[0:01] Welcome. Thank you for listening to this wholesome word by David Hentry. The words you catch will change your world. May your story change from this message.
[0:12] Be blessed. Colossians chapter 3, reading from verse 1 through verse 11. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
[0:30] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in gold. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
[0:47] Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
[1:02] For which sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience, in the which he also worked some time when he lived in them.
[1:12] But now, ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
[1:25] Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of God that created him.
[1:40] Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all and in all.
[1:55] Amen. Amen. Shall we please pray? Father, what we don't know, teach us. Who we are not, make us.
[2:07] Where we are not yet, take us. By the teaching of your word, as your word is taught, let the anointing that gives the ability to preach the gospel to the poor be released.
[2:21] The anointing for the healing of the broken heart. For the opening of the blind. For the setting of the captives free. And for the declaring and preaching the acceptable year of God.
[2:36] I pray that as your word is taught, let grace be revealed. As your word is taught, let faith come alive. As your word is taught, let Christ be seen. I submit myself under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
[2:50] Holy Spirit, you are the Magister Veritatis. The only master of the truth. The origin of the truth. The source of truth.
[3:01] Speak through me. And let me speak the word of God. For the glorifying of God. For the lifting of your people. For the revelation of Christ.
[3:13] That Christ will increase in us. That will become more and more like Christ. To the glory of your name. Heal the sick. Deliver the captives. Let there be manifestations of signs, wonders, and miracles.
[3:26] Accompanying the delivery of your word. Thank you. Both those here. And those listening through any form of medium. We pray that let there be a divine visitation.
[3:37] In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Colossians says that since ye be dead.
[3:50] Colossians 3. If, and I taught you last week that the if also means since. Ye be risen with Christ.
[4:03] Seek ye the things that are above. Where Christ seated on the right hand of God. And then verse 2 says that. Number 1 says seek the things that are above.
[4:15] Verse 2 says that. Set your affection. It's so natural and human. To want some things that can take you away from God. To want it so bad.
[4:26] That your work with God can be compromised. The pressures of life. Can make you take job offers. That can compromise. The sanity of your Christian work.
[4:40] Many people's Christian energy are being. Sacked or drained. Their water levels are going so low. Because of the pressures of life.
[4:51] Those things are important. In fact Jesus puts it this way. He said. These are the things the ordinary people. And he uses that term. The heathen. Matthew chapter 6.
[5:02] Seek after. But Jesus. 33. But you seek first. And we saw in Colossians. That he says that. Seek the things that are above.
[5:12] The passion of your life. Must be intentionally. Purposefully. Set in a certain direction.
[5:23] Else. By nature. And by default. You are set in a different direction. So you don't have to be a bad person. To miss God. You don't have to be a criminal.
[5:35] To miss God. You can be a very good person. But you are missing God. Hands down. Why? Because of your nature. I was teaching. I think it was the KPT.
[5:46] Or somewhere. And I said. Nobody saves God. Naturally. You can't serve God naturally. Saving God.
[5:56] Saving God. Doesn't come to us naturally. Or humanly. Saving God. Or wanting to worship genuinely. You can be religious. Religion is natural.
[6:08] Religion comes to us naturally. But working with God. Doesn't come to us naturally. In the same way. There's no way you can know God naturally. You must be taught. Nobody can know.
[6:20] He said. Even when Jesus appeared to. Saul of Tarsus. Acts chapter 9. Saul of Tarsus. He said. What do you want me to do? He said. Go to Damascus. The disciples you are going to kill. They are the only ones who can teach you me. You'll be told what to do.
[6:33] Go there. You can't know God unilaterally. That's why Ephesians chapter 3. He says. That you'll be able to comprehend with the saints. Verse 17 and 18.
[6:44] That you might be able to comprehend with the saints. You need others to be able to know God. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 22. He said. Flee also youthful lust.
[6:56] And pursue. So you set your affection. Set the direction of your life. In a certain way. One of the clearest signs of a genuinely changed person.
[7:07] A genuinely saved person. Is not the perfection of your life. But the direction of your life. When you are saved. It doesn't mean you are perfect. But it means that some things have changed.
[7:19] Your taste has been influenced. When you are really saved. It affects the things you enjoy. Comfortably. The things you enjoy comfortably.
[7:30] Some of the things you may enjoy. But not comfortably. Some of you after being born again. You've gone to some parties. And been very wild. Wild. But afterwards. You feel.
[7:42] It's like. You feel. Something is wrong with you. Because when you become born again. Something actually. Happens to you. On the inner man. Something happens to you. It's not a religious approach.
[7:54] To life. It's a real experience. It's a real experience. The life. Oh. The life of God. Has been added to you. Yes. So he says that.
[8:05] This scripture. Some Christians don't like it at all. But. Oh. Kind of. It's quite confusing for a lot of Christians. Should I tell you this scripture. If I quote it. I know you'll be confused. First John chapter 3 verse 8.
