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Dr. Irwin "Rocky" Freeman
And then we want to look at a very important topic in our second session. It's probably the most important of them all and that is the altar that is sanctified by the blood. We'll just use one verse of scripture for our text.
That's verse 11 from the Revelation chapter 12 verse 11 says and they overcame him By the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. Now that is our text as we think about the victorious living through the blood of Christ.
Let's pray once again together. Baruch atah Adonai Elonew Melech Achelaim. Blessed art thou O Lord our God King of the universe. We praise thee and we lift our hearts to you in adoration. Understanding that it's only in the wonderful name of Yeshua HaMashiach the Messiah of Israel a blessed Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
That we have access to your very presence and it is only through his precious blood that we can even contemplate Approaching the holiness of God, but father as we do so boldly with confidence and assurance that you will hear us this night I pray that you'll take these two thoughts that we have together and father I pray that you will implant them deeply within our lives.
Because Lord these are the crux of living the Christian life and so father as we think together as we've done each night I thank you again for the faithfulness of these have come night after night realizing our Lord dealt basically with 11 people and Sometimes just three Peter James and John and so father's we've come together.
We believe that you've done something in our lives that will accomplish something more in days to come. We believe father that you've made us more effective Christians by the truth. You've planted within our hearts and lives and within our minds.
We believe we've been enlightened and stimulated. Challenged and motivated and it will show up in later days as it bears fruit in our life. From the seed of the word that is planted now. We look forward to your blessings in this service together simply because we come together as Christian people.
Surrounding ourselves with the Word of God and in your blessed presence trusting you to bless us in Jesus name. Amen. Now in this particular passage of Scripture, and if you'll notice chapter 12 12 through 14 and the revelation are parenthetical they are parenthetical in the fact that they give you sort of the characters who are playing the game of life so to speak and.
So 5 through 19 are to 19, of course, the church is not mentioned. We've mentioned that on two occasions. The church is not mentioned anywhere in there telling us once again. The church does not go through the tribulation now for thousands of years.
There has been a tremendous a mighty conflict that has been going on for the possession of mankind and the conflict started. Way early in time, but you read the first recording of it in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15.
When it talks about the seed of the woman and the serpent seed and that conflict began before time it began out in the. The time passed with God and Satan and you know the story and so we'll not go into it.
But it seems as you come through history. And as we begin to read Bible history as we begin to study secular history in ancient history. It seems at times in history like the kingdom of God had hit the planet Earth.
I mean it just seemed like everything was going to be alright. It just seemed that if things were going to go the way God had set them forth to go. It just seemed like the kingdom of God had come in power.
And then it seems like other times as you read the Bible and as we observe history and look at human experience it seems as if evil has taken control and as if evil just rules everything and the kingdom of God will never come and so we See this conflict and we see that the supreme strife is Constantly being waged around us and you find the same thing true in the life of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ came and began by wonderful words mighty miracles tremendous messages and all of his great teaching and raising the dead healing the sick causing the blind to see and the dumb to speak the deaf to hear and all those things a tremendous excitement and anticipation was awakened in the hearts and lives of those particular people and yet What a horrible terrible disappointment must have come upon them when he was crucified and died as a common criminal and died.
Such a disappointing way in their eyes when they thought surely the kingdom of God was now. John the Baptist had said so. And he says it's at hand and they saw the Messiah and the signs of the Messiah.
John the Baptist sent a messenger to Christ and said are you he or shall we look for another one and he said you just go. Tell him you've seen the blind see and you've seen the dead raised and the lame walk and he will understand being Jewish that those are the Messianic signs.
Those are the signs that come along with the Messiah and yet this disappointment came and the Bible has a word In the midst of all this disappointment. It just says behold. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Jesus lives. Yes, he died. He was crucified but you see he lives you say I know he lives he's risen from the dead and what is that but Victory that has been won over the Prince of Darkness. Satan delighted at the death of Christ because that's what he had been trying to do from the beginning of time.
He tried to corrupt the human race with Adam and Eve. He tried to corrupt it with Cain and Abel. He tried to corrupt it with Isaac and Ishmael. He tried to cut it corrupt it with Jacob and Esau. He tried to corrupt it again with the disciples and Judas Iscariot all down the time.
He has tried to corrupt it to stop Jesus Christ from getting to the cross and when he got to the cross. What a delight in the heart of Satan. He thought he had accomplished it, but Jesus came exploding out of the grave now look at verse 10 in Chapter 12 of the Revelation through death.
He had destroyed him that had the power of death. That is the devil. Look at verse 10 and I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for The accuser now watch this carefully some of us were talking about this other evening for the accuser of our brethren is cast down.
Now there are a lot of people tell you that Satan goes back and forth to God accusing the brethren, but that's false. Look what it says for the accuser of our brethren is cast down. Which accused them before our God day and night and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their?
Testimony, and they love not their lives even unto death therefore rejoice you heavens and you that dwell therein. Why heaven's rejoicing because the accuser is no longer there. He's kicked out heaven is being purged.
The blood is being entered into heaven the blood has been taken in to the very presence of Almighty God. Now victory in the Revelation as we mentioned last evening is ascribed chiefly to the phrase the blood of the Lamb.
The blood of the Lamb all through the Revelation you see the Lamb on the throne. It is as the slain lamb that he has gained that position now. Here's our question. How is it that victory is always ascribed to the blood of the Lamb?
How is that? So well, we want to consider victory tonight victory in your life, and we'll take it in three ways. First of all we'll look at it as it was gained once and for all. Then we will look at it as it is progressive and then we shall look at it as one in which you and I now Have a share.
You don't have to wait on victory until you die. We have a share in it right now. So first of all the victory that was gained once and for all at one time Satan had access and entrance to the portals of heaven.
He could approach the presence of majesty and he appeared there as the accuser of the brethren and as the opponent of whatever Was to the best interest and the goodwill of God's people in the book of Job.
We'll not look at it if you write it down because the whole book of Job deals with it, but specifically chapter 2. Specifically chapter 2 you see Satan coming with the sons of God to the angelic beings to present himself before the Lord and to Obtain permission from God to tempt Job.
Now it's very interesting to me that people today, you know, it's it's a sad point, but it fits right in here. People today because they see a miracle performed or what they think is a miracle and because it does something that they think Is a miracle and only God performs miracles then they automatically assume it's from God.
But when you read the book of Job, you will see that he stirred Satan stirred up the whirlwinds. You will see that Satan caused lightning to fall and the people said it was the fire of God that failed.
The people attributed the miracle of Satan to God and that's exactly what's going on today friends. You have no God in your life except the Bible and anything Subjective is subject to error. What you think and what you feel will change day by day by day.
And it'll also be as different as they are personalities. There's only one thing that does not change and that is the objective reality. That's based upon the objective facts of the objective Word of God written by the hand of God himself.
As he controlled men's hearts and lives by the agency in the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God in Job. You see this turn with me to the book of Zechariah. It'll take you a moment. Zechariah. You have it already do you?
Zechariah chapter 3 don't look at your table of contents. We'll be here all night. Just Open to page 966. The book of Zechariah you will read this and we talk about Satan now. We're talking about him approaching God.
We're talking about him. Standing to accuse Zechariah chapter 3 and let's just read the first two verses and He showed me a Yeshua Joshua. It's the same name as Jesus. Joshua and Jesus, you know with the same name.
They mean the same thing. Joshua is just English from the Hebrew Yeshua and Jesus is from the Greek essence which comes from the same thing. It just simply means the same one's Old Testament one's new one's Hebrew and one's Greek.
