WELCOME TO…
IMMERSION IN THE
WORD -IN DEPTH
BIBLE STUDY #31
7/16/20
****
I’m Doctor Stefeni Engebritson…
Founder…Chancellor…and
Director of Ministry… of…
The Master’s Touch… Healing School of Ministry Int’l…
***
MY FRIENDS…
I know that you will find this informative… and
because the Word is alive and… active…it will even be exciting
This is a total Immersion study of the Bible…
IN
THE MANIFEST
PRESENCE OF GOD…
We are inviting YOU and others to join us…NOW…
To experience individual…and…corporate …
Total Immersion into THAT MANIFEST PRESENCE…
***
As we come face to face with God…Spiritually…
and Personally…HE…will tutor us…
In His Word!
Our Bible Study… is designed to be
extremely casual…
So please get comfortable…
Grab your bible and refreshments…
kick off your shoes…and… curl up with us for
the next hour…
but not more than…an hour and a half.
Please join us ANYTIME
…and…
ALL THE TIME
*****
As we begin this evening...
Take a second …
to assemble a small piece of bread …A cracker …
A small bite of … some sort of food…
and…
a swallow of a beverage … juice…or water.
These items …are known as…
The elements of the Covenant…
We will be dealing with them later on
LET’S EXTEND OUR INVITATION FOR THE
HOLY SPIRIT TO MOVE IN OUR LIVES…BY JOINING US:
PLEASE…
PRAY WITH ME...
FATHER… WE COME INTO YOUR GLORIOUS PRESENCE
WITH PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
IN OUR HEARTS… FLOWING FREELY THROUGH OUR LIPS…
WE PRAISE YOU…
LOVE YOU
… AND…
GIVE YOU ALL HONOR…
WE THANK YOU LORD… THAT …
WE ARE BLESSED TO SEEK YOU… AND YOUR KINGDOM
… AND… BECAUSE WE DO…
YOU ILLUMINATE
YOUR WORD…
FOR OUR PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF IT...
WE THANK YOU…
FOR GIFTING US WITH
THE RHEEMA WORD OF GOD…
THE LOGOS WORD OF GOD…
REVELATION KNOWLEDGE…
YOUR RESURRECTION POWER…
WHICH WE KNOW IS:YOUR
CREATIVE ABILITY
THAT HAS ALSO BECOME
OUR CREATIVE ABILITY…
TO
SPEAK THE DESIRE
OF OUR HEART
AND HAVE IT MANIFEST…
JUST AS YOU DID…
WHEN
YOU SHARED IT WITH US
AT CREATION…
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DOMINION…
YOUR DUNAMIS… …EXTREME POWER
…AND…
YOUR EXOUSIA - AUTHORITY…WHICH IS…
YOUR PERMISSION… GIVEN TO US…
TO USE …THESE
MARVELOUS SUPERNATURAL TOOLS…
TO SUCCESSFULLY
OPERATE OUR LIVES… DAILY!!!
LORD…
OUR WORDS ARE VERY FEW…
IN EXPRESSION IN THIS NATURAL REALM…
TO SHOW YOU… HOW MUCH
WE LOVE YOU
… AND…
APPRECIATE YOU…
AND…
YOUR GOD-GIFTINGS THAT YOU’VE GIVEN TO US.
WE ADORE YOU… LORD…AND…
THANK YOU PROFUSELY FOR THE WISDOM YOU’VE GIVEN US…
WITH WHICH…
WE EMPLOY THESE GIFTS
IN OUR LIVES.
WE THANK YOU…
…THAT…
YOU NOT ONLY BLESSED US
WITH THESE UNLIMITED POWERS…
…THAT…
ACTUALLY GAIN…
MOMENTUM …FORCE…
…AND…
STRENGTH
AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM
… AND…
PUT THEM TO USE IN OUR DAILY LIVES…
AS CHRIST DID IN HIS…
…BUT…
WE ALSO THANK AND PRAISE YOU…
BECAUSE
ON YOUR BREATH…AT OUR CREATION…
YOU DELIVERED TO US…YOUR LIFE SOURCE…
WE PRAISE YOU…
THAT… YOU HAVE GIVEN US
THE MANIFESTATION OF YOUR WORD…
ALIVE AND ACTIVE IN OUR HEARTS...AND LIVES.
WE PRAISE AND THANK YOU
FOR THE REVELATION…OF… THE TRUTH OF YOUR WORD TO US…
… AND…
THE EVIDENCE YOU PROVIDE… FOR US…
GIVING US…A DEEPLY ROOTED
… AND…
GROUNDED… UNDERSTANDING OF…
HOW WE ATTAIN YOUR PROMISE… OF…
A MORE ABUNDANT LIFE.
BLESS THOSE… LORD…
THAT HAVE EARS TO HEAR AS WE ENDEAVOR TO
KNOW YOU MORE PERSONALY
AND…
LOVE YOU MORE DEEPLY.
HOLY SPIRIT…
WE INVITE YOU… TO TAKE OVER THIS PROGRAM
…AND LEAD US…WHERE YOU WOULD HAVE US GO…
IN THE MATCHLESS NAME
OF JESUS THE CHRIST WE PRAY...
AMEN.
****
MY FRIENDS…IT’S WITH
GREAT JOY
AND…EAGER
EXPECTATION!!
