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Personal Enemy

Title: Personal Enemy
Text: Ephesians 2:1-3

"SELF"- our enemy within

Adam brought sin in the world. Before, he was God-centered, created by God's image. But after the fall from sin (when Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit in Eden) naging self-centered & corrupted na.
- Napasa na din sa atin ang epekto nito.

GOD SHOULD BE THE CENTER OF OUR LIFE.

Romans 5:19 (KJV) "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

🔸We are now naturally:
- self-centered people
- independent in our own way
- naturally hate God's love (ayaw mo na gawin kung anong gusto ng Diyos)
- naturally love God's hate (mas gusto mong gawin yung hate ng Diyos, like masarap sayo ang bawal)

- Man lived to please himself than to glorify God.
(please himself = commits many sin)

🔸So let's take a good look at ourselves and see if we recognize ourselves:
1. self-pride:
- the most important in the world is himself..
- our words are always "Me, I, myself"..
- what others think to us is important to us..

Contrasting to what God did, He made himself with no reputation. Nagpakababa siya para mamatay sa krus at mailigtas ka at para mabayaran ang iyong kasalanan.

2. self-love:
- closely related to self-pride
- what we love in the universe is ourself

Don't bother what others say because it's all about judgment of them to you, not what God thinks about you.

3. self-will:
- self-pleasing
- the one who dominates self interest (gusto mo lagi kagustuhan mo masusunod)
- walang pake sa kanyang kapwa
- hates to take order
- we can be religious but in the end we don't honor our God. Sooner or later it will show true color..
example: Simon (Acts)

4. self-righteousness:
- we are naturally self-righteous
- (can relate to legalism, ex: publican)

There's nothing we can prove ourselves. Without God, we can do nothing.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10)

5. self-vindication:
- hindi tumatanggap ng pagkakamali
- hindi niya sinisisi ang sarili
- the fault belongs to someone else
- he never say "I am wrong"
- there's a desire to retaliate (bumawi o lumaban din)

Only the very brave will apologize and amend.

6. self-pity :
- martyr complex
- thinking "why am i the one who gets raw deal"
- naooffend, nahuhurt agad

Self-pity is a disagreement to God of how our life is, because God plans everything. God has purpose in everything, you might not understand His way but God knows what He is doing, and it's all for His own glory.

7. self-seeking:
- seeking one's own interest and happiness
- "selfishness"
- wala kang pake sa nararamdaman ng iba, para lang masatisfy lang ang sarili
(Galatians 5:20)
. it leads to disorder & mispractice
. ruins friendship
. hinders prayer

8. Self-exaltation:
- pagnanakaw sa trono ng Diyos
na dapat sentro ng puso mo is God, pero self na.
- naturally self ang ineexalt, hindi ang Panginoon.
- esteeming oneself above others
- elevating ourself to be equal with others (yung trato mo na sa guro mo is parang nawawala na yung authority niya sayo because feeling mo close na kayo and madalas nawawalan ka na ng galang)

Number 1-8, These are all work of the flesh.

Exodus 20:3 (ESV) "You shall have no other gods before me."
There is always better than us, God.

"Self" is God's enemy. Self is also our enemy.
Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
- if hindi si God mismo kumilos sa buhay mo, it will not give you "peace".
- if Christ isn't the center of your heart, di mo siya mapiplease and it will not give you peace.

🔸God had to deal with 2 things:
1. He had to deal with our sins, what we have done
2. He had to deal with us, what we are

I. He had to deal with our sins, what we have done

(Romans 8:23, "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.")
- He dealt with our sins by sending His son to die for us.
(Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.")

II. He had to deal with us, what we are
- when God saves us, He put us to Christ.
- putting us in Christ was God's word.

Why God put us in Christ? so that He could deal with the old sinful self that is a cause of so much trouble.
(Romans 6:6," We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.")
- our old nature was also crucified to cross
- progressive growth in sanctification

We are also with Him when He arose.
God gave us new life in Christ.
(Romans 14:9," For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.")
- Siya na yung boss ng buhay mo.

He died not just to be our savior, but also to be our Lord.
(2 Corinthians 5:15, "and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.")
- no longer live with self
(Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.")
- nagpoproduce ng fruit of the Holy Spirit.

APPLICATION:

1. Know that God has dealt with us in Christ.
(Romans 6:6," We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.")

2. Count on the fact that we died with Christ and rose again.
(Romans 6:11,"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.")

3. Realize that you belong to God.
- that before you are sentenced to death, but now are saved.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.")

4. Give God His property.
(Romans 6:13,"Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.")
- susundin mo na ang gusto ng Lord.
- magpapagamit tayo sa Kanya.
- binibigay natin sarili sa Diyos, dahil sa Kanya tayo.

It all belongs to him, so quit stealing.

Matthew 16:24,"Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Galatians 2:20, "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."

You have no rights. But God is gracious, may good pa din tayong natatanggap.