Make No Provision

Mark Dunagan
05/03/09 - Sunday Morning

 

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

The statement, “make no provision” means, “take no forethought”, or in other words, do not plan to sin, do not help the devil when it comes to tempting you, do not set yourself up to fail and do not put yourself at a disadvantage when it comes to resisting temptation. So our instruction here goes beyond merely gratifying sinful desires, but “not to think about how to do so” (Romans, John Stott, p. 353). In this lesson I want to explore practical steps in how we can truly “make no provision” for the flesh.

Circumstances We Do Not Choose

When it comes to temptation, we cannot control everything and there are certainly times when we will have very little control over our environment. For example, Joseph did not have any control over being a slave in Popithar’s household (Genesis 39:1), and even though Popithar’s wife was after him, he still had tasks to perform in the house (39:11 “he went into the house to do his work”). In a similar vein, Daniel had no control over his removal from Judah and being taken to Babylon (Daniel 1:1). From this we learn:

• We need to be prepared to resist temptation even in hostile environments.
• God stills expects us to overcome when we are surrounded by unbelievers.
• Even in situations we did not choose, we still have choices. Joseph could still resist and he could still flee (Genesis 39:13). Daniel could still observe God’s laws (Daniel 1:8).

Circumstances We Do Choose

Often we have quite a bit of control or choice in the following areas:

Friendships and companions:

• 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals”
• Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”
• Proverbs 22:24-25 “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, lest you learn his ways, and find a snare for yourself”
• Ecclesiastes 7:26 “One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her”

The Amount of Time We Spend in Prayer and Study

• Hebrews 5:14 “Who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil”
• Daniel 6:10 “he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously”

Removing Bad Habits and Establishing Good Habits

• Colossians 3:8 “But now you also, put them all aside….(3:14) and beyond all these things put on love”

The Right kind of Forethought

The Holy Spirit is reminding us in Romans 13:14 that we will be putting ourselves at a great disadvantage if we daydream about sinning. If we ponder anything, we need to be pondering the following:

• How do we always feel after we give into a temptation? We never feel better; we always feel much, much worse.
• Sin never works. It never removes the real problem. It does not give us any patience; it brings with it no strength, but only frustration, self-doubt and weakness.
• Do I admire people who give into temptation? Absolutely not.
• How is this going to look in light of the cross? It looks extremely selfish. I look like Jesus’ death has been completely lost on me. I look like I am ungrateful. It makes me look like one of those people who were in the crowd that day who called out for Him to be crucified. “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and had regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).
• How will this look in the light of eternity? Why would I trade eternal life for just one moment of temporary earthly pleasure? This will really make me look like a complete fool if I do it.
• What if Jesus returned right now? I know that God is watching me.
• What truth do I want to come out at the judgment day? Do I really want everyone to find out about this?

Strategies

• Be aware of the Clock

“And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).

People who keep on sinning or keep on returning to a sinful habit are acting like they don’t really know what time it is. It is amazing how people can be oblivious to how close to the edge they are when it comes to death and eternity. People can remain in a sinful habit or simply remain out-of-duty for decades without realizing that they have become twenty or thirty years older in the process. Never lose sight of the clock. The clock says that Jesus could come at any time (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). The clock says that any one of us could die at any time (James 4:14 “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow”). The second that passes says we are getting that much closer to eternity and the final accounting. It seems that the culture tries to convince us that as every year passes we are getting farther away from being accountable to God, when in reality, the opposite is true. With each passing day, I am not becoming less accountable, I am becoming more accountable (Romans 2:1-5). God is not going away—but we are—to meet Him.

• Stop Sleep Walking

“It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep” (Romans 13:11).

Sleep walking, in the spiritual sense, would include:

• Thinking that nothing is every going to change and we are just doing to keep on living forever.
• Thinking that our actions will never catch up to us.
• Thinking that sinful habits will just kind of go away on their own one day.
• Thinking that we have an unlimited amount of time to repent or do the right things.
• Thinking that God is never going to intrude into our world.

Live The Life…Stop Standing on The Side Lines

Especially when it comes to resolving doubts about God or Scripture, or getting out the habit of complaining. One of the best ways to resolve such issues is to simply get off the side lines, get out of the back seat, stop being an armchair quarterback, and get into the fight. It is amazing how one’s view of God, the wisdom in the Bible, other members of the Church, and sin can change when you are actually in the fight. “Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). What I mean by this is that so many of the arguments or doubts presented by unbelievers are more philosophical than real. A lot of passages will start making sense if you are involved and are living in the real world.

• Do not Waste Your Time

“Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy” (Romans 13:13)

All of the above are not only sinful, but things that can completely waste your life. Such things do not add anything to a person, they do not contribute to personal growth, they do not produce wisdom, they do not prepare a person for challenges, and they add no strength. My time on this earth is severely limited, so I must not make the mistake of spending my valuable time on things that provide zero nutrition in the spiritual realm. I have only so many years to learn self-control, or kindness, or patience. One reason why I am going to live in the daylight, and get rid of all the deeds of darkness, is because nothing worthwhile grows in the dark.