THAT…
WE WELCOME THE TRINITY
Music: DOXOLOGY
(The Martins)
PRAISE FATHER SON…
PRAISE FATHER SON…
PRAISE FATHER SON…
A-ND
HO-LY GHOOOOST
ALL PEOPLE THAT
ON EARTH DO DWELL
SING TO THE LORD
WITH CHEERFUL VOICE
HIM-SERVE WITH MIRTH
HIS GRACE FOR-TELL
COME YE BEFORE HIM
AND REJOICE
OH ENTER THEN…
HIS GATES WITH JOY…
WITHIN HIS COURTS
HIS PRAISE PROCLAIM…
LET THANKFUL SONGS…
YOUR TONGUES EMPLOY
OH BLESS AND
MAG-NI-FY HIS NAME…
BECAUSE THE LORD
OUR GOD IS GOOD…
HIS MERCY IS FOREVER SURE
HIS TRUTH AT ALL
TIMES FIRMLY STOOD…
AND SHALL FROM
AGE TO AGE ENDURE…
ENDURE…
PRAISE GOD FROM
WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW…
PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES
HERE… BELOW
PRAISE HIM ABOVE…
YE HEAVN’LY HOSTS…
PRAISE FATHER…
SON… AND… HOLY GHOST
A-A-MEN A-A-MEN
A-A-MEN
PRAISE GOD FROM
WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOOOOW…
PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES
HERE BELOW…
PRAISE HIM ABOVE
YE HEAVENLY HOSTS…
PRAISE FATHER…SON…
AND… HO-LY GHOOOOST
PRAISE FATHER SON…
PRAISE FATHER SON…
PRAISE FATHER SON…
A-ND…
HO-LY GHOOOOOST
AAAAAA-MEN
******
PLEASE…
JOIN WITH ME…NOW…
AS WE ENTER
GOD’S GLORIOUS PRESENCE…
…and…
prepare ourselves to receive from HIS WORD…
***
MUSIC: CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
WHEN I LOOK BACK
On WHAT I THOUGHT
WAS LIVIN
I’M AMAZED AT THE PRICE
I CHOSE TO PAY
AND TO THINK
I IGNORED WHAT REALLY MATTERED
CAUSE I THOUGHT THE SACRIFICE
WOULD BE TOO GREAT
But WHEN I FINALLY REACHED THE POINT
OF GIVIN IN
I FOUND THE CROSS WAS CALLING
EVEN THEN
EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK DYING TO SURVIVE
I NEVER FELT SO MUCH ALII-IVE
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
AND YET I LIVE
NOT I BUT CHRIST THAT LIVES WITHIN ME
HIS CROSS WILL NEVER ASK FOR MORE
THAAAN I CAN GIVE
FOR IT’S NOT MY STRENGTH BUT HIIIS
THERE’S NO GREATER SACRIFIIICE
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIIIST
AND YET I LIVE
AS I HEAR THE SAVIOR CALL
FOR DAILY DYIN
I WILL BOW BENEATH THE WEIGHT OF CALVARY
THEN MY HANDS SURRENDER TO
HIS PIERCING PURPOSE
THAT HOLDS ME TO THE CROSS
YET SETS ME FREE
I WILL GLORY IN THE POWER OF THE CROSS
THE THINGS I THOUGHT WERE GAIN
I COUNT AS LOSS
AND THRU THE SUFFERING I - IDENTIFY
AND BY HIS RESURRECTION POWER
I AM ALIIIVE
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
AAAND YET I LIVE
NOT I BUT CHRIST THAT LIVES WITHIN ME
HIS CROSS WILL NEVER ASK FOR MORE
THAAAN I CAN GIVE
FOR IT’S NOT MY STRENGTH BUT HIIIS
THERE’S NO GREATER SACRIFIIICE
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIIIST
AND YET I LIVE
AND I WILL OFFER ALL I HAAVE
SO THAT HIS CROSS IS NOT IN VAIN
FOR I’VE FOUND TO LIVE AS CHRIST
AND TO DIE IS TRULY GAIN
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
AND YET I LIIVE
NOT I BUT CHRIST THAT LIVES WITHIN MEEEE
HIS CROSS WILL NEVER ASK FOR MORE
THAN I CAN GIVE
FOR IT’S NOT MY STRENGTH BUT HIIIS
THERE’S NO GREATER SACRIFIIICE
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIIIST AND YET I LIIIIIVE
FOR I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIIIIST AND YET I LIIIIIIVE
*****
MY FRIENDS… TODAY…WE WILL CONTINUE FINDING OUT
EVEN
MORE ABOUT THE POWER …THAT…
JESUS WALKED IN
…AND…
THAT… WE WERE GIFTED BY GOD…WITH…
AT OUR CREATION
…AND…THEN…ACTIVATED…
WHEN WE MAKE JESUS LORD OF OUR LIVES…
MY DEAR FRIENDS…
WE WERE AND STILL ARE…
A PART OF GOD…
WE ARE SPIRITUALLY MADE UP FROM GOD’S DNA…
WE… ARE HIS ESSENCE…
WE ARE PART… OF… HIS LIFE FORCE.
MY FRIENDS…WE…ARE ALL …GOD-BREATHED !
LISTEN…
FROM THE TIME …THAT…
WE ARE GIVEN LIFE…
BY GOD’S LIFE-FORCE-BREATH…
THAT…LIFE-FORCE BREATH CONTINUES TO RESIDE WITHIN US…
ALL OF OUR BREATH… AFTER THAT…IS STILL GOD’S…
SO…
EVERY BREATH WE TAKE…
IS GOD’S BREATH…
ALL OF OUR SPEAKING… EVERY WORD WE SAY…
IS ON GOD’S BREATH…
BECAUSE ADAM THE FIRST OF
MANKIND…WAS DECEIVED BY THE
ENEMY…SATAN
WE NOW
abide under the
rules and regulations of the enemy…
YOU SEE…
OUR MINDS
ARE BLINDED BY THE PICTURES… THAT…
THE
ENEMY PAINTS FOR US TO SEE…
WITH
OUR PHYSICAL EYES…HERE IN THE NATURAL REALM…
THAT…WE’RE
BORN INTO…
PLEASE NOTE THIS:
THE ENEMIES PICTURES… EXIST ONLY IN HIS DOMAIN…
KNOWN AS THE NATURAL REALM…
IT’S THE PHYSICAL … ATMOSPHERIC REALM…
THAT …
WE’RE BORN INTO…HERE ON EARTH!
