Christ is Life Podcast

This morning, two words.
Now I'm going to use a lot of words to talk about these two words, but two words, two words that God uses to describe those of us who believe on Jesus, two words that are so magnificent, they seem to be incredible. And by incredible, you know what that means to say something's incredible. It means it's not to be believed. All things considered, this is beyond anything that could be possible. It's beyond anything that we could believe.
Two words This
morning I want us to hear the words.
I mean, really hear them. And we can those of us who have believed in the Lord Jesus, because the Bible teaches that when God saved us, He gave us a set of spiritual inside ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. Right? We can hear these words. We have. We have the equipment, these inside spirit ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. We can hear what God says and hearing it. We can believe it.
You know what I mean? The Bible says that faith
comes by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God, which is to say, when God reveals truth in us, so that we hear what he's saying.
With that hearing,
faith
is always there. Now I don't have to believe it, but the faith is available to me, that is, I have that capacity. I can believe God, because with the word spoken, he's given me the faith to believe it. Ain't he a good God? Now we can say, No, I hear you, I understand it. I don't believe it, not going to believe it. That's the Garden of Eden. That's Adam. Remember the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? We tend to think of it as a poison apple or something. But no, it's just a place of decision. God was saying, as human, you've got to choose, are you going to be who you are? You see, a dog doesn't have to choose to be a dog, a dog's a dog,
but to be human, you've got to choose
to be who you are.
See, God so loved his creation.
He's not going to make a robot out of you.
He's going to make you a chooser
that chooses him or chooses to say no to him. If I were God, I don't know that I would ever create any, create anything or anyone that could oppose me, that could stand against me, that would will against me. But God so loved his creation. He makes us well able to choose. That's true right now, even now you whatever you hear from God. You can say no to but you can say yes, you have that ability.
Sometimes I wish God would take that ability away from me,
but no, I realize that wouldn't be right. That's not what I really want.
Two words
that God uses to describe those of us who trust Him,
hear them,
and then my prayer is that we will choose to believe them.
First word ready. First word
complete.
Colossians, chapter two, verse nine, complete.
What? Yeah,
God says, those of you who have trusted Christ, He says, You are complete. What does that mean? Well, it means lacking nothing. There's nothing else that needs to be done, nothing else that can be done because
it's complete. You are complete.
That is with regard to your relationship with God and your eternal salvation, your eternal security. God says
it's complete.
No additives needed. You
have it all. It All. Now,
how many of you have ever heard that before? I mean, really heard it? I don't know if you really heard it yet, but if God is speaking to your heart, you have the ears to hear it. If you're a believer, you have the ears to hear it. Now you have. The ability to believe it, and to believe it means that you begin to order your life accordingly. You understand what I'm saying. If I believe
in gravity, I'm
not going to step off of a 20 story building, because I believe God. I believe gravity is what it is, and I order my thinking my doing accordingly. That's what it means to believe. That's what faith is all about. I mean, the Bible tells us, in the book of Hebrews, with regard to the people in the Old Testament, that God gave them the truth and they heard the truth, but they did not mix that which they heard with faith. They did not choose to order their lives accordingly. But they heard it, and they knew what they heard, but they didn't believe it.
You hear what I'm saying,
so not to believe it
means I begin to order my life accordingly. God says that I am complete,
lacking nothing.
That is, I have
what it takes,
and I've been made able, I have been equipped to be and to do that for which I was created to be, and to do like nothing I don't Need anything that I don't have
because
I have him, and he's what it takes. Did you hear that?
Please,
Lord, I'm praying God that we'd hear this. I have what it takes. No, I have who it takes. I have him, and he is who it takes to be what I was created to be, and to do what I was created to do. It takes him. I tell people all the time, it takes God to be a man.
I really mean that
you can't be a man, not a true man apart from God. It's like a power saw with no power. If I brought a power saw up here and I didn't have it plugged in, I didn't say, this is a power saw, you could say no, it's no, it's not. It's not a power saw. There's no power. It can't be. It can't do. It can't operate as it was intended, apart from the power that is the life of the power saw it. It finds its meaning, its significance, its ability in the power. Are you hearing me? You and I created like, well, I don't want to make it sound so simple, but you can't operate as a man apart from God, and be a man. You can be a cheap imitation. You can be a distortion. But not truly.
Man, you hear what I'm saying.
God says you,
who have believed you are complete.
Second word, it's too
perfect.
Are you perfect? Don't raise your hands.
I know
you don't look perfect.
