No Area of Passivity 4 of 4

Introduction and Review of Major Principles of Christian Living

0:01 This adult Sunday school class was held on September 5, 1982, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. It hardly seems possible that a full eight weeks have passed since I was privileged to lead you in your study here in the adult class. But as I check the calendar and check the date on my previous notes, I see that indeed eight weeks have passed. And during that time, we've been privileged to have here in the class Mr. Brian Ellis, missionary to the Philippines, whose report on the work of God in that area of the world was of great encouragement to many of us. I heard not a few say that it was perhaps the most encouraging missionary report they had heard in a long time, if not ever. And I trust that we will continue to remember Mr. Ellis as he corresponds with us, and as we do.

1:01 We have an ongoing involvement in the work of the gospel in that place. And then Pastor Nichols led you in a very vital series of studies on the subject of the Christian and good works. And I hope by now the confusion that settled like a cloud over the minds of some of you has been well dissipated, and that you are seeing again and again in your own reading of the scriptures how vital that subject is. We have in our own family noted as we've been reading through Proverbs again and again how many of the Proverbs simply cannot be understood unless you understand that distinction that Pastor Nichols was so careful to make that in one sense the Christian is a sinner, but in another sense he is not. And you find that contrast again and again in Proverbs between the righteous man and the wicked man. And you can't be both, you're either one or the other. And part of the true practical godliness and righteousness of the righteous man is the constant acknowledgement that there is yet much unrighteousness in him.

2:11 But he is nonetheless a righteous man. And I do trust that you will not dismiss those studies now that we're through them, but seek to apply them and relate them in your own study of the scriptures. But what we're going to do this morning is to return to the theme that we were wrestling with when I last taught the class, a theme that I have entitled, Some of the Major Principles of Living the Christian Life. Not an exhaustive statement of all of the principles pertaining to the Christian life, for that would take a detailed exposition of the whole Bible.

2:51 But we are seeking to bring into focus some of the major principles of living the Christian life. And because I look out and see faces that I know were not present for the previous studies, let me simply underscore one of the vital dimensions of our study. We are not concerned in this study with how to enter into the Christian life. But we're concerned with the question how to live the life once we have entered in.

3:23 And you must never confuse those things. The question, how may I enter into life, is answered by pointing people to Jesus Christ and his work on behalf of sinners to be received by faith and faith alone. But when we ask, having received life in Christ, how am I now to live, then there are many principles which, from the word of God, are God's answer to that question. And our purpose in this study is then to sketch in a theology of living the Christian life.

4:00 And we are concerned to immunize you against errors regarding this subject and then hopefully to purge away any errors that may be in your minds. Now, thus far, we have looked at three major principles of the Christian life. Number one, that there is no one master key to living the Christian life. So any books, any teaching, any seminars, any conferences that advertise themselves in this way, come, learn the master key, the great secret to living the Christian life you know immediately.

4:39 Even though there may be some truth involved, it will be an imbalanced presentation of the word of God. The second major principle we examined is that there is no escape from tension and conflict in living the Christian life. We cannot escape the reality and realities of tension and conflict until we are glorified. The reality of indwelling sin, the presence and pressure of the world, the activity of the devil, and the fact that we are saved in hope, that is, saved with the salvation concerning which the best is yet to come.

The Third Principle: No Negation of Redeemed Faculties

5:18 Those four major factors necessitate constant struggle and tension in the Christian life. And now we will conclude this morning the third principle we've examined, which I have stated in this rather large mouthful of words. There is no negation, that is, cancellation, no negation or suspension of the conscious engagement of any of the faculties of our redeemed humanity in living the Christian life. As redeemed sinners, we have minds, we have affections, we have wills, we have hands, we have feet, we have judgment, we have perception.

