Section 5
Salvation Made Plain – LESSON 10
Two Paths before the Christian –Carnality And Spirituality
We now present the last in the series which we call
“Two paths before a Christian,” or “Carnality and
Spirituality.”
By way of introduction, these next few statements may
shock you a bit. Many saved people are not good Christians. What do I mean? Where did this word “Christian” come from in the first place? What did it
have reference to? Here is the answer.
Acts 11: 25-26
(25) Then departed
Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Paul.
(26) And when he
had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole
year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples
were called Christians first in Antioch.
What was the distinguishing mark of these people? They
got together and did exactly what we are doing.
I don’t know that you knew that you were
qualifying to be Christians, but that is what it
is. The Christians were marked out by the fact that they got together and studied the Bible. What am I saying? I’m saying, you can’t be a good Christian without studying the Bible. I care not
what you claim, but one who is going to qualify
to be a good Christian, is somebody who gets
into the Book.
When I was a young lad, I was taught that a Christian
should live with one motive – to discover what God has written in the Book. This is a gold mine. This is
something for us, not only to cherish, but to dig into, and find
those precious treasures that are for Christians. Christians study the Bible.
The next statement is: Many
saved people need to be converted again. That shocks some people. You are only born again once, but you may be converted
many times. You
see, it is not really realizing the meaning of
the word. What does the word “convert” mean? The
simplest definition is “turned around.” Is it possible for Christians to start going
the wrong direction? That is why they need to be
converted. You get off the track, and you start
going the wrong direction. I have Scripture to prove that.
Matthew 16: 13-17
(13) 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.
I want to ask you a question. Do you believe that
Peter was saved at that point? Is Peter saved? Does he not have a revelation from God? Did he
not make a confession? If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. Peter did that, so I know he is saved.
Now let’s go over to Luke 22. This is a very precious
passage. I know I’ve needed it, and maybe you will need it sometime.
Luke 22: 31-32
(31) And the Lord
said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
See – Satan didn’t have
him – but he desires to have him, that he may
sift him as wheat.
(32) But I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted.
He said that to a saved man. You know the story. The day came when Peter
denied his Lord. And Peter cursed and swore. What is going to happen? He is going to get off the track. Who is
going to pray for him? – The Lord of Glory. The
Lord said “I’m going to convert
you. I’m going to get you back again.” So you see, there are people who are saved and they get off the track, and they need to get
converted again. You only get saved once, but you can
be converted many,
many times. Being a good Christian is a daily
thing.
Acts 2: 41
(41) Then they
that gladly received his word were baptized.
1 Thessalonians 2:
13-14
(13)….when ye
received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the
word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
(14) For ye,
brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus:
Acts 2: 42
(42) And they continued stedfastly
Acts 2: 46
(46) And they,
continuing daily
Luke 9: 23
(23) And he said
to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily and follow me.
It’s not something you can put on on Sunday morning, and take off
on Monday morning, like a lot of people do. They have a religious cloak, and
they put it on one day of the week. If you are
going to enjoy your Christianity, you have to live it every
day. It’s a daily
thing.
We are contrasting, on one side, the path of spirituality – and on the other side, the path of carnality. A lot of people haven’t paid too much
attention to this. I want you to see it clearly.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
1.
Living In Right
Relation To The Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2: 15 |
1.
Worldly Or Fleshly 1 Corinthians 3: 1 |
1. Path Of Spirituality –Living
In Right Relation to the Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:
14-15
(14) But the natural man
What does that mean? – It means the unsaved man – the man who has only the dictates of nature. It goes on to tell about him.
He receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness
unto him:
You ask “Why is it that the unsaved
people think the way they do?” They really think we are a bunch of fools! Why?
– Because they cannot see
the things of the Spirit of God.
(15) But he that
is spiritual (discerners) judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1. Path Of Carnality - Worldly
Or Fleshly
1 Corinthians 3: 1
(1) And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Do not miss that word “brethren.”
He is talking to saved people. I take that verse
as my jumping-off place. There are brethren who
are Spiritual. And there are brethren who are carnal.
Some of you have been saved a short while, and you can’t understand some of the
things you are finding out about Christians. Well, I’m going to show you. The Bible knows all about it – even though we do not. There are two
kinds of Christians. There are those who are Spiritual,
and there are those who are carnal.
What is Spirituality?
Spirituality is living in a right relationship
with the Holy Spirit. I like that. That’s Spirituality.
You are living with a proper, daily relationship with the Spirit of God.
What is carnality? It
simply means “worldly, or fleshly.” There is
such a thing as following the dictates of the Spirit,
or the dictates of the flesh. They are right
here in the letter of the Corinthians.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
2.
Walk In The Spirit Galatians 5: 16 |
2.
Walk After The Flesh Romans 8: 4 |
2. Path Of Spirituality – To
Walk In The Spirit
Galatians 5: 16
(16) This I say
then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
You shall not be carnal.
What is the lust of the flesh? – Carnality. If you walk in the Spirit, you won’t be
walking after the flesh.
2. Path Of Carnality – To Walk
After the Flesh
Romans 8: 2-4
(2) For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death.
(3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.
(4) That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled BY us --NO – It says: IN us,
IN us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
It is very positive.
