The Victorious Life

[00:00:00] Before we begin again, we want to ask the Lord to be with us and God our hearts in mind. If all want to invite you to a value of your head with me as we seek the Father in prayer,

[00:00:12] that we might be graciously privileged to have Him here. Father in heaven, again, as we endeavor to come to the now, Father we pray that thy holy angels and the Holy Spirit will manifest themselves in a great way.

[00:00:28] And that our hearts and minds might be clearly in tune with thee and harmony with thee, and Father we might fear thy holy name and walk at thy presence. God we pray that you bless each one, bless now as we open thy world.

[00:00:42] We claim the promises of victory, we claim the promises of Jesus that we might receive, both things which we ask and seek for. And God we know that these things are according to thy will.

[00:00:53] So we come to thee with confidence knowing that we shall receive help in time as we. So bless now we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Now in our previous study, we looked at Romans chapter 7 and looked at the condition of the individual there.

[00:01:13] And friends, I tell you when you clearly compare with the verses of chapter 6, chapter 8 with those of chapter 7, you begin to find my friends that that condition cannot possibly do the condition of the converted experience.

[00:01:27] You know, once was said to me when they found out that those were advocating this was a converted experience. Someone said to me, said, why if that's a converted experience, I hit the ceiling unconverted one. And that's ever so true.

[00:01:48] Now friends, it's interesting in this as we've looked at the Bible. We found in verse 18, a rather interesting statement. We found there to be the key of the problem that the individual is having.

[00:02:07] Verse 18, it says, for I know that in me that is in my flesh, relative good thing. He goes on to say, for to well as present with me. But how to perform that which is good I find for this.

[00:02:22] You see there was a willingness to be a Christian. There was a willingness to do the good. But somehow he didn't know how to perform it. You know my friends sadly to say, this is the tragedy of many in the world, and many of those so-called Christians.

[00:02:45] There's a willingness to follow God, and yet my friends somehow they just don't know how to do it. You know, willingness is good. But I tell you, friends, it's all that you have simply a desire to serve God. That's not good enough.

[00:03:10] You know, Proverbs says that there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the ends there are the ways of death. And so many people think themselves to be sincere and honest.

[00:03:26] And what they do but that does not necessitate the fact that what they're doing is right. For example, many people in the Christian world are sincere and honest about keeping Sunday really. And they are as sincere and honest as they could possibly be.

[00:03:46] But friends there, sincerity no more makes Sunday holy and right. Then friends, as I say, sin is righteous. Why? That doesn't make Sunday right. Just because there's sincere about keeping it. So there has to be more than sincerity.

[00:04:07] You know, the servant of the Lord said this and steps the Christ. This is in page 47 and 48 of the official edition. She said this desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go. But if you stop here, they will have a nothing.

[00:04:35] Many will be lost while hoping in the Zarring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will of God to God. They do not now choose to be Christians. She said many will be lost. Desiring and hoping to be Christian.

[00:05:08] So friends, all that you have in your experience is a desire. I, friends, I tell you from the pen of inspiration that will avail you nothing at all. You see my friends to will was present with the individual. Yet a desire. There's no question. He had to design.

[00:05:38] But he didn't know how to carry out and perform the good that he wanted to do. The servant of the Lord does not just make this thing and you see, she says this and this by the way is on the same page in page 4748.

[00:05:58] She said, what you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man. It's the power of decision or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice. God has given to man.

[00:06:25] It is very exercise. You cannot change your heart. You cannot of yourself give you to God. It's affection. But you can choose the servant. You can give him your will. And then he will work in you to will and to do a good pleasure.

[00:06:48] And thus the whole nature will be brought under the control of the spirit of Christ. Your action will be centered upon him. Your false will be then in harmony with him. You see my friends, one of the things that God's people need to understand

[00:07:06] the Christian experience is that desire is not enough. They need to understand friends that they have to exercise the will in the plan of redemption. The will is the governing factor in the nature of man.

[00:07:23] And if you want to change the nature of the individual, then the choice has to be made by that governing factor. And that is the will. Here is where multitude will perish because they never decide it and chose for Jesus. They only had a desire.

