Building the House of God - Four Responses to the Life of Flesh — Phil Beach Jr.

Thank you for your love. We thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you for your mercy. We thank you for your grace. We thank you Lord for your promise that you are with us always even to the end of the age.

Now father we ask that now as we look into your word that the Holy Spirit would Break it open and release From it the life and the truth that's in your word. Which will point us and bring us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Father I'm asking for our hearts to be opened. I'm asking for the anointing to dwell in all of us which teaches us. Which instructs us? Which leads us to Christ? Who alone is our life and our hope and our righteousness and our peace.

The House of God and the Necessity of God’s Word

Father, please speak to us. Change us by your word today. We pray The mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen, and amen. We have been Speaking on the building of the house of God for many many weeks now and last week we had a Parenthetical teaching right in the middle of the building of the house of God and it was entitled our warfare.

And we talked about our warfare in Ephesians chapter 6. And again, I want to say I hope that you are taking notes or you're listening or the tapes are available. So that you can meditate on the Word of God.

It's so important that we meditate on the Word of God. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God. How many here have ever been concerned about sinning against God? How many here have sensed the desire that you don't want to sin against God, of course well, the Bible says thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God and So according to that scripture it is reasonable to conclude that if you really have a passion Not to sin against God, but to live a life pleasing to him then it is imperative that God's Word would be Would be lodged into the depths of your heart into the depths of your very being and It's the presence of God's Word in our heart that transforms us and empowers us to live by the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Have you felt powerless sometimes to do what you know, God wants you to do? Yes, we all have experienced that and that's why the scripture says let the Word of Christ richly dwell in your hearts. That's why the psalmist said thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

That's why in another place the psalmist says that God has placed his word above his name the Word of God, I pray God will give us a hunger for his word a Passion for his word a desire to drink his word to meditate on his word every single answer.

That we have need of to all of our questions are found in God's Word. We don't discover this simply by searching it's God who reveals it to us. Every answer listen, whatever you're going through right now.

I Don't I don't know what it is. But whatever you're going through right now, whatever it is in the depths of your heart that you are saying to God Oh Lord, I need an answer. I need wisdom. I need guidance.

I need something the answer lies somewhere in God's Word. Somewhere in God's Word God has a word for you and the Holy Spirit is able to take that word and quicken it and Speak a word into your heart and that's why God tells us as newborn babes crave Passionately desire the sincere milk of the word that you might grow thereby.

Are you hungry for God's Word? Are you drinking God's Word? These are the elementary principles of the house of God. And so I'm trusting that through repetitive teaching week after week month after month that it will Stimulate and produce a hunger for God's Word in you so that you can go to God's Word and Experience the joy of hearing the Shepherd speak to you guide you in addition to that that you might have an overflow in your life so that you can share it with others and That they might be encouraged and strengthened.

As you know, we have covered The topic of the building of the house of God and then we've subtitled it. How is your walk and we learned that as the church Which is who we are Born-again believers make up the church that God is requiring us to walk differently from the world.

Walking Differently From the World

We are to walk differently. Our walk is to be different. And we've learned from God's Word that We are not to walk After the flesh and we spent a lot of time Dealing with walking after the flesh we learned in Galatians Chapter 5 Norman you don't have to write these down.

This is just review Galatians chapter 5 and Let me say beloved that the reason why you and I go through what we do is because God is re refashioning us. One of the results of going through testing and trials and Difficulties is God is freeing us from Walking after the flesh.

He's freeing us from areas in our life that are yet Entangled with the desires of the flesh which God doesn't want us to be entangled in. So he takes the initiative and allows things to come into our life exposes our heart and then gives us opportunity by grace and mercy and truth to be free and so in Galatians chapter 5 We learned that that we're not to walk after the flesh and we learned that the works of the flesh are manifest adultery.

There is so much uncleanness in the world today, please Listen carefully to God's Word the house of God The living stones, that's who you and I are if we're born again the living stones of God we can not walk after adulterous Desires we can't do it.