All right. And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan. Standing at his right hand to resist him and the Lord said unto Satan the Lord rebuked thee. Oh Satan, even the Lord who hath chosen Jerusalem rebuked thee.
Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? So you see that he was there standing now, don't you look at another statement there? He was in heaven turning me to the gospel according to Luke. Turn to the gospel according to Luke and an interesting statement that you find there.
Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. That should not take us near as long. Luke chapter 10 verse 18 and he said unto them. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Now later on the Lord Jesus in agony of soul and the gospel of John relates again some information.
So turn to John chapter 12. John chapter 12 yokan on John 12. Now, you know, this is Jesus was anointed. He's about to enter into a senior Jerusalem and he began telling about his crucifixion and all of this now.
Look at the verse 31. I believe it is. Now he's about to die on the cross and he's about to be raised from the dead. So what's he say now is the judgment of this world? Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Cast out of where well the Bible tells us he's still in the world. There was only one place he had complete access Before the cross and that was to the very presence of God to accuse the brethren. But once the blood is there and you have Romans 8 1 there is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus by what would he accuse you?
God knows you're pure. God knows you're clean. God knows you've been pardoned. God knows you've been cleansed and washed up and made righteous. What would he accuse you of you say? Well, I don't know that that's alright.
He's not accusing you to you. He's trying to accuse you to God. God already knows you're guiltless. So what's he gonna do? False words don't follow to the ears of God from you me or Satan. And so what we have here is the statement now in Scripture Satan is not ever represented as some grisly black creature.
You never see Satan in the Bible as some male figure with horns and a long red tail. Oh, no, no in the Bible. He is an angel of light. He is an angel of light and the scripture says that little marble.
He says Satan is transformed himself into an angel of light and it is no great wonder that his disciples be transformed into what? Ministers of Righteousness, they'll never you'll never spot most of them unless you get in the Bible.
They are ministers of righteousness. Don't think Satan is out here all sinful lewd and filthy dirty running around. Yes. He is involved in it. But friends he's at work in the church morning is anywhere else his main job is chief concern is religion and That's where he is and that's where he's moving and that's why you'd have to be doctrinally secure in the Word of God.
Now he was an angel of light. Why is he keeping that. For because that's what he was and he fell from a very worthy place and he became the prince of this world. Now God gave man the opportunity and The authority to rule on the earth.
Did he not. God said have dominion over all the earth and so God wanted man to rule. He said have thou authority. Is what he told man. Now when Satan came and took over he took it over by conquering man.
By right of conquest by law. He conquered man and took the rod to rule the scepter rule back from Adam. And therefore he assumed the right to do so now God could not exert force. Our God could not exert his power, but he recognized Satan's authority.
Why is that so. Because well We don't really know all of it. But we know that God always takes the way of law and right and by law it was Satan right to rule. Because Satan had the right of conquest he defeated Adam when God said if Adam would just turn to him He would take care of everything.
So Satan was able to retain his authority until it was taken from him in a lawful manner and that is exactly the reason he could appear before God in heaven as the Accuser of the brethren and in opposition to them for all the years under the Old Testament under the Old Covenant Satan obtained authority over all flesh.
That is why God in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ met him in the wilderness. Jesus wasn't hiding from him. Jesus was waiting on him and looking for him. He went there for the express purpose of meeting Satan one-on-one and defeating him in the flesh so that by right of conquest he would take the rule back and he would take the right of rule back from Satan and God would begin his program as he had and continued on.
Satan had the power of death because of the law of God. The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. The Bible tells us and the sinner has to be delivered from the power of the law. Before he can ever be delivered from the authority of Satan.
The law has to be satisfied and the power of the law has to be broken before Satan's authority and hold over people could ever be Broken now the wages of sin is dead. So what happened. Jesus died. Why he became sin?
He became sin for us him who knew no sin. So consequently the wages of sin is death. So he died and as our surety the Son of God came. He was born under the law. He obeyed the law perfectly and therefore Satan is defeated because the power of the law is broken.
Satan becomes defeated and he now has no longer any right to accuse any Christian or anything. He does not have that right. He'll take it if you give it to him and he'll put it in your mind that he has that right and he'll make you Believe he has that right unless you know exactly the Word of God that he has no right and any right any right He tries to assume is by law and you're not under law.
You're under grace anything he tries to do in your life. It's by a lie always and ever now I said the victors gain once and for all and it was but there's also a progressive victory in the fact that it continues day By day also day by day and you've heard it said many times we have been saved.
We are being saved and we will be saved. It's a progressive victory. Now Satan has been cast down to the earth. Would you turn to me to Revelation 12 again? Revelation 12 he's been cast down to earth.
So what happens the heavenly victory must now be carried out here on earth. This victory in heaven or earth doesn't make any difference progresses simultaneously. Resting on the same ground and the conflict on earth Between you and me and Satan is nothing but a result of a conflict in the invisible regions of the heavenlies.
The archangel Michael and all the angels as well as the brethren on earth Gained the victory by the blood of the Lamb and in Revelation chapter 12 verses I want you just to put a little mark out there somehow rather from about verse 7 all the way down through.
About verse ladies, but verse 17 gives you how Satan was cast down to the earth. The conflict was removed from heaven into the earthly realm. Now, let me explain that word earth to you. Do not just think that that word earth means the planet earth.
Turn with me hold your place right there and turn to Genesis the first chapter. I Want to point out something that perhaps you've seen and perhaps maybe you haven't. I don't know. Look at verse 2. Well, look at verse 1 in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form void and darkness.
Now, what do you think? That is planet earth? That's what most people think no not at all because don't you look at verse 10 and God called the dry land earth and the gathering together waters. You don't get the earth named earth until verse 10.
The planet isn't called earth until verse 10. Well, what's this earth friends? If you'll study the heavens and the earth there you'll find the heavens referred all that is invisible and the earth refers to everything That is visible and when Satan was cast down to the earth He is cast down to the first and the second heavens.
There are three heavens we know about the first the earth the atmosphere the clouds where they are and then the second heaven is Intergalactic areas the all the trillions of galaxies and Satan has access all the way.
But he does not have access to the third heaven, which is the presence of God. He has been cast out of that. But he has cast out into the other visible things and that is why I along with many other people and one of the leading Authorities is dr. Clifford Wilson while the leading psycho linguistics in the world a renowned Christian Who has a book called encounters of another kind who firmly believe and I'm firmly convinced that UFOs are nothing but did not demonic delusions.
To get people looking friends whenever Jesus Christ came and died and when the earth was creating Adam and Eve it was against the backdrop of Everything there are no other people living on other planets.
Jesus is the only Savior Knows evolution is breaking up. So he's got to get people something else because the evolution is breaking up. Scientists are beginning to step away from it men are not even Christians.
They say it hasn't worked after 110 years and so they're beginning to back away from it. So he's got something ready for them. Well, maybe if we didn't involve maybe we came from another planet. He's always got something ready for the gullible mind.
The tragedy is there a lot of so-called Christians that just suck it up like ice cream and cake boy. They just get anything it is anything man throws out why well, they can't believe the Bible. That's preposterous.
It's absurd to believe the Bible it's antiquated we want to believe that old book. That old book stood test time. Hey Voltaire tried to laugh it out of Europe. Hitler tried to burn it out of Germany and still stands if any book in the world had ever been attacked like this book has Been attacked.
They've been off the market for six months. It stands the test time and it'll be here if you and I go. Jesus doesn't come. Yeah, the old King James version will still be around you and how King James to amplify dollars to me.
I'll say be here. You say you mean tell me brother, I'll be perfect different person, but I use this one. I use it. Well, I can't understand King James. You can't understand anything you don't read. Just that's it.
