Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Satanic Wiles Pt.7

Amen. Let's turn to Galatians this morning and we're going to be winding up this little series that we've done on our preparation for spiritual warfare and the adorning ourselves with the armor of God. We saw that one of the important things of recognizing whether we're adorned in the armor or not is whether we're walking in the spirit. Because walking in the spirit according to Galatians really is the preparing ourselves with the full armor of God. Be strong in the Lord and how? In the power of His might. So we realize that it's the strength of the presence of God. It's not so external like somehow in our minds we think that we can place this helmet on, and that somehow it will protect us in and of itself without understanding that the helmet, the breastplate, the weapons that we have, the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit, are all expressions of the presence of God. They're not externals. Don't ever think you can do anything separate from the presence of God. You can't have faith separate from the presence of God. You can't have a righteousness of good works separate from the presence of God that's acceptable. So it's His presence that really gives us the strength, the purity that's necessary.

So in Galatians chapter 5 we read these very familiar passages. We'll start at verse 13. "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest." So we want to get hold of that passage. We're not going to go into each specific example right now of the flesh but I want you to see that one phrase, the works of the flesh are manifest. Now get it down, the word manifest here we're really talking about the fact that they're obvious. The works of the flesh are obvious. How many of you know that it's pretty obvious when you're in the flesh? Yeah we do too when you're in the flesh. We don't always see it in ourselves as much as we see it in others do we? We can tell when somebody else is in the flesh but we can't always tell that we're in the flesh because so often we judge ourselves by our intentions, others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. I'm not really that bad that's not what I really meant to say, do, etc. Yet the Bible says out of the abundance of our heart what happens? And by their fruit you shall know them.

So we realize then that it is the external expressions, and actions, and words that do really show what's in our heart at that moment. So the works of the flesh are obvious. So once we understand that they are manifest or another way of understanding that we can say it this way, the works of the flesh show themselves forth, or they express themselves. You know it's like the person that's in the flesh so often that they always give somebody a piece of their mind you know. Self will, that flesh that is self-vaunting, and expressing itself is what we're making reference to here. So it can either be an action or in word but it's obvious that it is the dominant force, and I want to always make this clear especially in our study today, it's the dominant force at this time. It doesn't mean that that's necessarily who you are but at this time that is the dominant force in your life. It's what's in abundance and so it's manifesting itself. And the works of the flesh then just in light of who they are, and what the source is, is always wanting to put itself to the front. So you need to understand that the first thought that you have or those first tendencies that you have to speak out or act out may not be what you want to act upon. You might want to bring those things into subjection.

Do you all remember the adage when we were little kids if you're mad what do you do? Before you say anything or do anything what do you do? Count to ten. Us old guys remember that. You know we need to teach that to our children. Don't immediately act upon a feeling. Stop and calculate, is this what I want to say? Because there's going to be consequence to your words and especially when you're speaking to a spouse, or children, or friends, be careful these words can wound deeply and you can't take them back. Yet the flesh will immediately express itself and vent its emotions. If we're walking in the Spirit or if we have the armor of God on we're not going to respond that way. We're not going to be an angry man. We're not going to be a striker. We're not going to be someone who's quick to react in anger, and all of these different things beloved that are indicators as to whether we have the armor on or not. How quick do you react and then have to always go back and say I'm sorry and try to pick up the pieces? Sometimes you won't say you're sorry; you'll buy flowers because you still have too much pride to admit you were wrong, and so you just want to soothe it over. It's all the flesh and it's the indicator that we don't have on the whole armor of God, and that we're not walking in the Spirit. The flesh will manifest. It wants to act out. How do we then keep it down, keep it suppressed?

We were talking a little bit about that on Wednesday so let's start this thing off. Let's go over to Romans again to chapter 8 in the book of Romans. When we begin to give a little time to that aspect of the man who's battling the flesh, the sin that's in his members, and we saw in Romans chapter 7 how this individual is just crying out to be delivered from this body of sin. This 7th chapter of Romans is about our ability to be free from the law. It shows us that there is no sanctification by the law, by our actions, by our works, or by the will of the mind. Sanctification can only come by the finished work of Jesus Christ because the futility's seen in this 7th chapter when he ends it and cries out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death. Then the solution begins to go from verse 25 into chapter 8 where he says, I thank God through Jesus Christ that there's now no condemnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Sprit. For there's a new law the law of spiritual life in Christ Jesus. Those of us that are regenerated, those of us who are full of the Holy Spirit there's a new law. He says of course Romans chapter 7 all of those tendencies are in every one of us. Every one of us has to cry out, O wretched man that I am but there's a new law this morning, amen? The new law of spiritual living in Christ Jesus which makes us free from the law of sin and death.