[8:16] Didn't I. The first line. Didn't I tell you you'll be confused. The first statement. First. So I know you'll be asking. So am I of the devil? The Bible says that.
[8:27] He who is of God. Sineth not. In other words. Sin is not naturally your first option. When you are a Christian.
[8:39] You won't naturally. That's why. When you see a Christian brother. In a certain situation. Or Christian sister. In a compromised state. Spiritually. Please be measured.
[8:50] The way you attack them. Be measured. Temper judgment with mercy. No Christian sins comfortably.
[9:02] Unless they are not a Christian. Unbelievers is second nature. Unbelievers when they are doing something righteous. It's so hard. It's unnatural. When they are doing it. I'm not talking about good behavior.
[9:14] I'm talking about godliness. That's why unbeliever comes to church. Doesn't change. And keeps coming to church. The preaching is too long. I don't like this thing. And some people will say. Oh.
[9:25] Oh God. It's unbelievers. What's going on? What's going on? The things that move us. Don't move unbelievers. It says. By his delight. Is in the law of the Lord. In his law.
[9:35] Oh my good God. Blessed. When you meet God. And when God is in you. You begin to develop. An affection. A taste.
[9:46] A desire. For the things of God. Primarily. Particularly. The word of God. The word of God. If it is testimony you want. But not the word of God. You are not a proper Christian.
[9:57] Okay. No child. Will cry for clothes first. Before milk. Your child is crying.
[10:07] Why are you giving me Nike? No. Your child will not cry about.
[10:18] Especially with mothers and fathers. Who like thinking about. What kind of brand your child is going to like. What. What. What. The brand. They don't care. The child.
[10:29] As long as you can give the milk. The milk. Even. Doesn't matter what kind of bottle. Brand bottles inside. The shape of the bottle. Now they have different shapes of bottles. The baby doesn't care.
[10:40] All the baby wants is what? I can't hear. All the baby wants is. First Peter 2.2. As newborn babies. Just like. Just like a newborn baby desire. He said. As newborn babies.
[10:51] Desire the pure. When you are born again. It doesn't mean you are. That child. It's talking about. Every child of God. Have a desire. For the word of God. So I put it to somebody listening.
[11:04] If you don't have a desire. For the word of God. And just looking for. Motivational speaking. Seven steps to. Get more money. And those things. If you don't have a desire. Desire for the word of God.
[11:15] When the word of God is taught. It's read. You find it annoying. I'm not talking about the preacher. Because sometimes. Sometimes. But you know what.
[11:25] I've discovered. If a preacher. Can just let the Bible speak. The most important thing. Is the content. Within the personality. If that content.
[11:37] Is missing. It is like drinking. Orange juice. And expecting to be pregnant. Can that happen? No. Someone can be very boring.
[11:53] The Lord bless you. The Lord thank you. But if. What they are saying. It's. The word of God. Even song. Singers. If the singing.
[12:04] Is the word of God. It has. in spite of the tune, in spite of the genre. If it is the word of God and you're a Christian, the word of God, for some reason, finds a way into your heart.
[12:18] That's how fertilization takes place. The seed will find a way into the egg. Other things are not important.
[12:29] It's egg that the seed is looking for. When the word of God is not, when you're a Christian, the word of God is just looking for your heart. Psalm 119 verse 11. Thy word have I hid in my heart.
[12:40] The store room for the word of God is your heart. When you are a child of God. So he said, set your affections.
[12:51] Now, it's interesting that scripture is teaching us that when you become born again, you're a child of God. Right? And I was saying that nobody serves God naturally.
[13:02] But when you are born again, watch this, because of the Zoe, the life of God in you, wanting God becomes actually natural.
[13:13] Do you understand what I'm saying? So that unless you are born again, you cannot want God genuinely. Something in you is restless because when you are not born again, when you don't know Christ, when you don't know God, you know you are missing.
[13:29] You are not complete. There is a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle in your life. Something is lost. You know it. Sometimes you don't feel it always. But once in a while, I remember before I got born again, I used to go to church 14 times a week.
[13:45] Not to look for God, but religious stick box. Morning mass, evening mass, morning mass. And there are times I'll be sitting in the church and I feel, I know some things, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
[13:58] I knew I was lost. Some people will go and have blow time, especially on bank holiday weekends. By the time the week is ending, you can tell that your life is also ending.
[14:13] You just, you just, you just know. And especially if you have had an experience with church, you're a Christian and you backslide. Oh, please, when you see a Christian who has backslided, please be merciful on them.
[14:26] Because it's the hardest. It's better to be an own believer and not having no known than to have tasted, Bible said, the good word of the Lord. to have tasted the good word of the Lord and backslide.
[14:38] It's an uncomfortable and unusual state to be in. Many people who are backsliding always tell you, I'm fine, I'm fine, but it's not true. No backsliding saint is fine.
[14:52] No. Having tested the good word of the Lord and the powers of the world to come. Wow. It's a good word of God and the powers of the world to come.
[15:02] If you test it and you fall from that grace, you know you are falling from grace. So then, those of us who are strong should be very careful not to treat people religiously.
[15:13] Like, you know what I'm talking about? You have done this. You have done that. No, let me not even use the word religiously. Rather, let me legalistically. You have done that. People are actually, the one who is lost is very lost.
[15:25] So when you become born again, God gives you his life. See, the life of God. The life of God. Let me tell you something. When anybody becomes born again, two things that happen to the person, two things that are added to the person.
[15:39] Number one, the life of God and number two, the spirit of God. You have the life of God. Wow. That's why last week we read in Colossians chapter three, verse four, when Christ, who is our life?
[15:51] When Christ, who is our life? Say Christ is my life. Christ is my life. If you're not born again, please don't say it. Say Christ is my life. Christ is my life.
[16:02] When Christ, who is our life, appears, we shall also appear with him. So in Colossians chapter three, we set our minds and then set our affections. Then it goes on to say that, verse three says that, why?
[16:14] Because ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ. I explained that last week. All right. Now, verse four says that, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then ye also shall appear with him in glory.
[16:29] So that's where we ended last week. But then verse five, mortify therefore. Now, that therefore there is there for a purpose.
[16:43] Therefore is connecting everything that has been said before to what is about to be said. everything that has been said from chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three, verse one to four.
[17:00] Therefore, mortify. What kind of word is this? Mortify. Is it a normal English? All right. Let's look for another translation.
[17:11] New King James. New King James said, therefore, oh, so mortify means put to death. Those of you who understand French, die is more. We call it morty, mort, or something like that.
[17:23] Yeah, no mort, please. Mortify means to put to death. Kill. As you put to death, what?
[17:36] Your members? Where? Church members? Family members? Which members are you talking about? He said, mortify, put to death.
[17:47] Your members, therefore, pastor, you've got members. A lot of them. Church members. Family members. You've got members.
[17:59] And the Bible says that, put your members to death. Wow. Why? It sounds like someone would mortify, but this one is not others. But your members, and your, everybody have got members.
[18:13] Oh, yes. Not church members. Personal body members. What? This is a bit confusing. Therefore, put to death your members, which are on the earth.
[18:25] What's the meaning of that? Let's explore other versions and see how I push it. Let's look at the NIV. Then we'll go to New American Standard Version, the English Standard Version. Let's look at the NIV. Let's read it out loud.
[18:35] Let's go. Put to death, therefore, that we know through our life. Do you see that? You see, see, so that's how you study your Bible. If you are using King James or New King James, sometimes they may use a word that might not be very straightforward in understanding.
[18:53] Check the other versions and see what, how it's rendered. That will help you. It will guide you not to think wilder than you should. Because if you use members and someone is standing on, like some people in other religion or some versions of Christianity, they will stand on members and start trying to say, the Bible said, crucify members.
[19:15] So I start attacking people. And they will quote a scripture. But they quoted it out of context. And actually, they didn't understand what the scripture is saying. That's what has been happening to cults and all kinds of supposed Christian sects and some Christian organization.
[19:33] Many people can always say anything and get a scripture from the Bible to back it. Someone can divorce his wife and give you a scripture from the Bible. Someone can marry three other women. Yeah, and give a scripture.
[19:46] You can always make the Bible say what you want it to say. But definitely to be out of context. Because when the Bible says one thing, one place, it's the same thing everywhere.
[19:58] It's the same thing it's saying everywhere. He cannot say Jesus is the son of God in one place and then somewhere else says that Jesus doesn't know God. That is how you find out false doctrines. False doctrines are not holistic.
[20:12] There's no cohesion. It doesn't agree with some other part of scripture. So if you are saying something in scripture, make sure it agrees with every other part of scripture. Because analogia scriptura, the Bible speaks with one voice.
[20:27] So now, someone can take that text and misinterpret it to use it wrongly. That is why you can't afford to be a Christian just based on feelings alone. What kind of Christian is that?
[20:39] The Holy Spirit is not the spirit of feelings. It's the spirit of truth. Truth has to do with something that your mind is aware of. Don't relegate your Christian life to just feeling how I feel.
[20:52] Oh, when he spoke, I felt something. It's good. It's not bad. But please, make sure you also got to know something. Don't come to church only to feel.
[21:03] Come to church that you also, the time is coming when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in truth and in spirit. So you need a truth path. You got to know something.
[21:14] You find out from Colossians that actually the effectiveness of any Christian life is at the mercy of the revelation you have of Christ from the text, from scripture. Your revelation of Christ from the scripture is what determines the strength and the quality and the kind of Christian you are.
[21:32] Not, I don't steal. Not, I don't lie. And there are a lot of people who don't do what you say you don't do and even do it better. There are a lot of people who don't do bad things.
[21:44] So if you are using what you don't do to define how Christian you are, then you are missing the mark. How Christian you are is defined by how much of the knowledge of Christ as the image of God you are growing in.
[22:02] That is what determines. So he said here that we should put to death therefore the things that belong to your members. Let's look at the other versions.
[22:14] New international version. No, sorry, American standard version. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead. to immorality. So you see, so that means that this is talking about the members of your body.
[22:27] Your body members. That's where sometimes the problem comes from. It's not only your body members because your body plays a role and something inside you also is supporting the members to go.
[22:41] He has backup from inside to go exactly where. So, it says that let's look at the English standard version that we'll go to.
[22:51] English, put to death therefore what is earthly. Did you see how he puts it? It's so straight, cast to the chase, you know that this is earthly. Remember, it says that set your mind on things above, your affection on things above, not on the earth.
[23:05] Now it says put to death what is earthly. You remember. And we are going to focus on what does it mean to put to death? How am I going to put this? That's where I'm going. But just to explain the text that put to death what is he saying we should kill before people go around.
[23:22] And let's look at the modern translations there. No, the translations there, simpler ones. New living translation. So, put to death the sinful earthly things lurking within you.
[23:36] In fact, to be honest, I like that word lurking. Mm-hmm. There are things hiding in your system. And sometimes you don't know you have it until the right atmosphere.
[23:49] Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why, see, you don't have to expose yourself to some things because the environment you find yourself in determines what grows up in you. Yeah.
[24:00] Part of being strong as a Christian is the responsibility of not exposing yourself to some things. Yeah. Bible says if we're pushing in Romans, it says that Romans, chapter 13, verse 14, it says, don't make provision for the flesh.
[24:18] Put the Lord Jesus, put on, can't you imagine, he said you have to wear Jesus off. Yeah, wear Jesus like a jacket, like a winter coat. Wear a heel. Wear, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.
[24:32] You are coming to ask me, Pastor, I don't know why I keep falling to this temptation. It depends on what provision you are making for the temptation to come. you know you are an ex-alcoholic and now you have been saved.
[24:46] But every time your evangelism is at the pub. Location now. Yeah.
[25:02] But you want to convert them from the pub. You know you are soft towards this guy. Mm-hmm. I'm coming close.
[25:15] Yeah. Yeah. It's not that you are bad. You are not bad. You are so good, but just that you are soft towards ties. Make no provision.
[25:30] Make no... the logical conclusion. Yes. Yes. The path you are taking. Yes. You are not a bad person. Please, stop judging yourself with your intentions.
[25:42] Wow. Wow. Your intentions are not good enough to determine how safe you are. Yeah. Wow. So you don't have to be a bad person to find yourself in a bad state. Mm-hmm.
[25:53] Mm-hmm. Ain't it? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When you make provision for the flesh to fulfill its last, people will think you are a hypocrite.
[26:06] Mm-hmm. You. I've met people who have told me, like the Christian being in church for a while, they say, I don't want to be a hypocrite. So I just decided to stop. No, don't stop.
[26:17] Just that you have to change your direction. Mm-hmm. That's right. Instead of stopping, repent. Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's more peaceful to repent than just to stop church. Stop attending.
[26:30] Repent. Why are you in church? And repentance has become very remote from you. Wow. Am I talking? Yes. Please, Christians.
[26:42] Let's wake up to what we have been introduced into. Now, he said, New Living Translator, put off, not living in the Translator, put to death the sinful earthly things.
[26:55] It's hiding inside within you. It's not in your friend. The problem is not the lady. The problem is you. The problem is not the gentleman and his hair.
[27:09] Hairy chest. The problem is inside you. Put to death.
[27:19] Now, it's important in Galatians chapter three, verse five, he used the word in King James that puts to death. It sounds like what Romans chapter eight, verse 13 says.
[27:32] In Romans chapter eight, verse 13, it talks about how it says that for if you live according to the flesh, what happens to you? You die. Sometimes, it's a conundrum, but I might not, you just say since you are dead in Christ, or we are dead in Colossians.
[27:49] Now, it says, if you live, which dead are we talking about? Because on one hand, it looks like I'm supposed to die, but on the other hand, you are warning me, but if I do this, I will die. Now, in Romans here, it's talking about you end up being void of the life supply of God.
[28:05] So your fellowship with God, your koinonia with God gets interrupted, and once it gets interrupted, something is dying in you. Death is not necessarily the departure of something, but it's actually disconnection from God, who is life.
[28:24] So it said, if you live according to the flesh, you are killing this God thing in your life. Don't pick on the preacher. Don't be upset with that Christian sister because she says that, no, sister, you can't do this, it's no good.
[28:41] Maybe she said it judgmentally, ignore it, and focus on, maybe there's some truth in what she's saying. Maybe there's some truth in what he's saying. He said that, if you live, if you live according to the flesh, you will die.
