Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000008A
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00:19 Father up in heaven, we come to You this evening,
00:26 opening our hearts and our minds 00:31 as we take a look 00:34 at the provisions You have made, 00:38 that each of us might have life eternal. 00:42 We pray that You will give to us understanding. 00:48 Pray that we each 00:50 might surrender all to Jesus Christ, 00:55 and that we might have the privilege 00:59 of being in Your kingdom because we have accepted 01:04 You as our Savior, 01:05 for this we pray in Christ's name. 01:08 Amen. 01:18 In John Chapter 3, 01:21 a man by the name of Nicodemus, 01:25 who was a member of the Sanhedrin, 01:30 a teacher in Israel, 01:34 came to Jesus by night, 01:36 said to Him, "Master, 01:38 we know that You are a teacher from God." 01:42 And Jesus kind of cut through all the periphery 01:47 and went right to the heart. 01:49 And he said to Nicodemus, 01:53 "Jesus answered and said to him, 01:55 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, 02:00 he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" 02:02 Said Nicodemus, 02:05 "Unless a person is born again, 02:08 he cannot see the kingdom of God." 02:12 And Nicodemus said, "What do you mean? 02:16 I'm an old man." 02:19 "Nicodemus said to Him, 02:21 'How can a man be born when he is old? 02:26 Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb 02:29 and be born?'" 02:30 He said, "What are you talking about? 02:32 I'm an old man. 02:33 How can I be born a second time? 02:38 What? What are you talking about? 02:39 What do you mean?" 02:41 And Jesus went on. 02:43 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 02:47 unless one is born of water and Spirit, 02:52 he cannot enter the kingdom of God." 02:55 Said Nicodemus, 02:57 "Unless you are born of water and of the Spirit, 03:01 you cannot enter the kingdom of God, 03:03 impossible." 03:06 And Nicodemus is having a hard time 03:10 understanding that, 03:11 putting that together. 03:14 And Jesus said to him, 03:19 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, 03:25 and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 03:29 Said Nicodemus, 03:31 "That which is born of flesh is flesh, 03:36 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 03:43 And Nicodemus trying to understand, 03:47 trying to figure out what Christ is talking about, 03:50 that he might be able to put it together. 03:53 And Jesus went on and said, 03:55 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 03:58 'You must be born again.'" 04:01 Now, dear friends, Christ words are clear. 04:06 I mean, they're clear as they can be, 04:09 He's telling you, 04:10 "You've got to be born again 04:13 or you won't enter into the kingdom of heaven. 04:18 It just won't happen unless you are born again." 04:23 He's made that crystal clear to Nicodemus, 04:26 no question about it. 04:29 You see, 04:31 when God made a decision way back 04:36 in the beginning to create. 04:40 When you have the power as God does to create, 04:45 then you have to make a decision. 04:47 And the decision you have to make 04:49 is how are you going to create, 04:52 how are you going to do this. 04:56 Now, why did God create man? 05:01 I used to believe when I was first struggling 05:04 and trying to put things together, 05:06 I thought God created man 'cause God was selfish. 05:11 Did you ever think about that? 05:13 And I thought, "Well, 05:15 God created man for man could worship Him. 05:18 And so that man can obey Him, and man could love Him, 05:23 and he could do all those things." 05:24 And I felt, well, you know, 05:25 God did that because God's selfish. 05:29 But when, we had children, 05:34 I changed my understanding. 05:37 You say, "Why do you have children?" 05:40 Huh? 05:41 Do you have children so they can love you? 05:44 Is that reason you have children? 05:45 No, you have children so you can love them. 05:48 You see, 05:50 you are a social being so is God. 05:53 He is a social being. 05:55 So when God created man, 05:57 He created man so that He can love him, 05:59 but in order to be able to communicate with man, 06:03 to visit with man, God had to do something, folks. 06:06 Listen to what it says here. 06:09 God is, John 4:24, "God is Spirit, 06:14 and those who worship Him must worship Him 06:17 in spirit and truth." 06:19 So the scripture says very clear that God is spirit 06:24 and they that worship Him must worship Him 06:27 in spirit and in truth. 06:30 Therefore, when God decided to create man, 06:35 God had to make a definite decision 06:38 as to how He was going to create him. 06:41 Why is He going to create him, 06:43 so he could communicate with God? 06:47 Was that the way He was going to create him? 06:49 Yes, He wanted to be able to communicate 06:52 with Adam and Eve, 06:53 therefore, in order to make him so God could create, 06:58 could communicate with him, 06:59 He had to give him a spiritual nature, 07:04 had to give Adam and Eve a spiritual nature. 07:07 So when God created them, 07:09 He made them in a sense like Him, 07:11 because the scripture says, 07:14 Genesis 1:27, 07:16 "So God created man in his," come on, "own image, 07:22 in the image of God He created him, 07:24 male and female He created them." 07:27 So it says that He created man in His own image. 