WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES US SPIRITUAL
MF Blume
January 24, 2016
Matthew 7:21-24 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (24) Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
John 10:1 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth
not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber.
John 10:14 KJV I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Both passages show the idea of ENTERING A DOOR and being where God wants you to be, as well as JESUS KNOWING YOU.
You can know Jesus, but He might not know you.
• Do you know Him if you perform miracles and prophesy?
• Yes!
• Do you know Him if you call Him LORD?
• Yes.
1 Corinthians 12:3b KJV …and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
So, you can know the Lord, BUT HE MIGHT NOT KNOW YOU.
1 Corinthians 1:4-7 KJV (4) I thank my God always on your
behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
(5) That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance,
and in all knowledge; (6) Even as the testimony of Christ
was confirmed in you: (7) So that ye come behind in no
gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1 Corinthians 14:12 KJV (12) Even so ye, forasmuch as ye
are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying
of the church.
1 Corinthians 14:27-32 KJV (27) If any man speak in an
unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by
course; and let one interpret. (28) But if there be no
interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to
himself, and to God. (29) Let the prophets speak two or
three, and let the other judge. (30) If any thing be
revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his
peace. (31) For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all
may learn, and all may be comforted. (32) And the spirits
of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
They did so many operations of the gifts they were rebuked and told to get some order!
1 Corinthians 14:40 KJV (40) Let all things be done decently and in order.
So he had to tell them to see MORE than gifts.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 KJV (1) Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (2) And though I have
the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have
not charity, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my
goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and
have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
After chapter 1 tells them they had all the gifts, look two chapters later:
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 KJV (1) And I, brethren, could not
speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto
babes in Christ. (2) I have fed you with milk, and not with
meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye
able. (3) For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among
you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as
men?
And Paul mentioned and listed these very things in Galatians.
Galatians 5:19-21 KJV Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
(21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Notice we read the same three things Paul said the Corinthians had problems with.
1. Strife.
2. Divisions/seditions
3. Envying
And they cannot INHERIT THE KINGDOM.
• Paul said the Corinthians had all of the
gifts, but did three things that Paul said won’t allow you to
inherit the kingdom.
• And Jesus said you can prophesy, and perform miracles, call Jesus Lord and not enter the Kingdom.
The mark of a real spiritual believer is NOT THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT.
• It’s the absence of the list Paul gave in Galatians.
• Read it from the ISV in more modern English.
Galatians 5:19-21 ISV Now the actions of the flesh are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, (20) idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels,
conflicts, factions, (21) envy, murder, drunkenness, wild
partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told
you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.
So, to know Jesus is not just to know Who He is, as Lord.
• It’s not to perform many miracles and prophesy.
• Jesus said the ones who never KNEW him were called workers of iniquity.
• The iniquity was all the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5.
• So, when Jesus told us in John 10 that HE
KNOWS HIS SHEEP, the key is to study what it is to be a sheep, not a
miracle worker.
John 10:3-5 KJV To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his
voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them
out. (4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
(5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him:
for they know not the voice of strangers.
His sheep follow Him.
Jesus spoke of FOLLOWING HIM as well in Matthew 16, where He also mentioned KNOWING HIM.
Matthew 16:13-17 KJV When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the
Son of man am? (14) And they said, Some say that thou art
John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the
prophets. (15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I
am? (16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. (17) And Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
How many can see that people who know Jesus are able to do so by the Holy Spirit?
1 Corinthians 12:3 KJV …and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
The Father showed Peter who Jesus was by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
• So we have people knowing Jesus here.
• Peter knew Jesus.
• But what about Jesus knowing Peter?
Matthew 16:17-19 KJV And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (18) And I
say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. (19) And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom
of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.
So far so good.
• Jesus KNOWS PETER!
• THOU ART PETER.
• Then he mentions the KEYS OF THE KINGDOM.
• Keys open doors.
• Now we see something here about the DOOR TO
THE KINGDOM that Jesus said we must enter, and may not necessarily
enter just because we know Jesus is Lord.
• Just because we know Jesus.
Matthew 16:20-22 KJV Then charged he his disciples that they
should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. (21) From
that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he
must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third
day. (22) Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him,
saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
So he begins to talk about the CROSS.
• Suddenly Peter KICKS!
• NO NO NO!
After Jesus just told him he’s blessed, for the Father revealed
Jesus; identity to Peter, and Jesus says THOU ART PETER, like HE KNEW
HIM, too…
• We see Jesus speak of the cross.