THE ENEMY WORKS DILIGENTLY… SO THAT…
WE WON’T KNOW WHO WE REALLY ARE
…AND…
WHAT POWER WE REALLY HAVE…
TODAY…we will be BE LOOKING EVEN MORE DEEPLY
INTO THE RESURRECTION LIFE…AS
WE DELVE INTO
DYING TO SELF…
…AND…
IT’S IMPORTANCE TO OUR LIFE
According
to the Bible… all bondage… or… limitations put on our freedom…
and… ability to grow in the
knowledge of God…
come from one source… the FEAR of DEATH.
Hebrews 2:14 and 15 tell us…
Since
the children have flesh and blood… he too shared in their
humanity… so that… by
his death… he might destroy him…
who holds the power of death…that is… the
devil…
…and…
free those… who…
all their lives… were held in
slavery… by their
fear of death
****
So it is only logical…that…
In order to expand our freedom…
to
love… and… serve… we must overcome the
fear of death… in all of its forms
Our EVIDENCE:
Romans 7:6
But
now… by dying to what once bound us…
(the law)… we have been released from the law…
so that…
we serve in the new way…
of the Spirit
… and…
NOT… in the old way of the written code...
2 Corinthians 4:10-12
says…
We always carry
around in our body… the dying of Jesus…
so that…
the life of Jesus… may also be…
revealed… in our
body…
For we who are alive… are always…
being given over to death… for Jesus’
sake… so that…
his life…may be revealed in our mortal body…
So then… death is at work in us… but… LIFE… is at work in YOU…
2 Corinthians 6:4…5A … and 9B…TELLS US…
Rather… as servants of God…
we commend ourselves in every way…
in great endurance…
in troubles… hardships …and…distresses…
in beatings… imprisonments… and… riots…
dying…
and…YET… we live on…
***
Our faith in the resurrection power of God… in Christ Jesus…
will
enable US…
to put to death…
anything in the flesh…
that’s limiting our ability… to love… and… serve God.
Nothing else… that… we believe…
will help us… as much as…
recognizing that… whatever we give up… or… put to death…
God will resurrect …into something far more beneficial…
*****
We must shed the old… and… TRUST
…that…
God will give us something
better in its place
****
We must believe …that…
His creativity… and… resourcefulness…
IS…
sufficient
to provide what we need…
****
AS WE CLOSED LAST WEEK…WE LEARNED
… THAT…
The last stage of the pattern…THAT…
Christ
gave US…
IS…
what we called
“THE LIFESTYLE OF GRACE.”
As we continually live in humility…
acknowledging our weaknesses… and… the infirmity of our flesh…
WE are transformed more… and… more…
by Grace … into the LIKENESS of our Lord… and…
Savior…We live… AS…
Those who have been purchased with the price …of HIS LIFE
… and…
WE…allow HIM to live HIS LIFE IN US…
Through Our Obedience…
*****
WE can face our lives with joy…
knowing that …Our God … and…Our Lord…
will give us GRACE to overcome our trials
… and… Resurrection Power… to be raised
from the various…
“deaths”… we’re called to DIE…to…
WHILE HERE ON THIS EARTH
…SO…
LET’S LOOK INTO THAT SOMEWHAT
SPOOKY
SOUNDING TOPIC OF
DYING TO SELF…
AS WE SEE
The Power of Christian
Living
*****
…NOW…
The essence of a being's "existence" …
has to do with the fact…
that… he’s a
"living reality" …
If a person no longer has or exhibits the functions of vitality…
they are said to“no longer exist.”
So… the essence of “death”
IS
the absence of “life”
… therefore… when
one dies… “one
ceases to exist.”
To carry these statements into the
spiritual realm…
we see that… when someone
“spiritually dies- to self…”
SELF ceases to exist –
THAT-IS…
SELF IS NO LONGER THE REASON… FOR ONE’S EXISTENCE…
This means that…the individual…is no longer concerned with…
“his or her… own will… or…happiness…”
Because… he is no longer in the picture...
no longer the center of his own little universe...
he no longer continues to arrange the world around himself.
Actually…once one realizes that he has died to self…
he should realize that to the world…
he HAS already died physically… and… gone to heaven…
IN ****REALITY****
he is only still here waiting for
Jesus
to bring him his glorified body so he can go on home.
The individual who “dies to self” understands…that…
God created him for a reason…
that…he is a part of God’s plan… for the world…
Now…to be used of God…one
must understand the
essence of who he now
really IS…
and how
it is… that… God can use him.
Every genuine child of
God wants to be used by God…
to accomplish His purposes in the world
…
Jesus said…
“By THIS…My FATHER IS GLORIFIED… that YOU bear much fruit
… and… so…
prove to be My disciples”
(John 15:8)
That’s the essence of God’s plan …
OUR EVIDENCE:
we are saved…
to bear fruit… created in Christ Jesus…
for good works…
(Eph 2:10)
So…we
bear fruit… when Christ lives His life…
IN
and THROUGH US…
OUR
EVIDENCE is found in
John 15:5 and Gal 2:20
The apostle Paul said…
“For me… to live IS CHRIST
… and…
to die… is gain”
(Phil 1:21)
The Lord wants us to live a godly and spiritually productive happy life…
The world’s philosophy says LIVE FOR SELF... but God’s Word says DIE TO SELF!
