THE WORTHLESSNESS OF MY FLESH

last night as my wife and I sit and done our nightly Bible reading and prayers, we were reading in ( Deuteronomy 7 ). God had instructed them to kill all the people, every one. My wife expressed the fact she did not have an understanding about God having them kill all those people, men. women and children. Where did they go? Did they all go to hell? As we sit and talked about those things ; God’s spirit began to stir in my heart about a Sunday School lesson to I might be able to teach.

We often misunderstand the actions of God because we can’t see God’s purpose even in our own lives. What is God’s will for me as an individual? ( I believe ) that the nation of Israel is a perfect picture of every born again believer. In the Old Testament, God chose a people. His desire was for ( this nation ) to be a people that completely yielded to his every word. His desire was for ( that nation ) ( that mindset ) to completely take over the complete world as we know it.

In the Old Testament, it’s all about a picture and, what we can learn from that picture. If you read after me, you know that I taught ( Hebrews 4:12 ). This can be totally related to what is said in that verse. We know for a fact that all flesh is going back to the dust of the earth. With that being said, can you see that even the ( flesh of Israel ) was going to do the very same thing? God’s desire to destroy all flesh that didn’t obey his will was even true when it came to his own people. Every person in Israel had to die just as every other person did. If you will read his account all the way through the Old testamant, he instructed Israel to teach their children and grand children his statutes, his will. When we see ( the law ) God gave that law to Moses only. He presented that law, by Moses to Israel. He instructed them to learn it and obey it. Put another way, he is not going to change or give that law to a different person in every generation. It became the responsibility of Israel to keep it and to see to it that the next generation did the same.

The spiritual picture we see is one of seperation. God knew that if Israel didn’t destroy all that was not of him; then the strength of their enemy would slowly overtake them and they would be corrupted. The very first enemy that had to be defeated in Israel was the weakness of their very own flesh. As a nation, they never became able to do just that.

When we are born again, just like the picture of Israel; God seperates ( the soul ) part of us from the other two parts within each of us. That being our flesh and our spirit. Just as Israel was supposed to destroy every other group of people, every other city or mindset, it becomes our responsibility to allow the very power of God within us to overtake our spirit and flesh, destroying our own will as we walk in our flesh.

I’d like to share some verses of scripture with you.

( Matthew 25:24 )

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ( 25 ) And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there is thou hast that is thine.

Now, look at this:

( Matthew 25:30 )

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: ther shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Personally, I believe these statements are related to nations, such as the ones that God wanted destroyed by Israel but, the spiritual point is still the same. Let’s say that you, as an individual are born again. That makes you a servant/ child of God. He has performed surgery on your heart and seperated himself within you. Now, it’s your responsibility to yield your members to his own will. We know this:

( Romans 8:8 )

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

That, we know; is an absolute fact! Now, look at the very next verse:

( Romans 8:9 )

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

He’s not talking about the fact we are still in our fleshly bodies but rather that he has placed his spirit within our flesh. He’s saying that if that spirit is not in you then, you are simply not saved. Now, I ask you, does God’s Spirit live within you? Only you can answer that question?

If you consider the servant that hid his talent ( in the earth ). That servant never took God’s talent within him did he? It was hid in the very place God’s desire is for each believer to turn their flesh away from. If you will notice; that servant says this ( there thou hast that is thine ). It never became the servants did it? He never received it?

I truly believe that there are many Church members that live ( in the flesh ) meaning that their desire is the please their flesh. The reason they don’t seek to please God is because ( his Spirit ) is not in them. God has never performed surgery on their hearts, there is nothing within them for the spirit to build on! He can’t work on you flesh until you allow him in!

That means that they will be thrown into outer darkness. Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Do you see that the servant with the most talents and, was willing to use them all was the very best compensated? or, at least the very same as the other servant that was willing to use all? We see that all people might not have the same talents so to speak but, are you willing to use what you have for God’s glory? Are we willing to slowly allow that spirit to overtake our worldly desires of our flesh?

If your answerer to that question is no then, explain to me what good you are for God’s purpose? The whole picture of Israel and the other nations was to bring about God’s will in this world by his people yeilding to his will and guidelines. If Israel was not willing to allow that to happen then what good was Israel to God the Father?

All Israel will be save, that as a nation, They will inherit the earth however, they have faced and, will face the chastening hand of God because of their unbelief. There is no differece in a single born again believer! If you are born again and, yet you refuse to be obedient to God’s will for your life, you will suffer loss at the ( Judgement Seat of Christ ). Exactly what does that mean. A subject for another lesson:

Next week by God’s grace we will look at the last verse in ( Hebrews 4 ).

Marshall Clayton

2 Timothy 1:7