WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:03.189 Well, you and I have been having a little heart 00:00:03.189 --> 00:00:07.110 -to -heart talk about this thing of living a 00:00:07.110 --> 00:00:10.490 victorious, daily, consistent Christian life. 00:00:11.050 --> 00:00:14.390 I've come to the conclusion a long time ago that 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:21.250 defeat and not victory is the sad inscription 00:00:21.250 --> 00:00:25.929 which could be written over the life of many 00:00:25.929 --> 00:00:31.230 a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I meet them 00:00:31.230 --> 00:00:39.450 every day. A long face. Oh, how dear me. And 00:00:39.450 --> 00:00:43.170 there's no victory there. And there's no real 00:00:43.170 --> 00:00:46.469 spiritual vitality there. And if you're in their 00:00:46.469 --> 00:00:49.869 presence too long, you almost become depressed 00:00:49.869 --> 00:00:53.590 yourself. It's just kind of like that. And you 00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:58.320 almost hate to see them coming, you know. Oh, 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:02.780 there's nothing worse than a professing Christian 00:01:02.780 --> 00:01:09.120 who is living in defeat. But remember, in the 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:14.200 riches of divine grace, provision has been made 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:20.299 by the Lord Jesus Christ for a constant and unbroken 00:01:20.299 --> 00:01:23.459 victory on the part of every one of his children 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:28.909 in spite of circumstances. Oh, you say, but you 00:01:28.909 --> 00:01:32.489 don't understand my circumstances. If you only 00:01:32.489 --> 00:01:36.590 knew the trials that I go through. If you had 00:01:36.590 --> 00:01:42.430 to live with my husband. If you had a son and 00:01:42.430 --> 00:01:46.030 daughter like my son and daughter. If you had 00:01:46.030 --> 00:01:50.950 to put up with neighbors like my neighbors. Catherine 00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:56.319 Kuhlman, if you had to work where I work. then 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:59.340 you would not be able to say there is a place 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:02.060 in the Lord Jesus Christ where you can have constant 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:11.319 victory and be happy. I know, my friend, but 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:17.039 I'm not looking to that godless husband of yours 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:23.439 or those crying teenagers at your house. or those 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:27.960 neighbors of yours, or the folk with whom you 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:33.900 have to work, I'm still looking to Jesus. And 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:38.039 we have his promise. And he said that we are 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:43.699 not only conquerors, but we're more than conquerors. 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:48.719 Over all these things, all circumstances, everything. 00:02:50.889 --> 00:02:54.909 We're more than conquerors, not through our own 00:02:54.909 --> 00:03:01.090 efforts, but through Him, through the Lord Jesus 00:03:01.090 --> 00:03:06.310 Christ. Oh, to me, that's thrilling. That's wonderful. 00:03:06.490 --> 00:03:10.330 All right. What are some of the dangers that 00:03:10.330 --> 00:03:14.050 beset a life of holiness and this wonderful life 00:03:14.050 --> 00:03:21.909 of constant victory? Yesterday, We saw that it 00:03:21.909 --> 00:03:26.669 was not self -effort. We can't do it in ourselves. 00:03:26.870 --> 00:03:32.090 That's impossible. We must do it through him. 00:03:32.270 --> 00:03:37.310 He's the one who keeps us. It's not we who keep 00:03:37.310 --> 00:03:45.610 him. Abide in me, he says. Just rest peacefully 00:03:45.610 --> 00:03:49.330 in him. So far as your life of victory is concerned. 00:03:50.669 --> 00:03:54.550 I can't review the things that we said yesterday. 00:03:54.689 --> 00:03:58.870 You should have been there listening. If you 00:03:58.870 --> 00:04:01.150 missed it, you missed it. And so that'll teach 00:04:01.150 --> 00:04:04.789 you to listen tomorrow so that you won't miss 00:04:04.789 --> 00:04:07.469 anything. I'm just glad you're there today. All 00:04:07.469 --> 00:04:13.550 right. Now, the second thing. There is no... 