Luke 13:18-30

Jesus gives us a mega warning about being apathetic towards the faith. Only those who truly follow Christ will strive to enter through the narrow gate. To have an authentic relationship with the Lord is the only way to eternal life in Heaven with Him.

You have to go through something to get to something.
You, you have to go through death to get to heaven and friend.
You have to go through death to yourself to get to the victorious life.
The reason that so many of us are not filled with the spirit is very frankly, we’re so stuff full of ourselves.
There’s not room for the spirit.
We have to come to the end of ourselves and learn dying, learn dying so we can start living.
I am not being morbid, I am being joyful because Jesus didn’t say I’ve come that you might have death.
Jesus said I’ve come that you might have life, have it a button.
It, but not until you’re sick and tired of that old life.
Not until you say yes, Jesus because you die, I died with you.
And thank God when you rose, I rose with you. Profound truth.
Simply stated, this is love worth finding with pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers.
Would you take God’s word? Turn to Romans chapter seven.
And uh the title of our message today is learning to possess your possessions.
Many of us are not living up to our profession in Christ, they don’t act like it.
Uh They don’t behave like it.
They’re not living victorious lives and there’s something wrong, there’s something missing, there seems to be a contradiction between what the Bible says.
They are in Christ and what they are in reality. There seems to be a gap.
For example, the Bible says concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that we are complete in him that is we don’t have need of anything in the spiritual realm in the Lord Jesus.
But how many Christians would remind you of somebody like that?
The Bible says, concerning those of us who are saved, we are over commers, most believers I know are overcome, they are victims rather than victors.
The Bible says that when we’re saved, we have the peace that passes understanding and joy, unspeakable and full of glory.
How many Christians would you say?
I know a man, I know a woman, a boy and a girl, a great deal of them that have peace that passes understanding that have joy, unspeakable and full of glory.
Jesus said, if you drink the water that I will give you, you will never thirst again.
How many satisfied people in this congregation who say I am completely satisfied in the Lord Jesus.
The Bible teaches in Romans chapter eight, we’re going to get to the first part of that chapter this morning that in Christ, we are more than conquerors.
Well, I, I wonder if we’re conquerors at all.
And, uh, we could just go on and on and on and talk about what the Bible says we are and then what reality shows that we are now?
Where is the problem? I mean, what about this contradiction?
Do you think you’re right? And the Bible is wrong?
So, what are we gonna do? We’re just going to dumb down the Bible.
Are we just going to adjust the Bible and lower the Bible to match our lives?
The bookstore manager told me in Florida one time said, Pastor, do you know what happened to me?
Said, a a lady came in here and wanted to know if I had a lavender bible.
She said next Sunday was Easter and she was going to wear a lavender dress and she wanted a Bible to match her dress.
Now, nothing really wrong with that.
But I got to thinking how many of us want a Bible to match our lives, don’t we?
We want, we want to somehow bring the Bible down to our lives rather than bring our lives up to the Bible.
Uh The regiment got out ahead of the flag, the flag rather got out ahead of the regiment in a battle.
And the man said, uh sergeant, the flags out ahead of the regiment.
Shall I bring it back? He said, no, bring the regiment up to the flag.
And that’s what we need to do in our Christian life.
We need to bring our lives up to the standard that God has for us.
The truth of the matter is that we are all of these things that I just described.
We are over commers, we do have peace that passes.
Understanding Jesus Christ is made of this wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
But somehow we need to bring the regiment up to the flag and we need not to make the Bible match our lives, but to make our lives match the Bible.
Now, what is the key? Uh What is the answer to this riddle this problem?
Well, you need to understand there are two key words and first, the first key word is or the first key thing that we’re thinking about is what God does.
We’ll call that provision. God has made provision for us.
That’s one key word, but the other key word is appropriation.
Now, God has made the provision for us, but that provision does us no good until we appropriate what God has done for us.
That’s the reason I’ve called this message, learning to possess your possessions.
I think I can illustrate what I’m talking about. Uh And, and the difference between provision and appropriation.
How many of you and be honest with me have books in your library at home that you haven’t read yet.
Let me see your hands as most of us, you’ve got books but you haven’t read them yet.
Now, is that book yours? Well, yes, but you haven’t possessed your possession.
I mean, it’s doing you no good.
