Lesson 5
“Will you trust Me?”
The Challenge of living
the FAITH-REST LIFE
We're
working on some potential hazards which could derail the fellowship of
believers with Christ, therefore the interfere with
the faith-rest life.
2. We also need to guard against working in the
energy of the flesh.
One of the strongest
evidences of mankind's fall into sin and his alienation from God is his
proneness, indeed, his commitment to
operate independently of God.
Jeremiah presents a strong
warning in Jeremiah 17:5 about this
dependence on one’s self, flesh.
This is followed by the
consequences of dependence on self vs:6 and dependence on the Lord in vs:7-8.
This
dependence on self, the flesh is deceptive and destructive.
- Jer.
17:9 focuses on the deceptive and deceitful aspect
- Prov.
3. We must guard against the infectious
mentality of our modern culture. The philosophies and fads of the day.
The Scripture, however,
declares that it is now within us and that we are not able to direct our own
lives rightly. Jer.
10:23
Jer. 9:23-24.
4.
We must guard against the subtle imbalance of passivity.
This is the "let go and
let God" mentality which teaches that believers are to sit back and let God
do it all.
In
all obedience there must be the balance of disciplined dependence. A number of New Testament passages teach
this and to fail to see this is to go off into an imbalanced, unbiblical
position. For instance, note the following passages:
Ø
Galatians 5:16;
Gal
Intro:
Here we find once again the central importance of
the Holy Spirit in our life as believers.
Here is the
antidote to the rulership of the Sin nature!
Focus of the
phrase is the normal Christian life, being empowered by the Holy Spirit
Then Paul makes a most profound statement:
and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Point is Paul has drawn absolutes here,
your either walking by the Spirit or your dominated by
your sin nature.
Note: some
passages that give us a handle on the sin nature, the lust of the flesh, and its impact on
the life of the believer if not dealt with by walking by the Spirit!
- 1 Pet.
1:14
- 1 Pet. 4:1-3
- 2 Pet
- Eph. 4:22
- Rom.
- Titus 3:3
- 2 Tim 3:6