[28:53] But, if by the spirit, it has appeared, you see that phrase, has appeared, you put to death. Do you remember? He said, put to death the deeds of the body, put it to death.
[29:09] It's not the same thing, but here, I'm going to pick on it again and explain, he actually encoded the means through which we can do it. Before I do that, I want to mention about the members again.
[29:20] In Romans chapter 6, verse 13, Romans chapter 7, verse 23, it talks about members. Let's look at chapter 6, verse 13. Romans chapter 6, verse 13, it said, and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin.
[29:37] So, you see, everybody, we are born again, but you've got members you can use, you can present them as instruments of unrighteousness. This is interesting.
[29:48] Don't miss this. If you have been following the Colossians series, you realize that we spoke about legalism. We spoke about mysticism, and then we spoke about asceticism.
[30:01] Legalism is, don't do this, don't do this. In fact, didn't he tell us before that don't let Colossians chapter 2, it's asking 20 or so, don't let anyone judge you in meat or drink.
[30:12] Then he goes on to talk about do not touch, do not taste, do not handle. He said, don't let anyone bother you with these things. But then few verses down the line, he's telling us to put to death.
[30:23] So, now, the chapter 2 was primarily, chapter 1 and chapter 2, watch this, was primarily focusing on doctrine. If you want to be a pilot, you have to go to piloting school.
[30:38] If you want to be a nurse, you have to be taught about the human body and sick people. If you want to be a lawyer, you must be taught about the law, the legalities and legalisms and how laws work, wherever you want to practice the law.
[30:54] If you want to be a medical doctor, you have to go and learn about human body. If you want to be a mechanic, you better learn about engines. So, you can't be a mechanic if you have not learned about that.
[31:06] If you want to work with God, then you have to know about God. So, first of all, when you study the writings of Paul, he never starts with duty. He starts with doctrine.
[31:19] He tells you about what God has done. He tells you about what provisions we have in God. He tells you about the supply, the allocations. In fact, in Colossians chapter 2, he talks about how Christ is our portion.
[31:30] He is our portion. And Colossians chapter 2 tells us that don't let anyone judge you. Verse 17, in meat or in drink, in supper day or any holiday. Don't let anybody because Christ, verse 17, rather says that, Christ is the reality.
[31:45] Christ is the substance. So, once you have Christ, you don't need to, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this, don't do that. What? He's trying to establish the fact that you can be so religious, building your work with God, thinking you are building your work with God by subscribing to, don't do legalism, don't do this, don't do that, I don't do this, I do that, I don't do this.
[32:05] He says that, be careful because that was what was infiltrating the collodion church about what you are not supposed to do and then mysticism about how you feel. I see seven angels spinning on the, on the tip of a pin, a needle.
[32:21] I can see, oh, can't you feel me? Can't you feel me? Some of you, you want to, you want someone to do, if I, if I do that, the way you believe me.
[32:34] See, they want you to be very spooky, very mystical, especially if they are from certain parts of the world. But really, many people think they are Christians and they are not Christians.
[32:47] Maybe they are, but not believers. Maybe they are Christians, but not believers. You can't just call yourself a Christian, but to be a believer, that's the Bible prescription of the children of God.
[33:01] So, Paul is now, Ephesians, that's the same thing he did, even in Romans. That's why Romans chapter 12, he says that, I beseech you, therefore, based on the doctrines I've taught.
[33:13] Then he said, therefore, in Ephesians chapter 1, 2, 3, speaks of doctrine, or chapter 1 and 2, mainly of doctrine, chapter 3, he said, therefore, I as the prisoner of Christ, chapter 4, verse 1, therefore, so, based on the things I have taught, he says now, on the grounds of that, now let me start talking about duty, because you can't practice God if you have not been taught God.
[33:40] And that's what was affecting the Colossian church. Colossian church was being infiltrated by ideologies that were not supplying them with the life of Christ.
[33:52] So, Paul had to come and redefine this Christ thing. I've been saying it. If you go to Genesis chapter 1, you find Christ there. If you don't find Christ there, you have not read the Bible. If you go to Genesis chapter 18, verse 2, Christ is there.
[34:06] Any scripture you could, even when the devil was speaking in the Bible, if you read that, that's why you don't find Christ there, you haven't read the Bible. Because the whole text is about Christ. It's a whole text.
[34:18] It's a hymn book. It's a hymn. You understand that? Everything is about him. So then, you can pick any scripture. The Bible says in Acts chapter 8, how Philip, verse 30 and 31, with the Ethiopian knock, from that scripture, he began to explain Christ to him.
[34:36] From that scripture, any scripture, any scripture would you. Any scripture. You can preach Christ anywhere. Once you quote the scripture, even if it's at the wedding, you can find Christ there. If at the funeral, you can find Christ.
[34:47] If at the name is there, you can come. If at the party, and you are quoting the scripture, you find Christ. Christ is in every part of the scripture. So when we come to the scripture, what we should look for is the revelation.
