More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (18)
Similar to The spirit is willing but
Similar to The spirit is willing but (20)
More from jemyao
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (17)
The spirit is willing but
- 1. The Spirit is Willing,But… Grace Bible Fellowship Jonathan Yao 2010.05.30
- 2. Review – The Discipline of Grace Disciplined by Grace Psalm 1 Dependent Discipline Psalm 127:1 The Discipline of Commitment Psalm 119:106 The Discipline of Convictions Romans 12:2 The Discipline of Choices Romans 6:19 The Discipline of Watching Matthew 26:41
- 3. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”~ Matthew 26:41 ~
- 4. The Discipline of Watching RMS Titanic Maiden Voyage – 10 April 1912
- 5. The Discipline of Watching RMS Titanic – comparing sizes
- 6. The Discipline of Watching Know Your Enemy Know Yourself: Weakness and Strength Know the “Little Things” Know the Best Defense
- 7. 1. Know Your Enemy The Bible speaks of three sources of temptation: the world, the Devil , and the flesh.
- 8. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.- Ephesians 2:1-3
- 9. 1. Know Your Enemy The world, or the sinful society in which we live, is characterized by the subtle and relentless pressure it brings to bear upon us to conform to its values and practices. The Devil, or Satan, is the god of this world and the ultimate mastermind and strategist behind all the temptations that come to us from society. He also often tempts us directly. The flesh, however, is our greatest source of temptation – what apostle Paul called the sinful nature which dwells within us.
- 10. 1. Know Your Enemy Indwelling sin now wages guerrilla warfare against us. Paul called indwelling sin a law that is at work within us constantly seeking to draw us into sin (Romans 7:21-25).
- 11. “…I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. …in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”- Romans 7:21-25
- 12. 1. Know Your Enemy Indwelling sin now wages guerrilla warfare against us. Paul called indwelling sin a law that is at work within us constantly seeking to draw us into sin (Romans 7:21-25). James referred to this law of sin when he said…
- 13. “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” - James 1:14
- 14. "We have met the enemy, and it is us."
- 15. The Discipline of Watching Know Your Enemy Know Yourself: Weakness and Strength Know the “Little Things” Know the Best Defense
- 16. 2. Know Yourself: Weakness and Strength Our flesh is always searching out opportunities to gratify itself according to the particular sinful desires each of us has. Without knowledge of ourselves and our own particular weaknesses toward sin, we cannot watch against those temptations. We can avoid temptations if we will see the obvious danger and take refuge.
- 17. “The prudent see danger and take refuge,but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”Proverbs 27:12
- 18. 2. Know Yourself: Weakness and Strength Be watchful against: any area of persistent sin patterns in our lives to which we are especially vulnerable temptations that may arise from your temperament exposure to other temptations because of the occupation or profession we are in pride in our own “strength” (of having taken preventative steps)
- 19. Questions What are some possible temptations you know of in these areas: persistent sin patterns in our lives predisposition due to our temperament “occupational hazards” in our profession pride in our own strength How can a person who faces one or more of these remain “watchful” to prevent being tempted?
- 20. The Discipline of Watching Know Your Enemy Know Yourself: Weakness and Strength Know the “Little Things” Know the Best Defense
- 21. 3. Know the “Little Things” Be watchful for the little things of everyday life: the little lie, the little bit of pride, the little lustful glance, the little bit of gossip “The little foxes that ruin the vineyards” (Song of Songs 2:15)
- 22. “Little sins often slide into the soul, and breed, and work secretly and undiscernibly in the soul, till they come to be so strong as to trample upon the soul, and to cut the throat of the soul.”~ Thomas Brooks ~
- 23. 3. Know the “Little Things” The riveting story of Titanic and cause of its sinking
- 24. 3. Know the “Little Things” Rivets = “small things” ?
- 25. “The cause of sinking [of the Titanic] was in large part due to the failure of the rivets that fastened together its hull.” – Marine Forensics Panel (SD-7), 1997 Report to the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
- 26. The Discipline of Watching Know Your Enemy Know Yourself: Weakness and Strength Know the “Little Things” Know the Best Defense
- 27. 4. Know the Best Defense “The best defense is a good offense.”
- 28. 4. Know the Best Defense Meditate on God’s Word Watching through Prayer Avoid the first step leading to temptation Pray defensively against Satan’s attack Depend totally on the gospel of grace
- 29. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”- Psalm 119:11
- 30. 4. Know the Best Defense Meditate on God’s Word Watching through Prayer Avoid the first step leading to temptation Pray defensively against Satan’s attack Depend totally on the gospel of grace
- 31. “Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”- Psalm 127:1
- 32. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”- Matthew 6:13
- 33. 4. Know the Best Defense Meditate on God’s Word Watching through Prayer Avoid the first step leading to temptation Pray defensively against Satan’s attack Depend totally on the gospel of grace
- 34. “Avoid every kind of evil.”- 1 Thess. 5:22“Flee from sexual immorality.”- 1 Cor. 6:18“Flee the evil desires of youth.”- 2 Tim. 2:22
- 35. 4. Know the Best Defense Meditate on God’s Word Watching through Prayer Avoid the first step leading to temptation Pray defensively against Satan’s attack Depend totally on the gospel of grace
- 36. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”- Matthew 6:13
- 37. 4. Know the Best Defense Meditate on God’s Word Watching through Prayer Avoid the first step leading to temptation Pray defensively against Satan’s attack Depend totally on the gospel of grace
- 38. The Gospel of Grace When we fail, we come back to the gospel of grace in Christ God’s forgiveness > face our sins honestly > the Cross and cleansing blood Cleansed conscience > freedom and joy We come back again and again to the gospel Abundant life is growing in Christlikeness Grace and discipline cannot be separated
- 39. RMS Olympic – “Old Reliable” "It's also circumstance." It is ALL God’s grace!