It's not permitted in the house of God. But our society and our culture promotes Adultery it promotes all form of sexual impurity and As the house of God God has to subject his children to adequate discipline and adequate child training in order to Deliver us from following adulterous Unclean impure desires because the walk of the church is Different than the walk of the world the world follows the impulses of the flesh the passions of the flesh.

But God wants to make a great divide in the church he wants to separate he wants to distinguish between flesh and spirit. That which is pleasing to him and that which is displeasing to him. He wants us to see it clearly one of the passions of God's heart.

Which was revealed at the very beginning of time when God? By his spirit was hovering over the face of the deep he Separated the light from the dark. He separated the water from the land. He separated he separated he separated.

Then as God continues to move in history He spoke to Abraham and he said what. Get out from among them. Come out from among them. Come out separate yourself be different be separate. Abraham I have called you.

I have chosen you. I Have anointed you. I want to reveal myself to you and through you that requires separation. Young people always remember when you hear from God when you are hearing God's Word. Listen carefully when you're hearing God's Word not just when when you're hearing it being preached.

But when you are hearing it in your heart, you're going to discover Consistently that God is requiring separation. He will require that you talk differently than the world. He'll require that you look at things Differently than what the world looks at.

He'll require that you manage your money differently than the world. He'll require that he'll require distinction. Something that's very grieving to the Spirit of God in this hour that we live in is That there's there's very little distinction.

That's Evident among the house of God today from the world very little distinction and that is a sign That the Holy Spirit is outside knocking. That's a sign that the Word of God is no longer given preeminence but the doctrines of men the teachings of men are being given preeminence because the doctrines and teachings of men do not bring distinction, but they produce compromise.

The doctrines and teachings of men Take away the reproach of the cross. They take away the need for the child of God to hear from God and to be a distinct different unique peculiar treasure before God.

The doctrines of men Compel us to seek the approval of men, but the Word of God compels us to seek the approval of God. The doctrines of men require us to act in a way that Makes us feel good. That makes us feel Satisfied that makes us feel fulfilled.

But the Word of God requires us to act in a way where we deny our own selfish ambitions and our own selfish denials desires and We follow after what pleases the Lord. I don't see much concern and travail in The house of God today abroad over the issue of Oh God, what are you saying to me?

Oh God open up your heart to me in your word. Oh God. Oh God Let me hear your voice. Let my life be governed by the truth of your word. Rather. I see more and more and more a Spell that's come upon the church a spell of sleep and spiritual slumber.

Well, we simply are going and flowing and moving by the impulses of our own minds and our own desires and And just going by what the world and the culture is saying and doing and there's no Distinction anymore and and the Spirit of God is wanting to rise up a standard.

And it's got to start in our homes brothers and sisters. Men, we've got to arise in the name of God. We've got to arise in the name of God and in meekness and gentleness tell our families as Joshua did but for me in my house.

We shall serve the Lord. We must arise not in our own strength, but in the meekness of Christ in the power of Christ and decide we've got to follow the Lord's way and so. This is this is the great evidence That the Holy Spirit is working in our lives.

Our walk Will be different it will Progressively change. Our walk will progressively change. Notice the works of the flesh adultery. Fornication that's all forms of pornography all forms of uncleanness.

All forms all forms. Now, you know, our problem is that we're not alerted. We're not concerned as much as God's Word is because we're in a society That doesn't have these convictions and we let the society determine our conscience.

Oh. Don't be so radical Phil. Don't be you seem so insistent on this stuff. Don't beat on a dead horse. Who cares. I mean, so what if I see a little flick here or there it's not gonna kill me. So what if I see a little nudity.

It's not gonna hurt me. Is that what you believe. May I say to you in the love of God and in the meekness of Christ that if you believe that you've bought into the devil's lie. You have bought into the devil's lie.

If your mind thinks that way it'll destroy you. It'll corrupt you. It's not God's way. Sex is a wonderful gift. We have a mature audience here. Give me the freedom. Sex is a wonderful gift. Young people listen to the Spirit of God.

Sex is a wonderful gift. God is pro sex. Did you know that? He's not against it. He's for it. He created it. He created all of the pleasures that come with it, but he never intended for sex or any of the mechanisms that work That produce sexual desire he never intended for that whole realm To be functioning or Displayed outside of the covenant of marriage within the covenant of marriage.

