WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 We're going to have another one of those heart 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:06.780 -to -heart talks about something that is vitally 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:10.539 important to you. And in this portion of the 00:00:10.539 --> 00:00:14.820 Word of God, Paul was talking to Christians. 00:00:16.699 --> 00:00:21.500 We are sure of that one thing because he begins 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:29.350 by saying, brethren. And he's talking to... the 00:00:29.350 --> 00:00:34.109 brethren in the Lord. I'm giving you a portion 00:00:34.109 --> 00:00:38.189 of the Word of God that is grossly misconstrued 00:00:38.189 --> 00:00:41.570 and misunderstood. Therefore, I'm asking you 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:45.229 to read it with me. It's in the third chapter 00:00:45.229 --> 00:00:51.210 of 1 Corinthians. And I, brethren, could not 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:56.990 speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto 00:00:56.990 --> 00:01:04.859 carnal. even as unto babes in christ i have fed 00:01:04.859 --> 00:01:09.420 you with milk and not with meat for hitherto 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:16.620 ye were not able to bear it neither yet now are 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:23.900 ye able we see at a glance it doesn't take a 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:29.319 deep spiritual insight to see that He's speaking 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:33.560 to Christians, and even as he is speaking to 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:37.200 those who have been regenerated, born again, 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:48.799 not all are spiritual. Some are still in the 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:57.280 carnal stage. There has not been that great entrance. 00:01:58.060 --> 00:02:04.540 into the deeply spiritual state where that one 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:10.520 has completely surrendered body, soul, and spirit 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:18.360 unto the Lord. Let me give you something that 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:23.919 to me is one of the most thrilling things about 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:29.969 being in the body of Christ. Remember something. 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:37.849 There is a place in the Lord where literally 00:02:37.849 --> 00:02:43.409 you do not merely belong to the kingdom of God. 00:02:43.569 --> 00:02:50.930 Oh, that's wonderful. That is thrilling to know 00:02:50.930 --> 00:02:57.150 that you belong. And that happens at the very 00:02:57.150 --> 00:03:01.789 moment of your born -again experience, the very 00:03:01.789 --> 00:03:03.930 minute you accept the Christ as your Savior, 00:03:04.069 --> 00:03:12.250 the very minute that you accept the pardon, that 00:03:12.250 --> 00:03:17.129 which has been made possible to you through the 00:03:17.129 --> 00:03:21.750 death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, at that 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:26.030 moment, the mighty Creator becomes your Heavenly 00:03:26.030 --> 00:03:31.900 Father. And you belong to the kingdom of God. 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:36.340 You don't wait until after death to belong to 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:41.759 the kingdom of God. Now are ye the sons of God. 00:03:42.659 --> 00:03:46.280 This very moment is God your heavenly father. 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:52.879 If you're a Christian, this very second, you 00:03:52.879 --> 00:04:00.729 are an heir of God. You are a joint heir with 00:04:00.729 --> 00:04:06.789 his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Now, lift 00:04:06.789 --> 00:04:11.110 up your heads. There's no cause for discouragement. 00:04:12.370 --> 00:04:17.110 There's no cause for defeat. It was never in 00:04:17.110 --> 00:04:19.709 the purpose and will of God that any one of his 00:04:19.709 --> 00:04:24.370 children, the least of his children, should ever 00:04:24.370 --> 00:04:30.040 live a life of defeat. Not for one second. You 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:34.680 are important to God. You are more important 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:39.800 to your Heavenly Father than all the wealth in 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:43.060 the world, than all the planets that He ever 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:51.680 spoke into existence. You are now vastly important 00:04:51.680 --> 00:05:02.129 to Him, His heir. sons of God. Not only after 00:05:02.129 --> 00:05:06.470 death, but right here, even while you are in 00:05:06.470 --> 00:05:14.430 the flesh. Now you belong to the kingdom of God. 00:05:15.810 --> 00:05:20.649 But remember something else. And this is something 00:05:20.649 --> 00:05:23.470 that's the hardest thing in