How the world can see Jesus in you
Key Passage: Romans 8:9
Date: June 7, 2024
About a third of the back row over here was in the hospital about a week or so ago and thought it was a heart attack. He did have a stamp putting yesterday. He got two more coming. But praise the Lord, he’s in church this morning. That’s awesome. We’re thrilled to see him today. And good to see others. What a blessing that is.
Romans chapter number eight. And I want you to really listen. This can be a… what some might call a doctrinal message. But every message ought to be somewhat doctrinal. Some people say, well, that was doctrinal, that wasn’t practical. Every doctrinal message should be practical too, see. But it can mean the difference for many in defeat or victory. And I mean that for all of us somewhat. And I want you to really listen this morning and try to just think about the truth and let the Lord not just speak to your head but to your heart. And that’s the key, your heart, by the way, for sure.
The title would be for the internet: How the world can see Jesus in you. How the world can see Jesus in you.
I want you to think about that: how the world can see Jesus in you. And that’ll be the title. We’re going to start in Romans 8 and verse number 9. Romans 8 and verse number 9 of God’s word this morning. If you find it, would you say amen? Amen. Good deal. Would you please stand if you’re able, just to show the word of God respect? Romans 8. And we’ll start in verse number 9. Romans 8, verse number 9.
And the Bible there says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit (capital S), if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.”
Time out for just a minute here. We’ve been preaching, I know this is the fifth or so Sunday morning on the Holy Spirit. This, as far as I know, will conclude that series—just a short series—but we’ve talked a lot about when you get saved, the Holy Spirit moves into and dwells in you. Now, we’ve talked about the empowering of the Holy Spirit, but let’s just talk about here: your salvation. If you’re saved, the Spirit of God indwells you, all right? He’s living inside of you.
Watch what he says here beyond. It’s amazing. He says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” If I don’t have the Spirit of God living inside of me, I’m not saved. I’m not a born-again Christian. But I want you to notice this. Notice the first time he says, the Spirit of what? Well, let’s go back up. Let’s go back up.
I’ll tell you what, we’ll read the whole verse, and when I stop, you say the word, would you please? We’re in verse number nine. Here we go: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.” The Holy Spirit. But watch this: “Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ…” Well, wait a second. Which one is it? Well, it’s one and the same.
You see, because the Spirit is God, God is God. The Spirit is Christ, where Christ is God, so we’ve got no contradiction here. See how the Bible fits together wonderfully when you interpret it right? Spirit of God, yes, Spirit of Christ of Christ. Well, that’s the same thing. Christ is God. Amen. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, God says. But I just want to kind of point out the Spirit of Christ.
What’s the title of the message? How the world can see Jesus Christ in you. Remember that’s the title. So the one that’s living inside of us is the Spirit of Jesus or the Spirit of Christ. See? That’s very key.
Let’s just finish it out, verse number 10: “And if Christ be in you…” I’ve heard people say, “Well, don’t tell somebody to ask Jesus to come into their heart.” Where’s that in the Bible? Right there. Right there. Because the Spirit that moves inside of us is the Spirit of Christ. And that’s what you’re saying right there: “If Christ be in you.” Yeah. He’s in us. We’re in Him, actually (John 15). But if the Spirit of Christ… excuse me. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin.”
Just time out for a minute there. You know, we’re all slowly—this is depressing—but we’re all slowly dying. Some feel it more than others.
Brother Frank’s got a hand. Notice he just raised it because he can’t put it all the way up because he’s about to have shoulder surgery. And he can only raise one knee so far, too, you know, he’s got it both ways.
I visited Brother Jerry Hunter last Saturday, I think it was, in the hospital. Jerry Hunter was a 23-year police officer with Metro. He was a strong, vibrant man. He’s had a gun put to him and the trigger pulled. Praise the Lord, it didn’t go off. He’s been stabbed before. And he said the one time I got worried was when he encountered a young man down at the bus station years ago, and things were a little bit different; they didn’t have so much backup. He said a guy was down there causing a ruckus, and he had just gotten out of Fort Bragg, I believe it was. He was 101st. And he said, “Man, he was in shape,” and Jerry thought, “Oh no, I’m in trouble.” But he got him. He said, “When I got his arm up behind his back, I knew I had him then,” you know. A strong, vibrant man, brother Jerry.