There is a walk that is after the Spirit, and
there is a walk that is after the flesh. You can
all see it plainly. And who is it talking to? It is talking to believers.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
3. Producing The Fruit of of The Spirit
Galatians 5: 22 |
3. Producing The Works of
The Flesh
Galatians 5: 19 |
3. Path Of Spirituality - Producing the Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5: 22. You will
notice that it starts with a “But.” And you know
as well as I do, that you never should start reading at a “But” – so we have to
back up. We get
the contrast with verse 19, and verse 22.
Galatians 5: 19, 22
(19) Now the works
of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness,
Now to the other side, verse 22.
(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.
If you follow the Spirit, what should you expect? – The fruit of the Spirit. If
you follow the flesh, what are you going to
have? You are going to have the works of the flesh.
So let’s look at verse 22
first. We are talking about the path of Spirituality.
Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts
of the flesh but
the result will be the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit
of the Spirit is Love.
And that is not a mistake. Too many make a mistake reading this. They say “the fruits of the Spirit are:” – NO – that isn’t what it
says, and that isn’t what it is. It doesn’t say
the fruits (plural) of the Spirit are: It says
the FRUIT
of the Spirit is
love.
First Corinthians, chapter 13 tells us all about love.
Romans 5: 5
(5) And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is
given unto us.
Galatians 5: 22-23
(22) But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(23) Meekness, temperance:
You see, when the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit, we begin to enjoy the fruit of the
Spirit. And it’s a cluster. Naturally, you have love, and next you have joy,
you have peace and longsuffering
etc. I’m not going to teach on the fruit of the Spirit – but just one thought
regarding this: Take love, joy, peace and longsuffering.
Longsuffering
is someone with all kinds of patience. I don’t know how much patience you have, but I think that some people, naturally, have more patience than other people. They
don’t need to be filled with the Spirit – they are just naturally that way. Some people are naturally
more joyous than other people. Some people are naturally more peaceable
than other people. Some people are more lovable
than other people. It comes naturally to them.
I love Scandinavian people.
My experience with them is that they are half sanctified before they get saved. They have these traits about
them. When you get the fruit of the Spirit – you get the whole cluster. And you
know that it is not just a natural thing. It is not
a natural love. It is not natural joy. It is not natural peace. It is not
natural longsuffering. It is supernatural.
Illustration
Now from the natural. I
learned a little about natural love. In 1942, I went to a camp meeting, and I
started walking around with two girls. They came on the grounds, and I didn’t
know them. I was sitting at the seat of custom taking the money, so I was the first one to meet them. I showed them around the camp
ground. I walked around on Saturday night with the two girls, and on Sunday
night I walked around with the two girls. And the same on Monday and Tuesday
night. By Wednesday night, I was really liking
it, and people were beginning to wonder what was going on.
On Friday night, I went to a friend of mine by the
name of Bob Nichols (I will always call him my
best friend) and I said “Bob, will you help me out? I want you to take one girl off my hands” so Bob took the other girl. I started walking with Anne, and now we
have been walking together for forty-two years. When I fell in love, I fell madly in love. And I found out, with my natural love that I had
joy.
I won’t tell you all the things I used to say to my
Mom, and what she would say to me, and what she would challenge me with. She could
give you a little sermon regarding that.
I had so much joy with
my love. When I look back now, and think about it, in those mad days, I don’t think you could
upset me. I was just bubbling inside. I would go and pervert hymns, and put my
arm around my mother and I would sing “I love her better every day,” And she
would slap me and tell me that that was
desecrating the things of God. I learned from the natural,
that with love comes joy.
Do you see what I’m getting at? And with love
comes peace. You can’t have the love of God, and
not have the rest of it. Walk in the Spirit, and
you will have the product of the Spirit which is
love.
But the other side is more sobering.
3. Path Of Carnality - Is Producing
Works of the Flesh
Galatians 5: 19
(19) Now the works
of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness.
If we walk after the Spirit,
we will produce the fruit. If we walk after the flesh, we will produce the works of the flesh. It is talking to believers.
There is one thing that bothers so many -- you get the idea that the moment the Lord saves you, He Sanctifies your flesh. NOT SO! You have to learn
to keep your body under. Don’t forget that is in
the Bible.
Colossians 3: 5
(5) Mortify
therefore your members
The deeds of your body.
What are the works of the flesh?
Let’s look at them again.
Galatians 5: 19
(19) Now the works
of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness.
Isn’t this interesting? It doesn’t say the works of
the devil. We have been blaming the devil for
these things. These are not the works of the devil. These are the works of the flesh. Do you know when the devil has done his best
work? Do you know when the devil succeeds? – When he makes somebody good, who isn’t saved.
A preacher stands up in the pulpit and he says “I
don’t believe in the virgin birth. I don’t believe in the work of the cross. I
don’t believe in the Resurrection.” That man has
gone to the devil. The drunkard down the street doesn’t need the devil to get drunk. All you need is
your old flesh – the works of the flesh.
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness – let’s keep it right. Those are works of
the flesh. And if a man doesn’t walk after the Spirit, God says he is going to produce the works of the
flesh, and they are going to be manifest, and everybody is going to know it.
Some years ago Harry Emerson Fosdick was one of the
earlier preachers on radio. He had a big church in
The disc jockey didn’t know what he was saying,
because he was really presenting the devil himself. It is the
devil who is the “prince of the power of the
air,” but this disc jockey thought he was giving the preacher a compliment.
But really he was closer to the devil, than to the
fellow who was drunk down in the street. That drunken fellow has gone to the flesh – but the fellow who denies
the Bible, has
gone to the devil. You say “Where do I get that
in the Bible?” It was not to the drunkard on the
street, but to the religious Pharisees that Jesus
said:
John 8: 44
(44) Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.
