Victory Over Me — Jim Cymbala

Vital Truths for Christian Growth

At the beginning of the year and this is now July I started a series called vital truth. It's been illuminating for me. It's rearranging me not only on the subjects in my thinking the subjects that we're covering.

But it's making me look at preaching in a whole new light. Pondering and asking God to direct me the most effective way that all pastors should be helping their people grow. To become a Christian you have to hear the gospel the good news of Christ.

Then to grow as a Christian you need to know not every truth in the Bible. You got to keep reading to learn all them all but the vital ones the most important ones. You know when you learn to play basketball, it's not important.

What kind of sneakers you wear. But it is important that you learn proper position to defend somebody and you learn Balance and what to use your hands for and all of that and you got to get in shape. But what sneakers you wear a headband?

That's that's extraneous. You need sneakers. You can't play in your socks, but it doesn't matter what kind of sneakers you have. Compared to vital truth now this one. Which is going to take us into next week too because of the other side of it.

Knowing Christ and Knowing Ourselves

I keep thinking to myself Why didn't I speak on this earlier because like this is the most vital one of all. But I keep telling you that one you're gonna stop believing what I'm saying here. This is so vital and it explains something which the Greek philosophers Talked about as a first principle.

They said know thyself. Know thyself. Well in Christianity, it's not so much know thyself. It's know Christ. But it also involves in know thyself. How are we made why do we do the things we do how do we become susceptible to temptation if Christ is living within us and we're a new creation.

Grace, Salvation, and the Problem of Sin

The dilemma has always been with Christianity that since it's a message of grace and salvation is a gift. So let's take Vanessa who shared so powerfully I thought she has a Christian because she has not earned it.

She's received it as a gift and Her name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life in heaven. She's born again. We're born again. We who are Christians and we're going to go to heaven one day all in favor say amen.

Well, if that's so and we're born again and God's grace prevails and his mercy and his love for us. Then why can't we or why shouldn't we live any old way? Because it really doesn't matter. We're all going to heaven.

If God's grace is so great. Why are these prohibitions in the Bible written to Christians? Don't go there. Don't do that. And why are we still tempted and drawn into these things? And why is it that some Christians and ministers have shipwrecked themselves and left a horrible testimony about?

Jesus if we're born again, and if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Etc. Etc. This question was dealt with most powerfully in Paul's letter to the church in Galatians. Let's look at it. We find him saying you my brothers and sisters were called to be free.

Christian Freedom and the Fulfillment of the Law

In other words, you don't have to get circumcised to be a believer. You don't have to worship on a certain day of the week. We're free from all of that stuff in the Old Testament Ceremonial law and on top of that you don't have to worry every day.

Am I obeying the law enough? Am I being good enough to go to heaven one day because salvation isn't based on how good you are. It's based on how great Jesus is and that we put our faith in him. Do you all understand that?

Okay. Now he says Don't use that freedom to indulge the flesh. Rather serve one another humbly in love for the entire laws fulfilled in keeping this one command the whole law. Love your neighbor as yourself, but if you bite and devour each other Watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

How in the world would you say that to Christians? But if you folks and you folks and me folks and us folks if you bite and devour each other Watch out or you're going to destroy each other that goes against all the mental positivism and all the triumphalism and Sloganeering that is in most Christian circles.

They're not going to even dwell on this possibility that if we bite and devour if you're a Christian. Why would you bite and devour another person? Why would you gossip and slander and hurt someone? How could it even happen.

Paul says it can be careful or you're gonna destroy one another. He now goes to explain it. So I say walk by the Spirit led by the person. Controlled by the person of the Holy Spirit and you will not gratify the desires the longings of the flesh for the flesh now this word in the Greek SARX SARX.

The Conflict Between the Flesh and the Spirit

Everybody say it one two three SARX one more time. That is translated in various translations the old man the sinful nature. Which is what it's called here is the flesh. The sinful nature the flesh the old man the carnal nature.

It's human nature me. Let's just use me because I don't want to get into anyone's kitchen here today. Let's go in mine. It's Jim Simbala apart from God. Oh. That's humbling. It's Jim Simbala. Apart from God's grace influence spirit working in me.

