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Discussion Forum : Articles and Sermons : Christian Character: Philadelphia: Part 2

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billy1980
Member



Joined: 2016/3/9
Posts: 312
Tennesse-

 Christian Character: Philadelphia: Part 2

“you have a little power, and have followed My word, and have not denied My name.”

“We [the Apostles] have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star [Christ] arises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19

What dark place is Peter and the other apostles talking about here? I must say it’s our hearts and the sanctification process through the Holy Spirit taking place there. This transition happens as we listen to Christ and His apostles, spend much time in prayer with Christ, and move forward in obedience and repentance.

In my own life as I’m spending much more time in prayer, the Holy Spirit has been revealing some things I never knew were there. I confess and repent when He brings them to my mind and agree! If we don't spend quality time with Him though we will not discern the small voice of correction!

The process is not always an easy one, and I want to stress this fact, and encourage you each onward in Christ. We are in a spiritual war, and war is never easy! The time spent in our Father's presence is worth more then anything the world can offer us though.

The outcome of this process within our hearts is vital to be able to hear more and more clearly from our Head, Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit who God the Father has placed in us, to transform us into the image of Christ.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

At this time in my life, His presence is with me as never before, and I don’t want anything, or any darkness The Holy Spirit is bringing to the light to hinder communion with God! “Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11 So repentance as He reveals stuff not of Him to us is vital! Let us catch those things He reveals at times deep within our hearts contrary to Him brethren and run to our Fathers Throne Room through Christ sacrifice in confession, repentance and cleansing!

“Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I…” Isaac Watts

“Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut its glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker, died. For man the creature’s sin.” I’m thankful Christ died for our sins, thankful we can go boldly to our Father’s throne room! Thankful for His death even for one as unworthy as me! I want to go deeper though! I want to live in His resurrection life! I want to stop wading in the shallows concerning Christ Jesus and His precious sacrifice today! I want my feet not to be able to touch the bottom without my head deep below the norm, becoming fully, and deeply submerged! Just as through faith, the church in Philadelphia must have done to have had Christ’s approval!

I see a walk with Jesus that surpasses earthly understanding. A light open to even us that surpasses what many ever venture into, through Faith and obedience to the Living Only Begotten Son of God! I see it even within the Old Testament, within the saints’ relationships with God! which I have always heard were shadows of the things to come, even now within our time!

“Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:21 “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9 “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.” Exodus 33:8-10

Beloved we can go deeper with God our Father, and He wants us to! The scriptures reveal it to be true! However seeking to walk closer with God the Father will kill us to our self life! He wants to purify us inwardly in every area and crevice. For “do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?” Amos 3:3 “If anyone wants to come after [Jesus], he must deny [himself/herself], take up [their] cross, and follow [Him].” Matthew 16:24 This is part of the agreement we must fulfill, if we want to walk closely with our mighty God in three.

Note the three steps above given by Christ Himself to all desiring to follow Him. 1. Deny self. 2. Pick up our cross. 3. Follow Jesus Christ where He chooses to led us.

“….whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:34

Christ said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24 Godly fruit will not be brought forth through us unless we first die to ourselves, thus allowing God to take control of our lives, and do what He chooses with us.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit… Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing…” John 15

Again we have to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him! “…in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Ephesians 4:22-24 “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Colossians 2:6

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. …” Romans 6

“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. [Note, His will, not our will be done, death to the self life!] Give us this day our daily bread. [Spiritual food from heaven.] And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:9-13

“…whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:38

“When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His word
What a glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will
He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey” John H. Sammis

The apostle Paul obeyed Jesus’s command to “deny [himself], take up [his] cross, and follow [Him].” Matthew 16;24 So he could say honestly that, he had “…been crucified with Christ; and it [was] no longer [he] who live, but Christ [lived] in [him]; and the life which [he lived] in the flesh [he lived] by faith in the Son of God, who loved [him] and gave Himself up for [him].” Galatians 2:20 “For to me to live [the apostle Paul could say] is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 I dismiss any notion that allows us to live less in Christ then scripture calls us too! The Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification is partly to kill the entanglements the old man still has in us! Through our obedience He can then produce “much fruit, and so prove [ourselves to] be [Christ] disciples.” John 15:8 Nothing good can come of us holding on to our old life, and we will never be able to dive deeply experientially into the truths of the cross, and Christ in us if we ignore the inward defilements being brought to the surface by the convicting and revealing work of the Holy Spirit!

