(Clip) Let Go and Let God? — Tim Conway

Abiding in Christ Requires Active Faith

I know I hear this. I don't think I hear it from any of you folks, but people say, let go and let God. And you know, we can talk about abiding in Christ. And we have to be careful that we don't see abiding in Christ as just this kind of passive approach to the Christian life.

Like, yes, I'm just going to sit here and I am going to mystically abide in Christ and I'm praying for Him. And He's going to kill the lust. He's going to kill the passions. He's going to put to death sin.

And I'm just praying and I'm abiding. That's not what's happening. Do you remember how it is in Scripture? Do you remember how it always is? David takes the battlefield before the head is off the giant.

Biblical Faith Moves Before the Miracle

It almost seems like the Lord is disgusted with Moses when He tells him, what are you doing standing there praying to Me? Go. They go. The sea opens up before them. Do you remember how it was with the priests when they got to the Jordan?

No, don't stand back a thousand yards and watch the waters recede. You put your foot in the water and then the waters receded. It's not, Peter, you should just stay in the boat and expect that Jesus is going to cause you to float out and onto the water.

Now you see, the miracle happened. Peter jumps out of the boat. This is the Christian life. And that's why I just felt like, you know what, we've been going for quite a while and here we are, and he's talking about power and I'm recognizing this power that he is talking about directly relates to these imperatives that are coming.

The Imperative to Put Sin to Death

And I didn't want to leave that untouched as we're diving into this today. Scripture is plain and straight. Forward, brethren. Put to death what is earthly in you. Don't wait. Don't procrastinate. Don't make excuses.

Put it to death. This is no vain call for you to do what you cannot do. This is what you say to people. Look, you say these kinds of radical statements to people. It's the kind of thing that you say to people that are convinced of the truth that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have an exceeding greatness of the power of God that is directed towards them, that's connected, that is part of the power that raised Christ from the dead.

Resurrection Power and Union With Christ

It's an expression of, if not the very thing, if not the very power that raised Him from the dead, like I said last week, pulls all of us up. We're pulled up with Him. We've been made alive with Him. We've been raised with Him.

We're seated in heavenly places with Him in Christ. This is the reality. People who really recognize that, then you come along and you say radical things to them like this. Wow, there's such a power at work in my life.

Living by Faith Rather Than Feeling

It doesn't mean you go around feeling some pulsating power going through you. We live by faith, brethren. We live by faith in these realities. Not by feeling. Not by sight. You see, if you wait for the electrical current to flow through you and you feel the blessing, then you don't move.

It's by faith. The whole book. But these first three chapters are for your faith so that when you get to the imperatives, you move in faith. You're trusting.