07:31 Therefore, when He created man, 07:33 He gave to man a spiritual nature, 07:40 and He gave him a body of flesh, okay, 07:45 had a spiritual nature 07:47 and a fleshly body or a freshly nature, 07:50 He gave them both to him. 07:53 And God can come down as the scripture says here 07:56 that God could come down in the cool of the evening 07:59 and visit with Adam and Eve. 08:01 And since God was spirit 08:03 and they had a spiritual nature, 08:04 God could communicate with them. 08:08 That's the way He made them, gave them spiritual nature. 08:14 But God placed in the Garden of Eden, 08:17 a tree referred to in the scripture 08:20 as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 08:24 And it says in Genesis 1, Genesis 2:17, 08:28 "But of the tree of the knowledge 08:30 of good and evil you shall not eat, 08:35 for in the day that you eat of it, 08:38 you shall surely die." 08:41 Now, God told Adam and Eve, listen, 08:43 you can eat of anything you want to here in the garden, 08:48 anything, it's all made for you, 08:51 except that one tree, don't eat of it, 08:54 because in the day that you eat of it, 08:56 you shall what? 08:58 Surely die. 09:00 Said the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. 09:03 And you remember the story. 09:05 You remember how the devil in the form 09:07 of the serpent tempted Eve and she ate of it, 09:12 and she gave it to Adam and he ate of it. 09:15 I want to ask you a question this evening. 09:18 Did they die that day? 09:22 Did they die that day? 09:25 Yes, they did. 09:29 The very moment that Adam and Eve 09:32 ate of that tree, 09:36 that spiritual nature, 09:39 spiritual nature that God had given Adam and Eve 09:42 so that He could communicate with them and talk with them, 09:46 that spiritual nature died, 09:48 and all that was left of Adam and Eve was only flesh. 09:54 That spiritual nature died right there 09:58 and all that was left was just flesh. 10:03 So that when God came down, Adam and Eve were off hiding. 10:10 They were afraid 10:12 that spiritual nature had departed from them, 10:17 had died right there. 10:19 And so, 10:21 when Adam and Eve had children, 10:27 all they could pass on to their children 10:30 was only flesh, 10:34 and all that you and I have is flesh. 10:38 That's what Paul was talking about 10:41 when he cried out there in Romans 7:24 and he said, 10:44 "O wretched man that I am! 10:47 Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" 10:51 Because all that was left was just a body of flesh, 10:55 nothing else. 10:57 So Adam and Eve 10:59 could pass on to Cain and Abel only flesh. 11:04 And all that Cain and Abel could pass on to their children 11:09 was only flesh. 11:13 And all your parents could pass on to you 11:18 was only flesh. 11:20 And all you could pass on to your children 11:24 was just flesh, 11:26 nothing more. 11:28 Sorry. 11:29 That's all you can pass on to them. 11:33 And I run on to dear Christian people 11:36 who have never understood this because they get in their mind 11:39 that this can be solved some other way. 11:43 They'll say, "Well, 11:44 I'm going to send my child off here 11:47 to some good Christian school 11:49 and maybe they'll be all right." 11:54 Sorry. Sorry. 11:56 That isn't the way it works, folks, 11:59 because all you can pass on to that child is flesh. 12:04 What that child's got to be is born again. 12:09 I even hear parents say, 12:11 "Well, I'm going to send my son 12:13 down here to this Christian school, 12:15 and maybe he'll find a good Christian girl." 12:19 Sorry, doesn't work that way, just doesn't work that way, 12:24 it takes more than that. 12:26 You have to be born again. 12:30 That spiritual nature died right there 12:33 and it won't work any other way unless you are born again. 12:37 That's why Jesus said to him, 12:40 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 12:43 unless one is born again, 12:45 he cannot see the kingdom of God." 12:48 You see what I'm trying to tell you tonight 12:50 if you're not catching on is you're born. 12:54 You're born half dead. 12:58 See, you're born only flesh. 13:02 That's the way you're born. 13:04 You're born half dead, dear friends, 13:06 and you cannot have eternal life 13:11 unless you receive a spiritual nature. 13:14 Sorry. 13:17 And that doesn't come by education. 13:21 Now, don't misunderstand me. 13:23 I believe in education. 13:25 And I think it's very, very important. 13:29 But I can tell you all that education will do for you 13:32 is make you a smart sinner, that's all. 13:38 You see, you have to be born again. 13:41 And so the question that you and I need 13:43 to ask ourselves tonight is how, 13:47 how can I be born again? 13:49 If I come into this world only flesh, 13:52 how can I be born again? 13:54 I'm going to share with you several ways 13:56 that the scripture says you're born again and, 13:59 dear friend, let me tell you, they work. 14:02 They're absolutely proof, sure, 14:06 they will absolutely work if you'll do them. 14:09 So how are the ways that we are born again 14:12 to begin with? 14:13 You're born again by the Word of God. 14:15 This book I have told you night after night is divine. 14:19 This book is more than just a history book. 14:22 It's more than a book of morals. 14:24 It's more than a good book of poetry. 14:27 This book is divine. 