Many people came to Jesus
and asked to be His disciples… but…
most of them turned away… because… they
weren’t
willing to give themselves to Christ… for example…
make themselves a
“slave of Christ” …
As recorded for EVIDENCE in Luke 14:26 and 33…
Luke 16:13…
Rom 12:1…
1Cor 6:19-20… and…
1 Pet 1:18-19.
Jesus said…
“He who loves his father or mother…
or…
himself more than Me…he is not worthy of Me”
(Matt 10:37-39).
THEN…PAUL said…
“I have been crucified with Christ…
it is no longer I …who lives… but…
Christ lives in me”
(Gal 2:20).
I have found that what C. S. Lewis’ literary demon
character…
“Screwtape”… said…is really something very insightful …
in regard to
the way people handle crises…
He
tells his young nephew… that …humans…
rarely pray for the thing God wants them
to pray for …
they
simply want enough Grace to see them
through some moment or time of
trouble...
they
conjure up a vision of the future they want…
and…appeal to…or… BEG
GOD…for that outcome…
to be sent from heaven to fix their dilemma.
He
went on to say…They persist in wrapping
their anxious hands around life’s steering wheel
…as if “it’s going to work
this time if only they clutch it
more tightly.”
The most difficult prayer for us
to voice IS…
“Not my will… BUT… Thine be done.”
Our
conversations with God… CONTINUALLY leap…
over our intellectual resolve… not to
“ask for stuff…”
and…they land
squarely… on the bargaining and pleading table.
The
best we seem to be able to do… IS… arrive at a compromise…
between …what we know to be right intellectually
…
and…
the howl of protest…that lies within us.
My friends…Obedience isn’t easy.
Sometimes our carnal mind doesn’t like the idea
of God having His way… and US obeying it …
YOU SEE…it’s the nature of man…
to “want things to go
his way.”
When things don’t go as we
planned...
When it rains on our parade...
When someone says something un-becoming to us...
When our world turns upside down...
When difficulties and circumstances… tax us too GREATLY...
When we get turned down for a promotion...
When we don’t get what We worked so hard to acquire
…WELL THEN…
the long and short of it all…IS…
“It bothers us deeply!”
“It rubs us the wrong way!”
“It makes us
angry!”
But…Here’s the real rub:
Just because we are living a life
of obedience…
doesn’t automatically make our situation better…
Most believers think… that… by
being obedient…
the clouds will go away… and skies
will turn blue...
LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES…
Their financial problems will
disappear…
and… Their little nest egg… will grow again...
Their physical infirmities will go away… and…
Their health… will once again return.
Now…Sometimes these things may happen…
that
is…IF you become born again
…and…
IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION POWER OF GOD
… and…
IF YOU just mouth the words … or have a convoluted idea of SALVATION
…then…
At
other times…the items I just shared with you a minute ago…
don’t work…
SO… GOD GETS
THE BLAME FOR THE SEEMING
UNANSWERED PRAYER…
DELIVERED FROM AN ANGRY… DISAPPOINTED HEART
… BUT…
Is God still good? Absolutely.
This we will… also… conclude:
Being in God’s will is far better than being outside of His will.
The
secret to a “joy-filled
life” doesn’t lie in
the absence of pain… or… in demanding our own
way…
but …in “dying to self”… and… embracing God’s will.
Submission
to the will of God…
in your prayer-life… can be expressed effectively
in words
like these:
“Father… You understand my heart…
my needs… and my prayer…
better than I understand them myself...
You know that my spiritual needs…
far outweigh any physical… or…
temporary needs… that… I
may have
… and…
I know that Your will.. being done in my life…
will give
meaning… purpose… and fulfillment…
beyond anything I could ask… or…
understand.”
Well OK…let’s get down to it…
What Does it Mean to Die to Self?
Jesus described the “dying to self” process…
(“denying self”) as part of
following Him …
“If anyone wishes to come after Me…
he must deny himself… and… take up his cross…
and… follow Me”
(Matt 16:24)
He then… went on to say… that… “dying to self” IS
actually
a positive…NOT a negative:
“For… whoever wishes to save his life… will lose it…
BUT…whoever loses his life… for My sake… will find it!”
(Matt 16:25)
In dying to the self-life we
discover an “abundant life”…
by depending on God… who is our only source
of supply
… and…
provides much more than we can imagine.
Jesus put it this way:
“Unless
a grain of wheat falls into the earth
… and dies…
It remains alone
…but…
IF it dies… it bears much fruit”
John 12:24… and…
Gal 5:22-23
Part of the life we discover when
we give our lives to Christ…
is freedom from a life of self-obsession… WITH THIS FREEDOM…
we experience the joy of Christ
… and…
WE become more accepting… generous… and… loving… of others.
So…
when we die to self… we set aside …“our wants and
desires”
…and instead… focus on
loving God… and…
valuing others… as highly as
we value ourselves
(Matt 22:37-39)
This moves us away from… “self-centeredness”
…and…
more open… to being
a follower of Christ …
who cares deeply for others …
It’s
much easier to pay attention to the concerns…
interests… and… needs of other
people…
AS
we’re told in Phil 2:vs’s 3-4… when we are no longer
obsessed with our own interests.
However…Dying to self is something that we Christians still …
find hard to do.
In this world… where there is pressure on all sides…
to
replace the love of God for something lesser… to die to oneself is something that
nearly every believer is adversed to doing…
Since…
we live in a world of instant gratification…
dying to oneself is a concept that’s
both foreign and
un-acceptable.
Yet… this is one thing that Jesus insisted upon.
Essentially… the Christian life… is an ongoing process
of dying to self and living for Christ …
Seeking His will …
kingdom… and righteousness… rather than our own.