But it’s kind of sad to see him last Saturday in a hospital bed. He could only say about three, maybe four words at a time and then he’d have to gasp for air. And I’m not trying to be mean, but we’re all going to end up there, Lord willing. It’s just reality. And that’s what he’s speaking about there. That’s what you’re saying. He said, “If Christ be in you, the body is dead.” We get saved, praise the Lord, our soul, our spirit’s going to live forever. This old body is going to die. By the way, death is really a separation. That soul leaves this old body. That body dies because of sin.
Let’s keep going. “But the spirit is life because of righteousness.” By the way, that righteousness we get is the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. But I really want to just focus for just a minute on that: the Spirit of Christ. How the world can truly see Jesus in you.
I’ll just read a couple of others very briefly here. Philippians 1:19: “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit (capital S), Spirit of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:11: “Searching what manner of time the Spirit of Christ…” See, Holy Spirit of God? Yes, He’s God. These three are one. Yes, Spirit of God, but Spirit of Christ—same thing. But I want to just for a little bit focus on that: Spirit of Christ. Can the world see Jesus in you?
Would you pray with me for just a few minutes of time? We’ll speak to our hearts about the world seeing Jesus in you. Would you pray about that? Lord, would You make this thing real? Thank You, Lord, even Wednesday night, You spoke to my heart about this thing. Lord, would You help me to convey Your amazing, incredible truth to these people? Father, just in Your Spirit, in a great way, applying it and making it real and practical to these people. And Lord, we’ll brag on You for what You do. Father, if I have any desire in me to preach a good message from me and all that, Lord, take all that foolishness away. Lord, You help somebody. That’s what it’s all about: somebody gets help, somebody has victory over sin because of Your truth. And Lord, we’ll thank You for what You do. Father, we ask for this in the name of Jesus. We’re praying. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.
Wednesday night, we had a guest preacher, Brother Chamberlain. He had brought a tour group from Lamar Baptist College down in Florida. And the last part of his message, he mentioned this thing about having Jesus and the world seeing Jesus in you. I was listening, all right. I was listening, I promise you. But sometimes, when you know a fellow is going to turn the service over to you at the end of it, you know, you think, “All right, Holy Spirit, what do You want me to say? And how do You want me to put it all together?”
And this thing—I got up and I said a few words. I mentioned the song. There’s an old song, been out for a while: “Does the world—can the world see Jesus in me?” And I’m paraphrasing a little bit. There used to be a family group called the Thrin family. We used to hear them singing a lot. “When the world looks at me, do they see Jesus?” That’s the name of the song. And I mentioned that song. But I began to think about that. It just really got a little bit real to me, even while I was standing here mentioning that, and I thought, “Wow.”
If I have to make myself like Jesus, I’ve got a long way to go. I’m a far cry from Jesus. Let’s be real about this thing, you know. And then I thought, “Well, how in the world can flesh make flesh like Jesus?” That’s kind of like pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. How in the world? Not only that, but when you really start trying to do that, problems come.
Look at chapter number seven. Romans—your Romans—look at chapter number seven, Romans seven. Look at verse number eight. This is what happens when you really start trying to be like Jesus. What does the Bible say? Romans 7, verse number 8: “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.” You said, “What does that word mean?” I’ll tell you what it means, but I don’t have to say it again because I can’t hardly say it, amen. It means you longing after something you know you ought not to have.
How many have ever been sitting there and there’s that cupcake and somebody said, “Don’t you eat that?” And as soon as they say, “Don’t you eat that,” you say, “I want to eat that.” Come on now. Especially if it has cream cheese icing on the top. Now we’re getting down to preaching. Yeah, now we’re going from preaching to meddling now. I’ll tell you what. Just as sure as you say, “You’re not supposed to have that,” you want that. That’s what we’re talking about right there.
Let’s keep going. He says that wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. “For without the law, sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” So, man, I try. It seems like the harder I try, the more sin fights against me. And how is flesh going to make flesh look like Jesus? It’s defeating if you truly, honestly, sincerely try to be like Jesus, because it’s impossible for you to do it. Have y’all ever experienced these things, or is it just me? Man, I’m there too often, you know.
Not only all that, but the world has left this mark on all of us. Whether you call it scars or wounds or past, you know, addictions, or we’re all warped—we’re all manipulated by somebody. I mean, that’s just the truth of it all. So how am I, that is messed up by the world, supposed to make me like Jesus? Wow. Is this impossible or what?
Now let me give you just quickly three things, three keys, three ways—however you’re going to say it—that the world can see Jesus in you. It was a good day for me when I realized and was taught that I’m going to move this down because if not, I’m going to knock it off when I’m not supposed to, and a balloon’s going to pop, amen. There are balloons inside there. Really, that’s a thousand pounds. I just picked it up like that. Do you see that now? Everything’s going to fall in on me pretty soon here, you know.
By the way, I thought, man, this is like a tent, isn’t it? Look like a tent, you know? The last time I preached under a tent, about a month or so ago, I preached, I think, around an hour and a half or so. How about that? A couple people were on board. Everybody else was like, “No, uh-uh, it ain’t a tent, you know, this is a church.” Where was that at? Well, I just lost about half of you on that one right there, you know. But it was a good day. It wasn’t, was it?
Somebody taught and preached on the fact that they kind of compared us to a canvas, and they say we try to paint a picture of Jesus in our life. And we work hard at it. We toil at it. We try our best to do that. We try to paint that. But I’ll be honest with you, I’m not a painter. When they did this scene—they did this scene, the scene for kindergarten graduation—they never asked me one time to paint on it, friends. And they were very smart not to ask me to paint on it. I mean, I’m doing good to draw a stick figure, you know what I’m saying? That’s just not my talent at all.
And there’s nobody here, really, when it comes to painting a picture of Jesus on your canvas. Nobody here that can do that. You can have the most character in all the world. You can be raised in the best home in the world. You can have all—you can have Bible verses memorized—but half the time, you’re proud just in that alone. So you just missed out on being like Christ. You understand how defeating it is.
Now here’s the wonderful thing. It was a good day for me to learn this: I’m not the painter. I’m the canvas. Literally, my heart is the canvas, but the Spirit of Christ is the artist. He’s the one that paints on your heart. He’s the one that paints in your life.
You see, we just work and work. “I want to be like Jesus. Be like Jesus.” And it’s defeating and frustrating. But can I say it? A little bit takes the pressure off. I don’t have to make myself like Jesus. I have to yield to the Spirit of Christ. And the Spirit of Christ flows and lives through me. And people begin to see the artist, the Spirit of Christ, and they say, “Wow. That right there resembles Jesus because it is Jesus.”
And when you let the Holy Spirit write on your heart, number one, how can the world see Jesus in you? When you let the Holy Spirit paint a picture of Jesus in your life? It’s not your job to make yourself like Jesus. You could never do that. You’re flawed and messed up.
Your job is to continually go to the Spirit of Christ and say, “Hey, I want You to write on me. My opinions, toss them out the window, what I won’t toss. I don’t want all that. My heart’s desire, what I really want is You to have control in my life, You to rule and reign in my life. I want You to dominate my desires, my affects, my lust, all of that. I want You to have control in my life. Spirit of God, I want to walk in the Spirit. I want to live in the Spirit. Just like you’re breathing, Holy Spirit, I want You to control. I want to obey every impulse You have, Holy Spirit.”
And as you do that and you yield and you ask for His feeling and His anointing and His unction, you ask for His power. He begins to write a picture, draw a picture, a beautiful picture, on your messed up, marred canvas. He makes a beautiful picture of Jesus in your life. In my life, He’s a master artist. And He doesn’t even start with a clear picture. Now He does, as far as Jesus’ shed blood. But down here in your life, He begins to produce a wonderful picture.
We sing songs, “Something Beautiful.” I love that song. “And you give Him all your tattered garments, and He makes something beautiful out of it.” Amen. But it’s so important that you let the Spirit of Christ—He must. You see, sometimes we’re so busy, “I’m going to be like Jesus, I’m going to be like Jesus.” And the Holy Spirit says, “Okay, you do that.” And we flop. “Well, I can do better, I can do better.” Did you notice that? I, I, I, I… and the Spirit of Christ says, “Okay, we’ll see how you do that.” And even that sometimes can be stubbornness and rebellion and stubbornness. You know what it says about that over in Samuel? Wow. I can be like witchcraft. Yeah, Satan knows all that.
But when you say, “Hey, I’ll never do it. Holy Spirit, I don’t want the paintbrush anymore. All my opinions, what I think, all this stuff. Here, I give You the paintbrush. I give it all up. I don’t want all that. Would You please take the paintbrush in my life? I want You.” We’ll never arrive there fully, but You want even my spirit, my attitude, my reactions. Holy Spirit, I want You to have all that. I give all that to You.
