Sin - THE ENEMY WITHIN

THE ENEMY WITHIN
Romans 8:1-7
by Cooper P Abrams III

Introduction: There are two forces which we have to deal with in this life: Satan and the what the Bible calls the Flesh. Years ago there was a black comedian name Flip Wilson. He often would make the statement about something he did wrong, saying "The devil made me do it." The devil does tempt us and appeals to our carnal natures, but he does not make us sin. Often he is not the source of our temptation, but we are tempted by our sinful natures that we are born with. (See James 1:13-15)

1. Satan's attack comes from without. Comes in the area of false teaching and false churches. He uses often uses others to attack us to disillusion us, cause doubts, play on our weaknesses, and to use those who call themselves Christians, but who are carnal to place stumbling blocks in our way. Satan's temptations come to both the lost sinner and the child of God.

He tempts the sinner:

He tries to keep the sinner from having his sins forgiven and trusting Christ, and receiving eternal life.

To the believer:

To keep them from living for Christ. Keep them in sin. He accuses them, brings up past sins, our failures in our Christian lives. He plagues on our thoughts always appealing to our carnal side.

2. The other source of trouble is referred to as the "flesh" and come from within us. It comes from our sinful nature or carnal nature that each person is born with.

WHAT IS THE TRUE NATURE OF MAN?

A. Some falsely conclude that man is a god in embryo. Others say man is basically good, but his environment causes him to do wrong things. We live in an age that everyone tries to blame someone or something else for our problems. Men today rarely accept their failures and sins and accepting responsibility for them. They conclude they are not to blame because they did not have a good childhood, or they were born to some ethnic group, and a thousand other reasons.
Others say though man is bad, all men have a spark of good in them, all we need do into change man's environment, educate him and fan the spark. The late Norman Vince Peal was the one who made that false idea popular. Robert Schuller, the false prophet of the Crystal Cathedral, carries that false message to thousands each week on the television who he deceives and cause to believe his lies.
B. The way to determine what is good, or righteous is to ask God, who is the only source of truth. It is God who created us and He is the only source of truth. He made this earth and He tells us plainly what is good and what is bad. He wants the best for us and warns us of the consequences and result of sin.
C. What does God say through His Word the Bible? The Bible says man is born a sinner.

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"
Romans 5:18-19 "Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

Thus God says man, every man woman boy girl are born into this world sinners. As the descendent of Adam who sinned against God and plunged the whole of mankind into sin. The sin nature came from Adam.
David makes the point clearly:

Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

David is not talking about the act of reproduction, but the fact he was born a sinner. His mother and father were sinners and they passed their sinful nature to him as their offspring. Jesus said a bad tree does not produce good fruit. An apple tree cannot produce oranges. All life produces what it is. The sin nature came from Adam and when Adam sinned the whole human race was plunged into sin. "Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12)
D. Man (lost or saved) is tempted or led into sin from his human nature which seeks "to gratify its self." James 1:13-15

1. The Bible calls the source of temptation LUST. Means desire. It is man's desire to seek after that which will destroy him.
2. There are steps that lead to sin.

(a) Man's desires entices him. (Temptation is not sin, nor is having the desire to sin)
(b) Then the person yields to the desire, or seeks to satisfy his lust. (Now it becomes sin)
(c) The end result is death. Rom. 6:23, "The wages of sin is death"

3. The lost man, or unbeliever, is in their sins and under the penalty of them.

Because his sins have not been forgiven, he has only one nature and that is to sin. Only the "born again" believer who receives the indwelling or baptism of the Holy Spirit has God nature. The lost man does not have the nature of God and therefore can only sin. Even the good things, like charity or kindness are done in the flesh and not by in the power of the Holy Spirit, thus is not righteous in God's eyes.
He cannot please God, because he has denied Christ. His sins are not forgiven and he does not have the new nature.

How to overcome sin

A. The saved man:

1. The believer in Jesus Christ receives a new nature: Acts 1:5 (Baptized by the Holy Spirit). This gives the believer the power to overcome any sin in his life and begins the indwelling of the very presence of Christ in the Holy Spirit.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Acts 1:5 "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."
1 Cor. 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1 Cor. 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
Acts 10:47, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"

2. Eph. 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Baptism is a one time act. Filling is can be multiple.
3. 1 Cor. 2:10-14 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:10-14)

B. Two things are clear:

(1) The saved man receives the Spirit of God, which is the new nature. He then can perceive and do spiritual things.
(2) The unsaved man does not have the ability to understand spiritual things of God. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

C. The saved man is a new creature in Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, {he is} a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
3. God says that the Holy Spirit is actively working in the believer's life to help him overcome sin. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) 4. So when the temptation comes the believer should look for God's means of escape that He has promised to provided. 5. God also says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10) Therefore when we confess our sins God promises to work in helping us to overcome the sin and to "cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Certainly, God does not leave his child alone, but is there at our side, in our hearts to help us. Therefore, we do not have to sin. Yet, when we do, God helps us to grow stronger as we obey Him and mature in Christ.
CONCLUSION:

1. Satan is not the only source of temptation and sin in a person's life.
2. A man have a sinful nature he receives at birth. It is the Adamic nature is inherits.
3. Sinful man can not please God being in his sin.
4. Christ can to save sinners. John 3:16
5. Once saved, a born again Christian has a new nature.He is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. This new nature is at war with the old nature.

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