TRIUMPHANT LIVING

The Saboteur

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WHO SABOTAGES OUR LIVES?

Clues– Appeared in the Garden of Eden– Our primary, most powerful & worst enemy– This enemy has a hidden infiltrating power– Knows the difference between right & wrong– Our foe went against God’s instructions– It leads us to do wrong– Attempts to rule over us– Drives us to “do what our flesh wants”– Following its choices leads to sin & spiritual

death

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LAST CLUE

The enemy lives…

WITHIN US!!! WITHIN YOU!!!

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THE ENEMY CAUSED…

• Adam to choose Eden’s “tree of knowledge of good and evil” instead of the “tree of life”

• Adam to exercise his independent right to choose against God

• Adam to be independent of God – to live by his choices

• Adam to develop his life as he desired & to do his own thing

• Adam to be self-sufficient & living life by his own natural abilities, lusts, talents, skills & faculties

• Adam to lose his life in Paradise & the forfeiture of the triumphant life God had provided him

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ADAM’S ENEMY IS NOW OUR ENEMY• Because Adam chose to follow his enemy’s

desires, we, too, have to make a choice every day to either follow God’s plan, purpose & desires for us or to follow our enemy’s leading

• It’s a never ending choice of choosing “THE TREE OF LIFE” – JESUS CHRIST – and its/His “fruit” or choosing what Adam’s enemy chose – independence of God’s ways

• Even though Christ lives in us, if we choose the enemy’s ways, we will have chosen to bear the consequences of our choice: the sacrifice of triumphant living

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TRIUMPHANT LIVING RESULTS FROM CHRIST LIVING IN US

Even though Christ lives in us, He can’t “live” out His life through us because the powerful enemy within us keeps

us from & sabotages the triumphant living Christ

promises us

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WHO IS THIS SABOTEUR?

• What enemy took over God’s throne in Adam’s life? And attempts to so the same in our life?

• Who shoved God aside in Adam’s life? And tries to do the same in our life?

• Who caused Adam & all mankind to fall out of relationship with God? And tries to do the same with every believer?

• Whose actions caused all creation to be thrown into imbalance & chaos?

• What great enemy causes self-centeredness, disobedience, independence of God, etc to sabotage our lives as believers?

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ANSWER

• From the clues given you, have you determined who your powerful enemy is?

• Who has messed up your life?• Who has lead you to go against God’s ways?• Who has convinced you, maybe many times, to

depend on your logic, abilities, talents, lusts, experience, etc instead of relying on God?

• Who has sabotaged your efforts to live triumphantly?

HAVE YOU DETERMINED HAVE YOU DETERMINED IT’S THE DEVILIT’S THE DEVIL??

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SORRY! WRONG ANSWER!

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THEN WHO IS MY GREAT ENEMY?

SELFSELFYou are your greatest enemy!You are your greatest enemy!

““SELF” overrides God’s ways in your life!SELF” overrides God’s ways in your life!““SELF” chooses evil over God’s good!SELF” chooses evil over God’s good!

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“SELF” HAS A PARTNER

• “SELF,” aka “I,” is strengthened by the original “I” thinker

• Like Adam, the original “I” thinker had a godly relationship with God, but chose to exercise his independent right over his relationship with God

• Isaiah 14:13-14 says this about the original thinker’s “I” trouble: You said to yourself, "I'll climb to heaven. I'll set my throne over the stars of God. I'll run the assembly of angels that meets on sacred Mount Zaphon. I'll climb to the top of the clouds. I'll take over as King of the Universe!" - MSG Bible

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THE PARTNER HAS INFECTED “SELF”• SELF’S partner possesses a nature incapable of

being corrected or reformed – it’s incorrigible• When the partner infected Adam with that same

nature, he thought Adam would always be like him & do what he does (didn’t work, thanks to Jesusdidn’t work, thanks to Jesus)

• Like the partner, “SELF” became God’s arch-enemy – operating independent of & against God

• Every man & woman has a “SELF” aka “I” or “flesh” – and according to Rom 8:8, “…those who are still under the control of their sinful nature [SELF] can never please God.” - NLT

• Why? “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.” – Rom 8:7 NLT

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFECTED “SELF”

• Not subject to God’s teachings & can never be• Can never be tamed or disciplined• Is never improved upon by education, change in

living conditions, wealth, success, theological & moral teachings, but will always be “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked”

• Is never “good” & “bad,” but always against God• Manifests “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful

pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.” Gal 5:19-21

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFECTED“SELF”

• Often operates on self-centeredness & for recognition & rewards: Ex: It may do the “Christian things”: pray, work, tithe, teach, preach, give, serve and become ultra religious to prove how godly it is

• It is committed to self-centeredness vs. godliness• It always looks at everything based on how it will

be affected• It magnifies its own importance• It is super sensitive & touchy• It craves the applause & appreciation of others• It is very defensive• Cannot stand to be corrected or rebuked

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFECTED “SELF”

• It defeats us as Paul mentioned in Rom 7:18-19, 22-23: “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature [SELF]. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power there is another power [SELF] within me that within me that is at war with my mindis at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”

• “SELF” dooms any possibility of triumphant living & brings the despairing cry: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” - Rom 7:24

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MUST QUASH THE SABOTEUR• The “saboteur” must be quashed (snuffed out

completely by your action) if you are to live triumphantly

• “SELF” has to be neutralized – rendered power-less - not be able to rule the believer

• The believer must choose the only cure for his deceitful “SELF”: death!death! It’s the only way to be delivered from the power of the “SELF-LIFE”

• This “death” is not by human hands or a physical bodily death, but “co-crucifixion” of our infected “SELF” with Jesus – it is a faith process where we “reckon” ourselves to be dead to sin [SELF] & alive to God through Christ – Rom 6:11

• Gal 2:20 makes it clearer: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” We “reckon” it as fact!We “reckon” it as fact!

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QUASHING IS NOT A ONE-TIME ACTION• The saboteur, “SELF,” – even when quashed

once - will attempt to rise from the dead every day

• It’s a matter of you “reckoning” its death daily – a matter of denying “SELF” the right to control your life

• It’s a “cross” thing – everyday bearing it to its crucifixion & putting “SELF” on the cross with Jesus Christ and reckoning “I [SELF] AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST!” – Gal 2:20

• Tomorrow, do the same thing – then again & again & again…day after day

• “For he [SELF] that is dead is freed from sin.” – Rom 6:7 – Because it’s your right, only you can keep “SELF” from being resurrected & be free

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WHAT IS YOUR DECISION? WILL YOU LET GOD CONTROL YOUR LIFE OR

WILL…

SELFSELFJesus said, "If anyone wants to follow me, he

must say no to himself. He must pick up his cross every day and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

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WILL GOD CONTROL YOUR LIFE?

SELFSELFRequires you reckoning the truth of your salvation,

“I am crucified with Christ!”Gal 2:20

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OR WILL…

SELFSELFIf you choose “SELF,” the “saboteur” will block & hinder the triumphant living God

has promised you!

TRIUMPHANT LIVING

IT’S YOUR YOUR CHOICE!!!

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