Thorns in the Flesh

SPEAKER B Jesus promised his disciples in Acts One eight, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all here and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Welcome to. You shall receive power. And here are your hosts, Ettienne McClintock and Colin Hone. SPEAKER C Greetings and a warm welcome. Thank you for tuning into the program today. It's Colin and my pleasure to have your company again. And just as we start our study we just invite you to bow with us in prayer and we'll ask God to bless us as we open his word. Gracious Father in heaven, it's always our privilege Father, to be in front of you, to learn from you, to be apprentices in this beautiful teaching school that you've given us, that You've given us the word of truth that you speak to us through and Father, your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. And as such Father, we just pray for a fresh baptism, a fresh anointing of your spirit today on Colin and myself and also to each person listening today. May we be blessed and may we have an audience today, Father, with you that will drive our relationship with you forward that we can reflect your image and your character to those around us. May we love and be loving Christians, Father, that can effectively represent you in this world is our prayer in Jesus name, amen. Right, well we are progressing quite well through this book 50 Days Prayers and Devotionals to prepare for the latter rain and Jesus Christ soon returned by Pastor Dennis Smith. And today we are looking at the lesson that comes from day 30, thorns in the Flesh. That's quite an interesting subject matter there Colin. So I'm looking forward to see how we unpack this today from the Scriptures. SPEAKER D Yeah, me too Ettienne. And where we get the word thorns in the flesh or this verse is from two Corinthians, chapter twelve, verse seven to ten. So we're going to start off and read two Corinthians, chapter twelve, verse seven to ten where Paul is talking about these thorns in the flesh that he was dealing with. SPEAKER C And I'm reading from the new King James Version here it says Unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the Revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given me a messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I be exalted above measure concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches, in needs and persecutions in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. SPEAKER D So last time we spoke about Christ giving us the victory that even though the power of our sinful nature was broken at the cross for the believer in Jesus Christ, that fact alone does not give us victory over sin. The Bible is clear of untold defeats in the Christian's life. Confirm that we do not have the ability to overcome temptation, sin, no matter how much effort we exert. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Even if we ask God to add his power to our effort, we still fail because it's our effort plus God. It's either all God or nothing. SPEAKER C That's true. If we're half alive and we say, lord, just make up my deficiency, what I mean by live is we haven't denied self fully and there's still self is still alive and we're relying on his struggle and say, lord, just give me more strength so that I can do it. It's not quite how it works. You've got to fully deny self. So Christ can be living within us. And the more we have of Christ, the more we have of his power, the more we experience his victory in our life. SPEAKER D That's right. And until we as Christians come to understand and experience what it means to let Christ give us the victory, we won't experience that consistently obedient life that Jesus desires. And so we talked about Christ living his victorious life in and through you. SPEAKER E Oh, beautiful. SPEAKER D Because he had the victory. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C Christ never lost the battle. Isn't that wonderful? SPEAKER D Yeah. And so we looked at it, is it possible? Is such a consistently obedient life really possible? Can we truly have victory over every temptation and sin in our life? SPEAKER C That's a good question. SPEAKER D That is the kind of life that God, the Bible, calls us to do. And remember we talked about the Bible verses like in Romans chapter six six, where it says, knowing this our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Or again in Romans chapter six, verse eleven and twelve, where likewise reckon yourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey its lust thereof. And Romans 614, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under the law, but under grace. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D And again we looked at One John 319, whoever abided him sins not, and whoever sin sins has not seen him, neither known him. And again in One John three nine, whoever is born of God does not commit sin, for his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. So we look at all these verses and we go, well, wow, here's the Bible saying this is possible. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And we looked at how it can happen. SPEAKER C The how is very important because if you don't understand the how. And it all happens by faith. But if you don't understand the how, you're going to live a very frustrated life. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D So we've sort of like looked at and say, this is what is possible. But then the how, let's be honest, many Christians have said it's impossible. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D And just given up. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D How it happens is very simple. We need to learn to allow Jesus to live out his life in us. And the truth set right throughout the Bible, as we discussed in our last program. And so example, like Romans 611, likewise reckon yourself dead to sin. Be alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So the secret's always been there. It's Jesus Christ. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D And asking Him to live out his life in and through us. And we looked at the steps in our last program of how to do it, to ask know. SPEAKER C It does come down to know if we so closely connected with the Lord that Christ is the one that is the source of all our motives. If he's written his laws within our hearts and our minds, the law of love, love to God is supreme and our fellow man, we will be able to walk that walk that represents the character of God as far as love to God and love to our fellow men. SPEAKER D That's how we receive Christ through faith. And it says and walk in that same faith. But Paul talks about these thorns in the flesh and I'm sure everybody, and including me and I know probably you as well, Eddie, we can relate to there's thorns in our know. And the truth of giving our will to God and trusting Him to give us the victory is presented when Paul describes his struggle with the thorn in the flesh we just talked about. Now, many things can be thorns in the flesh. Paul lists some of these infirmities reproaches, necessities, persecutions and distresses. He just said that and Paul prayed