[00:07:43] You know, many people desire to be famous people. You know, as a child, you may have ever had a teacher ask you when you went to school. While John, what do you desire to be when you grow up? Why want to be a fireman?

[00:07:55] Are you going to be a policeman? I want to be president. I want to be an astronaut. You know, all of these things. And I said, mind, you know, too. I can't quite remember. But you know, we've all said these things right? We desire things for the future.

[00:08:07] We desire anything. But friends, I tell you what. And let's you choose to make decisions in your life and set goals. To meet that desire, you will never carry the nut. You'll never carry it. It'll be simply just a desire. A dream is what we call it.

[00:08:22] The friends' dreams are nothing unless they come to reality. The way they come to reality is that Christians need to understand that there is a will to exercise and that will is yours. You have to make choices in your life. You know, I really appreciate this state.

[00:08:41] And in front of the little brochure, a little bullet in here. Really, it's a powerful statement. And it goes so much in harmony with what I'm going to preach on this at this point. And I want to read it to you.

[00:08:52] This is found in the book Education page 289. You know, I really enjoy this period of prophecy. I'm so thankful. God has given to us as a people that give this period of prophecy. Really, I mean that. I don't know what I would do without it.

[00:09:05] You know, it's interesting. When I went to Europe, you know, a lot of things were happening. And a lot of difficulties and understandings is so on. But you know, friends, I tell you as I began to assess the situation.

[00:09:19] One of the great problems was because they didn't have this period of prophecy. And friends, I hope for and pray that you will help in any way you can. To carry out that plan that Richard brought to us.

[00:09:30] I think it is the greatest thing that we need to do. Friends is get that great controversy out to every nation, Kindergarten people. And friends, so I tell you, you and I can have a part to play. And I pray that you'll do that.

[00:09:43] But here in the book Education page 289, the certain law says, In every experience of life, God's word to us is. Choose this day whom you will serve, Joshua 2450. Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God.

[00:10:03] May choose to obey and by thus linking himself with divine agencies. He may stand where nothing can force him to do evil. All my friends, when you choose to walk with God by the exercise of the will, My friends, you unite yourself with heavenly agencies,

[00:10:24] and there is nothing. Nothing that can get you to do evil. That's powerful statement for friends. But the will is the key, the will is the key. And friends, I tell you, here we find the man of Rome, a seven simply having to dissolve. Having to dissolve.

[00:10:43] The friends, there was the failure to exercise the will in the intelligence way is to know how to do it. In other words, friends, let me say this. You can have the desire to do the good. But you must know how to do the good.

[00:10:59] And once you know how to do the good, then you can with intelligence exercise the will to carry it out. And this is the problem with the individual here in Rome and seven. He has a desire. But he doesn't know how? I've listed just a few steps.

[00:11:19] Not that these are all the steps involved in how to obtain victory in your life. And that by the way is the time of my sermon, steps to victory and victory in the victory of the victorious life. But nevertheless, friends, these are just some of the things

[00:11:39] that I have found to be very important from my study. The Bible is through the process. You know, today we hear amongst us as a people. One of the famous theology that we often hear is that if you want to have what they call in relationship with Jesus,

[00:12:08] they give you three simple steps to take. And if you do those three things, friends, why you can have a right relationship across? Are they say you need to pray? You need to study and witness why if you just do those three,

[00:12:21] and those three, along by that's then that's all needs to be done. Now, friends, is that really true? Why if all you do is study, pray and witness why you're going to have a right relationship with Jesus? Now, friends, that's the sad deception. Now, please don't misunderstand me.

[00:12:42] My friends, in order to have a relationship with Jesus, you need to have those three, friends. Why no one can have a right relationship with God unless he utilizes the communication channel. That's prayer. You know, one of the things that keeps a marriage alive

[00:12:56] and happy friends is communication. You want to break a marriage up or fast cut the communication, and I'll tell you what friends it'll go like while far through stubble. Communication is a vital link to keep love alive. So prayer is a vital necessity.

[00:13:16] The study of God's Word, my friends, who can argue the fact that their God has recorded his love letters to us as it were. His will is communicated here. God's character is metaphested in these writings. And friends, if you want to know who God has likened

[00:13:30] and how to follow him and so forth friends, and know him, then you need to understand God's Word. You need to study. No question about that. Then of course, my friends, an individual wants to keep his experience alive

[00:13:45] and happy and Jesus, why friends he'll want to share that with others. So those three things are a very important difference. They're not the only point. And what has happened amongst us is the people is that there is a downplay. There is a downplay on man's part.