[34:58] And Christ is so, the Bible says that, all the depths and the riches of the wisdom of God. How unsatchable. You can never exhaust exhaust the revelation of Christ.
[35:09] So that is what determines the quality of a person's Christianity. It's very important the authenticity of a person's walk with God all this way, spiritual maturity.
[35:21] Spiritual maturity is not predicated on spiritual gifts. Can I say that again? Spiritual maturity is not defined by spiritual gifts. No, no.
[35:34] It said to me all, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13, to me all come to the unity of faith, to the measure, to the knowledge of the surrogate.
[35:45] Go in the knowledge. It said grace be, first Peter, grace be multiplied to you on the basis according to your knowledge in the Son of God. So now coming back to the point I was talking about that when he says that we should multiply and kill the desires of their members.
[36:01] We saw in Romans chapter 6, verse 13, we just saw how it talks about our members. Okay. In Romans chapter 7, verse 5, it talks about our members. When we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work.
[36:17] Where? At work. Where are the sinful passions at work? In our members. Members. And it bore fruit to death. Verse 23 and 24.
[36:28] 23 says that. But I see another law way. Another law way. So you see these members we are talking about. It's talking about not just body parts.
[36:40] Not just body parts. But it's like your humanity. Your humanity and the desires or the core of you, the flesh, the expression of the flesh.
[36:52] The flesh is not talking about this. It's talking about the core of you outside of God. The manifestation of the flesh through your physical body. The physical body. I need to establish this.
[37:04] The physical body itself is not evil. That's what asceticism teaches. That your physical body is evil. So you have to punish the physical body. Don't do that again.
[37:16] And then you whip. No. The physical body is not evil. Don't kill the body. Because it's interesting. The Bible talks about how the body will be redeemed.
[37:26] Yes. Romans chapter 8 verse 23 talks about the redemption of your bodies. Yeah. Not only that but we also who have the first fruit of the spirit even we ourselves grow within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption the redemption of our body.
[37:48] Yeah. A time is coming when you won't feel tired anymore. Amen. A time is coming when you won't have the tendency to sin anymore. Amen. Oh yeah. And that's why we all praise towards a time is coming when the body will be redeemed.
[38:03] That's it. If I look 21, 28. Now when these things begin to happen look up and lift up your head because your redemption draweth nigh.
[38:14] Ephesians chapter 1 verse 14. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30. It all points to the redemption of the bodies.
[38:25] So when it says that kill, mortify, put to death it's not talking about this body. Permit me to digress a little bit and come back quickly. The Gnostics believe that the body is evil.
[38:36] Great philosophy so there's no way you can be spiritual when you are in this body. That's why they believe that there's no way God will come in a human body because the body is intrinsically and they believe watch this this is a very important Christian doctrine.
[38:48] Don't miss this I'm teaching doctrine now. They believe that the body one day will be destroyed. No. Real Christian doctrine is God when a Christian dies he goes and is buried or whatever is done the spirits and soul is separated from the body.
[39:07] At the coming of Christ the body will be reunited with the spirit. Yeah. That's why in the olden days many churches have graveyards around it. Yeah. Many, many European churches and I think some in America.
[39:20] the theology behind many churches having graveyard in the church compound. In here a lot of places when you see they are there. Why?
[39:31] Because they believed that at the coming of Christ according to 2 Thessalonians those who are dead in Christ shall rise. So it's a reunion so don't go too far let's all be around church.
[39:43] So that one so there's a theological reason behind that. That's why it's a theological not just feelings and emotive. So then Christian doctrine says that I believe in the Holy Spirit the Holy Universal Church the communion of sins the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body.
[40:05] It's not your spirit. We are not going to be floating here. No. There's going to be the resurrection of the body. The resurrection of the body. So now the Bible will not teach us to destroy the body.
[40:18] That's why the way you treat your body is actually a reflection of your spiritual enlightenment. Yes. Please let's take good care of the body. God is not against the body so he won't tell you to kill the body.
[40:30] That's what I'm trying to say. And don't worship your body too. Don't worship your body. How your body looks has become your Christ. Now the body is important so he says it doesn't say kill the body it says mortify.
[40:43] Now let's go back to Colossians chapter 3 verse 5. Let's read it from the screen. Let's go. Mortify therefore your members which are from the earth who are inordination and vainness inordinate affection evil concupiscence and covertuousness which is idolatry.
[41:01] Wow. It's interesting. Mortify. Put to death. Galatians chapter 5 verse 24. Put to death. Romans chapter 8 verse 13. Put to death. Galatians 5 24.
[41:11] Okay. Romans 8 13. It said if you live according to the flesh you will die but if by the spirit you put to death. Galatians 5 24. And those who are Christ have crucified the oh that's another terminology.
[41:24] If you are Christ you have crucified the flesh with his passions and desires if you are Christ. Romans 6 6 talks about crucifying the body.
[41:38] Romans 6 it says that the old man is crucified with him. If you are in Christ there definitely must be an old man. The old man is crucified with Christ.
[41:48] Galatians chapter 6 14 now. God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me. Galatians 2 20. I am crucified with Christ.
[42:00] So there is this thing that talks about when you are in Christ something has been crucified and it's that the old you has been crucified. Now when you come back to Colossians it's telling us that put to death things must die for some things to live.
[42:17] It's interesting. Listen to this. Many years ago when I became a Christian I thought the longer I stay in church the less proclivity I have towards sin. So when you say someone has been a Christian for 10 years you might think that sin doesn't really mean much doesn't tempt him as much as someone who has been in church for 2 years.
[42:42] Not really. The flesh is always the flesh. So the only way you do is the longer you are in church the more you have a revelation of Christ and that revelation of Christ becomes the source the fuel of the spirit in you and when the spirit is fuel it's easier to walk in the spirit.
[43:03] The only way you can overcome the desires of the flesh is walking in the spirit. Don't forget I think 2 weeks or 3 weeks ago on Thursday I was teaching about how the law is working in our members.
[43:16] You want to do good. That's a Christian. You want to do. There are things I want to do I can't do. Remember verse 24 he says that oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from what this body this body death has taken over this body something is not responsive towards God inside me and who will deliver me from this body of death now watch this he says that you put to death he put the responsibility not on the Holy Spirit not on the pastor not on your prayer warriors not on your other Christian sister or brothers he puts the responsibility on you he said in fact this is the way he's trying to put it you take the initiative and put to death pastor if I can do it why am I so struggling I'll show you why people are in Christ and they have intentions to put to death but they haven't been able to put to death because he says Romans chapter 6 verse 6 he calls it this body of sin it's the body of sin don't forget he says that that the body of sin might be done away with it's the body of sin
[44:25] Romans chapter 7 verse 24 calls it the body of death the body of death so there actually is a problem there is a problem with the body so then if you are going to fight when I say the body I'm not talking about like your physical I'm talking about you know the original flesh that finds expression through your desires and things in you now if you are going to fight you with the strength of you that is where the problem is stop telling me I want to stop smoking before I start serving Christ you won't be able to stop Satan gets to hear that he will actually heighten your desire for death yeah because there's something in you that is trying to take hold and take control of your direction in life so long as God is concerned so then if Paul is saying that put to death this is very important this is what I'm saying if the Bible is saying that put to death okay or mortify your members on what grounds the secret was revealed in chapter 8 of Romans verse 13 which we read earlier on
[45:40] I told you the key is there let's all read it from the screen let's go you put to death the ah let's read again from the second line but let's go you put to death read it out loud let's go how do you put to death it is that the spirit will do it for you no the spirit is not doing it for you but you need the spirit oh my goodness thank you Holy Spirit you need the strength of the spirit to be able to put to death so you take the initiative and the spirit applies the victory of the cross over that thing in your life by your initiative depending on your spirit but if you depend on your own good behavior you depend on your own discipline boy girl it ain't gonna work it ain't gonna work you are not that disciplined you know it you're not talking about you you know you're not that disciplined
[46:45] I feel like my American is here man stop depending on your self-discipline you are not that disciplined people think you are but you know in some areas if God doesn't come in life fire brigade you will burn your whole house down yeah yeah Galatians 5.16 walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh the desires of the flesh are always there it's part of your age the desires of the flesh sometimes it differs based on your age it begins to change it migrates or it mutates you are going through mutation process so it's changing slightly depends on your age it's changing sometimes the desires of the flesh is about money but when you get to a certain age it's about your children and your grandchildren so you change certain priorities in life change based on your exposure and your age the desires of the flesh are constant constant never believe that someone is so spiritual the self of the flesh has vanished no you can never get so spiritual ensure that there is absolutely no desire of the flesh no the only way you can
[48:19] Paul said I bring my body Paul someone who is writing scripture you are reading scripture the one who wrote scripture 1 Corinthians chapter 9 he said verse 27 he said I bring my body under subjection sister it's not pastor's job it's not laying on of hands this one is you brother this is you you are a pastor yes still bring your body under subjection other than people will find out that you are very last they'll find out people think you are fine especially church people ask for dumb believers when they see you are in church they think everything is fine for you they don't know you also like their test code milk normal life the difference between a believer and an unbeliever primarily is the life of God in you number two the spirit of God in you and now if you can walk in the spirit then you can see you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh and so to mortify the desires of the flesh don't think fasting does it when you're fasting won't you finish fasting is so good but when you're fasting and you humble the body most of the time you do some things annoy your mind it's the pressure and the hunger yeah when you are sick you know you don't have taste for a lot of things so when you you bring the body under subjection a lot of desires go but after fasting they all gather themselves and come with a lot of am I speaking to somebody it's coming it's coming it's coming reinforced with reinforcement it's coming to come so then the only way you can subdue you can mortify you can put to death your members it's by the spirit it said that if you live according to the flesh you die but if you through the spirit how does it work you take the initiative and then the spirit who is resident in you the spirit who has found his home in you will now apply the resurrection power will now apply the victory of the cross so as you take steps he now applies the work of the cross on the situation and by the time you realize things that are alive are dying in your life but they don't die permanently it's like this thing you kill it and the next day it's still alive you kill it and the next day it's still alive so it looks like you are not actually dying that's why it's mortified subdue it subdue it subdue it you see the more you walk in the spirit the easier you enjoy God you see for the carnal mind
[51:00] Romans chapter 8 6, 7, 8 that's quite a strong statement that the carnal mind is enmity to God carnal mind so you are fasted by your carnal you are singing by your carnal you are saving but you are carnal so you are saving the Bible says that the carnal mind is enmity against God think about that we have surrounded ourselves with legalism I think is spirituality legalism I'm doing this I come to church I'm always in church I'm always doing that I'm always but you are not spiritual you are just legalistic but I've seen the spirit of God coming so strong on somebody here I see the spirit of God strengthening somebody here you are leaving the service not to go back to the way things used to be you are leaving the service as a winner as a champion you are going you are not going to the place of sin anymore you are not going to the environment of sin but you are walking and walking in Christ if certain brings sin against you you say oh this is nothing why?
[52:12] because I walk in the spirit I walk in the spirit I'm walking in Christ I'm walking in the spirit so sin Romans 6 verse 14 says sin shall no longer have dominion oh somebody shout hallelujah sin shall no longer have dominion over you it can't dominate you it can't dominate you it can't dominate you it can't dominate you it can't dominate you because the good news is Christ is your life and you are living by the spirit when Christ is in your life when Christ is your life and you live by the spirit you don't struggle with sin you don't struggle with sin you just multiply your members by the strength of the spirit the members say why?
[53:00] why do you get this strength from? the Holy Spirit because your members have always controlled you oh yeah your members have controlled you they are part of you they grew up with you and have been in charge certainly help Esther knows help outside of yourself say when the spirit the comforter the helper when he's come help us come and suddenly when you are beginning when you depend on the spirit you are able to subdue but it becomes a lifetime journey of being a Christian it's not one day affair not one day situation lifetime lifetime the spirit of God will be constantly working on you that is the journey of the Christian life it's a lifetime constantly constantly depending on the spirit working in the spirit and feeding your spirit with the word of God feeding on the word of God so you can discover more of Christ who is the image of God who is finding an expression in the church the image of God in the church that's what Christian revelation is about the strong Christian revelation is Christ he says for whatever things were gained to me those I count
[54:14] Philippians chapter 3 that for the he used the word the excellency oh oh the knowing Christ is so excellent oh when you test it you realize that where have I been all this while he says that I count them as done for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them I have suffered and I also count them as dang or as rubbish that I may gain Christ you're not talking as a Christian now I may gain Christ that's the Christian talking I may gain Christ not gain followers not gain liking not gain fashion not gain friends but I may gain Christ I may gain that's the Christian talking until you start talking I may gain Christ you are not having living a Christian life The Christian life is about Christ.
[55:04] Christ in you, the hope of glory. When Christ, who is alive? He said Christ is the substance. Christ is that in the church. Colossians chapter 3, verse 11. In the church, there's no barbarian.
[55:16] There's no Greek. There's no Jew. There's no circumcised. Scythian, slave, but Christ is all. Someone say Christ is all.
[55:29] Christ is all. Say Christ is all. Christ is all. In the church, it's not even good behavior. No, no, no, no, no. Take away your good behavior. It's not needed. It's not needed.
[55:41] Christ is all. Christ is all. Paul said that I may gain him. And he didn't say that. Just verse 9 said, and be found. I want to be found in him.
[55:54] You search all over. You won't find me. You got to come into Christ. Didn't Colossians say we are hidden in Christ? Your life. Which is hidden Christ. And with God. It's hidden with God in Christ.
[56:06] They search him. Paul said that I may be found in him. Not having my own righteousness. And that I may know him. Verse 10. Philippians. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just feel like preaching.
[56:19] I feel like this Christ thing is too sweet. This Christ thing is too sweet. This Christ thing is too sweet. This Christ thing is too sweet. Shout out, yes, Lord. That I may know him.
[56:32] And the fellowship, the power of his resurrection. And the fellowship of his suffering. Being made conformable to his death. Things must die. Things must die.
[56:43] I want to know him. And the power of his death is beginning to have an expression in my members. In my members. You might be a bit. I want to know you more and more.
[56:59] Thank you, Jesus. When I know you more. Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. You're welcome to connect with David Entry on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
[57:13] You can also find more Spirit-filled messages from Karis Church on YouTube and all relevant streaming platforms. Don't forget to subscribe, like and share the message.
[57:24] Be blessed. Be blessed. Be blessed. Be blessed.