The believer’s life is lived in the body and also lived by faith in the Son of God. We are in Christ and we are in the body. And as long as we are in the body, it is the landing place for sin in our lives. Therefore we are in a constant battle always killing off that which attaches itself to our flesh as we go through life her
We are tempted when, by our own evil desires, we are dragged away and enticed.
Therefor, in this life the mark of success in the Christian life is not that sin is eradicated but rather in the mercy and grace of God sin is weakened and die.
The apostle Peter was not the last person to fall in flagrant sin. He was not the last person to ruin his public ministry. This story of Peter is actually full of hope for us because it tells us that your worst sin in life don’t need to be the end of you.
Mark 14:66-72
Paul describes the believer’s life as ‘the life I live in the body’ and then he says that he lives this life in the body ‘by faith in the Son of God’.
These two statements give us a good handle on this new life in Christ.
We are at peace with God but at war with sin. A new life and new battles.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”
Galatians 2:20
Peter’s greatest failures did not come when he was a vulnerable new believer but when he was a mature follower of Jesus.
When that happens you will be confronted by two dangers. One is to dismiss what happened and simply move on. The other is to the opposite. Far from dismissing what happened, your sin leads you to a sense of despair questioning your salvation.
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”
Mark 14:38
What happened when you became a believer?
These are the amazing miracles of God’s grace in the life of every believer.
“Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
The life of Moses shows us that God will use a situation that is meant to destroy you, to elevate you. It is in the difficulty that God opens up the door for opportunity. Opposition is an action of resisting, or combating, protesting something, someone, or the state of being opposed by way of comparison or contrast. An opportunity is an appropriate or favorable time or occasion: a good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success… In reference to the wind, “in front of; toward” God used Pharoah to save and groom Moses for his purpose. He used the very same man who wanted to kill all Hebrew boys, to groom Moses so that he could rescue his nation. Paul reminds us of this in his letter to the Philippians. Imprisoned because of the opposition he faced, the apostle writes,
“And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear”
Philippians 1:14
Paul recognized that opposition is not a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t derail your focus on what God has called you to accomplish.
Many people consider our faith in Christ foolish or they at least have some significant questions about our belief.
And so it is important to explain ourselves. We defend our faith: gently, respectfully, confidently, boldly, persuasively, and prayerfully.
This is the wonderful example the apostle Paul gives us in Acts 26.
Forgiveness is never easy. When wounds are deep, it sometimes feels impossible. But the good news is that forgiveness is possible and the reason why it is possible is that Jesus paid the price on the cross.
Whenever Jesus exposes your rebellion, repent of your sin and turn to God in faith, receiving grace form Jesus that overflows from His heart and it transforms lives.
And then spend your life performing deeds in keeping with your repentance, seeking in all that you do to honour your good and gracious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Christian Campus 