Baptist Fellowship Church

The Messages of Christ Crucified (Part 3)

John 8:32,36

I. First Step in Deliverance

The first premise is that one who is full of self cannot be filled with the Spirit

God declares His standard for men. In 1Peter 1:15,”but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,”

How can one by holy?

The answer is found in John 8:32 and that is “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

We are saved by grace through faith. We are delivered from the self life by grace through faith. God’s way of deliverance is through death. Romans 6:6 tell us this, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

II. Dying unto Sin is not a Daily Dying

2Cor 5:14,” For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if one died for all, then all died;”
Col 3:3,” For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Romans 6:10-11,”For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Only those who reckon Christ’s death as their death experience, the crucifixion of the old man. Jesus Christ died not only for sin but also to sin. We are thus dead to sin.

There is a difference between dead to sin and sin dead to me. What is the difference between these two terms?

III. Resolving the Conflict of Duality

To help discover ourselves, ask these questions
a. Am I absolutely truthful?
b. Am I absolutely honest?
c. Am I absolutely pure?
d. Am I easily offended?
e. Am I living for something really worthwhile?

If we can’t give the right answers, we have not been delivered but are still walking after the flesh. This experience of inner conflict is a wretched state. Unless the flesh has been deposed, the Holy Spirit cannot have His way.

Is it true then that so long as we carry all these baggage we will never live the victorious life? Is it because we still walk in the flesh?

Gal 5:21,” envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Note that the emphasis here is on practice as is continually doing it. Whereas people who did but are repentant and forgiven by God’s grace and have faith in Christ will inherit the Kingdom of God. In contrast when people continue to practice these, they will not inherit the kingdom of God.

IV. God’s Solution for the Inner Conflict

What is the solution to the inner conflict?

The issue is that of choosing Christ or self. We cannot obey both the Spirit and the flesh. Galatians 5:16-17 tells of walking in the Spirit so that one shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. They are contrary to one another so that one do not do the things that one wishes. The only solution is to denounce the flesh.

One must commit the old ways to the cross. God will cause circumstances for us to surrender ourselves.

V. An Assurance of Victory in Every Situation

God will give assurance of victory in every situation In Joshua 1:5-6 God reassured the children of Israel when the came into the promise land. We are also given the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 for our victory in walking in the Spirit. This is a state of grace we need not fall. We need to surrender our “self”.

VI. Steps for the Soul Seeking the Victorious life

The three steps are:

a. Know there is a way to deliverance. God’s redemption is complete
b. Surrender - consecrate our life to Christ in total abandonment -outward cross and inward cross
c. Trust God to deliver as we yield to Him

Mr and Mrs ET Chua

This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Sermons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.