6:02 All of these faculties are the redeemed possession of Jesus Christ. And grace has wonderfully invaded and touched all of those faculties. Now, in living the Christian life, God nowhere teaches that any one of those faculties is either cancelled or suspended. And we must be clear in our understanding that the Christian life is a life in which, though the ultimate source of that life is in Jesus Christ, the ultimate power of that life is the power of the Spirit, it is a life in which we are to be self-consciously active in the engagement of all of our faculties. And to establish that principle, we looked at a broad scope of general biblical teaching, then we reduced that scope to some of its major categories, and then when we concluded our last study, we were taking up what I called the epitomizing texts. Texts in Scripture in which, in a very real sense, one finds the whole teaching of the Bible on a given subject reduced to a simple statement,

7:25 now this is not the key mentality that we were talking about earlier. What we're saying is that given certain subjects, parts of which are scattered throughout the Word of God, God has wonderfully arranged the inspiration of His Word so that on some of those subjects, the great and leading factors, the great and leading ingredients of the total witness of Scripture are found brought together in some key texts of Scripture. And so we started to examine those texts which clearly teach that there is no negation nor suspension of the conscious engagement of any of our faculties in living the Christian life. Now we looked at what is, in my way of thinking, if I had to be limited to but one text in the Bible, it was this text that we studied in some detail. Does anyone remember it? It's an old friend around here. Yes, Paul?

8:36 All right. Philippians, chapter 2, verses 12 and 13. So then, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. He calls upon the Philippians, to work out their own salvation.

9:02 Now you see how God brings those things together. It is God's salvation, but a salvation which has come into the lives of the Philippians and now demands that they self-consciously work out that salvation in its ongoing dimensions and do so with the whole-souled engagement of all of their faculties. They are to do so with fear and with trembling. And then we concluded our studies by beginning to look at 2 Corinthians, chapter 7, 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1.

2 Corinthians 7:1: Promises Incite Action, Not Passivity

9:43 Now will you turn, please, to that passage, and hopefully I'll get through about to four or five other epitomizing texts this morning and still have some time for questions and answers and interaction on this vital principle.

10:03 Again, since I'm just testing my voice, since coming back from the laryngitis, I'm trying to keep a rein on it, so you'll forgive me if at times I tail off a little bit. Phil will give me a little more mic on those occasions, I trust, but you bear with me. I'm still not completely out of the woods and back to full strength with the voice box. All right, 2 Corinthians, chapter 7.

10:29 Now you will notice the setting. There is a call to separation unto God that is given in chapter 6, 2 Corinthians, chapter 6, beginning with verse 14. Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers. And then Paul asks some very powerful, what we call rhetorical questions, that is, questions that are calculated to drive home a given point in the course of one's speaking or writing.

11:02 What fellowship has righteousness and iniquity? And the answer is obvious, none. What communion have light and darkness? Where darkness is, there's no light.

11:13 Where light comes, darkness goes. So the answer is obvious, none. What concord or what agreement has Christ with Belial, that is, the chief of the demons? And the obvious answer is none.

11:26 What portion has a believer with an unbeliever? And the answer is obvious, none. What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For we are a temple of the living God.

11:37 Now he begins to give some promises. So you see what he does. He gives this clarion call to a life that is separated unto God. And he couches that call in terms of a commandment and then some rhetorical questions.

11:53 And now he gives some marvelous promises extracted from the Old Testament. I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, again quoting from the Old Testament, Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing. And I will receive you, and will be to you a father, and you shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

12:20 Now verse 1 of chapter 7, having therefore these promises, beloved, what are we to do? Strengthened by the prospect that God has pledged to be the God of his people, to dwell amongst them, to be their portion when they are separated from that which defiles unto him the living and the true God. Strengthened by the glory and by the prospect of the fulfillment of those promises, what are we to do? Look at the imperative.

12:57 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So you see the drift of the teaching. While eyeing the promises, drawing strength and encouragement and gospel motives from the promises, we are to give ourselves to a process of perfecting holiness in the fear of God, one that has as its goal cleansing from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, of the outward and of the inward life. Now do you see the vital principle that's in this passage? The principles are given to him, are given to incite us to action, not to negate our action. Now that's the great principle of this passage.