And the more you give Him the paintbrush, He’s just incredible how, you know, a messed-up life, how He can draw such a beautiful picture of Jesus. And it’s so wonderful when I say, you know, I can stop doing all I’m doing to get me there like Jesus because that’s just a flop, you know. It’s not going to happen. You say, “I’m going to stop all that. And Holy Spirit, I give You control. I want to be listening to You.” It’s a different outlook on it. It’s instead of you being in command and making you all this, it’s like, “Holy Spirit, I just want to follow You.” And you’re continually letting Him know, “Hey, what do You want here? I want to hear Your still small voice. I’m trying to yield to You. I messed up there. Please forgive me.” He’s so forgiving. Spirit of Truth, yes, also called the Spirit of Grace. It would be able to continue. Oh, Holy Spirit, I want You to write and You to paint. You have the paintbrush. And you’re always listening very carefully.
Someone here recently mentioned, I can’t remember who it was, where it was, about a mom listening for that baby. And they were saying, it wasn’t a husband this time, believe it or not, but they were saying how they never even hear the baby, but that mom, she hears that baby just whimpers, you know, and the rock, boom, that mom is there. And that’s why you kind of get in tune with the Holy Spirit like that. You’re listening, always listening.
Someone said, “I wish I was there.” I’m not there. I’d like to be there, but obey every impulse of the Holy Spirit. Every impulse—it gives you a little impulse: do this, do that, don’t do that, say you’re sorry, give in, get your spirit under—and you obey every impulse of the Spirit. And He can paint a beautiful picture of Jesus in your life. And the world can say, “Wow, I see Jesus in you.”
Look real quickly over in Genesis chapter 1. It’ll be hard to find. Genesis 1:1 over there, all right now, you know. It’s a little before Revelation, I promise, amen. Genesis 1:1, first book, first chapter, first verse, all of the first word, just very quickly. It’s amazing truth right in the beginning of God’s word. Genesis 1:1, you’ll see it. Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void. And darkness was upon the face of the deep.”
Can you just try to imagine—I don’t know, I’ve got an image in my mind, I don’t know if it’s accurate or not—but just without form or void. Maybe like a mist coming up off of water, just, you know, is there water there? What is it? Just a mist, just everything without form or void. There’s no land, there’s no trees, just everything. Does it, you know what’s going on? That’s what it was like. Darkness is dark during that time.
What happens to the world? Look at the next phrase right there, verse number two. “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” And friend, we’re at the point where after the curse, we’re after the flood. And boy, I look at this beautiful creation. It’s awesome. Man, the mountains and the spring with all the flowers and how green it is right now. Okay, okay. Take out the trees and shrubs. Amen, I agree with you on that. But it’s a beautiful world. How do we get this beautiful world? The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And when I have grieved and quenched the Spirit of God, I lose my form, I lose my—I’m just void, I’m just kind of empty. I’m wandering around like the Children of Israel did for 40 years. I don’t have true purpose, I don’t have direction, I don’t have peace, I’m just kind of there, but that’s about it. What do you need? You need the Spirit of God to draw a picture of Jesus in your heart. It’s amazing when the Spirit of God begins to draw. He can make a beautiful world. That’s what the Spirit of Christ would like to do. He’d like to bring purpose and joy and direction in your life.
So how can the world see Jesus in me? Number one, number one, let the Holy Spirit get rid of the paintbrush. You’re not all that. Amen. I’m talking about me for sure. And say, “Hey, I want You to have the paintbrush.” Give Him the paintbrush. Let the Holy Spirit draw a picture of Jesus in your life.
Now, number two, number two, look over in Galatians chapter 5, if you would please. Galatians chapter 5. How can the world see Jesus in me? I’m so messed up. I mean, I got concupiscence. I desire the wrong thing about half the time. How can I be like Jesus then, you know?
Paul—God said through Paul. He said, “In me dwelleth no good thing in the flesh.” So how can I be like Jesus? How can the world see Jesus in me? Let the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, paint a picture of Jesus in your life.
Now, look over in Galatians chapter 5. Galatians 5, verse number 16. Would you look at verse number 16? You’re there, amen? Amen. Look at verse number 16. He says, “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” I think this “walk in the Spirit” has to do with just a—you just one step at a time, just daily, moment by moment. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Wow. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”
Now, let me just emphasize that right there where he says, “And these are contrary the one to the other.” What? The Spirit of God and your flesh, my flesh. By the way, we all have a unique flesh. Those two things are battling each other. See, that’s where the real battle is right there.