for God to remove it. But what did God say? SPEAKER C My grace is sufficient for you? SPEAKER D Basically, he said, no. Why God's grace? Like you said, God's grace was all Paul needed in order to deal with the thorn. I'll say that God's grace was all that Paul needed in order to deal with the thorn. Sorry, go ahead. SPEAKER E Sorry. SPEAKER C I was just going to say, in my understanding of it, and it's not a salvational issue, but just my reading of the Scripture, seems like Paul really struggled with his eyesight. Even in one place. He said, you would have plucked your eyes out and given it to me. And then he finished some of the letters, says, look with what big letters I'll write. So it seems like even after his conversion experience in Damascus, where he went blind and then his sight was restored, it seems like it wasn't fully restored and that was part of the thorn of the flesh. But in spite of that, all these other infirmities that it refers to being buffeted by Satan and all the other weaknesses and the reproaches, the necessities, the persecutions, the distresses, all those were with him throughout his life as well. So there's no question about that. SPEAKER D That's right. God also gives a very important truth when he says my strength is made perfect in weakness. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D See, the more weak we know ourselves to be, the sooner we stop trying to exert our puny strength to overcome a thorny temptation in our life. SPEAKER C That's an important lesson to learn. SPEAKER D And so God leaves things in our lives, I believe he leaves things because if he just had victory over everything like this snap, snap, snap, snap. We start believing that we would having the victory. SPEAKER E Okay? SPEAKER D So he leaves some thorns in our lives because why? Because sooner or later we'll begin to experience god's mighty power in our life, right? Our own exertion or effort to overcome a temptation actually gets in the way of God's power to deliver. You see, when we do that we are looking for our strength and ability to overcome, even though we think we are also depending on God's help. I mean, how much of God's help do we need? 10%, maybe 50%, maybe 90%, you know what I mean? We need God's help 100%. And God leaves some thorns in our lives to realize that that the only way this is going to happen is through you, God. SPEAKER C Yes. There's hybrid technology in some of the cars, some of them are part electric and part petrol engine. SPEAKER D Yes. SPEAKER C And we think, oh well, there's a little bit of God and a little bit of us, but really it's all God. SPEAKER D It's all God. Absolutely. So you see, when we do that we're looking at our own strength and ability to overcome, even though we think we're also depending on God's help to help us. God wants to do much more than to help us. He is the victory. Christ is our deliverance from temptation. And when we back off from such efforts and get ourselves out of the way, then Christ can begin manifesting himself in and through know. You probably heard that saying, Eddie, and you know, was it called let go and let God? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And this is what this saying means, let go and let God. I know for my life sometimes when I focus on trying to overcome the thorns in my flesh and I have some thorns in my know appetite's, one of the thorns in my flesh can relate. SPEAKER C Absolutely. SPEAKER D And so I try and make efforts to overcome, but I constantly fail. But when I ask God to have the victory or Jesus to have the victory, because Jesus had the victory over Abbottite, didn't he? He was in 40 days in the wilderness. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Didn't he? I mean, Satan comes along and says, hey, turn these stones into bread, there's some food instantly. And Jesus didn't do it. He said no. A man should live on not by. SPEAKER C What bread alone but by every word proceeds of the mouth of God. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D So he had the victory over appetite and he wants to give that victory to us. We have to turn to Jesus and ask his victory over appetite. Lord, give me your victory over appetite. So it's not I but Christ that lives in Know. SPEAKER C I've had know when you've had enough, but you just keep on feeling hungry and you just desire more food. And at times I've just had to say lord, you said if I confess my sins, you are faithful and just to forgive, not only to give, but to cleanse. All I can do at the moment is confess. I have no more strength than confessing and I will rely on that promise that you will also cleanse and take it away from me. And you know what? It happens because I believe the word of God and God will honor His Word, he will do exactly what he says he would do. SPEAKER D It sounds like you're asking Him in faith. SPEAKER C Absolutely yes. If you don't believe it it's not going to happen. Yeah because if you don't believe God you actually make Him the liar the Bible says. Now none of us deliberately would do that but that is in effect what we do when we don't believe the promises of God's Word. SPEAKER D So we believe by faith in the promises of God. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D That's the whole Hebrews chapter eleven chapter, isn't it? We believe by faith that God is able to do what he promises that he said he'll do even though it might seem an impossibility to us. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D All things are possible with God. So we've got to believe by faith that he will do what he said he would do. And so I believe that God wants to do much more than help us. He is the victory. Christ is our deliverance from temptation and when we back off some such efforts and get ourselves out of the way then we can let go and let God. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D And I believe this is why the Lord will leave some thorns of temptation in our lives. I'm sure you pray for God to remove some of these besetting sins in your life. I know I have. SPEAKER C I've had more than my fair share to be honest Colin. I just know that myself my fallen humanity is a big liability. I've got to lay that aside and thank you Jesus that it was executed at the cross. So when Christ died I can claim the fact that I died with Him and that Christ can now live in me and I can live that life of victory. But relying on myself, I know for a fact from experience it just doesn't work failure after failure and it can be discouraging, very much so. SPEAKER D They've brought discouragement and it can bring defeat in your life. But however, God does leave them there because he wants you to learn the lesson that his strength is made perfect in your weakness. So what happens is when you start beginning to experience Christ's deliverance in you, then you, along with Paul, will declare these words most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasures in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. You come to the point that you actually thank God. Paul came to the point where he could thank God for the thorns in his life. SPEAKER C Incredible. What an incredible walk and experience with