Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
02/03/2015, by John Kincaid
Lesson 501: It’s Not About Us
Temptation is strong in our lives because it’s not about us.
Much has been written about the struggle between good and evil in the Stars Wars movies. It accurately portrays temptation as an attack by the forces of evil against the empire.
In reality, the empire is the Messiah’s kingdom. The point is that the battle for holiness is much larger than individual sins and people.
When someone is saved, the power of temptation is not weakened. It gets stronger.
Satan and his demons hate all humans because they bear the image of God. Demons hate Christians worst of all, because we bear the indwelling Spirit of God. We display His fruit.
The demons want to destroy the picture of the crucified Christ in us.
1 Pet.4:14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Rev.12:17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God & hold to the testimony of Jesus.
John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
God’s Spirit and God’s Word sustained Jesus; they are also with every believer. We are able to resist temptation the same as Jesus, by trusting our Father and listening to Him.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.