14:29 If you don't think it isn't, 14:31 you listen to what I'm fixing to read to you. 14:33 This is what the scripture says, 14:36 "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed..." 14:42 What does that mean, not of corruptible seed? 14:46 That's flesh, not of corruptible seed, 14:49 that's flesh, 14:51 but of incorruptible seed, okay, having been born again, 14:57 not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, 15:01 listen folks, 15:03 through the what? 15:06 "Through the Word of God 15:07 which lives and abides forever." 15:10 Right here, you want to be born again. 15:14 Here it is. 15:15 Many, many individuals of by themselves, 15:21 sometimes in a foxhole, 15:25 sometime out in the middle of a desert, 15:28 sometime lost have picked up the Word of God 15:34 and have been born again as they read it. 15:39 Born again through the Word of God. 15:43 So tonight, if you want eternal life, 15:49 if you want more than this whole world, 15:53 if you want eternal life, let me tell you, 15:56 it's here right in this book. 16:00 You can find it. Watch. 16:02 Let me share some other scriptures with you. 16:06 2 Peter 1:4, 16:07 "By which have been given to us 16:11 exceedingly great and precious promises," 16:15 been given to us in this book 16:17 exceeding great and precious promises. 16:20 What were those exceeding great and precious promises do 16:25 for you and me? 16:27 That through these, 16:29 those exceeding great and precious promises. 16:31 "Through these you may be partakers of the divine," what? 16:37 "Nature." 16:38 There's the spiritual nature, through this book, 16:42 through the promises of God's Word, 16:44 you may be a partaker of the divine nature. 16:51 You want to be born again? 16:52 Right, there it is. 16:54 Let me tell you a little secret. 16:56 Don't leave it laying on the coffee table. 17:02 Don't leave it in the bookshelf. 17:06 Don't leave it in the closet. 17:09 Get it out, spend time with it. 17:12 Marvelous is what you learn in the Word of God. 17:19 These are the words of Jesus, 17:22 having escaped the corruption 17:23 that is in the world through lust. 17:26 John 5:24, 17:28 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My," what? 17:33 "Hears My word and believes in Me, 17:38 who has sent Me," 17:40 what? 17:42 "Has everlasting life." 17:46 That's one of my favorite text, if you, 17:49 "He who accepts the Word of God, 17:53 picks it up, reads it, 17:55 believes in the Lord Jesus Christ 17:58 that He said he has everlasting life." 18:01 Listen, folks, 18:02 "And shall not come into judgment, 18:07 but has passed from," what? 18:10 "From death into life." 18:14 Those are promises that are given to you 18:16 that if you pick it up and you read it, 18:18 and you believe in Him, 18:20 you'll not come into judgment. 18:23 I don't know about you, 18:24 but I don't care about going into judgment. 18:28 When I come into judgment, 18:29 you have passed from death unto life 18:36 that God offers to you. 18:39 So if you want eternal life, if you want to be born again, 18:42 get out the good old book, spend some time with it. 18:46 Secondly, 18:48 you'll find that you and I are born again 18:52 by believing in Jesus Christ. 18:55 That's what the scripture says. 18:57 I pick up the book, I read it. 18:59 I read about Jesus Christ 19:01 and it says that if I believe in Him, 19:04 I will receive eternal life. 19:07 Acts 16:30, 19:09 "And he brought them out and said, 19:10 'Sir, what must I do to be saved?'" 19:16 Paul, Silas up in Philippi. 19:22 They've been beaten, they've been put in jail. 19:27 It's about midnight. 19:31 They're chained. 19:33 You know what they're doing? 19:38 They're singing. They're singing. 19:41 I mean, they've been beaten, they're singing. 19:45 And while they're singing, 19:47 all of a sudden there's an earthquake 19:50 and the earthquake knocks the windows open 19:53 and knocks the doors open 19:54 and the chains fall off the prisoners, 19:57 and the guard thinks 19:59 that he's lost all of his prisoners, 20:01 is about to take his own life, and they said, 20:04 "Don't do yourself any harm, we're all here." 20:07 And he came in and fell down before him 20:09 and said, 20:11 this is a pagan, folks, 20:13 this is a man who is a Roman soldier 20:15 that's a pagan, 20:17 and he has seen the power of God and he said, 20:19 "What must I do to be saved?" 20:22 Listen. 20:25 "So they said, 20:29 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 20:32 and you will be saved and your household.'" 20:37 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 20:40 Oh, dear friends, 20:42 it's one thing for it to be in the book, 20:44 but you got to believe, 20:47 you got to put your belief in what it says. 20:52 If you don't believe, it won't do you any good. 20:55 So believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 20:58 and you shall be saved. 21:03 I'm telling you things that the scripture says 21:06 that you use to be born again. 21:10 The Word of God, I believe in Jesus Christ. 21:15 And I accept that by what? 21:19 Faith. 21:25 There was a Pharisee, 21:28 invited Jesus to his home for a meal. 21:34 And while they were there at the home 21:36 and Jesus was eating. 21:38 This woman 21:40 came into the Pharisee's home, Simon's home, 21:46 trying to not be noticed. 