NARNIA – The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
In the story of Narnia we are reminded of how Jesus’ gift of grace trumps the power of sin.
By following the journeys of siblings Edmund, Lucy, Peter, and Susan we learn that not only is there a war raging in London, but that there is a war between good and evil raging on the inside of Edmund.
Likewise, with us, there may be battles and wars raging around the earth today, but there is also a war within us.
It may not look like those bombs falling on London, but it’s still devastating.
It’s a war between righteousness and sin. These words may seem old fashioned or even irrelevant, but they are very much relevant to us today.
Righteousness means to be in right standing with God. To act honourably and justly according to his standards. Sin is to miss this target and fall short of Gods glory. Romans 3:23 puts it this way, ‘all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God’.
The problem is not a bad decision here or there, rather it’s living with habitual sin. Habitual defined: something done regualarly.
Romans 7:15-16 the apostle Paul says ‘For I do not understand my own actions (I am baffled and bewildered by them). I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate (and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness – my sinful capacity). Now I habitually do what I do not want to do’.
We can all relate to this; jealousy, greed, and unkindness, lust, deception, selfishness, we can find all these things and more ruling our thoughts, our decisions, and our actions despite our wishes.
In a song Heaven, the lyric says, ‘Oh heaven, I wake with good intention, but the day it always lasts too long.’
How often do we start the day with a plan to do better but find ourselves falling back into the default of sin?
Sin is not a fashionable word nowadays, but its somethings we can’t escape.
It’s the urge to make ourselves rulers rather than submitting to God’s kingship.
As the book of Genesis tells us, we were made to live in relationship with God and follow his design for our lives.
Things go wrong when we pursue what we think is best in defiance of what He has said.
Sin causes a rift in our relationship with God and with others and the consequences of sin can go far beyond what we can see.
We think by pursuing our own way it will lead to a throne, and instead we end up in captivity. John 10:10 says ‘The thief (sin) comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)’. Our way can be amazing to begin with, but after a while it will lead us on a path of emptiness and deception.
The best decision we can make is to place our life in His hands and allow Him to lead us in the life He has for us!
DISCUSSION
All through the journey of life, we are presented with options & choices. How often do we start the day with a plan to do better but find ourselves falling back into the default of sin in our actions, thinking and choices!? (jealousy, greed, lust, deception, etc).
- How can we recognise patterns of sin in our life and position ourselves too ‘throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that easily entangles us’? REF Hebrews 12:1
- The second part of Hebrews 12:1 says ‘Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us’. How can we continue to be empowered to live life and live it to the full?
- Later in Hebrews 12, we are encouraged to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’. When we are running our race and sin tries to trip us up, the solution is to look up and ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’. It does not say ‘fix our eyes on our sin!’ Instead of dwelling on our temptation or sin, throw it off and look to Jesus. How do you respond in times of temptation and what can we do to fix our eyes on Jesus in the moments of temptation?
- Is there habitual sin (things that continue to come up) in your life? Who can you pray about this with? James 5:16 says ‘Therefore, confess your sins to one another (your false steps, your offences), and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored.