the normal christian life, the path of reckoning

8/9/2019 The Normal Christian Life, The Path of Reckoning

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The Normal Christian Life

The Path of Progress

Pastor Kerry Wilson


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Romans 5,6,7,8 basically deal with three areas

of the Christian Life.

Chapter 5 deals with justification

Chapter 6,7 deal with sanctification

Chapter 8 deals with glorification


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We use terms like righteousness (rightstanding), justification ( just as if I never) andeven salvation. We realize that thepenaltyfor

sin and death (which is the end of sin) hasbeen paid for them once and for all. We startliving our life with the understanding thatJesus paid the price for your sin and that you

are absolved from them on that basis by theblood of Jesus. This is all appropriated byfaith


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Our sin and our death were inherent becausewe are all linked to Adam by way of birthright.

It is in our very nature to sin or in our very

nature to be moral, in either case there was aneed to judge mans inability to please God bysin or by morality.

According to Romans 5 you cant judge sinwithout a standard or a law to judge it right orwrong.


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The antitype of the blood being shed by aninnocent covered the wrath of God until thecoming of Jesus.

From Adam until the death of Jesus, blood wasshed on a continual basis to cover a continualsinner.

The Law was given to us to show us the heart ofGod, on who he wants us to be and how he wants

us to live. Judgment came and broughtcondemnation because of mans inability to liveGods law or His word.


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Paradise and the doctrine thereof was closed duringone of the three days that Jesus was gone after thecrucifixion. Paradise was the holding place for all thesaints who were continually covered by the blood

sacrifices which only pointed to the True SacrificialLamb, Jesus Himself. They couldnt gain access toheaven, because they needed to be in right standingwith God. There sins were covered but they were never

changed by birthright. Jesus went and preached Jesus and took captivity,

captive.


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Two Major Schools of Theology in the UnitedStates Dallas Theological Seminary andFullerton Theological Seminary there are twomajor themes in christianity, eternal security, and

predestination. This book deals with the effect ofchristianity on people who live inside of realizingthe price for the penalty of sin has been paid butthat the power of sin still prevails. Subsequently

in many ways we are just like those in the OldTestament before the coming of Jesus, countingnow on His blood to just keep cleansing andcleansing with out cooperation on our part.


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We use terms in church life like, grace, freedom, thelaw, failing to realize that the life of Jesus pertains tonature and origin, not to nurture and history.

Grace does pertain to penalty but more to the divine

enablement of God through the Holy Ghost ,to impartthe person of Jesus Christ in our lives by way ofrevelation. We now are part of the royal family of God.The church will rule and reign with Him a thousandyears in a righteous reign, you are being taught the

principles and application of that life right now inpreparation for that reign. You are the government ofthat millennial reign, how can you administer agovernment not knowing or believing The King.


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This was the issue in the early church of Rome, theywere continually failing and needed to know if it wasnormal to just keep sinning now that they were ingrace. That is the question posed in Romans 6.1 What

shall we say them? Shall we continue in sin that gracemay abound?

The answer was no, your not making progress in thistransformation process called sanctification or a setting

apart. God doesnt want us to live in defeat in ourChristian lives, he wants us to experience victory byovercoming and yielding to His Spirit.


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There must have been a second question askto Paul, in chapter 6 of Romans from thechurch there. The first question was answered

as it relates to Adam and his nature. Theanswer was no, because it is not in you to sin,you are listening to the devil and respondingfrom the nurturing of that sin, and frankly

your old habits. You have a new nature andthe nature of a thing always produces fruitafter its own kind.


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We see failure in their voices again, lets look atverse 15 of Romans 6, What then? Shall we sin,because we are not under the law, but undergrace? God forbid.

This is what some people that use the termfreedom have embraced. They count grace ashaving negated the law of God. So they become alaw unto themselves, misrepresenting God by

their actions and conduct. Where there is no lawthere is no condemnation. They think they arefree.


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This path is one of frustration and failure over and overagain. We must understand the reason we dont sin orattain righteousness by conduct is that the old Adamcant do that. The second Adams nature will not

produce sin or self righteousness. It only produces themind of Christ by the Holy Spirit to the believer.

It is not in you to sin, and when you do it is onlybecause your not catching it in time to cast it down,your acting out of accusation and old history.

Remember sin isnt dead , it is alive and well, it is uswho are dead to sin, disconnected from it by the Crossof Jesus Christ.


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The Path of Progress Part 2

Abraham Lincoln once said to a group ofministers visiting the White House, I hope thatthe Lord is on our side. I am not at all concerned

about that, for I know that the Lord is always onthe side of the right. But it is my constant

anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should

be on the Lords side.

I believe that the time is now for marking ofprogress made in the life of every believer and forthe church .


