Resurrection Pt. 2: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 “Death, where is your sting? Death, where is your victory?” Where is your conquest? Quoting out of Scripture again. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.” Why is the sting of death sin? Well, Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is” what? Death. You see, when lust has conceived, in James 1:15, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. See, so sin starts with lust, but that lust does not mean anything till you act upon it. See, I can desire a woman outside my marriage, but it doesn’t mean a hill of beans until I what? Act upon it. That’s when I violate God’s word, and that’s when death sets in. I can want to kill somebody, “Oh, they got me so upset.” See, my desire, but if I don’t activate it, it doesn’t produce sin. Are you there?

▶ 1:23 And the point is this: just because you have a bad thought or something, don’t beat yourself up if you’re not activating the thought. Relax. Hallelujah. The thought isn’t the sin, the wrong desire isn’t the sin; the sin is when you activate that wrong desire and you commit incest, and you commit, you know, stealing, and so forth. Romans 20:14, “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.” This is the second death. Now, you got to understand that we’re not just talking about the body dying. There is another death that everyone must confront, and that is the lake of fire. By our deeds, not our faith. It doesn’t say you’re judged out of the books by your faith, does it? By your what? Deeds, your actions, how you behave, how you treated other people. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” And the lake of fire is what? The second death. That’s the eternal death. That’s when that eternal body will be eternally punished forever and ever and ever; he can’t die.

▶ 2:52 Now Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection.” What’s the first resurrection? Jesus Christ, and those saints of old coming out of the grave when He came out of the grave, Jesus Christ. See, He died for us and He rose again. It’s important that we not just believe in the cross and the blood but also in the resurrection, because in the resurrection is the example of life. On the cross is the death to sin, but in the resurrection I am a new creature; I live because He lives in me. Now that’s good stuff. So when I have part in the first resurrection, remember I was dead in trespasses and sins, but I come to Christ and He resurrects me. I’m free from all those; He’s forgiven me. Hallelujah. I take part in that, then the second death has what? No power over me. Why? Because I’m a partaker of Christ and His first resurrection. I let Him resurrect me out of trespasses and sin, make me a new creature, and He says, “Don’t sweat it, kid, the lake of fire has no power over you.”

▶ 4:18 “But they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Now you can get into the thousand years all you want. I would be careful about bringing that to a real thousand years, because other things in the Scriptures did not happen in the time period that God said, but if it’s a thousand years, that’s fine either way. The key here is not the thousand years. What’s the key? Reign and ruling with Christ. And where is Christ right now? In us. I reign now because He reigns now. Hallelujah. And when He comes, ever what happens, I’m going to be part of it, whether it’s 10 years, a thousand years, or 10,000 years. I’m going to be reigning with Him for eternity.

▶ 5:16 Now, ain’t that good stuff? I tell you, this Paul is good. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and the mortal must put on immortality. And when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” Isaiah 25:8. “Death, where is your sting? Death, where is your victory? The sting of death is” what? Sin, and we saw that. “But the strength and the power of sin is the law.” Man, this threw me off. God’s law is the strength of sin? Ah. The strength and the power of sin is the law. Romans 3:20, “By the law is the knowledge of” what? Sin. Romans 5:13, “Until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not put on your record where there is no law.” So, who do I care? If I’m not accountable for it, no problem. So the strength of sin is the what? Law. The power of sin is the law, because why? Man, now it not only reveals the things that I’m doing are bad, but there’s a punishment for it.

▶ 6:44 Romans 7:7, “Is the law sin? God forbid. For I had not known sin but by the law. For I had not known lust except the law said, ‘You shall not’ what? Covet.” That’s one of the last commandments, the Ten Commandments. See, “Thou shalt not l...” Ooh, and I just read all about love. How many of you got lust in you, a desire? You know, lust is not real, you know, it just means a desire. You got a desire for things that you shouldn’t do, and that same lust works for a desire for things that you should do. That same lust will work the opposite way, folks. You know, the word “lust” isn’t an evil word in itself; it’s the way you take it, it’s the direction you use it. “Sin, taking occasion,” or the source, taking the source, the initial, the initial part, “by the commandment deceived me, and by it killed me.” Now he’s separating sin from you. Did you see that? He said sin in you is what’s going to kill you, and the power of sin is the law.

