welcome to Yankee Arnold Ministries. Dr. Arnold will be with you in just a moment, but first, we want you to know how much we appreciate your prayers and financial support. You may help this radio ministry by donating online at yankeearnold.com or by mail at Yankee Arnold Ministries, 7028 West Waters Avenue, Suite 316, Tampa, Florida, 33634.
Again, that’s 7028 West Waters Avenue, Suite 316, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Feel free to send Dr. Arnold your questions or comments to yankee at yankeearnold.com, and he will respond as quickly as possible. Now, here is Dr. Arnold with today’s message.
Look at what he says, he says, And the life which I now live in the flesh, that means in the body, in this body that I’ve got. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Now Paul is telling you why he’s doing what he’s doing.
It would be good if every Christian could adopt this verse and say, this is why I also do what I do. Paul said, I do this because of what God has done for me. I have been crucified with Christ.
That’s why he makes a statement in chapter 1 and verse 10. Do I seek to please men or do I seek to please God? Because you see, you can’t please both.
But if I’ve died, then I only want to please the one who died for me. But if not, then you’re going to have a struggle in your life. Now look what he says in verse 21.
I do not frustrate the grace of God or set it aside for if righteousness comes by the law, Christ is dead in vain. If I could be saved any other way, then righteousness should have been by the law and Christ would not have had to die. But since I could not save myself by my works, I needed Christ.
So he did not die in vain. So take your Bible and turn back to the book of Colossians. And you’ll notice where he makes a statement there in verse 12.
In Colossians chapter 2, buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him to the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. Ain’t that something? Your new birth was performed by an operation of God.
Did you feel it? No. Did you see it?
You didn’t even see it. It’s a spiritual birth. You were born again because of what Christ did on the cross for you.
And you believed it, and you were born by the Spirit of God. And it is an operation of God. And he says, who hath raised us from the dead.
So by your new birth, you were separated from your old birth. Now, you’ve heard how in the Old Testament, even in the New Testament, they had their young boys, they would have them on the eighth day, circumcised, cutting away the filth of the flesh. And it was a sign of the seal of the righteousness they had because of what Abraham believed.
So that’s what it was a sign of. But a lot of people can have the sign, but not have the righteousness. A lot of people had been circumcised, the Jewish people, but didn’t have the righteousness that God gave to Abraham because they did not believe.
Is it possible today that people could be baptized in water, which is simply a picture of this operation of God without hands, where when you believe that Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, and that you were buried with him, and that you were raised with him, and ascended with him, and seated at the right hand of the Father in Christ, all of that was put to your account. See, when you’re baptized in water, water is simply a picture of that, but is it possible for somebody to accept the sign and never trust Christ as Savior? There’s a lot of people who have been baptized in water, but never trust the Lord.
The Jewish people were circumcised, but did not believe in the righteousness that comes by faith and faith alone and what Christ did for them, or believing in the promise of what he was going to do. So he makes this statement in verse 13, And you, being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh, dead in your sins. I wonder what that means, dead in your sins.
Well, think about it this way. God passed a law and says, Thou shalt not walk on the lawn. You walked on the lawn.
You transgress the law. The law says thou shalt die if you walk on the lawn. You walked on the lawn, you got to die.
So you, as far as the law is concerned, even though you’re still alive, you’re as good as dead. It’s kind of like the person who jumps off the Empire State Building halfway down. Hey, so far so good.
But you know they got an appointment with the concrete. You’re not getting out of this. But you and I, because of sin, we’re dead, separated from God.
And that’s what death means, separation. So whenever you physically die, you’re separate from the body. Well, see, when you trusted Christ as your Savior and His death was put to your account, as though you were separated from this old physical body with its old sinful nature, and God’s given you a new birth, and we really didn’t die.
And He is my life. But I’ve got to share this one body. But I’m supposed to live as though this old man has died.
When he has desires that he wants to do certain things, and I’m supposed to mortify the deeds of the flesh, not fulfill those desires. It means to mortify. Has you ever heard of a mortician?
Mortuary? Mortify? Count it as dead.
Don’t satisfy the desires. And that’s why you have to be careful what you dwell on. So He says the answer to this is to set your affections on things that are buff.
So look there in verse 1 of chapter 3. If ye then, and you’re to count this as though it’s true, if you then be risen with Christ, because we talked about you were crucified with Christ, you were buried with Christ, and now you’ve been raised with Christ. So if you have been risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Just hold your place right here. Look there in Ephesians in chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1.
And look at this interesting little verse. In verse 3, where it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us, past tense, he hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. You see, God sees you already arrived, because we’re in Christ and he’s arrived.
