But the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. Neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually deserved. Today we're going to
have another one of those heart -to -heart talks.
And I've just read a portion of the Word of God.
From 1 Corinthians, the second chapter. The verse
that I read was the 14th verse. Now remember
something. The Bible divides all humanity in
just two classes. And only two. No more. It's
not the rich, the poor, the ignorant, the intellectual.
No. The Bible doesn't divide people. The world
in two. More than two classes. Just two. The
saved and the lost. The lost man is called the
natural man. Because he's been born only once
of natural parents. To the line of Adam. Man's
federal head. The saved man is called the spiritual
man. Because he's been born again. The second
time, born by the Spirit of Almighty God himself.
The natural, the unregenerated man possesses
the nature of Father Adam. The spiritual man
possesses the Spirit of God, having become a
partaker of the divine nature. Just two classes,
even as I speak to you right now. You are either
saved or lost. You have either been born just
once, the natural birth, or you have been born
twice, the natural birth and the spiritual birth.
Now, as we study the Word of God, We see that
these two natures are forever opposed to one
another. They're antagonistic to each other.
They can never blend. They can never compromise.
By our first birth, we are born in sin. Children
of wrath. We're lost. We're condemned. The Bible
says we are dead in trespasses and sins. And
we are absolutely helpless so far as saving ourselves.
We have no righteousness of our own, none. However,
when we are saved, when we have our second birth,
that which we call the new birth, the Spirit
of God does nothing to this old nature. Now get
this, and get this once and for all. It's most
important that you see this. When we're saved,
when we get our second birth, the Spirit of God
does nothing to this old nature, but instead
creates a new nature. The nature of God himself,
sinless, holy, perfect. And he places this new
nature alongside the old within the individual.
The new nature does not replace the old. It does
not improve the old. But it will overcome and
destroy. The old. Of the old nature with which
all of us are born. Everyone listening to me.
We are born. That's one thing we all have in
common. We are all born of the old nature. And
of that old nature, Paul says, we were by nature.
the children of wrath, even as others. And concerning
this evil, natural heart of man, the Bible clearly
says the heart is deceitful above all things,
desperately wicked. And who can know it? So corrupt
is this old nature by our first birth. that even
God himself does not attempt to improve it, to
fix it up, to repair it, to reform it. You can
ride down the street and you can see them repairing
an old house. Oh, it's amazing what they can
do to an old house. They can put some of the
best -looking stuff on the outside of an old
house, and when they're all through with it,
I'm telling you, it's a knockout. It looks wonderful.
But God doesn't do that. So corrupt is this old
nature by our first birth that God doesn't even
attempt to improve it, to fix it up. He doesn't
even attempt to repair the old house, the old
nature. He ignores the old nature as being absolutely
hopeless. Therefore, he creates a brand new thing.
and he calls it a new creation. It's a brand
new nature. Whole and distinct from the old nature
of Adam. That's the reason the Word of God says
that, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature. He isn't fixed up. He isn't
repaired. He doesn't just get a new coat of paint.
He doesn't just get a new roof above. No. He
is a new creature, a brand new creature. Old
things are passed away, and behold, all things
are beat. come new. Therefore, if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creation. Now, that's
exactly what I tried to show you in our last
little heart -to -heart talk regarding this portion
of the Word of God. When God creates anything,
He always begins with nothing. God will not use
any pre -existent material. Never. God's creations
are all new creations. When he created the world,
when he created the heavens, he created them.
out of nothing. He doesn't just repair. He doesn't
just fix up. Therefore, we become new creations
when we come to Him and experience that new birth
experience. Therefore, there has got to be a
time, a place, an experience when we become as
nothing. And it's just like that. Again today.
I want to give you from God's word. The words
of Hannah is her prayer of thanksgiving. Now,
in just reading Hannah's prayer, in just reading
the words that came from Hannah's innermost being,
she literally took the lid off of her heart.
Just at first glance, you don't realize the full
depths of that which she was saying. It's recorded
in 1 Samuel, the second chapter, the sixth and
the seventh verses. The Lord killeth and maketh
alive. He bringeth down to the grave. and bringeth
up the lord maketh poor and maketh rich he bringeth
low and lifteth up ah beloved watch something
before god can make alive he must first put to
death all of self and all reliance upon self.
I think one of the portions of God's word that
is grossly misunderstood are the words that Jesus
spoke when he said, If any man will follow me,
let him take up his cross. His cross. We preach
much. We talk much about the cross of Jesus.
Remember, that was his cross. And as surely as
there was a cross for him, so surely is there
a cross for every man and every woman who will
die dare to follow in his footsteps. And always,
the cross is a symbol of death. Whenever you
see a cross, always know it's a symbol of death.
And when Jesus speaks of our cross, every man
shall take up his cross. That man, that woman
who'll dare to follow Christ. That one who desires
a new birth experience. That one who wants power
in his life. Remember, there must be death before
there is life. Hannah said, the Lord killeth.
But watch something. Before God can give life,
before God can make alive, he must first put
to death all of self and all reliance upon self.
He bringeth down to the grave. Oh, sure, beloved.
One of these days, If I should die before the
great catching up, someplace they're going to
dig a grave. Yes, six feet below the surface
of the ground. And passersby will say, that is
where Miss Kuhlman is buried. That's her grave.
It will be marked. And that grave will just be
my body. But I can take you to a place at the
end of a dead -end street where Catherine Kuhlman
died. When she was just in her teens, late one
Saturday afternoon, there are no markings. Nothing.
Nothing that can be visibly seen regarding that
death. And yet, it was when Kathryn Kuhlman died
to self, literally, when I was willing to die
on that cross, it was then that he brought me
up. That was the beginning. of my life of service
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Before God could make
me alive, he had to first of all put me to death.
There had to be a death of self and a complete
reliance on him. Hannah continued. He maketh
poor and maketh rich. She wasn't talking about
dollars and cents. We've gotten so materialistic
in our thinking that we can only think in terms
of money. of the material and when we talk of
one being poor we talk of one being rich worth
thinking in the sense of money that which i am
talking about hear me without it the richest
person in the whole world is poor And with this
wonderful spiritual experience, the poorest person
in the world is rich. He's an heir of God and
a joint heir with Christ Jesus. Oh, Hannah looked
up in this prayer of thanksgiving and said, The
Lord maketh poor. He stripped me of all self
-reliance. He took away all of my egotism. He
took away my pride. He took all of my crutches
from me. Paul looked up and said, oh, I thought
I was brilliant. I thought I was rich. in wisdom,
but it was only man's wisdom. I knew I was rich
intellectually. I was rich in influence. I was
rich in talent. I was rich in much learning.
But it wasn't until I became poor and recognized
the fact that True wisdom comes from above. True
wisdom is spiritual wisdom. The Lord maketh poor.
He has stripped me of everything. And then he
maketh rich. He bringeth law and lifteth up.
What did Paul say? I am the very least among
you. Paul didn't gloat over his much learning.
Never once can you find Paul gloating over his
own ability. I say again, the greatest of all
Christian graces is humility. And one of the
greatest examples of that humility came from
the lips of Paul when he says, I was with you
in weakness and in fear and in much... He bringeth
low and lifteth up. That is the greatest experience
that any human being can experience. God bless
you.