14:05 The promises are not given to encourage us to believe that God is going to do such marvelous and wonderful things that we need do nothing. The promises are given to strengthen our nerve and to give us zeal and fervor and encouragement as we self-consciously, vigorously press on to be cleansed from all defilement of flesh and spirit. Do you see that in the passage? Now I say that's an epitomizing text because that is one of the great truths scattered throughout the word of God.

14:45 Now when people take the promises of what God will do and be to us and make them the basis of our doing nothing, they have abused the intention of the promises. You see it? Now if we set out to do without the perspective of the promises, then we're left in a no-man's land. We are not to set out to do, as it were, nakedly and in cold blood with no distinctively redemptive motives and powers at work in us.

15:21 No, we must eye the promises. Notice the emphasis. Having, therefore, these promises, being aware of them, eyeing them in faith, deriving tremendous encouragement and strength from them, they are the very means by which we are invigorated to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So you see, this is a vital text with respect to this third great principle of living the Christian life.

15:59 There is no negation. There is no suspension of the conscious engagement of all of our faculties. In this passage, our minds are to be active remembering the promises. Faith is to be active feeding upon the promises and then whatever is involved in cleansing ourselves, that is, looking to Christ for the cleansing of his blood, looking to him for the strength of the Spirit, mortification, watchfulness, prayerfulness, association with the right people.

16:33 Everything that comes within the orbit of practical godliness is involved in fulfilling this text. So again, we could rest the whole case on this passage because it too is an epitomizing text. Any question on that text? Do you feel the weight of the point that I'm emphasizing?

The Importance of Regular Scripture Reading

16:54 All right. Let's move on then to a third epitomizing text with regard to this principle, and this one ought to be in the minds of those of you who were present last Lord's Day because this was your regular reading in the New Testament, 2 Peter.

17:16 And if I may just put this in by way of a little aside, I just completed reading the book of Deuteronomy in my own Old Testament devotional reading this week, and I was struck again with the central place that the reading of the law of God on a regular basis was to have in the congregation of Israel. In Deuteronomy 31, verse 9, Moses wrote this law, delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, and to the elders, and Moses commanded them, saying, at the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release in the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, the men, the women, the little ones, the sojourner within your gates, that they may hear, that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law, and that their children who have not known may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God. And I figured out, in Israel, the law was to be read every seven years, and then, of course, the king was to have the law laid up by him, and he was to read it continually. We work through the New Testament about once every three and a half years,

18:44 so we get the whole of the New Testament about once every three and a half years, or twice every seven years. And I haven't quite figured out how long it's going to take us to get through the Old Testament, because obviously there are sections that would be inappropriate, that would be inappropriate for public reading. But this is one of the great concerns, you see, we have, is this broad and constant exposure to the whole of what God has said to us. Not only because we have little ones who are growing up who didn't get the previous reading, but notice he said, for the sojourner that is within your gate.

19:19 Here's an Israelite family that went up to the feast on that appointed year, and the law was read. Two years later, they had a sojourner come and told them he had never heard the law of God read from beginning to end. So God said every seven years is to be done to make sure that within any given generation, the whole testimony of God is brought upon the conscience of the congregation of Israel again and again and again. Now if that was true of the Lesser Covenant, with all of its ritual detail, how much more must it be true?

19:57 And should this become a delightful thing to us in this new and better covenant of the better things of Jesus Christ? So I get in that little bit of a lick, so that you never, never grow weary of the public reading of the Word of God. And because of that regular reading, I can say that you ought to be aware of this next epitomizing text if you were listening last Lord's Day morning, 2 Peter chapter 1. Alright, now notice the context.