If you put it in its perspective, you can see it there;
the works of the flesh.
Let’s look again at
Galatians 5:21
(21) Envying,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like of the which I tell you before.
Somebody says “Can a Christian
commit that? Have you read your Bible? Do you believe David
was a Christian? Do you believe you will meet David in Heaven? Was he guilty of
adultery? Was he guilty of murder? I’m not saying a man should do that. I’m simply saying, if a Christian does not follow the dictates of the Spirit, he is capable of doing all
of those abominations. Let’s go on. Maybe this will answer some of your questions.
As I have also
told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God
It does not say “shall not enter Heaven.” That is not
what it says. It says that any Christian who does
this shall not inherit
the Kingdom of God. It will mar your
inheritance. And I ask you this – Do you believe it is possible for Saints to
begin to enjoy their inheritance now? The Baptism
of the Spirit is part of our inheritance. Read on in this context:
(22) But the fruit of the Spirit
Listen, believers, your inheritance
now in the Kingdom of God is the fruit of the Spirit. But if you
walk after the flesh, you are not going to have your inheritance. If you walk in the
flesh, you will not
inherit the fruit of the Spirit, which is part
of your inheritance right here and now. And so,
God help us to see that there are two roles, two lines, two paths for
believers.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
4.
The Narrow Way Matthew 7: 13 Romans 12: 2 Daniel 1: 8 |
4.
The Broad Way Matthew 7: 13 Psalms 103: 4 |
4. Path Of Spirituality – Is
the Narrow Way
I can prove to you that chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew
are all the same sermon.
Keep that in mind. It is all the one sermon. It has been broken up into
chapters, but they all go together. I start in:
Matthew 5: 1-2
(1) And seeing the
multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.
Now don’t miss that
(2) And he opened
his mouth, and taught them.
Can everybody see where this begins? Jesus is not teaching the unsaved
– He is teaching disciples. Got it? Why do I say
things later on? I’m going to say certain things on that
basis. Jesus is not talking to unsaved people – He is talking to disciples.
Matthew 5: 13-14
(13) Ye are the salt of the earth:
Do you not agree that the ye
in that verse is talking to disciples? You
wouldn’t say that to unsaved: - ye are the salt of the earth. That is only true of believers.
(14)
Ye are the light of the world
Will you not agree with me that it is talking to believers?
Matthew 6: 1 Same sermon. Don’t miss that.
(1) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men,
to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in
heaven. Is that not still talking to the disciples?
Matthew 6: 8
(8) Be not ye therefore like unto them: for
your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
Still talking to the disciples.
Matthew 7: 1
(1) Judge not that
ye be not judged.
Matthew 7: 7, 11
(7) Ask and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
(11) If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things to them that ask him?
Do you agree that He is still
talking to his disciples? Now we come to verse
13.
Matthew 7: 13-14
(13) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide
is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to HELL.
NO – it doesn’t say that. That’s how we have read it,
but it doesn’t say that.
It says:
that leadeth to DESTRUCTION, and many there be which go in thereat:
(14) Because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto HEAVEN.
No – it doesn’t say that.
It says:
Which leadeth unto LIFE, and few there be that find it.
That may be a brand new thought to you, but that is not talking to the unsaved
– that is talking to believers. What have you
got here? You have one way that is narrow, and you have another way that is broad.
One time I read in Reader’s Digest that you can be so broad-minded. Have you
ever heard someone say “he’s such a broad-minded Christian?” I was glad to hear
of that fourteen-year-old boy who refused to square dance. This boy stood up
before the camera and gave a wonderful testimony, and somebody said “My, he is
so narrow.” Listen Christian, if somebody calls you narrow,
that is the best compliment
you could ever get. You must be on the right track if you are narrow.
Reader’s Digest said “You can be so broad-minded you
are flat-headed.
There are a lot of Christians today who are flat-headed. They flatten right out – broad-minded.
Where are you walking?
Are you on the broad road? Go back to Joshua.
There were twelve spies that went into
I am showing you there are two
paths before every Christian. Basically, we choose
to be as Spiritual as we want to be. Now that hits us between the eyes!
4. Path Of Carnality– Is the
Broad Road
We are looking at Matthew 7: 13, where Jesus is
talking about a narrow way and a broad way. And He is talking to his disciples. The more you think
about this contrast between the broad and narrow, the more you
will think about it.
Romans 12: 1
(1) I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
I say this in passing: there is no mention of “service” until you first
present yourself.
It is when one presents himself, then it talks about service.
Romans 12: 2
(2) And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
There is no shortcut to knowing the will of God. The
order that is here is not to be conformed in order to be transformed. When we are conformed, then we are carnal.
When we are transformed by the renewing of our
mind, we are Spiritual. And when we are Spiritual we are walking on the narrow way, and a lot of people won’t be able to
understand you.
My dear mother, whom I call blessed
today, had a reputation for being very narrow-minded. She had five children, and then she had a
couple later on. Five of us were going to school, and I’m sorry to say that we spoiled more than one Christmas program. A teacher
would come in and decide that we would have to dance
at school, and my Mom would just say NO! The
whole community would be upset, because to take five Pritchards out of a little
school program, who could all sing, was a major thing. We wouldn’t take part, so we would spoil the whole program. And the whole community would
be upset over this narrow-minded Mrs. Pritchard. Well, I thank God she was as narrow as she was – because it has paid off in our lives.