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:17.300 freedom from temptation. The victorious life 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:24.560 is not an untempted life. I know very often there 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:29.019 are those that after they have found this wonderful 00:04:29.019 --> 00:04:32.920 new birth experience, they've had this experience 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:36.560 of knowing that their sins are forgiven, that 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:39.680 transaction between the individual and the Lord 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:43.389 Jesus Christ. Perhaps they've just gotten up 00:04:43.389 --> 00:04:47.069 from over their knees, and their faces still 00:04:47.069 --> 00:04:51.769 tear -stained. And I could have still been the 00:04:51.769 --> 00:04:54.629 one who said to them, now remember to whom you 00:04:54.629 --> 00:04:58.769 belong. You're now an heir of God, a joint heir 00:04:58.769 --> 00:05:04.910 with Christ Jesus. He's the one. You are somebody. 00:05:06.649 --> 00:05:12.310 And perhaps I had given them the feeling without... 00:05:12.509 --> 00:05:17.610 saying so, that it's always going to be just 00:05:17.610 --> 00:05:23.089 like that. There'll be no more temptations. Oh, 00:05:23.129 --> 00:05:27.629 now they may feel as though they're completely 00:05:27.629 --> 00:05:33.050 free from all temptation. But it isn't like that. 00:05:33.110 --> 00:05:38.290 It just isn't like that. You were converted, 00:05:38.329 --> 00:05:43.220 but the devil wasn't. Sometimes we act as though 00:05:43.220 --> 00:05:45.819 that when we're converted, the devil got converted 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:51.439 too. He's just a big rascal as he always was. 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.600 It's just like that. Therefore, the Christian 00:05:54.600 --> 00:06:00.939 life is not an untempted life. Only one man has 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:05.339 ever lived an unbroken victorious life, and that 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:09.009 was our Lord and Savior himself. And the Word 00:06:09.009 --> 00:06:13.269 of God said, and he was tempted in all points 00:06:13.269 --> 00:06:18.649 like as we are, yet without sin. Even he was 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:22.750 not spared temptations. So who do you think you 00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:27.370 are? When someone stands behind the pulpit and 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:32.850 teaches that there will no longer be temptations 00:06:32.850 --> 00:06:36.990 after this wonderful experience of being born 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:42.649 again, That one is unscriptural. For even the 00:06:42.649 --> 00:06:46.509 Son of God was tempted. Then let me ask you, 00:06:46.569 --> 00:06:54.050 who are you to believe that you have reached 00:06:54.050 --> 00:06:57.649 such a spiritual state that you will no longer 00:06:57.649 --> 00:07:02.970 be tempted? And I would like to know what that 00:07:02.970 --> 00:07:13.389 little word all really involves. I wonder. I 00:07:13.389 --> 00:07:16.670 think that's so very often. Papa always said 00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:20.529 it was the aggravation and not the hard work. 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:25.050 That was so hard. And sometimes I think my greatest 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:29.730 temptation is to just kind of get disgusted with 00:07:29.730 --> 00:07:34.550 people, you know. It isn't the hard work. Preach. 00:07:34.550 --> 00:07:38.370 Nobody loves to preach any more than I do. Oh, 00:07:38.490 --> 00:07:41.470 it's so wonderful. And in the miracle services, 00:07:41.730 --> 00:07:48.589 not anyone gets as blessed as I do. It's so wonderful 00:07:48.589 --> 00:07:51.829 to be in the presence of the Lord and see the 00:07:51.829 --> 00:07:54.110 wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:59.189 you see, it's just people who are so inconsiderate 00:07:59.189 --> 00:08:06.230 and people who are so vacillating and undependable. 00:08:09.069 --> 00:08:13.170 I'm wondering if the Lord sometimes got a little 00:08:13.170 --> 00:08:18.529 disgusted with him, too, and he was kind of tempted 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:26.329 to say, you know, the word said that he was tempted 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:37.129 in all points, as we are, yet without sin. The 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:43.509 sinless angels were tempted, and some fell. That's 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:47.789 right. Read the Word of God. Angels were created 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:54.070 sinless, but they were tempted, and they did 00:08:54.070 --> 00:08:57.570 not all remain sinless. Some of the angels fell. 00:08:57.750 --> 00:09:02.129 Only one remained without sin, and that's Jesus, 00:09:02.350 --> 00:09:06.269 Adam, and Eve in the sinless state. were tempted, 00:09:06.370 --> 00:09:10.590 and they also fell. So let us not be surprised 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:14.490 when the devil tempts us. He'll do all in his 00:09:14.490 --> 00:09:21.149 power to drag us down. And he knows your weakest 00:09:21.149 --> 00:09:26.490 spot. He knows your weakest moment. He knows 00:09:26.490 --> 00:09:32.830 when you're tired. He knows when you are in a 00:09:32.830 --> 00:09:37.409 state of fatigue. And he's an old, dirty rascal. 