The marriage bed is undefiled but outside the covenant of marriage we are to preserve and protect ourselves from sexual Exploitation now, that's the standard of God's Word. But we live plum right in the center of a culture That would hear that and laugh and the television and the media and the magazines all Compromise the truth of God's Word over this issue.

So do you know what that means. That means that we as the church have to be able to distinguish between what is right? What God says and what is wrong what our culture is telling us and take a stand against it.

If we don't will be seduced. We will not walk In accord with how the church should be walking but will compromise in our walk and Bring shame to the name of the Lord and spiritual hurt in our life uncleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations.

Wrath strife sedition envy murder drunkenness these are the works of the flesh and As God's people we are commanded we are commanded not to walk after the flesh. So can you see that in addition to these works of the flesh?

We also discovered that it's possible to judge after the flesh. To purpose or make plans after the flesh to boast after the flesh to put a fair show to put on a show after the flesh and lastly to war to fight after the flesh as The Church of Jesus Christ each one of us will be subject to the discipline of God.

Intending to free us from all of these Fleshly things so that we can truly walk after the Spirit now today since we have seen the works of the flesh and the subtle works of the flesh. What should be our response?

Four Responses to the Life of the Flesh

What should be our response? The Bible teaches four responses. That the Lord wants to develop in our mind four responses. Listen four Responses four views four ways of looking at the life after the flesh.

Now that we have come to see how God says we can't walk after the flesh. It's unclean. That's what our salvation is all about. We're supposed to be delivered from the flesh from the impulses the sinful impulses of the flesh now.

What kind of a mind would God want to developed in us? First of all, we need to look at Romans chapter 12. And we need to discover that the Holy Spirit wants to renew our mind. To renew the mind is a process that occurs by the Word of God and the Spirit of God so that we newly relate to something.

We newly relate to something. So once we have seen clearly from the Word of God What the flesh is and how we're not to walk after the flesh. The second step is the renewing of our mind. Responses to the life of flesh.

Now I want to ask you a question as we read this. Are you Experiencing the renewal of your mind. Are you relating to the works of the flesh in? A way that is pleasing to God. It's possible that maybe before this teaching you weren't even aware of the depths of the work of the flesh but now that you have seen it, this is the next step that must happen a Renewal of the mind listen to this Romans chapter 12.

I Beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. The first thing that we need to do listen carefully, please you get advertisement and a preacher gets on the radio and Passes out fires and says come to an auditorium and I'll teach you from the Word of God How to prosper in 80 days.

Standing room only. It's just a matter of learning how to think differently. If if I can just get you to think the right way you can prosper the whole auditorium will be full. But now We're touching on the things that God really cares about.

The renewing of the mind not so that we can think ourself into prosperity. But that we can think properly over the thing that God says is unclean. It doesn't generate much interest in the church. But that's okay.

Jesus never ran for a political office. He didn't care how popular he was. There's one thing that Jesus cared about. What his father thought of him. Young people listen you will begin To make great advancements in your knowledge of God and in your walk with God.

When God Firmly establishes in your heart the realization That it's not important what people think About you and how popular you are and how how how many people love you and like you? But what matters as A professed believer in Jesus Christ is.

Whether or not my father in heaven is pleased with me. That's when people begin to make great advancements in their walk with God. Now maybe some adults here haven't even come to that yet do people's approval mean more to you than God's approval.

Are you more concerned about whether people think you're okay? Sarah's being honest and shaking her head and smiling and saying yes, that's a good place to begin. What do we do? We pray God forgive me.

Forgive me Lord. Help me to know that it's your approval. That's most important. It's your approval. Present your bodies a living sacrifice. Have you presented your body to God? See when you offered a sacrifice what happened to that sacrifice?

It died it was consumed. To present your body a living sacrifice Means that you offer your body to God in death, but it doesn't die. See, I'm alive. I've offered my body to God, but I'm still alive. But my body is dead to fulfilling its own interests and lusts.