My dad died in October of 1958. Remember, I told you that
Mom prayed us into the grave three times a week when we would be going off to
school? She would get down on her knees and she would start with my oldest
sister Elsie, and she would pray “Lord, if Elsie isn’t going to walk on the
path with you – put her in the ground.” And then, next would be my brother
Arnold. “If he is not going to live for you, Lord, take him to Heaven. I didn’t
raise children to live for the devil.” I usually say, by then I could feel the
dirt falling on my head, because I was number
three. She would pray like this three times a week. She prayed for us to walk
with God or go to Heaven.
When Dad died, Mom was there. I can still see her. We
were all there with our spouses. The oldest
one’s husband (Ronnie Burnside) lead in prayer with my Mom. Elsie prayed. My
brother Arnold and his wife prayed. Anne and I prayed. Les and his wife prayed
– right down the whole line. Everyone in the
family was walking with God when my Dad died. And a comfort to my Mom, on that
day, was that her narrow-mindedness paid off in her family.
I believe the problem today is that parents do not want to take a stand that is Spiritual, and their children do not know what it is to walk on the narrow path.
Speaking of the broad
path – it must have been forty years ago in the little village where we had our
first pastorate. There were only four churches in the village – the United
church, the Lutheran church, the Catholic church, and our church.
A young fellow from
So they got a new
pastor – a fellow fresh out of the CEMETERY!
This fellow came, and I can still see him. The town thought he was so
wonderful. He was so broad-minded! He smoked a
little bit, but not too much; he drank, but not
too much; he danced, but not too much.
Everything they did, he
did. And so when they all went to church they were all very comfortable. He was so broad-minded.
There are some Christians who try and live that way. Listen, if you are going to be Spiritual, the world is not
going to understand you. If you are going to be broad-minded, the world is going to think you are a wonderful fellow. But when you walk with God, you may have to walk alone
– because few there be that find the narrow path of Spirituality, and many there are that walk on the broad road of carnality.
Listen, spirituality leads, not only to the life to come, but the life that now
is. I’m not trying to set myself up, but I want to tell you that my wife and I
are enjoying our life. And there are all kinds
of our generation, Christians who started out when we
did – and they are not enjoying life – because
the path of carnality leads to destruction of the life that now
is.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
5.
Working Out
Your Salvation Philippians 2:
12-13 Effort
here |
5.
Neglecting
Your Salvation Hebrews 2: 3 |
5. Path Of Spirituality –
Working Out Your Salvation
I want to show you just what
it means. Some people have a problem with Philippians, so we will go to Hebrew
2 as well. I think, by putting the two together, you will see the contrast.
Philippians 2: 12-13
(12) Wherefore, my beloved
There is no sense in saying that this isn’t
talking to believers!
Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence
I’ll read it the way it isn’t,
so you will see the way that it is.
Work FOR your
Salvation.
NO – it doesn’t say that. We have already studied
that. It doesn’t say work FOR your Salvation.
It says: work OUT your own Salvation with fear and trembling.
(13) For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Hebrews 2: 1-3
(1) Therefore we
ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
I think you will have to agree that the writer of the
book of Hebrews is saved. He is taking the “we” and including himself.
(2) For if the
word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompence of reward
There is another key word. Rewards do not
belong to the unsaved. Rewards belong to believers.
(3) How shall we
escape
Is that still talking to believers?
You better believe it is!
How shall we
escape, if we REJECT
so great salvation; which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord
NO – it does not say “if we REJECT.” Too often, we read words into it.
It says: How shall we escape, if we NEGLECT so great
salvation.
Now, can you put the two together? The one passage – working out your
Salvation. The other passage – neglecting your
Salvation. Neglecting, or working out. Maybe
this will help you:
Illustration
Somebody went to a little girl and asked “Is your
father a Christian?” She said “Yes, but he hasn’t been working
at it for a long while.” That puts the spotlight right on it. – “He hasn’t been
working at it.” Listen, if we put the same effort into our worldly
business as we do in our Christianity, the
average business man would go broke in a month!
Do we not neglect our Christianity?
There is another principle that is in here. You can
only neglect that which is already yours. If my hair is not combed – that is not your fault. I can only neglect my own.
If my children are out
in the street, and they have dirty faces, I call them
in, but I don’t go out and call every child. If
a child has a dirty face, and it is not my child
– I am not neglecting that child.
If my garden patch has
weeds in it, and my neighbor has weeds growing
in his garden patch, that is not my neglect – that is his.
You can only neglect your patch. You can only
neglect your property. You can only neglect that
which is yours.
So Christian, the Bible says: you are either working out your
Salvation, or you are neglecting it. There are a
lot of Christians who are neglecting that which
God has provided for them. And what happens when you neglect
it? – You will be carnal. You will be on the
path of carnality.
But if you work out your Salvation with fear and trembling, and let
God work in you to will and to do of his good
pleasure, you are going to enjoy what the Bible
calls “Spirituality.”
The next is another difficult
portion.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
6.
Abiding In Christ John 15: 4 |
6.
Not Abiding
In Christ John 15: 6 1 John 2: 28 |
6. Path Of Spirituality –
Abiding in Christ
More people have been saved
in this portion, than in any portion I know. I think I showed you the purpose of John, but we have to do it again, so you won’t forget.