21:49 But she went over to where Jesus was, 21:51 and she knelt down by Him, 21:54 and she had an alabaster box full of perfume, 21:59 and she took that alabaster box, 22:01 and opened it up and began to pour 22:03 perfume on His feet, 22:06 and she was crying, 22:08 and she was taking her hair and wiping His feet with it. 22:12 And while she was doing all that, 22:14 Simon was sitting there 22:15 thinking because this woman 22:18 was a great, great sinner, folks, 22:22 and he was saying to himself, 22:26 if Jesus knew who this was, 22:28 He wouldn't be permitting her to do this. 22:33 Wouldn't be letting her do this, 22:36 and Jesus perceiving what Simon was thinking, 22:40 said, Simon, let me tell you a story. 22:45 There was a man who had two servants, 22:50 one owed him $60, 22:54 the other owed him $100, 22:57 and neither one of them could pay him back. 23:01 And he forgave both of them. 23:05 Which loved him most? 23:10 And Simon said, "Well, 23:11 probably the one that he forgave most." 23:15 And Jesus said, "You have perceived right." 23:19 He said, "Simon, I came here. 23:23 This is a great sinner, her sins are many, 23:27 but you didn't give me a gift, Simon. 23:31 She did. 23:33 You didn't give me water to wash my feet, Simon, 23:38 but she hasn't stopped washing my feet with her tears. 23:43 You didn't give me a towel to dry my feet, 23:47 but she has dried them with her hair 23:51 because she has been forgiven much, 23:56 therefore she has loved much 24:00 Now listen carefully or you'll miss something. 24:05 "And then he said to the woman, 24:09 'Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.'" 24:14 Folks, that text did not say your faith will save you. 24:21 It doesn't say that. 24:22 It says your faith has saved you. 24:27 You see, we use the word faith. 24:31 But if you look at it, 24:33 in English it takes two words to make faith. 24:37 We use the word faith several ways. 24:39 Sometimes we say that's his faith. 24:42 And we mean that's his belief, 24:46 belief as we found is part of faith, 24:49 but belief by itself is not enough. 24:52 Sometimes we say, "Well, I've got faith in Him. 24:55 What do we mean? 24:57 Well, we mean we trust Him. 25:00 You see, 25:01 belief and trust is what makes faith. 25:05 And when a person has faith in Jesus Christ, 25:10 they are born again. 25:14 Okay? 25:16 That is what takes place. 25:17 It's simply by my reaching out and accepting Jesus Christ. 25:24 And by my accepting Him, 25:25 means that I believe in Him and I have trust in Him. 25:31 And because I believe in Him and I trust Him, 25:35 He gives to me eternal life. 25:40 I want to share with you one of the great scriptures. 25:44 This is one of those scriptures that I would tell you, 25:47 if you don't have highlighted in your Bible, 25:49 if you don't have it underline, 25:50 you shouldn't go to sleep tonight 25:52 without doing it. 25:54 It's found over in 1 John. 25:58 1 John 5:11, it says, 26:02 "And this is the testimony: 26:06 that God has given us" what? 26:09 "Eternal life and this life is in His Son." 26:15 Oh, dear friend, let me tell you something. 26:17 Don't go looking forward any other place. 26:21 Don't go looking forward tonight among the philosophers. 26:25 Don't go looking for it in your ability 26:30 and what you can do, 26:33 it's found in Jesus Christ. 26:36 Listen as it continues. 26:39 "He who has the Son has life, 26:45 he who does not have the Son of God 26:48 does not have life." 26:50 Oh, dear friend, let me tell you. 26:52 If you've got Jesus Christ tonight, 26:55 you have everything. 26:58 If you don't have Jesus Christ, you don't have anything. 27:03 It's that simple. 27:04 He is everything because He is life. 27:10 Okay? 27:12 And I have Jesus Christ by believing in Him, 27:16 and by having faith in Him. 27:20 "These things have I written to you 27:22 who believe in the name of the Son of God, 27:25 that you may know that you may know 27:30 that you have eternal life, 27:33 and that you may continue to believe in the name 27:37 of the Son of God." 27:38 So it says tonight that if you by faith reach out, 27:45 take hold of Jesus Christ, you can be born again. 27:51 Unfortunately, 27:54 there's a lot of people who by faith have reached out, 28:00 accepted Jesus Christ, 28:03 but they didn't understand what takes place. 28:08 So tonight, 28:10 I want to share with you what takes place 28:12 because I don't want you in any doubt as to what happens 28:16 when you accept Jesus Christ, 28:19 because all of a sudden 28:21 you now find yourself with two natures. 28:25 You have been given a spiritual nature. 28:29 Okay? 28:30 You've been born again. 28:31 You've been given a spiritual nature 28:33 and you have what the scripture says, 28:36 a carnal nature. 28:38 Okay? 28:39 You understand the word carnal, don't you? 28:42 Huh? 28:44 You understand that word carnal? 28:46 Come on, folks. 28:47 Don't act like, you've eaten chili con carne. 28:51 Okay, that just means flesh, it's what it is. 28:55 So you've got two natures, 28:57 you got a nature of flesh and you got a spiritual nature, 29:00 and those two natures are not the same. 29:03 Listen to what it says about him. 29:05 2 Corinthians 5:17, 29:08 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, 29:10 he is a new creation, 29:14 old things have passed away, 29:17 behold, all things have become new." 29:21 I have received a new nature in Christ Jesus 29:24 and let me tell you something, that nature is so sweet, 29:29 so sweet. 29:30 I can tell you, the sky is bluer 29:34 and the birds sing sweeter in that new nature 29:38 than any other place in the world. 