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Discussion Forum : Articles and Sermons : "And They Crucified Him" by Art Katz

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Yehuda
Member



Joined: 2005/3/28
Posts: 32
Dallas, Texas

 Re: The Enemy inside

Greetings in Jesus!

What is the mark of carnality?

Some theologians will say that in 1 Corinthians 3:33, Paul called Christians in his day in the church in Corinth, carnal because they spoke in tongues.

However, that was not the problem in the church in Corinth in Paul's day.

The problem in the church in Corinth in Paul's day, was not that they spoke in tongues. It was wrong attitudes and relationships that revealed carnality --- the work of the flesh.

In Paul's first epistle to the church in Corinth he said ....

... Where there is envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? (1 Corinthians 3:3-4, NKJ)

It is not really theology that divides the church. What divides the church is people using theology in a very carnal way, and that is actually the root of the problem.

Carnality is division, following human leaders.

One says, "I follow Luther"; another says, "I follow Calvin"; another says, "I follow Wesley."

You receive the teaching of those men and thank God for it. But becoming a follower of one leader or another marks you as carnal.

There is only one solution to this as well as to every kind of carnality:

THE CROSS!

Where people are unwilling to submit to the cross in their lives, there will be division, strife, jealousy and pride.

Where people are UNWILLING to submit to the cross in their lives, there will be DIVISION, SRTIFE, JEALOUSY and PRIDE.

But let me say something here that I hope will help you, lest you form the impression, "I am not up to standard. I have not arrived at the place described in Art Katz's message or perhaps even by some things I said in my earlier posts."

RELAX! God does not expect you to have arrived, but He trusts that you are on the way!

We need to realize that every one of us has an ememy of God within us.

Most of our struggles and difficulties as Christians are due to this enemy within.

I have listened again to this great message that Art Katz gave "And They Crucified Him."

I cannot improve on what he said, there is no new truth. There is no more truth than what God has already given us in the Bible. Only more understanding of what God has already given is all that in possible, but no new truth.

So by my posts I am only trying to bring to understanding to the things that Art Katz had said in this great message he gave.

The truth is that every one of us has an enemy inside us. And I will tell you what it is! It is the FLESH!

So don't feel guilty if you are struggling inside. That may mean you are more alive than Christians who have no struggle. The enemy is not meeting with any opposition within them.

Look at what Paul says in Romans 7:18 (NJK) ...

I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

Sometimes I say that the difference between the apostle Paul and most of us was what he knew that we do not know.

He said, "I know there is nothing good in my fleshly nature. Therefore I cannot expect any good to come out of it. No matter how hard I want to do what is good, I am faced with a continual struggle with something inside me that does not want to do what is good."

The struggle itself is, in a sense, a good sign that you are alive.

Let me tell you, Paul was not an immature Christian when he wrote Romans chapter 7.

He was on the threshold of Romans chapter 8!

But you never really get into Romans chapter 8 till you have learned to deal with your flesh.

We must move on, then to Romans 8:6-8 (NJK) ...

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, noe indeed can be.

To let your fleshly nature control your thinking is death, but to let the Holy Spirit control the way you think produces life and peace.

There is no way to bring your fleshy nature into obedience to God. It will never obey God. Accept that fact! Don't try to make it obey God. Don't try to make it religious. Don't try to take it to church, and sit for hours in meetings and go through a lot of religious exercises trying to make it obey God. It will not obey; it cannot do so. It is incurably corrupt, a rebel to the roots.

So WHAT IS THE REMEDY?

God's solution is EXECUTION!

The good news is, that execution took place about 2000 years ago, when JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS, our old man, the carnal nature, was put to death in Him.

What we have to do is simply apply what JESUS ACCOMPLISHED FOR US ON THE CROSS ....

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [Jesus], that the body might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Romans 6:6, NJK)

This is a historial fact --- true whether we know it or not, whether we believe it or not.

When we know it and believe it, however, it works in us.

When we KNOW IT and BELIEVE it, however, IT WORKS IN US!

Again I have to point out a problem with much of the contemporary Church: MOST CHRISTIANS DO NOT KNOW THEY WERE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST.

Actually to say that the old man has been DONE WAY WITH IS MISLEADING.

As long as we are in this life, we never come to the end of our carnal nature.

I have met people who believe they were totally delivered from the flesh, but I did not see evidence.

They only merely changed their terminology, you see. They no longer lost their tempers; they indulged in "righteous indignation."

As I understand it, THE FLESH CAN BE RENDERED INEFFECTIVE, INCAPABLE OF DOING WHAT IT WOULD LIKE TO DO; but in this age it CANNOT BE ELIMINATED.

I have listened to this message Art Katz gave again. In fact, I have listened to it not twice, but three times already. And I understand why he said that it was the hardest message for him to bring forth, and the reason it is, is not because its hard to preach, but because it's difficult to explain.

Actually, the goal of this message that Art Katz gave was to move those who were nominal Christians (Christians in name only) to come to the Lord Jesus and to get the real thing, instead of just to settle for simply being religious. There are a lot of religious people who are going to go to Hell.

But also I saw the goal of his message was to urge Christians to embrace the cross and to allow it to have the fullness of the work that God has ordained to be done in their lives. And that's what I am wanting to talk about in my next post (the Lord willing) which may be my last and final post on this topic of discussion.


In Christ,

Jake


_________________
Jacob (Jake)

 2005/5/15 7:28Profile
Yehuda
Member



Joined: 2005/3/28
Posts: 32
Dallas, Texas

 Re: The Enemy inside us is the Flesh!

Greetings again in Jesus!