[00:14:04] There is an over-emphasizing of God's part to the point where man has no part to play. They emphasize the one and de-epicize the other. And friends, this is a sad tragedy that has been faced as an advent people.

[00:14:35] I want you to know friends that one of the first steps to have written your life, that you better understand very clearly. Very clearly, friends, as you have a part to play in the blind of redemption. My man, my friend, is not a puppet.

[00:14:49] That God is simply going to put strings on and simply pull the strings and just have a man move anyway he wishes. God has made man a free moral agent. And in the story, God has now placed within the will to cooperate with God.

[00:15:13] And here's point number one I want to make. I have Victor and your life, my friends, you need to learn the cooperate with God. And I want to turn you to a Bible text in Philippians, the second chapter. Philippians chapter two.

[00:15:33] And I hope and pray that I can make this as practical as I can in the steps to obtain the victory in the life. Philippians the second chapter and we want to look there in verse 12. Paul says, Wherefore my brethren? As you have always obeyed,

[00:16:02] not as in my presence only. But now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with very trembling. For it is God which work in you both to will and to do up his good pleasure.

[00:16:17] Now, most of you clearly friends, Paul makes a crystal clear from these passages that redemption is to hold. That the redemptive act of God towards man is found to be in relationship to two parties. God and man. And Paul says, Man has a part to play?

[00:16:50] But man cannot do that in and of himself by himself. Because then Paul begins to establish a fact, It's God in you both to will and to do up his good pleasure. You can see the cooperation between the two.

[00:17:05] Man and God harking together to fulfill the redemptive act of God in his life. Cooperation is of the utmost necessity of the part of the individual. Now I want to save this and make it clear, because you cooperate with God, that doesn't mean you earn the redemption

[00:17:25] that God has bestowed upon you. And this is where people have made the mistake. Because we try to help God's people see that they have a part to play. They say, Why? That is works! You're telling me I have something to do in the plan of redemption.

[00:17:42] Friends, I want to make this clear. You and I can do nothing to earn the redemptive act of God, but we have a part to play to cooperate with God that it might be fulfilled in our life. You do not earn redemption by works.

[00:18:03] That is a gift that God gives to you. But my friends, a gift that is given in order to receive the life of the individual, you have to exercise the hand and reach out and take it begin. There is a cooperation between the two parties.

[00:18:21] Once says I have a gift, It's free! It's yours! You can do nothing to obtain it and earn it. Nothing you can do to earn this gift. It's free. Call me and take it. Their man comes in into cooperation of God

[00:18:38] and says exercises the will and cooperates with God. But again my friend, he does not do it in and of himself because he cannot do it. He must have God in him working both to will and to do that good pleasure.

[00:18:52] There is a cooperation that man must play and I want to read to you a statement from the servant of the Lord. And this is by the way in the firm foundation. What a wonderful magazine this is! Really? I would have be honest with you, friends.

[00:19:06] I've enjoyed this magazine in many ways and many things that has brought to me joy. I'm so thankful that God has laid the burden on his people to put together such a magazine. And I want to say this, if you don't get this magazine

[00:19:21] friends, I want you to somehow contact Norman or Richard or someone because they need to have this. They really need to be on this list to cooperate in this magazine. You're going to join. But here we find and by the way, those of you this is the November

[00:19:38] issue of 1990 of our firm foundation. But the article here is called The Cooperation of Man with God and is from the servant of the Lord. It's taken from the original source, the review and herald, October 30th of 1888. She quotes Philippians chapter 2 verses 13 and 12 and 13.

[00:20:07] Then she makes the following statement. She says there is a word that every one of us must do if it would be saved in the eternal world. But while we must on our part do what God has us to do,

[00:20:27] we must realize that having done all, we should come far short of salvation. Did not the Lord on his part do that which fine-ites in full man cannot do for himself? The religious life is wholly dependent upon the blending of both the human divine forces.

