If You Through the Spirit — Robert B. Thompson

This is part of a. This is a discipleship course. It's semi Organized so you can be an auditor you can enroll and then there's tests and then diplomas and all that. And Eddie Eddie Ryder who's up in the angel cloud it does that and he prepares these.

Suffering as Essential to Christian Discipleship

For those in tape land or in week 6 1 July 97 the cross in the kingdom. The tape is three nine seven six the recommended reading is saved from hell to heaven or from death to life. Short answer one it has been stated if you are unwilling to suffer you cannot be a Christian.

Why is suffering an essential part of being a true Christian? Anybody want to handle that? Well, I can think of two reasons and a scriptural. All right and that is true and With how our will dies Andrew said and that is true because even Jesus.

It says twice in Hebrews that Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered in the learning of obedience implies the subject subjection of our will to God and that is the way God deals with that third realm of our temptations of Our idolatry, what are the three realms of our idolatry class?

The Three Realms of Idolatry

For survival and security. Worldliness and the second realm of idolatry in us. Fires that dwell in our flesh and the third realm of idolatry is I. Will. The other two are somewhat alien to us, but self-will is what we are and that's what makes it difficult and Christians stumble all along these lines.

Some have a big problem with worldliness. Others have little problem. The world mr. Party people. They could not care whether they're living in a chicken coop or the Grand Hotel, but to some people nice things are very important and they can be idolatrous.

And then the second realm the realm of pleasure and joy is really the realm of worship. And that's the realm of drugs lust violence. These passions in our flesh. Some people don't have much problem with these.

Others to them it's all-consuming and they can't get the victory over a lot. They can't get the victory over drugs and over things and it's an awful battle, but there's idols and. And the third realm.

Some people have a fierce problem with and that is personal will and the desire to leave your mark to be preeminent. To accomplish something. Which is so close to the American? Mores that it's difficult to convince people that this is an idol, but believe me.

It is an idol, and it's probably worse than the other two put together. Because when Christ gave us an example. Remember Philippians 2 what example the Christ leave us in Philippians 2. He made himself of what?

No reputation. He humbled himself. Although he was the son of God he didn't grasp that. But he took the role of the servant. That's very hard for some people. They can ride in the first chariot, but to clean up behind the horses in the royal parade.

It's very difficult for some people. For some people. It's no problem. They don't they don't care whether they shine. Or they don't they don't care whether anybody knows you're in church or not in fact.

I just wish people didn't. But there's other people when they come through the door. They want you to know that somebody has arrived and. That's a problem with some people and it's here's problem with all of us in Yielding our will to the Lord.

But that is the basis of the kingdom. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. God's will is the only valid will in the universe. Christ himself learned obedience. He wasn't bothered with worldliness. He wasn't bothered with the lust of this flesh because he was born of a virgin.

But even Christ when it came to taking on itself sin. So Oh God, it's possible. Let this pass from me nevertheless. Not my will. But thine be done. Adam and Eve were not troubled with worldliness and They did not have inherited sin in their flesh.

But they fell in the realm of obedience didn't they. Abraham was finally tested in the realm of obedience. Where Adam and Eve fell miserably. Abraham even not knowing we're not born again. Well, I was not born again.

Triumphed tremendously in the realm of obedience. You Get the victory over worldliness by choosing to take up your cross and follow Jesus. By coming out of this world. That's a choice you make with your mind.

You get the round you get the victory over the lust of the flesh by following the spirit and Confessing your sins. If we through the spirit to put to death the deeds of our body. What where's that found 13 14 is as many as are led by the spirit the other sons of God.

Romans 8 13 a few through the spirit. So the Holy Spirit is the one who breaks the bondage of the passions of the flesh and he can do it, too. He can do it when you confess your sins. God is faithful and just to forgive your sins and who cleansed you from all unrighteousness.

Where's that found? One nine, that's very important. Romans 8 13 and 1st John 1 9 go together. That's the work of the Holy Spirit is to break the power of sin in your life. But then we come to that third great Monster.

Self-Will, Suffering, and the Personal Cross

That dwells in the labyrinth of your soul. He's not too concerned with your victory over worldliness it keeps retreating into his dungeon. He's named in Job. You remember his name? Leviathan and he's in there and he keeps retreating.