Well, you look pretty good, some of you,
but perfect.
I know you don't always behave perfect, you don't always think perfect, you always feel perfect. But God says, who said it? God says you're perfect. Now for us not to believe that to choose not to believe is to insult him. Who said it? Because you see when he says you're perfect, he said, This is my work. We're talking about. This is what I have done. And I who knows everything there is to know. I go nowhere looking for counsel. I know all there is to know. I am all there is to know. And I am unstoppable. No one can keep me from doing what I will to do. I'm almighty. I can do anything. I can do the impossible, and I all knowing, all wise, all powerful, unstoppable. Say, you are perfect. Now are you going to believe it or not?
And you got a choice, just
like in the Garden of Eden, you say, I don't believe it, and walk on. It. But if you believe it, what that means is you're you're saying, from this moment, I choose, and I'm praying, God, you'll keep me reminded. But I'm choosing to begin to order my seeking accordingly. I'm going to think, I'm going to think of myself as perfect.
Why? Because God said, so
how it's possible? I don't, well, we can talk about how he did it, but, but we come with this. I trust you God. And if you said perfect, then that's, that's the way it is. Begin to think of yourself as perfect. Why? Because you are order your thinking accordingly and order your behaviors accordingly. Paul says it like this. Paul says, Set your mind on things above
and not on things of this world, right?
The world tells you you're well.
You hear all of the different criticisms that come from the world, right? I mean, pointing out the flaws and all the mistakes and all the hiccups and, you know, pointing out all the matters about your life that are, well,
you know, it's just kind of, yeah, ugly.
We hear that and we hear it from our parents, we hear it from our teachers, we hear from our coaches, and we hear it from our spouses. We hear from our kids. We hear it from the world in general, criticism, criticism, criticism, when we and we tend to give ourselves into that thinking, and we even say these things to ourselves. Robert Carter, you're just a mess. What a loser you are. You are so I know I'm not supposed to use this word, but I hear me. I hear me say it to me, You're stupid. You it any kids here? Did I offend any okay? I don't get in trouble with moms and dads. You don't use that word. That's a bad word. My house is bad word, okay? But we order our thinking according to the way of the world.
And God says, Now wait a minute.
I have rescued you from that. I've put you on a higher plane, and I'm telling you who you are. You are perfect. Now I want you to begin to think of yourself that way.
You know the Bible, Book of James,
the Bible, says that
when we look at ourselves in the mirror
and then walk away and forget what we saw,
we're like that guy who looks at himself in the mirror and forgets what he saw, when we walk away from what we just heard,
we're just like that.
And I used to think, when you when I read that about looking at your face in the mirror, I was thinking, okay, the the Bible is the Word of God, and it and it tells me who I am. And I would conclude, it's telling me that I'm no good, that I'm a sinner, that I'm lost, that I'm without God in this world. Well, that would be true if I was still in Adam, if I was still in that domain of darkness and death and delusion. But the Bible teaches that when God saved me, he took me out of Adam and placed me into Christ. Now listen,
Adam, the first man,
Jesus the second man, Adam, the beginning of human race. The first Adam, Jesus the second man, the beginning of a second humanity. Are you with me? Adam, the first. Jesus is the last Adam. What does that mean? God has started a whole new human race, and there won't be another. And who is that human race, those who have been taken out of Adam by way of the cross. What happened at the cross? Jesus died for us, right? But do you realize that when Jesus died, we who believe died with him? I lived for a long time, and I preached for a long time before I began to understand that I might read through the words, but I didn't hear it, or if I heard it, I didn't believe it, I would say, well, it's like, you know, it's like, well, you pretend that you were there at the cross and and you died there because you didn't die here you are standing right? But no, no. God says this is what happened in the invisible realm of that which is ultimate. Reality. God says, When Jesus died on that cross, those who believe are included in that death and there at the cross, you and I died
to what to Adam.
We're no longer part of Adam's race.
At that moment, God took us out of Adam,
we were separated out from Adam.
You hear that? Why is that important? The Bible says that the real issue is not what you do as much as who you are. You showed up on planet Earth as one who is not what God intended when God first created man. You you showed up in sin. You were conceived in sin. You were born into this world, a sinner, without God in this world, that's who you were. Forget how you behave.
You do understand.
Forget how you behave.
