Did you know you possess riches beyond compare? Your ignorance of this wealth is costing you on a daily basis. The Apostle Peter admonishes us to ‘grow in knowledge’ because he knew the spoils of Christs’ victory on the cross would go to waste due to our un-enlightenment. As we gain understanding of the heavenly treasures within the pages of the Epistles particularly, we can partake of this bounty, comprehending our true identity. Join Carl now to redeem your millionaire status, it won’t cost you a dime…
Here is a complete transcript of the podcast…(below)
“Friend I’d like to discuss something very powerful with you today. You have done nothing whatsoever to deserve the riches and spoils already in your possession, but you may have no knowledge of them, hence the reason for this broadcast today. When it comes to being a Christian, knowledge is very important. The Apostle Peter admonished us to grow in knowledge because he knew that without it, the spoils of what Christ won on the cross for us may go to waste in our lives on a day- to-day basis. 2 Peter 3:18, “18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever.”
We are to grow in grace and knowledge, friend. As we gain understanding we can partake of all the benefits of Jesus’s death and resurrection. Some call this ‘appropriation’, which really means to take on board for yourself. But without knowledge of what Christ did for us, we have no capacity to take advantage of what is already granted to us. As your knowledge of God’s word increases and especially what Christ did for you on the cross, you will identify yourself with Him instead of your old fleshy nature and live a victorious and abundant life. Let me share eleven things that Christ did for you right now:
- Jesus was punished that you might be forgiven.
- Jesus was wounded that you might be healed.
- Jesus reconciled the hostility between you and God; he gave you peace.
- Jesus became sin with our sinfulness that you might be made the righteousness of God with His righteousness.
- Jesus endured our rejection that you might enjoy His acceptance.
- Jesus justified you. He acquitted you of all the accusations against you because of your sins.
- Jesus died in your place that you might share His (zoe) life.
- Jesus was made a curse for you, that you might receive the blessing.
- Jesus endured your poverty that you might share His abundance.
- Jesus bore your shame that you might share in His glory.
- Your old man died on the cross with Him that you may rise up in newness of life.
Friend, you can go to our website today and click on “Your bountiful inheritance” and it reveal to you, all that you are in Christ Jesus, I urge you to go there today at dhopdowntown.org. So, what is man’s diagnosis? What condition are we in? Why are there so many problems on this earth? We have one thing in common, man is the problem, or more precisely man’s inherent sinful condition is the problem. But man, himself remains ever blind to his own sinful condition. Sin is a force that Christ quenched on the cross and he dealt with it, once and for all, for us. Sin was the diagnosis, and the cross was the cure. I will say it again, Sin was the diagnosis, and the cross was the cure. Philosophers down the ages have wrongly attempted to diagnose the soul of man i.e., the (mind, will and emotions) but they remain blind to the spirit of man. We have a ‘pneuma’ (spirit) problem, not a ‘psuche’ (soul) problem. We don’t try to fix the soul to make the spirit come alive.
No, it works in reverse, our spirit man on the inside becomes born again and then our soul is positively influenced by that new birth as we meditate on God’s word. A human on this earth can be spiritually dead or “not born again” and function with a soul and live in a physical body. There is nothing on the outside that shows he is spiritually dead although in time his fruit will reveal his true nature. The unique condition of the Christian is that once we receive Christ into our hearts, our spirit-man comes alive, and the mind or soul then needs to be conformed to Christ. The mind has the sway vote between the body and spirit. You can either go the way of the flesh or the Spirit, it is up to you. The mind casts the vote, it has the final say, that’s why it is so important that we renew our mind. Romans 12:12, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Notice that in the first verse we lay down our body as a living sacrifice and declare it is no longer ours THEN we conform our mind to God’s word in that order. We need to do both for successful living in this life. Your flesh has a voice and it’s still there even after you’re saved. If you don’t think your flesh has a voice, try going tomorrow all day without eating anything…. you will soon realize your flesh has a voice! The Apostle Paul spoke of this in the book of Romans. We don’t just get saved and that’s it. Being “born again” means you start as a baby, there is much to learn, and discipline is one of those traits for continued maturity. The soul needs to reach maturity and it is a progressive work. Romans 7:20-25, 20 “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
You have two natures warring within your members as the Apostle Paul mentions, i.e., the flesh and the spirit. When you are born again, your flesh is not cast out, the flesh resides but it must be crucified…daily. By being born again, your spirit man is born from death to life, but your soul and body remain the same. One day we will receive an incorruptible body a redemptive body, this is still to come, we will be like Jesus’ flesh and bone (not blood), this is glorification. Like him we can eat food and pass-through walls. Don’t ask me how; just trust the Lord on that! But I can’t wait to do it. The Holy Spirit who is connected to your spirit is alive and wants to do right, that is our focus. If we don’t pursue that nature then by default, we will serve the flesh. It takes a decision of the will to walk in the Spirit and according to the word. My flesh wants to eat Blue Bell chocolate cookie dough and sit on the couch for the next 6 weeks in my pajamas; have nachos and grapes hand delivered and don’t touch the remote control.!! It’s not hard to figure out what the flesh wants!
