I GIve Up! I can't Live Up To What Chrisitans Expect, Unless... by Greater Grace World Outreach

I GIVE UP!

I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT, UNLESS…

Carl H. Stevens Jr.

Grace Publications P.O. Box 18715 Baltimore, Maryland 21206

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version. Italics for emphasis are ours.

GRACE PUBLICATIONS P.O. BOX 18715 BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21206

INTRODUCTION When confronted with the truth of our human depravity in the light of divine perfection, many Christians today are not transparent before God. On the other hand, many find it difficult to accept their perfection in Christ through the Cross as the absolute truth about themselves. As a pastor, I deal with people all the time who do not, and cannot, change. Their lives are characterized by a feeble spirit of helplessness and hopelessness that stunts their spiritual growth. Just as we expect our children to grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, God also expects His children to grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18; John 3:30). Yet, many of God’s children do not grow because they have been wounded and damaged by personal failure, by being hurt by others, or by legalism, which is perhaps the most destructive force in the Church today. These wounds lodge deep within the subconscious and unconscious minds of these precious people (Jeremiah 4:14). They live in the mystery of iniquity—reacting to truth in their emotions, because of negative volition towards truth (2 Thessalonians 2:7)—then they put the blame on people and circumstances. It is time that we address this dilemma with a balanced approach to what the Scriptures say about living the Christian life. The title of this book expresses what 9

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

most Christians would like to say but do not dare to say because they fear what others might think of them. This book does not suggest a life of antinomianism —professing to know God but denying Him in our works (Titus 1:16). It does not promote a life of lasciviousness—continuing in sin that grace may abound (Romans 6:2; Jude 4). I am not encouraging carelessness or lawlessness. Neither am I saying that we should live without responsibility or accountability. I believe in practical holiness and in living a pure life before God. But I also have a strong conviction that trying to conform to standards and striving to “do better” is not going to produce holiness. That kind of sincere effort only produces sincerely frustrated, perplexed believers who are ready to quit rather than keep trying, only to fail again. My prayer is that as you read this book, a great weight will be lifted off your shoulders so you can finally have fun living the Christian life. As you yoke up with Jesus, you will find rest for your soul, and discover that His burden is light.

PART 1 “With men this is impossible.” (Matthew 19:26a)

Chapter One

LEARNED BEHAVIOR “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8b).

“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh…” (Galatians 6:12a).

xodus 24:3 records the words of a sincere people who not only had a desire to keep God’s commandments but also felt that they could keep them. Yet, they would soon realize that their good intentions were nothing more than a fair show in the flesh—man in his best state without the power of God (Psalm 39:5). Christians today enter into a similar struggle to do what is right, or what they feel God and others expect of them. They are consistently occupied with change. They run to every seminar they can find hoping that “this” will finally be the one that changes them. They listen to radio programs that are widely accepted, yet many are not biblical because they fail to communicate the transforming power of God. These Christians are victims of “self-help” programs. Though they study Scripture, memorize Scripture, and quote Scripture, they live in what I call “learned behav11

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

ior.” Because of their love for the Word of God, they are unaware of the subtle attack on their lives. When we live in learned behavior we are trying to conform to an outward pattern of behavior without experiencing the transforming power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in our inner man. God did not save us so we could learn how to behave better. We may be able to learn how to behave better in our Adam nature, but that does not glorify Christ, and it does not change us inwardly. At best, we become educated to “do better.” If you go into any Christian bookstore today, you will find plenty of “self-help” books (i.e., books on “How To…” or “Ten Steps To…”). Of course, if you fail at step seven, you have to go back to step one. Contrary to what many people are saying, that is not biblical teaching. All it amounts to is trying to be spiritual. You cannot solve your problems nor change your ways simply by learning how to behave. Over the years, I have counseled hundreds of believers. I have walked with them, read their letters, and talked with them on the phone. I know they love God, and the best they know how they try to apply the Scriptures to their lives. But often, what they are really saying is, “I’m going to change. I’m going to learn how to do that.” Self help seminars are extremely popular in Christian circles today. But herein lies the problem. Often, the whole seminar is focused on improving behavior. The seminar speaker may begin by teaching the man to be a 12

LEARNED BEHAVIOR

good husband, or by teaching the woman how she can learn to submit to her husband. You might hear questions like, “Have you talked much with your spouse lately? Do you spend time together? Do you communicate? Do you spend enough time with your children?” Certainly these issues are important. But spending more time together is not the solution to the problems in relationships. At the end of the session, the pastor may have an altar call. His invitation goes something like this: “If you want to rededicate your life to Christ and make a new commitment to your spouse, come down and kneel at the altar right now.” Sadly, these people will face great frustration in the days ahead, because they will discover that no one can change in their flesh. It has never happened before, and it is not about to happen this time. Still, Christians keep going to the altar again and again. They know how to “put on their best face” and be sincere about changing—they even go away thinking they have changed. When the seminar is over, the couple leaves, holding hands. The man has learned that he should be the head over his wife and love her as Christ loves the Church. She has learned that she should submit to her husband and be his help mate. And they say to each other, “What a great seminar that was.” But it was not a great seminar. It only succeeded in getting their attention on what they should do and how to behave better toward each other, but it did not change their hearts. Christians do not need another seminar to teach 13

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

them how to behave better. It does no good to get a man to think that he can be a better head, or a woman to think that she can learn to submit by going to a seminar. Sarah was ninety-eight years old before she lived in submission to her husband Abraham, calling him lord. Indeed, God can and does do a deep work in Christian’s lives through marriage seminars. The problem is not the seminar; it is the approach that is taken at the seminar—instead of being transformed by the power of the Living God, people are being told to conform or live up to a standard that even God doesn’t expect them to live up to. In the home, we expect a lot from our children. We teach them how to behave properly, which is good. But we need to realize that they have the same old sin nature inside of them that we have carried with us for years. When they do something wrong, they hear from us in a hundred different ways how they should change. We say, “This is what you should do,” or “You won’t do that again will you?” And they answer, “No,” fearing the consequences if they fail to comply. See if the following scenarios sound familiar: John comes home from school with a note from the teacher. It seems he misbehaved again in class. So you ask him, “Why did you do that today, John?” “I don’t know,” he replies. So you say, “You do know it was wrong, don’t you?” “Yes.” “What are you going to do about it?” you ask. 14

LEARNED BEHAVIOR

“I’m gonna change.” Who are you kidding? The truth is, John is not going to change. A teenage girl who struggles with rebellion goes to Christian youth camp. She returns home after one week, seemingly a different girl. She kisses her mother on the cheek and whispers, “Mom, will you forgive me for how I have treated you? I’m sorry.” But after being back in her familiar environment for a few days, she is back to her old self. She won’t pray or read her Bible. Her mother tries to talk to her, but she does not want to be bothered. What can we learn from these two situations? We must face the truth that we cannot teach young people how to behave. Yes, we need to teach them the Word of God and impart proper spiritual and moral values. Many times, however, we do to our children the same thing the seminar leader does to adults—we address their outward behavior while their inner man languishes. In a sincere effort to please us as parents, children may put on a fair show in the flesh. For a season, they become like models of perfection, fooling everyone around them. But there is just one problem. Though they may be doing much better, they are still not spiritual. When they become teenagers, they may rebel because they are sick of restraining their flesh—which now is demanding that certain cravings be fulfilled.

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

“I’ll Do Better”

God’s plan for us has never been that we would “do better” by striving in our flesh. The Word of God says that even if we do our best, it is altogether vanity (see Psalm 39:5b). He does not want us to do our best; He wants us to receive God’s best through Jesus Christ. Someone has said, “Every day is better, and I’m getting better every day.” This is true for us as Christians. We are growing in the grace of God’s eternal purpose—not because of anything we do to get better, but because we are under grace (see Romans 6:14; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 1:9). Anxious to see God’s promise fulfilled, Abraham had sex with Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar, and Ishmael the “wild man” was born. Later, after the promised son, Isaac, was born, Abraham had to put up with Ishmael’s mocking, rebellious spirit. Also he had to live in the same house with Hagar, after they had become one flesh. Now, no one gets out of a terrible situation like that by trying to do better or learning how to behave. Someone could have said to Abraham, “Don’t look at Hagar. What you did was wrong.” But that would not do a single thing to change Abraham. He already knew that what he did was wrong. We may “know” a lot of things we do are wrong, and we “know” we shouldn’t do them. But just knowing doesn’t change us. For example, a pastor cannot teach his people to be moral. He can only give them definition from the Scriptures. But once the congregation has definition, it requires God in each one to make them moral. They 16

LEARNED BEHAVIOR

must not try to make it happen by striving in their flesh. I hear Christians say, “Oh, that message really spoke to me.” Then they go out and try to implement it and fall flat on their face. What is the problem? The message did not stay with them for more than twenty-four hours. They were sincerely trying to change their outward behavior based on the letter of the message they heard. The truth is, we will go crazy trying to change. If it has not worked for the last ten or twenty years, then why would it work today? We may be sincere, but in our effort to change, we are also very cunning. We quote a few Scriptures hoping that this time, by God’s grace, our sincerity will be a little more sincere. We may say, “I even was broken and cried about it this time. Doesn’t that make me spiritual?” Oh, we have such good feelings at first when we start performing for God! We think, “I’m doing so much better now.” But a few days later you turn on the television and see something you shouldn’t see and your flesh is stimulated. Your brokenness was only the sincerity of your flesh deceiving you into thinking you could do better. Consider a Christian who tries to get victory over jealousy. He confesses, “I don’t want to be jealous, and I don’t want people to know I’m jealous either. But I just can’t stop. It’s a part of who I am.” So what does he do? He tries hard—in his flesh—to stop being jealous. He buys a book in his local Christian bookstore on getting victory over jealousy. He talks to his best friend about his problem. 17

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

Do you think he will ever be able to learn not to be jealous? Of course not! And he should not even try. He should just look in the mirror, have a big laugh, and say, “That’s me. And that is going to be me forever, unless I do it God’s way.” You see, we do not have to remain the same in Adam forever. Still, we have the potential to stay that way for the rest of our lives, unless we choose the options God gives us to be changed. If we refuse God’s options, we will always struggle with man’s options.

Man’s Options

1) Self-analysis: The natural man has a propensity to look within himself to discover what is wrong. This is self-analysis. There is not one verse in the Bible that tells us to analyze ourselves. If we want to be honest, we already know what we are like. Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” But the Word of God has already told us what the human heart is like: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). This verse is saying that if you have been a Christian for thirty years and you walk in your flesh on any given day, you will discover that Adam has not changed one bit in those years —in fact, he is worse. You can analyze him all you want, but he will not change. If you think you have changed, then wait until someone says something to insult you and you get offended. Wait until your best friend acts weird around 18

LEARNED BEHAVIOR

you with no explanation and see how it affects you. You will discover that you have not really changed at all. Adam has just become more educated to cover up how he feels and what he is really like. Maybe you can modify your behavior for awhile—Adam has plenty of experience doing that. But when you fail, you still feel guilty and shameful. Why? Because Adam is a condemned man (see John 3:18; 5:24). 2) Legalism: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6b). “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). In an effort to change and do better, many Christians find themselves under the spirit of legalism. Legalism is a system of trying to live the Christian life in the energy of the flesh; trying to “live up” to the letter of the Word of God. Legalism also legislates man-made standards that others must conform to. This does away entirely with grace, unconditional love, and personal communion with God. Legalism has done more to kill the spirit of Christianity than any movement or false doctrine. Many people mistake legalism for holiness. But legalism has nothing to do with true holiness. Legalistic Christians only pretend to be spiritual while failing to see that in their experience, they cannot even begin to live up to their own standards. Though they may be saved and sincere in their efforts, they are caught in the trap of legalism without even knowing it. In God’s eyes, a legalistic Christian is no better off 19

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

than a prostitute, because neither one of them knows God. Actually, the prostitute probably has a better chance of getting to know God. At least she knows in her heart she is doing wrong, but the legalist thinks he already knows God! 3) Relative Righteousness: “Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?” (Job 40:8b). “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12). These verses speak of relative or comparative righteousness—measuring others against our own manmade standards. All of us have done this at one time or another, even if it was in ignorance. Maybe we were frustrated with our own efforts to change or to live up to our own concept of Christianity. In an attempt to divert our attention from our own shortcomings, we evaluated others, exalting ourselves above them. This attitude is revealed in our dealings with people in church, at home, or on the job. We might say, “That’s not how you do that!” or “What are you doing that for?” Even though that person may be doing something the wrong way, the spirit we approach them with reveals that we are living in relative righteousness. Sometimes, an entire church will not have anything to do with another Bible-believing church because of a spirit of relative righteousness. One group thinks they are better or more spiritual, and the other group thinks 20

LEARNED BEHAVIOR

they are better. From God’s divine viewpoint, He sees both groups as the same. One is not better than the other. Some may have learned how to behave better than the others, but that doesn’t make them better. At the Cross, we all stand in an even place (see Psalm 26:12). It is impossible to have any kind of change in our lives apart from the work of the Cross today. We could cry about our failures and make a new commitment every night of the week. But that would not change us. We could live in religious austerity, separated unto ourselves with a “holier than thou” attitude. But that would not make us any better. We might be able to abstain from certain things for a season, but the change would not be lasting. After coming to the end of ourselves, we would cry out as so many who have gone before us, “I can’t live the Christian life!” And, do you know? They were right.

Chapter Two

I CAN'T LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16b).

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

“For they do not know how to do right” (Amos 3:10a, Amplified Translation)

hese verses all communicate one basic truth: We cannot live the Christian life, regardless of how much we “know” how to live it. Only God in a man can live the Christian life. The apostle Paul had a revelation of this when he wrote, “…Not I, but Christ liveth in me…” in Galatians 2:20. Peter thought he could live the Christian life. He made a bold confession of it in Luke 22:33—“Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” In Matthew 26:33, he said to Jesus, “Though all men 23

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” Again in John 13:37, Peter said, “Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.” Yet, before the night was over, Jesus would be arrested and taken to trial, and Peter would deny the Lord three times. Twice Peter said, “I know not the man” (Matthew 26:72,74). Why did Peter’s confession change so quickly under pressure? The answer is simple. “The way of man is not in himself.” Peter did not yet understand the truth set forth by the apostle Paul in Romans 7:18—“I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Paul went on to say, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). Moses felt the same way when he said to God, “Let me not see my wretchedness” (Numbers 11:15b). All of us have sensed our own wretchedness. Paul did not say, “O wretched man that I was before I got saved.” He said, “O wretched man that I am.” Where does this sense of our own wretchedness come from? It comes from something that is innately a part of all us, something that is God’s enemy: the old sin nature (or, Adam). Adam does not just have problems; he is the problem. According to Isaiah 1:5-6, Adam’s whole head is sick and his whole heart is faint. There is no soundness in him. He is filled with wounds, bruises, and putrifying sores. Adam is incurable. Jeremiah 30:12-13 tells us that 24

I CAN’T LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

his bruises are incurable and there is no healing medicine for his condition. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (i.e., sick unto death): who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). No one knows his own heart. God says that my heart is deceitful—not just my neighbor’s heart. God is talking to me. Therefore, we need pastor-teachers who speak the truth in love. We need true friends in the Body of Christ, because sometimes we do not know when we may be off in an area. In Jeremiah 2:23, God addressed the nation of Israel, asking them, “How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalam?” None of us can deny that we are polluted, or that we have followed after other gods. Job 14:4 says, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.” No wonder Ecclesiastes 5:2 says to let our words on earth be few. We do not know our own hearts. Deuteronomy 29:19 speaks of a man who “…blesses himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart.” Our hearts can deceive us into thinking everything is okay while we continue to walk in our own imaginations. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus spoke a parable to those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” This is the ultimate in the depravity and deception of the heart. This is the spirit behind legalism and relative righteousness. Here was a group of Pharisees who lived and spoke as if their hearts were not deceitful. They trusted in themselves. They thought 25

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

that the way was in them and that they could direct their own steps. At one time in his life, Paul felt this way too. Writing the book of Philippians from prison, he recalled his past. “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:4-6). This illustrates the deception of the human heart. But Paul’s present confession as he wrote this epistle was, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).

God’s Indictment on the Human Race

Because of Adam’s incurable condition, God indicted him, found him guilty, and condemned him to death. Romans 3:10-18 records God’s fourteen-fold indictment. Verse 19 records God’s verdict: guilty. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their 26

I CAN’T LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:10-19). This is what God says about every one of us. Need we say any more? No wonder we cannot live the Christian life. There is nothing in us—in our flesh—that can do it.

“I

Chapter Three I QUIT!

quit.” This may seem like a strange confession for a Christian to make. On the contrary, it is exactly what God is waiting for us to say to Him. God is waiting to be gracious (Isaiah 30:18). He is waiting for us to give Him an opportunity to live the Christian life in us. A dear friend of mine who has gone home to be with the Lord once quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:24: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it”—and then he added, “God can’t do it until we are done.” Done with what? Until we are done with trying to live the Christian life, struggling to change, preserving our life in Adam. Jesus’ disciples struggled to live the Christian life but without power. They were with Him for three years. They walked with Him, ate with Him, and saw His miracles and signs. They saw His tears. They saw the dead raised and demons cast out. And still, there was not a single change in any of them. In the end, they all forsook Jesus at the Cross (Matthew 26:56). Even after Jesus was resurrected and had appeared to His disciples twice, they still could not change. Weary of his Christian life, Peter said in John 21:3, “I go a fishing.” According to the Greek tense used here, in essence Peter was saying, “I quit. I can’t live the 29

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

Christian life.” And he was right. The other disciples who were with Peter agreed with him saying, “We also go with thee.” John was one of them. Five times in the Gospel of John, he made reference to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved.” Yet he still followed backslidden Peter into the boat to go fishing. John too was ready to quit. The disciples would not be changed until the day of Pentecost when the resurrection power of Christ would fill them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Transparency