John 20: 30-31
(30) And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
(31) But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
His purpose is,
primarily, to lead people to believe. There are three chapters in John where the
word “believe” is not found. And one of those
chapters is chapter 15. The word “believe” is not
here. What is significant about that? The fifteenth chapter is not written to lead men to Christ. The fifteenth
chapter is written to us who are saved.
John 15: 7
(7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
When you abide, prayer
becomes effectual.
John 15: 16
(16) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.
You become fruitful if you abide.
It is talking about a believer’s life.
Now back to:
John 15: 1
(1) I am the true
vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
I don’t know if you will find this in any translation
or not, but I like it. The word “husbandman”
means “weed puller.” Every garden needs a weed
puller. And my Father is the One who looks after
the garden. Do you remember what the definition of “a weed” was, when you went
to school? What did they say a weed was? A weed
is a plant in a wrong place.
If I have a wheat field, and if I get oats in a wheat field, the oats
become weeds.
There is nothing wrong with oats, but if they are in
the wrong place,
then they are weeds. What else do you know about
weeds? Weeds hinder
fruitfulness. You take out the weeds, so that
your garden will produce more fruit.
I go back to the days on the old farm, back in 1938 –
the last year I farmed. That is a long while ago isn’t it! Back in 1938 you
could look over a field, and it looked like a good
crop. You could go around the field once with the combine, and look up into
your hopper, but there wouldn’t be much there,
so you would look closely and find that the field had what we called “stink weed” (French
weed). It didn’t kill the crop, but it sure brought
down the yield. A crop that should have been fifty bushels to the acre, would turn out to be twenty bushels to the acre – because of the weeds.
A lot of Christians have weeds
in their life. What are they? Things out of place! Let me
illustrate:
Illustration
Did you know that hockey
can become a weed in a Christian’s life? There
is nothing wrong with hockey. It is like oats in a wheat field. Let me put it
this way. There is a boy in school, and he thinks
hockey, and he sleeps hockey, and he eats hockey. All of his mind is connected with hockey, and he doesn’t do his school work. Well, what
has it become? – For him, it has become a weed
in his life.
There are Christians who get wrapped up with lesser things. There is
nothing wrong with them in themselves, but they can hinder
fruitfulness. And I think every one of you can
understand what I am talking about.
Television has it’s place, but I know
from my own experience, that it can hinder my fruitfulness. There are things that are good in
themselves, but they can hinder your fruitfulness. Listen, my Father is the Weed Puller. The problem with us is, we see the weeds in the other
fellow’s patch. I see the weeds in yours, and you see the weeds in mine. And so I go and pull the weeds out of your life, and I disturb the roots. And you pull them out of my
life.
Illustration
Do you remember me telling you about a brother who was
saved when I was in Regina. I preached, and I never said one thing about beer.
He was drinking beer. He drank six beers every time he was out on the tractor.
After he got saved, he went
out with his beer, and put a bottle to his mouth, and the smell of it hit him.
He threw that bottle in the field, and has never had one since!
Listen, I’d rather see that
happen, rather than me go and preach against
beer – wouldn’t you? Rather than telling people “you shouldn’t drink beer, and you
shouldn’t do this or that,” let the Heavenly Father pull the weeds!
Another wonderful thing
about a weed puller: Have you ever gone out in the Spring of the year? In the
Fall, the leaves of the trees die. Winter comes
and most of the leaves are on the ground. But
when you go out in the Spring, and there isn’t
any wind, you stand under a tree, and suddenly a leaf
will drop on your head. You look up and wonder where
that old leaf came from. What happened? Where did it drop from? If you look on
the tree, very closely, the new bud from within is starting to grow. And as
that new bud comes in, nobody has to pluck the old leaf off. The new
life from within just pushes it off. That is how
our Father wants to work in our lives. He doesn’t
want us to come and pull the weeds out of your life, and He doesn’t want you to pull the weeds out of my
life. Let the new life
of the Spirit within, work in you, so that the
new life within creates new leaves. Listen, when the Lord puts a new leaf on, you won’t complain!
Somebody says “I don’t want to become a Christian,
because I have so much to give up. When you get new leaves, you haven’t given up anything
when the old ones drop off. It is the Heavenly Father who is the Weed Puller.
John 15: 2
(2) Every branch
in me that beareth not fruit the DEVIL taketh away.
NO – it doesn’t say that.
Every branch in me
that beareth not fruit HE taketh away.
If you are IN HIM, and
you are no longer
going to produce fruit, the Bible says He is
going to take you
home. Do you know why
you are here right now? God still sees the possibility of fruit in your life. If there was not going to be any fruit in your life, it would
already be gone – because every branch that will not
bear fruit, He is going to take it home. So you are here to bear
fruit.
And every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Illustration
Can I illustrate that? When we were living in Regina,
I used to plant my tomato plants on the south side of the house, and then we
would take off for camps. Those tomatoes would grow right up to the sill of the
house – eight to ten feet high. I had the greatest
tomato plants in
The first time I learnt anything about pruning, I was devastated. Here I had these beautiful
plants and when the gardener got finished with them, it was a mess!
If you want to have fruit
of the Walnut tree, there is a certain time in the season where you have to
take a big stick and pound it on the tree. Why do you pound it? – Because you
hate the tree? – No! - You want fruit. Why do you prune
tomatoes? – Because you don’t want leaves, you
want fruit. Why do you prune trees? - You don’t
want leaves – you want fruit.
Have you been having a rough time lately? Every branch
that beareth fruit, He purges.