It's who Jim Simbala really is in case any of you admire me. That's who I am. You're gonna see it in a second, but don't look down at me. Just look in the mirror and you'll find out you're just like me.

For the flesh Jim Simbala desires what is. Contrary to the spirit. Always has always will he never changes. And the spirit the Holy Spirit living inside of me. It's always desiring what's contrary to the flesh notice.

They both have desires. The carnal nature of Jim Simbala the old man of Jim Simbala. He is always desiring against the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit inside of me is always desiring against what Jim Simbala wants.

Always. They are perpetual enemies. They are in conflict with each other and don't we feel it sometimes? You don't have to say amen. I'll say amen for all of you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. So that you are not to do whatever you want some translation says so you cannot do everything you want and that's on both sides.

Sometimes Jim Simbala drags him away to do what Jim Simbala wants and the Holy Spirit in conflict holds him back. You can look at it the other way. Sometimes the spirit is drawing Jim Simbala to do something, right?

But the flesh is fighting against what the spirit wants me to do. You don't know that. Hello, we don't experience that every day for real. But if you are led and guided and controlled by the Spirit you're not under the law.

You don't have to worry about what you're gonna do. The Word will judge you and correct you as you read it. But if you're led by the Spirit would the Spirit ever cause you to do harm to anyone with the Spirit ever lead you to?

Kill someone with the Spirit ever lead you to harm someone with your mouth with with the Spirit ever do that with the Holy Spirit. Possibly ever do that. So Paul's just saying be led by the Spirit. You have to worry about anything.

The Spirit will always lead you into holy things because his name is the Holy Spirit. Now the acts of the flesh Jim Simbala are obvious sexual immorality impurity debauchery. Idolatry which is linked to covetousness in the New Testament love of money and Witchcraft that word in the Greek comes from a word for drugs.

Some people means because witchcraft was using drugs Thousands of years ago that it's linked to the fact of the flesh wanting sometimes to escape and to never never land through drugs hatred. Discord jealousy notice that with impurity and immorality.

Which is sex outside of marriage having intercourse with someone who's not your husband or your wife. That's what the flesh does always is tending that way stronger in some than in others. But this is what the flesh does in the same sentence with sexual immorality and impurity is Hatred discord jealousy fits of rage that means temper tantrums selfish ambition.

Dissensions that means always causing division. You put some people in a circle. They're gonna break up that circle. Just give them time. They just have this ability never to promote peace and unity. They are always promoting division.

That's a work of the flesh that's where that comes from. Along with it is factions. That's people who think this is especially true in religion, but it can be true racially. It can be true politically my group and my opinion is special.

Everyone else is wrong. That's the flesh my denomination. I'm Church of God and we're a little bit better than everybody else. No, we admit. Maybe they might be Christians, but not like us or Brooklyn Tabernacle, there might be other churches, but there's no church like the tab.

Let's hear it for the tab. No, no, please. That's a party spirit that you're doing right there. There are all people are created but blacks are a little more special. No, no, no. No, West Indian blacks are more special than black.

Not America or white supremacy and it's all from the flesh the minute you hear someone talking nationalism and Putting down other things that that my political view. I'm a liberal everyone else is a demon.

I'm a conservative. Everybody else is a bleeding liberal. They're misguided and that's all the flesh and it's everywhere. It's everywhere. The world is controlled by that flesh. It's everywhere and we accept it we're so used to it comes right in the church denominationalism.

The Flesh in Religious Division and Human Conflict

I found out a long time ago and it was so eye-opening me when I went in the ministry that I would meet ministers and I'd come back from Argentina or someplace in America and I'd say wow I was just at this conference where they invited me to speak.

You got to hear what God is doing there and they would look at me and go. What group is that and they go. I'd say well, whatever it's called moviamento cristiano misionero in Argentina and they would go.

They're not us. Why are you telling me? No, it's the truth before God. Why are you even talking to me about that group? They're not us. We're assemblies of God. We're Southern Baptist. We're whatever.