That’s how sure your salvation is. That’s why once you trusted Christ as your Savior, you can’t go to hell in the future. You can never be condemned again.
You have his life, eternal life, living within you. But since I’m not really there, I’m really here. And I still have my old body, and I really didn’t physically die.
But I’m supposed to live like I did. And I got this old sinful nature, which I really don’t want and wish I didn’t have. I got to put up with it, but God says, pretend like he’s dead.
Boy, you talking about easy preaching and difficult living. Anybody here have a problem with their old nature? Just a couple of you?
You’re lying, you’re dying. Everybody has this old sinful nature, and we’re having to deal with it. And buddy, sometime we wish we’d just leave me alone.
Just leave me alone, and he won’t leave you alone. He’s always working on you, and he will try to convince you that, you know what’s best for you? Trust me, trust me.
Yeah, right. But we just so willingly obey the old sinful nature. Like, we don’t think, we just do it.
It’s all instinct, you know. Well, he said, set your affections on things that are above. Look at this verse.
Seek those things which are above, where Christ said it on the right hand of God. So there’s something about where we’re going and where we’re supposed to be looking and focused upon. If you don’t focus upon that, then you’re going to get all messed up.
Because then you’ll focus upon the world. You’re going to focus upon yourself. And when you turn inward and you just start looking at yourself, then that’s one bad place to look.
You’re going to see all of your faults. You don’t want to see all of those, do you? You really want to see how bad you are.
You keep focused upon how good God is, how good Christ is. And set your affections on things that are above. See the next verse?
Set your affections. That means those desires, the godly desires, on things that are above, not on things on the earth. If you have too much problems in your life, it could be because you’re not focusing upon that, but upon this.
This world instead of that world. Where are we going? We’re going to heaven.
Think heaven. Think about where you’re going to spend eternity. Did you know that the one that created all of this and is getting us to heaven says that while you’re down here, if you don’t do this, you’re going to have a lot of questions and a lot of problems.
You’re going to be so weak all because of your focus, and you won’t be able to discern it. It’ll happen to you. You’d be so deceived, but you don’t know you’re being deceived.
But it’s because of this one thing, you’re not setting your affections upon things that are above. If you do, did you know there’s a God in heaven that knows everything that happens on the earth, everything that happens in our church, everything that happens in our family? Did you know if God knows all of that, did you know that God is not interested in a lot of things that we’re so concerned about?
God is simply wanting you that wherever you are, whatever you’ve got, whatever you’re doing, maintain your integrity. Maintain your integrity. Don’t let the devil strip you of your character, of your love for the Lord, your worship of the Lord, and watch how you think and do and live.
Because you see, there’s a God in heaven that’s going to reward you when you get there. All the other things down here, most of it ain’t going to mount to Hale of Ains. Don’t worry about anything that won’t mount to anything 100 years from now.
Think about where you’re going. And if you’ll concentrate upon that, it’ll be so much easier, so much better for you. Hold your place right here, but I want you to see this in the book of Philippians and chapter 3.
Just turn back to your left, just a couple pages. Philippians and chapter 3. And look, in Philippians and chapter 3, and he says this in verse 17, Brethren, be followers together of me.
Mark them which walk, so as you have us, for an example. So God knows that you need an example. You need somebody you can imitate, watch and to follow after, somebody that’s the example of what you want to be.
Verse 18, for many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. So not everybody walks right. Not everybody lives right.
Did you know that even godly people, or I should say God’s people, that don’t serve the Lord and do right, can lead you astray? Lead you astray. This is why he says in verse 19, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is their shame, and you had underlined this, who mind earthly things.
Now if it’s just talking about lost people, well of course that’s what you’d expect lost people to do. But do you expect God’s people to mind earthly things? Or should they mind heavenly things?
I believe God wants his people to mind heavenly things. But when you’re not right with the Lord, you’ll start minding earthly things. And then when you mind earthly things, you’ll be walking in the flesh.
And when you walk in the flesh, you’re going to have all the works of the flesh. It’s going to permeate your mind, your thinking, your imagination, your walk, your talk. It will saturate your whole life.
And you won’t even know what’s happened. All because you’re not focused upon the Lord. You’re focused upon here.
Wrong world, wrong world. Now look at what else he says in verse 20. And here’s the reason why.
It’s similar to what we’re already reading over in Colossians. For our… the word conversation here is our citizenship is in heaven.
When you were born of God, did you know that God doesn’t see your birth has taken place here? In God’s eyes, you were born from above. We often talk about, you know, you got to be born again.