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:43.549 He has no principle whatsoever. He has no consideration. 00:09:44.309 --> 00:09:50.710 None. And he'll wait for that moment when you're 00:09:50.710 --> 00:09:54.250 tired in body and say, now's my chance to strike. 00:09:54.610 --> 00:09:58.769 There it is. Even Elijah knew that. One moment 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:02.789 at glorious victory, there he is literally, the 00:10:02.789 --> 00:10:07.120 great spiritual giant. challenging the prophets 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:10.759 of Baal. And in that bongro, you and I think 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:13.220 we have seen wonderful miracle services, but 00:10:13.220 --> 00:10:15.519 that was one of the greatest miracle services 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:20.120 that we know anything about. That was a real 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:27.179 miracle service, and I'm sorry I missed it. You 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:30.559 and I are in the Shrine Auditorium, or in the 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:35.440 First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. New 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:40.519 York City. And we see sick bodies healed by the 00:10:40.519 --> 00:10:43.639 power of God. And we say, isn't that wonderful? 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:46.840 Wasn't that a wonderful miracle service? But 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:49.000 I'll tell you something. There was a miracle 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:52.220 service that was even greater than anything that 00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:55.480 you and I have ever experienced. When Elijah 00:10:55.480 --> 00:11:01.019 stood there that day, that spiritual giant, literally 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:05.929 challenging the prophets of Baal. God came through, 00:11:05.990 --> 00:11:10.830 he always does. And he sent that fire from heaven. 00:11:12.450 --> 00:11:18.470 Oh, to think I missed that one. Oh, to think 00:11:18.470 --> 00:11:24.789 I missed it. Had I been there while Elijah was 00:11:24.789 --> 00:11:28.389 challenging, the prophets of Baal, I probably 00:11:28.389 --> 00:11:30.830 would have been standing behind him saying, stick 00:11:30.830 --> 00:11:36.259 him, stick him, stick him. You know, yeah, I 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:39.139 will. Then doing my part, I'll tell you all that 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:41.559 I would have known what to have done under the 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:47.139 circumstances. Yeah. But do you want to know 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:53.279 something? It was only a few hours later, just 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:58.139 at the time when Elijah was so tired in body, 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:04.269 there was an ounce of strength left. He was human. 00:12:05.669 --> 00:12:12.850 He was human. And the devil was waiting for that 00:12:12.850 --> 00:12:21.149 weak moment to attack him. Just a few hours later, 00:12:21.210 --> 00:12:27.450 he prayed to die. Let me die. Oh, I'm so discouraged. 00:12:28.509 --> 00:12:34.200 Jezebel is out there after my head. And she'll 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:40.620 probably get it, you know. How quickly we forget 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:44.679 the power of our God. In that moment of despair, 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:51.200 did God cut him off? Did God forget him? No. 00:12:53.500 --> 00:13:02.450 Nope. He just let him sleep. Said child of mine, 00:13:02.490 --> 00:13:06.750 all you need is just about 12 or 14 hours of 00:13:06.750 --> 00:13:13.710 good sleep. And then he not only put him to sleep, 00:13:13.809 --> 00:13:18.669 but he even sent the angels to bake him a cake. 00:13:20.029 --> 00:13:23.570 I tell you, that's what our Heavenly Father is 00:13:23.570 --> 00:13:27.210 like. But I also want you to see the power of 00:13:27.210 --> 00:13:33.200 the enemy. Devil did attack him when