And he doesn't mind a little success in religious things even when you get at the lust of the flesh. He still keeps retreating the will and he cannot deal with himself. Will cannot deal with will and so God Has given us the personal cross.

God has given us suffering. The denial of things we want so terribly. The persevering and things that are obnoxious to us things you can't stand for five more minutes. Less for 40 years and it's in that area that the Saints are made because you see it's a blunting of your will and You have a choice.

This choice often comes in marriage doesn't it? I? Can get a divorce? Sometimes of course the boy divorce is one-sided and man throws his wife through the patio door and it's time to start thinking about divorce, so I'm not Suggesting that people remain in bondage in an impossible situation.

But in many times divorce is comes about. Because you just have two strong-willed people. And when you've got two strong-willed people. Somebody's got a gift. Nobody's willing to get. You've got divorce.

And it's not based on anything other than what the state so beautifully turned incompatibility. Which means I'm not a happy camper and the very thing that God gave you To get at your will you have fled from and if God is merciful he'll give you another chance, but It's probably unlikely that that first rank that God had destined you for Will ever really be yours.

You may not be assigned to the lake of fire, but you may have to Settle for a new destiny. Because you ran from God's highest and best. Now what you did before you were a Christian is under the blood.

There's no I'm talking about Christians That are learning to walk with Jesus, and if you think it is easy you ain't tried it. It requires all that you can bring to it and sometimes it's five minutes at a time things that are worthwhile whether it's a degree in college or a place with the Navy Seals or To be a top athlete or whatever it is.

It requires gold medal swimmers. Be about the Palo Alto Swim Club. The way they train it doesn't leave anything else. But you're talking about gold medal people and God is what God has called us to his highest and his best and you Want to know that it's going to take everything in you to stay up with God.

But You can do it. You can do it. Because Christ is faithful to keep that which has been committed to him. And if you will commit to him, whatever you commit to him, he will keep the problem will never be a lack of power and The problem will never be a lack of wisdom.

If you don't make God's highest and best for your life. It will never be because of a lack of power. It will never be because of a lack of wisdom and it will be because you chose not to be pruned anymore you can only go as high as you are willing to be pruned and Once you say this is this is all the dealings of God I can take.

You choose your destiny. Because there's something that burns in the hearts of the overcomers that never says quit. Sometimes they get deceived and they stumble and they fall and they sprawl all over the place.

That's all right. There's no problem with that but they get up again and they keep on and they keep on and they keep on and That's how you make God's highest and best because you see you've been committing to him and he's faithful to keep that which is committed To him.

When there's some area of your life that you don't commit to God, then you've got problems but if you say Lord, I'm here in all my ignorance and foolishness and confusion, but Jesus I want you and I want your best.

There is no power in hell. There is no human force nothing. It can prevent one of God's children From coming to the high ranks of which they have been destined the mark that has been set before them. Remember that Because you may sometimes Tend to feel I can't make it.

It's too high for me. I can't do it. You cannot afford that kind of thinking. You don't trust yourself. You trust Jesus and you say Lord. I know I can't do it Lord. I cannot do it. I am a mess. I Am on the bottom looking up.

I have more made more mistakes than Notes in a preacher's Bible. I just have I'm not There Lord, but I say Jesus Help me and you're calling on God Almighty and he has the power and he has the wisdom. The person who created the firmament the galaxy has enough power to To bring you to your appointed destiny.

I press toward the mark that for which I have been grasped. It's not open-ended. I Do not say that God will not get surprised at some people with their fervency and maybe move the mark up a notch. I don't say that's impossible.

But I'll tell you there's a place that's been prepared for you. It should be given to those for whom it has been prepared by my father to the mother of James and John and There's a place that's been prepared for you a mark a place a royal destiny and If you want it more than anything else You'll get it because of God's power and His foreknowledge and if you don't it will because be because you yourself Have chosen to love an idol more than God and that's the long and the short of it.

Even if your idol is self-pity or cowardice It will be because you have chosen to serve that idol. Rather than the living God will be the only reason that you don't make the fullness of your destiny.