And here’s the thing: If I just wage war against my flesh, I may have some victories. You ever see some of these professional sports players, how disciplined they are? They haven’t had a cupcake in 40 years. They’re amazing, you know. Coke—they don’t drink Coke. They don’t even drink Dr. Pepper. That’s not right, by the way, folks. I’ll tell you what, they don’t have any of that. I mean, they’re disciplined and they’re winning in that area over the flesh. But sometimes they’ll be losing in somewhere. I guarantee you, they may be proud. They may be addicted to some kind of drugs. They may have sexual sin. I don’t know. But I’m saying, out of character, we can have some victory over the flesh.
Some people are just so studious, they’ll study like 18 hours a day. I mean, I’m like, “How can you study that long?” It’s hard for me to study 18 minutes, much less 18 hours a day. And they’ve got degrees. I mean, all over the wall there are degrees. You’re like, “Are you a professional college person?” You know, you do it for life, you know. But they’re very disciplined in their study and their PhDs and all that stuff, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But they’re winning over the flesh in that area. They won’t be lazy. Well, they’re not. They’re far from lazy. They’re just studious. But in other areas of the flesh, they’re losing.
I’m simply saying, if I’m the one battling against my flesh, I may have some victories, but I won’t win the war overall. By the way, Satan’s always looking for that area that I’m losing in. He’s walking about seeking whom he may devour. That’s very important.
So here’s the thing. Look, by the way, you can’t tame a rattlesnake. I don’t want to tame a rattlesnake. I want to do something else to rattlesnakes. That’s exactly right. I heard that’s exactly right, you know. I want to take them out. And our flesh—we want to tame them. In our day and time, there are more and more programs to kind of tame the snake. And I’m not saying they’re all bad, but if I’m going to have victory over my flesh and Jesus is going to shine through me—let’s keep reading here. I want you to see this.
Would you look at verse number 24, Galatians 5? Would you look at verse number 24? “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Did you notice that? Crucified the flesh. That’s the key.
You see, the second point is when I let the Holy Spirit war against my flesh. See, because we go, “This is the angle I’m going to go, this is how I’m going to win, this is what we’re going to do.” And when you say, “Now, wait a second, there’s already a battle,” you know, and if I get around the middle of this battle where these two things are fighting, I’m probably going to get beat up myself, you know. And you say, “Hey, Holy Spirit, I’m going to let You be the one that wars against my flesh. I’m going to be under Your command. You’re the Commander-in-Chief in this department of this battle against my flesh. And I want to yield to Your Holy Spirit.”
Now, I’ll be involved. By the way, you’ve got to be involved in the fight. But, Holy Spirit, You’re leading in the fight. You’re the one that’s contrary to the flesh. And so I follow Your lead, Holy Spirit. I don’t have my eyes, my heart, my mind on that flesh over there because the more I do that, the more I want it. And by the way, the more you see it, boy, my eye affects my heart—that’s trouble there. And so you—no, I’m not going to focus on that. I’m not battling that right here. I’m looking to You, Holy Spirit. You’re the one that fights this battle. I yield to You. I want You to be the Commander-in-Chief in my war against my flesh.
And here’s the wonderful thing: the Holy Spirit doesn’t just say, “All right, this is what you do.” He does do that, but He crucifies your flesh. Hey, you know what? Can I be honest with you here? You want your flesh crucified because you can’t tame a rattlesnake. You can’t tame your flesh. But have you ever thought about it? You can’t crucify yourself. You may—if you could take, if you had a whole lot of counter, maybe you could drive—you’d have to get the nail to stand up some way there, you know. Maybe if you could do that for a split second and then come down with a hammer just right, maybe you could drive one nail in there. But how are you going to drive the other nail in there? You’re going to use your foot. Oops, just kicked the microphone. You’re going to use your foot. Well, it’s going to be nailed too. How? You can’t crucify yourself. You’re not supposed to crucify your flesh; the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ—He’s the one that crucifies your flesh. And when you get your eyes on the Spirit of Christ and your desire, and you say, “I want You to leave,” that’s when He crucifies your flesh. You can win.
By the way, sometimes we just get so—I got a… beat that one thing right there and my eyes are right there. But I get my eyes off that. “Hey, Holy Spirit, I want to follow Your leadership.” By the way, typically, He just doesn’t win in that one area; He overall crucifies the flesh. Often He leads you in—look, you’ve got some sins of omission that are going to help you win over the sins of commission. But you give Him leadership. And He crucifies your flesh.