Let me say it to you another way which makes you free from the dominance of sin and death. Sin is still in our members. We still have to contend with it but it's no longer the dominant force. So when the Holy Spirit starts off this 8th chapter he talks about his new law that's available to you and I. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." So now we realize that Jesus came was made sin with our sin, sin's power was broken through his obedience, and now He through that vicarious work He's able to impart it as well as impute it to our account. In other words it becomes not just something that's legally done that Jesus said it's paid, and in the end you'll be able to get into heaven. It's imparted so that now we can act free from its power. It's given to us, this grace, this power, this anointing whereas before you were hopeless. You didn't stand a chance against sin or the law, now you're free. You didn't have any hope at all and now we have the hope not only the future of the glory of God which will ultimately manifest itself, but we have the hope of sanctified living or living separate from sin. Not only being eternally free and changed, and redeemed, and glorified, and free from sin, but now the sanctified life is momentary glorification. We experience the visitation, the anointing, and all of those things, or I should say momentary temporal not once for all. But you know through this sanctification there's times you experience that glory. You're liberated from sins power. You know not only by faith that you're right with God but you know you're right with God. You know that sin has no power over you, you're free man, your thoughts are pure, your motives are pure, the power of God is present. How many of you like that time? We've all experienced it and it stays longer sometimes than others.

He goes on and tells us that this is a constant battle because the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these two are contrary the one to the other so that you could not do the things that you would. We'll talk about that a little more in detail. But the good news for us this morning is this, there's a new law of spiritual living in Christ, and that we can realize that now through Jesus having fulfilled the law condemning sin in the flesh verse 3 said. His action, verse 4, fulfilled the law. Look at it chapter 8 verse 4-that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled now in us. His obedience, His actions fulfilled it, and now that righteousness can be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Now we have to define that so now Paul goes on by the Holy Spirit and defines it. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. Okay let me go back. The righteousness is fulfilled in us, righteousness, right standing with God, we're right with God. It's fulfilled, experienced by us who walk not after the flesh. Well man I just blew it man, I got mad here at the stop sign, it caught me on the way to church. I was praying in the Spirit and got mad when this thing caught me because I was going to be late for whatever it was. The flesh does that kind of stuff when it's not dominated. Whatever it may be that you're contending with. The action or the flesh acting out, and I'm trying to show as a trivial thing like that, the flesh acting out does not mean that you're walking after the flesh. Now remember we're not giving you any liberty to take an occasion for your flesh in these principles. The liberty that I'm showing you from the Scriptures this morning do not give you the right to just sit back and say, well you know that's who I am, and that's how I act, and periodically I'm going to sin so what's the big whoopee. We're to press toward perfection, amen? If you love God you will never be satisfied with sin in your life period. If you love God you will never be satisfied with where you are in this holy pursuit. If the Spirit of God lives in you it will always be apprehending more of the presence of God.

The moment you begin to say well this is who I am, this is what I'm going to do I'm going to sin, and so you know let's just accept it. Let sin abound so that grace can abound. We're not talking about that. What I'm trying to do is to take us away from thinking that the fact we may act upon the flesh, or the flesh…let's say it another way, the flesh might act out as it's not dominated by the Spirit man within us does not mean that you're walking after the flesh, it means you sinned. Don't call it anything less than that. Well you know I have this problem. You don't have a problem you have sin in your life, amen? I have this problem, I'm fleshly challenged. So it's not a problem, it’s sin, call it what it is. But the fact that we sin, how do we deal with a sin? Confess your sin and He's faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all of your unrighteousness. If any man says he has no sin he's a liar and the truth doesn't abide in him. So when we sin there's to be a brokenness. There's to be conviction. There's to be a godly sorrow. And we seek out the mercy and the grace of God and we confess our sin and He's faithful and just. Then the enemy will come and try to tell us, you know if you were a Christian you wouldn't have done that, you're not saved. Saved people don't do that. Well I'm here to tell you this morning saved people do-do that but sinner's delight in it. Saved people do-do that but sinners are comfortable there and say that it's all that can be expected in their life, and you know what, that's what I'm going to be the rest of my life. The mercy of God is just going to have to take care of that, and that's who I am. No. We are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, amen? That is not whom we are, that's not how we're to act habitually and it's not going to stay in my life. That's how a Christian responds to sin.