the Lord. Regardless of what's going on around him, he has an inner peace because Christ is in him. SPEAKER D Yeah. And you too can come to the point that you'll actually thank God for the thorns in your life. Why? It is because of them that you've come to experience the amazing delivering power of Christ. Because of them, Christ has become even more precious to you. You have found Him giving you ever present victories over your temptations, and your praises of Him will fill your heart. I mean, you can also rejoice in the thorns because they are opportunities. They're opportunities for God's glory to shine forth through you as Christ manifests his life in and through you. They're opportunities for you to become more and more like Jesus in those areas of your life as he manifests Himself more and more in your life. And that's why James spoke of that, didn't he? In James, chapter one, verse two to four, what does he say? SPEAKER C Eddie says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. SPEAKER D Wow. And my translation says, my brethren counted all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. All right, exact knowing this, that trying of your faith work as patience or endurance, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER D So what's happening here is when you come to understand this and experience this, you then will be able to describe what Paul describes as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing in two. Corinthians, chapter six, verse ten, as sorrowful. SPEAKER C Yet always rejoicing as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. SPEAKER D It's a great promise, isn't it? So even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, you will be able to rejoice because Jesus is manifesting Himself in you. Isn't this a wonderful truth in you, the hope of glory? I mean, Jesus lived a perfect, obedient life. He never sinned. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C And it says that he condemns sin in the flesh by his perfect life. SPEAKER D Yes. And then he says, hey, listen, I want to impart my life. I want to come and dwell in you and impart my righteousness, my victories in you and through you. So who's all the glory go to? SPEAKER C Well, it goes to God. And if self is dead, self can't work. If self is dead, self can't claim any of the glory. It's all christ. SPEAKER D Well, a dead man can't. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D A dead man doesn't know anything. SPEAKER C And those righteousness which are forthy rags, if self is dead, there's no righteousness. SPEAKER D It's all christ. SPEAKER C It's all Christ's righteousness. SPEAKER E Yeah. Amen. SPEAKER D Amen. And so, you know, I'm learning this. It's been a hard journey because self wants to fight it. Your natural self wants to fight the temptations in your life, isn't it? It's a natural. SPEAKER E Absolutely. SPEAKER D Because, you know, Paul's, you know, I want to do good. I want to do I don't do. And so you want to do the right thing, but you just can't do it. And you're trying to do it in your own strength, and you fail all the time. And Jesus saying, hey, listen, I've already had the victory. Ask me, ask me. And he'll do it. Even in the most difficult circumstances, you're able to rejoice because Jesus is manifesting Himself in you. Your faith in Jesus develops as endurance that will lead to Christ manifesting Himself in you fully. This is a process. The Bible talks about sanctification being the work of a lifetime. Yes, sanctification from glory to glory, as it says in God's word, that we're transformed from glory to glory in two Corinthians 318. God's glory is his character. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D So this transformation back in the image of God is a process of us learning to let Christ manifest his glory in and through us. And so we grow into the likeness of Jesus. SPEAKER C It's a growth of continual grace. But what the beautiful thing about it is a growth of more intimacy with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we get closer and closer to the Lord, and the relationship becomes more dearer, more precious, to the point where we'd rather die than commit a known sin. SPEAKER E Wow. SPEAKER D I want to get to that point. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER C Me too. SPEAKER D The only way I can get that is to go on this process, to go on this journey with Jesus and ask Him to remove the thorns, ask Him to have the victory over the sins in my life. Full reliance on God, 100% reliance on Jesus. The only way. So Christ wants to manifest in our flesh. The Bible talks about that you are the temple of God and his desire to dwell in you and walk in you. Two. Corinthians, chapter six, verse 16. SPEAKER C It says, in what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them, I will walk among them, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. SPEAKER D Wow. So what's this promise saying there? He wants to what? SPEAKER C Dwell within us. SPEAKER D Dwell in us and walk with us. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER C To be our God and we will be his people. Which is really the covenant promise. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D So God, we are the temple of God, and God wants to dwell in the temple. Remember in the old temples that shekinah glory, God's glory, would dwell in the temple, and it would dwell in the sanctuary after the sanctuary had been cleansed of sin. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And he would dwell in the most holy place. So God has to remove sin in us for God's glory to dwell in us. SPEAKER E Yes. Interesting. SPEAKER C It says, Let them make me a sanctuary that I may tabernacle or dwell among them. Now, here in this text, it says that God will walk among them, but he says he will also dwell in them. So what we needed to learn from that was that Christ ultimately wanted to live within us, that we are his temple. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D And he wants to dwell in us. And so, just like the temple or the sanctuary in the Old Testament, in the desert, and even the temple they built, every day, there was this ongoing ceremony of sin. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D The sacrifices, sin being transferred from you into the blood of the Lamb, and then the blood was then taken into the sanctuary. And then once a year on the day of Atonement right. There was what's called the cleansing of the sanctuary, where all the sins that had been being transferred from God's people into the sanctuary through the Lamb in the blood were then removed or blotted out and removed from the sanctuary. And then God's glory would dwell in the sanctuary. Just a wonderful way of God dealing with sin so that he can ultimately do what he wants to do, is to dwell in us and be in us and live out his life in and through us. SPEAKER C What a great model to teach the plan of salvation, the science of our salvation. I'd call it. SPEAKER D Why call it God's GPS? SPEAKER C Okay. SPEAKER D God's plan of salvation because the Bible says thy way is in the sanctuary. Says God's way is in the sanctuary. It was God's way of showing us how he deals with sin and what his ultimate purpose was, was to dwell in the temple. In the New Testament, we're the temple, and God wants to remove our sins from us through the blood of Jesus. They're transferred to where? To the lamb. And Jesus taken that blood where? Into the heavenly sanctuary. SPEAKER C It was transferred from the Lamb, of course, and into the priest. And the priest is the one who would take it and actually bear it as well. And then take it into the sanctuary. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D And eventually into the most holy place once a year, where there was the removal or blotting out of sin, where it gets then transferred onto the instigator of sin that's right at the end, the scapegoat escape. That's right. So we are the temple of God, and he desires to dwell in us and walk with us. See, Jesus wants to live out his life in you and in me. He wants to manifest all his virtues, character and obedience in and through you and me. And if you choose to turn from your temptations and trust Him to manifest Himself, he will. In fact, he'll become so much such a part of your mind and life that Christ, through you, will once again manifest in the flesh. In your flesh. And I want to fill up this little part segment with this beautiful, beautiful quote by Ellen White from The Desire of Ages, page 668. SPEAKER E Yeah, okay. SPEAKER C And it says, all true obedience comes from the heart. It was hard work with Christ, and if we consent, he will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity with his will, that when obeying Him, we shall but be carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing his service. When we know God, as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ. Through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us. SPEAKER D Isn't that a wonderful promise? SPEAKER C Oh, incredible. SPEAKER D Sin will become hateful to us. But how? Just says the answer again. She gives the answer through an appreciation of the character of Christ. Remember, Jesus says, if I be lifted up and I'll draw all men to me. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D As we see the character of God demonstrated with his love on that cross, we look unto that cross. And Jesus says if we look unto that cross, he'll draw us to Him. And through commune with Him, sin will become hate. SPEAKER C For know the cross is the clearest revelation of the love of God for fallen humanity, for the ungodly, for sinners, for his enemies. And it's interesting that the justice of God is actually the point where the love of God is more clearly portrayed than anywhere else. SPEAKER D So all true obedience comes from where the heart? That's what she just said. And she says, and it was heartwar with Christ. And here's the key, if we consent. So there's the whole thing that God's going to do all these things. But there's a condition. If is a conditional word, isn't it? SPEAKER C Absolutely is. SPEAKER D Yeah. God says the Bible, if my people pray, if we confess our sins, if you do this, God will do that. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D It's conditional. SPEAKER E Yeah, that's right. SPEAKER D Our part is if we just got to consent. And if we consent and ask Him. SPEAKER C Our part is the easy part. I mean, if you look at Jesus and all the hard work he had to do to save us, I mean, that's incredible. That's superhuman. SPEAKER D But it does seem hard for us because it's hard for us because we don't want to let go of the old man. We don't want to let go of self because self is fighting against this promise. Our sinful flesh is fighting against this promise. But it's simple. If you surrender and if you consent, jesus says he'll do all the rest. He'll do it if we consent. SPEAKER C There is a hostility, there is an enmity in our flesh. Romans, chapter eight, verse seven, says that the carnal mind or the fleshly mind, the word sarks, it just means the flesh is hostile towards God. It's not subject to the Lord God, nor indeed can it be. So what God has to do, he's got to soften our hearts and draw us by Christ being lifted up so that we actually then desire the righteousness that he offers us. But it is a work. And some people will actually rise up against this beautiful message simply because the flesh is allowed to continue to run its course. But ultimately Christ has come so he can conquer the flesh and the desires of the flesh and give us the victory and the salvation through Jesus Christ. SPEAKER D Well, you only rise up against it if you don't believe in God's promises. Which is what? A lack of faith? You don't believe that he said what he'll do even though it seems impossible? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D I mean, it must have been impossible when they were standing at the Red Sea. SPEAKER C Well, they were definitely between a rock and a hard place and of course an army from behind trying to destroy them. SPEAKER D Yes, but with all things God is nothing impossible with God. And we just have to faith to believe that he'll do what he promises to do. And I think Helmut Halbill and his book Steps to Personal Revival being Filled with the Holy Spirit points out the three different groups of the carnal man. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D All right. And the spirit filled man and the natural man. And what we've got is we've got this fight between the carnal Christian and the spirit filled Christian. We need to let go of that. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER C So we have cold works, hot works, and Lukewarm works. And I think those three camps are covered there by Helmet Hallbill in his book. Well, thank you, Colin. We've come to the end of the first half of our program. What we'll do is we'll just go for a quick break and then we'll continue to unpack this beautiful topic on the thorn in the flesh. Stay tuned. SPEAKER D To purchase this and other CDs, visit our online store at three. AB naustralia.org au. This is a sample from Henry Higgins playing I Will Follow Thee from his CD near to the heart. SPEAKER C Welcome back to you shall receive power. Just before the break we were talking about the importance and what Jesus means to each one of us and how we can grow in grace and we can have more of. Jesus and less of self, and how important it is actually to deny self, not rely on our own strength. And we learned the lesson from Paul where Paul was told that the thorn in the flesh that he had, that Christ's grace was sufficient for him, that God's strength was made perfect in the weakness of man. So as soon as we acknowledge the fact that we are weak and we cannot do it in and of ourselves, that is a good start, because it now allows the power of God to be revealed in our lives. SPEAKER D That's right. And we looked in that beautiful quote in The Desire of Ages, page 668, written by Ellen White of just a beautiful book on the story of Jesus. And she says that through an appreciation of the character of Christ through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us. Yeah, because Jesus, when you think about it, Jesus hated sin, but he loved the sinner. SPEAKER E He did. SPEAKER D And so if Christ is living in you, sin will become hateful to you, but you will love the sinner. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D This is Christ did. SPEAKER C Because quite often we can end up having some pet sins that we do like. And sometimes we can end up hating the sinner. SPEAKER D Yes, we can. SPEAKER C And the Lord actually has it the other way around. And if we receive his love poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, as it says in Romans five five, we can also be like Jesus. And we can hate sin, but we can love the sinner. SPEAKER D That's right. And the only reason that can happen is if Jesus is living in us. Because not us that live, it's Jesus that lives in us. Like Paul said, it's not I that live, but Christ lives in me. I'm crucified to the flesh. And so these words describe those who are ready to meet Jesus when he returns. When obeying Him, they will simply be carrying out their own impulses. Why? Because Christ is fully manifest in and through them. Because of that, their life will become a life of continual obedience. Why? Because they're following or they're allowing Christ to live out his life in them continually. This is the high and holy calling God is giving to us today. It's a wonderful calling, isn't it beautiful to allow Christ to live out his life in us continually. And this is not a call to try harder. It's not a call to put forth more effort to obey. It's a call to be filled with his spirit, to choose to obey Him in all things and to let Christ manifest Himself in and through us. And when you say yes to his call and learn how to let Christ live out his life in you, your Christian life will no longer be a burden. This is what Christ spoke, which is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. This is the result of allowing Jesus to live out his life in and through you, you can have this peace that he promised. In Matthew, chapter eleven, verse 28 to. SPEAKER C 30, okay, I'm reading from the King James, and it says, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your soul, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. SPEAKER D Well, what a wonderful promise. Oh, it's wonderful, wonderful promise. And so look, maybe an illustration might help. Though it's not a perfect illustration, it might help us to understanding what happens when we daily experience the abiding of Christ in our life. So I want you to picture two pieces of cloth that are placed side by side, parallel to each other. So one cloth is white, which represents the Christian covered with the white righteousness of Christ, though not 100% reflecting his character yet. SPEAKER C Okay, well, we need that, don't we? SPEAKER D Okay, so there's one cloth, the white cloth. The other cloth is saturated with liquid blue dye, which represents Christ. Okay. The blue dye symbolizes his character, his likes, his dislikes, his virtues, his etc. Everything that comes with Jesus. Now, as the blue cloth comes into contact with the white cloth, the blue dye liquid begins, seeping, in and through the white cloth. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D As they come into contact with each other, as long as they stay in close contact, the white cloth will continue to become more and more blue. By the way, blue is, I think, is a great representation because blue represents God's law. SPEAKER E Yes, it does. SPEAKER D And God's law is his character. And so as this blue cloth or Christ mixes with the white cloth, which we're covered with the righteousness of Christ, as it becomes more in contact, what happens? It becomes more and more blue, and in time, only blue is seen. SPEAKER E Wow. SPEAKER D Not the white. SPEAKER C So you're talking about that transformation, which is the work of a lifetime. SPEAKER D That's the sanctification of abiding in Christ. And the blue dye has completely saturated the white cloth. And in this illustration, we see that the white cloth did not work at becoming blue. SPEAKER C It's true. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D Did the white cloth try to become blue? I've got to become blue. Please make me blue. You know what I mean? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D It simply stayed in intimate contact with the blue cloth. It was in contact, it was next to it rubbing up against it, and. SPEAKER C As pointed out previously and it naturally happens. SPEAKER D It naturally happens, yes. The blue dye just goes naturally takes over the white cloth. And the same principle applies to us. Our part is to choose to stay intimately close to Christ and believe he will live out his life in us. That's our part, to stay intimately close to Christ and believe he will live out his life in us, though far from a perfect analogy. This illustrates someone represents or somewhat represents what happens when we stay connected with Jesus and allow him to live out his life in and through us. So his life, his character, his virtues, everything about Jesus comes more and more part of our life. In time, only Jesus will be seen. That is the experience Ellen White wrote about with the words when obeying him, we will be carrying out our own impulses and our life will be a life of continual obedience. Because we've been saturated with Jesus, saturated with the blue dye, we've been saturated with Jesus because we're spending so much time with Jesus and Jesus is living in his life through us. SPEAKER C We have that example in the Gospels as well. Jesus picks twelve disciples and some of these men are fairly know, some of them are quite aggressive and some of them probably would have been valiant soldiers. We know even, you know, was going to defend God with a small sword and then he's going probably for the jugular and then ends up cutting off. SPEAKER D This guy's john, was it? John and his brother James were called. SPEAKER C What, the Sons of Thunder. SPEAKER D Sons of thunder. Like they said, hey, should we ask to rain down sulfur on this town that rejected you, Jesus? This is the character, wasn't it? SPEAKER C So the righteous of Christ was covering them all through those faulty episodes. But you go to the book of Acts, acts chapter four and verse 13, where Peter and John are talking to the Pharisees. They're talking to the Sanhedrin in the temple. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C And they saying now in verse 13 of Acts chapter four, it says, and now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men. So they thought, how can these people be so bold and speak so knowledgeably? And it says and they marveled. And then it says, and then they realized that they had been with Jesus. So Jesus had rubbed off on them that blue dye had permeated that cloth, which they were. And then the character and the testimony of Jesus was seen and evident in the life of his apostles. These rugged men before had been transformed and changed because they had rubbed up against Jesus so closely and intimately. SPEAKER D That's a beautiful example. I mean, that's true. Remember Peter on the night of Gethsemane, he splits and denies Jesus three times. SPEAKER E Yeah, that's right. SPEAKER D Now you fast forward it in Acts chapter four. He's there speaking boldly in the temple of Christ, and then later on he is put in jail, all right? And he was going to be executed the next day. Already James had been executed, he had his head chopped off and Peter was going to be executed. And it says, that night before he's going to be executed, he slept like a baby. An angel had to shake him to wake him up, to say, okay, Peter, it's time to go. He slept like a baby. He had that peace that he received from Jesus. SPEAKER C Incredible. SPEAKER D Yeah. And I love what Ellen White says about that experience of all who are ready to meet Jesus when he returns. She's referring to those who seek to serve God. She says in Testimonies, volume six, page 306. Can you read that for us? SPEAKER C The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives him the breath of his own spirit, the life of his own life. The Holy Spirit put forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind. SPEAKER D So here we're told that the believer has Christ's very life through the Holy Spirit's presence in his or her life, and that the Spirit brings about this marvelous change in the heart and mind of the believer. That's why Jesus said you must be born again, not only of water, but of spirit. SPEAKER E Spirit, yes. SPEAKER D Then in another place, she explains this amazing miracle of transformation even further in this wonderful book called Testimonies to Ministers, page 389. SPEAKER C When his words of instruction have been received and have taken possession of us, jesus is to us an abiding presence controlling our thoughts and ideas and actions. And it is no more we that live, but Christ that liveth in us. And he is the hope of glory. Self is dead, but Christ is a living savior. SPEAKER D Wow. So Ellen White is clearly what she's clearly saying is that it is Jesus'abiding presence that controls our thoughts, ideas and actions. And if we choose to believe that he would do this and believe our sinful nature's power over us is dead, then Jesus will most definitely live out his life in us. It's just that simple. I didn't realize how simple it was. Well, all these years you're struggling and struggling and even now continually defaulting to the struggle by my own efforts, and they're realizing it's so simple. Jesus, come live in me. The beautiful song called Come Live in Me. Yes, come live in me and live out your life of obedience, your life of purity, your life of peace. Every attribute of Christ can be ours through Him living in us and through know you're right. SPEAKER C It is actually very simple. It's as simple as ABC. I think Ellen White actually makes a statement like that. But quite often there's so many things and baggage and thoughts and ideas we bring into it and we try and create a construct out of the gospel based on our thoughts and ideas. But as simple as that, we are to deny self, take up our cross and follow Jesus and spend time with Him. And Christ will live in us, and he will live that life of victory through us. SPEAKER D I use this illustration sometimes when I'm preaching. I take a children's story about righteous by faith or about victory over sin through Christ. And I take a broom and you can take a broom and you can balance it on your palm of your hand. Now you can try it at home if you balance it on your palm of your hand. Just a normal broom, household broom. If you look up at the top of the broom, you look up, you can balance it on your hand. The palm of your hand. The broom, yes. The handle part. If you look at your hand and try and balance it, you can't do it. SPEAKER C I'm going to have to give that a try. SPEAKER D So I've tested it many times and I usually pick someone who's the strongest, most sportiest person in the church. I get them, come up and I first demonstrate and say, okay, do you believe I can balance this broom on my hand, just the palm of my hand? Some say yes, some say no. The kids. And so I do it, but I'm looking up, up. Then I bring someone up from the church and say, do you think he can do it? Or she can do it. And they go, I'm not sure. I say, But I'm going to change the rules. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Now I want you to do it, but I want you to look at yourself and they can't do it. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D It's another illustration that to have victory, you have to look to Christ for victory. If you look to yourself, you can't do it. SPEAKER C I love that analogy. That's great. If you don't mind, I might borrow it one day. SPEAKER D Absolutely. So here we are told that the believer has Christ's very life through the Holy Spirit's present in his life or her life, and that the Spirit brings about marvelous changes in the heart and mind of the believer. Then in another place, she explains this amazing miracle of transformer further in Testimonies to Ministers, page 389. When his words of instruction have been received and have taken possession of us, jesus is to us in abiding presence, controlling our thoughts and ideas and actions. It's no more that we live that live, but Christ that lives in us. He is the hope of glory. Self is dead, but Christ is a living savior. I mean, she's basically quoting Paul, it's not I that live, but Christ lives in me. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D She's saying exactly the same thing. And so she's clear on the matter. She clearly states here that it's Jesus abiding presence that controls our thoughts, ideas and actions. If. Here's the big if. The word if is a conditional word, yes. If we choose to believe that he will do this, and if we believe our sinful nature's power over us is dead, then Christ will most definitely live out his life in us. It's just that simple. And so as we embrace this, as we continue this process of the believer's life, for example, previously is always impure thoughts. Whenever he saw a woman, for example, driving down the road and you see a woman in a mini skirt or something like that, especially she's like dressed, like scantily dressed, sure will now only have pure thoughts when he sees such a woman. All right. In situations where anger would have risen in the past, who knows? When you're driving or someone does something to says something and you get angry, there's no longer anger anymore. When certain unhealthy foods would have triggered a craving, now there is no craving. These are examples of how Christ will be manifest in the believer's life that chooses to let Him do so. SPEAKER C You can relate to all three of those sins, Colin. And that's what I'm saying, that self is a liability. We need Christ to set us free from all those desires, all those carnal desires that we have, so we can live a life of purity and holiness. Not I, but Christ. SPEAKER D And so when you're tempted for those certain just, for example, those things, you turn to Jesus and say, Lord, give me your temperance and believe by faith he will. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D Or Lord, give me your peace, and he will believe by faith that he will manifest his peace in and through you. Or Lord, give me your purity and he will. SPEAKER E Yes. Amen. SPEAKER D You've got to believe it by faith that he will. And the power of the sinful nature will be totally subdued and Christ's sinless nature will be totally dominant in the life. SPEAKER C My mum's favorite text, she passed away of cancer over 20 years ago now. But her favorite text was out of the Book of John, chapter 14, verse 27, where Jesus says, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives giver unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And that's the promise each of us that desire peace can claim that regardless of what we're going through, god will give us his peace. And like you're saying, he'll even give us his righteousness as well. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D What says that in Ephesians, chapter five, verse nine? SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D The fruit of the Spirit is goodness and righteousness. SPEAKER C Righteousness? SPEAKER D Yeah, that's the fruit of the Spirit, righteousness. So that's when in the Bible it says he who is righteous, but it just says there is none as righteous, only our righteous, like filthy rags. So how can we be righteous? Well, it's Christ's righteousness. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D That is imputed and imparted or given to us, or Him living in his life, in through us. It's his righteousness. SPEAKER C And you know, at some time in the future, I don't know how far in the future christ will actually make that declaration that you just mentioned there. SPEAKER D In Revelation, isn't it? SPEAKER C Revelation, chapter 20, 211. It says that he who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He is filthy, let him be filthy still. So those in those states will remain in those states. It's like as they've been sealed in that state. And then it says this beautiful thing, he was righteous, let him be righteous still. And he was holy. Let him be holy still. So they sealed in the state that they have. Why? Because Christ lives in them. Self is dead, self is forgotten. And it's all about Jesus. SPEAKER D Their sins have been forgiven, and they've received Christ's imparted righteousness. In other words, he's living in them, and it's his righteousness that's seen in and through them. And so, in short, whatever attitudes or behavior the Lord asks us to exhibit, right. Whatever he's asking us to do, he will manifest in and through us if we choose to let Him and believe he will. And so this requires us to be aware of the attitudes and behaviors God wants us to exhibit. We need to know what they are. And we find this instruction in the word of God in such sections as Christ's Sermon on the Mount. SPEAKER E Yeah. Beautiful. SPEAKER D Clearly reveals to us god's will for us in many situations in life, doesn't it, in the Sermon on the Mount? SPEAKER C Because that sermon is very clear. It doesn't only pertain to actions, but to thoughts as well. So it shows how high the standard is in regards to the requirements of. SPEAKER E The law of God. SPEAKER D Yeah, the standard is high, very high. And it's impossible for us to achieve by our own efforts. SPEAKER C Can't do it, but Christ did it. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D And so, therefore, if Christ is living in us, it's Him doing it. And he's done it already. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER C He's not lost one battle. SPEAKER D It's a done deal. SPEAKER C And he can win the battle through you as well, if you would get out of the way. SPEAKER D Right. And so the sermon amount sets. The standards are very high, impossibly high for us to attain by our own efforts, no matter how hard we try. And this standard will be only met as Christ lives out this standard through us. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And Paul actually points this out into the letter of Romans perfectly in Romans, chapter eight, verses three to four. SPEAKER C And it says, and what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, god did. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. And then verse four, that the righteous requirements of the law may be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. SPEAKER D So we've got to walk according to what the Spirit, not according to our flesh or our sinful nature. And so in these verses, Paul tells us that it's impossible with our sinful nature to fulfill the righteous requirements of God's law. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D However, because Christ came in the flesh, came in the same flesh that's right. Obeyed the law perfectly and fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law, he condemns sin, breaking its power. Therefore, through Christ, the righteous requirements of the law can be fully met in us yes. Who do not yield. So we do not yield to our sinful nature, but allow the spirit to manifest obedience in us. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D I love it. SPEAKER C That is part of the good news. SPEAKER D Of the gospel, and it's just part of probably the new covenant promise, isn't it? SPEAKER C Yes, it is. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D So what is the new covenant promise? Well, the new covenant promise is found in Hebrews, chapter eight, verses eight to ten. Hebrews, chapter eight, verses eight to ten. Here's the new covenant promise says, behold. SPEAKER C The days are coming, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. SPEAKER D So what was the basis of the covenant? SPEAKER C The law. SPEAKER D The law of God? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Even in the old covenant, the basis of the covenant was what the law? What's the basis of the new covenant? SPEAKER C The law. It's still the same law, but our relationship changes to the law in Jesus Christ, which is wonderful. SPEAKER D Yeah. SPEAKER C The law written on tables of stone, two Corinthians, chapter three says that that is the ministration of death to the sinner, but we receive it through Jesus Christ our Lord. It actually ministers the life of Christ and that righteousness that comes through it as well. SPEAKER D And it continues to go in that second Corinthians, chapter three. I believe that he doesn't write it on stones in the new covenant. He wants to write at tables of our flesh. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D What do you write on tables of stone? Ten commandments. SPEAKER C Commandments? SPEAKER D What's he want to write on our hearts and our minds? Ten Commandments. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D And so what we're presenting is God fulfills this new covenant promise by him writing this law on our mind of hearts, and our part is to choose to allow him to do it. That's our part, choose to allow him to do it. So God foretold through the prophet Ezekiel that he would do this. Another promise by God says, this is what I'm going to do, guys. SPEAKER E Yeah, that's right. SPEAKER D In Ezekiel, chapter 36, verses 25 to 27, this is what God says, what he's going to do, okay? SPEAKER C And it says, then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean, and I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will split my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, that you will keep my judgments and do them. SPEAKER D Wow. Did you notice that God said in there seven times, I will seven times he says, I will sprinkle clean water upon you. Says, I will cleanse you from your filthiness, from all your idols. I will cleanse you a new heart. I will give you a new spirit. I will put within you. I will take away the stony heart over your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues, all my laws and judgments. God's saying, I'm going to do this. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D Yeah. SPEAKER C So who's the one working it's? Actually, Christ. We just have to cooperate and make sure that that our flesh is taken out of the way and allow God to do exactly what he promised he would do in the Scriptures. SPEAKER D Now, this is a promise that God made in the Old Testament. This is not the New Testament. He made that promise in the Old Testament, and the New Testament confirms his promise in Philippians, chapter one, verse six. SPEAKER C And it says, being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Wow. SPEAKER D So he that began a good work in you. So God began this work in you, and he's going to finish it until when? The day of Christ. And when's? That the second coming of Jesus. Amen, isn't it? SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D So note that God, who performs this work, paul presents this same truth in his letter to thessalonians in first, Thessalonians, chapter five, verse 23 to 24, paul says the same thing again, says, in. SPEAKER C The very God of peace, sanctify your holy. And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved. Blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that called you who also will do it. SPEAKER D So who's going to do it? SPEAKER C Jesus Christ. And God the Father? SPEAKER D Yes, they're going to do it. He's going to sanctify you holy, isn't he? There's sanctification. God's part is to sanctify us. And again, Paul is very clear. It is God who does the sanctifying. Our part is to choose to allow Him to perform the work within our spirit, soul, and body. This work of sanctification, this work of cleansing us, this work of writing God's law on our mind and our hearts and taking the stony heart out of our flesh. Him causing us to keep his commandments is all Christ in us the hope of glory. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER C Well, dear listener, we've come up to the end of the second part of our study here, and I hope you've been blessed by it. It's so beautiful to see that God is the author of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, that from beginning to end. God is the one that moved. God is the one that came in search of us. The Bible is very clear that unless God draws us, unless the Father draws us, we cannot come to Him. So God is the one that actually even gives us the right motives and the right ideas and those who actually allow the spirit of God to draw us, to draw me and you to Christ. These are the ones that God also promises that he will write his laws within our hearts, within our minds. And by that whole process of having the commandments of God in our hearts and our minds, it gives us new motives, new desires, which allows him then to be our God and us then to be his people. We pray that God has blessed you as we've looked at this study, we're just going to go for a short break and then when we come back, we'll just wrap it up with a few comments and then we'll look forward to catching up with you next time. Thank you for joining us on You Shall Receive Power. If you would like more information about today's program or if you have any questions, please contact 3ABN Australia Radio by Phoning 024-973-3456. Or you can send an email to [email protected]. You can also contact us on our 3ABN Australia radio Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you SPEAKER C Welcome back to you shall receive power. We were just talking before the break about the importance of receiving Jesus and receiving his life. And then also, Colin, we were just talking about the importance of actually having the yoke of Christ placed on us and what that actually does. Because a yoke, you sometimes think, well, I've got to carry a very heavy burden. But God actually promises us something quite different to what you would typically expect from a yoke being placed on you. SPEAKER D Well, when you think of about the yoke, and it was on an oxen, right? You had a lead or head oxen, and you had a junior oxen, right? And so the younger one was put with the lead one. Now it was the older oxen that led. Now, if you experienced one, so experienced one now if you fought that, it was difficult, you'd be going all over the place. But if you just go with it and I would go with the flow, go with the oxen and just don't fight it, then it was easy. SPEAKER C Okay? SPEAKER D And that's why Jesus used that example, because if the young one fought it, then it was like difficult, wasn't it? The burden was harder. It was harder to do it. But if you just went with the senior one and followed the example, it became easier. The yoke became easier. You just went along with it because the elder or senior ox knew what he was doing. Experience and. Knew what he was doing, and Jesus knows what he's doing. He's got to go with Jesus and trust with Jesus and not fight it. And that's what it means, like that. And so every Christian who has not experienced deliverance from temptation through Christ, but is trying to do it through their own efforts is like that younger ox, okay? They're trying to fight it by their own efforts, and they're asking God to add his power to their efforts. Is not experienced the light burden Jesus is referring in Matthew chapter eleven, verse 28 and 29. Instead, their life is weighed down with frustration, bewilderment and feelings of defeat. And Jesus is calling us to come to Him with this burden. And if you learn how to do that, you'll find rest and your walk with the Lord will become much easier and lighter. Why? Because Jesus has given you his victory and you are resting in Him. SPEAKER E Amen. That is beautiful. SPEAKER C Thank you very much for that. I quite like the fact that comes out of that text that says that if you are burdened and heavy laden to come and take Jesus'yoke because you're carrying a yoke anyway, put that yoke aside. Take the yoke of Jesus, because his burden is easy. His yoke is easy, his burden is light. And dear listener, we pray that you've been blessed by today's study. We pray that you've been encouraged by it. The whole message today is not I but Christ. And we encourage you to get a hold of the book 50 Days Prayers and Devotions to prepare for the lateral reign and Christ's return. We just covered Day 30 today, and we know that if you go through this program, it's a 50 day program, you will be blessed by it. We look forward catching up with you next time. Until then, may God bless you and keep you. SPEAKER A You mo creation by love at the coming of the King every eye shall see every heart will know me you every niche I every tongue comes there's holy, holy you holy see the coming of the King holy it. SPEAKER D You'Ve been listening to a production of three ABN Australia radio.