I've offered myself a living sacrifice to God. Acknowledging that my body is not my own to do with it what I want. I've offered it to Christ Who died for my sins so that I can continue to live unto God by the power of the Holy Spirit?

Have you offered your eyes to God? Have you offered your ears to God? No, see we still think that it's our property. We still think we have the rights over our eyes and over our let me tell you something beloved in in the love of God.

You don't have the rights over yourself anymore. If you are a blood-washed child of God, you don't have the rights. You are owned by God. You've been bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

But all I know I know when we start talking like this when God's Word starts coming forth like this. It is a slap in the face to the culture because the culture tells us a totally different message. You belong to yourself.

You've got rights take care of yourself. If you don't look after yourself, no one else will. My eyes are not my own. But they belong to the Redeemer. My ears are not my. I can't listen to what I want.

I can't listen to gossip. I can't listen to junk music. I don't have the right. I have to seek to know what pleases my father in heaven. Have you offered your body to God? Isn't this what God's Word says?

Sure. Present your body to God. A living sacrifice. Holy. That's all that word. Holy means it's separate. To set apart you're setting your body apart for God. You're setting your body apart from God. Acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service or which is your spiritual sacrifice?

Now watch this and be not conformed to this world that word conformed means together with together with. So it's saying don't be conformed to this world. In other words don't walk together with the world and its principles and its beliefs.

Don't share the same value system as the world church. Don't share the same Interests that the world has. The chief interest of the world is to satisfy myself. But the chief interest of the church is that Christ that God might be satisfied.

Be not conformed to this world, but be Transformed by the renewing of your mind. There it is right here. Renewing of our mind to newly relate. Transforming power of the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

Will affect our mind in such a way. Listen closely. Where we will offer our bodies to God and we will no longer claim private ownership of our bodies. We will no longer claim that we have the right to do what we want with our bodies.

And that includes all of our body every bit of our body it also means That we will be renewed in our mind and that our mind will no longer think. The way the world thinks it will no longer value what the world values.

It will no longer seek What the world seeks? But the mind will be renewed to the point where it will begin to side with God to side with the Word of God and And Begin to reflect the mind of Christ. Philippians chapter 2 let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus in Context in context.

Paul was talking about living a selfless life. Not thinking of self and how self can be satisfied but offering oneself to God. Then he says let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus. And then he goes through the whole process of what Christ did what that mind did.

Emptied itself. Became a servant sought to do the will of God even at the personal loss of Reputation. That's what Christ did that's the mind that God wants to develop in the church. That's why we need the Word of God and the Spirit of God actively working in our life.

You will never by willpower you will never by human strength. You will never by human endeavor produce these qualities in your life. We are absolutely utterly dependent upon the work of God's Spirit the work of God's grace the work of God's Word.

Transforming us, but this is where we're heading now. Be not conformed to this world would be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That you may prove that word prove means to test What is good? Acceptable and perfect In the sight of God.

Isn't that excellent? What is good perfect and acceptable in the will of God now in light of this wonderful truth for responses to the life of flesh before we even are able to Possess these four responses.

We must get a renewed mind but once God begins the process of the renewal of the mind the first Evidence Oh God listen the first evidence that our mind is being renewed is found in Romans 13 14. Romans 13 14 beginning in verse 11, we're going to read the context and that Knowing the time that now it is high time to wake up out of sleep.

For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting that means reveling partying not in drunkenness.

That means giving opportunity to excess when it comes to alcohol. Not in chambering. Chambering that means being quarrelsome wantonness. Desire for evil not in strife and envy. Now listen, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the loss thereof.

Not Making Provision for the Flesh

The first evident sign that our minds are being renewed is That we do not make provision for the flesh. Now I like Young's literal translation on this verse. It's good I've memorized it pretty closely.

Here's what Young's literal translation is on this verse but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and Do not take any forethought As to how you might fulfill the many desires of Your sinful flesh, isn't that good?

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and take no forethought As to how you might fulfill the many sinful desires of your flesh. There you go. The first sign that your mind is being renewed is that you have come to see from the Word of God that the flesh is unclean the desires of the flesh are unclean and that as a Representative of Christ on this earth as part of the corporate Christ, which is the body of Jesus Christ.