2 Peter 1:3-10: Divine Provision and Human Diligence

20:31 Verse 2, after the general greeting, Peter says, Now let's read the greeting. Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power, so we're pointed to what God has done, His divine power has granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that called us by His own glory and virtue. Whereby He has given unto us His precious and exceeding great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. So you see now the setting of what is to follow is this wonderful statement of God's grace and power operative in giving to us all things necessary for life and for godliness. And what God has given to us necessary for life and godliness in a peculiar way is embodied in His promises. The promises of God are a transcript of the good will and favor of God towards His people.

21:57 Now notice the breadth of the statement. His grace and power have given us everything necessary for life and godliness and that provision is stored up in the promises. Well you would say if that's so, if God's given all things necessary for life and godliness and He has stored them up in exceeding great and precious promises all that is left for us to do is claim the promises. But notice the very next verse.

22:30 What does He say? Yea, and for this very cause in the light of what God has done giving us all things necessary to life and godliness expressing those glorious things in the exceeding great and precious promises for this very cause adding on your part all diligence adding on your part all diligence in your faith supply. and in your virtue knowledge and in your knowledge self-control and in your self-control patience and in your patience godliness and in your godliness brotherly kindness and in your brotherly kindness love. For if these things are in you and abound they make you to be neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is blind seeing only what is near having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Wherefore brethren give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you shall never stumble.

23:55 Now do you see again the flow of thought? We are pointed in the first place to the marvelous provisions of God in grace very similar motif as we found in 2 Corinthians. Exceeding great and precious promises God has poured out his heart to us in love. God in grace has done everything necessary for life and godliness but having expressed the largeness of his heart and the greatness of his provisions in the promises we are not then simply to sit back and wait for God to do in us through us what he has promised.

24:40 The passage says for this very cause because you know that you're not in this task alone because you know that you are not on a fool's errand because you know that you are not left an orphan without a father to care and nurture and provide for this very cause add diligence adding on your part all diligence we are self-consciously to seek to grow and cultivate and develop these very graces and virtues that are listed and then we are to give diligence to make our calling in election sure and the promise is that if we do these things we shall never stumble and an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior will be granted unto us. So you see the vital principle again. Is that divine power and divine promise are not ever to be construed as the negation of the necessity of diligence on our part. You see that sounds like a contradiction and if you're an unconverted person I hope you feel yourself hopelessly confused you say what in the world is this Bible talking about?

26:04 It seems to be a hopeless mass of contradiction. It talks about this is what God has done. This is what God has promised and yet it calls upon me to do something. That's right it does.

26:18 And that call comes not to those who are still dead in their trespasses and sins. That's why I emphasized at the outset we are dealing with major principles of living the Christian life. We're assuming that the life has already been received through union with Jesus Christ. But having received that life we are to be self-consciously active in the outworking in the cultivation in the development of that life.

26:49 All right any question on this passage? Not what do all of those various things mean. It's not my purpose to give an exposition of the details of the passage but to show you the major principles in the structure of this call to increased holiness. Any question?

Galatians 2:20: Christ Lives In Me, Not Through Me Passively

27:08 All right let's move on then to the fourth epitomizing text Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20. Some of you will remember back some months ago when we began to examine this principle. I pointed out that one of the teachings that I was anxious to expose is the teaching that Christ lives his life through us. Whenever you hear that terminology all of the caution lights ought to start blinking.

27:48 People say you're going such and such a place you go three blocks and you see a blinking light. Well you've noticed most of those lights blink rather calmly. Well I hope whenever you hear the terminology Christ living his life through me that your blinking light will go like a machine gun. Just really get your attention.

28:08 And this is one of the verses people use to teach the doctrine that Christ lives his life through us that if we can just get out of the way and get totally passive and so utterly and totally and fully surrendered and yielded so that all the conscious actings of our own wills and emotions and affections and desires are out of the way then Christ will love through us Christ will think through us Christ will feel through us and it sounds so beautiful. Only one thing wrong with it. It ain't true. It just ain't true.

28:43 And of all the texts to use to teach it certainly this is the wrong one. But it appears in the minds of some that it's the best one. Well let's look at it. Galatians 2 and verse 20.