Satan’s Loss of Authority and His Tactics

Satan Lost his Option on mankind on the cross. Never forget that. Never forget that Satan law when Jesus died on the cross he paid the mortgage on you. He paid it in full. Let that be a big part of your personality.

Because Satan Given this he should willingly surrender you because the mortgage has been paid when you pay the mortgage off your house. You go to the bank. They give you the papers and that's the end of it.

But not so with Satan and the reason is because he's a thief and a lawyer. And so here he is with no legal claim on mankind. Whatever because first John says who died not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world.

Well, how does he operate by lying? By lying by deceiving By accusing he has no real power. The only power that Satan has over you is when you choose To walk out From the covering of the angel of the Lord.

He must in some way Lure you outside of that shield The angel of the Lord and can't surround about those who fear him. Psalm 34. He cannot. Satan cannot penetrate that he cannot penetrate that he is not as strong as Jesus.

In fact, Jesus is a king and he's very jealous. Now hear me. I Think I speak what I do know Jesus gets very jealous when we ascribe any power to Satan and His attitude is if you want to serve him serve him.

See, that's the way Kings are. And then he's like that If I have heard correctly, and so The way Satan works is shown rather clearly. Where Balaam attempted to curse the children of Israel and he could not curse them.

He was unable to curse them and yet this was a man that had a tremendous spirit that could summon God. But he could not curse Israel so Balaam Counseled Balak the king of Moab To send out the Israeli girls to dance where the Israeli warriors could see them because Balaam knew That if he could get Israel to sin The covering would be lifted and that's what he did and that's what the Israelis fell into and The plague started from the Lord.

He didn't wait for Satan to get in or Balaam to curse anybody there's only like 70 ,000 people died like that bang and the plague has started and the elders were standing there wringing their hands because of the Fornication that had gone on that had lifted the anointings.

He had lifted the covering and God was angry with that thing and Then finally in this arrogance One of the princes of Israel dragged in Cosby who was the daughter of the prince of Moab. She was of a royal family.

He was of a royal family in the sight of Israel and Then they asked the priest picked up a javelin and they went into a tent right in the sight of Israel. Sin seems to know no bounds when it comes to arrogance.

Once that discipline is broken anything can happen and Phinehas went in after them and he stabbed The prince of Israel through the back and the woman through her stomach. He just stabbed him through like that and God said The plague stopped and God said Phinehas will never let a man stand before me.

Now Balaam knew there was no way that the enemy Could get at Israel every time he tried to curse them. All he could do is bless them. So what do you do? How does Satan work today? He plays with your mind.

He plays with your mind. He tries to throw you by your own weight. He tries to evoke fear covetousness or lust. Sometimes a sense of duty or a perfectionism will drive people. There's all kinds of ways.

He studies your personality profile. Some people can be Moved by things that are base and gross and bestial and others are moved by Haydn and Mozart and high Romantic. He studies your personality profile.

And when he's ready, he makes his move. He's careful. He moves slowly so as not to alarm you. Little by little you begin to bite and he puts suggestions in your mind. Well, you're thinking this isn't right.

Yes, but God has made an exception for you and you must not tell anybody because that would spoil our. He works like this. He may work like this for six months or a year or a year and a half little by little Gets you on the hook.

And you without realizing it before you know it are outside of God's will. He teases you out from behind protection. That's how he operates. He has no power To harm you. If you are Obeying God, he cannot harm you.

He lost that on Calvary. Now, where's the scripture? This is one God gave me in the midst of my enemies, you know where God sets a table for you In the presence of your enemies, and this is what God told me.

Who is he who will harm you if you be a follower of that which is good?

Curse without cause cannot be light. Exactly.

Exactly it is the same principle precisely and whenever Satan gets in there's a door. Whenever you find Satan getting into your life Ask God, where's the door? Where's the door Lord? Where's the door?

You know like Neal says a curse without cause cannot a light. He cannot. Satan cannot touch you unless he can find an entrance there.

Invade and conquer is very good. Exactly what we do. As far as when you go in to clear out the wilderness we think of that as our hearts. Yes, and the enemy's infested in there. Yes. So we believe a lot of that is he's holding on to unconfessed sin.