He does it. He is
the one who does it. And so you pray “Lord, I want patience. My kids are
getting to me, and I need patience.” So the Lord sends you tribulation, and you wonder what has gone wrong. Here He
just starts doing what you are asking for. Tribulation
worketh patience. If you start knowing the Book, then you will understand. But isn’t it wonderful to know you are in His hand? Isn’t it wonderful to know God wants fruit in your life? And every branch that produces
fruit, He is going to purge it, so it will bear more fruit.
John 15: 3-6
(3) Now ye are
clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
(4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
(5) I am the vine,
ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(6) If a man abide not in me,
Now don’t change the
meaning! Don’t say that the one verse is
talking to a Christian, and the other is not! That doesn’t work. Verse 4 – what does it mean “to abide?” – “to walk with God,” that is what it means. Be Spiritual, be on the narrow
path. That is what “abiding” is.
Verse 6 says: if a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch
He is still a branch, but
he is a withered branch. What do you know about
a withered branch? – It dries up. Have you ever
felt Spiritually dry?
Do you know what it is to become Spiritually dry? If you don’t walk with God, you are going to dry up. You are going
to become withered. And then what? – The Lord takes them and casts them into HELL. That is how
it is read, but that is not what it says. It
says MEN.
(6) And MEN gather them, and cast them into
the fire, and they are burned.
What in the world can that mean? I’ll put it this way,
and I think the illustration fits.
Illustration
Here is a Christian who isn’t
living as a Christian should. And here is his neighbor, and the neighbor knows
that he himself is not saved.
And he looks at the Christian and says “If I am going to burn (to go to Hell) –
so is he. Have you ever heard that? Men start
comparing themselves with men. They come along and say “You have nothing more than I have.” So
it is men who do the casting away. What happens?
– Your testimony isn’t worth anything. If you don’t
walk with God, and you talk to somebody about God – it doesn’t work! You have
the Old Testament to illustrate this.
You have the story of
The day came when
When it came time for him to testify, when it came
time for him to leave, his sons-in-laws mocked.
They wouldn’t listen to him.
Listen Christian, if you abide
in Christ, and walk with Christ, and enjoy Christ, and enjoy the fruit of the Spirit, you are not
going to be ashamed when He comes. And more than
that, people are going to listen to your testimony.
I told you earlier about this dear soul who was with
me arranging a funeral. She said “can we have coffee?” She sat across at the
table, and to the Glory of God I tell it. That woman said “Today we have
witnessed something genuine about your faith.” I like
people telling me that.
Brother Bob Larden and I walked into the Bamboo
Terrace, some years ago. It has happened about three times in my life, for
which I give God praise. As we walked in, a man who we had never seen before, and haven’t seen since, stopped us
and said “You men are Christians aren’t you. I
felt ten feet tall – thanking the Lord. We hadn’t said a word, we just walked in, and he knew we were
Christians.
On one occasion we were on a train and the same thing happened. I
wasn’t reading my Bible, I wasn’t doing anything to make anything manifest. And
a man came and sat down and said “I think by the look of you, you are a Christian. I praise God. I’m giving God praise for
that. I think, somehow we ought to live, so the world can look at us and know we are Christians. That’s
abiding.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
7.
Walking In The Light 1 John 1: 7 |
7.
Walking In Darkness 1 John 1: 6 |
7. Path Of Spirituality – Is
Walking In The Light
1 John 1: 7
(7) But if we walk
in the light
What is Spirituality? Spirituality is walking in the light.
We have fellowship walking in the light.
In 1966, or there about, Anne and I had one of those
glorious days of visitation, that we will never
forget. First of all, we went out to a place called Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan to
visit brother Gillett, who was there because of TB. I’ll never forget that
gracious day. We went to encourage him, and that man encouraged us.
We went from there to Moose Jaw, to the Ina Grafton
Gage Home, to visit a dear old soul. She was well into her seventies, if not
into her eighties. Here was this dear sister Carter. She was working without any glasses, on
the finest needlework. And my wife said “Sister Carter, at your age! Can you still do work like that without glasses?” And
she said “Sit down and let me tell you a story.” Oh, it was blessed!
She said “When I came into this home, I thought my
days of service for the Lord were gone, but I
started reading the Bible to the ladies, and I’m
glad to tell you that two or three of them accepted the Lord, and they are now with the Lord.
One day I sat down, and I went to read my Bible, and I
had gone blind. I couldn’t see my Bible. So
rather than telling the ladies, and disturbing them, I just said “We will quote
the twenty-third Psalm today.”
Then I asked one of the ladies to help me back to my
room. I sat right in this chair and I said “Lord, I have been serving you all
of these years, and without my sight, I don’t know that there is anything else
that I can do, you might just as well take me home.” The Lord gave
her sight back, better than she ever had in her
life! She is now almost ninety years of
age. And I bear witness that we were watching her with that needlework.
It was such a delight to sit with that woman. This may
shock you – she wasn’t even Pentecostal. She was
What I’m getting at is, this woman was enjoying special fellowship with
the Lord. People who walk in the light, don’t
stumble as easy as people who walk in the dark. If you walk in the light you won’t stumble.
Now to the other side.
7. Path Of Carnality – Is Walking
In Darkness
1 John 1: 6
(6) If we say that
we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.
It doesn’t say we are not in
the truth – but it says we do not the truth. You can know where
you are walking, by what
you are doing. If we walk in the light – that is the path of Spirituality.
If we walk in darkness – that is the path of carnality.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
8.