the world to make 00:05:23.470 --> 00:05:28.610 God's children see. The kingdom of God belongs 00:05:28.610 --> 00:05:42.230 to you. Now. Oh, that's thrilling. Look up. Be 00:05:42.230 --> 00:05:48.750 glad. Stop living a defeated life. Stop going 00:05:48.750 --> 00:05:52.910 around in a state of depression. God's children 00:05:52.910 --> 00:05:57.079 aren't depressed. God's children don't live in 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:05.800 a state of depression. Know that. I am His by 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:12.139 Him created. I am His through redemption. Therefore, 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:15.740 I am twice His by original right and by purchase 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:20.579 when I was lost. I am His. He'll defend me. I 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:25.089 am His. He'll protect me. I am his, therefore 00:06:25.089 --> 00:06:29.670 I am surrounded by his love. He'll protect me 00:06:29.670 --> 00:06:34.509 from my adversaries. The evil one cannot touch 00:06:34.509 --> 00:06:44.350 me. I belong to one who is greater than my weaknesses. 00:06:46.069 --> 00:06:50.930 I belong to the mighty God of this universe. 00:06:53.129 --> 00:07:02.410 I belong to him. Therefore, I cannot fail. Oh, 00:07:02.470 --> 00:07:07.009 look up. Start living. This thing of being a 00:07:07.009 --> 00:07:13.149 Christian involves so much. All right. Let's 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:15.790 go back again to where we started in this double 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:19.350 heart -to -heart talk. Why did Paul say brethren? 00:07:20.889 --> 00:07:24.430 Talking to Christians. I could not speak unto 00:07:24.430 --> 00:07:30.389 you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. What 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:33.110 makes the difference then between the carnal 00:07:33.110 --> 00:07:40.589 and the spiritual? Yet, they're all God's children. 00:07:42.410 --> 00:07:45.970 I said something the other day. I'm going to 00:07:45.970 --> 00:07:55.509 repeat it. No person ever really lives until 00:07:55.509 --> 00:08:03.329 he has found something worth dying for. And I 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:11.149 am convinced of something. No person can really 00:08:11.149 --> 00:08:20.870 be a success. No person can ever be the world's 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:23.009 greatest at anything. I don't care what it is. 00:08:24.829 --> 00:08:35.049 No person can be successful in anything that 00:08:35.049 --> 00:08:40.870 he undertakes unless it means enough to him that 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:45.649 he's willing to give his life for it. I believe 00:08:45.649 --> 00:08:50.419 that. Look at the world's greatest scientists. 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:55.759 I believe with every atom of my being that Einstein 00:08:55.759 --> 00:09:03.159 was willing to die for what he believed. You 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:10.779 take the world's greatest medical men. I believe 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:18.570 those men are willing to die for the cause. I 00:09:18.570 --> 00:09:26.110 believe that. Yes, ma 'am. Do you want to know 00:09:26.110 --> 00:09:36.769 something? Do you want to know why I can stand 00:09:36.769 --> 00:09:41.870 before you and preach the word the way I do? 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:48.440 Do you want to know why there are so many men 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:51.539 find Christ their Savior through this ministry, 00:09:51.720 --> 00:10:02.299 it's because there's something in them that knows 00:10:02.299 --> 00:10:09.980 that I believe what I preach so completely that 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:15.840 I die for what I believe. And that's the truth. 00:10:17.370 --> 00:10:22.590 God help me. I may not be perfect in what I do. 00:10:23.289 --> 00:10:30.730 I am not the greatest in what I do. I am far 00:10:30.730 --> 00:10:36.909 from being a good preacher. I probably am not 00:10:36.909 --> 00:10:44.779 following things according to ethics. But I'll 00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:47.840 tell you one thing with all of heaven as my witness. 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:54.419 I would die for what I believe. I would die for 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:57.879 that thing which I bring unto you. I would die 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:07.440 for the ministry. I would give my life for that 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:20.279 which I believe things of God. You can never 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:30.659 really possess the kingdom of God until the Lord 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:37.700 becomes more important to you than your own life. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.220 thing that makes the difference between the carnal 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:49.000 and the spiritual. The carnal man has never gotten 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.940 to the place where he has loved the Lord and 00:11:52.940 --> 00:12:00.779 the things the Lord enough to die for what he 00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:06.399 believes. He is still trying to straddle the 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:14.679 fence. Some of self and some of God. Some of 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:21.340 God and some of the world. And he isn't quite 00:12:21.340 --> 00:12:31.799 sure which means the most to him. You will never 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:38.129 enjoy the deep spiritual things. You cannot be 00:12:38.129 --> 00:12:42.409 fed on the meat of the word. You're still going 00:12:42.409 --> 00:12:46.990 around being fed with a bottle. Because there's 00:12:46.990 --> 00:12:49.809 no spiritual growth, there will be no spiritual 00:12:49.809 --> 00:12:52.929 growth until you get to the place where literally 00:12:52.929 --> 00:13:01.450 there is a death to self. Do you want to know 00:13:01.450 --> 00:13:07.649 the price that you pay? For really being spiritual? 00:13:09.629 --> 00:13:11.950 Spiritual in the sense that Paul meant here, 00:13:12.090 --> 00:13:15.909 I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual? 00:13:18.690 --> 00:13:23.230 Do you know what he really meant? Just this. 00:13:23.950 --> 00:13:31.320 You have never gotten to the place where... The 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:35.240 Lord was more important to you, more important 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:44.799 in your life than your own life. Yeah. Now, let's 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:48.259 not go back. No person ever really lives until 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:52.639 he's found something worth dying for. You will 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:58.059 never really, fully, completely enjoy the spiritual 00:13:58.059 --> 00:14:04.850 things. your spiritual inheritance, and the deep 00:14:04.850 --> 00:14:11.250 spiritual knowledge, the word, you'll never fully 00:14:11.250 --> 00:14:18.450 enjoy living a spiritual life here on this earth 00:14:18.450 --> 00:14:26.360 until you do die. Is that a physical death? I'm 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:28.379 not talking about the heart taking its last beat. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.700 The heart is ticking just as strongly as ever. 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:35.720 There's as much life in that body as ever. But 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:44.740 I am talking about a death on your cross. A death 00:14:44.740 --> 00:14:49.019 to self. And that's exactly what the word means 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:57.840 when Jesus said unto his disciples, Any man will 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:09.000 come after me. Let him deny himself and take 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:16.639 up his cross. And remember, a cross is always 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:22.720 a symbol of death. That's one thing we're sure 00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:28.940 of. Always. Whenever Jesus speaks of a cross, 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:35.320 it's always a symbol of death. It could not have 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:40.500 been his death. For Jesus had a cross of his 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:44.779 own. His cross was not my cross. Neither was 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:48.879 his cross your cross. This is something very 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:53.549 personal. He's talking about an individual. Any 00:15:53.549 --> 00:15:57.889 man will come after me, let him deny himself, 00:15:58.470 --> 00:16:07.269 take up his cross. Therefore, there must be a 00:16:07.269 --> 00:16:14.389 death to that individual. He must get to a place 00:16:14.389 --> 00:16:18.110 where he believes in something so completely, 00:16:18.169 --> 00:16:22.399 so strongly. He has found something in the Lord 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:30.799 Jesus Christ that's worth dying for. Oh, that's 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:34.759 glorious. Then let him come and follow me. And 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:39.899 when he does, he'll have that glorious truth 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:44.159 that he not only belongs to the kingdom of God, 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:51.379 but the kingdom of God belongs to him. Blessed 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:57.940 are they that pay the price of having found something 00:16:57.940 --> 00:17:07.319 that's worth dying for. May this experience be 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:09.579 yours. Amen.