Pressing On: Embracing Spiritual Maturity and Freedom

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In this church we are not afraid or ashamed to repeat a message any number of times. When can we say that we have heard enough of a particular message? Only when we have experienced it fully in our lives. And until we have experienced something fully in our lives, we need to hear it again and again. [00:00:19]

There are people who accuse us saying, "You people think you're perfect." I say that's because you don't read English properly. What does it say there? It doesn't say we are perfect. We're saying oppressing under perfection, which is the clearest confession that we're not perfect. It's like saying we are aiming for the top of the mountain. [00:01:12]

The Holy Spirit only equipped people in the Old Testament to preach, to prophesy, to predict the future, to tell Lions and pieces, to defeat enemies, to kill Goliath and things like that. But to overcome sin, not even one person, not even the great Elijah who'd get depressed and go to a cave and say, "Lord, take away my life." [00:02:19]

So a Christian who's only in this circle of I sin, I confess my sin, and the Lord forgives me, and I sin again and confess my sin, and the Lord forgives me, is a baby, and he's not ready for solid food. And there were Christians like that in the first century, and is just such Christians that this writer is writing. [00:06:09]

So we will be struggling with sin till the end of our life, but it should not be with the same old sins we were struggling with 20 years ago. You know, if your child in school is struggling with the same old mathematics problems that he was struggling with ten years ago, you know that he's in the same class. [00:08:38]

The mark of maturity in all of us is nobody has to tell you those stones. Nobody has to tell you a grown-up person, "Don't put stones into your mouth," and things like that, because we have discerned that's not good. It's not because somebody tells me, because I know it's not good. [00:12:57]

The Tree of Life is where the life of God comes into me, and I discerned, "Hey, that's not good." You know, big puts dirty stuff into its mouth, and it enjoys it. If I put food into my mouth which is even a few days old, I spit it out because I know it's spoiled already. [00:13:20]

The more the closer you get to perfection into God, the more sensitive you become to unhygenic things, spiritually unhygenic. That comes through discernment. That is pressing on to perfection. So never be satisfied that you have a lot of knowledge, you can explain a lot of doctrines. [00:15:20]

Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple, and he looked around at everything. You see that? He looked around at everything, and he left for Bethany because it was late. On the next day, he left Bethany and came back to Jerusalem, and he entered the temple and immediately began to drive out those who were buying and selling. [00:25:04]

Jesus was made like me, his brother, in all things. Who are his brothers? Jesus told Mary Magdalene on the day of the resurrection, "Go to my brother's." That's the first time he referred to the disciples as his brothers. Go to my brothers and say, "I am ascending to the Father, to my father and your father." [00:37:24]

The only way that Satan could be defeated so that that power of death will not come over us is by somebody dying, that perfect human being dying. That's why Jesus had to come like us and die so that it says here, it's all here, that he can make the devil powerless, not kill the devil, but take away his power. [00:39:50]

I want to encourage all of you, my dear brothers and sisters, please turn your eyes away from half-hearted worldly believers that you may see in CFC who got habits that are shameful. Okay, forget them. They've heard enough. Look at Jesus. Turn your eyes away from everything else and everyone else and saying, "Lord, I'm gonna follow you." [01:07:30]

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