he was tired 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:37.679 in body. The weakness of the flesh. There was 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:41.600 no weakness spiritually. There was no weakness 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.820 in the spirit. The weakness was in the flesh, 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:52.299 and God knew it. So let us not be surprised when 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:57.039 Satan tempts us. He'll do all in his power to 00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:00.820 drag us down. because the victorious life is 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:06.059 the only one that really counts. And every child 00:14:06.059 --> 00:14:11.419 of God will be tempted. But we can count it all 00:14:11.419 --> 00:14:17.000 joy, even the face of that temptation. For we 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:22.340 are told that the shield of faith is able to 00:14:22.340 --> 00:14:28.009 quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. That 00:14:28.009 --> 00:14:31.549 shield of faith. That's the reason I say to you 00:14:31.549 --> 00:14:35.070 when I come into your home, no matter what happens 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:41.049 to you, as long as God is still on his throne 00:14:41.049 --> 00:14:43.529 and hears an answer's prayer, and just so long 00:14:43.529 --> 00:14:50.870 as your faith in him is intact, you cannot be 00:14:50.870 --> 00:14:55.350 defeated. You will not be defeated. Not one of 00:14:55.350 --> 00:15:00.059 us meets... ever go down in defeat. As long as 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:03.860 our faith in Him is still intact. And the most 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:06.899 wonderful thing is that He will even supply the 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:10.960 faith. He the author and the finisher of our 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:16.559 faith. He is the supplier of that faith. How 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:22.799 can we lose? I ask you just confidentially and 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:28.850 it's a reasonable question. How can we lose? 00:15:32.230 --> 00:15:35.350 Perhaps sitting there right now, you're defeated. 00:15:35.490 --> 00:15:41.769 Oh, if I could see your face. It's so long. No 00:15:41.769 --> 00:15:46.889 wonder your husband hates to come home. No wonder 00:15:46.889 --> 00:15:50.129 your children hate to come home. Or maybe I'm 00:15:50.129 --> 00:15:56.289 talking to a Baxton preacher. course you're not 00:15:56.289 --> 00:16:01.690 having any spiritual results. Of course you're 00:16:01.690 --> 00:16:07.789 not influencing your church and the members of 00:16:07.789 --> 00:16:11.090 your church. When you stand in the pulpit, they 00:16:11.090 --> 00:16:15.490 can sense your defeat. They know it. And you 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:17.509 cannot give to anyone else any more than what 00:16:17.509 --> 00:16:21.049 you have experienced yourself. How can you give 00:16:21.049 --> 00:16:23.549 someone else victory when you have no victory 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:31.259 yourself? You can't do it. But watch something. 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:38.759 It's the life of victory that is the only one 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:46.480 that really counts. And you can look up having 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:53.299 the shield of faith. And that shield of faith 00:16:54.590 --> 00:16:58.289 regardless of circumstances, is able to quench 00:16:58.289 --> 00:17:03.789 all, A -double -L, all the fiery darts of the 00:17:03.789 --> 00:17:09.930 evil one. If it wasn't true, God's word never 00:17:09.930 --> 00:17:17.250 would have said it. All right. Now this constant 00:17:17.250 --> 00:17:23.160 attitude of faith. Because, you know, there are 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:29.759 those who say, well, now, if we fall, what? There 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.839 are some people that sometimes I think are actually 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:38.839 born with a negative attitude. They come into 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:42.119 the world. When they make their first cry, it's 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:48.059 a negative cry. Uh -huh. And they go through 00:17:48.059 --> 00:17:55.910 life. still crying negative tears. Everything 00:17:55.910 --> 00:18:01.589 they say, all their thoughts are negative. If 00:18:01.589 --> 00:18:06.309 we fail, I am afraid to accept Christ as my Savior 00:18:06.309 --> 00:18:09.829 because maybe I'll not be able to live the life. 00:18:10.529 --> 00:18:16.849 Don't ever say that to me. Whatever you do. I 00:18:16.849 --> 00:18:19.750 may show some of that human side of me because 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:24.269 that's one thing I cannot take from anybody. 