HOWEVER… as fallen humans… we’re
hard-wired
to seek our own will above anyone
else’s...
WE want our way in life... …and…
WE
ALL… have a tendency to see things from our point of view…
and… define the world…by how we physically see it.
Although
most people deny their own
self-centeredness…
MAN…
by nature …is very much self-centered …and…
self-interested.
We were not born good…
or …“others oriented.”
Our fall from grace… stemmed from…
“wanting to be like God”
Gen 3:5
As
a result…a lot of the aspects of pride… that… characterized the
first man… also…
characterize US
... And…
“PRIDE” keeps us from receiving God’s love …
WE ARE SO FULL OF OURSELVES
… that…
We’re
inclined to think…that… our need for God…
isn’t
that great.
Because…
we are proud… WE chase after other lovers…
in an effort to please ourselves …
and…
That’s the essence of idolatry!
Idolatry takes many forms …
A relationship we value more than God…
The desire for material wealth…
that’s greater
than our love for God…
The desire to draw attention to ourselves…
Rather than directing the attention of others toward God.
The world is full of idols that de-throne God from our hearts...
Anything
that causes one to have a “self-focus”…
rather than a
“God-focus”… is a form of pride…
and… is
abhorrent
to God.
The
two things that keep us from God…
and… the two main reasons why we need to die to ourselves are:
PRIDE (Self) and
IDOLATRY (Desires)
So…The would-be… disciple… must “deny himself…” that is…
he must disregard his own interests… and… die to the
willful… selfish
…and…
sinful parts of himself...
He must let go of his plans… and…what he wants to do…
The
issue of dying
to self …IS…
a process of
stripping away layers of sin… encrusted with selfishness…
It’s an integral part of the process of sanctification.
It
was the disciples natural instinct to preserve their own lives…
that… caused them to flee from Christ… at His arrest
… BUT…
self-preservation results in… spiritual loss…
As we see in Luke 9:24-25...
24 For whoever desires to save his life… will lose it…
BUT…
Whoever loses his life for My sake… will save it.
25 For… what profit is it to a man…
IF… he gains the whole world… and… is himself destroyed …or… lost?
The
disciples learned that the Christian life… is
not about us …
it’s all about Christ... it’s about putting God’s will…
over our will...
It’s about putting… Christ
first above everything else…
no matter
what it costs …US...
It’s the realization
… that…
WE are His
servants… and… our goal… is to live for Him…
and… glorify Him… in everything
we do…
When
we came to Christ… we chose to make Him our Lord… and
invited Him to come live in US
…
IN doing so… we chose to GIVE UP OUR WILL …for His WILL….
Since we chose to become His Child and serve HIM
… then…
WE MUST… DIE TO
OURSELVES
every day… every hour…
every minute… every second…
The greatest hope for each of us… as believers… IS …
To die to self…
… that…
WE might live for CHRIST
LISTEN…
Dying
to self
is never portrayed in Scripture…
as something “optional” in the Christian life.
As believers we are to “take up our cross
daily”
and follow Christ.
It’s our “daily cross” that makes us weep…more than any other thing...
THAT… makes us cry out… like Jesus… “Father… why is this?”...
THAT… causes us to run to Christ…and… put our arms around Him...
THAT makes us sick of earth…and… self
... and…
THAT gives us a longing for heaven.
Paul said:
“I die every day!”
(1 Cor 15:31)
SO THEN…the goal of death to self
… and…
daily cross-bearing …IS… “fellowship with Christ.”
The goal of LIFE…for the believer …IS… to “seek God”
… and…
make Him their ALL IN ALL… their LAST AND FINAL END.
Here are five suggestions
on how we can
successfully embrace the cross…
1. Humiliation – This is the essence of the Christ-life. Here… God uses reproaches… abuse… poverty… loneliness… persecution… distress… seeming failure… disappointments… and…the like.
These things succeed… when they cause US… to lose our own will… and… let God take charge.
2. Rejecting the praise of men – Self… thrives on praise… and… adulation…
Self-esteem is the hotbed of the Self-life.
3. Embracing simplicity and child-likeness …
Self feeds on things grand and glorious…
Christ-likeness… is…
Child like… and… simple...
4. Living by pure
faith… Self depends on outward assurances…
Living by PURE FAITH… TRUSTS the Word of God…
Even when there’s no indication of God’s presence or blessing
5. Seeking our nothing-ness
…and…
His ALL-ness
WE MUST… make a daily habit …to… distrust ourselves…
Our Own Wisdom…
and… Our OWN Strength…
and…
LOOK TO
CHRIST ALONE…For what we need…
How Does One Die to Self?
Well…As I keep saying… IT’S NOT AN EASY TASK !
Since we are embracing ethics… that… are foreign
to our
very nature
… and…
Are NOT of our own making… (they belong to Jesus)…
YOU SEE…Dying to self …
MORE OFTEN than NOT…
involves A REAL
FIGHT…
when we try to surrender
…our will… to the will of God
Our EVIDENCE:
Gal 5:17 and…
Eph 5:12...
However…
God gives sufficient
Grace…
to those who fight the good fight …
As EVIDENCED IN …
John 15:7…
1 Cor 10:13…
2 Cor 12:9…
Eph 3:16…
Phil
4:13…
Col 1:9-11…
1Tim1:18…
Heb 4:15-16…and…
1 John 5:4…
By
the way… we will never be able to die to ourselves
UNLESS… we’re convinced…
That… serving the flesh… (our sin
nature)… IS…
totally unprofitable.
We have to see… that… it has absolutely NO WORTH.
We need to come to detest its very presence.