That's what Paul goes on to say here in the next verse here, look. Who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Now who are they that walk after the flesh? For they that are walking after the flesh do what? Mind the things of the flesh. That word this is a key. The word mind we've shared it with you before it means to set your intentions upon. To set your intentions upon the things of the flesh. It wasn't a presumption sin, it wasn't something that just came up in your members, and for one reason or another, and we'll talk about actually the sequence even of how we fall into these things, hopefully; but the fact is you're intentions are set that way. You're making provision for the flesh. The Scripture says don't make any provision for the flesh. Now how's provision for the flesh being made? Let me give you some practical ways. I'll show you how to make provision for the flesh. Go get yourself in debt so much that you have to work to pay for your lusts beyond the natural working responsibility we have so that you're taken up with everything other than the eternal-your ability to pray, study, spend time with the family, fellowship with the saints. That's being carnally minded, okay. It's intention, you've set the course. You say well Pastor I find myself in that situation and I don't want to be there but now in only eighteen more months I'm going to be free. You need to be free in eighteen minutes. Call them up and tell them to come and get the junk and hall it off and be free. That will hurt my testimony. And a life of disobedience of eighteen months doesn't? Yeah but if I do that I signed a contract and I'll have broken my word. A life of eighteen months of breaking the contract of acknowledging Jesus as Lord of your life is not sin? You're more concerned with breaking a contract with a carnal man than you are with an eternal God? That's what it means to be carnally minded. Because you're going to see as we study the Scriptures that whenever we recognize ourselves anywhere in dominance the requirement is an immediate departure.

When the Holy Spirit convicts you He doesn't give you eighteen months to make a decision. The willful obedience of stepping out of the boat of being a Matthew who rises up and leaves the customs table there, and all of his wealth and power at the word of Jesus that says come and follow me. To be spiritually minded is to be instantly moved by the Holy Spirit. To be spiritually minded is to have our same intentions upon obedience. If I can only hear, if you'll speak to me I'll do it. Over the years I really believe that it's been just one thing in my life with all of the things that we make mistakes, and do things but the one thing I believe that stayed in order in my life over all of these years has been this one thing of being intent on the voice of the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit of God speaks at that particular juncture and I hear it clearly to make that choice to act. When I talk about hearing it clearly hear what I'm saying. I'm not talking about just knowing this is what God wants you to do, I mean hearing it clearly because my heart is prepared to hear it. You see I hear the Holy Spirit before I sin. Do any of you? I'm going to show you one passage that deals with that this morning. I hear the Holy Spirit before I sin. You know I've noticed that every time before I sin there is that one pause that one moment I can make the decision. I'm still at the place where God is saying, don't think it, don't say it, don't do it, don't choose that, and there's that moment to where you now by the grace are given knowledge that you're not to make that next step and you have that grace and that ability to decide.

When we sin we choose to sin against the conviction of the Holy Spirit, against the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. You cannot be a born again, Spirit-filled Christian and Him not speak to you concerning your action toward sin. You may not hear it real clearly, it may not be with great dominant power because you failed to prepare yourself or whatever. You've already begun to move in this particular direction toward the flesh, and the decisions that are made for the temporal realm or whatever, but Holy Spirit will speak to you. To be spiritually minded is to conscientiously prepare yourself and in addition to preparation, conscientiously be listening for that voice. Is this the right thing, am I doing the right thing, is God speaking to me, what should I do here? Remember the old book written by Shelton? What a great book, "In His Steps." What would Jesus do? That's spiritual mindedness. Disciplining ourselves to say, I will not make a decision without asking myself the question, what would Jesus do here? What would he say? How would he respond in this given situation to this particular person? So to walk in the Spirit or to be spiritually minded which the Scripture says then is life and peace as contrary to the carnal mind which is death. We can begin to ask ourselves now this question, am I at peace right now? Do I know that the Zoe of God is working in me? Am I content in my actions, in my direction, in my motivation? Because the Scripture says those, verse 8, that are in the flesh cannot please God; but you're in the Spirit not in the flesh if the Spirit is working in you, verse 9, toward that obedience.

