"The Works of the Flesh”
Judges 2
February 26, 2006
by C.W. Powell
Because we are human and finite, we cannot look at everything at once. Instead we take things apart and look at once piece at a time and turn it around to look at its different sides. Please follow me in this, and realize that today we will be looking at only one side of a very important topic. There are other aspects of this great truth and I will try to draw these out as we proceed through this great book. The other aspects will not contradict the great truth that I preach today, but will help to set this great truth in perspective and bold relief.
According to Galatians 5, the people of God have within themselves, to ability to live under either of two principles. One of these is the Old Man, which is inherited from Adam, and is energized by the law, according to I Cor. 15. This principle brings for sin unto death, and its works are “the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 AV)
The flesh is occupied with the things of the world and not the things of Christ. It seeks an earthly reward and lies under the wrath of God. It is not capable of knowing or understanding the things of God, but understands earthly things. It can be very religious, as Saul of Tarsus was, and think that it is doing God service while it wages war against the people of God. It is much concerned about ceremonies and duties and imagines that if it gets all the ceremonies and the duties right, then it will have the blessing of God.
Israel of old walked according to the flesh and did not get the inheritance. Why did they not receive the inheritance? Because, as Paul tells us, they did not seek it by faith. Romans 9: “1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:1-3 AV)
The flesh has many kinds of righteousnesses and labors mightily to establish them. Every old drunk has something that he won’t do and has people that he despises. Professors of theological institutions even carry on theological wars with those that they think do not measure up to the form of righteousness that they have carved out through their own theological peculiarities. One thing, however, that all of these righteousnesses have in common is a practical denial of the sufficiency of Christ’s righteousness, seek to add some little bit of ceremony that sets them apart from others, and despise and condemn others who do not perform some outward act according to their own satisfaction. In the case of the Galatians they had imported circumcision from the law, gloried in the cutting of the flesh, and fancied that they had achieved a superior form of righteousness.
The futility of the flesh is seen in the history of Israel, as Paul points out. They had great zeal, but the great zeal of the flesh will always fail and will always bring about the fruits of the flesh. We see that in the book of Judges. They were doomed to failure, God knew they would fail, and God points to their failure as strong examples to us not to walk as they walked, in the flesh and the boasting of the flesh. In fact, Paul says that he counted his entire legacy as a Jew according to the flesh as loss, as garbage, that he might win Christ, for there can be no compatibility between the flesh and the Sprit as Paul also tells us: “The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, so ye cannot do what you would.” The flesh has different desires than the Spirit and seeks to achieve these desire in different ways. There is tremendous energy in the flesh and tremendous energy in the Spirit and the only end to the struggle is in the grave.
Israel did not gain the inheritance and did not even understand what the inheritance was. Do you think that God raised up Israel for the purpose of slaughtering millions of Canaanites? What did he need Israel for to do that? God does not send his people forth into the world to slay people. “God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” When James and John asked if they could call down fire and brimstone upon the Samaritans for refusing to admit them, “He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” (Luke 9:55-56 AV) They thought that they were activated by a spirit of righteousness, but they were not. It was righteousness, of course, but it was the righteousness of the flesh, not of the Spirit.
The two sacraments of the gospel enforce the view that I have just iterated. Baptism witnesses to the necessity of being born of the Spirit, for we can baptize with water, but only Christ can baptize with the Holy Spirit. Holy Communion bears witness that our life is Christ, the true bread that came down from heaven, for Moses did not give that bread. You can chew Moses and eat and breath Moses and glory in Moses and all you will get is dry bones and death. Christ did not come to lead us to Moses; Moses was sent to lead us to Christ. Feasting on Him is sufficient for all my righteousess and I am complete in Him.
What litany of failure is set forth in the book of Judges? Chapter two gives the discouraging account of the failures of Israel to do what God commanded. They were doing what circumcision required: cut off everything that defiles. In his examination of the error of the Galatians who thought they could be sanctified by rules and regulations Paul warns them, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” (Galatians 5:13-15 AV) Biting and tearing and slaughter and strife and warfare is the work of the flesh, not of the spirit. The righteousness of Christ did not come that way, for if it could come that way, then Christ is dead in vain. Righteousness does not come by the power of the flesh, but by the death of the flesh. The flesh thinks it can gain righteousness by winning earthly battles; the spirit triumphs by losing them and flying to Jesus Christ and His resurrection. “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 14:11 AV)
What a strange idea this is. To win by losing? Israel will not inherit her promise until she looks on Him whom they pierced, renounce their own righteousness as dung and garbage, see Christ crucified for their sins and embrace that which they despised, the one who was cursed by the law and hanged on a tree. Our righteousness is the gift of God because of the life and death of the Son of God, and we enter into this life by eating and drinking into that life and death by faith. This cannot be done except by turning from whatever we feel makes us superior to others, for in Adam all die; it is only in Christ that all are made alive. All in Adam have the same kind of corruption, all in Christ have the same kind of righteousness. How amused must God be to behold poor sinners comparing themselves among themselves, as one rotten apple might say, “I am not so rotten as you.”
