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027 - Twenty-sixth Day The Spirit and the Flesh · Spirit of Christ

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  Speaker 1: Twenty sixth Day of the Spirit of Christ by Andrew Murray.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Twenty sixth day.
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  Speaker 1: The Spirit and the flesh are ye so foolish? Having
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  Speaker 1: begun in the spirit, are you now perfected in the flesh?
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  Speaker 1: Galatians three verse three. We are the circumcision who worship
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  Speaker 1: by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: and have no confidence in the flesh, though I myself
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  Speaker 1: might have confidence even in the flesh Philippines three verse three.
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  Speaker 1: The flesh is the name by which Scripture designates our
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  Speaker 1: fallen nature, soul and body. The soul at creation was
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  Speaker 1: placed between the spiritual or divine and the sensible or worldly,
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  Speaker 1: to give each its due and guide them into that
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  Speaker 1: perfect union which would result in man attaining his destiny
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  Speaker 1: a spiritual body. When the soul yielded to the temptation
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  Speaker 1: of the sensible, it broke away from the rule of
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  Speaker 1: the spirit and came under the power of the body.
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  Speaker 1: It became flesh. And now the flesh is not only
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  Speaker 1: without the Spirit, but even hostile to it. The flesh
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  Speaker 1: lusteth against the Spirit. In this antagonism of the flesh
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  Speaker 1: to the Spirit. There are two sides. On the one hand,
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  Speaker 1: the flesh lust against the spirit in its committing sin
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  Speaker 1: and transgressing God's law. On the other hand, its hostility
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  Speaker 1: to the Spirit is no less manifested in its seeking
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  Speaker 1: to serve God and do his will. In yielding to
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  Speaker 1: the flesh, the soul sought itself instead of the God
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  Speaker 1: to whom the spirit linked it Selfishness prevailed over God's will.
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  Speaker 1: Selfishness became its ruling principle. And now so subtle and
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  Speaker 1: mighty is this spirit of self that the flesh, not
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  Speaker 1: only in sinning against God, but even when the soul
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  Speaker 1: learns to serve God, still asserts its power, refuses to
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  Speaker 1: let the spirit alone lead, and in its efforts to
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  Speaker 1: be religious, is still the great enemy that ever hinders
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  Speaker 1: and quenches the Spirit. It is owing to this deceitfulness
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  Speaker 1: of the flesh, that there often takes place what Pull
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  Speaker 1: speaks of to the Galatians. Having begun in the spirit,
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  Speaker 1: are ye now perfected in the flesh, unless the surrender
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  Speaker 1: to the Spirit be very entire, and the Holy waiting
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  Speaker 1: on him be kept up in great dependence and humility.
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  Speaker 1: What has been begun in the flesh very early and
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  Speaker 1: very speedily passes over into confidence in the flesh. And
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  Speaker 1: the remarkable thing is what, at first sight might appear
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  Speaker 1: a paradox, that just where the flesh seeks to serve God,
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  Speaker 1: there it becomes the strength of sin. Do we not
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  Speaker 1: know how the Pharisees, with their self righteousness and carnal religion,
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  Speaker 1: fell into pride and selfishness and became the servants of sin?
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  Speaker 1: Was it not just among the Galatians, of whom Paul
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  Speaker 1: asks the question about perfecting in the flesh what was
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  Speaker 1: begun in the spirit, and whom he has so to
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  Speaker 1: warn against the righteousness of works, that the works of
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  Speaker 1: the flesh were so manifest, and that they were in
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  Speaker 1: danger of devouring one another. Satan has no more crafty
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  Speaker 1: device for keeping souls in bondage than inciting them to
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  Speaker 1: a religion in the flesh. He knows that the power
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  Speaker 1: of the flesh can never please God or conquer sin,
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  Speaker 1: and that in due time the flesh that has gained
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  Speaker 1: supremacy over the spirit in the service of God will
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  Speaker 1: assert and maintain that same supremacy in the service of sin.
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  Speaker 1: It is only where the spirit, truly and unceasingly has
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  Speaker 1: the entire lead and rule in the life of worship,
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  Speaker 1: that it will have the power to lead and rule
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  Speaker 1: in the life of practical obedience. If I am to
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  Speaker 1: deny self in intercourse with men, to conquer selfishness and
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  Speaker 1: temper and want of love, I must first learn to
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  Speaker 1: deny self in the intercourse with God. There the soul,
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  Speaker 1: the seat of self, must learn to bow to the
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  Speaker 1: spirit where God dwells. The contrast between the worship in
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  Speaker 1: the spirit and the trusting in the flesh is very
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  Speaker 1: beautifully expressed in Paul's description of the true circumcision, the
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  Speaker 1: circumcision of the heart whose praise is not of men
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  Speaker 1: but of God, who worship by the Spirit of God
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  Speaker 1: and glory in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in
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  Speaker 1: the flesh. Placing the glory in Christ Jesus in the
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  Speaker 1: center as the very essence of the Christian faith and life,
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  Speaker 1: he marks on the one hand the great danger by
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  Speaker 1: which it is beset, and on the other the safeguard
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  Speaker 1: by which its full enjoyment is secured. Confidence in the
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  Speaker 1: flesh is the one thing above all others that renders
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  Speaker 1: the glorying in Christ Jesus of none effect. Worship by
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit, the one thing that alone can make it. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: life and truth. May the Spirit reveal to us what
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  Speaker 1: it is thus to glory in Christ Jesus. There is
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  Speaker 1: a glorying in Christ Jesus that is accompanied by much
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  Speaker 1: confidence in the flesh. All history and experience teach us.