So what are we looking at here? The fact that God's calling you and I to this walk in the Spirit, to be spiritually minded. In a nut shell it's available, are you appropriating it? You cannot make one move without God having spoken, are you hearing? If you're making too many carnal decisions then you don't have the armor of God on. You're not hearing. The helmet of salvation is not in place to where you now are renewed in the Spirit of your mind. Now we're all going to sin. We're all going to make mistakes. What did verse 4 tell us? It's those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, for they that are after the flesh are habitually dominated by or making provision for, etc. Now what about those of us who are not overtly doing all kinds of mistakes but we're still not real clear on this voice that I'm talking about. What do we need to do at this moment? You say you know, I'm not being dominated by the flesh right now but I'm not real conscious of the voice of God either. Then what do we need to do? We need to begin to become spiritually minded. Don't make provision for the flesh which says we need to make provision for what? The Spirit. What can I do to hear that voice more clearly? You want me to tell you? Number one factor, you might think well pray more, fast more, study more. No, no, no. The thing that will cause you to hear the voice of God more clearly than anything else is to obey the last thing you heard. If you will act upon what God told you he will tell you something else. If you still have what he told you under consideration-well I believe God spoke to me but I'm holding this under consideration because to do that might cost me my job. It might cost my standard of living. It might cost family members or whatever. If you're holding it under consideration you're not going to hear anymore. Because to those that have what's the biblical principle? Shall more be given. It works totally contrary to man's thought processes. The more obedient we are the more God will give us to do. The more grace we appropriate the more grace will manifest itself and power, and presence.

So we begin to understand that these are the methods that God brings for us walking in the Spirit. It's a conscience effort then of putting on the Lord. Turn over to Romans 13 and look at this. This is kind of a cool passage. Romans 13 verse 14. "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof." You see that word provision its kind of interesting get it in your notes, it just means to plan ahead for. Do you have a plan B? Do you have a flesh backup plan? Make no provision for the flesh. Do you have a flesh backup plan, financial, physical, social? You begin to see then that making provision is planning ahead. The intention of, you know, if I ever get to the place where I feel I want to satisfy this one itch whatever it is, I'm going to have that provision out there just in case. I'm a very disciplined individual and therefore I don't have a filter on my Internet provider. I wonder if that's in your thinking making provision for the flesh. I want to tell you something if you have children and you don't have one, you're stupid. If I could think of something more blunt to say I would. Absolute ignorance with all of the garbage that's out there. If you have satellite or cable or whatever and you don't have some way to encode and protect your house I want you to understand something, you're not making wise provision. I'll tell you a better way to do it to not only put the lock on your thing-you want me to tell you a good way to do it? I know it's the way Janet and I do. It's the way that Kimberly and Jeff and others…if you want to do this thing properly and protect, you get two numbers, and let your wife have two numbers and it's going to take a mutual agreement of anything that's going to come into the house and the children can't know anything as it pertains to that. Yeah but you know I want to be able to, and what if this, and my husband may not be home, and I might want to watch a movie, or my wife, are you making provision for the flesh? Those have to do with practical things. I'm trying to think of some practical things where we live. Making provision for the flesh. You have a situation of the flesh that has to do with, I don't know antiques. So do you take your vacation in the antique capital of the world wherever that would be? If we're talking about people it would probably be Florida. But understanding why am I doing this, why I am holding that over here, why am I drawn to this particular area, and what is it? You see this is how we started this whole study, coming to grips with who you really are with what's in your members, and taking no occasion with the liberty that we have to make a provision that could be detrimental to you. The planning ahead to sin.

If you'll be honest with yourself take about two or three steps back from the last time you sinned, and then watch your plan toward it. You weren't just walking along and poof presumption sin jumped up got you and you're done. Then you get up, O God I didn't intend that it just happened. Sin doesn't just happen. Every man sins when he's drawn away of his lust and enticed. Every man sins when he's drawn away of his own flesh. Every man sins when he's carnally minded. Every man sins when he's intent upon those things. If you'll be truthful enough to back up you'll see the course of making provision. If you have the armor on and you're spiritually minded you'll be able to see some of these things, and you'll begin to make decisions that can put off giving place to the devil. Now how do you do that of course? This is something that practically we have to understand, how can we do this?