There are two ways in the Bible: Satan’s way and God’s way. Satan lies; God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Satan sends an evil spirit; God sends His Holy Spirit. Satan accuses; God edifies. Satan builds up Adam; God crucifies Adam. Satan causes us to have total recall of everything we are in Adam while blinding us to the provision so that we will eventually give up in despair; God forgives and forgets everything we have ever done in Adam and opens our eyes to a better way. Satan says, “God will never answer your prayer, because you are no good, and God knows you will never change”; God says, “Just keep believing; the answer is on the way.” Satan constantly changes his approach in his attack against us so he can bring confusion; God operates in perfect integrity and immutability toward us, no matter what state we are in. God has a way for us to be changed and to live a victorious Christian life. God’s way begins with trans30

I QUIT!

parency and honesty at the Cross, not a sincere desire to do better. An honest heart is one that accepts the provisions of God’s Word and then brings forth fruit with patience—patience toward yourself. I counseled a young girl one day who is like many other girls her age. She did some things she should not have done. Though she does not have a rebellious heart, she did not have the power to change herself. So instead of speaking harsh words of correction, I spoke soft words from my heart. She needed to be surrounded with the love of Jesus Christ, and I said to her, “You will make it.” During our counseling session, she made a very mature statement. After being honest about what happened, she said, “I hope I don’t do it again.” That confession revealed integrity and transparency. She said, “I hope I don’t do it again” not, “I won’t do it again. People with legalistic backgrounds are more likely to say, “I will never do that again,” and then they go out and do it within twenty-four hours. They may sincerely mean what they say, but they do not have any power or strength to make it happen. The opposite of transparency is self-preservation in the flesh. In the hundreds of hours that I have spent counseling Christians, more than anything, I have seen people trying to preserve their life in Adam. They justify themselves and defend their right to be right. They overreact to what others say about them and want me to know it isn’t true. My question is, who cares? What are we defending? Our right to live in a fallen nature 31

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

that is filled with bruises and running sores? But once we become transparent with what God says about our condition in Adam (Romans 3:10-19; Isaiah 1:5-6; Jeremiah 17:9) and honest with what God did to Adam on the Cross (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), then what is there left to preserve? Nothing. Every Christian stands in an even place—crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ. Once we accept that truth, self-preservation ceases. The Finished Work means that the Cross took me out and put Christ in. It is wonderful to get up in the morning without a single thing to preserve for that day, no matter how we feel.

Stop Trying

I discovered a long time ago that there is not one verse in the Bible that tells me to try to change or to be a better Christian. I could feel sorry and cry a bucket of tears, but that kind of sorrow does not transform me. It just causes more shame, frustration, defeat, and guilt. In my best state, I may be able to do a little better for a season through self-righteousness, but that is not transformation. The more we try to change, the more we will find ourselves going through the same thing the apostle Paul did in Romans 7. Paul said, “…To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do…when I would do good, evil is present with me” (Romans 7:18b,19,21b). Paul was saying, “I have tried to change, but every time I do, 32

I QUIT!

I fall flat on my face and Satan’s government of evil is right there to condemn me.” Paul finally came to the conclusion that he was not going to try anymore, and that was the greatest revelation of his life. It was Paul who later wrote, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). But he was not the only one to discover this truth. When Job was going through his trial, he said, “For He performs that which He has planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful” (Job 23:14, Amplified Translation). The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for You have also wrought in us and for us all our works” (Isaiah 26:12, Amplified Translation). The secret of life is this: Never strive, never try, and never worry about your last failure. Going to another seminar or counseling session is not the answer if it will only put you in the frame of mind to try again or to conform to another way of behavior—only to fail again and become more frustrated. We must stop trying to conform to anything. Romans 12:2 instructs us, “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind….” Many think that being “conformed to the world” means going back to the barroom or into a life of immorality. But conforming to the world means going back to trying to be better, using the Scriptures to reinforce your efforts. This is the most subtle form of worldliness. God wants us to come to the place where we say, “I can’t change, I’m not going to try to change, and I don’t 33

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

even care!” When we can say that, we are finally being honest—with God and with ourselves. We have come to our “wit’s end” (Psalm 107:27), or to the place where our human efforts are exhausted. Our confession is no longer, “I’ll do better,” but, “Faithful is He who calls me, and I know He will do it.” Now we are ready to accept God’s way, God’s provision, and God’s power to be changed. We finally believe that “with God, all things are possible.”

PART 2 “With God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)

Chapter Four

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2a).

“The Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:8-9).

e read in Isaiah 55:8-9, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God’s thoughts about change and our thoughts about change are worlds apart. His ways of changing us are high above man’s ways. Man’s ways are complex. God’s ways, however, are simple. That is why Satan, the serpent, works full-time to corrupt our minds from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 11:3). Part two of this book sets forth the simplicity of God’s ways. “As ye therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, 37

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

so walk ye in him” (Colossians 2:6). We did not get saved by learning how to behave properly, but by believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now that we are His children, we are instructed to “walk” in Him the same way we got saved—by believing in the Finished Work, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:23). “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever” (2 Peter 3:18). These verses do not tell us to grow by changing our behavior, but to grow in grace and knowledge of a Person—Jesus Christ. If the apostle Paul were to give a testimony today, he might say, “I’ll tell you how I finally changed. It was when the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus overcame the law of sin and death in me. It was a grace process. And when I discovered that God would not condemn me in the process, it was then that I changed. I found that the law of righteousness—which I tried so desperately to keep—had already been fulfilled in me. I realized that in Matthew 5:17, Christ said He came to fulfill the law, and that in Romans 10:4, He was the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe.” Paul would later write four epistles while imprisoned in Rome. Why was he in prison? Paul had wanted to minister to his Jewish brethren in Jerusalem, but his desire was motivated by sentimentality. He was warned by the disciples through the Holy Spirit not to 38

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

go, but he disregarded the warning (see Acts 20:22 and 21:4). After he arrived, he was arrested, taken to Rome, and put in prison. One of the epistles he wrote in prison was to the Philippian church. In that letter, he made a beautiful confession, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Knowing there was nothing he could do about his past failure, Paul was determined that he would forget the things that were behind him. He did not try to behave differently; he just forgot it all through the Holy Spirit, and reached forth unto the things that were before him. Paul did not try to change himself; rather, he changed his focus. He did not look back and live in regret; he did not look within himself and live in condemnation; instead, he looked unto Jesus and lived, having an expectation from God. Through his experience, Paul learned the value of living a derived life. When Jesus was on the earth, He derived His life from the Father. Though He was perfect in His humanity, He never tried to be good. He drew near to fellowship with His Father every day. He said, “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4). Every morning, Jesus was taught by His heavenly Father. He 39

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

would not do or say a thing without consulting with His Father (see John 5:19,30; 8:29; 14:10-11; Romans 15:3). Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). He testified of Himself in Isaiah 50:5-6, “The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” Jesus Christ did not go through the Cross in His own strength, but through a life derived from His Father. The secret of His life was His continual focus on the Father.

Turn to the Lord

Change is the work of God, not the work of man. The first step is to realize that even in our worst condition, we are only one decision away from being the most spiritual people in the world. That decision is simply to turn to the Lord. Second Corinthians 3:16 says that when we turn to the Lord, the veil of the flesh is taken away from our heart. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17)—liberty to be changed as we look into the mirror of God’s Word. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (verse 18). Notice that 2 Corinthians 3:18 says we are changed. God does the work of changing us. All we do is look unto Jesus Christ through His Word. This verse says nothing about focusing on ourselves, or about confess40

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

ing our need to change. It does not tell us to be counseled again and again. It says, “Take your eyes off yourself, focus on Jesus Christ through the mirror of His Word, and let the Spirit change you. Leave your sins behind you, forget the things that are past, think of Christ, and reach toward the prize.” The Greek word for the phrase “are changed” in 2 Corinthians 3:18 is a present passive indicative of metamorphoo, “to transform.” The passive voice means that God does all the changing! God does it all. Our only part is to look unto Jesus. In Psalm 16:8, David wrote, “I have set the Lord always before me.” He was looking unto Jesus, with no pressure, no stress, no shame, no guilt, and no fear. The secret to victory in the Christian life is changing our focus. The secret to helping others is to help them change their focus. For example, if a husband is trying to help his wife through a problem, he should not deal with her in legalism or self-righteousness. In certain areas, he is just as needy as she is. She may be more blunt about her failure and more emotional in showing it, but the best thing he can do for his wife is to prayerfully and lovingly help her to change her focus. It does no good to analyze her past to try and figure out what caused her behavior. The past has nothing to do with our present problems. That may have been true before we were saved, but not anymore. We are brand-new creatures in Christ. Old things are passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). Instead of analyzing the past, we can say in trans41

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

parency before God, “I am guilty.” The whole world is guilty. No one is righteous, no one understands God, and no one seeks after God. We have all gone out of the way and become unprofitable. None of us can do good. Once we have settled that issue in our hearts, we realize that we do not have to try to change Adam. We don’t have to dress up Adam, conform Adam, worry about Adam, become guilty about Adam, or even talk about him. We know that we still have Adam’s nature inside of us, but now he is having a more difficult time than ever controlling us. We have not learned to behave better but to change our focus and look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. As we grow in grace more and more, we find that we are content in whatever state we are in (Philippians 4:11). Instead of always trying, we are just having fun. We could be singing a song in the car, or just looking up at the sky on a starry night. Everything is fun. Often, when people have serious problems, they become tense and overreactionary, though they may try to pretend that they are not. When this happens, instead of identifying with the stress, a spiritual friend or counselor can meet that tension relaxed in the Spirit, filled with faith-rest and joy, and handle the problem objectively. The Holy Spirit will speak to us in a still small voice and guide us into the truth that sets people free. All we do is help them to change their focus from the problem to the provision.

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

Look and Be Healed

In Numbers 21:1-3, God gave Israel victory in a battle with the Canaanites. After, as they journeyed on in the wilderness, “the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread” (Numbers 21:4-5). I will never understand why Israel murmured when God had just given them grace—something they did not deserve—in a victory over their enemies. Because Israel murmured, God sent fiery serpents to bite them. It was a serpent that deceived Eve in Genesis 3. Revelation 12:9 refers to Satan as “that old serpent.” How would the children of Israel deal with the serpent bites? Was there anything they could do? Maybe they could have manufactured a miraculous healing ointment from special herbs. But they did not, and furthermore, they did not have time. They could have gone on a good works program, hoping that if they blessed those around them, somehow they would also be healed. They could have tried to fight the serpents— just as so many Christians try to fight the devil—but there were too many of them. They could have just looked at themselves, staring at their bites in a helpless, hopeless condition. This is what thousands of Christians do every day, never realizing that it constitutes their greatest failure. 43

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

Imagine the horror of seeing serpent bites all over your body. Think of how frightened you would be. You would feel so weak and helpless. Yet, it would do no good to just sit, in fear, staring at your bites. Similarly, when you live in self-analysis and you are honest with yourself, you will say, “I hate what I see.” You can hear sermons and continue to analyze yourself, but you will never be healed by confessing how devastating the serpent bites are. The truth is, God does not want us to look at ourselves any more than He wanted the children of Israel to look at themselves. He had a better way for them, and for us too. The Lord told Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole. The children of Israel were not to pray to the serpent, but to simply have faith in what it represented. According to John 3:14-15, the serpent of brass represents Jesus Christ on the Cross. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Brass speaks of judgment. Therefore, the serpent of brass on the pole represents Jesus Christ being judged for our sins on the Cross. In Exodus 27:1-8, the altar for the tabernacle and all its utensils were made of brass. Every offering placed on the brass altar was a picture of Jesus Christ being judged for the sins of the world. In Exodus 30:17-21, God also instructed Moses to make a brass laver, or basin, where the priests would wash their hands and feet when they came into the tabernacle or when they 44

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

came to the altar of brass to offer a sacrifice. God said that if they did not wash their hands and feet, they would die. The brass laver speaks of rebound for the Christian (see 1 John 1:9 and John 13:10). Not only has Jesus Christ judged all of our sins and given us eternal security when we believe on Him (John 3:16), but He has also provided a brass laver. Just as the priests would die physically if they did not wash their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle, we also die spiritually when we do not rebound from our sins. The serpent of brass was not a real serpent, but it was like a real serpent. Romans 8:3 says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.â&#x20AC;? Jesus did not have sin in Him, but He was like us inasmuch as He bore our sins in His own body on a tree (1 Peter 2:24). The children of Israel were not to look at themselves, fight the serpents, or even pray to the brazen serpent. They were to do one thing. They were to look at it. And the minute they looked, they were totally healed from all the serpent bites. Oh, it is hard to understand the power of grace. It is hard to receive the love of God when you are covered with serpent bites. The children of Israel could have looked at the wounds all over their bodies. They could have screamed and cried as they looked at their children and their little babies. But it would not have done any good. They had to look at the brazen serpent. Adam and Eve were defeated because they looked at 45