You read you understand it been understand it for years. I'd like to read like Paul in Greek. Sure, you can understand to read get your Bible dictionary do it like you do crossword puzzles. Can't figure out a word you cheat a little bit.
Go get your dictionary. Well go with the Bible get your dictionary and it'll be all right. So what I'm at we're talking about a war a war now, what's it say? Whoa, look at verse 12. Rejoice you heavens and you that dwell in them.
Why why do you want heavens rejoice? Well, look what he says, but whoa revelation 12 12. But whoa to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea. For the devil has come down unto you having great wrath.
Because he knows that he has but a short time and I know that Satan is not omniscient. He doesn't know everything. But one thing he does know is he knows he's got a short time. But that doesn't slow him down when a football team might be behind 40 to nothing.
What's coach say? Well, we're behind 40 nothing ain't got the five minutes. You might as well quit. Uh-huh. He said well you lost the game get the game, but he said I tell you what every time he runs the ball.
He said make him pay. I mean now's the time to get you knocked in you just turn loose. Let it go. He done lost the game. Just don't get it. And they got there if they'd played that way the whole game they wouldn't been behind 40 nothing.
They go got to go crazy. Satan knows exactly what he's doing. He knows he's going down the drain. He's gonna take as many people with him as he can because you see every time he gets a person he can mock God.
He can just mock God every time he does that there is a progressive victory. Whoa to the inhabitants of the earth now Satan has persecuted God's people throughout all the ages. Now when that didn't work.
Then if persecution wouldn't slow him down and persecution seemed to make the church flourish the more they got persecuted more the group. What's he do? He said well that won't work. I'll do something else.
He just kind of moves in with worldly success. He gets you successful. Don't ever think Satan gets you down in the gutter. You see he does some people but most people if you get in the gutter, you know, you got to get out.
So he doesn't want you down there. He like to get you busy make you successful give you enough money where you got to watch. Get you enough money where you can't you got to keep down the bank every day drive by it every day.
Just check see if it's there, you know and things like this and this is what he does. And so what has happened. The people of God have compromised and they have surrendered to the demands of the world.
Apostasy and darkness has settled over the Church of Jesus Christ. And in all of this there has been just a few Precious Christian people throughout the years that have not yielded and they have not surrendered their statement.
That was often established even throughout the martyrs and someday maybe we'll be called upon. It says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives.
Even unto death it was and it still is the discovery the experience and the preaching of that Precious gracious truth that we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.
And that victory can be won in your life and mine it is through the preaching of the blood of the cross that is the power by which the dark of heart is opened and Softened and from which the dwelling place of Satan is changed into the temple of the Most High God.
God will not come into anything that is not purged by the blood and if your heart doesn't get purged by the blood then God Will not enter into that contaminated state. It must be purged as we said last evening as deep as sin has gone.
So the blood must follow it and so you have been sprinkled to the conscience. The Word of God says we have come unto the sprinkling of the conscience by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and so This is what we know to be the truth and so when the soul begins to live in the power of the blood of Christ the Temptations of Satan cease to ensnare him and where the holy blood of the Lamb is sprinkled there God dwells and Satan will be put to flight on the basis of that blood now.
How what do we mean when we say we have a share in that victory you and I have a share in that victory already? This is true when we are among those who have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb now.
How do you enjoy it? I think at least there are three things we must understand. There are at least three things maybe more. But I only know of three that we must understand in order to enjoy the full blessing and have what we call the victorious Christian life through the blood of the Lamb.
Number one is there can never be a victory without conflict. There can be no winning without war. Christians are not fighting a war. Christians are playing games. Paul says in Ephesians 6 for we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
It is not you against the lost people it's not you against the community. It is not your personality against them. It is not your your debate ability. It's not your ability to debate someone else. It's not your vocabulary against theirs.
It's not your mentality. It is not anything like that my friends he says we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the powers and the Principalities and the rulers of darkness and wicked spirits in high places.
We are fighting against the demons of hell. We're in a war for God against Satan and his demonic hordes for the souls and the lives of people and when you go out in witness to a man if you can just understand that all the demons of hell are unleashed upon his mind to keep him lost and to close his mind and the Bible says That the God of this world can close the mind of them who are lost so that the glorious light of the gospel cannot even shine through Tremendous power, but you and I we go out there without any prayer.
We get our Bible. And we've got our little church bulletin and we've got our little thing we go hang on the door. Oh, we got a little business card says anywhere for Jesus and cookies furnished and we're gonna stick that in the door.
And we're gonna impress people for God and we walk out of there. The Holy Spirit has done nothing they sit lost and Satan rejoices at our feeble efforts because we walked in the flesh. What we need to do is understand we are in a spiritual war and Satan is real today.
I don't care what the preacher say is real and The demons are real and the Bible never says they stopped you don't like to think about it. We don't want to contemplate it, but friends one-fourth of the Bible speaks about Satan and it's from beginning to end.
But you and I you see what we do we figure the program is gonna get it. The Gordon is going to do it. The songs are going to do it brother. That's why we said when the church is empty Satan just rejoicing all over Houston 300 Southern Baptist churches in this city been here for years and his citizens lost.
And it'll stay lost until we understand the blood and until we understand there can never be a victory ladies and gentlemen without a conflict. There never can the word victory means something's been won.
That's what we're talking about. You and I must understand that we dwell in the enemy's territory. Yes, it's God's. But you see God hasn't chosen to take complete control of it yet in the sense that he's going to in later days.
This is the enemy's territory and Satan attempts to reach Christ and assault Christ by attacking Christ people Christians and you and I must live every moment. Realizing that you are being watched. You are being eyed.
You are being contemplated. You are being scanned you are being screened. You are being watched by an enemy of unimaginable cunning and power who has never wearied and tired of trying to bring you Under his authority whether he can do it by natural means whether he can do it by emotional psychological physical about whatever means necessary.
He is waiting on every opportunity and none of you are immune just because you're a Christian. Just because you've been saved will not stop him. We've got to appropriate the truth of God's Word daily in order to stop him.
The Bible says put on the whole armor of God. I challenge you with a statement I believe if I walk down these aisles my dear people and if I called on you one by one by one. No matter what your position is in the church or out of the church and the community are in the church it matters not most of you.
If I said would you stand please right where you are and Intelligently discuss with me for a moment the whole arm of God how you put it on what each one of them means. When do you put it on? How do you put it on in what order do you put it on and what effect does it have.
And I'll guarantee you most Of you be embarrassed because you don't have a slightest and yet if you don't know about the arm of God. How do you protect yourself? That's why sickness. That's why illness.
That's why emotional problems. That's why physical problems. That's why financial problems. Many of those things are assault and fiery darts from the enemy and They can be prevented. If we want to prevent them.
They can be so they can be so and so what we're talking about here to you Ladies and gentlemen is to try to challenge you. He knows how to gain entrance into your earthly engagements. He knows how to get into your business.
He knows how to get into your process of working for your daily bread. He knows how to involve himself in politics. He knows how to handle literature. He knows how to deal with science. He knows how to get in knowledge.
He knows how to deal with all things because he was there when all things were created. He is not some idiot. He knows and he knows more than you and I put together will ever know until we stand before Christ in a perfect state.
He is subtle and he's smarter than you'll ever be. The only way we can defeat him is by having the knowledge of him who is stronger than he even the precious Lord Jesus and a Christian beloved who Desires to share in the victory over Satan through the blood of lamb must hear me carefully.