On the other hand…
WE MUST come to LOVE…THE SPIRIT’S WAYS
WE’RE… TO SEE… THE GLORIOUS WORK OF THE SPIRIT…
IN CONTRAST TO THE FLESH...
By seeing their contrasting ways…
we will hate one… and… Love the other
(Matt 6:24)
We
refuse to serve our own self preferences
and…
become COMPLETELY and…TOTALLY LOYAL…
to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives…
In
your quiet moments…
talk to God and ask Him to reveal those areas of your life…
that… you need to submit to Him...
Ask Him for the GRACE to help you surrender those areas of your life
... and…
ask
Him for the GRACE
to help you believe and deliver you from
YOUR
UNBELIEF
(Mark 9:24)
The truths gleaned from Romans 6-8… are critical
for establishing…
a strong Christian life...
Paul applies the pattern of Christ's
life to our Christian lives
and in so doing… Paul enables us
to get a grasp of this through the picture of baptism … the down and up of it.
You see… Baptism doesn't mean to sprinkle…
It means to IMMERSE.
A Christian
doesn’t merely acknowledge that
Jesus IS THE CHRIST…
he also FOLLOWS CHRIST.
He acknowledges both the value of
what Christ has done on the cross
… and…
The Importance OF HOW Jesus redeemed US.
We usually focus on what Christ has accomplished
through
His death…
Actually… Paul speaks clearly of this
in chapters 3 and 4 of Romans.
Chapter 5…
however… develops the basis of OUR UNION with CHRIST
We are UNITED with Christ by our faith.
Starting in chapter 6… we see how
this identification with Christ…
affects our life.
The picture of baptism includes three aspects:
1. The going down…
2. Being under …and…
3. The rising up.
We might think of rinsing a cloth… We take it from the air…
submerge it under water… and…
then… bring it up… out…
to be used…
Humility speaks of the first two steps.
Many BELIEVERS would
like to avoid the implications of
these first two very important steps.
What they want… is to
claim to have eternal life…
with NO sense
of repentance … NO dying.
They haven’t died to themselves.
This concept is key to living a fulfilled Christian life...
BUT…we seem to have a problem…
Paul seems to have discovered a group of people…
that
claim Christ's death… but deny any real identification
with Christ…
in the death process.
So…according to them…
Christ merely paid for their sins as some
historical fact… (which it was… of
course)… and …
past that…they want to forget about their close identification
with Christ…
in the process…
If we consider Christ's
death to be so all important
…(and
it is)… then we need to realize its effect on our lives.
When Jesus died… He not only bore our sins… BUT
…
He also… was… in a final way… saying "NO"
to sin.
After
death… sin had no part of His life… He had no earthly flesh…
that begged to be
given special preference…
So…WE…
as HIS disciples… must identify with
Christ's death and resurrection.
We
must say "NO" to our
former allegiance to sin…
through our faith… and… "YES" to our allegiance to
Christ.
We
now have a new focus on life…and… because of this
new allegiance… we are not to
sin… BUT…to live
for God.
For the death that He died… He died to sin… once for all
… BUT…
The life that He lives… He lives to God.
Even so… consider yourselves to be dead to sin
… BUT…
Alive to God… in Christ Jesus.
Therefore… DO NOT… let SIN reign in your mortal body
… that…
You should obey its lusts…
(Romans 6:10-12)
So…what about Pride?
Hate it!
When…We refuse to serve our own self
preferences…
and…we become totally loyal to the Holy Spirit's work in
our lives…
That old fiend…Pride… Of course… comes nosing around…
We can’t rid ourselves of the flesh on this earth…
This is what Jesus referred to in Roman’s 6:10 when he says…
"Consider yourselves to be dead to sin."
It’s still there… If we’re not cautious… we will end up serving it.
BUT… we don't have to.
By voiding our allegiance
to our flesh… we can… by Christ's Grace…
be set free to serve only Christ.
So…How do we void our
former allegiance to our flesh?
Well…Paul says death is the only means…
and he
explains it very specifically in
Romans 7:1-6.
The point IS…
… that…
UNLESS we are absolutely
convinced…that…
the flesh is a destroyer… we will continue to listen to it …and…
follow it.
We will… in essence… continue to serve it.
As Christians…
we are technically free…
from its rule over us… but… we still can fall into
serving the old self.
SO THEN…THE FOLLOW UP QUESTION IS…
Whether we really hate the flesh. Are we really convinced?
Paul… convincingly set
forth this case…
in the last part of chapter 7 and… the early part of chapter 8…
in the book of Romans.
Whenever he would go by
the old nature…
he would serve his own self and bear evil results. But…
he
wanted to serve Christ …(Romans 7)…
which brings forth the fruit of the Spirit.
(See Galatians 5 for your evidence).
The flesh always brings about death because it’s hostile to God…
(Romans 8).
So…We
ought NOT…live for our bodies… We
don’t need to
live
for ourselves.
We need to humble ourselves…
by stating that
serving ourselves is NOT
good.
In a sense… this is what 'dying to self' essentially means.
We recognize serving self
is NO GOOD… and …so…
we choose to serve the Spirit.
These chapters provide a
lot of help in
convincing us of the horrible nature of
the flesh…
and… the marvelous glory of the
Spirit.
Commitment to saying "NO" to the old nature comes
only as much as:
1) we are sure of the old nature's total rebellion against God… and…
2) we desire to serve the Spirit.
You see…our growth comes… as we
recognize the complete
rebellious nature of the flesh… and…
the power of the new
life… through the life of Christ.
So…Dying
to self means…
simply…
a mental check on our determination
NOT
to live for oneself and… to live ONLY for
Christ.
Paul… in 1 Corinthians 15:31 says…
"I die daily."