• Peter rejects it.
• And Jesus suddenly does not call him Peter any
more, and isn’t focusing on the blessings, but CALLS HIM SATAN!
He spoke of the kingdom!
• There are keys to the kingdom.
• The door must be entered!
• But Jesus calls Peter the devil when Peter resists the idea of the Cross!
• The cross is what kills the envying and
divisions and strife from our lives, for IT SLAYS SELF in SELF DENIAL.
Matthew 16:24 KJV Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me.
We must FOLLOW JESUS.
• Didn’t He say His SHEEP KNOW HIM and HE KNOWS THEM, and THEY FOLLOW HIM?
• And when it comes to following Him, He means TAKING A CROSS that kills SELF and the flesh!
Peter was so receptive to be able to hear the Spirit give him a revelation!
• The Corinthians came behind in no gift!
• Many can cast out devils and perform miracles and prophesy.
• But Paul told the Gift bearing Corinthians they were infantile.
• Jesus told Peter he was satan.
• And Jesus will tell many who know He’s Lord that HE DOES NOT KNOW THEM.
• He knew Peter’s identity, but then suddenly He’s not calling him Peter any more, but satan!
His words focus on carrying the cross.
• Following Him is carrying your cross and denying self.
God checks us out and sees how humble we are.
Israel worshiped a golden calf.
Exodus 32:9-10 KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this
people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: (10) Now
therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and
that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
God tested MOSES.
• He’s taking advantage of the situation for a test to Moses.
• Moses, I will make you ANOTHER ABRAHAM!
• A nation will come from YOU!
• People will say they must walk in the steps of Moses instead those of Abraham!
Numbers 12:3 KJV (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
Exodus 3:11 KJV And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should
go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt?
But Moses was meek.
Exodus 32:11-14 KJV And Moses besought the LORD his God, and
said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou
hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with
a mighty hand? (12) Wherefore should the Egyptians speak,
and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the
mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from
thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
(13) Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom
thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply
your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken
of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for
ever. (14) And the LORD repented of the evil which he
thought to do unto his people.
Moses is concerned about OTHERS more than himself.
• Concerned about GOD’s reputation!
• “People will say you couldn’t do it, God!”
• “They won’t understand the rebellion issue.”
• “Remember your promise, too!”
• A man has to be empty of self to be offered
that position and turn it down because others will be affected.
When God says He’d send an angel, Moses refuses again.
Exodus 33:2-3 KJV And I will send an angel before thee; and I
will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: (3) Unto a land
flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee;
for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.
Exodus 33:12-13 KJV And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou
sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know
whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name,
and thou hast also found grace in my sight. (13) Now
therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now
thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and
consider that this nation is thy people.
God says OK.
Moses wants to make sure.
• Show me your glory.
Exodus 33:18 KJV And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
Exodus 34:6-7 KJV And the LORD passed by before him, and
proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (7)
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children,
unto the third and to the fourth generation.
THE SAME TEST HAPPENS YEARS LATER when the adults of the Exodus fear the giants and can’t believe God to enter the land.
Numbers 14:11-23 KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will
this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me,
for all the signs which I have shewed among them? (12) I
will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make
of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. (13) And
Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou
broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
(14) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for
they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD
art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that
thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a
pillar of fire by night. (15) Now if thou shalt kill all
this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of
thee will speak, saying, (16) Because the LORD was not able
to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore
he hath slain them in the wilderness. (17) And now, I
beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast
spoken, saying,
Then Moses reminds God of the first time this same thing happened, and
God showed him his glory to ensure Moses God would lead them, and
refers to what god said back then.
(18) The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving
iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation. (19) Pardon, I beseech thee, the
iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and
as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
(20) And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy
word: (21) But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be
filled with the glory of the LORD. (22) Because all those
men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and
in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have
not hearkened to my voice; (23) Surely they shall not see
the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them
that provoked me see it:
God saw Moses pass the test!
Don’t focus on prophesying and miracle working.
• Don’t follow miracles.
• FOLLOW JESUS with YOUR CROSS.
• And MIRACLES WILL FOLLOW YOU.
Matthew 16:24 KJV Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me.
Mark 16:17 KJV And these signs shall follow them that believe; In
my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
The very casting out of devils that people are following WILL INSTEAD FOLLOW US!
• Follow Jesus and let the cross destroy the self in your life that glorifies itself.