28:55 And again we'll say a word about the setting. The context is a vindication of the great doctrine of justification by faith apart from the works of the law. Look at verse 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ even we believed on Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

29:35 So the great theme of this entire epistle and of this section in particular is that of justification by faith apart from the works of the law. Now when we ask the question how is it that a believing sinner is released from all of the demands of the law against him as far as its condemnation and obedience that will earn him life. How is it that by faith I am declared righteous. Well the apostle goes on to teach us in verse 20.

30:16 It's because of the peculiar. What should we say faculty of faith or peculiar function of faith. It is by faith that we are united to Christ and when we are united to Christ then we share in the virtue of his work on behalf of sinners so that Christ's death for sin becomes our death to sin and for sin in Jesus Christ. And Christ's resurrection to life becomes our resurrection to newness of life.

30:50 This teaching of course is amplified greatly in Romans chapter 6. All right. Now then we come to verse 20. I or we can take verse 19 for I through the law died unto the law that I might live unto God the law condemned me to death in the person of my substitute and representative Jesus.

31:15 Christ that sentence of condemnation was not in any way diluted. It was in no way diverted. It found its full and undiluted expression in the curse bearing of the son of God. I through the law died unto the law in order that I might live unto God.

31:40 I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I that live but Christ liveth now notice not through me but in me. I have been crucified with Christ. Will Paul if you're crucified then you're dead.

32:00 He said that's right. So it is no longer I that live. That is the eye that was put to death. The I Saul of Tarsus proud self-sufficient self-righteous self-willed.

32:15 Self-deceived Pharisee under wrath and condemnation that I is done away. He's gone. Don't know if he's not around anymore. He's been crucified with Christ.

32:28 I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I Paul the Apostle live yet. It is not I that is it is not the old I nor it is simply I Paul in the strength and power of some kind of personal religious renovation some kind of religious self-help. No the new life that I have.

32:56 I derive from union with Jesus Christ. Christ lives in me. But now notice very carefully the next statement and the life which Christ now lives through me. Is that what he says.

33:13 Now there's the fatal mistake in the way people teach that doctor. They move from Christ lives in me to Christ lives through me. And that isn't what he says. He returns now to I.

33:29 He gets I out of the way and then he gets I back in the picture again. And from this point on there's more I than Christ. Look at it. And the life which I now live in the flesh.

33:43 I live in faith which is in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Now the simple question is this. Who lives Paul's life in the flesh that is in bodily existence. Who lives that life.

34:06 Paul or Christ. Paul lives it. Do you see it. It is the life which I now live in the flesh.

34:17 I live it. Now who was the I.

34:24 This I. Paul the apostle. He was one totally integrated redeemed human personality. He had a mind.

34:36 He had a will. He had affections. He had members to his body. He had a memory.

34:40 He had a conscience. All that he was he said I now live this life in the flesh. But he says I live it in the context of faith. Not just faith as though it in itself were some kind of savior but faith that is directed to the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

35:09 Faith that recognizes that in Jesus Christ all of the promises of God are yea and amen. Faith in the Christ who said I'll never leave you nor forsake you. Faith in the Christ who said my grace is sufficient for you my strength is made perfect in weakness. Faith in the Christ who said lo I am with you always.

35:32 Faith in the Christ who is given promise after promise after promise. But he lived that life in the flesh as a man of faith. Yes as one in whom Christ lived by the spirit. Yes but it was a life which Paul himself lived. He did not try to come to the mystic state of the total negation of his will of his desires of his affections of his thought and get into some blessed state of what I call a sort of Christian nirvana where he felt nothing desired nothing responded to nothing and Christ just lived his life through him. Do you see how that teaching simply cannot stand up to the obvious language of this passage. Any question now on that passage. Yes Ralph.

36:28 No no it's it's there's no there's no play on in the original. You just must deduce it from the obvious sense in which he's switching from the one eye to the other. Yeah same way in Romans 7. It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me. It's no more I in the sense of all that I am as a new man in Christ. That's not the eye that sins but sin that dwells in me. But later on he takes full responsibility for it because he says oh wretched man that I am. You see. So in these things we must look at the overall flow of thought and determine from there which eye he is referring to. Good question. All right. Yes George.