[00:20:47] Man is to work out his own salvation, but he cannot do this without divine aid. And although Christ has paid and even Christ has saved the souls of man from everlasting root, he will not do that part of the work which he has left man to perform.

[00:21:11] She goes on to say the work of salvation, God requires the cooperation of man. So in the plan of redemption, my friends, God requires us to require him to redemption, God requires him to part of man to cooperate.

[00:21:27] But I really enjoy this statement that she said in this very, very important on this point. Because he friends, you've got to realize that God has laid out the plan of redemption ever so clear.

[00:21:45] But that fact, my friends, the redemptive act of God cannot be seen in the life of individual who does not cooperate with it. My friends, I'm pleading and I want you to realize, don't get the idea that you and I are just some puppets that God

[00:22:07] is going to simply control. You see that would be easy wouldn't it? Be nice to simply have God up. Usher of all right in, wouldn't it? Be nice and easy to use the role right into heaven. Say how do you get it?

[00:22:18] Oh God, just pick me up and please. Is that be right in? I didn't have anything. Well that's an easy religion. You see, that's what the world wants. You see, that's why my friends, the people, cry out again

[00:22:31] such a theology that advocates the cooperation of man in relation to God. It's because they long for an easy religion. They want the broad way. You see, that's easy. But tell them they won't count the narrow path. That's what they don't want to do.

[00:22:59] You see, man has a part to play. And there's one of the first things you're going to have to realize if you want victory in your life. The friends, we God establish your certain requirements. You must cooperate with those requirements.

[00:23:14] And he will both whil and to do the very thing that he wants to perform in you. But you need to cooperate with him. You know, it's interesting that went too many work together. And one of the best things I can think of is big lumber jacks.

[00:23:40] You know what I mean by lumber jacks? You know what I mean by those. And in America we have these and I'm sure you haven't here. Usually you see what these sometimes. Now they have these big old power chain saws and so forth.

[00:23:50] But sometimes you'll see what these big saws, both of them, two men are standing. They're very powerful men standing there and they're together. So to accomplish a task. But friends I tell you what, they're going to be cooperation between the two parties.

[00:24:04] Are they going to be in big trouble? Because nothing will be ever be done. They can desire to have that tree cut. Come down. All they want. They can stand there and dream about the nice fire they're going to make.

[00:24:19] A couple of months down row with that tree. They can dream about the many good things they can do. But unless the two set out a plan to perform that act and then cooperate with each other

[00:24:35] and carry out of that plan and they're actually starting to the wills. They'll never do it, it'll never be done. My friends God has the same way unless God and man you're not together in the plight of redemption redemption will never come to man.

[00:24:54] There must be a cooperation. Now there's something else that actually goes right along with this. And this is really point two and this is found in Romans 13. Roman is the 13th chapter. And I want you to believe in verse 14. Romans chapter 13 verse 14. And here's point number two.

[00:25:32] Paul says, but putty on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts. There you go. You see, friends, if you want victory, you're alive.

[00:25:47] If you don't want to carry out the lusts of the flesh, then Paul says you've got to do something. If you can't make provision for the flesh. One time I remember it and I was doing evangelistic series in America and Missouri.

[00:26:08] And I was one time there was a Sabbath afternoons. I just finished the Sabbath service. Young lady and the pastors came to me and said, listen, this young lady wants to talk to you. Lating these two needs some advice and so on. We need to counsel with them.

[00:26:24] I said, fine, that's that I'd be more than happy to do what I can to help her. So we sat down and this woman was telling us her problems in many areas. She began to cry and emotionally was just uncontrolled.

[00:26:42] So I began to probe a little longer with her and a little bit deeper and understanding what really the problem was because I couldn't quite figure out at least at this point. She had problems in her family life.

[00:26:54] Her children were abusing her in many ways and many different difficulties. I don't want to get into it but she had very terrible home life with her children. And but she also had another problem with smoking.

[00:27:08] She had been smoking for years and by the way, she was an atheist. Still an atheist. And she had been drinking too. She had a problem with that but she just apparently quit until longer. But she said that there's one thing that you could never do.

[00:27:22] She could never stop smoking. And I said, well sister, I said, explain to me how you actually go about quitting. And so she said, why would I want to stop up?