It’s there, it is your book but you have not appropriated that which is yours.
So remember on the one hand, there is the word provision. On the other hand, there is the word appropriation.
Now, with that in mind, in Romans chapter seven, we’re going to learn how to appropriate, we’re going to learn how to possess our possessions.
Now, let’s read in Romans chapter seven verse one.
No, you’re not brethren for I speak unto them that know the law.
How did the law have to minion over a man as long as he liveth for the woman which hath and husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth.
But if her, if the husband be dead, she’s loose from the law of her husband.
So then if while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she should be called an adulterous.
But if her husband be dead, she’s free from that law so that she is no adulterous though she be married to another man where my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Good night pastor. What does that have to do with living victorious?
I mean, why did Paul right in the middle of this passage.
Why does he start talking about marriage and divorce and dying and remarrying? What, what on earth is this?
Well, he’s giving us an incredible lesson, an object lesson and, and I just, I’m amazed at the genius of the Apostle Paul.
Of course, he did it by divine inspiration as he gives this story.
Here’s the story of a woman who is married to a man and don’t miss the analogy that Paul is making, uh that man’s name.
We’re gonna call him Mr Law. Mr Law. She is married to Mr Law.
Now, you know that the law of the Lord is perfect.
And so she is married to a perfect man that leaves out every other woman here today except joys.
She’s married, she’s married to a perfect man.
Now, you might think it would be wonderful to be married to a perfect man.
She thinks I’ve got the catch man. I, I’ve got the best guy.
I am married to a man, a gentleman named Mr Law and she says what a wonderful noble husband, I have Mr Law and Mr Law is a very rigid man.
Mr Law has extremely high standards and each day before Mr Law goes off to work, he tells his wife what to do.
He says, do this and this and this and this.
And he says, don’t do this and don’t do this and don’t do this.
She says, yes, beloved husband gives him a kiss, her intentions are so good.
She’s going to obey him and do everything that he tells her to do.
But in the course of the day she finds out that she did not do everything he told her to do.
And there’s some things he told her not to do that she slipped up and did.
When he comes home, he checks up on her, he finds out that she did not do everything that she was supposed to do.
And she did some things she was not supposed to do.
And he scolds her and she feels guilty over it.
But she says I’ll do better tomorrow and he gives her instructions tomorrow.
Do this, do this, do this and don’t do that and don’t do that and don’t do that.
She says, yes, husband, you’re so, you’re so wise, you’re so strong and everything you’ve told me to do is right.
And then when he comes home, she has failed again and again and again and again and after a while, she said, I’m sick of being married to him.
I don’t wanna be married to a perfect man.
I can’t please him like the woman who made up her mind one day she was going to please her husband no matter what he said.
So she said, sweetheart, what would you like for breakfast? He said eggs.
She said, how would you like them fixed? Sweetheart?
He said, I want one fried and one scrambled.
She said, all right, went in the kitchen and fried an egg and scrambled an egg and put them on the table.
He still had a pop. She said, now, what’s wrong? He said you scrambled the wrong egg.
Now, there’s some people that you just can’t please and, and, and, um, she can’t, she couldn’t please Mr Law.
And so she says, I wish I could get out of this thing, but I can’t get out of it.
I’m married to him. As long as we live, I’m not free to go off and marry some other man.
God’s God’s plan is not that way. I’m stuck with this guy.
And then she said, oh, wait a minute though, I’ll wait till he dies.
I’ll wait till Mr Law dies.
And then when Mr Law dies, I’ll be free because she’s been looking at another man already.
That man’s name is Mr Love. And she said I’m tired of Mr Law.
I wanna marry Mr Love, but I can’t marry Mr Love because I’m already hooked to Mr Law.
But I’ll wait when Mr Law dies. But then it dawns on her.
Mr Law is not going to die. This man has an iron constitution.
As a matter of the fact, the Bible says about him till heaven and earth pass, not one job or one kettle will fail from the law.
She says he’s not going to die.
I am stuck with him and then she has an idea.
Ah, maybe he won’t die, but maybe I’ll die.
Maybe I can die and then if I die, then I can be married to Mr Love.
I know what you’re thinking. How can a dead woman marry anybody?
Well, here’s, here’s a wonderful story. Here’s what the Apostle Paul is saying. Watch this.
Now you’re in chapter seven. Look in verse four where my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law.