▶ 8:08 Romans 7:5, “When we were in the flesh, the sinful passions were aroused by the law, which were aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.” You see, you know, all I needed was, here was, “He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her committed adultery already in our heart.” Man, that’s all it took to activate. What’s these women got that I’m not supposed to look at? All of a sudden my attention is brought to that woman. Stealing, the same way. And so, for, see, then that we get activated by the fact that God told us it’s wrong, and there’s that lust again. Now we know that the law is spiritual, Romans 7:14. Thank God the law is what? Spiritual. And these people that say we’re not under law, we’re under grace, to such an extreme that they just throw out all the laws of God, it’s ridiculous. The law is what? Spiritual. It’s not human, it’s not of this world, it’s supernatural. Wow. Hallelujah.

▶ 9:23 “What I will to do, I desire to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do.” Oh, that’s me. How about you? Yeah. I know that, you know, I just didn’t do it. I know I shouldn’t have talked to my wife that way, but I did it, and I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I did it. Am I, is Paul talking to the right crowd today? You see? “But now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Here he is separating sin again as a separate segment of your life. “For the good that I will to do,” I desire to do, “I do not do; but the evil I will not to do,” desire not to do, “that I practice.” Well, that was me even after I was saved. That was me. Man, I knew that was wrong, but I did it anyway. You can raise your hand, say, “Well, that’s me.” Yeah. I mean, he’s hit this thing right on the head. But remember, he separated sin as a separate segment of your life. Why? “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” How many, you know, you got Christ that dwells in you. How many know that’s a separate segment of your life? Now this is good. What this guy’s done here is just amazing to me. He separates sin. Why is he separating sin? Hallelujah.

▶ 11:09 He sure got my number. That which I know to do I don’t do, and that which I know I shouldn’t do I’m doing. I know I shouldn’t lose my temper and shoot my mouth off, but I lose my temper and I shoot my mouth off. Huh, and on down the line. Now, if I understand it’s sin that dwells in me, then I can understand that God can deal with a separate area of my life without destroying me. He can destroy this separate area without what? Destroying me. This is good, folks. Galatians 3:24, “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to” what? Christ. Now, we’re not done with this sin thing yet; we’re going to bring it back up here, but you got to remember the law is good, the law is spiritual, the law is good, and the law brings us to who? Christ. Why does the law bring us to Christ? “Thanks be to God,” verse 54 or 57, “who gives us victory through” who? The Lord Jesus Christ. And what does the law bring me to? Jesus Christ. Are you there? Yes. The law causes sin to be amplified in my life, but that same law brings me to Christ, who can deal with this.

▶ 12:47 Going back to Romans 7:24, remember, see, going back, why did he separate sin? Going back to Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” “I thank God, through” who? “Jesus Christ our Lord.” You see, that’s why Obama and President Bush and Oprah and all these guys that are saying all religions lead to the same God, they are totally wrong, because healing of sin and putting to death of sin and you becoming a new creature has been delegated by God the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ, and all men must come to Him to get that life, that deliverance. And when you don’t believe in Jesus, you don’t have the life. And that was good. Don’t reduce this man Jesus Christ. He is God, He’s the Savior, He’s the way to life, and don’t think you can create your own ideas and get this life. You only get it from Him. He has the authority by God to give life, and to all that recognize His death, burial and resurrection on the cross. Wow.

▶ 14:09 So then, with the mind, with my mind, I serve the law of God, but with my flesh, that sin working in me, I serve the law of sin. Romans 8:2, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me” what? Free from the law of sin and death. Isn’t that powerful? See, there’s a higher law. Yes, the wages of sin is death, but God made a higher law, that if you come to Christ you will live. Romans 8:3-4, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh,” see, because of a sin, it amplified sin, God did by sending who? “His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin.” He sent Jesus. Jesus came in an earthly body and had all the lust and the affections and all these things that we experience; He experienced them all, but He did not what? He didn’t activate Him; He didn’t sin, He didn’t violate. But this is the best part. Look at this last part of this verse; read it with me: “He condemns sin in the flesh.” Read it with me: “He condemns sin in the flesh.”

