The fruit of the Spirit is a sign of perfection. Fruit will develop more and more when we are willing to let go. Are you letting go? That’s the question.
Romans 6:13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Cont From ‘Keep Letting Go (Part 2)’
..The message is what the Spirit is saying to the church, and that message is that the church is being restored back to apostolic power. To faith – like the Early Church which was the former rain, and we’re being restored back to the Latter Rain, hallelujah! And how is He going to accomplish this? Ephesians 4 tells us through the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. For the maturing and perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry. That is taking place, it is happening, it’s whether you want it or not.. that’s the question.
Preparation For Rapture
Because ultimately sin will no longer reign in our mortal bodies. When it can no longer reign and have access in our mortal bodies something comes to mind that will take place. Any idea what will happen? Glory, up you go, up the saints go. Up the over-comers go – because that’s the promise. Sin no longer can hold us – that’s the ultimate – that’s why we hold and believe till the rapture. And I won’t get into that ‘cos there’s a mound of confusion on that one as-well. But it’s in the Word of God if one is prepared to pay the price to get into it, to pray over it, to wait on God because He’s our greatest teacher.
How Will You Present Yourself?
So this verse – as we bring this now to a close – this depends how we live daily – how do I wish to present myself in the new life and power of Christ. I’ve already spoken today about this very power that was in Christ – the very power that’s in you being raised up. How do you wish to be presented? How was Christ presented when He was raised up in His new life? Well my bible tells me He was taken up after 40 days into glory and presented before the Father, and seated at the right hand of the Father. That’s how He presented Himself to His Father, and you have to decide how you are going to present yourself to God.
Are you going to present yourself in self pride; are you going to present yourself as a Baptist, as a Methodist, or as an Anglican. Or are you going to present yourself as a religious person? Are you going to present yourself as an overcomer who comes into the throne of the Lamb and bows the knee? Who places the crown … at His feet. The glorified, the redeemed, the first fruits, the wise virgins. Is that how you want yourself presented? You have a choice you see. And so he says …
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Glorify God With Your Body
… So your whole being glorifies God, this is why we believe the gospel is to the whole man. To mind body and spirit. This is why we hold to divine healing, that by His stripes we were healed at Calvary. It’s because He’s dealing with the whole body. It’s easy to think ‘O well death is going to come and I will be released from this body and then glorified’. That isn’t the message and thinking to the overcomer. Why, because the overcomers believe they’re going to be raptured and taken away. So your body needs to be in pretty good condition when God suddenly says ‘come up’ and the trumpet is sounded. Amen? Or have I got it wrong? No.
That’s why we can hold to the fact that we’re being renewed. That we now have the law of Christ within us and not the law of death. Being renewed, being changed, why He even says He’ll renew our youth like the eagles, hallelujah. Why am I saying all this – because it’s this new life and power in Christ. Therefore you cannot have this pride – this religion, you know, what your identified to with man. You can’t have that, there’s only one you’re identified to. There’s only one you are marrying and married to by faith and that is Christ. You have become one with Him, this is how the bride makes herself ready.
Instruments Of Righteousness
13 .. and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
….And here of course we come to this idea of ‘righteous’. It’s in other words ‘His righteousness’. It’s not about your righteousness ‘cos it then would be about your works, your education. How good a life you lead, it’s nothing to do with that.
Many who think like that will never make it into the Kingdom of God. We’re dealing with the righteousness of Christ, who was righteous – no sin or blemish found in Him. And this righteousness that the bible speaks of here – it means that it’s imparted to me. It’s given to me by grace and mercy. And why is it given to me – because Christ was the only one who could satisfy the demands required for a righteous life. Nobody else could live this righteous life that would be received by the Father. Only one – Christ could. And so you have to be found in Him. And when you are found in Him you are found in His righteousness.
Jesus Was Made Sin With Our Sinfulness That We May Be Made Righteous With His Righteousness
So in other words salvation is not about – and you hear this going on – where
‘God has given me a righteous life now’. You have a righteous life and you have a righteous life – everyone in here has a righteous life’.
If it really was like that then what would happen – it would be degrees of righteousness because we’re all at different levels. How confusing! And yet there are people who think in that way. No, there’s only one life – His righteousness, and it is given to us. And that’s why we’re found in Him, it’s imparted in other words. That righteous life satisfied the demands of His law against sin. Romans 8 verse 4 which we know well…
Walk In The Spirit
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
…So it is fulfilled for those to do not walk after the flesh and traditions of men – there is the difference. We are counted righteous by our faith, so our faith in Christ counts us as righteous in Him – gift of God. Now back to what we were looking at, I’m going to incorporate verse 14 here…
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Romans 6:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Led By The Spirit
…You have to ask yourself that question in humility and honesty ‘am I led daily by the Spirit’. Now friends if you’ve really heard what has been said there what you will say is
‘I don’t know unless the Father shows me. Unless in His mercy and grace He opens my eyes to show me this – whether I do or I don’t’
Anybody who says ‘yes I do by faith, I take it by faith’ I really seriously wonder if they understand. Because the humble will hear that. The humble will bow there heads and say ‘Lord have mercy’ – those who are led daily by the Spirit.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,[a ]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
…In other words ‘practice’ it means if you continually do it and don’t bother, you’re not worried, because all you say is God knows
Romans 6:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Come Out From Among Them
…Do you know I was in denominationalism years ago before God called me out of it and most of those things that I have mentioned there. You could see them manifesting each week in the churches, jealousy, envy, strife, things going on. There wasn’t a real oneness and unity of the Spirit because there was no desire to walk in the Spirit. There was no heart to be crucified with Christ.
Religion won’t let you do that. ‘Wherefore come out from among them and be separate’ it says in Corinthians. You’ve got to get away from all that uncleanness and strife if you want a changed life. For some that’s too big a cost. I know when I came away from the denominations quite a few were with us, but they couldn’t last long. Their hearts were still in the system. And so like Lots wife – she turned back and so turned into a pillar of salt.
Are You Letting Go?
It’s where your heart is – you’re going to be where your heart is. You will sooner or later. Say all the right things.. all the confessions. Unless your heart has been changed and you’re willing to let go.. You will return just like a dog does to it’s own vomit. You will.. We have to be honest and humble before God. Do we want these hearts of stone changed to hearts of flesh?
And so you see the fruit of the Spirit is a sign we are born again. The development of fruit is our perfection in this life. Jesus said be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect. The fruit of the Spirit wrought in your life is always a sign perfection is being wrought in you. Now take comfort, He is working that fruit, but that fruit will develop more and more when we are willing to let go.
Pastor Kim L. Page
yielding | faith | righteousness | restoration | rapture | letting go
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