What are you talking about? We're the only ones who exist. Why that's not true. You never heard that we're Calvinist. We're Arminians. It's all from the flesh cursed filthy flesh. Listen how God looks at it along with that and envy drunkenness orgies all linked together notice the different manifestations of the flesh different strokes for different folks and Some who would never or would really think three times before they would get involved in witchcraft or something like that.

They might just be destroying other people with their tongue. Other people don't want to talk about anyone, but they're loose morally it's all it's all different, but it's all from the same source the flesh and He says and I warn you to the current your Christians.

I warn you as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. I Warn you he says that people who practice these things Unrepentantly and just keep doing it and even though God corrects him and other people over them in the Lord.

Say you can't live that way. Do you don't judge me? I'm not judging you. I'm showing you what God says is wrong. How in the world? Could you end up in heaven if you practice the things that God punished his son for on the cross?

Does that make any sense to anyone? Christ bore our sins and was Slaughtered on a cross and God punished him in our place. And now I'm gonna go back and do those things that he died for and if you correct me from God's Word I'm gonna say get out of my face.

I'm gonna do what I want to do, but I'm gonna serve Jesus too. That's impossible. Either self is the master or Christ is the master. You can't serve God and mammon. You can't serve yourself and Christ.

That's why we call him Lord. Lord means he's in charge. How many want him to be in charge of your life lift up your hand? He can't be Savior if he's not Lord if you don't want him to be Lord. Does this mean perfection?

Repentance, Perseverance, and the Fear of God

Does this mean that Christians don't sin. Obviously not if anyone says he's without sin first. John says he's a liar and the truth is not in him. We all stumble along the way. James says James who was called the righteous half-brother of our Lord says don't many of you want to be leaders because we all stumble in many ways.

There's provision in the Bible that Christians make mistakes, but Paul says I warn you people who live like this. That's their lifestyle no matter what they tell you no matter how they sway in the worship or they go to church every Sunday.

Nobody in the world can be going into the kingdom of heaven. He says if you practice these things Puts the fear of God in you doesn't. Doesn't it put a reverence in all of us. I mean I didn't make this stuff.

Don't church is legalistic and judgmental. I'm you have no problem with me. I'm just reading the Bible to for all of us. But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace forbearance kindness goodness. Faithfulness gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law when the Spirit is producing fruit. You don't have to worry about any law Contradicting you because the Spirit is never going to violate the law that God gives us in fact.

It's all fulfilled in love so notice the Spirit in me when he has control produces fruit. If I revert back to Jim Simbala and he Tries to usurp the authority of Christ in me then things are going to get sideways quickly.

Is that not true? How many know that just from your personal experience in one level or another that what I just read from you to Galatians is Absolutely true and the Word of God lift up your hand high in the balcony down there, too.

And Paul says this all the time. It's like going on a diet. You know thing I will to do I don't do and the thing I say I'm not gonna do what in the world am I? Doing it for Right doctor just said cholesterol is out of control.

Self-Gratification and the Deceptive Power of the Flesh

I'm out of shape. I got to do this so guess what what. Well I'm a human being I'm gonna. Just change my eating habits. It's simple. I just won't eat any carbs and And I'm gonna put away sugar and no more soda and all of that and that's it.

It's done. It's not done. I May know it ain't done until it's done whether it's rice and beans or An Oreo cookie or haagen-dazs. Well, I'm getting a little support here from the choir. It all has a voice.

Come here. Yeah, no no no. I'm eating lettuce. I'm having kale. I'm on the kale salad. You know with lemon vinaigrette. Light lemon vinaigrette. And you send it down and your stomach says what in the world was that that you just say.

What do you think I'm gonna be satisfied with that. A Double cheeseburger, please. And a milkshake. Am I wrong or right? All right, so Let's talk serious, but it's that double Dichotomy. We're free we have salvation, but don't use it now to indulge the flesh.

He says instead of loving each other you're going to use one another destroy one another. We saw the characteristics of the sinful nature. It's always self gratification and different people have different desires, but the flesh works only one way.

I won't dare use any of your names. I'll use my own name. How humiliating that might be so be it. What I want is what I want when I want it. I don't care. Don't tell me what Jesus said and don't tell me what God said.

The flesh could care less. It's against the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is against the flesh. Put up a red light or at least a warning signal. You're going too fast. You're going in areas. You shouldn't you know that you know you shouldn't go there.