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  Speaker 1: Among the Galatians, it was so. The teachers whom Paul
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  Speaker 1: opposed so earnestly were all preachers of Christ and his Cross.
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  Speaker 1: But they preached it not as men taught by the
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  Speaker 1: spirits to know what the infinite and all pervading influence
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  Speaker 1: of that Cross must be, but as those who, having
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  Speaker 1: had the beginnings of God's spirit, had yet allowed their
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  Speaker 1: own wisdom and their own thoughts to say what that
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  Speaker 1: cross meant, and so had reconciled it with a religion which,
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  Speaker 1: to a very large extent was legal and carnal. And
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  Speaker 1: the story of the Galician Church is repeated to this day,
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  Speaker 1: even in the churches that are most confidently assured that
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  Speaker 1: they are free from the Galician error. Just notice how
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  Speaker 1: often the doctrine of justification by faith is spoken of
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  Speaker 1: as if that were the chief teaching of the Epistle,
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  Speaker 1: and the doctrine of the Holy spirits in dwelling as
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  Speaker 1: received by faith, and our walking by the spirit is
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  Speaker 1: hardly mentioned. Christ crucified is the wisdom of God. The
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  Speaker 1: confidence in the flesh, in connection with the glorying in Christ,
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  Speaker 1: is seen in confidence in its own wisdom. Scripture is
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  Speaker 1: studied and preached and heard and believed in very much
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  Speaker 1: in the power of the natural mind, with little insistence
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  Speaker 1: upon the absolute need of the spirit's personal teaching. It
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  Speaker 1: is seen in the absolute confidence with which men know
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  Speaker 1: that they have the truth, though they have it far
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  Speaker 1: more from human than divine teaching, and in the absence
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  Speaker 1: of that teachableness that waits for God to reveal his
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  Speaker 1: truth in his own light. Christ through the Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 1: is not only the wisdom but the power of God.
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  Speaker 1: The confidence in the flesh, along with much glorying in
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  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus, is to be seen and felt in so
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  Speaker 1: much of the work of the Christian Church, in which
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  Speaker 1: human effort and human arrangement takes a much larger place
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  Speaker 1: than the waiting on the power that comes from on high.
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  Speaker 1: In the larger ecclesiastical organizations, in individual churches and circles,
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  Speaker 1: in the inner life of the heart and closet alas
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  Speaker 1: how much unsuccessful effort, what of oft repeated failure is
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  Speaker 1: to be traced to this one evil. There is no
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  Speaker 1: want of acknowledging Christ his person and work as I
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  Speaker 1: only hope, no want of giving him the glory, and
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  Speaker 1: yet so much confidence in the flesh rendering it of
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  Speaker 1: none effect. Let me hear ask again whether there be
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  Speaker 1: not many a one striving earnestly for a life in
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  Speaker 1: the fullness of consecration, of the fullness of blessing. Who
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  Speaker 1: will find here the secret of failure to help? Such
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  Speaker 1: has been one of my first objects and most earnest
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  Speaker 1: prayers in writing this book, as in sermon or address,
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  Speaker 1: in book or conversation or private prayer. The fullness of
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  Speaker 1: Jesus was opened up to them, with the possibility of
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  Speaker 1: a holy life in him. The soul felt it all
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  Speaker 1: so beautiful and so simple that nothing could any longer
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  Speaker 1: keep it back. And perhaps as it accepted of what
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  Speaker 1: was to be so sure and so near, it entered
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  Speaker 1: into an enjoyment and experienced a power before unknown. But
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  Speaker 1: it did not last. There was a worm at its root,
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  Speaker 1: vain was the search for what the cause of the
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  Speaker 1: discomfiture was, or the way of restoration. Frequently the only
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  Speaker 1: answer that could be found was that the surrender was
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  Speaker 1: not entire, or faith's acceptance not perfect. And yet the
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  Speaker 1: soul felt sure that it was ready, as far as
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  Speaker 1: it knew, to give up all, and it did long
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  Speaker 1: to let Jesus have all and to trust him for all.