Turn over to Peter for just for just a second. In 1st Peter, of course these are all classic passages I want to try to somehow get them as practically applied as we can. But in 1st Peter chapter 2 look what he says in verse 11. "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." Abstain. We seem to think that it talks about abstaining from the act the final culminating action. So now here you come back from your vacation with this antique. You married some ninety-year-old lady or something I don't know. You bringing this antique back home and you think man O Lord forgive me for buying that antique. The purchase wasn't where this thing started, it was making the decision to go into that arena. The abstinence is not from the item, the antique, the abstinence is the abstaining from the environment. The Scripture says it this way, flee youthful lusts, shun the very appearance of evil. Fleshy pride tells us oh we're free from that, we're more mature than that, and the flesh will want to move up in legalism if you're moving under the law. What does the law say? How far can I go to the flesh and still be right with God? Now if that's the thought process you're under the law. So you're looking for the law to give you that one final statement. Now if you're going to move by the law you're dead already aren't you? Because the law couldn't provide the protection because it was weak through the what? For what the law could not do and that it was weak through the what? Flesh. God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. You see God reversed it. The law was good, perfect. The law works, the flesh doesn't. So what the law could not fulfill because of the weakness of the flesh God sent his Son in flesh and worked the law which made the provision for us to come back into fellowship through his obedience. But you're flesh can't do that. Your flesh can never take the law and succeed. So if you're going to say how close can I get legally and stand there you're going down, you're going down. The spiritual mind is how far can I get away from that? How much of Jesus can I have? How obedient can I be? How much can I die to self? How can I love others better than myself? All of these things that are spiritual mindedness. Now in the midst of a pursuit like that the natural mind says, well man if I'm doing that all the time I'm never going to get anything, I'm just going to be serving people and I'm going to be witnessing, and preaching, and praying, and I'm just going to have the presence of God, and the anointing. I'm never going to get to play golf, go to the mall. I'm never going to get to have all the fun that everybody else has. And that's the thought process of the natural mind. The fact of the matter is when you're walking in the Spirit you are going to get to do all those other things but you'll not take occasion for the flesh. You'll get to do them under the total control of the Holy Spirit. He'll tell you when it's time to play golf, go on the vacation, go to the mall, and you're doing it under total control of the Holy Spirit. You're doing the same things but the Spirit's in control because everything prior to that was spiritually intentioned. Stop seeing Father the way the world sees him as that ogre who wants you to have no fun, you can't do anything. Begin to see Him as a loving heavenly Father who wants to bless you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus who wants to heap upon you all the good things of life. He's the Lord that makes rich and adds, say it, no sorrow. But it's when we want to make ourselves rich. Rich with entertainment, ease whatever. And I have to have this, and I have to watch out for myself. When you're totally emptied before God and doing it his way then he'll add these other things to you. Seek first the kingdom of God, His righteousness, and everything else that everybody is seeking will be what? It will be added to you and it won't kill you. It will have joy, it will not dominate your life, and you're free indeed.

So that's the way the Holy Spirit's ordering our course. But Peter's speaking to us here and he talks about the fact that there's to be an abstinence. Abstain from fleshly lusts. In other words the more you entertain the lust. Every man sins when he's drawn away of his own lust and enticed. You haven't sinned yet. The lust is not sin at this juncture. What does Peter say abstain from the what? Don't keep entertaining the lust. Don't start making provision as the lust is there. Abstain from the lust and you won't commit the sin. Deal with it in the lust realm. When the lust starts culminating. You know I have to have one of those new super fuel injected turbo charged nitric induced blenders. I just have to have one, and the lust begins to rise up. Now you didn't know they made them until you looked in one of those magazines. You looked in the magazine and it said, new, be the first one on your block to own, nuclear powered turbo charged whatever it is, and you say I have to have one of those man. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. You don't even know they're there, you see them. We're a people that live so unique from the rest of the world. We're so blessed. Janet was telling me she said, I can't remember how it all was going, and we were talking and she said, well you know this group is going down, and they're going to get this manicure, and pedicure, and massage, and facial, and I don't know-liposuction, new face, new fingerprints. I was sitting there thinking how frivolous that is and how ridiculous to spend that. You could buy a good tire for that. Those of you getting your manicure, pedicure, whatever it is, makeovers, new clothes, new shoes. Have to have the kind that are twelve inch souls, whatever they are, mink lined, and whatever, stop and think for just a moment those of you that are my age especially that particular area, it hasn't been like that this long has it? It's like yesterday and I can remember I wasn't wearing a custom made pair of Ostrich skin boots. I had a pair of shoes on man that had a hole in them with some cardboard in it you all know you've all had shoes like that. Cardboard in there because the souls are worn totally through. The only advantage to those things was if you happen to see a penny or something like that on the sidewalk you would pick it up without bending over. The wealthy kids had loafers that had a penny on the top and we had them in the bottom, we'd just pick the penny up as we were walking along. As we were on the cruise with my grandma we were talking about this and she said you know the thing that I always taught the kids is this, you know how parents will try to ingrain different thoughts she said, my philosophy on life was this, and this is what we instilled, make due. Make due. This of course a non believer but you make due with what you have, and you're content with it, and you make due with that, and whatever else happens to come your way in life then so be it. Her philosophy on bad times was this, talking about a non believer, to this day she says it I don't remember hearing her say it on the cruise but I remember hearing her say it last time we were together she said, well this too will pass. Well when you're ninety-one years old you've seen a lot pass, right? This is some worldly philosophy but it has some credibility to it because it's speaking contrary to lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. Make due is freedom from that power. That doesn't mean you're not wanting more, or it doesn't mean that you may not have to be dealing with covetousness or whatever but it's an understanding in life that says you can't have everything. But the flesh wants it all.