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Even before they partook of the tree, they—especially Eve—had to look at it. By the same token, every single person can be saved just by looking, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22). All of us have suffered from the bites of sin. We may not go out on our spouse, go to barrooms, or steal money; but when we grieve the Spirit by saying something hurtful to someone, our heart is wounded. Nevertheless, being occupied with what we have done will not heal the wounds. We need to turn and look at Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We need to look into the mirror of God’s Word so we can be changed into His image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:1-2a). We are running the Christian race to become faith heroes (see Hebrews 11). As we run this race, we lay aside the weights first, then the besetting sin. The weight represents the provision we make to sin (Romans 13:14). The sin is what we do because we made a provision to do it. For example, the weight may be the fact that we hang around the wrong people, and the sin is what we do because we exposed ourselves to that crowd and their ways. Hebrews 12:1-2 is telling us to lay aside the 46

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

weight so we will not be tempted to sin in an area of weakness. And as we look unto Jesus, He will provide the power to run the race. One night many years ago when I was soulwinning, I witnessed to a prostitute on the street. She was saying, “I feel so unclean.” So I said to her, “I know you feel unclean, but your uncleanness is no more of a sin than a proud man’s self-righteousness.” She said, “I don’t understand.” And I said, “You don’t have to. All I’m saying is that if you just believe on Jesus, you can be healed instantly.” In tears, she prayed and accepted Christ. Today, that woman is happily married. When she weeps, it is not because she is guilty, but because she is free. God accepted her just as she was and transformed her life. Now she is a magnificant soul winner—and all she did was look. She doesn’t try to analyze the old serpent bites to understand why she did the things she did. She just looks unto Jesus, the author and finisher of her faith. Do not look at your wounds. Do not be occupied with the effects of the serpent bites. No matter what sin you commit, what day you sin, or how many times you do it, I plead with you to look unto Jesus and believe Him. And as you look, you go from faith to faith, rebounding whenever you fail. Righteousness is imparted to your soul, and your faith becomes substance. Now you are clean through the Word that Jesus has spoken to you (John 15:3). As you learn to look unto Jesus, you will experience 47

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

the miracles of grace in your life. He will take away even the thought of sin. You will be so thankful that you will never want to do anything to grieve the Holy Spirit. You know that if you fail, God will take you back in a moment, but you do not make a provision to fail. You no longer have a need to do certain things. A precious young lady told a friend, “I love my dad and I know he loves me. But we never seem to have any time together. He never invests in me, but I’m not blaming him. I know he’s busy.” What she was trying to say was, “I just want to get to know daddy.” As a teenager, she had a deep need to know her father beyond just saying “hi” or “bye” because of busy schedules. Instead of having a relationship of love, she hears harsh words of correction when she rebels in a area. Jesus says, “Look unto Me; come unto Me; I am meek and lowly in heart; I will give you rest.” But this father gives his daughter harsh words. When someone fails and comes into my office for help, I handle the problem by saying, “We both know that what you did was wrong. And I know you are sorry. I know you don’t want to do it again. You are weak and frail and you’re being tempted by your old sin nature, and by demons that you can’t see or hear. But I am not asking you to do any great thing. All I am asking you to do is look unto Jesus. That is my only recipe for your inspiration and for your new motivation—just look.” When we continue to look at Jesus, hide the Word of God in our hearts, and receive the filling of the Spirit, 48

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

then He will keep us from falling (Jude 24). While we glory in His forgiveness, we can also glory that He keeps us from falling. We only need to keep looking. But we need to do more than just give Him a glance; we need to gaze upon Him.

Change Your Garments

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of you mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14). The Word of God speaks often about changing our garments. In Genesis 41:14, Joseph was taken from prison and brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream. But before coming into Pharaoh’s presence, Joseph changed his garments. Leviticus 6:11-12 says that the high priest had to change his garments before he took the ashes of the burnt offering out of the tabernacle into a clean place. After David recovered from his failure with Bathsheba, 2 Samuel 12:20 says that he “arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped.” In Zechariah 3, Joshua the high priest was guilty of sin. But when Satan stood up to resist him, the Lord rebuked Satan and would not let him 49

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

speak. Verse 3 says that Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, but in verse 4, the Lord commanded an angel to take away the filthy garments and clothe Joshua with a change of raiment. God never said anything in these verses about trying to do better. He never said to Joshua, “You are not behaving right. What’s wrong with you? You know better than that. You need to go for some counseling.” No, in every case, it was just, “Change your garments.” Changing our garments means we put away our identification with the past and with our wounds. When we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we make no provision for the flesh. Many people put the emphasis on making “no provision for the flesh” instead of “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.” God’s emphasis is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and when we do that, we automatically make no provision for the flesh. After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they were self-conscious of their nakedness, so they sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves. Fig leaves represent a system of religious works—trying to do something to change ourselves. When God came in the “cool of the day” (probably early evening) to teach Adam and Eve, they were not there. (According to the Hebrew tenses, God came at the same time each day to teach them doctrine). God called to Adam, “Where are you?” Of course, God, being omnipresent and omniscient, knew where Adam was. Adam answered, “I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10b). 50

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

What did God do for Adam and Eve? Tell them to change? No, He killed an animal, made coats of skin, and covered them (Genesis 3:21). Their provision came through the shedding of blood, not through self-made garments without the shedding of blood. Likewise, our provision to change comes through the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, not through a religious system of works. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us how to change our garments. We put off the old man (verse 22), and put on the new man (verse 24). But how do we put on the new man? The key is in verse 23. “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” “Be renewed” is a passive voice in the Greek. God is not telling us to renew our mind. He is telling us to be renewed—by continually receiving something from God through the Word and the Spirit. Romans 12:2 sheds more light on this truth: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind….” Notice again that God does not say we are to transform ourselves, but to be transformed by receiving something. This is the glory of the Finished Work.