Ladies must be a fighter. You've got to be willing to fight. If you're going to be a victor over Satan You have to be a fighter and you must take pains to understand the character of your enemy. It is utter foolishness to send an army out into the fields of battle with no understanding of their enemy ours tactics.
Paul said less Satan get an advantage of us. We are not ignorant of his devices. Ephesians 427 says neither give place to the devil. Don't give a ground to him. Don't give him an invitation. How would you do it?
What do you think you got to go rob a bank? Uh-huh. You can just sit around with a vivid imagination get yourself in trouble. Open doors to Satan to a rational. Open the doors to Satan to a rational.
Little do Christians understand what is really going on around us. We must allow ourselves to be taught through the Word of God that the depths of Satan as the scripture calls it. We must know what they are and we must know that we fight against the rulers of the darkness of this world and we must Devote ourselves to the battle.
There can be no winning without conflict. Secondly, there can be no victory without faith. Victory comes through faith. It is through faith. Turn with me to first John. The first epistle of John other than the gospel right after Peter.
First John chapter 5 please first John chapter 5. Aren't you glad you're saved? Sure. First John 4. First John 5 verse 4. For whoever is born of God whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world.
Even our faith who is he that overcometh the world, but he that commits to but He that believes in but he that commits to trust puts his confidence in commits his will to that's what that word believe means.
That Jesus is the Son of God whoever commits himself to that truth who puts their dependence in that Him who puts himself at that and him who turns all of his trust into the fact that Jesus is the Son of God.
That is the person that has the opportunity to overcome the world and Jesus said be of good cheer. I have overcome the world and Satan is already a conquered enemy as I use the words early in the week de jure in Spiritual principle it is not de facto.
It is not in fact until he be cast into the lake of fire at that great and final day when he is judged and Jesus Christ comes as the great lamb on the white horse and takes him and throws him into the lake of fire for all eternity.
But friends in spiritual principle and only in spiritual principle. He is still able to move about and do a lot of things and you and I have to work with him and fight against him on spiritual principle.
Spiritual principle and spiritual principles is done with nothing tangible and it's not done with anything physical that you can concoct. It is by God's spiritual weapons the cross the blood the name of Christ and the Word of God.
You have no other weapons for thumbs. Tell him you're a Baptist that'll excite him that'll impress him. He just roars. Just roars. Be of good cheer. Satan has absolutely nothing by right to say to a person who belongs to Jesus Christ, but I can again Give him authority over me if I let loose of what I am to appropriate in Jesus Christ only faith that he gives me can inspire courage and joy in the strife and Christians think that the strife is too severe.
I've had people after people tell me rocky said it's so hard just every moment of every day I've got to fight and yes, you do. Yes, you do every moment of every day, but I get tired of the battle. Yes, you will.
Will the battle ever cease? No, it won't. Will you be called on to fight it until Jesus comes? Yes, you will. And when you go up the battle then Satan moves in takes control and you'll never know it. He'll do his damage and he'll run his ravage and you'll understand it too late.
Many times many times and so our faith has to be increased. It's perfectly true If we and our weakness had to meet the enemy, but that is not what we're called on to do. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself for us, but that's not automatic.
That is not automatic just God doesn't say because you got saved you have to appropriate God's promises God's Declarations and God's truths and God's way of fighting the battle or the battle cannot be won.
Now this victory of faith is in fellowship with the blood of the Lamb. The third thought. Faith dear people is not merely a thought it is not merely a conviction. Faith is a life. Faith is a life. Faith brings you into direct contact with him who is like God God.
It is impossible for a person to believe in victory over Satan by the blood. Without being brought entirely Under the bloods power if you're not under the power of the blood of Christ. And if the blood of Christ isn't that what you draw your strength from and if you aren't aware of it.
And if you've got comfort comfort contemplating it then it's impossible for you to believe that you actually have victory over Satan back because you don't understand anybody and That's where most Christians sit this evening in most places.
We need to seek to know more perfectly the reconciliation with God that has occurred and that is yours and we need to live constantly. Exercising faith in the assurance that what the Bible says the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses you from all Sin it does our Lord Jesus by his blood has made us as we saw last evening.
Not only priests. That we can draw near in priestly purity and priestly ministry on behalf of other people but he has given you the kingly power as we said that means rule and authority so that you might rule with God now a kingly spirit ought to inspire us and kingly courage ought to rule over us while we're in the battle and The resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ and his casting out of Satan were nothing but the results of his shedding his blood.
So what does it say in Revelation 12 verse 10? Is it any wonder that it would say this now? He's dead. He's crucified, but he's raised from dead. He's alive. His blood's been shed. Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of the brethren is cast down and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and that and only that Blood of the Lamb will bring us the victorious life that we need so much and that we so desperately search for.
As we think together about the altar That was sanctified by the blood. Exodus chapter 29 verse 36. This is the commandment of God and Thou shalt 29 36 of Exodus and thou shalt offer every day a bullet for a sin offering for atonement and Thou shalt cleanse the altar.
When thou has made an atonement for it and thou shalt anoint it to sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar. Now, can you understand that we thought atonement was just for people, right?
He says that shall make an atonement for the altar and Sanctify it and it shall be an altar most holy not just holy. But most holy using the same phrase that is used about the holy of holies. It was most holy.
There was the holy place and the holy of holies was most holy and then he says whatsoever touches the altar Shall be holy now of all the articles in the tabernacle of all the furnishings in the tabernacle.
The altar was in most respects the most important thing in there now the golden mercy seat that was in the Ark of the Covenant in the holy of holies of course were the personal presence of Majesty the personal presence of God where that came down and God manifested his visible glory.
Within the veil was most glorious and in all of that It was however hidden as we know from the eyes of the people the veil and they could not see it. Even though was there who saw it once a year the high priest only he could see That visible presence of the glory of God.
The rest of the people did not have that opportunity and once a year as Israel's active faith was focused upon that and Intentionally focused upon it and fixed upon it. It was only once a year that they really concentrated on the holy of holies.
But the rest of their life was around the other furnishings within the tabernacle. Now the altar might be likened to a door of entrance if you could picture in your mind a Gigantic room and if we entitled that room the service of God and in order to do any service for God.
You'd have to come by the altar. There's an altar at the door and so we might say the door of entrance to service for God and Serving God is always by the altar in the holy place. Now before there was ever a temple and Before there was ever a tabernacle an altar served as the place of worship of God in the case of Noah.
And in the case of the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob there was an altar long before there was a temple or a tabernacle. Now, please make note of this in your mind. Don't forget this. Underline it within your mind.
Man may worship God without a temple if he has an altar. But man may not worship God without an altar even if he has a temple. May I suggest to you that most of the churches of this country are temples without altars.
We've got people who are always ready to organize, but they do little agonizing. They're always ready to plan something. They're always ready to promote something but you find them spending very little time in praying about something.
And what we've got in our churches is we've got the temple. We've got the tabernacle, but we just don't have an altar in most churches. And that's why there isn't very much spiritual power. Activated in most churches the service of the altar is at the very beginning.
It is indeed the heart of the service of the temple and the tabernacle now. Why was that so what was the altar? Well the Hebrew word for altar will tell you would it not. It means the place of death killing.
It means to kill killing death sacrifice. Slay it now. Even the altar of incense which has the name altar, but it did not have a an animal killed upon it. But you see the offerings of the people were sacrifices in themselves unto God therefore It was properly named the altar now.
What is the chief thought in an altar? It is simply this. That man's service for God Consists in sacrifice and consecration of himself and All that he has to God not only just himself but everything he has must be first of all sacrifice to and consecrated unto God it in turn sanctifies and Makes the gift what it ought to be.