The flesh get out of here. Don't talk to me. I Do what I want when I want it. I want to blow up and have a temper tantrum and say something that will crush my spouse. I'm gonna do it. That's how the flesh operates.

I know but the law of God get out of here, I don't care about the law. I'm the law that's how the flesh operates. We don't know that as being true. How come you're not saying amen either you don't understand it or you're under conviction, which is it?

Okay, I'm under conviction, too. That's how it operates and it justifies everything. No, I'm gonna sleep with her because you don't know God. You know, you don't know how lonely you don't know what's happened to me in my life.

It's a man. The flesh is a mastermind. It's gonna justify everything and it's absurd it's so absurd because. Let's take another form of it which dominates the world. Hate hate enmity. People you don't like I was with someone the other day and I mentioned a name and I could just see enough body reaction.

That I knew they have a problem with that person, you know, that's how it is with us. You know, we got a good list and then we got the other list. We got a little black book and when we call that out we got yeah, there's a few names in here.

You don't know what they did to me. But wait a minute. Let's just look at how the flesh operates. Let's say you're right and I'm right. They did something they were hurtful. Haven't you ever been hurtful?

Haven't you ever hurt God haven't you ever sinned and what did God show you? But you're gonna hold it on someone else. Is that not insane. No, I'm just asking you. You're gonna hold it against them and say yeah, but they're different.

Well, how different are you and me than God and Yet he shows mercy. So think how the flesh is the flesh is insane. The flesh is a madman or a madwoman. Because it says what I get is not what I'm gonna give.

I have to gratify this bitterness inside of me. Sometimes I think the whole political scene the whole sometime racial scene for sure. Just there's nothing out there outside these doors, but just bitterness hatred animosity enmity harsh words.

Mean text mean this mean that just everybody and justifying it because the flesh never says it's wrong. The flesh says you don't know I'm standing for God. Someone's got to stand for truth as I bury this person.

This is not accurate. So the flesh is now here's what we learn. We learned that the flesh of course is very when it When it acts out and all those acts that Knows the works of the flesh the flesh works.

The spirit when we yield to him produces fruit. So every day every hour shall we say every conversation I can say Holy Spirit guide me. Give me your thoughts. Give me your words. Give me your reactions or no, let's go by Jim Simbla and You go by yourself.

But according to Paul says this dichotomy is true. We're gonna be controlled by the spirit or we're gonna be controlled by the flesh. How humbling this is that the only me that's up there is the flesh.

Walking by the Spirit and Mortifying the Flesh

In other words God never works with the flesh. Paul is talking years later now after these people got converted God never changes your flesh. This will help you now when you get tempted or you feel those stirrings.

I thought I was saved. I thought I was really saved. I gotta get that's just your flesh. Looking to gain ascendancy because remember when you before you were a Christian the flesh ran the show and It always wants to get back in the driver's seat.

Could I get an amen here from somebody always wants to get back? So when you feel that movement that the greatest people in the world who ever served God have felt that movement. That's the flesh. It has to be mortified by the spirit put to death every day every hour sometimes every minute.

Otherwise, it's got its only law is I want to be in charge and I want to do what I want to do and That's in us until we see Jesus when we see Jesus. We're gonna have a new body. No more flesh. No more devil.

No more anything. How many say amen to that? But Why he permitted it to be this way to keep us closer to him to show his power on a daily basis. It is what it is. Walk in the spirit and you won't fulfill those desires.

The only option the only victory the only antidote. No, I'm gonna just read more of the word, but that reading more of the word got to lead you to surrendering to the Spirit. Holy Spirit's the only one walk control by the Spirit later on.

He says it like this which we'll look at next week. God willing if you've begun by the Spirit if you were born again and Changed because of the Holy Spirit now keep on walking with the Holy Spirit. Don't go back to your old person because now you're saved so the Holy Spirit control of my life.

Producing his fruit is the only antidote to the old gem Symbola because that is one ornery creature. Isn't that true Bishop that one of the heartaches in prison for those guys is once they're born again and Christ comes into their life.