More on this to try to complete my thoughts relating to this message given by Art Katz. I had thought that I may would be able to complete my thoughts about it in this post, but now I am seeing that I am not going to be able to do so in this post. So I am going to continue on with this until I have done so.

Every one of us has an enemy inside of us, and that enemy is the flesh!

So do not feel guilty if you are struggling inside. That may mean you are more alive than Christians who have no struggles. The enemy is not meeting with any opposition within them.

In Romans 6:1 (NKJ) Paul says ...

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin ...

Notice the progression.

In verse 6, which we looked at in my last post above, we are to know we are dead to sin, but in verse 11 we reckon it, or apply it to ourselves.

I do that when I say, "My carnal nature has been crucified."

Three simple words may help you in this reckoning process: fact, faith, feeling.

Notice the order.

You begin with the facts, which are the truths of the Bible.

The Bible contains truth or facts; then your feelings come into line with your faith.

Never let your feelings dictate to you.

What I have been attempting to bring forth in my posts are facts. Perhaps it seems a little too objective or remote to you, but the truth is, we must begin with the objective.

If we begin with our feelings we are without an anchor, at the mercy of every wind or current. So we begin wiyh the scriptural facts, basing our faith on them and allowing our feelings to come into line.

Sometimes when you or I feel like the most miserable failures, we are actually more pleasing to God than when we think we are doing trememdously, God is near those who are of a broken heart.

In fact, "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit" (Palsm 51:17, NJK, emphasis added).

One trait that keeps God at a distance is self-confidence.

There have been times when I have encountered problems, said I could handle it, and later on wished I had never said that! And to have failed, and later to have wished that I had prayed first, and to have asked the Lord for His help, and to had wished I had not been so self confident. I hope you are understanding what I am trying to say?

Relating to this subject matter there is an important word of warning in 1 Peter 4:1-2, and I am going to talk about it in my next post (the Lord willing), and to begin to share my thoughts with you about how we crucify the Flesh?

By the way, God haven't make that optional.

I remember once saying that to a certian brother once in just passing during a conversation, and his reply was "Oh, that's only if you want to be perfect."

In other words, he was saying that it was optional for Christians.

Well, that is not what the Bible teaches, it is not optional.

I am going to talk about how we crucify the flesh in my next post.


In Christ,

Jake




_________________
Jacob (Jake)

 2005/5/16 5:30Profile
Yehuda
Member



Joined: 2005/3/28
Posts: 32
Dallas, Texas

 Re: How to Over Come the Flesh?

Greetings again in Jesus!

As we seek to overcome the flesh (to crucify the flesh) there is an important word of warning that I now want to draw you attention to in Peter's first epistle in the New Testament.

1 Peter 4:1-2 (NJK) says ....

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

Here Peter warns that overcoming the flesh will not come without suffering.

We must arm ourselves with this expectation, therefore, and be ready to embrace whatever it takes to be free from the domination of our fleshly nature.

This kind of mental armor is essential for victory, but far too many Christians face their tests without it. They are not mentally prepared for the pressures and conflicts that await them. All too often, therefore they allow their fleshly nature to defeat them.

There was a time when I once had a hard time understanding that "he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin." I would say to myself, "I thought all the suffering took place when Jesus died on the cross. I can't add anything to what He has already suffered."

Eventually, however, I came to see that the suffering lies in crucifying our flesh.

Remember what we said in the beginning of this discussion? "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24, NJK)

It is NOT painless for anyone of us to crucify our flesh.

It means, in a certian sense, that we must drive the nails into our hands and feet and stretch ourselves out on the cross.

Here is an example of crucifying the flesh.

Let's say that a young woman in her early twenties, a committed Christian eager to serve the Lord, meets a young man. He claims to be a Christian and goes to church, but only to be with the young woman. He says he wants to marry her. She has become emotionally involved with him and does not know what to do.

Then her godly pastor, who has gotten to know the young man and who cares for her soul, tells her, "He's not a real Christian, he's just putting on an act because he wants you. Please don't marry him."

She has two options. She can gratify her flesh or crucify it.

Her flesh says, "But I love him."

Then she says, "But I love Jesus more."

She drives the first nail into her right hand.

Again the voice of her flesh: "But I want a home and children."

She drives the second nail into her left hand.

The same voice: "But I'm afraid of being lonely for the rest of my life."

She drives the final nail into her feet.

Do you understand?

Both the hands and feet must be nailed.

It is painful, but the pain does not last long.

After a while she is free and happy --- and in due course the right man comes along.

But suppose shes refuses to crucify her flesh.

She marries the man and soon realizes that he does not really love the Lord, and that he will not be any kind of spiritual head or help to her.

Then, after fifteen years of strife, he deserts her, leaving her with three children.

Which is more painful --- dealing with her flesh or spending fifteen years married to the wrong man and then being left alone with the children?

To be sure, it is painful either way.

But the root cause of our pain is our fleshly nature.

The question is, will you accept God's solution or go the other way?

God's solution is painful, but only temporarily.

Her broken heart will mend after a year or two; then she is free to live the rest of her life for God.

As crisis comes in the lives of most Christians, I believe, especially those called to some special ministry. In this crisis they either do what the flesh wants, and miss God, or else they crucify the flesh and suffer.

Out of the suffering comes a developed character and a committed life that is no longer enslaved to sin.

Carefully reread what Peter says in this passage..... "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but the will of God." (1 Peter 4:1-2, NJK)

You can come to the place where sin no longer dominates you!

This is what it means to embrace the cross, and to allow it to have the fullness of it's work in us.


In Christ,

Jake



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Jacob (Jake)

 2005/5/16 23:38Profile





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