So how in the world can the world see Jesus in me? Well, first of all, I let the Holy Spirit… The pressure is off you. You’re not going to do it. You can’t do it. But the Spirit of Christ can do it. You let Him be the painter. Then He paints a picture of Jesus on your heart. Number two, you let Him lead in the charge in the war against your flesh. Okay?
Number three, number three, in order for others to see Christ in me, I must be crucified. We’ve already talked about it. The Spirit is the one that crucifies my flesh. All right? Well, how does that happen? Well, let’s go back over to verse number 24. Galatians 5:24. You’re there? Galatians 5:24 right there. Help me out here. He says over there, “And they that are what? Christ’s”—Spirit of Christ, remember that?—“have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
So what do I do? I’ve got to give myself fully to Christ. I’m not talking about salvation here. I’m talking about your day-to-day walking in the Spirit. You give yourself to Christ. “Jesus, that old 2010 GMC Sierra, that’s Yours. That 2014 Ultimate, that’s Yours. That house, 8133 minutes—that’s Yours. Those two dogs, a couple of them I like to give to Jesus, amen. That’s Yours, you know. My clothes are Yours, my reputation is Yours. My wife that I love, my daughter that I love, my son that I love, my grandchildren, my daughter, and all that I love—I give all everything to You. It’s Yours, Jesus. He can take better care of them than I can anyway.”
But they that are Christ’s, I give Him everything. Go through the inventory of your life. Give it all to Him. Not just possessions, but your affections and lusts are up. Hey, I feel like I was belittled there. I was done wrong there. Give that to Him. I feel like my mate—they’re not being honest. Give that to Him. I have these feelings of envy coming up in me. I give that to Him. Everything. All your desires. I like to have that vehicle. I like to have that car. I like to have that outfit. I like to have that person. Everything, give everything to Christ. “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with affections and lusts”—all your desires, all your passion, everything, even the thing that I want to excel at, that thing in my life. It doesn’t matter how puny it is. Give every bit to Him and give it all to Jesus, and the Spirit of Christ crucifies your flesh. That’s when Jesus begins to live for you.
It’s a wonderful thing. And the world says, “Wow, I think I see Jesus in him.” By the way, if it was you getting you there, you’d say, “Yeah, look at Jesus in me.” But you say, “That’s the Spirit of Christ that got me there. He’s the painter. Can’t take any credit. He’s the one that’s drawing in my life. He can crucify your flesh.” How do you do that? Give yourself fully and wholly to Jesus.
Now look over in Galatians 2:20 real quickly. We’re running out of time. This is the tent, though, so we’re good. Amen. I’ve got about 45 minutes left, amen, you know. Great verse over there, Galatians 2. Look in verse number 20. You’ll know it is a great, great verse. Galatians 2:20. He says over there, he says, “I—wow—I am what? Crucified with Christ.”
“Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” That’s what we want the world to see Jesus in. But Christ liveth in me. And the life which I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. Even your faith, you know, it’s not from you; it’s from Jesus. I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I’m not saying I’m there sometimes better. I grasp it sometimes better than others. But when you grasp that truth positionally through Jesus and your salvation—“I’m crucified with Christ.”
It might do you good. I’ve done it some, probably not like I should, but just go through the other day: “I’m crucified with Christ.” And the devil comes and brings something along and tries to get you involved in that. “I’m crucified with Christ.” Is that what the Bible says? And you see yourself as God Almighty sees you: “I’m crucified with Christ.” Well, I got a problem with what they did, what they said, and that has bothered me, but I’m crucified with Christ. I’m crucified with Christ. Well, what about this? Well, what about that? But I can’t do this. I can’t stand up and be the leader I ought to be, men. I can’t do this in the home. But I’m crucified with Christ. Jesus can do it through me. And you see yourself: I am truly crucified with Christ.
I’ve got to quit because this is not truly a tithe, amen. But a couple months ago, I think it was, we were on a Saturday. We were in the shuttle bus, and we had pulled into some townhome-type little circle, a bunch of townhomes in there. And we pulled in there, and Brother Josh said, “Pastor, this is where you threw me out of the boat,” you know. It made me talk something like that out loud, you know. And I’ll be honest, I probably should say, “Yeah, I did. Sorry,” you know. But I thought, praise the Lord, Josh is a good soul now. And I said, “I had a little part in that,” you know.
And we got off the bus, and we separated up, and people were going their way. And I was over here on this side, knocking on doors. And over here across from me, there were two ladies. And one of the ladies really got—kind of got—was already saved, but got really reached and grew in our church. And she was over there witnessing. I thought, “Wow, look at that. Come on, y’all out there.” And I’m trying to talk to people about them getting saved, and I’m not getting anywhere. I mean, I’m not getting anything done.