- 40. Preach the gospel of grace to yourself daily!
Editor's Notes
- This study is based on Jerry Bridges’ “The Discipline of Grace”, NavPress, 2006, chapter 12.Edited extracts from the book may be found in this presentation.
- To use an analogy from the Titanic, every day we sail through a sea infested with icebergs of temptation. Despite the dangers, however, there seems to be a casual attitude toward temptation. We are either not too concerned, or else have an "it couldn't happen to me" attitude toward sin.
- The immense Titanic was supposedly unsinkable. Its sheer size and design was supposed to work in its favor to remain afloat.
- The world, or the sinful society in which we live, is characterized by the subtle and relentless pressure it brings to bear upon us to conform to its values and practices. What was once unthinkable becomes thinkable, then doable, and finally acceptable to society at large. Sin becomes respectable, and so Christians finally embrace it. It is my perception that Christians are no more than five to ten years behind the world in embracing most sinful practices. The world is also pervasive in the pressure it brings to bear upon us. Advertising pushes the pursuit of pleasure, possessions, and prestige as the highest good. Pop psychology promotes self-fulfillment and personal happiness—certainly not the pursuit of holiness. Magazines, movies, and television programs appeals to our restless shameless desires. Over time, the world tends to wear down our resistance to sin. Values and practices that were at one time recognized as sinful become acceptable to us simply because our otherwise nice, decent neighbors hold those values. No iceberg-infested sea was ever more dangerous than the society in which we live today. It is the height of folly, then, not to watch against the temptations of the world. The Devil, or Satan, is the god of this world and the ultimate mastermind and strategist behind all the temptations that come to us from society. He also often tempts us directly. He "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). In general temptations from the world tend to be subtle, gradual, and insidious, whereas Satan's direct attacks are more often sudden, violent, and vicious. Satan will attempt to catch us off guard and unprepared to withstand his assaults. As dangerous as are the world and the Devil, neither is our greatest problem. Our greatest source of temptation dwells within us - what apostle Paul called the flesh, or the sinful nature. It is the principle of sin that still remains within us, even though it no longer has dominion over us. John Owen stressed that "Freedom from the dominion of sin is not... the same thing as freedom from its presence and influence. Indeed, the power of sin remains where the dominion has been banished, and though that power of sin 'be weakened, yet its nature is not changed.'"
- Guerrilla warfare – as any military person will attest, it is the most difficult warfare to defend against. Paul called indwelling sin a law—or a principle—that is at work within us constantly seeking to draw us into sin (Romans 7:21-25). James referred to this principle of sin when he said, "But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:14).
- James referred to this principle of sin when he said, "But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:14).
- In summary… "We have met the enemy, and it is us."
- "We have met the enemy, and it is us.“ – the flesh!
- Since our greatest source of temptation dwells within us, let us focus on how we can identify our source of weaknesses in order to guard against them.In other words, “To know your enemy is half the battle won.”
- Our flesh is always searching out opportunities to gratify itself according to the particular sinful desires each of us has.Without knowledge of ourselves and our own particular weaknesses toward sin, we cannot watch against those temptations.The captain of the Titanic very likely could have avoided the iceberg by applying that simple principle. In the same way, we can avoid temptations if we will simply see the obvious danger and take refuge.
- Be watchful against:any area of persistent sin patterns in our lives, those temptations to which we are especially vulnerabletemptations that may arise from your temperamentexposure to other temptations because of the occupation or profession we are inpride in our own “strength” (of having taken preventative steps)
- How about the “little things” or “little sins” in our lives?
- The riveting story of Titanic and cause of its sinking“The cause of sinking was in large part due to the failure of the rivets that fastened together its hull.” – Marine Forensics Panel (SD-7) in a 1997 report to the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineershttp://www.titanic-online.com/index.php4?page=319The theory is that the wrought-iron rivets, were structurally weak from unusual patterns and excessive amounts of the byproduct slagAnd when the 46,000-ton RMS Titanic hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland on the night of April 14, 1912, the impact didn't slice the mythical 300-foot (90-m) gash in its side but, rather, popped the rivets, "unzipping" seams in the hull plates in six places. The total area open to the sea, experts now believe, may have been no bigger than a closet door. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DID+WEAK+RIVETS+HELP+SINK+TITANIC%3F+POSSIBLE+METAL+FAILURE+IS+STUDIED-a064738632
- We’ve seen how little things can lead to big disasters.So, what constitutes the best defense in our watch against temptations, big or small.
- Prayer is part of God’s spiritual armor for us (Ephesians 6) which protects us against the Evil one and his fiery darts.Prayer is also the most important arsenal (artillery) we have toward the destruction of evil and falsehoods that seek to blind us.Watching prayer is thus our essential weapon in both our spiritual defense and offense.
- We’ve seen how little things can lead to big disasters.Thus preventing even the first step that move us closer to the edge of disaster is needed.
- We’ve seen how prayer quenches fiery darts that comes from Satan.
- After all have been said and done… ultimately, we depend and rest on His grace…
- Foecke said some people want to say that "bad steel sank the Titanic, bad rivets sank the Titanic." But he pointed to the Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, built at the same time and place with the same materials."It sailed for 27 years. It collided with two ships. It ran over and sank a submarine. It was hit by a dud torpedo. And it was called "old reliable' and was scrapped in 1936. So it's not what it's made of, and what its design is."It's also circumstance.“It is actually ALL of God’s grace that we do not fall into any temptation.http://www.titanic-online.com/index.php4?page=319