Why should Israel glory in their land? There are untold places on the earth that are more beautiful, more rich, better climate, and certainly fewer disagreeable people than in Israel. There is nothing that more indicates the blindness of the natural man and the specific blindness of Israel than this fixation on a piece of land that none of them would have if it were located anywhere else in the world. I have not been to Israel and have no desire to go there, for it is not my inheritance, it is not Israel’s inheritance, and it is not Islam’s inheritance. The inheritance of all men is hell forever in the Lake of Fire if they do not repent and trust in Christ. Let Islam destroy every last Jew in Israel and they will not gain heaven with a million virgins, but will inherited the wrath of God forever. Let Israel destroy every son of Ishmael and they will not secure their inheritance, but will reap the wrath of God and eternal hell forever right along side of the people they killed. Let the church kill every last Muslim and every last Jew and every last Jehovah’s Witness and every last religious and political liberal and every last heretic on the earth and they will not receive any inheritance other than eternal damnation in the lake of fire with the heretics they killed. Righteousness does not come by killing and triumphing over your enemies, but by the spirit of God granting us the life that is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The failures that are set forth here in Judges 2 are the failures of the entire history of Israel. Things did not improve when they had a king. God knew that a king would not subdue the flesh and bring righteousness, and the history of the kings is just as depressing as the history of the Judges. From time to time they would have a good king and things would be outwardly better, but as soon as a bad king came, the people went back to their own rotten ways. What were these failures?
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1. Their obedience was superficial and connected to strong rulers. It was not of the heart, but of the flesh. It did not arise from the permanent residence of the Holy Spirit as was promised by Jesus Christ. The seed fell on shallow and stony ground
2. They quickly reverted to idolatry and wickedness when the strong leader was buried.
3. They never fulfilled what God had commanded them, and the flesh never will. God knew they wouldn’t present to him a perfect obedience, but he would teach them and us about the weakness and failures of the flesh.
The “spirit” in Galatians is the new principle of righteousness that is grounded in faith and not the works of the flesh, or even in the works of faith, but it rejects all works completely and rests alone in the finished work of Christ.
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden..” (Galatians 5:22-6:5 AV)
Instead of biting and devouring, we must seek to restore each other. Instead of wrath and strife, we live in a spirit of longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, etc.
Beloved, this is the only foundation for righteousness and peace. This is contrary to the spirit of the world and the spirit that energizes the flesh. The flesh teaches, “Do, Do, Do, and you will achieve superior righteousness.” But the result is the opposite: You get wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, backbiting, and all the evil things of the flesh, for the flesh only produces on thing. Instead, the Gospel says, bear all things, believe all things, endure all things.” Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will raise you up. Do not avenge yourself. Turn the other cheek. Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. How different is Christ from Moses: instead of destroying me for my sins, He picked up the burden of my sin, carried them on His own back, and suffered the wrath of God for me, so that I might be forgiven and never bear the guilt of them again. “Go ye,” He said to His disciples. “As my father sent me, even so send I you.” He did not send His disciples to kill and loot and destroy, but to preach the Gospel, not to destroy but to lay down their lives for the brethren, the elect of God. He entered into our lives and sends us to enter into the lives of others, bearing witness of His grace and mercy, to engage them in grace and humility of mind, showing forth the beauty of His life and triumph over sin and death and hell.
Applications.
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1. Our first thought must always be of healing and restoration, not revenge and retaliation.
2. Every crisis is never a crisis of obedience, but a crisis of faith. We certainly do disobey, but we always disobey out of unbelief, for it is impossible to disobedience to come from faith. When obedience is lacking, faith is weak.
3. Every Christian is equally righteous in the eyes of God and must be known so in our eyes. There are not second-class citizens of the Kingdom of God.
4. We are to do good to all men, especially “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 AV)
5. The Spirit of Christ will teach us to do good to all men, just as our heavenly father does good to all: Christ sets himself into bold relief with Moses in Matthew 5:43-48 “43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 AV)