[00:27:35] What I'll do is I'll get rid of the cigarettes but I'll keep maybe one or two up on a shelf somewhere hidden away in just in case that if I just can't make it, I'll have one in store. I said, okay.

[00:27:51] And she said, then I said, well, I said sister, you don't need to tell me anymore. I said, I found out your problem. So you know what your problem is? I said, you've got a problem with the flesh and you're cannot the loss of the flesh in smoking.

[00:28:06] And I said, the problem is sister, you're making provision for the loss of the flesh. And that's why you keep carrying it out. So I turned into this text and we're almost 13 vs 14. I said, you're going to be ready to text to her.

[00:28:18] And I told her sister, you've got to stop making provision for the very scene that you don't want to commit. And I'd say one friend, she desired victory so bad she was crying so uncontrollably unbelievable. But that desire didn't help her one bit in getting the victory.

[00:28:41] And the sad tragedy is many Christians won victory in their lives. But they keep making the provision for the flesh to actually carry out the desires of the flesh. The very things they don't want to do. And they do it?

[00:29:00] If you've got a problem smoking my friend, you know what I told her? I said, sister, I said, you get rid of every cigarette in your house. I don't care if you bought cartons. You not only destroy them but you soak them in water.

[00:29:26] Then I said, you take every astray in your house and destroy them in the real way. Then I said, open up your windows and air out the house. Clean your sheets, your curtains, everything. Make sure you get them cleaned.

[00:29:48] I said, sister, when you cooperate with God, I plan a redemption then you're going to get to victory not till then. Then I told her this, after she began to talk a little more, I was very straightforward with her. I said, sister, you got another serious problem.

[00:30:01] She said, what's that? I said, do you know what it is? I said, the problem you have is that you want God to do for you, what you will not do for yourself. And I said, God will never do it.

[00:30:12] I said, sister, you got a part to play. And you want God to do your part for you. I said, sister, you can forgive me. I say, God has not made us bunch of puppets. What we just wind up, he winds up and just lets her go.

[00:30:27] He made us free moral agents. And making us free moral agents, he gave us a mind to think things through that we might be intelligent in the decisions that we make.

[00:30:40] And in so doing, we make the right choices by cooperating with God in the plan of redemption and then and only then victory will come to the life of the individual.

[00:30:55] And again, I want to state the fact, friends, you are not earning anything in the eyes of God. Redemption was paid by the blood of Jesus Christ and no man can add to the sacrifice of our Lord.

[00:31:11] But my friends to appropriate the merits and the blessings that God wants to give in the act that Christ gave men must cooperate. Because God will not force it on anyone. Therefore, God has left it very clearly.

[00:31:32] Man must exercise the will and cooperate with God in it if he so wishes to have it. So my friends, human eyes need to learn to stop making provision for the flesh. If you've got problems with something, my friends, something that you can't control your eyes,

[00:31:53] what you're looking at, friends, then you get ready to your television. You get ready to the crazy little novels, love stories. I don't know why. Now all of a sudden we've got love stories about the Bible, Esther and all this in root.

[00:32:07] They're writing love story novels with Bible characters. Not even biblical. It's not even true. We think we're going to make our people holy. What difference is it make? Why do you call it a root or an? It's still filthy trash. It's lies. It's the fictitious stories.

[00:32:31] It's nothing real. And the mind begins to fantasize about something that's not even real. Friends, let me tell you this. If you've got to be a Christian, then you've got to live in reality, not fantasy. So all the novels have got to be put away.

[00:32:52] Books and magazines that are not conducive to the Christian life must be eliminated. If you're listening, if you've got to problem with something you're listening, friends, then get rid of the shit we're using. Then get ready. Then get rid of it.

[00:33:13] Don't make the provision for the flesh to carry out the desires of the flesh. A friend is very simple. It's very practical. You know, one time in my life when I was doing drugs and alcohol, it was very difficult to test for me.

[00:33:33] You see, because I was very much addicted to those things and actually I could not even stop them. I was so addicted to them that I had to have something. In wow, I was doing drugs. It was amazing.

[00:33:50] It seemed as though that very few drugs were found amongst my friends. But when I put forth the effort to stop drugs, it seems as though that they somehow struggled and there was drugs everywhere.