29:41 And when you find it, 29:43 dear friend, it is like the pearl of great price. 29:48 Go sell all that you have and buy it, 29:52 because it makes 29:54 all the difference in the world. 29:56 A new nature, you become a new person in Christ Jesus. 30:01 Now, 30:03 you still got an old nature, 30:07 "That you may put off concerning your former conduct, 30:12 the old man..." 30:16 You see, that's the old nature, 30:18 "The old man which grows," what? "Corrupt." 30:24 I mean, he gets worse every day. 30:26 "He grows corrupt 30:28 according to the deceitful lusts." 30:34 "And that you put on the" 30:37 what? 30:38 "The new man" that's the new nature, 30:41 "which was created according to God, 30:43 in true righteousness and holiness." 30:46 So you've got two natures, you've got it old nature, 30:49 that's the fleshly nature, 30:50 and you've got a new nature which is the spiritual nature 30:55 that God has given you. 30:57 Okay, so once we have those, 31:00 let's see what we can find out about the new nature. 31:04 The Bible tells us 31:05 that the new nature doesn't sin. 31:08 Did you know that? 31:11 The new nature does not sin, it's a spiritual nature. 31:18 1 John 3:9, 31:20 "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, 31:25 for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin, 31:30 because he has been born of God." 31:34 That new nature cannot sin, it is a spiritual nature. 31:38 Okay. 31:40 It does not sin. 31:43 1 John 5:18, 31:44 "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, 31:48 but he who has been born of God keeps himself, 31:52 and that the wicked one does not touch him." 31:56 That spiritual nature is given to that person by God 31:59 when you're born again, 32:01 that spiritual nature cannot sin. 32:07 The Bible refers to it now, folks, 32:10 as a babe. 32:13 The spiritual nature is given to you as a baby, 32:16 it's not given to you full-grown. 32:20 That's what new Christians many times don't understand. 32:24 It's given to you just as a babe. 32:28 "For everyone who partakes only of milk 32:31 is unskilled in the word of righteousness, 32:33 for he is a babe." 32:37 So did you hear tonight, 32:39 those of you all across this country 32:41 and around the world, 32:42 if tonight you're reaching out in faith 32:44 and accepting Jesus Christ in your heart, 32:47 He's going to give you a new nature, 32:49 but it's going to be given to you only as a babe. 32:54 Okay. 32:56 Therefore, 32:58 the old man of sin, 33:01 the old fleshy nature, 33:03 he is full-grown. 33:07 The Bible talks about him as the old man. 33:12 Let me tell you something. 33:13 The old man doesn't like the baby. 33:18 Okay? 33:19 Watch. 33:21 "For we know that the law is spiritual," 33:26 nothing wrong with God's law. 33:28 "the law is spiritual," all right, 33:31 "but I am carnal, 33:34 I am flesh, sold under sin. 33:39 But now, it is no longer I who do it, 33:42 but sin that dwells in me. 33:47 For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, 33:51 nothing good dwells." 33:54 That's the old man of sin, for to will. 33:59 How to do it? 34:01 "For to will is present with me, 34:03 but how to perform what is good 34:06 I do not find." 34:09 That's the old man of sin. 34:12 Okay. 34:13 What you've got to consider tonight is, 34:18 how does that new nature grow. 34:21 You see, dear friend, if you accept Jesus Christ 34:25 and He gives you a new nature 34:26 and it's given to you as a baby, 34:29 it's got to grow, 34:31 so how you gonna make it grow. 34:35 Well, this is the way it grows. 34:38 "Knowing this, that our old man," 34:42 that's the old man of sin, 34:43 the old fleshly nature was what? 34:47 "Crucified with him." 34:48 Let me just tell you right now. 34:50 If you don't take the old man and crucify him every day, 34:56 I can tell you 34:57 he's going to stomp on the baby. 35:01 Do you understand me? 35:04 If you don't do that, 35:06 the old man is much stronger than the baby. 35:11 And so if you don't get up as Paul said, 35:15 "I am crucified with Christ, 35:18 nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ live within me." 35:23 Paul said, "I die daily." 35:27 Got to take that old man of sin, 35:29 and I've got to crucify him on the cross, 35:33 then the baby stands a chance. 35:38 Okay. 35:41 That the body of sin 35:44 might be done away with, 35:47 that we should no longer be slaves of sin." 35:52 I know individuals that reach out 35:54 and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. 35:56 They see their need of Him, 35:58 but they don't crucify the old man of sin, 36:01 so the old man of sin 36:02 just runs over the new nature all the time, 36:06 and they never grow 36:08 because they don't crucify the old man of sin. 36:11 Once I am willing to crucify the old man of sin, 36:16 then 36:19 I must feed the baby. 36:22 As newborn babes, 36:25 desire the pure milk of the word, 36:27 that you may grow thereby." 36:33 Psalms 119:11, 36:35 "Your word have I hidden in my heart, 36:37 that I might not sin against You!" 36:41 You see, this is food. 36:45 This is food for the spiritual nature. 36:50 Man shall not live by bread alone, 36:54 but by every word that proceedeth out 36:56 of the mouth of God. 36:58 And I have people come to me and they say, 37:00 "Oh, Brother Cox, I just, I'm so busy. 37:03 And I don't know 37:05 what's wrong with my Christian experience. 