And all of a sudden, the Spirit of God—I hear that still small voice saying, “You’re so proud.” And I thought, “How dumb on my part, how stupid.” Just a little comment, a little thing. And all my head was about like, I said, “Lord, I’m so sorry. It’s crazy. I get rid of the stupidest little bitty things. I’m so sorry, Lord.” And I’m out here trying to let people see Jesus in me. Jesus isn’t proud. He humbled Himself, became obedient to the cross. He made Himself of no reputation. I’m over here, you know.
I said, “Jesus, would You let me? I need to get up on the cross with You. Jesus, You got room up there for me?” I said, “Jesus, let me get up on the cross with You. Jesus, would You?” I know I’ll be crucified up there, but I’d like to be up there with You on the cross. I just felt like Jesus said, “Come on.” By the way, I’d rather be crucified to be with Jesus than be down there and not have Jesus. And boy, the Spirit of God just kind of let me get up on the cross.
You know, it’s amazing. The next door, I think maybe the next one then, anybody answered—about a 30-year-old guy, he wanted to get saved so bad. He’d been trying to memorize verses, and his daughter was going to get baptized. He was going to get baptized with her, but he wasn’t even saved. He didn’t know how to be saved. He said, “Come on in!” Praise the Lord. Got air conditioning. Somebody said, “Amen” right there. We opened their Bible. Boy, he prayed, and Jesus is the Savior. He got a little dust in his eyes after that. I got a little dust in my eyes. That’s glorious. Why? Because I got from the cross of Jesus. Got rid of my stinking flesh. And the Holy Spirit—He’s the one that draws people to Christ.
You can win. People can see Jesus in you. It’s not going to be by your character and all that you’ve got and all your methods. It’s going to be you letting the Holy Spirit of God paint a picture of Jesus. It’s going to be when you let the Holy Spirit of God take control of your battle against your flesh. You give yourself fully to Christ. As far as your life, you get up on the cross with Jesus. “I’m crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Our heads bowed, eyes closed. A couple of questions. We’re going to be done.
“Preacher, I like the world to see Jesus in me. I like that. And I’m going to admit it. I’m going to focus. I’m going to just admit it this morning. I need the yield of the Holy Spirit. I’m going to try—stop trying all my things—and I’m going to let Him do His thing. Holy Spirit, I want You to have the paintbrush. I’m giving the paintbrush to You this morning. I want You to be the Commander-in-Chief in this battle against my flesh. Holy Spirit, I’m giving it all to You.”
“Preacher, that’s my heart. I want Him to be the painter. I’m giving it to Him. I want Him to be in the lead in this battle against my flesh. I’m giving it to Him this morning. The Holy Spirit. If that’s you this morning, you’re lifting up, preacher, that’s me. That’s me. I’m giving it to the Spirit of God. I’m giving it the paintbrush.” Wonderful, many, many hands, many, many hands. “I’m letting Him lead in this battle.” God bless you. So many. That’s key. He’s the one. I can’t crucify myself, but He can crucify my flesh. He’d be glad to do it. That way Jesus lives through you.
Maybe there’s one more, many, many hands. God bless. Maybe there’s one more. “I want to give the paintbrush.” God spoke from my heart. “I want to give Him the paintbrush.” God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Amen. Amen. Amen. That’s wonderful. That’s wonderful.
I’m asking the Holy Spirit. I’m asking Him this morning to take me to the cross. And having to grasp this truth: “I’m crucified with Christ.” I want to see myself as crucified with Christ. I’m going to ask Jesus, “Jesus, would You let me get up on the cross with You?” And preacher, I need to do that today this morning and throughout my life. And I’m going to do that this morning. I’m asking the Holy Spirit to crucify my flesh and give myself to Jesus fully and let me be on the cross with Him. God spoke to my heart about that truth right there. God spoke to me about that. If that’s you this morning, just lift your hand and preach, “That’s me.”
I’m going to ask you, now, “Would You crucify my flesh? Let me get up on the cross. I’m giving everything to You. I’m giving everything. That little thing, maybe that bitterness. I’m giving it all to Him. I’m giving it all to Him. I’m giving it all to Him.” God bless you. Many, many hands, many hands. Thank you so very, very much. Thank you so much. You can put your hands down.