Chapter Five

PARTAKE OF GOD’S DIVINE NATURE “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:2-8).

s we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, grace and peace are multiplied inside our soul through the “knowledge of God,” or, doctrine. Multiplication of grace and peace takes us way beyond mere knowledge of the letter into an experience of the Living Word. In 2 Peter 3:18 it is called “the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 53

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

Christ.” According to 2 Peter 1:3, through this knowledge, God’s divine power has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” The key to this entire passage is found in verse 4: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Many Christians try to escape the corruption in the world by learning how to behave better or by rededicating themselves at the altar. But this is not God’s way. God causes us to escape corruption as we receive His exceeding great and precious promises and become partakers (sharers) of His divine nature. There is nothing in this passage about trying to behave better or about changing ourselves, but only about receiving promises, adding to our faith, and multiplying grace and peace. Sometimes I hear women say, “I come to church and hear all the messages, but I just can’t seem to be the kind of wife I should be.” My answer to that is, “Stop trying to be the wife you should be. Don’t let it trouble you. Don’t even give it a thought. Stop analyzing yourself. I don’t see a single thing in the Bible that tells you to be introspective. That is not God’s approach. It is futile for a wife to look at her husband and say, “I wish you would change. You’re a lousy husband,” or for a husband to say to his wife, “I wish you would be a better housekeeper.” Neither of them will ever change until they become partakers of God’s divine nature through exceeding great and precious promises. Only 54

PARTAKE OF GOD’S DIVINE NATURE

then will they be able to “escape” the way they have always been, which is the way they will always be unless God does the changing. Just as we cannot be saved unless God does the saving, so we cannot be transformed unless God does the transforming. We can read twenty-five books about how to be transformed, feel better for a while after we read them, and still never change a bit. At best, we may enjoy talking about the possibililties of changing, but what we need is simply to let God change us.

Add to Your Faith

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add…” (2 Peter 1:5a). The Greek word for “giving” (pareisphero) means to “to bring in alongside, to introduce simultaneously.”* The word for “add” is epichoregeo, “to furnish besides, to fully supply.”** Instead of trying to correct ourselves in an area, we bring in seven divine characteristics alongside the promises and we “add” them to our faith. Remember, in verse 4 we become partakers of God’s divine nature, and that nature working inside of us will enable us in the adding process. The first thing we add to our faith is “virtue”—spiritual excellence through grace. To virtue we add “knowledge” (gnosis). Gnosis is a growing relationship with God, who is the object of our knowledge. Here, it implies experiential knowledge. Doctrine has now become our experience through the virtue of grace and *STRONG’S CONCORDANCE, GREEK DICTIONARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, P. 55. **IBID, P. 32.

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

the power of the Holy Spirit. After knowledge, we add “temperance,” which is self-control through the Holy Spirit. Then comes “patience.” Because we can exercise self-control through the Holy Spirit, we have a new ability to be patient toward others. To our patience we add “godliness,” that is, spirituality. Godliness means that we can now execute the spiritual life just like God, because He is the One doing it in us. “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Next, we add “brotherly kindness.” This speaks of godly friendships. Finally, we add “charity”—the love of God in the heart, motivating us to love others unconditionally. 2 Peter 1:2-8 concludes by saying that if “these things” are abounding in us, then we will never have a time when we are barren or unfruitful in the experiential knowledge (epignosis) of God. Now, we no longer try to live the Christian life. We simply walk in what God has made us to be through what we have received. We are inspired by the truth that dwells richly in us, motivated by its essence. We fellowship with the attributes of God’s nature in us, and God gets all the glory because it is all Him. God never brings up where we have been, or what we have done. He is not concerned with what we think of ourselves or what others think of us. All He wants to do is to multiply grace and peace through the Living Word and to supply, through His divine power, all things that pertain unto life and godliness. He wants us to be partakers of His divine nature by receiving His 56

PARTAKE OF GOD’S DIVINE NATURE

exceeding great and precious promises. Then He says that if we add seven characteristics to our faith—virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity—then we will have more than we need to take on the next thing in His plan for us. This is what Christianity is all about. The Bible never says, “Faithful is he who will stop you from being the way you are.” God does not promise to change Adam. Furthermore, can a leopard change his spots? Certainly not. John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.” In other words, Adam can never change. So God crucified him (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20). The apostle Paul made a beautiful confession in 1 Corinthians 15:10. He said, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” The same is true for us. This does not mean that we can be careless and do evil, but it simply means that we realize we can never change ourselves. Yet, in our weakest moment, God is waiting to pour into our soul an ocean of mercy, grace, and love that goes beyond our limited understanding and our natural concepts. God does the transforming. God does the renewing. We are relaxed because it is all by grace. And if we fail, we rebound instantly so that we do not give a place to the devil. We never have to wonder what we are going to be like tomorrow or next week. We are what we are by the grace of God. True faith never analyzes our ability in Adam to be good tomorrow. True faith looks at tomorrow as Joshua did when he was preparing the children 57

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

of Israel to cross over the Jordan River. He told the people, “Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Joshua 3:5). We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is ready to reveal His righteousness to us tomorrow through our faith today in His living promises.