So we can see that this…is a regular battle… A daily battle.
PauL…
as a veteran apostle… witnessing many miracles…
seeing a revelation of Christ… still had to personally
die to himself.
We do too.
WE …quite simply… can’t afford NOT to.
Here is a possible prayer for your early morning meditation.
"Dear Lord… my allegiance to You… will be tested today…
Right now… I am stating my faithfulness to you…
You are the One I love forever.
At the same time… I will clearly state… that…
I want nothing to do with serving my self.
I have had enough to do with that
selfish ego…
of mine…. That… tries to get all the attention it can.
Your principles of love… and…
giving…
are what I want.
Radiate in my life… through acts… and…
words
of kindness…
Forgive me… of my sin and… cleanse me.
I make myself totally empty of
self… so that…
You can fill me… with your precious Holy Spirit…
Lead me forth…
I will follow in your humble paths of love."
The Christian needs to: acknowledge the flesh…
declare its lousy nature…
reject its promptings…
acknowledge the Lord's presence…
acknowledge the beautiful nature of the Spirit… and
affirm one's total heart and will… to the Spirit's leading.
Christian life is based on humble living my friends.
When we are willing to humble ourselves
by looking at the
facts of what self-service does…
then we see that we are willing to walk in
that path…
MY FRIENDS…REMEMBER THIS…
Jesus… The Christ… and…HIS RESURRECTION
is
THE … MOST IMPORTANT FACT of The…
LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST…
SO…OUR LIVING IN
THE POWER OF
HIS RESURRECTION
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT KEY
TO
ENJOYING THE ABUNDANT LIFE THAT
HE PROMISED US IN HIS WORD…
****
MUSIC:: Love Came for Me
If-You had not come
Tender baby King
And - humbly left Your throne
To reach someone like me
If You had not walked
Upon this broken ground
Where on earth would I… be now?
If You had not come
If You had not come
To seek the sick and lame
To set the captive free
To break the prisoners chains
I’d still be in the dark
Grappling for the door
Longing for some way… somehow
but…
Love came for me
Love rescued me
Love called my name
Love took my place
Sweet Lamb of God
I’m bow-in do-wn
My eyes have seen
I’m finally free
Love came… for - me
If You had not come
Willing, spotless Lamb
My-sin would be too much
For-You to take me as I am
But, oh, the blood of Christ
That washes over me
Flowing from Your hands-your feet
I-Don’t have to worry where.. I’d be
Cause…
Love came for me
Love rescued me
Love called my name
Love took my place
Sweet Lamb of God
I’m bowin down
My eyes have seen
I’m finally free
Love came… for me
This manger King
My everything
Love came…… for me
*****
My friends...
If it’s your desire…To dwell in...
the miraculous presence of Jesus…
our Lord and Savior...
If you desire to “BE” IN CHRIST...
and…FUNCTION IN
His marvelous wisdom...
AND HIS DUNAMIS…
(EXTREME POWER)
you must give your life to Him…and die to…SELF…
It’s very simple and pain free.
Just repeat this prayer...
Lord Jesus...I come to you as a sinner
and surrender my life to you.
I believe that you are the
Only begotten Son of God…
I believe that you died for me AS ME…
and… set me free for all eternity…
from all my sin…
I believe that on the third day…
you rose from the dead…
and… now…sit at the right hand
of God the Father…As the
scriptures give
us Evidence…
Please …Take over my life
and cleanse me of all
unrighteousness.
I receive you as my
Lord and Savior.
I renounce the devil...
and all sin…
Lord...I eagerly and gladly
receive from you...
the gift of righteousness…
total forgiveness of all my sins...
past… present… and… future...
Divine Health…
wholeness and restoration to
THE BLESSING...
Your Protection… direction...
Your Provision …
your peace...and…
the gift everlasting life.
I am yours...
Come into my heart…
and… take over my life!
In Jesus’ powerful and mighty name
I pray... AMEN!
IF you prayed that prayer with me
and believe what you
prayed…
you have come…from… being… just a
Creation…
INTO BEING …
A Child of God
Welcome to the family of God!
PARTAKING OF
HOLY COMMUNION
BRINGS HEALING TO OUR BODIES
AND MINDS…
...HOWEVER…
WE HAVE TO PREPARE…
BEFORE… PARTAKING.
THE WORD OF GOD TELLS US THAT…FIRST…
WE MUST …
DESCERN THE BODY OF CHRIST.
WE MUST
ACKNOWLEDGE
AND BELIEVE…THAT…
FOOD ITEM WE’RE USING
AS THE BODY OF CHRIST
…IS…THE…
VIBRANCY OF… THE LIFE OF JESUS…
HIS SUPERNATURAL HEALING AND WHOLENESS
You can think of it as
a pill …
that PILL IS…
glowing with the Sheekinah glory of God…
It’s healing you as it travels through
your mouth and down into your body…
It’s pushing out all darkness
which is SICKNESS AND
DIS-EASE
and
it’s doing it from… the inside out.
NOW…formulate this picture…
What ever is ailing you…
is on Jesus’ body.
Put those ailments on Him…
There’s
no room for your feelings of guilt…
because he already took that sickness…
and…dis-ease at the cross.
So…Use your Imagination and…
Spiritual Visualization!
****
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
THE ENEMY…IS…TRYING
TO TRICK YOU INTO
TAKING SICKNESS
BY DECIEVING YOU…
INTO THINKING YOU’VE GOT
IT…
USING LYING SYMPTOMS!
BUT… SINCE JESUS TOOK ALL SICKNESS AND DIS-EASE
AT THE CROSS...
YOU ARE ALREADY HEALED…
MADE WHOLE…AND…
COMPLETELY RESTORED TO
GOD’S
DIVINE DESIGN.