So we come back and I ask you something, we got off on talking about the manicure, pedicure, all this. Step back for just a moment and remember life without that, and let me ask you something, are you any happier now than you were then? Now I'm not talking about going clear back before you were regenerated. But I go back to regeneration and we shared the story so many times of how little we had in the material realm especially Janet and I when we were starting out. How happy to be in the presence of God, and to be walking in the Spirit, and the privilege of being able to represent the kingdom of God. Janet told the kids when they were real little the whole thing of going to church how many times a week, and we were going to meetings and different things, and so we'd be going five, six nights a week somewhere. The kids never asked but Janet told them one time as they got old enough to believe she said I want you to understand something, and she told them before they could get to asking this question in their own mind. She said I want you to understand something, we're not going to these meetings because dad is a preacher. She said I want you to know something, when I was a little girl your age we went to church every time the doors were open, and when my mother was a little girl she went to church every time the doors were open, that's what Christians do not preachers. It's the way of life. It's the Christian way of life. You're not doing this except as unto the Lord. It creates a contentment. It creates an awareness of what our role is and our responsibilities. Janet was raised in that environment. It came into my heart through regeneration as soon as I got saved man. I want you to understand something, I didn't have any desire anymore to go hang out where we used to be hanging out. I didn't have a desire to go to football practice anymore. I didn't have a desire to play football anymore I just wanted to be in the presence of God, I wanted to be around the people of God.

Told you the story before man, I can still see it, I went up there to church they'd have women's missionary counsel, and I'd go to women's missionary counsel. I can still remember grandma Carter in there. She was in her nineties and they were sewing quilts for the missionaries. Sister Mercerlian, a sister who had been persecuted in Armenia under the persecutions there, born again, Spirit filled, on fire for God man, and to get around those old ladies man. Sister Carter was my witnessing partner, she was ninety. She and I would go out man I was twenty, she was ninety we averaged fifty-five, we were in our prime. I loved being around those old ladies to glean from their Spirit. So I went to the women's meetings, and the youth meetings. I was in the college class, and you name it I was there. What are we talking about? Peter said abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul. The moving away from all that the world is trying to draw you in by their advertisements. And they're telling you that you're really missing out on something. Isn't that what the devil used in the original sin? How can we still fall for that same tactic? Look at the fruit it's good to eat. Stolen waters are sweet. You've never experienced this you don't know what you're missing. I'll tell you what you're missing you're missing heartache, guilt, condemnation, fear, doubt, misery, and death. That's what you're missing. For whatever momentary pleasure this thing may provide.

So we're dealing with that on every turn. Because of that you have young Christians marrying non-believers in so many fellowships. Kids on drugs, and the promiscuity, and the dominance of the hedonistic spirit in our country, and all of these fleshly lusts that are just warring against the soul. The spirit lusting against the flesh and flesh against the spirit, and they're contrary, and the one you feed is the one that's going to win, the one you give the most attention, the one you recognize as the treasure of your heart. Now let me share something with you here that's going to bless you. When I say the one you feed I don't mean that because you work eight hours you have to pray 8 hours. I want to tell you something, just the desire to pursue God brings enough anointing and grace to take care of eight hours of work on the job. You don't have to pray for every hour that you work, His grace is more than enough. It's exceeding abundant. When the enemy comes like a flood the standard of God is far and above anything that's in the natural but it has to be the treasure of your heart. So what are you going to do? Abstain from the lusts. That might be abstaining from the lust magazines, whatever they are in your life, Good House Keeping, Golf Digest, DuPont Registry. If you don't know what that is I won't tell you that way you won't be tempted. Whatever it is-abstinence. So many times we're afraid of abstinence. We think that abstinence is owning up to a weakness. We think that abstinence is somehow works. We think that abstinence is in someway a self-righteousness. We need to realize that it's a biblical principle and it needs to be practiced.