We read the Old Testament, and we think that God has given us those laws so that we could take them and apply to the old race that is Adam's race, and somehow improve Adam's race by doing good things, by working at obedience and doing that which God commands. But if you read your Bible carefully, you'll find out that the Bible was never given to improve mankind, but to demonstrate to man how bad he needs a savior. Please hear that. That's the reason it was given. It was never given to the righteous, those who are righteous, not behaving righteously, but righteous according to the declaration of God. It was never given to the righteous, but to the sinner the unrighteous. Why? So that he might look at himself in the mirror and say, that's who I am. That's what I am. Yeah, I'm a god denier. I'm the enemy of God. I don't trust God, I don't respect God. I recognize God. I don't look to him. I'm about the way of the world and what's good for me, and I know what's best for me. And he sees himself in his
confrontation with the 10 Commandments.
I had a had a guy
the other day, he was talking about how he was he understood he was saved by the grace of God. Okay, now he said he understood it. I'm not saying he did. I'm saying he said he understood the grace of God. And he said, I'm saved. But he was talking about doing things to improve his standing with God,
his his his acceptance
by God. He wanted to put a smile on God's face. He wanted God when he looked at it and said, you know, boy, boy, what you're doing. You're a good guy. You're going to get you going to go on my a list. He was talking about, I'm trying to win the crowns that we read about in the Bible, misunderstanding all of it. I said, so your purpose is to obey the commandments.
Yeah. I said, How's that working for you?
And he looked at me. I said, you know, the Bible teaches that if you're under the law and trying to impress God by keeping the law, that means you have to keep all of the law, not some of it, not most of it, all of it. So much so that the Bible says if you break one you've broken them all. There's 613
not 10. 613
can commands,
and if you've broken one of them, you're guilty of all of them.
He said, Well, I'm trying.
And I just had to say, well, we'll pray for you.
But listen, guys, the reason he's thinking that way is because the church, I've been a part of it, we've done a poor job of separating the difference between who you are and what you do.
What makes a monkey a monkey,
not his behavior.
I've seen grown men act like monkeys, but that doesn't make a monkeys. What makes a monkey a monkey? He was born that way. What makes a sinner a sinner? He was born that way. It's not something you did. It's something that you were born in, born of sin.
It's who you are.
What makes a sinner, a sinner birth,
what makes a man righteous
birth.
That's why Jesus said to the Pharisee, who was a rule keeper, one who was very deliberate. About keeping the commandments. He was one of the good guys. He was the kind of man that you would want your daughter to grow up in. Mary crossed his T's and dotted his eyes and checked the box and doing everything you're supposed to do, at least relatively speaking, compared to those were around him, he was, he's a Pharisee. He has given himself to keeping the law.
And Jesus said,
I see what you're doing.
Not going to I'm not going to complain about your behavior. The problem is not what you do or don't do. Nicodemus, it's who you are. It's what you are.
You are
without God.
And in order for you to see the kingdom, you must be what born again,
born of what?
Of God. The Bible says when Jesus came into the world, the world didn't recognize him. He came to His own and His own received Him not but to them that received him to them. He gave the right to become the sons of God, born not of flesh and blood, not according to the will of men, but born of God. You
God Now that one is righteous.
How'd he get that way?
He was born that way?
God says that's what I did, and
it's perfect. I haven't winked at sin or sinfulness. I've dealt with it completely. It's over. I've taken you out of that realm of death and darkness and damnation. You don't belong there. You may think you do, but you don't. You may act like you do, but you don't. You may act in response to what you hear through the news and Oh, my goodness, oh
no, no, no, that's not you.
You are safe and sound in my kingdom,
but you're not just a citizen.
You're one of my children.
You have my DNA in you,
born of my spirit, alive with my life. That's who you are. Is anybody hearing this? Well, somebody ought to shout. I mean, this is, this is this is the gospel,
born of God,
I'd say that's perfect.
I am regarded in heaven even as Jesus, the Christ, is regarded in heaven.
Did you hear that
I have become an heir of God, joint heir with Christ.
I'm one of the kids perfect.
So salvation is more than just getting a man out of hell and into heaven, but that's a good thing. I'm glad that's true, but I used to think that way salvation was well, I got my reservation. I almost said something. I'm not going to say that, but I have my reservation. And between the time I got saved and the time I go to heaven, it's about me now doing my best to put a smile on God's face. I want to stay out of trouble with him. I want him to be on my good side. I want to win his favor. I want to I want him to bless me. And I know I can. I can remember hearing I can remember I can hear myself saying, God cannot bless you
if you're sinning.