Well, in the Gospel of John, it’s really talked about, you must be born from above. Born from above, that means my citizenship was there. So I am a citizen of heaven.
And generally, a citizenship is where you were born. You have a new birth, a new citizenship. You have a new father.
You have a new life. You and I are supposed to live like that. A child of the king should live like a child of the king.
God is your father. This world is all temporary. And so he says this, for our citizenship is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is that really what you are looking for? Are you looking for the Lord to come back? If he came back right now, what kind of an attitude would you have?
You have a good attitude? Are you looking for him? Are you pleased that your heavenly Father has given you what he’s given you?
Are you thankful for what you have and what you’re doing, where you are? If not, you’ve got a problem between you and him spiritually. Look what else he says.
In verse 21, who shall, get this, change our vile body? So you still have that old body. It’s still vile because it’s got an old sinful nature.
That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, or it means a perfect body. The glory of the Lord comes in power and great glory. You’re going to have a glorified body, a perfect body, without a sinful nature.
That’s in heaven. We’re supposed to live like we already got it. Sometimes by looking in the mirror, I can tell I ain’t got it yet.
But I know that one day I’m going to have a brand new body. Right now, this one here, oh, it just gives me all kinds of problems. They don’t never stop.
I just go from one thing to the next. And he says, it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the work and whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself, to subdue all things, even death, for his honor and for his glory. One day we will leave this old body and we’re going to where we were born.
We were born from above. Go back to Colossians in Chapter 3. If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affections, those inward desires of yours, on things above, not on things on the earth. Now hold your place right here and just look with me in the book of 1 John Chapter 2. 1 John and Chapter 2.
1 John Chapter 2. And look in Verse 15. See, you and I are the one that decide where we place our affections.
We’re the one that determine what we love or what we don’t love. In Verse 15, he says, Love not the world. Now I want to know what he means by that.
Love not the world. You know, if you don’t love this world, you should be willing to lose this world without an affect in you. You can lose this world, because you’re not in love with it anyway.
You know it’s going to be temporary. It’s just going to pass away. And everything in the world, like I used to tell people, you know, it’s a shame to try to climb a ladder for 20 years and find out it was leaning on the wrong wall.
To work all your life or something, and then when you get it, it’s not what you want. I have never been dissatisfied serving the Lord. He’s never let me down.
He’s never failed me. It’s always been satisfying. Every place that I’ve been, oh, I’ve had a lot of problems, but serving the Lord and doing what God wants me to do has always been satisfying.
It’s always been peaceful. It’s always filled with love and joy. In the world, yes, there’s trouble.
It’s just like you can walk out there and you watch those little ducks in the water. They look so calm and peaceful, but underneath that water, their little feet are going like crazy. Now, in the world, you’re supposed to be looking to the Lord and trusting Him.
Look what He says here. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, lust of the flesh, lust of the pride of life, is not of the Father, it’s of the world.
The world passes away, the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God, ah, that, that by the forever. So, see, think about where we’re going, so that the works that you perform will be rewarded, and you get the benefits forever.
But you will not be rewarded for any of the works of the flesh. It’ll be a total waste of time. You lived in vain.
Go back there to the book of Colossians in Chapter 3, where it says, Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth, and get verse 3. For ye are what? Where are you?
Well, I’m dead. I’m dead. And if you’re dead, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could live as though we’ve never been hurt?
You ever hear me make that statement before? You’ve got to live your Christian life as though you’ve never been hurt. Did you know that there’s always the devil wants to do everything possible to hurt us?
And how do you get hurt? By being offended. When you allow yourself to be offended, you allowed it.
You don’t have to allow anybody to offend you. You are offended because you choose to be. And when you choose to be offended, you choose to be hurt.
And when you choose to be hurt, you’re looking for an excuse for your actions, for your attitude, your frame of mind. It’s like it’s somebody else’s fault. It’s not mine.
But look what he says. He makes this statement, You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. OK, where’s Christ?
He’s in the heavenlies. Oh, where’s my life? He’s up there.
I can’t lose something because it’s not in my control. I can’t lose my eternal life because it’s in Christ. And Christ made this statement.
He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath not life. This is the true God and eternal life, talking about Christ.
So when you have Christ, you have eternal life because he is eternal life. He says, I’ll never leave you and never forsake you. So if he will never leave me and never forsake me, how long do I have?
Eternal life forever. And see, where does God see me? Well, he sees me in Christ.
Well, where is eternal life? Well, it’s in Christ. How can the world touch something that’s in heaven?
You know, this is a good sermon. You need to remember everything I’m saying because it will never be repeated again. But the word of God is so simple, so clear.
