 - Why it works this way:
John 16 – the Holy Spirit is sent to glorify the Lord Jesus

Deeds of the body = anxiety
➢ Matthew 6:25, 27, 28, 31, 34
➢ The problem Matthew 6:30 – “you of little faith”

Practical application from this text
➢ You kill the anxiety in your life – You do it!
➢ Kill anxiety – “by the Spirit”
➢ You kill anxiety in such a way that the Spirit is doing it and not you
➢ Hear the promises of God and believe it!
➢ Isaiah 41:10 and Psalm 84:11 – put into practice

Make war on your sin!