THE FALL OF EDMUND

THE

FALL OF EDMUND

THE

FALL OF EDMUND

Edmunds Battle

From Within!

Look at Edmund's Battle!

If you have not felt the conflict inside by now, you will because there is a battle that is going on and you need to understand how to deal with it.

This can be seen when Edmund is with the “White Witch”. You may want to look at that part of the movie now before you read on. It is scene six, “Hail the Queen”. Once again, if you don’t have the DVD watch the above clip then let me explain what is taking place. Edmund follows Lucy, without her knowing it, in to Wardrobe and discovers Narnia is for real! As he is walking around he runs in to the Whit Witch. She lies about being a Queen and tricks Edmund on her side with some magic, turning both a hot drink and Turkish delight from some snow on the ground for Edmund to have to eat and drink. Edmund had a battle going on inside him. You see, he loved his brother and sisters, but, he was hurt and did not like being treated in a mean way by Peter. Even later in the movie Peter told Aslan he had been bad to Edmund. The White Witch took advantage of this feeling and began to trick him in to thinking she cared about him. She promised him a high honor that even Peter would not have, “King of Narnia”. Unfortunately, he fell for it and stepped on to her side of the fight.

Lesson Principle

We need to see the White Witch for what she represents. The writer of story, C.S. Lewis, wanted her to represent the “Devil” and the ways he tries to trick us in to believing lies and not the truth.

The devil knows that you too have a war inside of you between your evil flesh, or bad side and God’s Spirit. He hates Jesus and His truth, so he will try to do everything possible to have you step on the wrong side of the fight, like Edmund did in the movie.

The White Witch knew exactly what Edmund wanted to hear. He wanted something to satisfy his stomach, “Turkish Delight”, and to make him feel important, “a King of Narnia”. The Devil knows exactly what to do to you to get you to sin.

Bible Principle

There are two ways the Bible talks about flesh. Look at them now.

The First is the physical bodies of humans or animals. When God removed a rib from Adam and he created Eve, he closed up the place with flesh (Gen 2:21). This is our physical body.

The Second way is an even stronger force inside us; flesh is the earthly part of man, representing lusts and desires. Look at these Bible verses.

Ephesians 2:3

3. Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Said a different way, “we once use to be lost and doing bad things all the time, not caring what we do; caring about nothing but what we wanted to do and not what God wanted.

The flesh is contrary to, or against the Spirit of God, and this flesh is what wants us to be selfish and disobedient.

Galatians 5:17 says, For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

This sinful nature causes all kinds of problems for us. What I am trying to say is Jesus’ Spirit and our flesh will not ever get along because they want different things. The Spirit wants what Jesus wants us to do; the flesh, what self wants to do.

In other words, to be selfish all the time is what self wants us to live like and to live like the Bible says is what the Spirit wants. I know you already feel this problem in your life. Later I am going to show you how to win.

This bad way is what the devil goes after to get people to sin. He will do the same to you as well. He will place things in our life to trick us in to following self, our flesh, and not Jesus. So when you find that you are doing bad things it is your spiritual flesh, bad side, that is making you do it not God’s Spirit.

Look at Romans 7:14-20

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.

15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Once again let me help you understand by putting the Bible verses in to our language today.

14. For we know that the 10 commandments and God's ways are spiritual not given by man but by God; but I am a human with a sinful flesh, no power to refuse it apart from God.

15. I am totally confused with what I am doing when I do bad things; because, I really want to do good things when I think about them, but I find myself doing the bad things anyways.

16. I even go as far as trying to say the bad things are good for me to do, according to the Bible.

17. But now I understand that it is not my “saved part” that wants to do bad things but the sin that is my “body” or flesh part.

18. I know that now, my flesh makes me want to do the bad things; the understanding to do the right things I know, but the power, the how to do it I cannot figure it out, I in up doing bad things.

