ONE MAN UNDER GOD

Lesson Text: James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Intro: In these verses, the Word of God has thrust swiftly and surely to that tender area of our lives which seems to be the source of most of our problems both spiritual and temporal.

1. The Problem stated; The Dual Nature resulting from the new birth.
A. You MUST be born again
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
This indicates that there is SOMETHING in the creature of the fleshly birth, which is contrary to the kingdom of heaven.
The Scripture reveals what it is;
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

1. Natural man’s spirit is wrong.
I Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

2. His mind is alienated;
Col 1:21; And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

3. This has resulted in a rebellion of the body;
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

B. God is a Spirit and demands of man a spiritual birth.
John 3:6,That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

II The Problem illustrated
A. Peter’s failure in spite of his stated determination
Mat 26:35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Mat 26:69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

B. The doubting of Thomas which flowed from the carnal, not the spiritual nature.
John 20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
(Notice that Thomas did not have to mention his doubt to Jesus)
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

C. Paul’s description of his battle with the problem
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

III The Problem Solved!
Rom 7:24, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Illustration: As in the tale of the ancient mariner,man carries the albatross of his sinful nature with him wherever he goes. You’ll not conquer the flesh until you’re sick of it by the Spirit of Christ.
A. You are dead and your life is NOW hid in Christ.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

B. In Baptism, we figuratively bury the old man that we might rise to a new walk in Christ
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

IV The Ideal stated.
A New Creation; ALL THINGS NEW.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

While the spirit CAN’T sin (I John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.) the mind and body become the battleground of spiritual forces. The Holy Spirit is directing us to serve God, to live godly lives in conformity with the Word, while satanic forces are luring us to rebellion and sin
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

B. This gives us an insight into the thought of ;
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
No condemnation--Not from God, man nor self, and therefore peace reigns with God, man and in ourselves, as we are single-minded -THEREFORE
1. Let this MIND be in you
Phil 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
2. We have the gift of a sound mind;
2Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

3. The Spirit of Christ will instill in us the MIND of Christ.
(I Cor 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.) which will help us to be Christ-like.
4. This takes determined effort.
I Pet 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Gird up = Wrap the word around your mind!
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
V Review;
1. Born again
2. Bury the old man
3 Nourish the new man!
Be single minded about this