[00:34:01] When I became a Christian, I realized that if I'm going to stop doing these things, I've got to break my relationships with my friends. That's right, friends. You heard me right. And not that I didn't care about them.

[00:34:23] Not that I didn't have a burden in my heart for the souls, but friends I realized if I had to continue my relationships with them, I was going to go not only back to where I was, but worse condition that I found myself in before.

[00:34:36] I had to not make the provision for the flesh anymore and I got myself from associations. And I'm going to say this for edge to you. If you've got a problem in a Christian experience in your life, friends and because of wrong associations,

[00:34:52] I don't care how much you're fond of them. You're going to have to break it until you obtain the victory and courage and strength that you need because you're too weak at that time, you see.

[00:35:05] You need to have the strength, the moral backbone to stand for the right. And at that point in your life, you don't have it. So you need to cut relationships if it needs so be to stand for the right and when you have the courage,

[00:35:19] you can then face them and still stand for God even no matter what temptation they'd be put before you. And in this case, you know, at this time I visit them from time to time when I have the chance, I'm at home with my family.

[00:35:32] I see them once in a while and in IT friends, I don't have any whatsoever temptation to go back. None whatsoever. But I hadn't had to realize, friends, I had to break those ties. I had to break them. I had to stop these things.

[00:35:49] Now another thing that we need to understand and Christians really needed to understand is, believe this, when Satan came and brought the accusations against God before the angels, he accused him really in two areas.

[00:36:04] One of course was the law of God and the other was the character of God. Of course, you really can't separate the two to be very honest with you. When you attack the law of God, you attack the very trench gift of God's character.

[00:36:17] And so the two go hand in hand. And so he distorted God's character before the angels trying to make it appear that God was a tyrant. And the God had no desire to help in any way and he was just cruel and vicious.

[00:36:32] And you know the Bible says that he took that controversy down on the surface. And for 6,000 years he has continued that same controversy. Saying that God is unjust and unholy, he's a tyrant, he's cruel and somehow humanity has bowed to that belief.

[00:36:49] And Christians have a very difficult time to really believe with all their heart they God actually wants to do good for them. He really, truly has nothing in his heart but to do good for them.

[00:37:07] And you know, once we've got to come to that realization they will, that God really truly wants to do good for us. You know I like what Jesus said in Matthew 7. I can't help he puts it.

[00:37:20] Here in Matthew 7, and in the chapter, Matthew 7, and in the 9th verse. Matthew 7, verse 9. Jesus actually gives an illustration and in illustrating my friends he is going to drive home his point. And I really appreciate what he said and how he put it.

[00:37:48] He said, what man is there of you who myth his son as Brett will give them a stone? And if he asks a fish will he give him a stone?

[00:38:00] Now look Jesus goes and says, look, he says who out there if he has a son when he senses that would you have a piece of bread? What's father going to go and say, no, here's a stone inside.

[00:38:14] This is or if he says that I'm hungry can have a piece of fish. And then he says, here's a son, eat that. Then he goes on to make the correct application. Of course at this point everybody is saying, no I'd never do that to my children.

[00:38:36] Now he says if you that being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children. How much more shall you ever have a leaf of them? Which is in heaven. Give good things to them to ask Jesus will say, look, you are evil.

[00:39:11] If you do good things to your children and you are evil, how much more will God who is not evil do good to his children? You can see he made his point very strong.

[00:39:29] And friends this is the case we've got to understand somehow we need to learn from ourselves in this case that if we're evil and we love to do things for our children,

[00:39:41] then friends how much more will God who is not evil do good things for us when we ask him. Oh friends I want to tell you that God has a deep, deep yearning this time to give you the blessings of heaven.

[00:40:03] I can say this is my Lord, I mean this. I'm the youngest of my family and my mother we're very close in a lot of ways and my father too but

[00:40:18] I don't know but somehow there's very special, my mother likes to treat me when I come home she treats me very special in a way you know because I'm going to travel here and there and so many times.

[00:40:28] But I can see within her heart she sometimes cries because you know and how she wants to do the best for her children. And yet I know what Jesus said we're evil. And yet out of the response from her heart can come this and that is amazing.