Like the root of bitterness where Hebrews says that if you don't put that root of bitterness in there, it's going to defile many. Yes, you speak on that a little bit because I think that's what gives Satan legal right.

Like you say yes.

Bitterness, Revenge, and the Three Temptations of Christ

Now that's not a key verse there and he was referring to my book Which I originally titled the land of promise, but the publisher thought that wasn't flamboyant enough I guess so we change it to we must invade and conquer, you know.

Change from the land of promise to we see everything today must be we how they're going to benefit me and. So I like the land of promise and I've got the rights back to that book praise the Lord and you can rest assured that.

The title is going to revert to what it was originally the land of promise not we. We must have made a conquer. Oh Lord deliver us from a grandest month. But anyway the key here To the kind of deliverance that of the three realms that I mentioned to you whirling us the lust of the flesh and Self-will and which of those three categories would you place bitterness?

It has to do with the spirit of revenge and Hatred these things are in our flesh. They're not whirling us and then of course you can't cut these two fine, you know. If somebody said it was some other category, I'm not going to stand up here and stamp my feet and cry, you know.

They they interact but I like to think of them in terms of the three temptations of Christ. The temptation to every son of God is tested in those three ways the temptation of the bread. Which is trying to you know, turn all your talents into the world money and everything bread is money in it bread.

You know, they used to call bread money money bread. All right. And then the second one with the kingdoms of the world and that's that's the lust of the flesh. The third one is the tough one. That's the gable up on the gable step off in faith.

See do something of yourself. And the answer to that is I shall not tempt the Lord thy God. So when we get into this for this middle realm Which is a realm of worship of Satan, isn't it? Because when Jesus answered in that middle realm the answer to it was you shall worship the Lord your God.

So sin is the worship of Satan. I Told you you're worshiping an idol 1st. John 3 8 is it he that commits sin is of the Devil we don't like that. Maybe I don't like that. I think well, that's my hang-ups.

Bible doesn't talk about hang-ups. Doesn't talk about the imperfections of your personality. It talks about s I and sin, but of course in our culture We're too refined for sin. So it becomes our lack of personal fulfillment but in any case a very excellent, I'm working on Neal's question talking about bitterness a very excellent Verse we mentioned previously as Romans 8 13.

Did you caught it? Romans 8 11 if the spirit of him that raised up Christ in the dead dwelling you he that raised the Christ the dead shall also Make alive your body and then the next verse Romans 8 12 says for you are not indebted to your flesh to live after your flesh.

He's talking about the resurrection. That's kind of a summation of his whole argument from Romans chapter 2. And so Romans 8 13 is very key. And of course, it's followed by 8 14 for as many as are led by the Spirit of God.

They are the sons of God and what the sons of God are led to do is Romans 8 13. Romans 8 13 is key. So you need to memorize that bring that back. That would be a good one for Point Loma College. It would be a good Banner for the college Romans 8 13.

It really would be a good banner for anybody's coming. If you live after the flesh talking to Christians you shall Die yes, because everybody dies physically. Well, they live after the flesh and they don't right.

That's not a spiritually. I tell you it's talking about Romans 8 11. It's only two verses away from Romans 8 11. Romans 8 11 is talking about the resurrection of your body the making alive of your body and Romans 8 13 says you're going to kill that resurrection.

You kill your own resurrection by walking in the flesh. So you kill the eternal life that was given you that eternal life that was given you when you receive Christ is a Downtainment on the resurrection on the redemption of your body.

See, it's it's like a token. It's a pledge old English word earnest is used today in insurance contracts. Well, we don't use it very much in that sense but it means a pledge or a down payment and the Holy Spirit that you have is The down payment on the day of resurrection.

Now think of Romans 8 11. If the Spirit of him Who raised up Jesus? from the dead dwell in you. He who raised up Christ from the dead shall also Make alive your mortal bodies now listen by his spirit who dwells in you.

In other words that earnest of the resurrection is already dwelling in you. I Am the resurrection in the life. When you have Jesus in you you have the resurrection in you. You see that it's already there and if you don't lose it.