Why. Because God has ordained a Separated place he did it in early history. He's done it today. God has ordained a separated place and that has been sanctified by God himself so that It will sanctify any gift that's placed upon the altar of God.
It makes it acceptable so an offer you or me we may come to offer God something. And we may know that the sacrifice will atone for our sins and that the thank offering that follows this Reconciliation once we get the forgiveness as the expression of our love and thankfulness.
We can know that it will have a full enjoyment of God's favor upon it simply because we come to his altar. Now when you go to the altar of the Old Testament, and then you read about you come to the New Testament.
You find that it must have an anti type. The Old Testament altar must have an anti type in the New Testament. What does that mean? It means simply this there must be something in spiritual reality that in spiritual worship.
That is in perfect harmony with the reality of the Old Testament altar. Will you turn with me please to Hebrews chapter 13 and let's see if that be true. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 10. We say that you've got the Old Testament altar and we know we don't offer animals.
So there must be something in spiritual reality in the New Testament in Christian belief that will be in perfect harmony with that because God's way of redemption is always the same. Look at Hebrews 13 10.
What's it say? We have an altar. Well, do you oh, he's not talking about this little table. You got down here to dump something on flowers and books and Magazines and programs and bulletin everything else that's on this thing.
It's not the altar of God. That's what we'll call it the altar of God. Why we're just trying to pacify ourselves. It's not the altar of God. We have an altar of which they have no right to eat and serve the tabernacle.
Those run to the law have no right to get out of this altar because this one's different. This one is different. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 8. Revelation chapter 8 quickly 8 verse 3 still in the tribulation, of course, but it says in verse 3 of Revelation the 8th chapter and Another angel came and stood at the altar.
Having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense. That he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne the little verse 5 and the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and Cast it upon the earth and there were voices and thunder claps and lightnings and an earthquake.
So what we see is that we have an altar and there's an altar that it speaks of in the heavenly realm and it is An altar where once and for all the Lamb of God was sacrificed as the great sin offering.
We're also every believer every Christian has to come to the same altar and Present himself with all that he has as a thank offering unto God. So I want us to think of two major thoughts. One is the altar that was sanctified by the blood and The offering that is sanctified by the altar.
The altar that was sanctified by the blood and the offering that is Sanctified by the altar. All right, the altar sanctified by the blood now right in the middle if you'll turn me to Leviticus to Leviticus chapter 8, please.
Right in the middle of all the instructions Concerning the consecration of Aaron as the high priest and of course his sons and the sons of Kohath. They were all consecrated with him as priest. It is right in the middle of this that the text that we read appears it's right in the middle this now a priest had to have an altar.
Just turn to Leviticus 8 and hold that for a moment a Priest must have an altar. Just as the priest himself had to be sanctified by the blood you and I have seen that the altar had to be sanctified by the blood.
God commanded that a sin offering an animal should be prepared to cleanse the altar and To make atonement for that altar because it was contaminated anything that comes off this earth is contaminated.
Anything that you'll ever touch see no or feel or all is contaminated and seriously degradated by seeing and So the altar being made from human instruments and human tools and human hands and all of that made out of human materials.
Things that man would have in control and coming from the cursed Earth's fear had to be atoned for and so you see that that happened for seven days. Moses had to carry on this work of making atonement for the altar.
So in Leviticus 8 15, we read the following and he slew it and Moses took the blood and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger and purified the off and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it to make Reconciliation upon it.
Now. We've already studied what this word reconciliation means by this reconciliation. Listen carefully. Not only was the altar sanctified and made holy. But it was made the most holy as we saw before Nexus.
It was not just holy. It was most holy a phrase similar to that of the holy of holies. Now this is the expression that was used to describe the inner shrine of the tabernacle where the presence of God was and It is used here of an altar which had a similar measure of holiness.
The one was hidden behind the veil. But the other was very approachable. It was an approachable holy of holies there was one man could not approach to and Only the high priest did that and there was another one that was approachable now.
You're already beginning to see the analogy. Jesus has already approached the holy of holies in the presence of God. You and I haven't but there is one we can come to that will put us there and that's where we want to go.
Exodus 29 37 that last phrase you rich mark it down. We've already read it whatsoever. Now listen carefully whatsoever touches the altar shall be what holy? Holy whatever touches that altar will be holy because the altars hold now by the sevenfold atoning.
With the blood the altar had obtained such a holiness that it could be called most. Holy that it had the power of sanctifying and Making holy anything that was placed upon it. Any sacrifices put upon that altar from that point on was made holy by the very fact that it touched the altar that it just touched that altar and so when that israelite came with all of his failings and when his Rebellion and with all of his self-centeredness and egotism and with all those things when he came.
He had no fear that his offering might be too small or it might be too unworthy. The altar that he placed it upon would sanctify the gift that was laid upon. Now turn with me to Matthew the 23rd chapter and you'll find that Jesus referred to this very thing.
Most people just walk right by it and never see it, but it's extremely important opens up the entire Old Testament in Matthew 23. You see he's dealing with the Jews and they couldn't understand what he's talking about.
Now he referred to this was it was a well-known fact with the Jews. That's why I say it'll encourage you to kind of when you read the Bible to say now What's he how would a Jew look at this and you'll get some truths out of look at Matthew 23 19.
You fools and blind for which is greater. The gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift now if you just read that and we hadn't talked about it. What would you refer it to? Well, we just said, oh, well, I wonder what that means and we just walk on.
But friends it goes all the way back to the passage you just read in Exodus. That's where it hits for now Jesus knew it was a well-known fact amongst the Jews and he utilized now the cross upon which the blood of Christ has been shed.
The cross Was shed is not on the altar on which he was sacrificed but it has been consecrated by that holy blood as. An altar on which we also may be sacrificed and made acceptable unto God now in heathen worship.
People are often taught a doctrine about a cross. You find in all of your cults, they won't say the word cross. But they'll have a teaching about a cross and what they basically teach is a self-imposed suffering and a self-sacrifice.
Or giving up something and giving up and working working so that they may become pleasing unto their God. They do not understand that everything that man does whether it is in suffering whether it's in tribulation.
Where's in persecution where it is in sacrifice? Everything mankind does is stained by sin and it is incapable of ever conquering sin. And it is incapable of ever pleasing God. You can never do anything to please God by yourself.
It is impossible. But yet we are constantly trying we're gonna try to convince ourselves that what I do pleases God. It can only under certain Circumstances and most of us don't get under those circumstances for this purpose.
God has made a glorious provision. He caused an altar to be erected for which a sevenfold and then a perfect reconciliation Had been made and he told Moses to do it so that whatever touched that altar he knew man was sinful.
So whatever will touch that altar would be made holy now by the blood of the Son of God. The cross of Jesus Christ has become a holy of holies that has the power to sanctify. Set apart and bless every person who comes to it what Jesus did and suffered on the cross he did and suffered as the scripture says the second Adam as.
By one man came into the world as by one man sin will be removed from the world. So the scripture teaches us he is our surety. He is our pledge. He's our confidence and he is our head showed us there that the only way For you and me to be freed from the flesh is by surrendering that flesh to the righteous Judgment of God and that's a fearsome thing.
And if it wasn't fear something you and I would have already done it. If it wasn't such a terrifying thing to us and our human egos, we'd have already done it. We wouldn't reach this point our Christian lives without doing it.
But he demands that we do it and the only way into the life of God is through the death of the flesh. The death of the self-life the death of that old thinking by his death He obtained the right and the power to enable you and me us.