37:07 I just don't seem to be growing, 37:11 and nothing seems to be happening." 37:13 And I say to them, 37:14 "Well, are you spending time in the Word? 37:16 And they say, "Oh, Brother Cox, I'm so busy, 37:17 I don't have time to do that." 37:21 And I say, 37:23 "Yeah, you're starving the baby to death, aren't you?" 37:26 It's what you're doing, 37:28 you're starving the baby to death 37:29 and you wonder what's wrong. 37:32 You see, I learned, 37:34 I learned a long time ago 37:37 that I found time every day to eat. 37:43 I don't seem to have any trouble 37:44 finding time every day to eat 37:49 and I decided, well, boy, if you can eat 37:52 and you can feed this old fleshly body of yours, 37:56 you can certainly find time to feed the spiritual nature. 38:00 And I made a decision, I said, 38:02 "No food goes in here unless I feed this one too." 38:07 And you know, since I did that, 38:08 I never seem to having trouble finding time. 38:12 You know, learn to spend time in the Word of God 38:16 because it is the food for the spiritual nature. 38:21 It's what makes it grow. 38:24 "Your word is a lamp to my feet, 38:27 a light to my path." 38:29 Spiritual nature can't grow 38:31 unless you spend time in the Word of God. 38:34 And, dear friend, 38:36 you know, you don't have to do anything special. 38:40 You don't have to have a degree. 38:43 You don't have to have a degree in theology 38:45 or from the seminary. 38:46 Just pick it up and read it and open up your heart. 38:52 Open up your heart, friend, 38:54 just, you know, 38:56 don't try to find in the Word of God 39:02 what you want it to say, 39:05 you know, 39:06 don't be like the woman 39:08 where the preacher was preaching, 39:11 and he was preaching away 39:13 and she was agreeing with everything he had to say. 39:15 And she was saying amen. 39:17 You know then, he had hit something 39:19 that just wound her heart and she said amen. 39:22 And as the preacher was preaching, 39:24 all of a sudden he hit something 39:27 that cut went the opposite way. 39:30 And she said, woo, 39:31 he's quit preaching and started meddling, 39:33 you know. 39:34 So, you know, 39:36 open up your heart, keep it soft. 39:39 Let the Holy Spirit speak to you. 39:42 And as you do that, you'll grow, 39:44 that's what it takes. 39:46 Secondly, 39:49 prayer. 39:52 Prayer is the breath of the soul. 39:58 You see, God not only feed the baby, 40:00 you got to let the baby breathe, 40:04 and prayer is how you let it breathe. 40:07 And I can tell you 40:08 a number of secrets about prayer. 40:11 One of them is 40:13 five minutes of prayer in the morning 40:15 will save a half hour of confession at night 40:20 any day. 40:23 When you wake up in the morning, 40:25 it says in the Psalm 4, 40:27 it's what it say, Psalm 4:4 and 5, 40:29 when you wake up in the morning, 40:31 it says, lay there and talk to God. 40:34 You don't have to crawl out of bed. 40:37 And your first thoughts can be of Him 40:40 and just talk to the Lord as you lay there in your bed. 40:44 And then it says in the Psalm 4, 40:46 that after you've talked to the Lord, be still. 40:49 It's what it says. 40:51 Most of us pray and jump up. 40:53 God says, "Be still." 40:55 Listen to what God has to say 40:58 because touch your heart bit different, 41:00 take time to pray. 41:02 Spend time in prayer. 41:04 It's the breath of the soul. 41:09 You know, if you're not going to pray, 41:12 you know what you're doing. 41:14 You're killing the baby. 41:15 That's what you're doing. 41:17 If you don't pray, you're killing the baby 41:19 'cause it cannot exist if it can't breathe, okay? 41:24 I'm telling you things 41:26 to make that spiritual nature grow. 41:28 Now, don't misunderstand me here tonight, dear friend, 41:32 if by faith you don't reach out 41:34 and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, 41:38 and receive the new birth. 41:39 That is something that is given by God, 41:41 that is a work of grace that is given by God 41:44 that has nothing to do with your ability. 41:47 Do you understand me? 41:50 Reading the Word of God, 41:53 praying, 41:55 all these things will not do you any good 41:58 unless you've been born again. 42:01 Are you with me? 42:03 So you've got to reach out in faith 42:05 and accept Jesus Christ. 42:07 But once you've done that, and the baby's been born 42:11 then, folks, please, give it some TLC, 42:18 you know, feed it. 42:21 Let it breathe. 42:23 Unfortunately, 42:27 I find there are a lot of Christians 42:30 that eat spiritually and breathe spiritually, 42:36 and that's all they do. 42:38 And you know what happens? 42:41 They get fat. 42:45 You know, they don't exercise. 42:49 And you know what happens to you when you don't exercise? 42:53 They become invalids, 42:56 they're Christian invalids 42:59 because they do not exercise 43:02 and you know, dear friend, if you're an invalid, 43:06 you're not worth much spiritually. 43:09 Okay? 43:11 God says that you and I must exercise, 43:15 this is what it says. 43:17 Romans 10:9, 43:19 "That if you confess with your mouth 43:23 the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart 43:28 that God has raised Him from the dead, 43:30 you will be saved." 43:33 If you confess with your what? 43:36 Your mouth. 43:39 You've got to witness, you've got to confess. 43:43 God calls you to be a witness, there is no such thing. 43:47 Listen to me. 43:49 There is no such thing as being born 43:52 into the kingdom of God and not be a missionary. 