But look what he says again. You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. That’s why he says, and be found where?
In Him. I’m in Christ. The world can’t get me.
The world can’t stop me. See, the world can’t keep me from heaven because I’m in Christ and I’m hid with Him. And He’s there.
I am just that secure. Now, you can get a lot deeper than this. You’d be surprised how you can go and twist and turn and so forth.
But sometimes you just want to stay on the surface because a lot of times you don’t know whether or not it’s are they really following me or not. But I must believe that, hey, you got the Holy Spirit, you can follow all of this. It’s the Word of God.
But look what He says in verse 4. This is an awesome verse, wonderful verse. When Christ, who is, and you ought to underline those two little words, who is our life.
Where did I get my eternal life from? I got it from Him. He is my life.
He is my life. I want you to see this. I called it so important.
I just turned it to the book of Philippians right before this. Philippians and chapter 1. Look what Paul says.
Ain’t it amazing that a guy 2,000 years ago could write something like this if it wasn’t divinely inspired? If this was not the inspired word of God? This man was one of the deepest, wisest, smartest, most intelligent men you could ever read about.
You realize how many books he wrote? And if there was no divine inspiration, and he just simply wrote this, it’s incredible. But I believe it was inspired by God.
God breathed every word. But look what he says there in verse 21. For me to live is what?
Christ. And to die is gain. For me to live is football.
To die is loss. For me to live is girls. To die is loss.
Bet he’d kill me anyway. Everything you put in this verse that’s not supposed to be there, you got lost. For me to live is Christ.
Now, is that really who is living through you? You realize all the things that happened to Christ. Can you accept that?
You realize how he was treated. What if people treated you that way? Can you face it the way he did?
Can you accept the way he did? And see, this is what Christian living is about. Look at what else he says.
He says in verse 22, But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I shall choose I will not. For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart, to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
All reason I am here is because of you. You need me and I need you. He says, I’d rather be in heaven with the Lord, far better, but for me to abide in the flesh.
But no, he talks about his bonds, how he was in prison. And you’ll notice here in verse 20 when he says, According to the earnest expectation and my hope, and in nothing I shall be ashamed. But that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body.
You’re still here on the earth, you’re still in the body. What is the purpose? I want Christ to be magnified in my body.
In other words, you want people to seek Christ. And will they seek Christ if you are using the body to walk in the flesh? What will they see?
Look at the last part of it. Whether it be by life or by death. So whether you live or whether you die, the purpose is that Christ will be magnified.
Remember that John the Baptist had said this. He says, I must decrease and he must increase. In every person’s life, that should be true.
As you mature in the Lord, you should become more like the Lord, talk more about the Lord. You should have a greater peace about you and greater grace about you. But if you have just the opposite, you’ll begin to see all the flesh coming down upon you.
And that does not magnify Christ. It doesn’t magnify Christ. It magnifies the flesh.
Last part of verse 4 says, Then shall ye also appear with him, and those two words, in glory. This is settled. This is settled.
This is where you’re going to be. You are going to appear with him in glory. Your life, your eternal life is secure.
It can never be lost because it’s in Christ and Christ is there. And you are going to appear with him in glory. He’s coming back someday.
Until then, live the way we should live. Live now the way you wished you had lived when Christ comes back. Let’s pray, shall we?
Our Father, we thank you so much for your word you’ve given us. And Father, there’s a lot of things we don’t really know how to explain. We just pray that as we touch upon some of these things that Lord the Holy Spirit will help each person to see what needs to be applied in each individual life.
Or your children, help us encourage one another to be a blessing to one another, to pray for one another. Always desire the best for the other, esteem in others better than ourselves. In Christ name we pray, Amen.
Have you ever heard that faith without works is dead? Or have you ever read James Chapter 2? Does your faith produce good works?
Some teach that if you don’t serve the Lord, you’re not saved. Is that true or false? Pastor Yankee Arnold has prepared just the right book with answers straight from the Bible.
The book is called Gospel Driven Man, and Pastor Yankee wants to send it to you free of charge. Simply write to Pastor Yankee at Yankee Arnold Ministries, 7028 West Waters Avenue, Suite 316, Tampa, Florida, 33634, and request the book, or request by email at yankee at yankeearnold.com. That’s yankee at yankeearnold.com.
Thanks for listening to today’s broadcast. We pray that today’s message was a blessing to you and your family. You may help support this radio ministry by donating online at yankeearnold.com or by mail at yankeearnoldministries7028 West Waters Avenue Suite 316 Tampa, Florida 33634.
Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed.
Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon. And just keep looking up.
