Scriptural Foundation
Romans 7:14-24 – Christian Standard Bible
The Problem of Sin in Us
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So, I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,
For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: to the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is qualified (fit and sufficient) for these things? [Who is able for such a ministry? We?] For we are not, like so many, [like hucksters making a trade of] peddling God’s Word [shortchanging and adulterating the divine message]; but like [men] of sincerity and the purest motive, as [commissioned and sent] by God, we speak [His message] in Christ (the Messiah), in the [very] sight and presence of God.
Romans 8:31-39 – Christian Standard Bible
The Believer’s Triumph
What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Background
This past semester we learned about the spirit of offense. Offense is a sin just like worry, gossiping, lying, judging, etc. Sin is missing the mark when it comes to the things of God. The spirit of offense once identified in your life, begins the process of spiritual inventory of all your natural interactions with others. The Lord revealed to me that these types of spirits are like bodies we carry around weighing us down – like proverbial “monkey on your back”.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” – Luke 11:24-26
The Roman Empire was well known for the ways they carried out the death penalty. Our Lord and Savior Jesus was sentenced to one of their most gruesome, crucifixion. Another less known tortured death sentence was the strapping of a dead body face-to-face with the criminal or back-to-back. The key criteria were to have healthy flesh exposed to a decaying body.
“One of the most brutal and deadly practices of the Roman Empire was its treatment of condemned criminals. Those who had committed crimes against the empire were brutalized by being nailed, naked to a cross for all to ridicule, spit on and mock. However, there was still one punishment which was reserved for the worst of the worst which is almost unimaginable for us to think about. Those people who were especially hated for their crimes were sentenced to carry around “dead weight”.
This term has come down through the generations and to us it means to carry that which has no benefit or purpose and actually causes harm. However, to the Romans the term referred to practice of strapping a dead body to a criminal. They were forced to live out there last few weeks in a walking punishment by carrying a maggot infested corpse strapped to their bare back. During the process of decomposition, it slowly leaked poisons into the criminal making them sicker and sicker until they finally died a very slow, painful, stench filled death.” – William Emmons
We are spirit (our spirit man), soul (mind, will, and emotions) and, body(flesh). Our soul is the swinging door between the natural and the spiritual realm. What shows up here in the natural shows up there in the spiritual and vice versa. Your life is a car (vessel). One of two drivers, either the spirit or the body drives the car, while your soul is always the passenger.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
– James 1:13-17
When Holy Spirit is driving, the fruit of the Spirit shows up in the spirit realm and in the natural realm. This is the produce that we want to “cultivate” and “feed” to the world around us…taste and see that the Lord is good. When your body (flesh) is driving, it produces counterfeit fruit that also shows up in both realms. This “fruit” weighs us down like dead bodies. The potential bodies we carry are:
- Self-sufficiency
- Self-pity
- Solution solver
- Happiness seeker
- Busyness
- Anger
- Rejection
- Pride
- Jealousy
- Defensiveness
- Martyr
- Depression
- Isolation
- Controlling
- Domineering
- Ego
- Pride
No wonder at different points of our lives we feel so weighed down by the circumstances of life. How many of these bodies we have accumulated due to the spirit of offense? The only thing that can separate us from God is ourselves. In our words and in our actions. We are made in our likeness of God; we are creative beings…life and death are in the power of the tongue. You have to constantly remind yourself why Jesus came and why the enemy is so busy trying to distract us from that truth.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). – John 10:10
Rejection happens when the opportunity of offense is presented. Offense is like termites.
Look at Jesus and the rejection he endured with patience.
- His family (Matthew 12:46-50)
- His community (Luke 4:22-30)
- His friends /co-labors/ associates (Luke 22:54-62)
- His people (Mark 15:6-15, Luke 9:22, John 1:11)
- The world (Luke 23:33-35, John 12:44-50)
Despite all the rejection the Lord chose to forgive and complete His purpose and assignment. He looked past the moment (rejection) on through to eternity. We too have these areas in life – family – friends – community – world (aka social media). How do we process our rejections? Stumbling happens in these areas when we lack trust in God. Our growth in the spirit is stunted by our responses to others.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. – Ephesians 6:12
You are not my enemy, the strife that is exists is a manifested mirage to stir up my flesh and steal my peace. “Fear can’t catch what it can no longer reach”. We can choose to use our physical eyes, or we can choose to use our spiritual eyes. What kind of scent are we giving off to the world a sweet fragrance or an aroma of death?
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the latter one an aroma from death to death [a fatal, offensive odor], but to the other an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is adequate and sufficiently qualified for these things? For we are not like many, [acting like merchants] peddling God’s word [shortchanging and adulterating God’s message]; but from pure [uncompromised] motives, as [commissioned and sent] from God, we speak [His message] in Christ in the sight of God.
– 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Refection
- What “bodies” have you been carrying around?
- Think back to when this weight/burden began? What circumstance or situation opened the door to the spirt of offense?
- What other spirits/bodies came in with that spirit of offense?
- Are these familiar spirits? Are their spirits that you can see a family member? Could it be something passed down? A generational curse?
- Sit down with Holy Spirit meditate on the scriptures above and have Him reveal to you the spirits you need serve an eviction notice to.
‘The most powerful sermon preached is the one that is lived”. Dr. Jacqueline T. Flowers