▶ 15:44 Why did he separate sin over there? Because he wanted to let you know that Jesus Christ put to death, “condemn” means He put to death, that sin that’s working in my flesh. Wow. Hallelujah. Is this guy good or what? So see, He can destroy sin in my life without what? Destroying me, and while I’m trying to come out of sin, sin is active, but it’s separate. If I died at that time, can I still what? Go to heaven? Why? Because He separates that sin and is killing it; He’s not killing me, He’s giving me life. Hallelujah. Then I go, “Wow, there’s hope for me, I can make it.” Do you see that hope, folks? See, we look at ourself instead of seeing this sin separate that Jesus is working on, we condemn ourself and give up. So many Christians just give up because they don’t understand the simplicity of the gospel, “that the righteous requirement of the law might be” what? Fulfilled. What is the righteous requirement of the law? “He that doeth righteous is righteous.” The righteous requirement of the law is we live rightly.

▶ 17:28 And he says we can fulfill that who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the what? Spirit. You see, the Spirit is important, folks, I’m telling you. 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Those who run in the race all run, but one receives the prize.” Now we’re going to look, “the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.” Say, “Continue in the work of the Lord.” I got to work, I got to labor. But the preachers tell me that it’s not my works, I don’t have to do anything. They’re lying to you. You cannot work your way into that initial salvation; it is a free gift. But if you’re going to grow in God, you got to do some work, you got to put some effort into it, you got to apply yourself. Look at here, it’s who run the race that gets the prize. “Run in such a way that you may obtain” what? This fulfillment of righteousness.

▶ 18:25 Now, are you there? Yes. “I run not with uncertainty, I fight not as one who beats the air.” I’m not shadowboxing; I’m in a real fight. Who am I fighting with, and who am I running this race to beat? “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others I myself should become disqualified,” or cast away. So how do we labor? By disciplining ourself. That’s common sense. That’s just common sense. I have to discipline myself; that’s the work that I do. I can’t work to get into heaven; He died and He rose to get me into heaven. But I can work to be a light for Him in this world. Hallelujah. I can work to attain to this fulfillment of the law of righteousness. Amen. And that’s what helps people, you living right. It’s not your beliefs, it’s your lifestyle. “I discipline my body.”

▶ 19:34 Ephesians 4:22, “Put off, concerning your former conduct.” What am I supposed to put off? My former conduct. “He that steals, steal no more.” The drunkard, drink no more. The sexual immoral, sexual immoral no more. I put off. See, I got to work, I got to put some work into this. Are you there? Now in the Pentecostal charismatic circles, we’re looking for this boogie-woogie spirit that’s just going to do everything for us. Yeah, and they roll on the floor and they shake and they speak a little [unclear], and they go back out and they live the same way they lived before. Why? Because they’re not putting off. They’re not letting the Holy Spirit and the Word bring them to discipline the old man, “which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” There’s that lust again that brings forth sin, and that corruption. See, he says corruption cannot inherit incorruption. See, when I give in to the flesh, when I give into sin, I’m corrupting myself spiritually. I can be renewed in the spirit of your mind. How many know you got to, you, the real person is a spirit inside you? Inside this body is a spirit that can hear, that can talk, and all the rest, and that spirit will live forever.

▶ 21:09 And so that’s the mind, that spirit, that mind of your spirit. See, you got to be renewed in, and that’s why you have to have the Holy Ghost come, the Spirit of Christ, to come to renew your spiritual mind. It’s not going to be done through natural means, and that you “put on the new man.” Okay, what’s the old man? Put away lying. The old man lied, the old man stole, the old man got angry, the old man got bitter, the old man, the old sinful man, gave harmful talk, and on and on and on, and that was my old sinful nature. See, and he says, what? Put away that kind of, and put on what? Kindness, forgiveness, patience, humbleness. Put it on. We got a great sermon just a couple of weeks ago about that. Put it on. You got to work. This is how you work. See, “always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” When you apply yourself, God will come and He will bless you, He will empower you.