Well,
if that's true, he'll never bless you,
because sin is anything you do that you shouldn't done. It's anything that you say that you shouldn't say. It's anything that you think that you shouldn't think, and it's anything you didn't do that you should have done. You gotta send kind of problem in the way you behave,
not your head this way
we think, Well, I'm better than Joe and Jim and Fred and you know, I go to church. Well, almost every Sunday, I'm one of the good guys, and I am winning God's favor. No, no, listen, he gave you his favor. The Bible teaches the day you got saved, that at that moment you were you were blessed with every spiritual blessing, and that means blessed. From now on and forever. It's not that you're going to get a blessing here or there if you do right, it's you are blessed. And by the way, God would say, and furthermore, I am the blessing that I've given. It's me.
I am the blessing.
God doesn't send us blessings from heaven. He steps in and says, Here I am. I'm the blessing. It's me.
I'd call that perfect.
You hear what I'm saying,
blessed with every spiritual blessing,
safe and secure forever. It's
not just about getting God out of heaven.
Excuse me, not just about getting men out of hell and in heaven. It's about getting God out of heaven. God out of heaven, into us, so that I'm one with Him, living union, one spirit, not two spirits, one spirit. Now think with me, everywhere I am. He is. He's with me, right, right, but not just in not just with me, but in Me, in Me, and not just in me, but in me, my life. Think, hear it, believe it.
He is your life. He doesn't just give you life.
He is your life. Is he perfect? Well, you is perfect. You am, you are. That's the way it is, because he is, and you've been made one with him. First, Corinthians, chapter six, verse 17, one spirit. Not 211, spirit. So that everywhere you are, he is, and listen, everywhere he is
you are, because you're one with him,
so much so that Paul says, In Colossians Set your mind on things
above, For you died.
You died in that cross. You were included. You died to Adam. You died to that world of darkness and delusion. And you have been raised, and you have ascended into the heavens, and you are right now, hidden in Christ, in God. Where are you right now?
7330 South Broadway. Is that it is that the address?
I've been gone so long I can't remember the address, I think that's right. Is it 7330 south? Anyway, you're here. Where? Are you here? Where? Oh, yeah,
already in heaven.
See, we're not waiting to get there.
We're already there.
I used to think, you know,
I'd show up and really this, this is what God God would weigh my good deeds across my bad deeds, and they'd be kind of decisions, see why I was worthy and welcomed. And, you know, the gates would open. He let me in. You know, everybody you know, looking down saying, I can't believe this ever have. I can't, you know, I just hoping, I just, I just hoping that I would somehow measure up, and somehow I'd make the grade, and I'd be welcomed,
and by the grace of God,
magnificence of what Jesus at the cross,
I'm already there, already
because see where the Lord is,
where the Lord is,
the kingdom is.
We think in terms of physical, visible time, space, and we're blocked in but that which we're talking about is invisible spirit. It's not bound by time or space. It's beyond time and space. Wherever the Lord is, there's freedom, no fear, no worry, no doubt you can be your true self, be who you really be. Relax, take a load off. Rest into the goodness of your God, your home, son,
your home.
And I've got you out there in that body that I have prepared for you to operate in the world. It's a kind of an earth suit. You're going to leave it behind one of these days. And in that Earth. Shoot, on planet Earth, I'm in you in that Earth. Shoot, and we,
we, this is us.
We're spreading the good news.
We're making God known
to the world. I. Earth.
But this world is not our home,
and our lives don't depend on what happens on planet Earth.
We're already home.
We as our great God, because He is our source. We are un stoppable.
I unstoppable.
We are more than conquerors, not trying to be already are the battle is over. Welcome home, my son, welcome Oh,
rest in the goodness of your God.
You see, God doesn't need us to recognize him.
He loves us so much. He says, Oh, if you recognize who I am in you, it's going to mean well, I want that for you.
Trust me, because I really am trustworthy.
Do what I say, because I'm always telling you what is right for you and for those and I know what I'm saying. I know what I'm telling you. Trust me. I want that for you. I don't need it from you. I can work around you, but I choose to work in you and through you got it. Then set your mind on these things. Begin to think of yourself this way, and choose to believe it, which means you order your life accordingly next time you get a blow, God, you're with me, you're for me, you're not against me, you're in me. I've got what it takes. I've got you. I'm okay. Thank you, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Next time you hear something that's devastating, that's destructive, you think, Oh, my God, you're with me. You're in me. I'm safe and secure. I'm already home. This is just a bump in the road, and I've got what it takes. Paul says, I've learned the secret. This is it, Christ in me, who is my strength. I'm okay.