Defeating the Enemy
At the front of the rectory—that’s the technical name for the house the Senior Minister lives in—there is a marvellous Magnolia. I don’t know how you judge the age of trees but this one looks old and is five metres across and about four metres high. It has thick, beautifully healthy branches and a solid trunk to support them. During summer when it is full of leaves it provides magnificent shade cover. During autumn it slowly drops those leaves into one enormous pile ready for crunching. During winter it forms intriguing shadows on the ground. And annually, on the cusp of spring, as the beautiful variegated pink flowers are blooming, it faces a disaster of apocalyptic proportions.
Possums. Last year, I would guess there were 70 or 80 buds on the tree and we got to see a grand total of zero flowers. Every single one of them, as it emerged from its green cocoon, was completely demolished by the passing parade of possums that inhabit Collins Road. We would go for walks and see other people’s trees resplendent with blooms and then return home to the disappointing disaster that was our tree. For months we felt that all was lost and little could be done. So we accepted the reality that we could not win and relinquished the tree to the possum’s delight.
And all this got me thinking—our experience with the possums is a little illustration of the way we sometimes deal with our sin. We just accept the reality that we cannot win and relinquish ourselves to sin’s delight. Of course, we all know the message of the Bible:
“And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” – Matthew 5:30
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” – Colossians 3:5
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7
You can probably come up with another ten verses that urge us to take sin seriously and deal with it. But it often feels too hard or unnecessary or impossible. Friends, this week, I want to urge you to keep trying. Motivated by the love of God for you, inspired by the death of Jesus in your place, strengthened by the Spirit, encouraged by those around you and urged on by the joy set before you in eternal life—I plead with you to keep at it. Your pursuit of godliness honours Christ, shines his love before others and adorns the salvation he has won for you.
Don’t give up—know that the Scriptures urge us to see that you can win as you keep in step with the Spirit. Just keep going, bit by bit, seeking to honour Jesus, working at conquering sin and living for his glory each day. There is no silver bullet but for prayerful endurance and daily decision making to follow Jesus.
And as for the possums, I bought a Guardian Pest repeller. It’s no silver bullet but just one step forward has borne fruit and this year we have had the delight of more than a dozen flowers to enjoy and rejoice in. Step by step and bit by bit we will win the war against the possums. And step by step, bit by bit, you can win the war against sin. Let’s do it.