To walk in that very way and so the life and sufferings of Jesus have such a divine power. That by them the authority of sin has been entirely destroyed and anyone who seeks the way to God and to the life of God.
Through sacrifice and death in fellowship with Jesus Christ. We'll find that way and also will be enabled to walk in that way and that's the only way you can find it. So what I'm saying to you is the cross of Jesus Christ has become an altar.
Hebrews 13 10 says we have an altar. Not only did the Old Testament, but we have one and it is the cross of the Savior. It is what we said the altar is a place of sacrifice. Well, what was the cross? It was a place for the slave is a place of sacrifice.
It is the place where the incense was offered. This too was called an altar and so on both the altar of sacrifice and the altar of incense a fire. Constantly burned where they sacrificed and where they offered the incense the fire did the job.
Now, listen me carefully. What is presented to God whatever you present to God must first pass through death. And then it must be consumed by fire spiritually speaking by death judgment upon that sin must be executed.
That Sin must be consumed by the fire of God and then a new spiritual form comes heavenwards. There is no way to God except through death. Through the sacrifice of life itself and there's no way to God or to heaven for us.
Except we've got to go by God's altar and that's the cross. I'm not just talking about getting saved. We've already left getting saved. We're on something else. I'm not talking about being saved. We're suing.
Y 'all say we're talking about something else. We're talking about the new life. We're talking about the abundant life. We're talking about the victorious life. So forget thinking about getting saved from lost to save.
Let's think of what we're going after we get saved. The cross is not merely that cross upon which we ought to believe that Jesus died for our sins. But it is the cross on which you must die. It is a cross that we've got to die.
Most people are content to think just the opposite. The Lord Jesus early and repeatedly warned his disciples that they would have to bear their cross after him. He that cometh after me must take up his cross daily and follow me and the cross is not Lumbago, and it's not arthritis and it's not your aches and pains and it's not a wife at nags at you.
It's not a husband. It's never home. It's not children that are rebellious that has nothing to do with the cross is only a place of death. It means you've got to die every day of your life to yourself.
That's what taking up the cross daily means and it doesn't mean anything else about you can't make it be anything else. It means simply that which is death and so He is not meaning outwardly just only out of the suffering of death.
He spoke of the inner Self-denial of the hating and the loving of the self-life as the fellowship of his cross. We must do away with it and you can then begin to say as Paul said I am crucified with Christ.
He says they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections and lust. He says God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I am crucified unto the world and I Unto the world.
Now these verses will teach you that we are not to regard the sufferings on the cross as being only the Salvation of our sin from lostness to salvation or the expiation of our guilt. Not only that but it is the characteristic and it's the power of your daily life.
The life of Jesus Christ from heaven today bears the same characteristic in us that it had then it is the life of the crucified One and I'm utterly amazed as I travel from church to church. At the number of people who are reluctant to pray in the name of Christ.
The people who are reluctant to speak his name very much. The reluctance to sing much about it. Oh. The reluctance to do anything that appeals to the emotion and we can't even see that Satan has gotten us off the track.
Gotten us off the track. What do they teach? What I see turn to 2nd Corinthians 13 and let's see 2nd Corinthians 13. 2nd Corinthians 13 verse 4. We have to be made conformable unto his death. Then on them the power of God be manifested in us and the weakness and the death of the cross is Always coupled with the life and the power of God.
Look at verse 4. The death and weakness of the cross is always the life and power of God. It's coupled together 13 -4 2nd Corinthians. For though he was crucified through weakness Yet he lives by the power of God for we also are weak in him.
But we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. When you and I submit and admit that we're weak and we died ourselves then the power comes. Then the life comes then that godly living many Christians do not Understand this the cross in which they glory differs from that which Paul glory in.
He glory in a cross on which not only Christ was crucified. But which he himself could be crucified every day of his life. They glory in a cross on which Christ died, but that they are unwilling to die on.
Christians refuse to die to self they refuse to crucify themselves and they refuse to get on the very cross which their Savior died and they just delight that he died on it, but you're not about to get them on and They resist the teaching of it and most of the time when you say things like I'm saying to you.
You know what it smacks in the ears of some people. It sounds like heresy or self-righteousness to them. Because they've not reached that point of trying to understand what God's trying to tell us in these passages of scripture and the only thing we Can do is try to justify why we are what we are.
Even though we know we're not what we ought to be and this is what we're doing. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. We need to notice very clearly How this distinction and this connection between the blood of atonement and the sacrifice of the flesh is taught to us in this well-known passage of scripture.
The atonement the sacrifice of the flesh the blood atonement all of its tied together Hebrews 10 verse 19. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way.
Which he has consecrated for us through the veil. That is to say his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
It says into a new and living way. You notice what it says. Let us come into a new and Living way is what he's telling us and then he says let us draw near verse 20 by a new and living way and verse 22.
Let us then draw near because of it and that way always passes through the torn veil of the flesh. The rent veil of the flesh the crucifixion and the sacrifice of the flesh and by the flesh I mean the old nature.
I mean the selfish attitudes. I mean the big eye in my life. I mean the pride of our life the egotism the egotistical attitude the egocentric living. That's what I'm talking about. When I say the flesh that old way of doing things that were supposedly saved from that.
We supposedly got changed lives about we supposedly came new creatures. That is what I'm speaking of and friends. We say that the only way that that can happen is through the shed blood because that's why it was shed.
Nothing less than the entire sacrifice of the self life is the way to the life of God. Now the cross has been sanctified by the blood of the Savior Jesus Christ. And he's made it an altar on which he became a sacrifice and he became holy and acceptable unto God.
So when Exodus 29 and 37 says whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy. So when I fear that lest my self-sacrifice is not perfect. Or lest in my dying to self I am not really true and I've not been able to struggle through it.
My thoughts ought to turn away from myself and I should turn my thoughts and fix them on the wonderful power Which the blood of Jesus Christ has bestowed upon that cross and I know that in all my imperfections.
If I can just by faith touch the cross I am made holy because whatsoever touches the altar is made holy. That'll take away all the guilt out of your life. That removes all the apprehension about whether or not you can talk to God anytime you want to and whether or not God hears you.
It just does wonders for you. It does wonders for you. It does to me to understand this truth and our imperfections and our weakness the cross. The crucified Christ is the power and it's strange to me that whenever you go back to the New Testament.
They preached Christ crucified. Paul said he preached Christ crucified. He met at the Council of Redemption the Jews said what are you preaching? He said Christ crucified you come through the first 400 years of Christianity you find they preached Christ crucified and Then you came into the Middle Ages when the Roman Catholic system came into being and it began to wane and you come into this Generation and you can't find a dime's worth of preaching singing praying or anything in our churches about the crucified Christ.
It's everything but that why the world doesn't like it. Satan doesn't like it. Because what it's the only key to victory and wherever it was done my friends. There's victory isn't amazing. What are we doing revivals?
Do you know I talked to and not to talk about music necessarily, but it's important. I talked to one of the leading musicians in this country. He's a minister music in one of our largest churches fine young man.
And I said to him, you know, he's talking about meetings and I was holding up an evangelistic conference there. It was a an associational conference and there were several of us speaking together. And and I was one of the speakers and and we were just talking about it.
You know and I looked at his selections of song and I said. Well, how come you don't sing this this this and this and this he said well. Those are songs that written back, you know for another day stamps Baxter days.
And you know, they used to sing about all these cross songs and things like that. He says but you know, it's it's a different society today and people are different. So let me ask you a question. Why is it whenever you try to have a revival in your church?