“[Jesus] Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds [we] have been healed.” 1 Peter 10:24

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11

By faith, let us heed Christ and His Apostles as the church in Philadelphia did, and see through the Spirit ourselves hung on that cross in Christ so long ago. Then follow those three steps Christ commanded of us. Deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. Matt 16:24 By faith let us reckon ourselves dead to sin, and rid ourselves of anything the Holy Spirit dislikes! How? Such a task is only possible through God’s grace. “For His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3 “In view of God’s mercy… offer [your] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is [our] true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

“When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride Where every realm of nature mine My gift was still be far too small
Love so amazing, so divine Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Forest Lake

Not only did my Savior die as the ultimate sacrifice. In place of my undeserving life, but by faith, the Spirit’s insight and a penetrating light. His apostles words to me, are burning quiet bright! Declaring in many ways, that I, too, died at Calvary that unnatural night, and the life I now live is but that of Christ’s own life. Ushered forth consistently, and continually as I abide, in Him, in the Light.

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and about the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits.” Hebrews 6:1-3





_________________
Billy Witt

 2021/3/15 21:08Profile
brothagary
Member



Joined: 2011/10/23
Posts: 2556


 Re: Christian Character: Philadelphia: Part 2

Amen, billy! Call no man father on the earth anymore,we literally have died to the world and sin, if one died for all then all died, it's no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. Adam is not our father anymore,in me that is in my flesh nothing good dwells paul said, why should we any longer identify our self with this old linage of the men of dust, he is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can he be nor can he receive the things of the spirit, for it is utter folly to him, let the dead bury the dead, and come follow me , said the prince of peace, the wonderful counselor the everlasting father the mighty God. We have been reborn not of this old corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed by, the living word of god, which lives and abides forever. The heavenly man, who is the express image of the invisible God the father , because he was the very eternal son of God, is our new patriarch, our identity is now a reflection of the heavenly man for we bare the image of him we have become one spirit with him, we are not of this world, put to death the deeds of the body and deny the old self and the thoughts and concepts of the fleshly mind, in me that is in our flesh nothing good dwells, he has set us apart, and he is not just our justification, but also he himself is our sanctification, this is not just a concept, but a fundamental truth that we can grasp with both hand by faith. Reckon yourself dead unto sin and reckon your selfs alive to god in Jesus Christ. One day we will be seated on christ thrown in the heavenly places just as christ sat down on his father thrown, flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of heaven neither will any vain useless ideas that plage the mind of the natural man, put off the old man brothers and sisters, think and speak as christ does, let him who speaks, let him speak the oracles of God, don't hold on to rose that has been cut and be mesmerized by its dying attraction, the world is passing away and so are the vain earthy ideas and ways of fallen man, walk in the path of the heavenly man.

 2021/3/15 23:23Profile
grubbs
Member



Joined: 2011/9/1
Posts: 9


 Re: Christian Character: Philadelphia: Part 2

Hey billy1980, I just want to say, keep pressing on brother! I feel the fire from your words because I know they are not only from yourself. I can tell He is with you. You are much further than I, but I know what you are talking about. I have tasted and experienced that life, that walk, that way where everything is so different. The place where we are willing to listen and obey God and not grieve or quench the Spirit who is Holy. That place where Jesus comes and meets with us and teaches us. Oh the joy and peace of fellowship and communion with God! May the Lord keep blessing you brother and may He help you to persevere through all trials! I’ll end with this... Let your new increasing vision be matched with believing faith! And continue to take up the full armor of God, because as you are growing, your armor needs to grow as well! To the only One worthy of praise, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things!

 2021/3/16 0:56Profile
billy1980
Member



Joined: 2016/3/9
Posts: 312
Tennesse-

 Re:

Thank you for your encouragement brothers and much needed council in our Lord. I appreciate them! One of the things I find special about Sermon Index is there are a variety of brethren with different giftings through the Spirit, within Christ body I can learn from here. Within this forum and the vast ocean of sermons within it we are blessed to be able to go through by a variety of brethren with different giftings. I believe our Lord uses the other parts of His body in our lives to keep us steady within the narrow path we are called to follow as we seek especially to spend time in communion with God our Father, and direction from the Holy Spirit, with Christ life pouring forth from within us. I fear we handicap ourselves when we ignore the other parts of our Lord’s body. I see myself as but a child in this mysterious body I’ve been unworthly called to be apart of through Him who called us. Anything coming from me helpful, is His pouring into me while I simply sit at His feet.


_________________
Billy Witt

 2021/3/16 22:43Profile
brothagary
Member



Joined: 2011/10/23
Posts: 2556


 Re:

Amen billy, you got good sound doctrine, nicely balanced, and you have pastors and a shepherd's heart, much patience,and humility with a true pursuit for holiness, sorely needed in the body of Christ!

 2021/3/17 0:38Profile





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