I did not mention this, but I want to mention it briefly now: if you’re not a born-again Christian, in the beginning verses, you don’t have the Spirit of Christ living inside of you; you are none of His. If you’re not a born-again Christian, He’s not living inside. He can be knocking, He can be on the outside. He’ll be convicting, He’ll be drawing, He’ll be working with you. But He’s not moving inside. He’s not dwelling in you until you’re saved. And He’ll never see Jesus in you to your born-again Christian. He’s living inside of you through the Spirit of God.
“Preacher, I need to get saved. I need to make sure heaven’s my home. I know that mansion is going to be mine because I’ve been saved. I know that. There’s a time, a place. You might never remember the date, but in your mind you go back to a time and a place when I was saved. I know I’ve been born again. I’m a Christian. I’m a child of God. I’m saved.”
If you say, “I don’t know that,” I don’t have that. Would you slip your hand up? I want to pray for you. I love you. I want to pray for you. “I don’t know that I’m a child of God. I don’t know that I’m a child of God. I can go back and remember that’s when I was truly born again. Spirit of God moved inside.” Anybody? “I don’t know that I’m saved.” Just slip it up. Anybody, anybody, anybody. I don’t see any hands.
Hey, Christians, let’s give the paintbrush to the Holy Spirit this morning. Would you please stand? Would you please stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. As soon as we’re done praying, we’ll say amen. We’ll sing an invitation hymn. But during that time, you obey the Holy Spirit. If He’s saying, “Come, spend some time with me at the altar,” be obedient. Obey every impulse. You follow His lead. I want you to have the paintbrush. I want You to lead in this battle. There’s war against my flesh. Let me get on the cross with Jesus." You let Him know that.
Father, thank You for Your word, Your instruction. Lord, I ask, would You send Your Spirit working in a great way? We yield it to You, Holy Spirit. We give the paintbrush to You. We yield to Your leadership in this battle against our flesh. Lord, help us to get up on the cross with You. Help us to realize this truth: “I am crucified with Christ.” And Lord, may the world see Jesus in us. Bless the invitation in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Would you obey the Spirit? You obey Him as we sing. Be obedient to the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine if every Christian yielded, and it was no longer them battling against their flesh, but it was the Spirit of God battling against the flesh? You talk about using the Bible. Actually, the Bible is the sword of the Spirit. You know, sometimes as Christians, we can use the Bible to hurt one another. Although when the Spirit gets control, you want to talk about life changing, and revival happening, and homes being changed, and joy and harmony and love and forgiveness. It is sweet when the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, begins to control. He can defeat our old flesh. He’s no match for our flesh—excuse me, our self or not. The Spirit of God is—you yield to Him. It’s a wonderful, wonderful life. Amen.
I hope—and we’ve got to close this thing out, I understand that—but I hope you grasp it. You can win. It’s amazing what the victory the Spirit of Christ can bring in your life. But the more you say, “I’m going to do it”—how are you doing on that? But you let the Spirit of Christ rule and reign. Oh, my goodness. And somebody says, “Hey, I’ve seen Jesus in you.” That’s wonderful. He can shine right through you. Glad you’re in church this morning, thrilled to have every person here. Make sure you’re back tonight, 6 o’clock, and right after that, volleyball, and then awards and watermelon. We’ll have a good time. Thank you, Brother Frank. You’re all right. I don’t care what they say. Thank you, brother.
Nursery meeting real quickly here. Preacher, wouldn’t preach so long, we’d be out already, you know. But the Presbyterians are already at the restaurant, so don’t worry about that now. You know, there’ll be food left over, amen. But real quickly, even if you’re interested, ladies, if you want to go ahead and be dismissed, that way you can beat the crowd. Ladies, if you’re interested or if you’re already in the nursery, any—just anyone at all, any interest. You say, “I’m not a member yet.” Come on back and just check it out. Just a quick meeting. It won’t be long. Anyone that’s interested in the nursery, they pay $500 an hour. Paytime is in heaven, though. That’s when you get your paycheck. So, amen. Amen. We’ll let them go, and they’ll have their meeting real quickly here. Praise the Lord for nursery workers and the nursery ministry. That’s a great, great ministry. Praise the Lord for all of them. That’s good. Let all those ladies out. And if there’s a nursery worker getting out, please make room. We need it all we can get. Amen. We’ll get them all in there. That’d be a great thing. Amen. Brother Chip, would you dismiss us with a word of prayer, please, brother?
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - - How The World Can See Jesus In You - Sunday AM 06042023