20/12/2020「Sunday Sermon」 www.lifechurchmissions.com
What to do if the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak? <Mt 26:36-38, 40-41; Ro 7:15, 18, 24; Gal 5:16-18, 25>
Prelude: The problem with many believers is that they know that obeying God is good and right, but they cannot do it. Indeed, our flesh does not disappear suddenly and miraculously just because we have believed in the Lord. Therefore, even Jesus reminded His disciples who had believed in Him, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." <Mt 26:41>. Because of this, many believers feel discouraged and very accused when facing the reality of their physical weakness, thinking that they will always be in a state of being defeated by their flesh. But in fact, our flesh can be dealt with and defeated.
1. What does mean that the “flesh is weak"?
• "Flesh is weak" in <Mt 26:41> refers to a tired body.
• Flesh is weak: Man's conditions are weak. Even if the disciples have the heart to be faithful to Jesus to the end, but human love, determination, courage etc cannot cause a person to follow through to the end, or triumph over the devil.
• Paradox: The flesh is "weak" but it also has "very strong" resistance
• "The flesh is weak" refers to man having "no strength to obey God", but it turns out that the physical strength and desires of the flesh are too strong.
• Have you discovered how much of an extent we are bound by own flesh? For example, sometimes, we ourselves are unaware why we lose our temper because of sudden anger.
But sometimes when we are able to control our anger, we find ourselves falling into a state of pride, thinking that we are not bad and have the ability to control our temper well and be able to bear with others. But after much effort to put down our pride, we find ourselves suddenly falling into another temptation unknowingly (eg. Because of boredom, we watch what we should not watch). When our desires can be tamed to the point that we do not pursue the fame and vanity of this world, we suddenly fall into laziness such that we waste our time and become indifferent to the plans and purpose God has in our lives. The evil feelings and desires of our flesh seems to surround us such that regardless of which corner we turn to, we will always be controlled or stumbled by our flesh.
• However, we cannot say that all desires of our flesh are wrong. Some desires of the flesh are given by God, and are needed for survival.
For example, eating and sleeping are what man needs and they are necessary for us to restore our physical strength. But we have to admit that such desires of the flesh though originally good and necessary, can become a channel for sin if one is not careful.
2. A born-again person will certainly go through the battle between the flesh and the spirit
1）Only the spirit of a regenerated person can be “willing”
A person who is yet born again will not be willing to obey God, he will instead still act, make judgment and choices and have pursuits based on his flesh. If we want to overcome our flesh, a power greater than our flesh has to come into our life, and that greater power is the Holy Spirit. Only born-again children of God can have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit <Ep 1:13-14; 1 Co 6:19-20>. Thus, the beginning of the defeat of the flesh is to be born again and have the Holy Spirit dwell inside us. Only the spirits of those who are truly born again and touched by the Holy Spirit can turn from being hardened to being “willing” toward God. Many believers use “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” as an excuse for not submitting to God. However, when Jesus said to the disciples, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”, Jesus was very clear that the disciples had already resolved to leave everything to follow Him. They had clear evidences in their lives. Their entire life direction had changed. They truly believed in Jesus. Thus, they indeed had a “willing spirit”. However, today, many Christians claim that they believe in the Lord, but in reality, their life goals have yet to be changed, what they pursue are similar with the world, and they are also not very willing to take up their cross to live for God. When such people meet challenges to their faith or when they find it difficult to submit to God, they will use this “my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak” as an excuse. In fact, their spirits may not truly be willing to live for the Lord. Thus, we have to reflect, is our spirit truly willing (to submit to the Lord)? Or we only want to use this verse to soothe our conscience, or prevent others from challenging or accusing us?
2）Do you feel miserable because of “the weak flesh”?
Our regenerated heart wants to be holy and to submit to God, yet we are tightly bound by sin, we hate this vicious cycle and resolve to shake off sin, but shortly, we fall into the same sins again. We want to draw near to God, but every time when we want to pray, read the Bible and listen to sermons, we are filled with fatigue, selfish desires, distractions, etc. We must first hate this flesh then we will not give in to it. Only when we find this flesh stinky and corrupted, then we will want to quickly break free from it. Christians not only know that they are fallen, but they also hate that fallen nature. In fact, to a certain extent, our flesh may be an even greater enemy than Satan. Because sometimes, we may still be able to push back Satan such that he temporarily leaves us awhile. However, our flesh is always sticking to us. Thus, we must wage war with our flesh all our life.
3）Paradox: Man is powerless yet responsible?
Some people may ask: God clearly knows our flesh is weak, so why does He still demand us to have self-control? Why does the Christian faith talk about human inability but also human responsibility? Won’t these two make it very difficult and miserable for the Christian? We know we need to be responsible for our sins, yet we also know we have no power to break free from our flesh (sinful nature). No wonder Paul said, “What a wretched man I am!” However, the gospel also gives us the answer. Paul said, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” <Ro 7:25>; <Ro 8:2> also says that through Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit has set us free from the law of sin and death; then Lord Jesus also told the disciples the way to overcome the weak flesh, which is to “watch and pray” <Mt 26:41>.