When the Lord comes it will the spirit the earnest the pledge. The deposit that's in you will make alive your mortal body in that day. That's the parable of course of the virgins. See, they didn't carry extra oil and their lamp went out Feeny and they were they were virgins.

They were believers. Okay, it's more hazardous than this sometimes preached today all right, so we've got in us an earnest a Down-payment a pledge a deposit of the resurrection Romans 8 11 by his spirit who dwells in you.

He shall raise you up by his spirit who dwells in you. Hallelujah. You've got the resurrection in you. You're not raised. I don't make misunderstand me. Don't think that you're going to float out through the door.

You're not it's just a deposit. Okay, your body is still dead because of sin. Romans 8 10 your body is dead because of sin. But your spirit is alive because of the righteousness of the law of Moses that Christ will fill it was Assigned to you and so eternal life always follows righteousness.

It always does and so that righteousness of the law was assigned to you that Christ fulfilled and. So you have eternal life you have the resurrection in you you have a deposit in you. Does that make sense?

Is that scriptural you see that in Ephesians? Don't you twice in Ephesians? You're kept until the day of redemption. Well Romans 8 tells us about the day of redemption that is coming our sonship our adoption of sons.

That's when our body is redeemed. Paul was groaning for the redemption to it the adoption of his body the adoption to it the redemption of his body. We are born of God of his seed John 1 13 who were born not of the flesh nor the will of man.

But of God, but our body has to be adopted. Our inward nature is born of God, but our body is adopted and We're not a fully a full son of God until we're raised from the dead Christ. Romans 1 was declared to be the son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.

So you'll be a son of God complete when you're raised. So you're pressing toward the climax of Salvation which is the redemption of your body and that's clearly taught in the New Testament in many places.

But he is Romans 8 13. Now, here's where we get to the answer to Neil. This is the key. This is the key. It doesn't just happen. The resurrection is not going to be poured out on you, you know, like. There it goes.

It's something that's in you now that you have got to keep. You've got a hold on to what you've got. Christianity is a main maintenance of that which was given to you a maintaining of that which was given to you freely when you accepted Christ.

You already have your crown. The trick is to keep somebody from taking it. Christianity is a maintenance of that which was given you freely. Okay, that's why you always find them verses about defense rather than attack stand.

You know, we had to defend yours having done all stand doesn't say having done all attack having done all stand. You know Christians are busy trying to attack the world and God just wants them to stand for now.

The attack will come later. Yes.

You could get more now. But there's always.

Salvation you want to remember is always an opportunity and with God all things are possible. And there's no telling what you can attain if you'll go after it. I Think people have changed their own destiny in both directions.

I Remember one time a man died and I had a keen sense that Christ was disappointed. A keen sense of this that this man had been destined for something in God and he wasted his life. I Felt keenly the Lord's disappointment on the other hand.

I think there's people that that When they meet the Lord the Lord will say well done. Wow, I never pictured that before the foundation of the world. Yes. I I absolutely believe that there. There's a kind of a wonder there's a kind of a romance in God.

There's a never let never let. Your Faith in God becomes static. With God all things are possible. You know all things are possible and go for it is go for it go for everything you can get. In God God loves that thing.

Well, anyway Romans 8 13 back to Neal. This is how it works the invasion of the land of promise. All right, we have the earnest of the spirit. Okay. Now it says if you If you live after your flesh You shall die.

No, that's not physically. And in that context it means what acts of Romans 8 11 to 13. It means what? You're looking at you're killing your resurrection you're killing your resurrection. And that's an awesome thing.

This is their scripture for that. Sure the parable of the sower for one. Here's the seed was planted. And two kinds of ground had actually germinated and grew and then died. Sure Galatians 6 verses 7 and 8 God is not mocked.

Whatever man sows he shall reap. You sow to the spirit. You reap life. You sow your spirit flesh. You reap corruption. There are many such warnings in the New Testament. Satan one of Satan's big things in the United States Evangelical doctrine is to wipe out these warnings.

To push God's love way beyond its bounds to push lawless grace way beyond its scriptural bounds. To forget about that give people a false assurance to kill the church. Yes. There are many such warnings.