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  Speaker 1: It could almost become hopeless of an impossible perfection if
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  Speaker 1: perfect consecration and perfect faith were to be the condition
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  Speaker 1: of the blessing, and the promise had been that it
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  Speaker 1: would all be so simple, just the life for the
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  Speaker 1: poor and feeble ones. Listen, my brother, to the blessed
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  Speaker 1: teaching of God's word to day. It was the confidence
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  Speaker 1: in the flesh that spoilt thy glorying in Christ Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: It was self doing what the spirit alone can do.
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  Speaker 1: It was the soul taking the lead in the hope
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  Speaker 1: that the Spirit would second its efforts, instead of trusting
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit to lead and do all and then
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  Speaker 1: waiting on him. It was following Jesus without the denial
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  Speaker 1: of self. It was this was the secret trouble. Come
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  Speaker 1: and listen to Paul as he tells of the only
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  Speaker 1: safeguard against this danger. We are the circumcision, who worship
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  Speaker 1: by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: and have no confidence in the flesh. Here are the
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  Speaker 1: two elements of spiritual worship. The spirit exalts Jesus and
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  Speaker 1: abases the flesh. And if we would truly glory in
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  Speaker 1: Jesus and have Him glorified in us, if we would
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  Speaker 1: know the glory of Jesus in personal and unchanging experience,
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  Speaker 1: free from the impotence which always marks the efforts of
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  Speaker 1: the flesh, we must simply learn what this worship of
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  Speaker 1: God by the Spirit is. I can only repeat once again,
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  Speaker 1: what is the purpose of this whole book to set
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  Speaker 1: forth as God's truth from his blessed word. Glory in
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  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus, Glory in Him as the glorified one who
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  Speaker 1: baptizeth with the Holy Spirit in great simplicity and restfulness.
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  Speaker 1: Believe in Him as having given his own spirit within you.
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  Speaker 1: Believe in that gift. Believe in the Holy Spirit dwelling
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  Speaker 1: within you. Accept this as the secret of the life
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  Speaker 1: of Christ in you. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in
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  Speaker 1: the hidden recesses of your spirit. Meditate on it. Believe
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  Speaker 1: Jesus and his word concerning it. Until your soul bows
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  Speaker 1: with holy fear and awe before God under the glory
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  Speaker 1: of the truth. The Holy Spirit of God is indeed
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  Speaker 1: dwelling in me. Yield yourself to his leading. We have
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  Speaker 1: seen that leading is not just in the mind or thoughts,
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  Speaker 1: but in the life and disposition. Yield yourself to God
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  Speaker 1: to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all your conduct.
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  Speaker 1: He is promised to those who love Jesus and obey him.
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  Speaker 1: Fear not to say that he knows you. Do love,
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  Speaker 1: and do obey him with your whole heart. Remember then,
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  Speaker 1: what the one central object of his coming was to
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  Speaker 1: restore the departed Lord Jesus to his disciples. I will
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  Speaker 1: not leave you, orphans, said Jesus. I will come again
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  Speaker 1: to you. I cannot glory in a distant Jesus from
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  Speaker 1: whom I am separated. When I try to do it,
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  Speaker 1: it is a thing of effort. I must have the
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  Speaker 1: help of the flesh to do it. I can only
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  Speaker 1: truly glory in a present Savior, whom the Holy Spirit glorifies,
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  Speaker 1: reveal in his glory within me. As he does this,
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  Speaker 1: the flesh is abased and kept in its place of
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  Speaker 1: crucifixion as an accursed thing as he does it. The
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  Speaker 1: deeds of the flesh are made to die, and my
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  Speaker 1: whole religion will be No confidence in the flesh. Glorying
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  Speaker 1: in Christ Jesus, worship by the Spirit of God. Beloved believer,
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  Speaker 1: having begun in the Spirit, continue, go on persevere in
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit. Beware of for one single moment continuing or
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  Speaker 1: perfecting the work of the Spirit in the flesh. Let
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  Speaker 1: no confidence in the flesh be your battle cry. Let
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  Speaker 1: a deep distrust of the flesh, a fear of grieving
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit by walking after the flesh, keep you very
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  Speaker 1: low and humble before God. Pray God for the Spirit
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  Speaker 1: of revelation, that you may see how Jesus is all
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  Speaker 1: and does all, and how by the Holy Spirit, a
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  Speaker 1: divine life indeed takes the place of your life, and
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is enthroned as the keeper and guide and life
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  Speaker 1: of the soul. Blessed God and Father, we thank THEE
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  Speaker 1: for the wondrous provision thou hast made for thy children's
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  Speaker 1: drawing nigh to THEE, glorying in Christ Jesus and worshiping
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  Speaker 1: by the Spirit. Grant. We pray THEE that such may
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  Speaker 1: be our life and all our religious service. We feel
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  Speaker 1: the need of asking THEE to show us how the
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  Speaker 1: one great hindrance to such a life is the power
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  Speaker 1: of the flesh and the efforts of the self life.