37:33 Yes that's right. The spirit of Christ who gives him new life as he says a good passage a parallel passages in Ephesians. Ephesians chapter three verse 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Christ dwells in me through faith and he dwells in me in that sense in the person of the Holy Spirit. Here we get into the whole mystery of the indivisibility of the Trinity. You remember in the John passage Jesus said it's necessary that I go away. If I don't go away Holy Spirit the Comforter won't come. But when the Comforter comes I come and when I come my father comes and you scratch your head and say wait a minute he's going but he's coming and not only is he coming but the father is coming.

38:24 Well you see here again the doctrine of the Trinity enters in and wherever one person of the Godhead is all the persons of the Godhead are there likewise. But the great emphasis of scripture is that our faith is to be directed not to a Christ within but to a Christ without the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And as I live in faith and the son of God in that context it is Christ dwelling in me by the spirit the spirit who comes to take the things of Christ and reveal them unto us. But Christ in terms of the totality of what he is is the glorified God man is actually somewhere at the right hand of the father because he has bodily existence. Now by his spirit he is present everywhere with his people. He is in the hearts of his people. He's in the midst of his gathered people but he's not there in his glorified body.

39:24 All right. All right. Let's hasten on. Yes was there. Did I see another and no.

Philippians 4:12-13: I Can Do All Things Through Christ

39:30 All right. Let's hasten on now to touch another key text Philippians chapter 4. Remember what we're doing. We're just looking at some of the key the epitomizing text which teach no passivity no negation no suspension of our faculties in all of their activity in living the Christian life. Philippians chapter 4.

40:01 Now the context for those of you who sat through the expositions of Philippians it ought to be clear to you. Paul was in prison at Rome. We must not think of him as locked up in a little four by six cell but he was chained to a Roman soldier. He had some degree of liberty. He could write letters receive visitors but he still was a prisoner and he speaks of his chain and that was his constant experience. And in that context he had learned how to react to a diversity of physical and material circumstances that were brought upon him by divine Providence. Notice what he says in verse 12. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry both to abound and to be in want.

40:57 Now what a wonderful thing to be able to say that I have learned and he uses a word which perhaps has some hints of being taught the inner secrets of God. I have learned he said this tremendous lesson that when God in Providence smiles upon me and lavishes me with bounty and bounty for Paul was having three Spartan square meals a day and one probably less than moth eaten coat on his back and maybe a change when he sent it out to be washed. In other words bounty for Paul you must not think in terms of someone living in a palace with a hundred suits and fifty five cars and servants and all of the rest. But compared to what he had experienced bounty was having his basic needs met with a little leftover and he says I've learned how to abound blessed thing to be able to receive God's bounty with joy and not feel that unless you can experience the splinters of the cross in everything it must somehow not be of God. Some of us who were brought up very lean and very poor and who I hope have learned a few principles of self denial and frugality perhaps one of our hardest lessons was learning how to abound. Some of us can remember the first time we ate a steak.

42:18 That's right. I can remember the first time I ate ate a steak an expensive steak and I didn't buy it someone bought it for me and it was agony putting down every single bite and I was in my 30s. That's right. That's the truth.

42:38 You say you're ridiculous bastard. No it's just a fact. And I'm not I'm not at all sad that I was brought up lean and what would now be considered poor. I'm not. I'm grateful to God.

42:50 I'm grateful to God. But it was hard for me to learn how to abound. I have to learn how to abound. Paul had to learn it.

42:57 But he said I've also learned how to be abased when I don't have my three squares and when the one coat I have begins to get threadbare and you begin to be able to see my elbows through the corners of my garment. He said I've learned how to accept this and not to grouse and complain and be discontent and think hard thoughts about God and mean thoughts about his people. Think of this here. I've given my life to the churches and risked death and shipwreck and beating and all the rest for God's people and here they let me sit here in this prison and don't even he didn't go grousing and get his spirit all sour and all.