You are called to walk differently. You are called to walk in a way that is pleasing to God and that means you must by the power of God stay free from the flesh and. So the first sign that you've got that or rather that that's got you is that you?

Seek by the power of God's Word. Not to make provision for the desires of your flesh and. So we learn two things from that statement number one. The desires of your flesh will be present even though you don't will them to be there.

The desire of sin is in our heart it can be stirred at any time under many different kinds of circumstances, but the desire the presence of sinful desires. Do not in and of themselves Condemn the believer.

Nor in and of themselves do they result in our sinning against God? But it's when we perceive. When we look when we consider the desires that are in our flesh sinful desire and we act upon them or we take Forethought and we figure out a way to fulfill those sinful desires.

Then we are walking after the flesh and that road leads to what? Destruction. He that sows to the flesh will reap destruction and. So brothers and sisters there is a provision in the grace of God Available for the Church of Jesus Christ that enables you and I to take no thought how to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

They're there from time to time. We send some we go through experiences. We go through difficulties both Circumstantially as well as with one another. Things surface desires are present. We can't believe it.

The key is what do you do with it? What do you do with it? Don't make provision don't take for thought how to fulfill it. But identify it as flesh. Something that you are dead to. Because you are united to Christ.

You are dead to the desires of the flesh. You've been divorced from them. You've been married to another even the Lord. You don't have to be brought under the dominion and power of your sinful desires.

Yes, they're present, yes, they go deep but hallelujah to God. I'm united to a resurrected Savior. Who is my true life? Christ is my real life. These sinful desires don't even reflect who I really am in Christ.

I Don't deny him. I don't say I am without sin. I Don't say I'm sinlessly perfect. But I do agree with God's Word that Christ is my life and he is my righteousness and by the power of God, I learn to Disassociate my true self with the passions of sin that war within my fallen nature.

Using Christian Liberty Responsibly

That's the victory that God wants us to walk in number two. Galatians 5 13. Galatians 5 13. Brethren, you have been called unto Liberty only use not Liberty for an occasion to the flesh. Firstly a Renewed mind enables us to make no provision for the flesh.

Secondly Galatians 5 13 a renewed mind enables us Not to use our Christian Liberty as a license to indulge in our fleshly desires. What this simply means is that now that we as Christians have been freed from the law and it's condemning power as Well as freed from laws plural as a means to obtain righteousness.

If I do this and if I do that God will then accept me and I'll get closer to God and God will love me. More all of that realm we've been delivered from. But now that we've been delivered from that and we're justified freely by the grace of God.

It's a gift and that there's nothing that we can do to earn God's love. The Word of God is saying now that you enjoy that freedom don't take that freedom and indulge in sinful desires. Rather Use that freedom to draw closer to God and to serve one another in love.

There's great abuse in the church today over this issue of Christian Liberty great abuse and God wants to set the church in order over this. You're free. You're not under bondage. You're not under law.

Your Christianity isn't a bunch of do's and don'ts wonderful. I'm glad mine isn't either. But don't think for a second that because you're free that you can just do what you want and indulge in the sinful desires of the flesh and Say hey, I'm free I'm not under bondage.

Praise God. No true freedom makes you a slave a slave to the will of God a slave to want to please God. True freedom Frees you from the bondage of sin and flesh. That's what true freedom is. Are you enjoying that freedom?

Placing No Confidence in the Flesh

Number three Philippi three. For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. The third evidence That our minds are being renewed is That God will teach us to place no confidence in our flesh.

Not to boast about what we think we are or what we think we've done. Not to boast in any in our religious heritage or in our history with God. We can't place confidence in anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ and his grace and his mercy and his word.

Hating the Stain of Sin

And lastly Jude chapter 1 verse number 23. Jude. That's right after 3rd. John chapter 1 verse number 23. Beginning in verse 21 keep yourselves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life and if some have compassion making a difference and Others save with fear.