Hebrews 6 is strong. You know and God is looking for that which bears fruit. But if it doesn't bear the the expected fruit is near to the burning. Oh, listen, there's a lot of them. So God wants fruit and that fruit is the image of Jesus Christ in your life.

He wants you changed. God wants you changed. I was listening to the Honey, perhaps a carillon. Is that how you pronounce those bells from a church? That's carillon. I think it's called but anyways and some bell tower here in town and Pali and it in Tuesday evenings.

Maybe other evenings somebody plays on that and you can hear the old hymns of the church. Played up there and that bell tower on some church in Pali and I got to thinking about the image that is putting up on Our mind, you know by the church triumphant and and it creates an image in your mind.

Here's this historic institution that has stood against the gates of hell and the winds of adversity have beat against it. But yet this great churches stood, you know. And I thought that's baloney. You look at church history.

That's baloney. There may be an element of truth in it. But what God has what God is looking for has never come forth to any great extent in the Christian Church. Do you know what that is? Good works the image of Jesus Christ transformed people.

The church has stood with political power. The church has been great in missionary activities since a couple hundred years ago and it started and it does have and it has produced remarkable people like Florence Nightingale and and Others who have worked for the abolition of slavery and for improved health conditions, etc.

And so on and I'm not downing that for one minute. But what God is looking for is Changed people and that hasn't happened and there's a reason for that and we may get into it later. We're coming to it now.

We're coming to the kingdom now and everything that has happened in the bloody footprints of Christians for 2 ,000 years. Has bring us has been to bring us to the place Where we are today where the world will be able to see the character of Christ and Christian people.

See it isn't that we stand that the problem with the image of the church triumphant is an is that of an the image of an institution that is stood firm for doctrine. You See what I mean? I just stood firm for the virgin birth and has stood firm for the bodily resurrection of Christ.

It has stood firm for the deity of Christ. It has stood firm for the blood atonement it has proclaimed to the world these basic truths and That is probably the most significant aspect of the church triumphant.

But you see that is not that is a part of the package, but it's to bring us to something else which is people. That when the world looks at them they will see the presence of God. The church has never been there with some notable exceptions.

So you want to realize you are you are in a very? Challenging and wonderful and Significant time in the history of the development of the church when God is actually going to take everything that was built on before Now and bring it up until there are people who are showing forth in themselves the presence of the Lord.

That makes sense to you. I may be a little far fetched, but I think a lot of these things go through my mind. Back to Neal in Romans 8 13. All right, if you live after the flesh You'll do what? You will kill your spiritual life.

Now I have seen this happen in people. This isn't this isn't just academic you can see people start off in Christ Glow they're radiant Christians. You can feel the presence of God in their life. You meet them later on and they have died.

They have gone back into the world there. They have no life it happens. You can kill your spiritual life. That's what the Bible says. Otherwise, what does it mean? If you live after the flesh you shall die.

What ever says the same things in Romans 6 is exact same thing. You're the servant of sin. You'll die. What does it mean? It can't mean physically because that makes no sense. Because we're going to die physically whether we live after the flesh or after the spirit.

So it has to refer back two verses to the resurrection and God is saying here. I've given you eternal life. Now you have a choice and that same thing is presented in the sixth chapter of Romans. If of righteousness you live if you choose to be the slave of sin you die.

Okay, I think I should stop now. I feel there are some questions here. I've run over some people I can tell that I want you to regurgitate a little. Tell me what you're thinking. Yes, Jeannie. If you are a follower of that which is good, nobody can hurt you if you're doing what is right.

Okay. Now regurgitate. I've thrown an awful lot of stuff at you. You surely must have questions.

The Church’s Doctrinal Witness and the Coming Kingdom

Is that correct that the church is superlative and those are external truths but the internal truths change and never change?

What has never taken place? Larry I could use the board. Where is Larry? I could use the board Larry. Maybe yeah, I'll show you why. I'll show you why. And I'm not going to let go of that thing with Neil.

That's important. Maybe I can put the two together because they really are connected. I want to show you. Because see the Bible does say holding forth the word of truth and we have to hold forth the word of truth of doctrinal truth.