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:30.690 When they give as an excuse, maybe I won't be 00:18:30.690 --> 00:18:34.150 able to live the life. Maybe I won't be able 00:18:34.150 --> 00:18:41.349 to hold out if we fail. There's always the possibility 00:18:41.349 --> 00:18:47.180 of sinning. But remember, Jesus knew the weakness 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:51.259 of the flesh. He created us. He knows all about 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.720 us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. 00:18:55.140 --> 00:19:00.880 And so he has made a provision for this possibility 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:04.960 of sinning. Oh, he's a wonderful heavenly father. 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:09.420 Go back, if you will, please, to the Old Testament. 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:13.279 It's the fourth chapter of Leviticus. And it 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:20.819 says, The priest that is anointed do sin as the 00:19:20.819 --> 00:19:29.579 people. Look at that. You say, my goodness, I 00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:33.940 never thought of a priest sinning. Well, God 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:41.359 did. The Creator did. Always keep in mind, there's 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:47.819 only one who is sinless. Just one. A person can 00:19:47.819 --> 00:19:53.099 be deeply spiritual, yet that person is not immune 00:19:53.099 --> 00:20:03.200 to temptation. God knew it. Leviticus, the fourth 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:05.599 chapter. I'm repeating it because somebody said, 00:20:05.660 --> 00:20:10.559 I don't think it's in my Bible. Yes, it is. It's 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:13.460 the third verse, the fourth chapter of Leviticus. 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:24.069 priest that is anointed. He's anointed. If that 00:20:24.069 --> 00:20:30.089 priest do sin as the people, what happens? He 00:20:30.089 --> 00:20:33.430 has to confess that sin just like anyone else 00:20:33.430 --> 00:20:38.549 because he's a human being too. Now, doesn't 00:20:38.549 --> 00:20:46.309 this prove that sin is inevitable? Now watch. 00:20:48.789 --> 00:20:53.950 Every ship that sails is provided with a supply 00:20:53.950 --> 00:20:58.170 of lifeboats, lest there should be a wreckage 00:20:58.170 --> 00:21:02.509 or a collision. Every ship, I don't care how 00:21:02.509 --> 00:21:07.549 small, how large, is always provided with lifeboats 00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:12.289 because there's always a possibility of a storm. 00:21:14.009 --> 00:21:19.009 a collision that could be a shipwreck. Of course, 00:21:19.029 --> 00:21:22.089 this does not imply that it is the captain's 00:21:22.089 --> 00:21:26.490 intention to wreck his ship, nor does it mean 00:21:26.490 --> 00:21:31.970 that therefore every ship must be wrecked. No. 00:21:33.630 --> 00:21:41.630 But if we confess that sin, and confession is 00:21:41.630 --> 00:21:44.880 one of the most important Important doctrines 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:48.099 and one of the most important thing of man's 00:21:48.099 --> 00:21:54.779 theology and of God's word. There must be confession. 00:21:55.980 --> 00:22:01.119 And you confess it to him. Oh, I know it's the 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:05.220 enemy of our soul who is the accuser of the brethren. 00:22:05.400 --> 00:22:09.220 And he'll keep attacking you on this one score 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:12.039 and say, aha, you did it. You did it. You yielded. 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:15.740 You did it. In that moment of weakness, you did 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:20.420 it. He's the accuser of the brethren. Don't act 00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:23.740 like the devil now, whatever you do. Jesus said, 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:28.740 if we confess, if we sin, whether we be priest 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:34.279 or just an ordinary person, he's made a way, 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:40.700 a provision through his tender love, and he is 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:46.490 there to forgive us. of that sin. That's our 00:22:46.490 --> 00:22:47.730 heavenly father.