Pulling them out of fire listen hating even the garment. Spotted by the flesh. Do you know what that means? Simply this when God calls us from time to time. To rescue people out of the fire of hell. Who are living lives That are destructive.

That are sinful that are not pleasing to God and God gives us the opportunity possibly to befriend them. Possibly. To help them. This is something that I've seen in my daughter Christina's life. God has given her opportunity to befriend Lots of people lots of people in her job and wherever she goes.

She's always befriending people always reaching out and helping them and they they like her and and they call her and and she's Giving them advice and encouraging them and and it's a beautiful ministry.

It's one that is a precious ministry in the body of Christ but here's a word for Christina and others who have the same gift if God has given you a Ministry where you're saving with fear. Pulling people out of the fire make sure you hate the garment spotted by the flesh.

Make sure that in your interaction with people who don't know God. Who live without fear of God make sure that even though you love them and you connect with them and you? Appreciate them as people and you have the capacity to really care for them.

Make sure that you hate the garments that are spotted by flesh. Make sure that you hate the scent of sin in their life. Make sure that you don't mistakenly think that loving them means that you have to Support the sin.

Make sure that you don't get a taste for that sin. Make sure that sin doesn't become appealing to you. You befriended drunkard with fear and trembling love him. And seek to pull him out of the fire of hell.

But make sure you don't get enticed at the thought of drinking. You've befriended adulterers and fornicators people who think nothing about going to bed with one another when they're not married fine.

Paul said that you can't separate yourself from the fornicators and adulterers of this world. Unless you end up living in a monastery but In befriending adulterers and fornicators and people who cuss and people who cheat and people who Go out and get drunk.

Make sure that their lifestyle doesn't begin to appeal to you who. I Think they got something. What are they. God? Maybe I'll try that. No, we're caught with fear to rescue and to hate and. So this is the last response to the life of the flesh hate the stain of sin.

Hate the stain of sin in every person that you touch and rescue. Don't be don't be tempted and drawn away by the smell of sin. It'll destroy you. It'll corrupt you. Yes. Be a lover of people. Yes. Let a filthy rotten sinner be able to say I really believe that this person loves me.

That's great. We ought to have that testimony as Christians. They ought to know that we love them, but don't be attracted to hate the sin love sinner. Well. This is really all we're gonna do today, I don't want to do an overload.

Reviewing the Four Responses and Building God’s House

Let's review real quickly, okay. Let's review. We've learned that we must walk differently as the church. Listen, if a if a group of people claim to be the church and they don't walk differently. They're in big trouble.

Big trouble the the church walks differently. We are not to walk after the flesh. We've seen the dreadful works of the flesh and now we've seen that as a result of the renewal of our mind. By the Word of God in the Holy Spirit.

We learn to relate differently to the flesh. When we didn't have the Holy Spirit, what did we do? We followed the flesh. We used our liberty to indulge in the flesh. We trusted in ourself and. We loved hanging around with sinners cuz my god we got enticed.

You go to a nightclub. You watch him dance. You watch him drink. You watch him carouse around and you go. Boy, does that look exciting? Oh Boy, does that entice me and you start walking with him? You get a little courage up before you know it you start dancing around and sin entices you.

But listen, we're Christians now. We're living temples. Now we got to get a whole new mind. This is now how we think now. We look at the flesh and we say no, I will not take for thought what that means is if you you're driving down the road in your car and all of a sudden you get this dreadful thought to.

Go to a store where you know. They've got the magazines in open view and you can catch a glimpse of nudity. What do you do? Do you calculate how to get there? What street to take? No, that's taking for thought how to fulfill the loss of the flesh.

What you do is you say Lord Jesus have mercy on me. That is wrong and you pray and You resist temptation. You don't use your liberty to indulge in the flesh. You have no confidence in the flesh and you hate the sin.

You hate it this brothers and sisters. Constitutes the building of the house of God not erecting million-dollar edifices and being involved in all kinds of religious activity. No. It's in the inward transforming of earthly to heavenly.

Carnal to spiritual the likeness of the first Adam into the likeness of the last Adam. That's the building of the house. And now as we close, let me ask a question. Do you sense God working on you? It's encouraging, isn't it.