43:57 There's no such thing. 43:59 Everybody that's born into the kingdom of God 44:02 is born into the kingdom of God as a witness, 44:06 and I must witness in my life 44:11 and I must witness by my mouth. 44:15 I must tell other people about Jesus Christ. 44:21 Let me tell you a little secret. 44:24 If this is bothering you, 44:26 let me tell you how to take care of it. 44:28 If you say, "Oh, Brother Cox, 44:30 I really have trouble talking to people about Jesus." 44:34 Well, if you have trouble, 44:35 let me tell you how to take care of it. 44:39 The Bible says 44:42 that you and I are to go to the fountain and drink. 44:47 Okay. 44:48 So get in the Word and spend time in the Word, 44:52 and drink, and drink, and drink until your cup runs over. 44:58 And when your cup runs over, 45:00 you won't be able to help yourself. 45:04 Because if your cup is only half full, 45:09 you don't have anything to share with anybody. 45:12 But when your cup runs over, you can't do anything about it. 45:16 So spend time in the Word, 45:19 that makes all the difference. 45:23 Romans 10:10, 45:25 "For with the heart 45:27 one believes unto righteousness," 45:30 okay, 45:32 "and with the mouth 45:33 confession is made unto salvation." 45:38 So, dear friend, if you want that spiritual nature to grow, 45:43 you got to let it exercise, 45:45 it will get strong, it will stronger. 45:49 If you don't let it exercise, you might read the Word of God, 45:53 you might pray, 45:54 but the old man of sin if you're an invalid, 45:57 then you can't do anything to him. 46:00 But I guarantee you, if you exercise, 46:02 it can become stronger all the time. 46:08 One other point and, folks, as far as I'm concerned, 46:13 this is the most important of all of them. 46:15 And this is again, one of these texts 46:17 that if you haven't underlined it, 46:20 you haven't highlighted in your Bible, 46:22 don't go to sleep until you do. 46:24 Okay. 46:26 2 Corinthians 3:18, 46:29 "But we all, with unveiled face 46:33 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord," 46:38 all right, 46:39 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, 46:45 are being, come on, 46:47 "are being transformed into the same image 46:53 from glory to glory, 46:54 just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 46:57 That text simply tells you that by beholding, 47:01 you and I become changed. 47:04 You understand that. 47:06 That's what changes you 47:08 is by beholding the Lord Jesus Christ, 47:11 that you and I are changed, 47:13 are transformed into the same image 47:17 by beholding Jesus Christ. 47:21 I read a story the other day. 47:24 These people had a little dog. 47:28 She was pregnant. 47:30 She was about four weeks from delivery. 47:35 And she was running, 47:39 I guess out on the line while they were mowing it. 47:42 And she ran under the lawn mower 47:44 and it cut off her two back legs, 47:47 and they rushed her to the vet. 47:51 And the vet examiner, and he said, 47:53 "Well, we have two choices." 47:55 He said, "The pups as far as I can tell are okay, 47:59 so your choices." 48:00 He said, "I can give her a shot and put her to sleep, 48:03 or I can sew up the stubs that are left there 48:07 and let her go ahead and have the pups. 48:09 While the children were pleading 48:11 not to put her to sleep 48:13 and so the parents decided to have her legs sewed up, 48:16 and they took her home. 48:18 And surprisingly, in a matter of weeks, 48:22 of a week, she had learned to walk. 48:25 She took two steps with her front feet. 48:28 And then she would pull those stubs behind her, 48:30 and she would take two more steps 48:32 and pull those stubs behind her, 48:33 and that's the way she learned to walk. 48:35 And she gave birth to the pups, 48:38 they were all healthy, fine. 48:41 She nursed them, 48:43 and they were just as normal as any other pups, 48:46 except when they learned to walk, 48:48 they walked just like their mother. 48:52 You see, by beholding, we become changed. 48:58 See, that's what God does for you and for me. 49:02 So, dear friend, spend time, 49:05 spend time with the Word of God, 49:08 don't... 49:09 I plead with you, 49:11 don't permit preconceived ideas, 49:15 don't permit things 49:16 that you may thought that you understood 49:20 to stand in your way. 49:22 Open up your heart. 49:24 Look at God's Word and say, yes, and follow, 49:27 let the Holy Spirit lead you. 49:29 It makes great, great difference in your life. 49:34 Okay. 49:35 That's how you feed the new nature. 49:39 Now, let me tell you something. 49:41 As I told you, the old nature doesn't like the baby. 49:47 You have to understand that. 49:50 Galatians 4:29, 49:52 "But, as he who was born according to the flesh 49:56 then persecuted" did what? 49:59 "Persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, 50:05 even so it is now." 50:09 You see, 50:10 the old nature persecutes the new nature. 50:16 And, dear friend, if sometimes, 50:19 if sometimes it seems hard, 50:23 it seems so hard 50:26 and the old nature is shouting 50:30 and demanding, dear friend, understand, 50:36 crucify that old man. 50:38 Crucify him 50:40 because it won't work any other way 50:42 'cause he's going to persecute the baby. 50:45 "I say then: Walk in the Spirit." 50:51 You and I must learn to live in the Spirit. 