43:37 No no. He said I've learned how to be abased how to abound. Well where in the world did you learn that Paul. Well he tells us in verse 13 I can do all things in him or some of the older versions have it through Christ who strengthens me.

43:56 I've been able to make this statement because now notice the verse breaks itself up very neatly into two statements. I can do all things. What a boast. I can do all things.

44:11 I can abound. I can be abased. I can do all things. And that sound like somebody bragging.

44:19 Suppose one of you should dare to stand up this morning. We said we're going to have a 10 minute testimony meeting. Anyone have anything they want to say. And someone stood up and said I can do all things.

44:31 Turn around and say boy that guy needs to get cut off at the knees. He's really he is really setting himself up for the fall. Why go before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Well the Lord's about to cut that fellow off machine gun him off right at the knees.

44:49 I can do all things but that's exactly what Paul said. But he says through him who and he uses a compound word. The one word is the standard word to make able or to strengthen. And then he puts a preposition at the beginning who in strengthens me who strengthens me from within.

45:11 You see what he's saying. I can do all things. I do them in the integrity of what I am as a redeemed man. But I do not.

45:23 Do them because I had some inherent deep self perpetuating well of grace. No he says I do them through him or in him who strengthens me from within. So it was by the power of Christ by the grace of Christ by the enablement of Christ but with all that strength with all that power with all that enablement. It was Paul.

45:52 Who still did them. I can do what is through Christ who strengthens. You see the beautiful fusion out the two things. Paul did not say Christ can do all things through me.

46:09 He said I can do all things in him who strengthens me from within. Now that's not just playing with words because that means you see when you come into a situation where you have to learn how to abound you can do one of two things. You can say now if I can just get myself so yielded. Christ is perfectly content in every situation.

46:34 Oh Lord Jesus be content through me. Or you can say Lord Jesus teach me by your grace how to learn the lesson of contentment in abounding and in being a base and then you will actively go to the scriptures and seek to focus upon the principles and precepts which are addressed to that very set of circumstances and you will actively pray them in and then seek to regulate your thinking about things according to the teaching of the word of God in one your mind your will your spirit will be very active in the other they will be passive waiting for Christ to do something through you. So you see the difference. Now which one is the teaching of the word of God. They both can't be well according to this passage you see it is I can do but it is through him who strengthens me.

Romans 8:12-13: Mortification By the Spirit, Through the Believer

47:39 Oh my we must hasten on another text that I was going to direct your attention. Well I must do it because it is an epitomizing text in the Romans chapter eight one you've seen many times. But I want you to see it in this light. Let me question on Philippians 4 13 while we turn to Romans 8 13.

48:06 Okay now in Romans chapter 8 remember the setting. Paul has laid out the fact that there are but two realms of moral and ethical existence and activity. There is the realm of the flesh there is the realm of the spirit and all men and women are either in this realm or in this realm. Those that are flesh verse 8 they cannot please God verse 7 the carnal mind is enmity against God.

48:41 It isn't subject to the law of God neither indeed can it be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But now he says verse 9 you are not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwells in you. And if any man has not the spirit of Christ he is none of his. The spirit of God is spirit of Christ you see.

49:06 So the Christian is one in whom the spirit of God dwells thereby delivering him basically and fundamentally out of the realm of the flesh. But now as a person indwelt by the spirit in whom the dominion of sin is broken we still have this problem of remaining sin. And with that problem we will wrestle to the end of our days. As we've seen in previous studies now in that context we are called upon to mortify put to death the deeds of the flesh.

49:39 Look at verse 12 and 13 verses 12 and 13. So then brethren we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh for if you live after the flesh you must die. But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body. You shall live for as many as are led by the spirit of God.