Walking As Wise Ephesians 5: 15 Abraham Romans 4: 13 Hebrews 11: 15 Abraham did not go back He is listed in
Hebrews 11: Daniel – Wise Daniel 1: 8 Joseph – Wise Genesis 39: 9 1 Corinthians 13: 12 Living in the light of THEN |
8.
Walking As A Fool Ephesians 5: 15 Lot 2 Peter 2: 8 Vexed daily Lost his family Lot not listed
in Hebrews 11 Who would you rather be now?
-- Lot or Abraham? Amnon – Fool 2 Samuel 13: 13 1 Corinthians 13: 12 Living in the light of NOW |
8. Path Of Spirituality – Walking
As Wise
8. Path Of Carnality – Walking
As a Fool
We have the two in one verse
Ephesians 5: 15
(15) See then that
ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.
See the two things in there? That is not written to the unsaved. That is written to believers. We are either walking as wise, or we are walking as fools.
I have an illustration that I already mentioned –
Abraham and Lot – two believers. Abraham sought
a city whose builder and maker was God. Lot put
all that he had in Sodom. Do you know where
everything that
One day when I was shaving, I was thinking of this
verse:
1 Corinthians 13:
12
(12) For now we see through a glass
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known.
The words “now” and “then” stuck out. How you walk now
is going to have a bearing on “then.” And would
to God that we could live now, with our sight on
then. You see, both Abraham and Lot have left their “now" and
have gone to their “then.” One of these days, we are going to move from now
to then. What is going to matter then? What is going to count
then? – the path we
have walked.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
9.
Walking Worthy Of
God 1 Thessalonians 2:
12 Ephesians 4: 1 |
9.
Walking – Not Worthy,
Not Uprightly Galatians 2: 14 Romans 2: 24 |
9. Path Of Spirituality – Walking
Worthy of God
1 Thessalonians 2:
12
(12) That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called
you unto his kingdom and glory.
Ephesians 4: 1
(1) I therefore
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called.
We are called to be the extension of Jesus. We are to abide in Him, so that the unbelievers can see the light of Christ in us. Every one of us is here
for no other reason, but to preach the Gospel. How can we preach to others if we do not
have a good testimony? We keep our testimony pure,
for the
As we live uprightly,
we have unbroken fellowship
with Him, and our prayers flow easily. We have the most exciting, abundant life
NOW.
9. Path Of Carnality
–Walking, But Not Worthy, Not Uprightly
Galatians 2: 14
(14) But when I
saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them
all, If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews.
Romans 2: 24
(24) For the name
of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you,
Not living uprightly, not living worthy of God. This hurts your testimony to the unsaved,
as well as being a stumbling block to baby Christians. Your words are overridden by your actions.
You have heard the old saying “Do as I say, and not
as I do.” For example: You cannot sit in a bar drinking, and talk about the Lord of Deliverance. You cannot be totally stressed out in a
situation – and talk about the Peace of God. And,
because you are not abiding
in Him, you do not have a glowing fellowship
with him.
Living carnally harms your prayer
life. It is not the Lord
that retreats from you, but it is you that retreats from Him.
Because you feel shame, instead of running to God in prayer, you hide
from God like Adam did in the garden. It is a downward spiral from there.
You no longer talk to God, and you block out God
talking to you. His Voice gets fainter and fainter.
Because of your shame and guilt, you are no longer sensitive
to His Voice. You don’t feel comfortable in the
world, and you don’t feel comfortable with other Christians - and you become most miserable.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
10. Walking Honestly 1 Thessalonians
4: 12 2 Corinthians 8:
21 |
10. Walking Disorderly,
Busybody 2 Thessalonians
3: 11 |
10. Path Of Spirituality – Walking
Honestly.
1 Thessalonians 4:
12
(12) That ye may
walk honestly toward them that are without,
and that ye may have lack of nothing.
2 Corinthians 8:
21
(21) Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
Being led by the Spirit
of God in all things, is the most wonderful
feeling a person can experience. Being sensitive
to the urging of the Holy Spirit is the most comforting way to walk with the
Lord. You live in peace and contentment.
For example, you decide to do a certain thing that
seems right to you. But, for some reason you do not have a peace in your spirit. You continue to seek
the Lord, and up pops the answer, and you go in the direction He is leading. And instantly, when the right decision
is made, you have Peace.
Oh how wonderful is
that peace. The more you walk this way, the more you will sense it when you are headed in the wrong direction, and the
more you walk this way, the faster you will recognize
it. You can experience that continual, abiding peace as you walk in honesty
before Him.
Let’s go to the other side.
10. Path Of Carnality – Walking
Disorderly, Busybody
2 Thessalonians 3:
11
(11) For we hear
that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
For some reason, a lot of Christians don’t recognize that they are busybodies. I am sad to say
that even prayer requests can be turned into a gossip session. The Lord speaks
much on keeping the tongue under control. If you have been one who has been on
the end of cruel gossip, then you know how
painful it can be. Don’t do it!
Do not compare yourself with others
– compare yourself with Christ only. Stay off the phone, and use that time to be in
the Word of God. Respect those who have been placed over you. Hold your pastor
up in prayer always, and listen to what he has to say, if he is true to the
Scriptures.
