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January 7th, 2018 Romans 8:1 - 14 Nature of the New Year

Posted by: balderman <balderman@...>

January 7th, 2018         Romans 8:1 - 14          Nature of the New Year

 

We all enter 2018 with a struggle, well, at least one struggle.

 

The Battle between the flesh and the Holy Spirit.

 

You are not alone in this.   

 

Romans 7:21-25 "It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart.  But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?   Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin."

 

Paul understood…LIOVED…the same struggle we have.  Sometimes He won – obviously; yet sometimes he failed, as we do.

 

We can fail less.

 

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

The other wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

 

  1. The struggle of the past year
    1. Gossip
    2. Financial
    3. Condemnation
  2. A promise for the new year
    1. There is NO CONDEMNATION

                                                  i.      FOR those who belong to Christ

  1. You Christian are living under a DIFFERENT PLAN than the children of the world
    1. Jesus Christ – our Savior
    2. God sent His only Son TO SAVE US
        1. He came as a human - A baby in a manger

                                                ii.      He lives a sinless life

        1. Yet died on a CROSS for our failures, sins and crimes

                                              iii.      Christian, Jesus DESTROYED sins control over you

        1. FEED YOU HOLY SPIRIT
        2. STARVE THE WOLF OF SIN
  1. You Christian live with a DIFFERENT NATURE than the children of the world
    1. They are dominated by the sinFULL nature of the World
    2. YOU, Christian, are dominated by the HOLY SPIRIT, the very NATURE of Godliness

                                                  i.      EMBRACE the Spirit of God

                                                ii.      REJECT the sinful nature of the world

  1. Here is the reality of the nature of Christians:
    1. The Holy Spirit lives within you
    2. Jesus Christ lives within you
    3. God lives within you

                                                  i.      Even in physical death you will live eternally

                                                ii.      Even in a sin-filled, painful world you can live in PEACE and LIFE and the FREEDOM of NO CONDEMNATION

  1. The nature of your new year depends on which nature you choose to follow
    1. The sinful nature will lead to more hurt, disappointment, pain and loss
    2. The Holy Spirit of God will lead you to a better, more abundant life.

                                                  i.      Do you want to just EXIST for another year?

                                                ii.      Do you want to LIVE LIFE in 2018?

                                              iii.      Watch what you take into your mind and heart!

        1. FEED THE GOOD WOLF - Godliness
        2. STARVE THE BAD WOLF - Flesh

 

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