Now watch this by the body of Christ.
He’s talking now about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ that ye should be married to another.
Even to him that is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Hey, is this getting through? Is this not a great illustration?
What, what, what Paul is saying is this, that yes, by nature, we are married to the law and the law makes demands upon us that we cannot meet no matter how hard we try.
But when Jesus Christ died, we died with him.
We became dead to the law by the body of Christ. His death had our name on it.
His burial had our name on it. His resurrection had our name on it and we died with him.
We were buried with him. We are raised with him and we have a new life and now friend, we are the bride of Christ with the bride of Christ.
Isn’t that a good analogy? All right. Now, here’s what? Here’s the first step. Now, in possessing your possessions.
Are you ready for it? Learn dying and start living.
That’s not contradictory, learn dying and start living.
You will never possess your possessions until you come to the end of yourself. Remember this woman had to die.
Not now you say, well, I don’t wanna die. Pastor. Well, I’m not being more of it.
I didn’t say just learn dying. I said, learn dying and start living, die to the old way.
That’s the reason Jesus Christ said, if any man will come after me, let him take up his cross.
A cross is not for wearing around your neck. It’s for dying on you die.
Well, you said, I don’t wanna die. It’s the old man that dies.
It’s the old woman that dies so that you can become a new person.
Jesus said, whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life for my sake.
And the gospel is the same. Shall find it. When we were a little boy.
We used to play finders, keepers, losers, weepers. You ever play that where Jesus says, keepers, weepers, losers, finders.
When you lose your life for his sake in the gospels, then you find it.
You say I’m sick and tired of the old life.
I’m sick and tired of trying, I’m sick and tired of trying to please the law. I can’t do it.
Jesus, you died for me. I died with you.
I come to the end of that old way, learn dying and then you’ll start living.
Number two. Second principle. You ready for it.
Stop trying and start trusting, learn dying and start living, stop trying and start trusting.
Now, what the Apostle Paul is going to do right here is to give you his biography as an early Christian begin now in verse seven and look at, at verse seven, what should we say then is the law sin?
No, there’s nothing wrong Mr Law.
God forbid, may I had not known sin except but uh but by the law he kept telling me to do this and not to do that.
And I want you to notice something very interesting from chapter seven verse seven on through verse 24.
There is, there are three words that stand out over and over and over again.
One word that stands out more than any other and it’s the shortest word. It is the little perpendicular pronoun.
I, I’ve taken my Bible, I won’t show you brother Bob.
I’ve taken my Bible and every place that the word I is or me or my I’ve done in, in lavender.
You see that? Alright?
Over 40 times it, it just, it looks like it’s uh it’s like a polka dotted dress.
Uh I’m just gonna read a little bit and I want you to listen to the many times he says I in verse seven, what should we say then?
Is the law of sin? God forbid may I had not known sin but by the law for I had not known lust, except the law had said verse nine for I was alive and I died.
Verse 10, I found to be uh verse 11, deceive me and slew me. Uh verse uh 13 me.
Verse 14, I am carnal verse 15.
That which I do I allow not what I would, that I do not.
And what I hate that I do. I, I, I, I, I 40 times he’s talking about himself.
The next major word is the word law and that’s used in this passage some 20 times.
Now what is, what is the key? It’s Paul in the law. Now he’s already, he’s already said.
All right, I’m married uh to Mr Love.
But wait a minute, let me tell you what happens to this woman.
She says, she says um I can’t please Mr Law.
Now I’m married to Mr Love. It’s gonna be wonderful.
Mr Love is so kind, Mr Love is so compassionate.
Mr Love is not rigid like Mr Law, thank God, I’m now married to Mr Love.
And then do you know what happens to her?
She finds out that Mr Love’s requirements are higher than Mr Law’s requirements.
Mr Law said go a mile. Mr Love says go two miles.
Mr Law said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Mr Love says love your enemies do good to them that persecute you.
She said, man, this is worse than before. I’m out of the frying pan into the fire.
I thought he was going to get better married to Mr Love.
And then she finds out and here’s what I want you to find out and here’s what most of us don’t understand that a lost man cannot keep the law of God.
And I’m telling you also that a saved man cannot keep the law of God in his own strength.
Here’s what Paul found out. Look in verse 18 for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwell no good thing for to will is present with me but how to perform that, which I which is good.