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The knowing that the Teachers have beenministering on not only relates to seeing apreferable future but knowing where you areright now.

The inability to be honest about our spiritualstate is relevant to a society that always tries topaint a picture that everything is good, evenwhen things arent so good. To forget what we

see in the mirror of Gods dealings is a form ofdeception. The Path of Progress is the path thatGod has chosen for you !


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c. The mentality of our experience has trappedus into a continual shedding of the blood ofJesus to cover our sins, failing to embrace this

path of progress that has so much more forus.

d. We are clear that Jesus paid the price for thepenalty of sin. If we miss the mark in ourjourney concerning the power of sin we facefrustration and failure in our walk.


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e. Those that fail to know the mistakes in the pastare doomed to repeat them. Romans 6characterizes our generation.

*Now that the penalty of Adams sin has been paidshall we continue to sin so that this price cancontinue to be real by the graces of God. (Rom6.1)

This deals with the nature of man and his innate

desire for self to be the center. I will keep thesame nature but keep me covered by your bloodon a continual basis.


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Now that we are not under the law, and where

there is no law there is no judgment or

condemnation. We are free from the law so we

can decide on our own what is wrong and what isright because we are under grace.( Rom 6.15)

This creates a spiritual walk that becomes

without measure. This in fact will turn the graceof God into lasciviousness. In turn the

statement, Dont judge me.


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Ephesians 1.18-20 The eyes of yourunderstanding being enlightened; that ye mayknow what is the hope of his calling, and what

the riches of the glory of his inheritance in thesaints, And what is the exceeding greatness ofhis power to us-ward who believe, accordingto the working of his mighty power, Which he

wrought in Christ, when he raised him fromthe dead, and set him at his own right hand inheavenly places,


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What is the hope of his calling, that he mightpresent every man perfect (mature, or for thatwhich is prescribed) in Christ Jesus.

This is about the condition of our mind, this isabout renewal and realizing that our mind canimpact our behavior and actions but it cantchange our nature. When you miss the mark thisis the conflict that is taking place, the very nature

of who you are in Christ is making war againstyour mind for what you have allowed to influenceyou. This is the command of 2 Corinthians 10.3-5,


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(Paraphrased) We live this life in the flesh, but

that is not our weaponry, we use the

weaponry of heaven to cast down

imaginations, and high things that are

contrary to the Word of God, and gather those

wayward thoughts into one and give them to

Him who is over every principality, power,dominion and situation not only in this world

but in the world to come.


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It is not only the penalty of sin that has beensettled at the cross by the blood, it is also thepower of sin that has been dealt with in your

life. That is the fact of Romans 6, the power ofsin is broken and that sin is contrary to whoyou are by way of this new birth.

It is not in your nature to sin, it is a deceptionof the enemy to keep you off of this path ofprogress.


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You are on a journey, and there are many

pitfalls, distractions, deceptions and even

some failures. But know this that God is able

because of His power to make you stand if youso will.

Sin is Alive


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Sin is not dead , you are dead to sin by the very

nature of who you are. Greater is He that is in you

than he that is in this world. The reckoning that

we are ministering on involves the exercise of thepower of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The Path of Progress involves knowing the

Potential of who and what you are called to, andthen is defined by the Actuality of where you are

in this journey.


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This is the power that Ephesians 1 speaks of, this

power that is given to us. The ability to live unto

Him in victory.

The term reckon is a mathematical term.Consequently it is an absolute, our generation is

waging warfare in this arena everyday.

This is part of the problem, we have been soimpacted by the philosophy of this world that we

have trouble embracing what an absolute is.


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Things change, beliefs change, people change,

but the word of God never changes and is

absolute in its intent and promises. This is

what must be embraced in this path orjourney, if the Word of God says I am dead to

sin then I am dead to sin, I must receive this

by faith and then act upon it. Dont react toyour failures, you are in a process of

transformation, react by faith to His absolutes.


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Dont continue to focus on your failures, begin

to focus on your absolute destiny in Him.

Begin to mark progress and the victories in

your life.

Speak victory and the Word over and into your

life.

The Power of Sin has been broken in your life,

henceforth you are no longer akin to sin.


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The Four Rules of Reckoning

1. Desire

2. Discern

3. Determine

4. Decide


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Desire

What is Desire? In the most elementary of

explanations desire could be defined as what

we want. Desire is not an emotion of what we

need, but has a much bigger picture of

dreaming and imagining what could be or

even what we could be.


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Desire occupies the largest part of our

emotional life, it joins forces with our will to

determine our choices and actions.

Prior to the power of sin being broken in our

lives desire moves us into the pleasure of sin.

The problem with this is that it will deprive

your spiritual man of the ability to live in thefreedom that Jesus has provided.