SO…
PICTURE YOURSELF WITH THE SOLUTION…
SEE YOURSELF WITHOUT THE PROBLEM.
Begin using Spiritual Visualization in concert
with your imagination…
It’s vital you begin doing this.
***
THEN… NEXT WE …
DESCERN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.
MY FRIENDS…
WE DISCERN THE BLOOD OF JESUS…AS…
THE
FORGIVENESS OF ALL SIN... PAST...
PRESENT AND FUTURE.
JESUS SAID… AS HE HUNG ON THE CROSS…
“FORGIVE THEM… FOR THEY KNOW NOT… WHAT THEY DO.”
WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN OF ALL SIN… PAST…PRESENT…
AND FUTURE…
ALL MEANS ALL MY FRIENDS!
SO…
DESCERN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST…
AS…
RESTORATION OF THE BLESSING
TO YOUR LIFE...
THE
RE-EMPOWERMENT OF THE RESURRECTION POWER OF GOD…THAT…
UP UNTIL YOUR NEW BIRTH
WAS LAYING DORMANT WITHIN YOU…
IS NOW RE-EMPOWERED WITHIN YOU… with all of it’s giftings…
AND…
THE AUTHORITY OF GOD… IN YOUR LIFE…
IN FULL AND TOTAL OPERATION.
DECERN THE BLOOD…AS
RECEIVING THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
FROM JESUS THE CHRIST!
BE
SURE TO THANK GOD FOR HIS PLAN OF REDEMPTION...HIS BREATH…
AND…HIS GIFTS TO US… OF…
HIS DOMINION HIS DUNAMIS… EXTREME POWER…
GOD’S RESURRECTION POWER…HIS CREATIVE ABILITY…
TO CALL THOSE THINGS THAT BE NOT… AS THOUGH
THEY WERE…
…AND…
HAVE THEM MANIFEST INSTANTLY.
GOD’S EXOUSIA AUTHORITY…
HIS PERMISSION
GIVEN
TO US…TO USE… TO SUCESSFULLY
ACCOMPLISH OUR
ASSIGNMENTS HERE ON EARTH.
DESCERN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST……AS ETERNAL LIFE…
LIFE EVERLASTING...
NOW… YOU NO LONGER LIVE UNDER THE LAW…
YOU LIVE UNDER GOD’S GRACE.
****
PLEASE MOVE your
Focus onto the elements of the Covenant…
These are items I asked you to assemble…at the beginning of our program…
FOCUS…on them…As I pray…
Heavenly Father…we come into… and dwell in…
your precious presence… as we praise you and worship you with these elements of
the covenant
We thank you… that… Your only begotten son…
Jesus…
gave his life sacrificially… AS US…Individually …
So that… we may live… and have life… more abundantly.
We thank you now… as this bread… becomes our
portion of
His Healing body… and… the vibrancy of HIS life within
us…
We thank you… that..
as we partake of the body of Christ
we become healed made whole... and… completely restored to…
God’s Divine Design.
We thank you… that… this beverage… becomes our
portion of HIS
cleansing BLOOD.
That… we are continually washed… in the waterfall…
of His precious blood…
and… renewed within…
as we practice Your presence…
remembering His act of love on the cross…
on
our behalf.
In the name above all names…the matchless
name
of Jesus…the Christ…
we pray! AMEN.
HOLY COMMUNION
The Word of God commands
us to "eat the bread and
drink the cup"
"DO THIS"… continually…
TAKE the bread…
give thanks… break it
… and…
eat it…followed by…
partaking of the Blood of Christ…
ALL…in remembrance
of Jesus…
The Lord commanded that the Supper be repeated often."
Yet… Paul… doesn’t give us instruction as to how
frequently the Lord's
Supper is to be celebrated.
He implies…
that it’s to be done frequently…so that…
Partaking of the
Lord's Supper
continually Recalls to our mind…our redemption by Christ…
from all sickness…
all dis-ease… and all sin.
So…My friends…
Do it as often as YOU WANT to and NEED to.
****
As we are instructed…
We
discern the Body
and the Blood of Christ …
as we prepare to partake…
On
the night that He was betrayed… the Lord Jesus took bread… and…
when He had
given thanks… He broke it… and said…
'Take…
eat… this is my body… which is broken for you'…
'Do this…in remembrance of Me.'
My Friends…
“The body of our Lord Jesus
broken for you…
so that…
you…ARE and remain…
healed… made whole… and totally
Restored to God’s
Divine Design…
In the name of Jesus the Christ we pray…” AMEN.
Partake of the Body of our Lord and Savior
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper… saying…
“This cup is the
New Covenant… in My blood.
Do this… as often as you drink it… in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup…
you proclaim the
Lord's
death until He comes"
THE BLOOD
OF OUR LORD JESUS SHED FOR YOU…
DEAR FRIENDS… FOR THE REMISSION OF
ALL YOUR SINS…
Past…Present…and Future
In the name of
Jesus the Christ we pray...
AMEN
Partake of the blood of our Lord and Savior
REMEMBER…
Taking time to pray… before
reading the Bible… will make a dramatic
difference…
in how much you get out of your time in God's Word.
It invites the very power… of God… into your studying…
Enabling you to do… what you can't do…on your
own.
Prayer… takes reading God's Word… Into
a powerful
encounter with God …that… overflows… into every aspect of your life…
***************
****
DEAR FRIENDS…
THIS…IS…MY PRAYER FOR YOU
MAY YOU Remain Steeped In
GOD’S Bounty...
Love and Light!
As you walk in the Resurrection Power of
God!
Have a wonderful
LOVE-filled
weekend!
GOD BLESS YOU!
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