50:08 These are the sons of God. Now how can I tell if I'm being led by the spirit of God in the context. You see often people just wrench that verse out and say oh in prayer I felt inclined to do this and I felt rest to do this. And they speak in such glowing terms about how the Holy Spirit leads them.

50:30 As though the spirit had some kind of a sacred hook through their nose and they could feel its gentle or powerful tug in the midst of prayer and had some kind of direct pipeline to heaven to change the analogy. No in the context being led of the spirit of God is being in the way of continuous mortification of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. But now notice who does the mortifying according to verse 13. Who mortifies sin.

51:03 The Holy Spirit or the believer. Who does it. Are you sure. Why are you sure.

51:16 All right. If you mortify the deeds of the flesh you do it. You do it. But now do you do it unaided.

51:26 Do you do it in your own strength. Do you do it without any divine enablement in power. What's the answer. No.

51:35 It is. By the spirit. Well wait a minute. Does the spirit do it or do I do it.

51:41 If the spirit does it how can my activity have any significance. And if my activity is real. How can the ministry of the spirit be anything other than the notion. Well you see if you stumble over that you'll stumble over everything we've been teaching.

51:59 You'll stumble over everything because that's the heart of it. We are to work out because God is working in. We are to give ourselves to the mortifying of the deeds of the flesh because the Holy Spirit has delivered us out of the beginning of sin. He does indwell us.

52:19 He does impress our hearts with gospel motives. He does impress us with the sense of the wonder that we should be delivered out of this realm into this realm. We feel the sense of indebtedness to the God of grace. Therefore brethren we are debtors.

52:36 Not to the flesh to live after the flesh. That's what we were under condemnation on our way to hell. And what did God do. In sovereign grace he reached out and rescued us.

52:50 And by the power of that grace he brought us into the realm of the spirit. Washed us from our sins in the blood of his own son. Gave us the pledge and promise that he'd keep us to the end has given us the hope of eternal life. What debtors we are.

53:07 Well in the consciousness of that indebtedness I am with all of my faculties and powers but in dependence upon the God who began the work in me. In constant recognition of his own promises and grace I by the spirit am to mortify the deeds of the flesh. So it is not I or the spirit. It is I and the spirit.

53:36 I mortify. But it is by the spirit that the mortification takes place. And if you negate the I or negate the spirit what you have left if you have mortification is something other than biblical mortification. Well then the last passage and I don't have time to go into it and I don't want to carry this over into another lesson.

Preview of the Fourth Principle and Concluding Prayer

53:56 You can look it up on your own is Hebrews 12 1 and 2. And you will notice how it follows the same basic pattern. Hebrews 12 1 and 2. And then God willing in our next lesson we're going to move on to the fourth major principle of the Christian life.

54:14 And I hope this will be helpful to a number of you. And I'll give you just what it's going to be that there is no crisis experience which is either commanded or promised as an essential part of living the Christian life. No crisis experience which is either commanded or promise no baptism in the spirit. No second work of grace.

54:36 All of that teaching will see from the scriptures. There is no crisis experience either promised or commanded as essential to living the Christian life. Now we're not going to say that Christians don't have crisis experiences. They do.

54:55 But there is none commanded or promised as essential to the Christian life. And that's what we'll hope to demonstrate from the word of God. Well let's pray that God will write these portions principles of his word. Upon our hearts.

55:15 Our father we are so thankful that we have the scriptures. When we think of those hundreds of tribes and pockets of humanity who have yet to have one verse of the word of God written in their own language. We thank you that we have your holy word not only in our own language but in a variety of translations. We thank you that you have given to us those who seek to open the word of God to us for the rich heritage of Christian literature.

55:51 How blessed we are. And our father we pray that with these blessings may come a renewed sense of determination that we will be true to the stewardship of these blessings and opportunities. Write upon our hearts the principles we've examined this morning. That we may live the Christian life.

56:12 Not according to our own whims. Not according to the theories of men. But according to the teaching of the word of God. And thereby bring glory to you our gracious redeeming God.

56:28 Hear then our prayer we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.