[00:40:49] And the contrast with God who is not evil. If man who is evil will go to such degrees to make sure the children have what they need in life, how much will God go?

[00:41:02] Who is not evil to the degrees to fulfill the desires of the children heart when they ask of him. My friends I want you to know, the God is holy righteous just being.

[00:41:17] I don't care what the accusations are say to not they are false, they are untrue and they are blackened with his care.

[00:41:28] We've got the come to the point and believe my friends with all our heart and when we come to God and ask him for victory in our lives, he is going to give us abundantly above all that we can ask her thinking.

[00:41:42] And if so doing God's children will have sufficient grace to overcome the very sin that so easily possessed.

[00:41:59] But in believing I want to hit this point, make sure we don't misunderstand this because today we live in the generation of believe, believe, believe, believe and friends I'm all for believing. But I'm for believing the Bible talks about not those of the theologians that give us.

[00:42:19] You see when I'm saying believing what God has said with all your heart friends I'm talking about the way the Bible says, believe. I want to give you an illustration of what I'm talking about, what's real thing.

[00:42:29] We talk about faith so much but we often don't really illustrate the fact of what it is.

[00:42:35] You know I pray to God that somehow I will never become a theologian because so often we deal too much with the theological terms and phrases and it seems as though we need some scientific formula to figure out what they just said.

[00:42:53] And I pray to God that none of us will ever come to that point in our experience. You know I really have to agree with those who say about the spirit of prophets.

[00:43:03] They say, why she's not a theologian and you know I really have to come to that point. I have to agree with it. I have to agree with it. I have to agree with it. She's not a theologian and I think God she's not she was a prophetess.

[00:43:13] She was greater than a theologian. Matter of fact, her theology teacher was Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. Matthew or excuse me, Mark I want to show you a little illustration of really what at least one point of what faith really clearly is. Mark the second chapter.

[00:43:40] This is just the give a little background. I want to help you out. When Jesus heals that the individual was sick with poles. Friends come and bring them and so on you know because they desire to they that their friends should be healed.

[00:44:12] And that was great love and behalf of their friends towards that individual. And so they bring him to Jesus and so Jesus there gives the statement they're in verse five. When Jesus solved their faith, now here friends, particularly Jesus saw they had faith right?

[00:44:30] There is this with the Bible says Jesus solved their faith. And Jesus goes on to say to the sickle palsy, somebody sins before given thee. Now he solved the faith of the individual. He sent your sins for a given.

[00:44:46] But I want to notice I want you to notice very clearly. How Jesus goes on and in this story actually to illustrate what the faith was like. And do you know my friends with in this story, you find the will of the man? In operation?

[00:45:01] Choosing you find the cooperation of the man and the command with the commands of God. You find the faith of that individual all there right here. Verse five Jesus solved their faith very clearly. And verse 11 notice what he sins to the one that was sick with poles.

[00:45:18] I say unto the O'Range, take up that bit in and go to the Lord. And go thy way unto thy house. Now friends Jesus saw the faith. He said your sins are forgiven. Then Jesus gave me a command he says, O'Range, take up your bit in walk.

[00:45:43] Now the man could have sat there, sick of the poles. He said, I believe, I believe everything you said Jesus, I believe. I believe but just simply stating, I believe, I believe, possibly going to do a thing for him.

[00:46:11] Notice where the cooperation of the man comes in in the fulfillment of the command of Christ to be healed. There in verse 12 and immediately he, the one that was sick, arose. And took up the bed and went forth before them all.

[00:46:37] It's a must that they were all amazed and glorified God and said, We never saw it on this fashion. Notice where he clearly was within this passion, passage. You have already very clearly. But Jesus says he saw the faith. Okay, so it was there.

[00:46:55] Jesus said, O'Range, take up that bed of walk. And he immediately responded to the command that God had given. What did he do friends? He arose. Friends, he had to exercise his will.

[00:47:15] He had to choose that he was going to cooperate with God in the command that God had given. Now God was going to do both the willing and the doing of that act. But man had to cooperate with Jesus if he wanted to be healed.

[00:47:31] And my friends, that is a perfect illustration of how a man is justified in the eyes of God. Just the vacation you could never take place until the man has cooperated with the Lord in the blind of redemption.