They weep and cry over what they did. The average sentence there is 91 years in that prison he was in most are in all just for murder rape or serious repeat felons and Now when they have this new life in Christ and they realize what that old person did it's almost impossible to live with.

It wasn't me. It was the old me, but now I have a new me. But I got to watch out for that old me because he didn't leave town he's still hanging around. I Wept with some of those guys and prayed with them when they look back.

It's too hard to even contemplate. Because they're new so notice this. God never works with Jim Symbola. Never the flesh. Never he won't touch it. He won't try to improve it. Listen to me now. You can't improve the flesh.

It's a scoundrel and always will be. God never tries to change it. He said no, I'm just gonna put someone stronger than your flesh inside of you. I'm gonna give you the Spirit of Christ. Come on. Let's say a loud.

Amen a loud amen. So it's offensive to God. It's dangerous for us who hurtful to us. It leaves a bad witness with others when we give in to the flesh. Haven't you had days like I've known. We're half today, you know, you're being led by the Spirit and then you don't know where you went off the tracks.

But you feel your flesh reasserting itself. No, that's true. We come from a time of prayer and study of the Word we're so sensitive to the Spirit. We're listening for his whispers to be led by the Spirit.

Daily Surrender to the Holy Spirit

You have to be open to the Spirit. Just think he has thoughts he wants to put those thoughts in my head. He has feelings he has desires. This is why sometimes you just feel you have to get up and read the Bible.

What do you think you put that in you the devil? The flesh the flesh would never read the Bible ever. Every time you want to pray every time you want to go to church. Then you know. It's the Spirit of God working in you because the flesh it doesn't care about any of that stuff and every day We have to mortify it.

We have to say no, no, no. No, I'm a new creation now in Christ. Jesus. I live for him. He not only saved me. He's gonna keep me now every single day by the Holy Spirit. Oh God, give us warnings when the conversation goes and we feel don't you even feel when the flesh starts to rise in you?

Sometime. You watch certain things you indulge in certain conversations or you just meditate on the wrong stuff what people had done to you and That's why in heaven. No one's going to be walking around.

No one saying look at here. Look at me. No one no one, you know what? Everyone's going to be saying Jesus paid it all. Jesus paid it all come on. Let's say that Jesus Jesus. Jesus led me all the way. Father God, you know.

Prayer for Christlike Character and Victory

That I need this message more than anyone here I'm preaching to myself. Let the others hear. But God I want to be more like Jesus. But I can't get there. I realized that because Jim Cymbala can never change.

He'll never be like Jesus. It humbles me but I Come to you and say Jesus be Jesus in me through your Holy Spirit. Teach us all of us how to yield if it takes a hundred times a day. Say a hundred prayers of surrender to you.

Spirit lead me guide me watch my lips. Guide my eyes watch over my heart. Put your love produce your fruit. Love joy, peace meekness kindness against such things as that. There's no law. I don't have to worry about anything.

Teach us how to mortify the flesh put it to death. Ten times a day if we have to. But daily Lord, this has to be worked out. That's all I ask for today is spirit. Grow your fruit in our lives today. That's our simple prayer grow your fruit in my life today.

I Acknowledge it won't be me. It'll be you and I'll give you all the glory and if someone says something complimentary to us We'll tell them to God be the glory. Because we know who we really are save us.

From condoning the flesh and its works its acts. Help us to abhor it. To test it run from it. But it can't be done except your spirit guides us and leads us take away self-effort. Take away self-effort religion like if we just suck it up enough and get committed enough.

We're gonna do something different. It'll never happen. But by the Spirit we can be like Jesus flow through us today and God let love. Characterize this church and our lives if God is loved and hate must be the ultimate Antichrist.

Take away division strife envy all that filthy stuff. Help us to be sweet even when people rub us the wrong way. Thank you for your word today. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us for greater is he that's in us.

Than the one that's in the world. Praise God. Can we put our hands together and just clap a hand clap of praise? Here's what I want you to do. When I tell you stand up and every lady will hug one or two ladies.

And here's what I want you to say men with men. I love you with the love of the Lord. I love you today I love you. Even if you don't know him love him everybody stand. We'll have a mass. Hug in everyone hug somebody God bless you.