3. How do we overcome the "weakness of our flesh"?
1）Do not put our focus on "the flesh is weak" but work on "the spirit is willing"
Yes, our flesh is weak but that cannot become the conclusion. We cannot just stop at acknowledging that "the flesh is weak". Because when the Bible describes the flesh to be weak, it all the more brought out the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus talked about the physical weakness of man, He simultaneously mentioned that the spirits of His disciples were willing. Therefore, instead of solely focusing on the weakness of the flesh and let oneself continue to remain fallen, we should all the more respond to the conviction of the "willing Spirit". In this battle between the spirit and the flesh, the Holy Spirit can actually overcome the flesh, such that we can allow the "willing spirit" to overcome the "weak flesh". Actually, if we carefully read the Bible, we will find answers in Romans 8 to the problems of the flesh mentioned in Romans 7:
• <Ro 7:14> "But I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin."
<Ro 8:1, 9> "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus... You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you."
Therefore, we cannot use <Ro 7> and <Mt 26:41> as excuses to rationalize our spiritual laziness and would rather choose to remain in our own sin and weakness. Satan often wants us to retreat when we are faced with difficulties, and allows us think we are too weak, and therefore simply give up on battling and sanctification. But even though God did not say that He would immediately remove all our weaknesses, He did say that He would give us power <Ac 1:8; Eph 3:20>. We may be weak but God also told us His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness. <2 Co 12:9>
2）How to allow our spirit to be "more willing"?
(1) Through more serious introspection, confirmation of God's words
There is power in "information" and words. What information we get will inevitably influence our hearts and reactions. God's word itself is important information. It tells us what God promises, what God will do, what the devil is doing, what the traps in the world are, and what kind of fruit or outcome, etc resulting from how we react. Therefore, the more we come into contact with God's words, the more we can find the conviction to obey God. But why do some people fail to experience its power even though they read the word of God? Because they only regard God's words as knowledge, therefore it is easy to become numb to God's words. But actually, it turns out that when the word of God enters our hearts, it becomes our joy and assurance. Hence, we must confirm the word of God. When we begin to hear God's words, we may find it refreshing and exciting, but without confirmation, "words" will only become "knowledge". But when a person really confirms God's words, God's words naturally become the power in his life.
(2) The more we submit to the Holy Spirit, the more we will restore a "spirit that is willing"
When the flesh manipulates our behavior, it goes through several gradual steps, and when we indulge in our flesh at every step, we will eventually be overcome by the flesh. Similarly, when the Holy Spirit works in our lives, it is also through several gradual steps, and if we submit to the Holy Spirit at every step, we can overcome the flesh.
• The fallen nature of man's flesh (without the gospel, God’s perspective, and principles of truth) --> easily tempted and be inclined to sin --> encounter actual temptations, situations, blows, etc. --> develop a desire or intention in the heart that does not align with God (if the desire and intention are not stopped in time) --> practical action
• The Holy Spirit is in a person who is born again --> change their perspective in life, beliefs, give new information (truth), new heart, new identity (loved, favored, blessed) _
--> encounter the same temptations, blows, hurts, etc. --> moved by the word of God --> The Holy Spirit will promptly reverse any wrong desires and thoughts, and will also increase the strength in our hearts through believing the word of God --> Will not indulge the desires of the flesh.
(3) God's love can also motivate us to submit to God
If we do not have a heart that is loved by God, we will only feel accused and not have the strength to follow after hearing the word of God. But the truth is, God definitely loves His children. God's love also encourages us to love Him. If we love Him, Jesus says, "If you love me, keep my commands." <Jn 14:15>. Love is a great motivation. To overcome the weakness of our flesh, we need to be touched more by the love of God and hence develop a heart that loves God.
(4) Always watch and pray
This is what Jesus personally instructed, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” <Mt 26:41>. The opposite of being watchful is indulgence, casualness, and complacency. But since we know that our bodies are weak, we should not overestimate our abilities and think we can overcome temptation or be smarter than the devil. We should also not underestimate the enemy, because the cunning devil uses all kinds of methods to stir up the desires of our flesh, greed, fear, aspirations, etc. When he attacks us, he does not give any advance notice. Therefore, we must always be watchful. A watchful spirit will be faster in recognizing the coming of temptation or forces of darkness, and will quickly pray to God to gain the power of God to overcome the flesh. To be watchful, we must put in effort to train in prayers. This is also the importance of "regular prayer, timely prayer, and concentrated prayer". In particular, we also need to come to the church, pray together with all the saints, strengthen each other, and find encouragement from the power of a blessed fellowship to deal with the flesh.
3) Keep on confirming the rewards of submitting to the Holy Spirit and the cost of indulging the flesh
We humans learn through love and discipline. The conviction from love motivates us to obey God, but the pain from discipline also warns us not to be give in to the flesh. Like our parents, God sometimes uses discipline and bad outcomes to teach us. When the disciples were not vigilant and were overcome by their weakness and their flesh, they could not withstand the trial; when crisis came and Jesus was arrested, all the disciples were fearful and fell. This is the consequence of them not being vigilant and hence overcome by the flesh. Similarly, when we indulge in the weakness of the flesh, we will eventually also suffer some consequences. But God allows us to go through some discipline in order to let us experience the cost, so that we will not dare to easily indulge in our weak flesh, but instead be willing to battle with the flesh. In addition, if we obey God, God will also reward those who follow Him, such that our hearts will receive incomparable rest and joy. The more we enjoy this peace and joy, the more we will want to obey God the next time.