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Paul addresses the positive side of being, dead untosin but alive unto God in the book of Colossians. Wemust realize that desire is paramount in directing ourwill. It was David that said as the hart panteth after

the water brooks, so panteth my heart after thee. Colossians 3.1-4, 9,10 If ye then be risen with Christ,

seek those things which are above, where Christ sittethon the right hand of God. Set your affection on things

above and not on things on the earth. For ye are dead,and your life is hid with Christ in God.


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(cont) vs 9b seeing that ye have put off the oldman (You in Adam) with his deeds; And have puton the new man (You in Christ), which is renewedin knowledge ( you dont have the same thoughtpatterns in Jesus, that is why you must desire)after the image of him that created him.

If you are on this path of progress you must start

here Proverbs 18.1 Through desire a man,having separated himself, seeketh andintermeddleth with all wisdom.


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Discern

Discernment can be defined as the ability to determinefrom what spirit the impulses of the soul emanate. Thespiritual nature of discernment will issue judgment on

what is of God and what is not of God. The deceptive nature of Lucifer and his fallen angels

makes this second step imperative.

Remember we are talking about making spiritualprogress in the fleshly body. No easy task, but Jesus leftso that we could have a paraklete to assist us and giveus a spiritual paradigm from which to view our life. Iam with you, but He shall be in you


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Nothing in a persons life is closer to the spiritthan his mind. The mind is the mechanism forthe intellectual and material realm. The spirit

is the component for perceiving realities in thespiritual realm.

The nature of the battle for your progress willbe directly relative to your revelation. The

greater the revelation the more complex theability to discern.


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Lets take a look at what happens, maybeoversimplified but for the study. There arebasically four agents at work in our being. We

have the mind, which is our organ for reasonand thinking, we have the spiritual or renewedmind which is being transformed. We have theenemy with suggestions, ideas, thoughts and

imaginations that stroke our egos andinfluence us to sin. Then we have the HolySpirit which gives us the mind of God.


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When you have the desire, the discernment will

come. The Holy Spirit will give you the mind of

God, the flesh will lead to rationalizations that

cause you to sin and miss the will of God. When you begin to reckon yourselves dead

unto sin, the enemy is sure to try and entrap you

through some means of deception. Discernmentwill help you to avoid these pitfalls.


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We have all failed in the area of discernment,

or in making the right decisions. God is

moving and we are being transformed by the

nature of the situations of our lives. Pressureis conforming us as we realize there is no way

we can do this without God, and the

energizing of our spirit by the Holy Spirit.


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Progress is made in our walk by

a. The Holy Spirit revealing Gods will

b. Our mind uniting with the Holy Spirit

c. Our will then energizes our spiritual man to actout these deeds in the flesh.

*** Remember you have to stop reacting to thefleeting thoughts and take time to work throughyour actions by faith because you havereckoned yourself as dead, but Jesus is alive.


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It is easy for us to respond to the old man, we

have allowed him to mature and have the

preeminence. It not so easy when youre a

babe in Jesus, because you are growing andmaturing in your spiritual experience. This

lesson is about the maturation process of a

Christian, growing and having the mind ofChrist in our walk.


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Determine

To determine or have determination means

that you have made up your mind this is what

you are going to do. Fail, Fall, you have by an

act of your will to move into the things of God.

Once you determine, I have great news for

you. The energizing power of God by the Holy

Spirit begins to impart grace to you.


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When you determine that this is the path you are goingto take. God begins to open doors for you. Yes, theenemy will come in like a flood, but the Cross ofCalvary is the standard that is lifted up in your defense.

When you determine, this reckoning becomesactivated by your faith. Shackles and chains, habits anddebilitating sins become powerless in your life, becauseyour life is now hid in Jesus life and the enemy cant

touch you. You realize that your history is past and thatnature has been changed into the image of Jesus.


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You must desire, discern, be determinate

because all of these things align your will with

the will of God.

When on this path of progress, you are

changed from glory to glory, this allows you to

differentiate between self and God. Your mind

has been energized and renewed by Godsword and you are able to


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Decide

To decide is an act of the will, you have foundyourself in the path of progress. You are choosing

by faith on this journey as seeing Him who isinvisible.

You begin to act out your walk in everydaycircumstances and victory seems eminent. All of

these components are not necessarily definablein their stages, but collectively bring us to a placeof realizing our potential in Jesus.

f


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You are now on the path to progress, you areexperiencing the reality of God in your life, andliving by faith to energize his dealings in your life.

You have desire, discernment, determination, and

decisiveness. But wait your walk becomeschallenging, your ask to be or do somethinggreater than you are, you are ask to be or dosomething you dont want to do. You tell God this

is not what I signed up for. Then comes thenext chapter in our book, unfolded by another.

Yielding..

the normal christian life, the path of reckoning

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