I find not, you’ve been there. Every one of us had I wanna serve God.
I delight in the law of God in the inward man, but I find another law present in me.
Now, there are two laws. I want you to look at here beginning in verse 21 folks listen, we are just hitting the top.
We’re skimming the surface. Listen, here’s Paul’s testimony.
Now as a young carnal Christian, I find then a law that when I would do good evil is present with me.
Anybody say been there, done that. Let me see your hand.
I find a law that when I would do good evil is present with me for I delight in the law of God after the inward man, you, Paul wasn’t a hypocrite.
He loved God in his heart. He did.
But I see another law warring in my members against the law of my mind.
The law of his mind was the love that he had for God.
But there’s another war in his members, his eyes, his ears, his tongue, uh uh a war bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my memories.
So Paul says the two laws, first of all, there is the law of sin.
Do you know what the law of sin is? The law of sin is?
The law that makes you do what you do. You are a sinner.
There is a principle that’s in you and in me and it’s called the flesh and every one of us have it.
There’s not a one of us that does not have it, it’s working in us.
I don’t care how pious you look and how nice you look you have in you a law, a predisposition called the law of sin.
It’s like the law of gravity is working all the time.
You may not be aware of the law of gravity right now.
But if it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t be held on that seat right now and you go spinning off this earth, it’s the law of gravity is that downward pull.
That’s, that’s what happens to us as we get older. That’s the law of gravity.
And if you really get sick. It really takes over.
I mean, you won’t be able to navigate, you get down flat and if you die it’ll take over completely.
You just keep on going down and down and down. That is the law of gravity.
And so there are two, there are two laws that are working constantly in you.
Now, what did, uh, Paul discover?
Well, he came to a place where he was almost broken hearted And he says in verse 24 now, now here’s the man who’s, who’s no longer married to Mr Law, he’s married to Mr Love.
And he says, how wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body or from the body of this death.
Well, they ask the question and thank God, he gives the answer in verse 25.
I thank God through Jesus Christ. Our Lord that is deliverance comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Now, the way, the way that you live, the victorious life is not by trying, it is not you and the law, but God has provided a victory for you and that victory is to the, with the new person that you’re married to.
That’s Jesus Christ. Now let’s go back this, Mr Love says, go two miles.
Mr Love says, do this and do this and do this.
But you know what she discovers, they now have a joint banking account. You know what?
She also discovers that everything Mr Love tells her to do.
He just turns around and does it with her or for her. She says this is wonderful.
He says, I want the bed made this way. And he says, come, I’ll show you how to do it.
I’ll help you to do it.
He puts his hands on her hands and he guides her and everything she needs. Every demand.
Oh Listen to me. Precious friend.
Every demand of God upon your life is a demand on the Jesus Christ who lives in you.
That was a good place to for an Amen. I’ll, I’ll give you another chance.
Every demand upon your life is a demand upon Jesus who lives in you. OK?
Now you say, listen, you can’t do it the sooner you throw up your hands and you say, oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this dead body.
And then here the answer. I think God deliverance comes through Jesus Christ.
Now I wanna show you something else and uh we’re running out of time.
So listen and hurry, learn dying and start living, stop trying and start trusting.
The third law is quit crying and start praising oh wretched man that I am. That’s verse 24.
We quit that crying and start praising.
I thank God through Jesus Christ began to say God, you didn’t you, you didn’t save me to have me to live AAA failing life.
Lord, you save me that I might live a victorious life.
And Lord, you have given all of this to me and now by your grace and for your glory, I Lord am going to possess my possessions.
Let me say something and I’m, I’m, I’m gonna give an invitation.
Everything I’ve said today is for Christians believers. This is not for an unbeliever.
No, unbeliever can live a victorious life. No unbeliever can have the spirit of God in Him.
You’ve got to be saved.
You’ve got to be saved and to be saved, you must receive the gift of salvation.
The Lord Jesus Christ pastor would Jesus save me this morning. Oh, yes, he will. Pastor.
Are you certain? I’ll tell you how certain I am if you were to come to Jesus in repentance and faith and ask him to save you and he didn’t save you.
I would close my Bible and never preach again.
I am telling you, you listen to me.
He will save you today and he’ll keep you safe. If you trust him.
For the Bible says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
You bow your heads in prayer.