That's what you go back to. You don't use anthems brother. You don't use anthems. You don't use all these songs. Yeah, I know. Songs make you happy hymns. I help make you holy. Jesus never died to be happy.
He died to be holy. You get holy you'd be happy. You're not happy cuz you're not holy. That's the problem. You don't find all that liturgical junk. Brother, you find them. They won't have revival. They go back to it.
Well, why not stay with it? Go the first Church Dallas and see what they've seen. See what they do there. Everybody joins that church kneels and pray. When they take an offering the people pray. The men kneel and pray.
Somebody prays man kneels. Well, you can't get most men in the church get on their knees for anything. Paul wouldn't either. God zapped him on the road Damascus and told him how to do it. Hopefully that won't have to happen to you and me now what I'm saying to you is truth.
Dear people and it's the secret to growth in your church, and I believe your church is going to grow. I anticipate its growth. I believe it's going to explode. Spiritually speaking I'm looking for it and I'm gonna watch it and I'm gonna be excited with you about it.
I'm telling you a secret. They'll do it. He said where are you. You think, you know, don't say no. I'm just telling you what to work. No secrets been there 2 ,000 years. It's no secret. They all knew about it.
We're the ones that don't know about it. No, that's point 17. I'll mark that in so that I'll do that next time. All right. Whatsoever touches the altar shall be holy. So we're talking about a crucified Christ.
That means tell me that you and I every moment that we can walk in the consciousness of my crucifixion. That I can walk every moment knowing that I'm crucified with Christ that my entire renunciation of self because the spirit of the crucified one Makes his cross the death of the self-life and the power of the new life of God will rise out of that death from the cross as a sanctified altar a Sanctifying power it's exercised over me and you as we come to it now.
Listen to me carefully. I put three red stars and three blue ones by this one. In proportion as I believe in the sanctifying power of the cross and I seek to live in fellowship with it in proportion to that I become a partaker of a progressive and increasing holiness in my life in Proportion as I believe it and attempt to live within that fact.
There is a progressive and increasing holiness in my life. That's what we talk about becoming a mature Christian. Most of us think mature Christian means we're able to come to church regularly and we can memorize scripture and we don't seemingly have so many problems.
Holiness. His maturity. Holiness his maturity. So let's think for a moment about it. What are the offerings that you and I would give to God that would be sanctified to the Psalter? We've already agreed I think and hopefully we can and like I said early in a week.
You can disagree with me on anything. I say if you just remember that one thing. I'm always right. All right. Turn to me to Hebrews 12. I mean Romans 12. Turn to me to Romans 12. We know that the altar is sanctified by the blood.
So let's think about some offerings and we'll just use this one. The altar sanctified by the blood that so in time it may sanctify the gift that's laid upon it. Now, what is the gift that you and I have to lay on it?
Now don't just look at this verse and think that's all there is to it. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your body a living sacrifice holy Acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.
You know what that reasonable service word if you'll study very carefully. You know what that comes up being your spiritualness. Which is your spiritualness. People say well that means you good deed your good deeds don't impress God all of our righteousness is as filthy rags in the eyes of God.
It is our spiritual condition. All right. Now what we talk about? All right. Remember the altar the body of the victim had to lay on the altar, right? Sure the body of the victim had to lay upon that altar.
Christ took his body and put his on the tree on the cross on His altar and it became an altar our bodies. That's what it's coming back here bodies in the Old Testament. Body was Christ. Isn't any wonder that Christians are demanded to put their bodies on the altar.
Also, our bodies are the sacrifices which we have to present to God on the altar. Now the body is a wonderful thing the psalmist said it is fearfully and wonderfully made. It is a complex organism created for the very hand and mind of God.
But you see it's a wonderful union of many parts and each of these separately and all together must be laid upon the altar. Now first of all the body has a head. We speak of it with the brains. And we say this is the seat of my understanding.
My arm will never do in a normal manner what my mind does not tell it to do. Normally speaking my arms are late to do what my mind tells them do and the brain that. Understanding now the head with all of its thoughts must be laid on the altar.
Everything you think has to get on the altar and that's problem in because we like to think. We like to think. Someone's don't we like to think. We think. You know we don't think. We just like to think.
We think so therefore we think we're Thinking. You can just play with that all day. Couldn't you. Okay, but you see our bodies are now I Must concentrate my understanding entirely on serving God and in every situation I must understand that I ought to be doing something to please God.
I God has made a decision and everything that I face. He's already made a decision. All I got to do is try to figure out what decision he made. God's already he's already chosen in every situation. I just try to figure out which way I'm supposed to.
That's my problem. See because sometimes I don't like what he chose. And so I figured what he chose after them. Maybe they don't know. So I go do what I want. Then I come back and ask him. You know I have to ask for forgiveness.
But what we do is we place our brain in our mind our understanding completely under his control and his direction in 2nd Corinthians the 10th chapter. You know this well, but it would do you good to underline it.
2nd Corinthians of 10th chapter show you how the battle is. You say I get tired yes. But 2nd Corinthians 10 verse 5 you tell my getting tired ladies men. Watch these verses they are two of the greatest verses in understanding Spiritual warfare and understanding how the enemy works and also understanding keys to daily victory right here.
Verse 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. They are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations that means your imagination is dangerous.
Your imagination is dangerous. Because you see it's subjective and that's where Satan lurks in the subjective realms. What else it say and every high thing? That exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
Now watch this next phrase and Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Now I personally would not ask you to do so because I firmly don't believe any of us if we were honest could raise our Hands tonight and say I bring every thought That comes to my mind into subjection to the obedience of Christ.
We may be working on it. We ought to be working at it because that's the key that is the key now. That's what we're talking about. Now the head it has members doesn't it? It has eyes it has mouth and it has ears.
I what about you? I Yeah by the eye I come into touch with a visible world the visible world and all of its desire and the eye must be turned away from vanity and Be holy his to see or not to see. According to God's will I must see everything according to God's will or I must refuse to see things as God would have me not see.
That is what you do with the eye. What about the ear. It is by the ear that I end a fellowship with my fellow Man, I have fellowship with my fellow man by listening by listening. The ear must be consecrated to the Lord and it is not to listen to language.
It is not to listen to conversation that pleases the flesh the self-life. But it is to be attended to the people which the Lord sends to me. Only for the reason of seeing how I can encourage them or win them or to help them to becoming more effective.
Christians are in the realm of now the mouth by that I reveal what is in my character. What I say and what I speak reveals what is in my character what I think and what I seek and what my will is All about by it.
I exercise influence over other people. The tongue and the lips must be consecrated so as not to speak except according to the will of God and that which will glorify God and One of the great signs many times of a person who's walking in the flesh is they're extremely talkative.
Talk talk talk talk talk talk talk. You ever heard it? It's like a chicken keep on fire boy. Just you know all the time there they go on and on they go. But you see it must be consecrated the eye the ear the mouth the head all belonging to it must be laid on the altar.
To be purified and sanctified by the cross and the blood has sanctified that altar so that all that touches that altar will be cleansed and becomes holy so the art of touching is A living spiritual need and for faith and an ever-enduring thing.
The Reconciliation of the cross is open and has opened the way of fellowship with God through that cross. Now the body has hands and feet. The hands represent your power to work and to do your business your service the possessions we have all of these must be placed upon the altar to be sanctified and cleansed from sin and Consecrated to God.
And you know you hear people all the time saying well. I've been doing this job now for 30 years, man I can't just walk off of it on our Bible study tapes. We just had a middle-aged gentleman and his wife precious as they be in North Carolina.