Chapter Six

COME AND KNOW THE FATHER’S HEART “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

onsider some of the times in the Scriptures where the Lord asks His people questions. For example, in Isaiah 1:5, after addressing the sinful condition of the nation of Israel, the Lord asks, “Why should you be stricken and punished any more [since it brings no correction]?” (Amplified Translation). He went on to say, “Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it: but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1:5b-6). God is saying to the nation of Israel, and to us, 59

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

“I know your condition in Adam, and I know you can’t change. So why should you be punished any more? You will only continue to do the same things.” God asks another question in Jeremiah 2:5, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” Perhaps one of God’s most revealing questions is found in Isaiah 5:4, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” In New Testament application, this verse speaks of the Finished Work of Jesus Christ. He bore all of our sins—past, present, and future—on His own body on the Cross (1 Peter 2:24). He became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him the moment we believe (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now God says, “Whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely. Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (see Revelation 22:17; Romans 10:13). Jesus Christ paid it all, and now He has one invitation: Come. No matter what state you are in, no matter how many times you have failed, just come. It does not matter how much you have labored, or how weighed down you are with heavy burdens. Just come. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, “Come.” When Peter and the disciples were on a boat in a terrible storm, they saw Jesus walking on the water. Frightened, Peter said, “If it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come” (Matthew 14:28b-29a). God is saying to us, “What more could I do for you 60

COME AND KNOW THE FATHER’S HEART

than I have already done? I have not asked you to redeem yourself (Psalm 49:7). By grace you are saved through faith, not of yourself. It is my gift to you so you have nothing to boast of (Ephesians 2:8-9). I have not asked you to go on a works program. I have not asked you to perform or do better. I have not asked you to change yourself. All I have asked you to do is come.” One Saturday night many years ago, I shared the gospel with a man who was very arrogant. His response was, “I don’t like what you’re saying. I’m not going to listen to that stuff.” He totally rejected the gospel. The next morning, I heard on the radio that this same man was killed in a high speed car crash. He had an opportunity to receive Christ, but now he was dead—and probably in hell. He would not come and drink of the water of eternal life. Once, I led an eighteen-year-old boy to Christ. He was delivered from drugs but later started using them again. I tried to help him, but he did not want help. The day before his nineteenth birthday, he took an overdose and never completely recovered. When I visited him in the hospital, he did not know me. He just sat in a chair, unable to do anything for himself. It was so sad. I remembered telling him the day I first witnessed to him that the church would provide a loving atmosphere that would allow him to grow in grace. But instead, he went back into the world. Though he would still go to heaven, now his life on earth was destroyed, all because he would not come unto Jesus. 61

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

Welcome Home Son

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus spoke a parable of a father and his two sons. The younger son did not know his father’s heart. He did not understand his father’s love or the purpose that God had for him with his dad. This is the problem many Christians have. They never get to know the Father’s heart of love toward them. The younger son in this parable is most often referred to as the “prodigal son.” The word “prodigal” means “exceedingly or recklessly wasteful; a person who wastes his means.”* Because he did not understand his purpose at home, the prodigal son went to his father and said, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me” (Luke 15:12). A few days later, the prodigal “gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living” (verse 13). Verse 14 says, “When he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.” Sooner or later, everyone who gets into sin spends all that they have—spiritually, physically, or even financially. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi said, “I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty.” After the prodigal son spent all his substance, the Word of God says that a mighty famine arose in the land. Christians who take the sinful road have never been able to escape the spiritual famine that inevitably comes, bringing with it emptiness and discontentment. *WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD DICTIONARY, SECOND COLLEGE EDITION, P. 1134.

COME AND KNOW THE FATHER’S HEART

The last part of verse 14 says that the prodigal son “began to be in want.” The next verse says, “He went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.” Verse 17, the turning point in this parable, begins with the words, “When he came to himself….” This does not mean that the Christian comes to his senses and makes a positive decision to do something about his life. It means that he finally realizes there is nothing he can do to change his present state. All he can do is come to Jesus, believe His Word and receive grace and power to be changed. The prodigal son was simply saying, “I am bankrupt and I’m going home to my father.” He rehearsed in his heart what he would say to his father when he got home. He thought, “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants” (verses 17-19). In verse 20, the son arose and set off on his journey home. “But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him….” No matter what state we are in, our heavenly Father always sees us—even while we are still far away from Him. No matter what we have done, we cannot sin our way out of God’s grace. He is patiently waiting to be gracious to us. “And therefore will the 63

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18). The Lord is not exalted by condemning or punishing us, but by giving us mercy. When the father saw his son, he was moved with compassion and ran to meet him. Some scholars say that the father was singing as he ran toward his son. It reminds me of Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Upon reaching his son, the father fell on his neck, and began to kiss him repeatedly. I do not think that the son expected that kind of treatment, because when he left home he did not really know his father’s heart. He never comprehended his father’s nature of love and compassion or the depth of his father’s purpose for him in his daily work. As the father smothered him with kisses, the prodigal son tried to confess his sin. He said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (verse 21). But the father was not on the same train of thought as his son. While the son was thinking of what he had done, the father was thinking of what he was going to do for his son now that he was home again. This parable does not say whether or not the father acknowledged the son’s confession. Instead, the father addressed his servants 64

COME AND KNOW THE FATHER’S HEART

and said, “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:22-24). The father had waited all this time to be gracious to his son, not to condemn him. His first expression of grace was in running to meet his son with compassion and smothering him with kisses. Then he put on a special party to honor the prodigal’s return home. The father gave him a robe, speaking of a covering of righteousness. He gave him a ring, which served as a credit card in those days. With the ring, the son could purchase anything he wanted. Then the father gave him a pair of shoes, meaning he was restored in his walk. Finally, the fatted calf was killed so they could eat together and be merry. Once again, they enjoyed the intimacy of fellowship. This is what the “glorious gospel” is all about. I know that in my flesh dwells no good thing. I know that when I try to do good, evil is present with me. I cry out, “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” At that moment, the glorious gospel of the Finished Work says, “No condemnation!” Stop striving and trying to change. Just turn to the Lord, look upon Him, receive His mercy, grace, and unconditional love, and you will be transformed. In the parable in Luke 15, the father was not occupied with the sin of his son, because Jesus Christ had 65

I GIVE UP! I CAN’T LIVE UP TO WHAT CHRISTIANS EXPECT

paid for it. The father’s one desire was that his son would receive the gift of forgiveness, mercy, and unconditional love so that his life could be changed. When the prodigal received it, a new freedom entered his heart. He was a brand-new person. He would not come back to his father as a hired servant but as a son with a full inheritance. There would be no punishment and no probation. The God we know is not waiting to hurt or wound people when they fail. He is a compassionate Father waiting to forgive and forget, to run to us and smother us with kisses of unconditional love. He embraces us. “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me” (Song of Solomon 2:6). Won’t you come to Him by faith and get to know His heart, His purpose, and His personal love for you? If you have failed, you may hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit whisper, “Welcome home, son.”