08/10/20 FROM 8 YEARS AGO. WHEW THAT WAS CLOSE

08/10/20 FROM 8 YEARS AGO. WHEW THAT WAS CLOSE

At camp the hardened sinner fell under conviction and put his faith in Christ. Later that week he believed God for entire sanctification. After several days of earnest prayer, Spirit filled fellowship and uncompromising Bible study he returned home, but he did not return the same way he left, because he returned in the fullness of the Spirit. His life was transformed, he was now conformed to the image of Jesus; he was done with the works of the flesh and filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Days of walking in the Spirit and in the light, rather than in the flesh went by; days spent loving God with his whole heart and his neighbor as himself, thus fulfilling the law of God. He resisted temptation, took up his cross daily, denied himself and followed Jesus, as he lived by faith. Then one morning he woke up, and remembered that his friends had told him he could not live without sinning. He shook himself and said, "What is wrong with me, I can't live in holiness all the days of my life?" His doubt and fear took hold, and sure enough, he quit living in triumph, victory, he quit living as more than a conqueror. He quit keeping God's commandments and doing the things that were pleasing in God's sight. WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE. He almost followed Jesus fully.

POWER OF CONVERSION
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
(2) We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
(3) Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
(4) Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
(5) For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
(6) And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
(7) So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
(8) For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
(9) For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
(10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Acts 26:18
(18) To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION
1 Thessalonians 5:15-24
(15) See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
(16) Rejoice evermore.
(17) Pray without ceasing.
(18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
(19) Quench not the Spirit.
(20) Despise not prophesyings.
(21) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
(22) Abstain from all appearance of evil.
(23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(24) Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT
Romans 15:29
(29) And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Ephesians 3:16-21
(16) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
(17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
(18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
(19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
(20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
(21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

TRANSFORMED BY RENEWAL
Romans 12:1-2
(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

CONFORMED TO IMAGE OF CHRIST
Romans 8:29
(29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

FROM WORKS OF THE FLESH TO FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Galatians 5:16-25
(16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
(17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
(18) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
(19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
(20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
(21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
(24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
(25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:1
(1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

WALKING IN THE LIGHT
1 John 1:7
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

LOVING GOD AND NEIGHBORS
Matthew 22:37-40
(37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
(38) This is the first and great commandment.
(39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

LOVE FULFILLS THE LAW
Romans 13:8-10
(8) Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
(9) For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(10) Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

RESISTING TEMPTATION
1 Corinthians 10:13
(13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

TRUE DISCIPLESHIP
Matthew 16:24-26
(24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
(25) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
(26) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

LIVING BY FAITH
Hebrews 10:38
(38) Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

SERVING IN HOLINESS ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Luke 1:68-79
(68) Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
(69) And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
(70) As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
(71) That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
(72) To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
(73) The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
(74) That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear
(75) In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
(76) And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
(77) To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
(78) Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
(79) To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

THE TRIUMPHANT LIFE
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
(14) Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
(15) For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
(16) To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
(17) For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

THE VICTORIOUS LIFE
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
(57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

THE OVERCOMING LIFE
1 John 5:3-4
(3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Romans 8:37
(37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

KEEPING COMMANDMENTS AND PLEASING GOD
1 John 3:22
(22) And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

FOLLOW JESUS FULLY
1 Peter 2:21-25
(21) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
(22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
(23) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
(24) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
(25) For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.