I've never met them. Their daughter-in-law and son were listening my tapes and I've been for about three or four years. And so they began to she had an aneurysm and had surgery very delicate surgery.
Close to death and she was home recuperating and so they begin to send them and take my tapes to them. I'm not saying of my tapes because they're scripture and this couple found Christ and got saved. He's one of the leading commercial artists in the state of North Carolina.
I'm just had a printing put in one of the largest museums in the state. You know what he's come to grips with in his commercial art. He's asked to do beer commercials. He's asked to do the layouts for things that he flew the fields are unseen.
And so now he's come to grips with himself that he must leave it in his 50s. Done it for years. But in order to be pleasing to his God just a new Christian. He's willing to walk away from it. Would that God that older Christians would have the same courage?
Well now brother rocky, you're an evangelist. So you don't have that problem. You just run around. I understand I Got to depend on Baptist to give me money to take care of me. Would you like to trade?
Play with that for a while. You already know how much you've given this week brother. You all know what I'm gonna walk away with, huh? Sure, it's just what we live in it. How about money? We don't want to talk about money.
You talk about the Lions Club and Civitan Rotary. Throw it away squandered at Christmas time and Easter be the Easter bunnies. Whatever that is. Get the little colored eggs from paganism. And all that when you come talking about doing money in church people get all upset about it.
I like talk about it cause it upsets them that helps me that helps reveal your character you see. And I can read that I look at you now brother, huh? Yeah, you still love me don't you say yes. Good excellent.
All right. What about the feet they represent the way I walk the paths I choose the companionship which I cultivate in the places I visit so the feet must be sanctified and they cannot any longer go their own way.
They have been presented to God to be under his leading and when my hands and feet bound. The body must be laid upon the altar until he enables us to cry out and psalm 116 16 says I am thy servant. Thou has loosed my bonds.
Isn't it interesting people supposedly getting saved still going the same places that they supposedly got saved from. Still going the same places around the same people hanging around the same kids the same adults doing the same things supposedly got.
I said. What did you get saved from him? Where's the change life? Where is it? Still doing the same old things aren't right. Well, I'll save you hung on the cross nailed to it by what his hands and his feet Bound that's what the psalmist said psalm 116 16.
I'm my servant. I was loose my bonds. Why. Because in order to be placed upon the altar the animal wouldn't stay there to be bound and The front legs and the back legs as it was its hands and his feet all it had was bound.
Jesus was bound hands and feet nailed to the altar and you and I must do the same all the way. What about the heart the heart is that inner person? It's the real you it is that center of your living it is where life flows in and out and it is the heart is the meeting place of all your desires and all the endeavors of people and All that they will or choose they love and hate all of it is in the heart and the heart of Jesus Christ was pierced on the cross.
Everything that flows in and out of our heart must be laid upon the altar and I must denounce the will to seek or to wish anything for myself. I Must stop seeking and I must stop wishing things for myself.
I Must be only concerned about what will please God. What will please God the will of God costs what it may must be done. Even if it costs my life. Even if it cost you your life. You must do the will of God where the people like you for it.
I don't like you for it where they make you popular or not make you popular where it makes you prestigious or does not make You prestigious you'll never get president the WMU. Most of the time and sure won't get to go to Nashville if you walk in the will of God most of the time.
Are you saying now all these people not in the will of God? No, I'm not saying thing I'd have sent. Show me the souls are getting saved. Show me how many people that went into Jesus. You know what I'm saying?
So it's going on tape. Don't worry about it. It's not private public domain. Yeah, the believer experiences that these two seemingly opposed conditions are united in a glorious union. Listen to me carefully.
His feet will be bound to the cross yet. You will be free the will dead on the cross but yet alive unto God. And so the truth is we'll understand it. Christ liveth in me and I live by faith and I'm crucified with Christ.
We will begin to understand something of what it says. Turn to me to 1st Corinthians chapter 6. I thought this was interesting. Hope you do the heart head hands feet together form one body. They were created to be in subjection to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Sin subverted that order and the only way for restoration is for the body to be placed upon the altar. The body by the Holy Spirit to be nailed to the cross and so that the power of the cross it must have authority over the Entire body so the body must be a living sacrifice.
Look at chapter 6. 1st Corinthians verse 13. Foods for the body and the body for foods. But God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication but for the Lord and the Lord for the body all that you are and all that you can be is for God and God must have you.
God must have you. Does it seem too hard to surrender yourself to the Lord? Does it seem difficult for you to surrender your will your life. So utterly up to where you could say I know that I have died to myself.
I Have died to these things. Is that difficult that you can bear about daily the dying of the Lord Jesus in your life. Do not ever think that it's too hard for you because it's the only way to close fellowship with Jesus Christ in Fellowship with him.
It'll become a joy and a salvation to your soul. We need to ascend to the altar to die that we might live. Do you think that you are not ready? Do you think that you're not fit for it to complete such a sacrifice?
Listen to what I said, what's the scripture say? It is the altar that sanctifies the gift. Don't worry about who you are and don't worry about how feeble is that what you have? You take it to the cross and that cross will sanctify.
That cross will bless it as little as you think it is and God will make it much. God will bless it and make it holy. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God?
Sanctify the cross as an altar on which the sacrifice of your body may be sanctified. Lay yourself by faith on that altar and trust the sanctifying power of the blood of the Lamb to be Communicating to the altar and believe that the blood and the cross are inseparable from the living Christ.
Dying with Christ will lead you to a life with him in love and fellowship and in the love of the Father. And the cross Does not exist Apart from the crucified Christ. There is no such thing as a cross without a crucified Christ.
And there's no such thing as the power of the cross in a Christian life without a crucified life. There is no such thing as a Christian living for Jesus Christ without dying to self. Any Christian that is not dying to self and not trying to get up on that altar and stay close to that altar and to Walk in the death to the self-life that Christian is fooling themselves and living in the rarefied air of their imagination.
And are basically walking in the flesh. According to Holy Scripture. The bread that we break in Holy Communion. Is it not the fellowship with the body of Christ that was broken dead? What about the cup that we take at Holy Communion?
It is not but remembrance of the blood of the Savior. The holiest ordinance you have in the church is does what he said as often? As you do this you do what in remembrance of me in remembrance of what he died.
He died just to get you saved or did he die to help you live? He died to get you saved so that you could live. Did he want you to live defeated or did he want you to live victorious? Did he want you to lead it all leave and live all down all the time?
Did he want you to be controlled and dominated by that what you don't want in your life friends? He died to set you free and You can only be free when you want to be free and there's only one way to be free and that is to die.
And if you'll die, he'll make you live die to one self. Who's your biggest problem me? No, I? Used to think deacons are my biggest problem. Sometimes I still wonder. Sometimes I think pastor now my biggest problems in the mirror every time I walk by it.
I see there's my biggest problem. He's the one that has to be crucified and whatever everybody else's response is is there probably not mine. I Have to keep mine in order in order brethren. We have an altar.
My Bible says that the altar sanctifies the gift. And that means that everything that touches that altar is blessed of God made holy and sanctified and I beseech you tonight by the mercies of God. That you present your body a living sacrifice.
Holy and acceptable unto God which is what your spiritualness your spiritualness. I love the local church. I Do not believe that there's an evangelist or Bible conference teacher in this country that loves the local church any more than I do.
They may love it as much and I'm not saying they don't. I'm just saying that I love and adore The local church of God's people. I like to be around them and my desire is that that church be. What it ought to be that's the only desire.
How for you? I never want you to be what I want you to be that'll get you in problems. Just be what God wants you to do. But there's only one way you're gonna do it and that is when you stop worrying about what people think about you and stop.