Chuck Austin - "Yet Not I, but Through Christ in Me" - 09/05/2026

God’s call to holiness is not a call to wait until trouble comes and then get serious. The warning about the latter rain shows the danger of putting off the needful preparation, assuming there will always be more time to draw close to Christ. The time of trouble will come, but God’s people will be delivered because they have learned to trust Him day by day.

Scripture confirms that victory over sin is possible, not because human beings can work hard enough, but because Christ is able to keep them from falling. Paul calls believers to perfect holiness in the fear of God, Peter says to be holy in all conduct, and Jude points to the One who can present His people faultless. God would not call His children to something He cannot accomplish in them.

Christ’s experience on the cross shows what faith looks like when all appearances are against it. Christ felt forsaken, yet He rested in the character of His Father, remembering His justice, mercy, and great love. The faith of Jesus trusts God when things feel hazy, crushing, and dark. Revelation’s saints keep the commandments of God because they have that kind of faith.

The heart, however, cannot produce this life on its own. Jeremiah calls it deceitful and desperately wicked, while Paul admits that nothing good dwells in the flesh. Every good thing comes from God, and repentance itself comes as the goodness of God leads the sinner to see the contrast between self and Christ. The answer is not a method, trying harder, or making promises to be more patient and kind. The answer is a Person, Jesus.

Christ transforms character as believers behold Him. His matchless love, seen from Bethlehem’s manger to Calvary’s cross, softens and subdues the soul. The Holy Spirit changes the character imperceptibly, day by day, so that others may begin to see more patience, kindness, and selflessness. Christ is the vine, and His followers are branches; apart from Him, they can do nothing.

Salvation rests in having the Son, not merely in church attendance, baptism, tithing, or outward observance. Christ pardons, justifies, and gives peace with God, yet this life must remain an abiding relationship. God gives the new heart, puts His Spirit within, and causes His people to walk in His ways. Human responsibility is to yield, to have a willing mind, and even to pray, “Lord, make me willing.”

Christ does not cast off the discouraged soul that has fallen short. His intercession, His pardoning love, and His power continue the work He has begun. Today is the day of salvation, and the path forward is to stop procrastinating, behold Jesus, and trust Him to finish His work.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ can keep believers from falling. Christ’s power, rather than human resolve, is the only foundation for continual victory. Faith does not mean confidence in personal discipline or religious performance. Faith lays hold of Christ’s ability to do in the heart what self cannot do. [59:14]
• 2. The goodness of God produces repentance. Repentance grows when God’s mercy, patience, and love are seen clearly. The contrast between Christ’s goodness and the selfish heart brings the sinner low without driving that sinner into despair. God’s kindness exposes sin in order to draw the heart back to Him. [71:42]
• 3. Beholding Christ changes the character. The Holy Spirit does not transform character through panic, fear, or mere self-improvement. Christ’s love attracts, softens, and subdues the soul as His life is contemplated. The change may be imperceptible to the person being changed, but Christ’s likeness begins to shine out. [73:13]
• 4. Abiding in Christ is an ongoing life. The branch cannot live, bear fruit, or remain healthy apart from the vine. Salvation is not a past event that removes the need for present dependence on Jesus. Christ supplies life and power as faith remains connected to Him. [78:32]
• 5. A willing heart gives God room to work. God never forces the will, even though He alone can give the new heart and new desires. The honest prayer, “Lord, take my heart, for I cannot give it,” becomes an act of surrender. Christ can make the heart willing when it gives Him permission to work.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:46] - Opening Prayer and Worship
• [50:06] - The Needful Preparation
• [52:32] - Do Not Procrastinate With God
• [54:43] - Victory Over Every Besetment
• [55:21] - God’s Call to Holiness
• [59:14] - Christ Is Able to Keep Us
• [60:45] - Christ’s Faith on the Cross
• [63:49] - The Faith of Jesus
• [67:44] - Recognizing the Need of a Savior
• [71:42] - Beholding the Goodness of God
• [75:10] - Assurance Through Having the Son
• [78:32] - Abide in the True Vine
• [82:03] - God Works in the Yielded Heart
• [90:13] - Willing to Be Made Willing
• [96:40] - Do Not Draw Back in Despair
• [100:56] - Today Is the Day of Salvation

Bible Reading

Jude 1:24
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,”
[59:14]

2 Corinthians 3:18
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
[01:13:13]

John 15:4–5
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
[01:18:32]

Romans 2:4
“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
[01:11:42]

Revelation 14:12
“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
[01:03:49]

Observation questions

1. According to Jude 1:24, who is able to keep believers from stumbling, and what does He promise to do for them? [59:14]
2. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, what happens as believers behold the glory of the Lord, and who brings about that transformation?
3. What does Jesus’ picture of the vine and branches in John 15 say a branch cannot do by itself? [01:18:32]
4. Romans 2:4 names three qualities of God—kindness, forbearance, and patience. What result are these meant to produce in a person?

Interpretation questions

1. Jude says that Christ is able to keep His people from stumbling. How does this truth change the meaning of holiness from “trying harder” to trusting Christ’s power? [01:00:24]
2. Revelation 14:12 connects commandment keeping with the faith of Jesus. What might it look like for a believer to trust God’s character when circumstances feel dark, confusing, or overwhelming? [01:03:49]
3. Romans 2:4 says God’s goodness leads to repentance. Why can seeing God’s mercy bring honest sorrow for sin without leading a person into hopelessness? [01:12:07]
4. If abiding in Christ is like a branch remaining connected to a vine, what does this suggest about the difference between a past religious experience and a present relationship with Jesus? [01:20:17]

Application questions

1. Is there an area of life where there has been a tendency to say, “I will get serious about this later”? What would drawing nearer to Christ in that area look like this week? [01:41:10]
2. When failure or a repeated temptation brings discouragement, what thoughts usually follow? How could Jude 1:24 help replace confidence in personal effort with confidence in Christ? [59:14]
3. What is one practical way to behold Jesus more regularly—reading a Gospel passage, reflecting on the cross, praying through Scripture, or something else? When could that become part of the coming week? [01:13:13]
4. Can the group identify a recent moment when God’s kindness exposed a wrong attitude, word, or action? How did that awareness invite repentance rather than shame? [01:11:42]
5. Where is the temptation strongest to rely on outward religious activity, good behavior, or personal discipline rather than on having Christ at the center of life? [01:16:04]
6. What daily practices help a person remain connected to Jesus like a branch remains in the vine? What distractions most often weaken that connection? [01:19:34]
7. Is there a place where the heart does not yet feel willing to surrender? What would it mean to pray honestly, “Lord, make me willing,” and give Him permission to change those desires? [01:30:44]