We're going to have another one of those heart
-to -heart talks about something that is vitally
important to you. And in this portion of the
Word of God, Paul was talking to Christians.
We are sure of that one thing because he begins
by saying, brethren. And he's talking to... the
brethren in the Lord. I'm giving you a portion
of the Word of God that is grossly misconstrued
and misunderstood. Therefore, I'm asking you
to read it with me. It's in the third chapter
of 1 Corinthians. And I, brethren, could not
speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto
carnal. even as unto babes in christ i have fed
you with milk and not with meat for hitherto
ye were not able to bear it neither yet now are
ye able we see at a glance it doesn't take a
deep spiritual insight to see that He's speaking
to Christians, and even as he is speaking to
those who have been regenerated, born again,
not all are spiritual. Some are still in the
carnal stage. There has not been that great entrance.
into the deeply spiritual state where that one
has completely surrendered body, soul, and spirit
unto the Lord. Let me give you something that
to me is one of the most thrilling things about
being in the body of Christ. Remember something.
There is a place in the Lord where literally
you do not merely belong to the kingdom of God.
Oh, that's wonderful. That is thrilling to know
that you belong. And that happens at the very
moment of your born -again experience, the very
minute you accept the Christ as your Savior,
the very minute that you accept the pardon, that
which has been made possible to you through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, at that
moment, the mighty Creator becomes your Heavenly
Father. And you belong to the kingdom of God.
You don't wait until after death to belong to
the kingdom of God. Now are ye the sons of God.
This very moment is God your heavenly father.
If you're a Christian, this very second, you
are an heir of God. You are a joint heir with
his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Now, lift
up your heads. There's no cause for discouragement.
There's no cause for defeat. It was never in
the purpose and will of God that any one of his
children, the least of his children, should ever
live a life of defeat. Not for one second. You
are important to God. You are more important
to your Heavenly Father than all the wealth in
the world, than all the planets that He ever
spoke into existence. You are now vastly important
to Him, His heir. sons of God. Not only after
death, but right here, even while you are in
the flesh. Now you belong to the kingdom of God.
But remember something else. And this is something
that's the hardest thing in the world to make
God's children see. The kingdom of God belongs
to you. Now. Oh, that's thrilling. Look up. Be
glad. Stop living a defeated life. Stop going
around in a state of depression. God's children
aren't depressed. God's children don't live in
a state of depression. Know that. I am His by
Him created. I am His through redemption. Therefore,
I am twice His by original right and by purchase
when I was lost. I am His. He'll defend me. I
am His. He'll protect me. I am his, therefore
I am surrounded by his love. He'll protect me
from my adversaries. The evil one cannot touch
me. I belong to one who is greater than my weaknesses.
I belong to the mighty God of this universe.
I belong to him. Therefore, I cannot fail. Oh,
look up. Start living. This thing of being a
Christian involves so much. All right. Let's
go back again to where we started in this double
heart -to -heart talk. Why did Paul say brethren?
Talking to Christians. I could not speak unto
you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. What
makes the difference then between the carnal
and the spiritual? Yet, they're all God's children.
I said something the other day. I'm going to
repeat it. No person ever really lives until
he has found something worth dying for. And I
am convinced of something. No person can really
be a success. No person can ever be the world's
greatest at anything. I don't care what it is.
No person can be successful in anything that
he undertakes unless it means enough to him that
he's willing to give his life for it. I believe
that. Look at the world's greatest scientists.
I believe with every atom of my being that Einstein
was willing to die for what he believed. You
take the world's greatest medical men. I believe
those men are willing to die for the cause. I
believe that. Yes, ma 'am. Do you want to know
something? Do you want to know why I can stand
before you and preach the word the way I do?
Do you want to know why there are so many men
find Christ their Savior through this ministry,
it's because there's something in them that knows
that I believe what I preach so completely that
I die for what I believe. And that's the truth.
God help me. I may not be perfect in what I do.
I am not the greatest in what I do. I am far
from being a good preacher. I probably am not
following things according to ethics. But I'll
tell you one thing with all of heaven as my witness.
I would die for what I believe. I would die for
that thing which I bring unto you. I would die
for the ministry. I would give my life for that
which I believe things of God. You can never
really possess the kingdom of God until the Lord
becomes more important to you than your own life.
thing that makes the difference between the carnal
and the spiritual. The carnal man has never gotten
to the place where he has loved the Lord and
the things the Lord enough to die for what he
believes. He is still trying to straddle the
fence. Some of self and some of God. Some of
God and some of the world. And he isn't quite
sure which means the most to him. You will never
enjoy the deep spiritual things. You cannot be
fed on the meat of the word. You're still going
around being fed with a bottle. Because there's
no spiritual growth, there will be no spiritual
growth until you get to the place where literally
there is a death to self. Do you want to know
the price that you pay? For really being spiritual?
Spiritual in the sense that Paul meant here,
I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual?
Do you know what he really meant? Just this.
You have never gotten to the place where... The
Lord was more important to you, more important
in your life than your own life. Yeah. Now, let's
not go back. No person ever really lives until
he's found something worth dying for. You will
never really, fully, completely enjoy the spiritual
things. your spiritual inheritance, and the deep
spiritual knowledge, the word, you'll never fully
enjoy living a spiritual life here on this earth
until you do die. Is that a physical death? I'm
not talking about the heart taking its last beat.
The heart is ticking just as strongly as ever.
There's as much life in that body as ever. But
I am talking about a death on your cross. A death
to self. And that's exactly what the word means
when Jesus said unto his disciples, Any man will
come after me. Let him deny himself and take
up his cross. And remember, a cross is always
a symbol of death. That's one thing we're sure
of. Always. Whenever Jesus speaks of a cross,
it's always a symbol of death. It could not have
been his death. For Jesus had a cross of his
own. His cross was not my cross. Neither was
his cross your cross. This is something very
personal. He's talking about an individual. Any
man will come after me, let him deny himself,
take up his cross. Therefore, there must be a
death to that individual. He must get to a place
where he believes in something so completely,
so strongly. He has found something in the Lord
Jesus Christ that's worth dying for. Oh, that's
glorious. Then let him come and follow me. And
when he does, he'll have that glorious truth
that he not only belongs to the kingdom of God,
but the kingdom of God belongs to him. Blessed
are they that pay the price of having found something
that's worth dying for. May this experience be
yours. Amen.