In the Old Testament there is mention of the word “atonement”, this means covering, but particularly it was a temporary covering. Each male member of the family would have to visit the Priest on the Day of Atonement for a sacrificial covering for the next twelve months. Each year this would be repeated over and over. This system was flawed, temporary, and incomplete. The word ‘atonement’ means ‘at-one-ment’ because God and the sinner were brought into relationship or reconciliation for one more year; they were ‘at one’ with each other and had no hostility because of sin. The Hebrew word for atonement is “Kippur” literally meaning covering. Let’s read (Heb 9:13-14), 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
How much more? SO MUCH MORE! We have a better covenant than before, it says this in Hebrews 8:6, we have a better covenant with better promises. Trouble is many of the Jews, Sadducees (JOKE), scribes, lawyers, Pharisees, Sanhedrin or whomever, many people thought that Jesus came to set up an earthly Kingdom to conquer Rome, but Jesus said my Kingdom is not of this world. Jesus came to conquer sin, not Rome. I will say it again; Jesus came to conquer sin, not Rome. Jesus did not front a political movement, but He will return as a conquering King the second time and SOON amen! There is a Gospel out there right now that doesn’t preach repentance, come any way you like, come on your own terms, after all didn’t Jesus preach acceptance? Love and acceptance? Acceptance of what? Your sinful condition? I don’t think so! Repent means to turn about face, 180 degrees in exactly the opposite direction from where you were headed. A Gospel without repentance is a Gospel without saving grace or power and is no Gospel at all. Everybody must choose to die with Christ in order to be resurrected with Him.
Yes friend, the same Bible that teaches that God is love in 1st John also includes Luke 16 (unfortunately) and many other references concerning a literal Hell (Hades) that Christ spoke about often or Sheol, the grave, which is the place of the dead. Man has always wanted to remove parts of God’s word that he doesn’t like. There is a Gospel out there called Universalism which basically states that all are saved they just don’t know it yet; even the Devil and his fallen angels will be saved…. eventually. Friend, in these last days we are warned of this apostasy, which means a moving away from the truth, with a little leaven, once piece at a time. Not only do we embrace the cross ourselves and receive Christ, but we must also take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. This is not pretty; there was nothing pretty about the cross nor the sacrificial altars for that matter. 1 Corinthians 1:17-18,17 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
Friend the moment we stop preaching the cross, which is REPENT, ask God for forgiveness of your sins, invite him into your heart and believe he was raised from the dead; the moment we stop doing that, the church loses Power! Notice in v18 it is the power of God to those that are saved. When we preach the cross, some will be offended, we understand that. In fact, the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, it doesn’t make sense to them. Jesus understood that. Fear of offense does not stop us from preaching the good news that God the Father has provided eternal life through His son. The verdict has already been given. Unbelief is the only sin that can keep us from eternal life. Not believing in the son is the one and only true sin. Friend, we must never take the cross for granted nor what Jesus did for us, and we will talk some more in the coming weeks
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