What You Do, Verses, What You Believe.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11NLT
In his book Spiritual Burnout, Malcolm Smith tells the story of a drug addict he minister to. Hector had been a heavy drug abuser before he came to know the Lord. He had a marvelous conversion. He was reunited with his wife and she, too, came to know the Lord. Even though he was a new creation in Christ, it wasn't long before Hector sensed he still had strong temptations to return to his old drug habit. One morning at 4 AM his wife greatly distressed, called Malcolm Smith. Apparently Hector had been very upset the previous day. He had left the house and hadn’t returned. Gloria was convinced he was looking for a drug dealer. In the gray dawn, Malcolm went to the area where Hector had spent his days as an addict. After a few inquiries he found Hector in a sleazy pool hall. He took him aside, but Hector said, “Pastor, please leave me alone! I have let God down. I have let you down and all the brothers and sisters at the church. It's no use, I'm not worth bothering with anymore.” Malcolm looked Hector squarely in the eye and said, “God loved you when you were a junkie and he saved you. Do you think now that you are his child, he doesn't love you freely and unconditionally?” Malcolm stated, “God still loves you, even though last night you hurt yourself and your family. God loves you exactly the same way at this moment as he did when you were singing in the spirit last week. God's love is not dependent on what you do or don't do. He forgives you. Take His forgiveness and thank Him!”
Then Rev. Smith turned his attention to the question of how Hector handled the temptation to return to drugs. Malcolm stated, Hector assured me that he continually said no. This was Hector's problem. Just saying no to any temptation is like trying to live under a law that says, “Thou shall not get high on drugs.”
Remember this, telling people what they are doing wrong does not give them the power to stop doing it. The law is powerless to give life; only by the life of Jesus Christ can we overcome sin.
Galatians 3:21NLT Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.
And then Malcolm Smith stated a powerful truth, “Hector, you must understand that faith never says no to temptation, it says yes to Jesus.”
Malcolm went on to explain that Hector sins had been nailed to the cross with Jesus, and now the spirit of Jesus lived within him. Life was not a matter of Hector’s trying to be good; it was a matter of admitting that on his own he could never be good! Once he understood this, he would never think that Christianity was a matter of adjusting his behavior, but rather letting Christ Jesus live through him in His strength and power.
Pastor Malcolm states, “Faith is not collecting all the willpower into a mighty no! It is recognition at the point of my weakness that, even though I do not feel it, Jesus Christ is my strength.”
Malcolm went on to say some months later, pressures again developed in Hector's life. He fell back into the same old legalistic pattern of trying to say no. In the following weeks, his resistance became weaker and weaker. He had all but decided to get high and be a drug dealer. What little resistance was left screamed no as loudly as it could. As he got closer to making a deal, Hector cried out inside, “Please, God, help me!”
He remembered the conversation with Malcolm months before. “This desire for drugs is not the real me, he told himself. This Hector died with Jesus Christ and now I am risen with him. Now he is my life.”
Colossians 1:27NKJV To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Hector stated I was trying to deal with this as though Jesus were not inside me. “Lord Jesus, I don't want to get high, but I am weak. You take over and live your victory through me.”
“Trying to change a persons behavior without changing what he believes can only lead to legalism or rebellion.” -Neil Anderson
Please hear this, we are not called to dispel the darkness; we are called to turn on the light. Jesus is the light.
Fact, Jesus doesn’t need to come down and give you special power, He already has! Christ in you.
Take a deep breath- For over 35 years Hector has been a successful pastor!
1 Corinthians 6:9-11NLT Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
When you called upon the name of Jesus you were made right with God.
If believers are alive and free in Christ, then why do so many of us struggle with bondage? “One reason is that we've been deceived by the devil, who is the father of lies.”
Our true identity has been distorted by Satan, the deceiver. The last thing he wants us to know is who we are in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11AMP Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor those who participate in homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].
* Several years ago I canceled a young man who really believed that he was and would always be evil.
The first thing that I asked him was, “How do you perceive yourself?”
He replied, “I am evil.” I replied back, “you're not evil.’ ‘How can a child of God be evil?’ ‘Is that how you see yourself?” He nodded in agreement. This man might have done some evil, but he wasn't evil.
He was basing his identity on what he had done, not on who he was in Jesus Christ. He was letting Satan's accusations influence his perception of himself and thus influence his behavior. PH
Many believers are caught in this trap. When we fail, we see ourselves as failures, which only causes us to fail more. When we sin, we see ourselves as sinners, which only causes us to sin more.