[00:47:45] Until the will has been exercised and faith my friends, faith is not just a mental assent. Faith is the fact that man acts upon what God has said. And faith is believing that what he has said God will actually carry out. You know what's interesting?

[00:48:13] John's in Wagner, Elder 80, John's in each day of Wagner. He did the book lessons on faith. I'd love that. But I think it's a very precious book. I've enjoyed it very much.

[00:48:25] But there is a statement that I'm not sure where the actual page is, but you can find it on the back of the cover of the book. I believe the page is page 23.

[00:48:37] Whatever John's in Wagner made it very interesting statement about faith and I thought it was very good and I want to bring it to your attention now.

[00:48:45] As a faith is depending on the word of God only and depending on the word of God only to do what it says. You see faith is believing that what God has promised. But that word is actually going to produce what it says it will do.

[00:49:06] You've got to believe it. But friends, you've got to believe it to the point that you choose to believe it to. And you step out as if we're in faith and exercise the will and cooperate with God.

[00:49:23] And in so doing, then the word of God will find a value to fill and produce what it says it will do but not until there.

[00:49:33] And so we find my friends that there is faith but faith is not alone as James said faith is seen in the words of the individual.

[00:49:44] Not that the words can earn you the redemptive act of God, but rather the works are an evidence that you truly have faith.

[00:49:51] And then so doing the faith reaches out blindly not understanding what is there but it reaches out my friends having hope in what the promise is said. And therefore filling that promise.

[00:50:02] And though they're my friends, we must understand again when we believe that what God wants to do for us, we must believe it and all our heart.

[00:50:10] But we must learn to realize friend that if you truly believe it, you've got to act on it in cooperation with God. Here's where many people fail, many many people fail.

[00:50:23] Then my friends, when we do this, when we carry out these things you know what's going to happen to us. I like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians the 15th chapter. Paul made it clear 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We could then give thanks to God because notice what God will do.

[00:50:45] 1 Corinthians 15 verse 57. Once we have carried out these steps, we can start giving God thanks. Verse 57 is but thanks be to God which give us the victory through our Lord Jesus. Christ, now there's two things about that victory. You know that? Where does it come through?

[00:51:12] All right, victory is going to come from Jesus. But how does it come? It is coming as a gift. And the gift implies that you have a part to play.

[00:51:30] You see, the victory is gained from Jesus but it is received as a gift and there it implies the cooperation of man. If you want the victory, my friends, it's only going to come through Christ because he alone has the power to give you the victory.

[00:51:47] But my friends, it comes as a gift. The question is friends, are you willing? Are you willing to take it? Are you choosing to exercise the will in cooperation with God to obtain the victory that he wants to give you? That's the question.

[00:52:16] The servant of the Lord in closing makes this wonderful statement again. This is review and Harold October 3rd of 1888. She said, let no one be discouraged. For Jesus, live to make an ascetic forks.

[00:52:43] There is a heaven to gain in the hell to escape and Christ is interested in our warfare. He will help all those who call upon Him. We must mingle faith with all our prayers.

[00:52:58] We cannot bring Christ down but through faith we can lift ourselves up into unity and harmony with the perfect standard of righteousness. We have a while willing to meet and conquer but we can do it in the name of the mighty one.

[00:53:20] I am glad we have a Savior whose love cannot be measured. Except as we look at the cross of Calvary, the comprehensive faith. The light that streams from Calvary shows us the value of the soul and of eternal life.

[00:53:41] If we then lift up Jesus and humble ourselves, we shall finally receive on it. Glory and eternal life. I pray is that you and I might receive that eternal life. Last prayer. Dear Father and Heaven, again as we come to the now.

[00:54:16] I pray to your Father that you will bless each precious soul here. God I pray that you might make us intelligent being to cooperate with you in the plan of redemption. God we realize that we are not earning our salvation.

[00:54:31] That has already been paid for by Jesus but rather Lord we simply cooperate with you in the plan of redemption to receive the very things that you want to give us. Because we know that you will not force on we all.

[00:54:45] So God we pray that you will help us. Bless us and give us your God this strength we need to abide in Jesus. Father and pray that this day we might truly honor these on prayer. Get Jesus name.