Do these things and you will experience contentment and joy. If you stay on the path of carnality, you will be vexed
daily. You will have no
peace.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
11. Fool For Christ 1 Corinthians 3: 18 |
11. Just A Fool Luke 12: 29 Psalms 14: 1 |
11. Path Of Spirituality –
Fool For Christ
1 Corinthians 3:
18
(18) Let no man
deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
We are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and
hide our light under a bushel. The Spiritual Christian will be ready to say a
word in season. He will wait for the Holy Spirit
to open the door, and then he will walk through that door. He will then see the
fruit of his labour. Many then will say he is a fool. But a Spiritual Christian will gladly be a fool for Christ.
11. Path Of Carnality – A
Fool!
Luke 12: 20
(20) But God said
unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou has
provided?
Psalms 14: 1
(1) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have
done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
The Bible is full of examples of foolish men – men that do not
believe in God, and His only begotten Son. God says he is a plain fool!
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
12. Saving One’s Life Luke 9: 23-26 |
12. Losing One’s Life
(not soul) Luke 9: 23-26 |
12. Path Of Spirituality – Saving One’s Life.
12. Path Of Carnality – Losing One’s Life -- (not soul)
Luke 9: 23-26
(23) And he said
to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
(24) For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
(25) For what is a
man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
(26) For whosoever
shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own
glory, and in his Father’s and of the holy angels.
These verses are talking about living the abundant
life now. We have talked about being a disciple
– following after Christ. We have talked about abiding in Him. And we have talked about walking the narrow path.
These verses are talking to the believer. If the believer
walks the carnal path, he loses his life, but not his soul. He is saved, but
he loses out on the abundant, peaceful, joyful life that he could have right now. He is vexed in his spirit. He has no peace. That is what it means to lose
your life.
But if a Christian walks the Spiritual
path, this abundant, peaceful, joyful life is experienced right now. He has close fellowship with God right now!
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
13. Growing Up To
Full Age Hebrews 5: 11-14 |
13. Remaining A Babe 1 Corinthians 3: 2 |
13. Path Of Spirituality –
Growing Up To Full Age
Hebrews 5: 11-14
(11) Of whom we
have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
(12) For when for
the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
(13) For every one
that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
(14) But strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
When a two-year-old acts like a two-year-old, that is full-grown. But when a twenty-year-old acts like a
two-year old – that is not full grown. That is a
babe. The Spiritual Christian is a disciple who
studies the Word of God. The Spiritual Christian becomes a teacher, and a
leader of others. He is enthusiastic about
applying the Word to his life, and passing it on to others.
He lives in harmony with other Christians, and
displays the fruit of the Spirit (Love), and all that goes with it. He is quick to apologize when he is wrong,
and gentle with those who are struggling. He is mature!
13. Path Of Carnality –
Remaining As a Babe.
1 Corinthians 3: 2
(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.
Sad to say, many Christians who have walked with the
Lord many years, are still babes in Christ. Why
are they still babes? – They have not studied the Word of God for themselves.
They have not grown
up. They may want to receive, but are not willing to apply it
to their own lives, and pass the teaching on to others. They are basically lazy.
They always phone the pastor to pray for them – never praying for themselves or
others. They need to be reminded, continually, of the basic
principles of the Gospel.
They have not grown from the time of Salvation. It is so sad. What a
wasted life that is! They lose out on so much. A babe is hurt very easily, not having understanding for the real babes
who are just starting out. They are
basically interested in themselves only, and not others. These Carnal Christians, have
many times, burnt out their pastor. He is so busy attending to the carnal
Christian, that he has no time for the things he is really called to.
|
Path Of Spirituality |
Path Of Carnality |
|
14. Rewards 1 Corinthians 3: 14 Paul 2 Timothy 4: 6-8 |
14. Suffering Loss 1 Corinthians 3: 15 Demas 2 Timothy 4: 10 Matthew 6: 19-23 |
14. Path Of Spirituality –
Rewards
1 Corinthians 3:
14
(14) If any man’s
work abide which he hath built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward.
2 Timothy 4: 6-8
Paul
(6) For I am now ready to be offered, and the time
of my departure is at hand.
(7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
(8) Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
We spoke extensively on this subject when we looked at
the contrast between Salvation and Service.
14. Path Of Carnality –
Suffering Loss
1 Corinthians 3:
15
(15) If any man’s
work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.
Demas
2 Timothy 4: 10
(10) For Demas
hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto
Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia,, Titus unto Dalmatia.
Matthew 6: 19-23
(19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
(20) But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do
not break through nor steal.
(21) For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
(22) The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
(23) But if thine
eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Again, we talked about this in the contrast between
Salvation and Service.
You walk with God and
you will grow up. You will grow in Grace and
knowledge. You will have the abundant life that words cannot adequately describe, and the peace of God that passes all understanding.
It is never too late to stop
living carnally, and start living Spiritually. Look at Peter. The Lord loved him. The Lord loves you.
He is for you, He is not
against you. Ask
the Holy Spirit daily to help you. That is a
prayer that will never be
denied! Ask for God’s wisdom.
He promises to give it to you liberally. Ask the
Lord to make you sensitive to His leading – and
then believe that He is guiding you. The more you take His leading, and the more you live uprightly, the more
you will hear his
Voice.
There are times when you will miss
His leading. When that happens – go to the Lord with it – and continue – don’t give up. It is a daily thing. The more
you step out in faith, the easier it will get, and one day you will realize “Wow,
Glory to God, I am changing day by day. Thank
you Lord!”
I
pray that this study on Salvation has sunk deep into your spirit. May the Lord
richly bless you, as you abide and grow in Him.
The End