▶ 22:21 But we’ve got to apply ourself, we’ve got to discipline ourself. That’s why when the Bible says, “I would that men everywhere lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting,” you may not want to lift your hands, but the Bible says to lift your hands, so you discipline yourself to lift your hands and praise the Lord and call on the Lord. Can I hear an amen? Let me see you lift your hand. Yeah. See, it didn’t hurt you at all. It’s a breaking of the outward man, it’s a breaking of the old man, but that’s how you put on the new man. See, are you with me? And God honors that humble response. Hallelujah. “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise.” You want to get into the presence? There’s the key: don’t bring your grumpy, gripy problems into the house. Come in, “Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord, for dying on the cross. Hallelujah, You’re wonderful, Jesus, You’re great.” Singing to the Lord a new song. “Ah, Lord, You’re great, You’re wonderful.” Why? I discipline myself to do what God said to do, and then He comes and makes my work not profitless but profitable. Hallelujah.

▶ 23:41 I tell you, Paul’s good, folks. We need more Paul teaching in this American church and less psychology. In fact, we don’t need psychology. Put on self-control. I could go on down the line; I just put a few of these up here to save space. How many got the picture today? Yes. Now look at this: Romans 5:17. See, your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Watch this. See, your efforts. Watch this: victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, victory by my application, by my labor, by my response. “By one man’s offense death ruled by one,” talking about Adam, as he talked earlier. “How much more shall they which receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall” what? Reign. Rule. When he comes, rule, when? “In life by” who? Christ Jesus. The victory that gives me the ability to rule over wrong and follow right is this man Jesus Christ manifesting Himself in me. That’s powerful. See, it’s got nothing to do with religion. This is reality, this is the real deal, and the apostles experienced it, and many people in the New Testament, and many people today are experiencing it, and they come from all churches. They’re set apart; you can tell the difference.

▶ 25:39 And just to back it up, Revelation 5:9, “You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kind and tribe, tongue, and people and nation.” Now He didn’t stop there. Some people are just so excited about being redeemed, being bought, and their sins forgiven, but He didn’t stop there. He said, “I redeemed you, I bought you, I purchased you for a purpose. I’m going to make you, I’m going to fashion you, I’m going to make you not just a redeemed person, but I’m going to make you priest.” Priest is one that ministered to God and ministered to the people. That’s what the priest in the Old Testament did, and Jesus came as the High Priest that ministered to the Father and ministered to people. He said, “I’m going to make you people that minister to God.” How do I minister to God? I come into His gates with thanksgiving, I come into His courts with praise, I get on my knees and I pray and I seek God; I’m ministering to Him, I’m serving Him. I read the Bible, I share the Bible with people; that’s ministering under people. It doesn’t matter if they want to respond or not; it’s my job to minister to people. “I’m going to make you a minister unto Me and under people, and I’m going to make you a king.”

▶ 27:15 And that’s when He defines what that king is: you’re going to rule now in your lifetime. Hallelujah. Now, you can look for the beast in Revelation all you want to, and the number of the beast and all that, but you better be looking for this good stuff that is for the here and now. Can I hear an amen? “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he that rules his spirit is better than he that takes the city.” You think those Navy SEALs were something? When you rule and reign in this life, you’re way above the Navy SEALs. Hallelujah. You think that Kobe and these basketball players are hot stuff? They don’t even come close to the people that are ruling and reigning in this life. Hallelujah. Oh, if I could just be wealthy like Billy Gates. Listen, if you got control over your spirit, you are much better off than Billy Gates. He’s an atheist. Money is not the answer, fame is not the answer. The real people are people that let Christ rule and reign in them, and they rule and reign in earth. Amen. That’s the real heroes.

▶ 28:41 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Is it possible that we can labor to reach this fulfillment of the righteousness of the law of God and attain it? Yes. Why? Because I can do all things through who? Christ. He will get me there. Yes, hallelujah. My trust is in Him, my hope is in Him, everything I have is in Him, my future is in Him. He is Jesus Christ, the only God, and I can do this stuff. He strengthens me. What does Christ do? He strengthens you, He empowers you, supernatural power to do what the world cannot do. Philippians 4:13, I mean Romans 8:37, “We are more than conquerors,” overcomers. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. He says there’s nothing: principalities, powers, things not seen, things that are seen, plagues, famines, you know, economic crisis, nothing can shake me from Jesus Christ, nothing. Hallelujah. I submit to you today that we need Christ reigning in us, and we need to start reigning now in this life.