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  Speaker 1: Open our eyes, we pray THEE to this snare of satan.
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  Speaker 1: May we all see how secret and how subtle is
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  Speaker 1: the temptation to have confidence in the flesh, and how
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  Speaker 1: easily we are led to perfect in the flesh what
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  Speaker 1: has been begun in the spirit. May we learn to
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  Speaker 1: trust THEE to work in us by Thy Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 1: both to will and to do. Teach us too. We
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  Speaker 1: pray THEE to know how the flesh can be conquered
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  Speaker 1: and its power broken. In the death of Thy beloved son,
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  Speaker 1: our old man has been crucified. May we count all
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  Speaker 1: things but loss to be made conformable to that death,
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  Speaker 1: and to have the old nature kept in the place
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  Speaker 1: of death. We do yield ourselves to the lead and
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  Speaker 1: rule of Thy Holy Spirit. We do believe that through
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit of Christ is our life, so that instead
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  Speaker 1: of the life of effort and work, an entirely new
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  Speaker 1: life works within us our Father. In faith, we give
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  Speaker 1: up all to Thy Spirit to be our life in us. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: One Christ is the wisdom and the power of God.
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  Speaker 1: The ruth of all trust in our own strength is
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  Speaker 1: trust in our own wisdom, the idea that we know
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  Speaker 1: how to serve God because we have his word. This
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  Speaker 1: wisdom of man in accepting God's word is the greatest
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  Speaker 1: danger of the Church, because it is the secret and
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  Speaker 1: most subtle form in which we are led to perfect
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  Speaker 1: in the flesh what was begun in the spirit. Two.
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  Speaker 1: Our only safety here is the Holy Spirit, a great
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  Speaker 1: willingness to be taught by him, a holy fear of
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  Speaker 1: in the least thing, walking after the flesh, a loving
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  Speaker 1: surrender in everything to the obedience to which Christ promises
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit, And with all this, the living faith that
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit will, in divine power possess our life and
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  Speaker 1: live it for us. This is the path of safety. Three.
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  Speaker 1: Let us try and realize fully that there are these
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  Speaker 1: two animated principles of man's life. In most Christians there
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  Speaker 1: is a mixed life, yielding now to the one and
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  Speaker 1: then to the other. God's will is that we walk
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  Speaker 1: not never, no, not for a moment after the flesh,
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  Speaker 1: but after the Spirit. Let us accept God's will. The
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit has been given to bring our life into
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  Speaker 1: conformity with it. May God show us how entirely the
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit can dispossess the life of the flesh and
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  Speaker 1: himself become an entirely new life in us, revealing Christ
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  Speaker 1: as our life. Then we can say it is no
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  Speaker 1: longer I that live, but Christ that liveth in me. Four.
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  Speaker 1: The Church must learn from this epistle that justification by
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  Speaker 1: faith is only the means to an end, the entrance
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  Speaker 1: to a life of walking by the Spirit of God.
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  Speaker 1: We must return to the preaching of John the Baptist,
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  Speaker 1: Christ who bears the sin of the world, Christ who
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  Speaker 1: baptizes with the Holy Ghost. Five? Why is it that
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  Speaker 1: people lay stress almost exclusively with a view to faith
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  Speaker 1: in Jesus of this that he bears the sin of
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  Speaker 1: the world, and neglect so much the other point that
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  Speaker 1: he is able to baptize with the Holy Ghost. The
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  Speaker 1: prophets and apostles, on the contrary, lay stress on this
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  Speaker 1: gift of the Spirit as the source of a new life,
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  Speaker 1: a new disposition and walk in which both the impression
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  Speaker 1: and the expression of God's law is to be seen.
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  Speaker 1: Prophets and apostles treat the matter in its ethical aspect,
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  Speaker 1: whereas the traditional treatment represents the gift of the Spirit
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  Speaker 1: chiefly as a seal of forgiveness and adoption, and holds
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  Speaker 1: that from the joy of gratitude for this, that is,
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  Speaker 1: from a mere psychological factor, the new life and strength
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  Speaker 1: for good are to spring. This view we find in
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  Speaker 1: our best authors. The scriptures. On the contrary, lay stress
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  Speaker 1: on the new, creating and satisfying power of the Holy
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  Speaker 1: Ghost as the principle of all Christian disposition and personal activity.
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  Speaker 1: Romans at first two. Christ's sin bearing only prepares the
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  Speaker 1: way for the coming of the Spirit. John seven thirty nine,
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  Speaker 1: Galicians three thirteen and fourteen. It is the foundation, but
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  Speaker 1: not the whole. From Beck Pastoral Theology. End of twenty
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  Speaker 1: sixth Day