Question: Are you unrighteous? No, As a believer, by faith, and by changing your belief system, you are the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
In, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 The apostles Paul list those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Then he says, “and such were some of you.”
That's who you were, not who you are now. Something traumatic happened to you at salvation. You were washed, justified and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God.
Facts: *Jesus paid sins debt.
* Your highest call is to just believe.
* You are a new creation.
* Old has passed away. Gone, never can return.
* Everything is new. New mercies. Remember, ‘New’ meaning, different. Different everyday!
* As believers we have a new ministry. A ministry of reconciliation. We bring things and people to God.
As a believer our trespasses are not imputed onto us but rather all trespasses were imputed on Jesus Christ. In return, He (Jesus) imputed grace upon us. * We are ambassadors for Christ, we speak- reconciliation.
We speak- Wholeness, liberty, grace and mercy.
We speak love, peace and joy.
We speak hope. We speak Jesus. We speak Holy Spirit.
I believe that millions have bought into Satan's futile equation, “What you do determines who you are.”
That false equation sends many into a tailspin of hopelessness and defeat.
John 14:16-17NKJV And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Has the war on drugs been better off since Nancy Reagan pushed her new slogan, “Just Say No To Drugs?" No.
Why? The reason secular treatment programs often don't have lasting results is because they only try to change the behavior, which is not the root problem.
Jesus came to change us first, then He sent the Holy Spirit of truth to lead us into 100% truth.
John 8:31-32ESV So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Does Jesus re-die for your sins? Of course not.
“You can work a treatment program perfectly and do everything the counselor tells you to do; but if you don't change who you are and your beliefs, you will remain unchanged. -You will walk out the door the same person who walked in, and you will continue to live according to what you have chosen to believe.” P.H
As long as the person believes he or she is a helpless addict, they will never realize his freedom in Jesus Christ. He or She will be dependent upon some program to gain or maintain sobriety, or some other behavior goal.
-A person’s belief has to change!
Here's what millions believe:
1. I am an alcoholic, or I am evil.
2. I am helpless, it's hopeless, and I am never going to change.
3. I am rejected, unloved and unaccepted.
4. I am different from others, and my problem is different.
5. I am a victim of family background, genetics and other influences. I’m some what cursed.
6. I am insecure and need someone to validate me to be okay.
7. I am guilty and condemned because of my behavior.
8. I am a sorry no good sinner.
9. I am a failure, I am inadequate and I will never measure up.
10. I am worthless and inferior to others.
Notice that only one of the above lies had anything to do with alcohol or being evil. Satan's grand scheme is deception. He is the father of lies. If he can get us to believe a lie, he can control our lives.
What does being washed, justified and sanctified mean, 1 Corinthians 1:30?
To be washed, means that you have been regenerated. You have been born-again, transformed into someone you weren’t before, you are now a new creation in Christ.
The word justified, means that your sins have been forgiven, and you have been made right with God. You now have peace with God.
The word sanctified, means to be set apart.
You have been set apart for God. The root of the word means, to make holy.
“You have been made holy not by what you have done, but by what Jesus did!” PH
The word for sanctified is also the term from which we get the word- Saint.
In other words, you are no longer a sinner, but a saint who sometimes sins.
If you struggle with condemning thoughts: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5NKJV For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
What you should always believe:
God has so worked in your life that you are dead to sin and alive to Christ, Romans 6:2-3.
God is for you, and nothing can stand against you, Romans, 8:31.
You have been given the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption of Christ, 1Corinthians 1:30.
You have been given everything you need for life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3.
You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly's in Christ, Ephesians 1:3.
God is meeting all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:19.
You are a child of God and the evil one can't touch you, 1 John 5:18.
Christ in you is greater than Satan, your enemy in the world, 1 John 4:4.
God has given you authority over satan, Ephesians, 1:19–23, 2:6.
God is working all things together for your good, Romans 8:28.
Satan is a defeated foe, Colossians 2:15.
God has given you the victory, 1 Corinthians 15:57.
You're more than a conqueror, Romans 8:37.
God always leads you in triumph, 2 Corinthians 2:14.
Nothing can separate you from the love of God, Romans 8:39.
Benediction. Fall in love with Jesus and daily learn to surrender your entire being to Him.