So in any area that you're finding yourself in battle, and the armor apparently not sufficient there's nothing wrong with the armor you've made provision, you've given place, you've failed to abstain prior to the battle, and you've been carnally minded. So it's very important. Let's go to Colossians and we may end with this, this morning because we want to spend some time at the Lord's table. Colossians chapter 3. The practical parts of walking in the Holy Spirit. Put on the Lord, make no provision for the flesh. Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Mind the things of the Spirit for to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Colossians 3, verse 5. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In the which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." So we find that in this context the apostle's speaking to us again and he said, that unless there begins to be a mortification of our members, verse 5, to not mortify these areas of our life is to be a child of disobedience, verse 6. Disobedience brings what? The wrath of God. What this is telling me is that to mortify these things are to mortify them in direct obedience to God saying here's what I'm going to do in your life. It doesn't say, sit down go over this list and say, you know what I'm going now and mortify these particular things.

It has to do with the Holy Spirit speaking at this juncture in our life and saying, I'm going to take care of that area of your life right now, and you saying, I am spiritually minded, yes. Or do you back off and say, well Lord that's really something that I need to work on but you know I've made this one more provision for sin here in two weeks we're going to whatever it is. The mortifying is in direct obedience to God saying I'm present at this moment to deliver you are you willing to be free? Are you going to hold on to this thing a little longer? Are you going to make an excuse for it making a provision? I want to hold onto that relationship just a little longer. I want to hold onto that pursuit, goal just a little bit longer, whatever it is. The mortification means a once for all decision to put it to death. Now we can have a lot of good intentions and make a lot of runs at it but I'm talking about now responding to the anointing of God, the Rhema of God that speaks and says, I'm going to set you free. These are some of the areas that practically we begin to apply as we're walking in the Spirit and making no provision for the flesh. God wants you free. The Spirit is present to speak at every juncture. We're all aware that this is working in our members. Make no provision, don't justify, don't in any way give place to the carnal mind that says well this is who I am, this is how it's going to be; but become spiritually minded, set your intentions now on a new plateau of obedience in the Spirit, and you'll not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Practically some of those areas that we talked about, who are you going to hang out with, people that are excited about God, people that are doing the right stuff or the people that are having play time? We're all at different areas in our pursuit but whom are you gravitating toward? They may not be unsaved people but are they people that are in hot pursuit or people that are seeing how close to the line they can get? Still saved at this juncture. So He set before us today life and death let's choose life.

Father we thank you for the Word of God and we ask that by your Spirit now these principles that are so obvious in your Word would begin to work in our lives practically. What have we done to give ourselves safety? I'm an adult I can get off alone with somebody. Sure you can, how smart is it? Nobody's going to tell you not to do that, how wise it is scriptural? What makes you better than all of these people that we studied in the Scriptures who fell? What is it that makes you better that you can take fire and not be burned? How can you go down and look on that tree in the midst of the garden and give so much time and effort to thinking about why you shouldn't be able to partake of that and wonder what it is that God's holding out on me and think you're not going to go down? What makes you better? What makes you think that you can sit at the king’s table and eat all of the dainties and not be seduced by that lifestyle? You know what the Scripture says, if you're hanging out with the in-crowd and the shakers and the movers and all the high rollers, you know what the Scripture says? It says you better put a knife to your throat if you're given to appetite. That's not just talking about some fat guy. Read it in the context, the king’s dainties. It's talking about that but it's also going on in the context talking about the seduction of all that goes with a life of prominence. You better get a knife up there because you're being vexed, you're no better. How can you gossip and bicker, and criticize, and be consumed one of another? What makes you better to think you can make all those little biting remarks and hide that hatred, and think that you're not going to go down? When you're always looking to be served instead of preferring others. When you're trusting in your own righteousness and so thankful because of your own personal disciplines that you can up at four every morning, workout, get your devotions in, and I'm thankful that I'm not like that publican. My life's disciplined. I do everything that I can to please Him and it's the older son mentality. Self-righteousness and self-reliance. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. What is that still small voice saying to you this morning? As God's Holy Spirit this very moment pulls the veil back and says, here's what I'm talking to you about right now, what are you going to do about it? Anything less than mortification isn't satisfactory.

