The Jesus Way Session 11 – Resist His Enemy

Introduction Living for Jesus is not ‘plain sailing’ Evil is a powerful reality Jesus taught following him would be tough And people would have to battle evil We must resist Jesus’ enemies – anything opposed to his truth, light and love

Enemies of God Until we repent, we are God’s enemies By grace, he converts us to ‘friends’ Christians are rescued from darkness; but still have to resist it day by day

Who has to be resisted? Resistance is never to mean physical attacks on a Christian’s personal enemies Clearly taught by Jesus and the apostles ‘It is far too easy to assume (wrongly) that our enemy is automatically God’s enemy.’

So how do we ‘resist his enemy’? Jesus’ chief enemy is sin Chief place it lives is – within us! We are forgiven; but we are not perfect Believers need to –fight against sin, –resist it and when necessary, –repent

3-fold description of evil 1. Sin Sinful human nature (‘flesh’): self-centred rather than God-centred Battle within believers: Spirit vs flesh Two opposing principles at work in us Tension till we die

3-fold description of evil 2. The ‘world’ Yes – God loves the created world But – it is also the place opposed to God Jesus prayed we would not belong to it Paul told us not to conform to its standards Believers must choose a different path ‘Don’t you know that to be the world’s friend means to be God’s enemy?’ (James 4:4)

3-fold description of evil 3. The Devil Many names in Scripture Jesus’ ministry shows he is real The apostles teach he is real He is defeated …but still powerful Must recognise him and be ready to resist ‘Resist the Devil and he will run away from you’ (James 4:7)

Resisting sin and temptation Remember we are not alone Realise our old natures are ‘dead’ in God’s sight Feed on God’s truth Remove ourselves from situations Be disciplined with ourselves Keep short accounts with God Don’t always stay on the ‘back foot’

Conclusion Christian life is a form of warfare Need to get wise about the enemy And use the weapons available Jesus’ enemy is ‘sin’ in all its forms Must press on to victory in the power of the cross

Building-block 11 in following Jesus his way: Resist His Enemy – All Evil was Defeated on the Cross!