19. Now my war is to do or not to do bad things and I lose to the bad side often.

20. I do know this, it is not my saved side that wants to do bad things but the flesh side wants me to do bad things.

The Bible teaches that even though we are saved we are not out of danger yet. We still have a “Bad side” to deal with called our flesh. You remember from our other lesson about the flesh? The Temptation is to do what your selfish flesh wants and not do like Jesus’ wants and Love people. When we choose what we want we sin, but when we choose what Jesus wants we do not. It is a sad thing but it, our flesh wins a lot of times.

The rule here is that you and I must be on guard for the bad side, our flesh, because it will at any time try to get us to do something bad or selfish. No one is excused, not Mom, Dad, brothers or sisters, cousins, Grandparents, well, you get the picture. You see the verses we read all talk about our weakness to overpower sin.

The battle that you and I have is the battle between the “FLESH”, our bad-selfish side, and our “SPIRIT”, the place Jesus’ Holy Spirit lives. This is why we have such a hard time doing what is right, even when we either know what is right, or try to do what is right. The major problem is when “WE” try to do it and not ask Jesus to do it. Jesus was tempted 3 different times when he was physically weak from hunger. He prayed for strength and His Father gave Him strength to help resist temptation.

Later on in Romans 7, in verse 24 and verse 25 we find our answer to the problem.

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In other words, “Oh I feel terrible, who will rescue, help me overcome this bad flesh? I am so thankful it is Jesus Christ who will help me!

Mr. Tumnus repented of even thinking bad about Lucy, so much so that he cried.

Edmund accepted the Witch’s lies so he could get Turkish delight and his own selfish way. Edmund failed.

Now that you are a Christian, it is like having two people living inside you all the time fighting each other. One wants the best and good for you and the other wants to hurt you. This is hard even for adults to understand and that is why we must live by “faith”. Let me give you a simple definition for faith:

Faith is Trust + Belief in Jesus. You must trust that Jesus and his words are always right, even when you don’t understand why sometimes. I don’t understand all about the creation story but I accept it as true because I Trust Jesus.

You must also believe that Jesus will never do or say anything that will hurt or harm you! Now when you put both Belief and Trust together you are walking by Faith.

So, what do we do about Our Two Natures?

GOOD QUESTION!

Application

We are told 3 things to help us as we fight against the Bad Side of our life.

First, we need to pray every day for Jesus to help us see when our bad flesh is trying to get us to do bad things or act selfishly. In our first lesson we talked about prayer and now you see why it is so important! When Jesus helps you see the temptation, He will also give you a way to escape it. We need Jesus don’t we. Like I said before, prayer is important.

Look at1 Corinthians 10:13.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Let me put it into my words: You will not have any temptation that, with Jesus’ help, you cannot resist; He, Jesus, will help you find a way to escape it and do good.

Second, the Bible will help us see the good and the evil, the rights and the wrongs so we will know about temptation.

That is why I said about Bible study in the first two chapters, that it is so important for us to do. You see it was Mr. Tumnus seeing the wrong in the White Witch and her evil that helped him make the right decision. Edmund did not see until later, after it was too late, and he almost got his brother and sisters captured. The Bible gives us teachings and rules, and morals to live by so we will not give in to our bad flesh and sin.

Sometimes it will take not being around others who are always are getting in to trouble. Now Jesus is not saying don’t be friendly, but He is saying don’t do or listen to their bad ways or words.

Third, listening to good people who are Christians will help you resist your flesh. Listening to their advice about life will keep you many times from temptation or doing bad things. You see Edmund did not listen to Lucy, Mr. Tumnus’ words about the Witch or even to Mister and Mrs. Beaver’s story about how the Witch is evil. Remember?

She turned people to stone and caused the one hundred years winter with no Christmas in Narnia. You must listen to good people and don’t do like Edmund, who turned away and did things his own way.

Digging Deeper Activity

1. Write down the Three Helpers that will help you resist the flesh and its temptations.

2. Who tried to help Edmund see the White Witch for whom she was, truly? Hint: It was one person plus a couple of odd creatures.

3. Write down at least 3 people that you can trust to tell you the truth so you will stay out of temptation.