As Gary plays let's stand before the Lord. If the brethren will come we're going to take a moment at the Lord's table this morning and celebrate the victory that's been won in Jesus, and that God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh made us able to partake of the righteousness this morning. That's what this is all about-God in the flesh satisfying the justice that we would be redeemed, that sin’s power would be broken in our lives. As God's Holy Spirit is dealing with us let it be finished in what these emblems represent. Look for the grace this morning because it is sufficient. That when iniquity abounds grace does much more abound. Let's sing this together as we're served and just hold the emblems and we'll all partake together. O hallelujah let's sing it one more time, just worship Him. Hallelujah. O that you would be all and all Jesus. Hallelujah. Just take some time now and worship Him just let Him speak to your heart. We worship you Jesus. We worship you Jesus. Hallelujah. Glory to God. We magnify you Lord in your beauty. We magnify you Lord in your beauty. Hallelujah. Glory, glory. We do magnify you Lord. Thank you Jesus. Amen. Glory to the Lamb. Hallelujah.

As we meditate on what the Holy Spirit's spoken to us this morning we were talking in those areas that are active in everyone of our lives. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. We talked about all of those things that seem to be so important, how necessary are they really? Godliness with contentment, in other words He's all and all. Man, everybody's getting to do that and all I'm stuck with here is the anointing of God, and the presence of God, and the peace of God. The priesthood of old separated everybody else got land and they just had God. As this generation of Kings and Priests are you content with your inheritance this morning, with what these emblems represent that you hold in your hands? You were bound by sin’s power. You were under the authority of Satan, and you were doomed to a devil’s hell, and Jesus bought you freedom. Now what's more important than that? With thanksgiving Jesus we partake of your broken body by faith and with thanksgiving in Jesus name. Let's eat together. Hallelujah.

You can study out all the wisdom of the world, and you can fulfill every lust appetite that you might have as Solomon, and you'll come to the same conclusion, it's vanity. I withheld nothing from myself he said and I want you to know this is vanity the wise man tells us. Put up all the treasures and then hold this cup up before your eyes and ask yourself what is most valuable to me. This morning we choose the blood of Jesus. Let's partake together. Hallelujah! Just worship this morning. Thank Him for the great gift of eternal life. Thank Him for the great gift of his presence that He would come into our presence this morning. We're so unworthy, and yet He chooses to visit us here this morning. A Holy God seeking us. We didn't seek him He sought us. Oh Lord you're our treasure this morning. Lord God your presence alone is our treasure this morning. We worship your majesty. We worship your majesty. We recognize your lordship. Hallelujah! We acknowledge that lordship Jesus you're all and all. Lord let all the things that are around us grow strangely dim as we worship your majesty. Father cause all of the different carnal goals and motivations just to crumble at your feet here this morning as we worship your majesty. Work in us to will and to do your good pleasure. Without a heart and a mind set on these intentions we're not going to be able to stand in these last days. If the hour is not shortened and the saints not prepared there will not be a standing because many are going to fall away. We want to be faithful Jesus. We want to be ready. We don't want to be ignorant of the devices of the enemy of our soul. We don't want to over-estimate our own goodness. We don't in any way want to be ignorant of what's in our members, and we tell you today we're in need. We stand in need of your grace and your visitation. We thank you for the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. You said if we would now walk in the light, choose the light that your blood would continue to cleanse us, and we rest in that promise this morning. We're being cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Let's sing this together and worship him in his majesty. O Hallelujah! Prepare our hearts Jesus. O the name above every name. Speak that name in faith and the enemy will flee. We resist you Satan in the name of Jesus. O Hallelujah! Just thank Him for what he's doing in your life this morning. Thank Him for the blood of Jesus cleansing you from sin. Rejoice in the pursuit that He has of your soul, the grace this morning that came to convict you. Hallelujah! Lord we thank you for your word alive in us, your Spirit, our comforter and guide, your presence our power in Jesus name. Hallelujah! Amen. Turn to somebody next to you and say walk in the Spirit. Amen. Go in peace God's love go with you.

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