50:56 "Walk in the Spirit, 50:57 and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 51:03 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, 51:05 and the Spirit against the flesh." 51:07 They're not together, they never will be. 51:10 they war against one another. 51:11 It will always be that way. 51:13 And until you make a decided decision 51:16 in your Christian life to war against the flesh, 51:21 to crucify the old man, 51:22 then the Spirit is always going to have trouble, 51:25 take that. 51:28 And these are contrary to one another, 51:34 so that you do not do the things that you wish. 51:39 See, that's when 51:40 the old carnal nature is crying out. 51:45 That's when the temptation is there. 51:48 And the old carnal nature has raised its ugly head 51:51 and it's crying out for all that it can, 51:55 then you do not do what you wish, 51:59 because that's the old carnal nature, 52:03 I must crucify it. 52:07 "Therefore we do not lose heart. 52:11 Even though our outward man is perishing," 52:15 that's the old man of sin, he's perishing, 52:17 "yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." 52:22 He's growing stronger every day. 52:26 You see, let me tell you a little secret. 52:30 Self, the old man of sin, 52:35 he would rather be thought of badly 52:38 than not to be thought of at all, 52:41 any day, selfhood. 52:45 So let me tell you a story about overcoming 52:50 because until you understand this, 52:53 you can't really overcome. 52:57 There was a man who walked into an Indian village, 53:02 he told all the villagers that he could make gold. 53:07 Everybody gathered around. 53:10 And the man took out a pot, poured some water in the pot, 53:15 took out a little bag of chemicals 53:17 and poured some chemicals into the pot of water. 53:21 And then he took out a stick and he began to stir the pot 53:24 and just repeat meaningless words. 53:29 As he stirred the pot, 53:31 something happened out in the audience with the people 53:35 and their attention was distracted, 53:37 and he dropped into the pot two nuggets of gold. 53:41 Continued to stir the pot and after a bit, he stopped, 53:47 poured off the water, 53:49 and lo and behold in the pot were two nuggets of gold. 53:55 All the villagers, they wooed and they awed 53:58 and the businessmen offered him 500 rupees, 54:02 if he would tell them the formula for making gold. 54:06 And after some consideration, he decided that he would. 54:11 He gave them the pot. 54:13 He gave them the sack of chemicals. 54:16 He gave them the stick. 54:17 He told them how much water to put in the pot. 54:19 He told them how long to stir the pot. 54:21 And he told them what words to say. 54:24 They gave him the 1500 rupees, and he walked away. 54:30 But when he got out on the edge of the crowd, 54:33 he stopped, 54:35 and he turned back and he said to them, 54:37 one other thing, 54:39 when you stir the pot, 54:41 you must not think of the red faced monkey. 54:46 But lo and behold, every time they stirred the pot, 54:49 on the edge of their mind set the red faced monkey. 54:54 Now, dear friends, 54:56 that's the same thing in overcoming. 54:59 You see, if I put my attention on my sins, 55:03 you know what's going to happen? 55:05 I'm going to do the more. 55:09 If you focus on your faults, if you focus on your sins, 55:14 you will do the more. 55:16 You take your focus off of your sins 55:19 and you put them on Jesus Christ. 55:22 You see, it's by beholding, we become changed. 55:27 It's by looking at Him. 55:29 That's how that whole process takes place. 55:32 And He will do marvelous things in your life and mine. 55:36 "And if Christ is in you, 55:39 the body is dead because of sin, 55:42 but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." 55:48 You see, this is what happens to a person. 55:53 So how do I do that? 55:55 I do it by the good fight of faith. 55:59 My faith in Jesus Christ, what He can do. 56:04 "Fight the good fight of faith, 56:07 lay hold on eternal life 56:12 to which you were also called, 56:15 lay hold of it, and have good confession, 56:19 and have confessed the good confession 56:21 in the presence of many witnesses." 56:24 So it simply tells you and I 56:26 that we're to have faith in Him, hang on. 56:29 If I'm willing to do that, 56:33 then, dear friend, I've been born again. 56:36 Not only have I been born again, 56:38 but that spiritual nature will grow 56:41 and it will become stronger, and stronger, 56:43 and stronger each day. 56:45 For whatever is born of what? 56:48 God overcomes the world. 56:53 That person who has been born again, 56:56 that new nature cannot sin. 57:00 He overcomes the world. 57:02 And this is the victory that has overcome the world. 57:08 What? 57:09 Our faith. 57:11 That's what overcomes the world. 57:13 That's what gives you victory in the Christian life. 57:16 And so tonight, if you have been struggling, 57:22 maybe there's some of you here tonight 57:25 that have been going to church for years, 57:29 but you've never been victorious. 57:32 There may be some of you here that your Christian experience 57:36 has never really been what it should have been. 57:41 And tonight, you understand that really, 57:45 you probably never been born again. 57:48 And tonight, 57:50 you'd like to just accept that new nature 57:52 in Christ Jesus. 57:53 He's inviting you to do that. 57:56 And if you by faith will just look up to Him, 58:01 He'll give you a new nature. |
Revised 2019-02-28