Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: Some of you are trying to change your spouse, and I come to let you know you can’t do it. You are not the change agent. The Holy Spirit has a power that can change anybody. You don’t have the power to do anything but get on somebody’s nerves.

Guest (Male): Hello and thanks for stopping by for today’s Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Sheppard. Wherever you are, however you may be listening, thanks so much for making us part of your day.

Jesus never tried to force the people around him to change. He didn’t nag, he didn’t manipulate, he simply shared the truth and trusted God the Father to do the rest. As we continue our journey through the book of First Corinthians today, remember we are powerless to change our spouses, our children, even ourselves. Only God can do that.

Stay tuned for the message, but don’t forget you can always visit pastorpaul.net for any of our recent messages on demand and get details about how to listen on your favorite digital platform. That’s pastorpaul.net. Now, let’s listen closely to Pastor Paul’s Destined for Victory message, Knowing the Mind of Christ.

Paul Sheppard: First Corinthians chapter 2, beginning with verse 1. When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing.

No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

As we continue to explore Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, his first letter to that congregation, we move into a chapter where Paul is going to reveal to us by giving his own testimony about his ministry among the Corinthians, two vital roles that the Holy Spirit played in his life and ministry. Those are roles that the Holy Spirit plays in the lives and ministries of all of us who are believers, which is why you must study such passages to understand he’s not just giving his own testimony, but he is also sharing with us the fact that these roles are typical of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

The first role he talks about is the role of the Spirit giving us power for effectiveness. Power for effectiveness. He talks about in the first five verses the fact that when he got to Corinth, he did not come with an emphasis on trying to be eloquent or show off his knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures or any such thing. He said, I resolved, I made up in my mind that I would know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And he did that, he said, so that there would be a demonstration of the Spirit’s power rather than men’s wisdom.

And I want to let you know that one of the roles the Holy Spirit will play in your life and in mine, as we open ourselves more and more to his work, is the role of empowering us to be effective for him, to do whatever he has called us to do with divine supernatural power. Now the Holy Spirit plays many roles in our lives. There is so much on the Holy Spirit’s job description, if you will.

For instance, it is the Spirit who brings you to Christ in the first place. Please understand that when you came to Christ, you came because the Holy Spirit made you realize that you needed salvation. That you were a sinner, that you were unfit to know God, to experience God, and certainly unfit to have an ongoing relationship with God. But that God loved you so much that he remedied that problem on the cross of Calvary and Jesus died for your sins and mine. It took the Spirit to not only share that truth with you, but then to convict you and to draw you into that relationship with God.

In fact, if you think back, I’m sure many of us could say I remember when I was convicted of my sins. I remember at age 12 when I realized I need to give my life to the Lord and I need to say yes to him at this stage in my life and begin my journey with the Lord because I had heard a message that struck me. Now I grew up in a pastor’s home and I knew the truth, heard it, went to Sunday school. Some of you went to Sunday school too and you grew up singing the little songs: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. And all of that, but there was no conviction until the Holy Spirit said, alright, now it’s time for you to come to faith in Christ for yourself.

Some of you remember where you were, what you were doing. You may remember what you had on when God finally got your attention. And when he said, I have you under arrest, come out with your hands up and come on into the kingdom of God. That was a work of the Holy Spirit. We don’t do that for ourselves. God does that for us by the power of his Spirit.

And while I’m on that point, let me encourage you who have unsaved loved ones and relatives and coworkers and people in your community, whoever it is that’s on your prayer list. Don’t give up praying for them because God knows how to reach everybody. God knows. He knows everybody’s private numbers. He knows everyone, he knows how to reach you when no one else can reach you. And I dare you to keep on praying. Keep on believing. Keep on asking God to draw them into the kingdom of God. God knows how to reach a person and make them understand their need for him.

That’s the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. And he does so many things. He gives us spiritual gifts so that we can serve God. He helps us cultivate spiritual fruit so that we can grow in our relationship with God. He does all sorts of things. Jesus said he would come and he would be a Comforter. He would be a one who comes alongside us to help us, to walk with us in our lives. And so we have got to learn that there are many works of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

But Paul here lifts up the work of him giving us power so that we can be effective in the things he’s called us to do. He said, I didn’t come trying to show off my knowledge or to be eloquent and impress people. I came, he said, in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. Now here is a man who would have been the equivalent of a PhD or a ThD, a doctor of theology, in our day. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He excelled as a Pharisee. He was a member of the Sanhedrin Council. The man was heavy. He knew the Old Testament law backwards and forwards.

And then he did his postgraduate work at the feet of Gamaliel, who was known to be the top scholar in the Jewish community in Paul’s day. And so here is a man who’s very heavy in his understanding. But he came to realize, like in the words of Zechariah 4:6, it is not by might, it is not by power, but it is by God’s Spirit that lives are changed, that souls are saved. And he said, when I came, I didn’t come saying I’m Dr. Paul and I’ve come to pontificate concerning theological issues. But rather he came in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling, depending upon God to give him the power to do what he was called to do.

I’ve come to let someone know that it is time for you to realize that you can’t do what you’re trying to do. Only God can get a work done that has eternal significance. If you are trying to minister to people in the power of your wisdom, it’s not enough. If you are trying to influence people to change their lives and do the will of God, it is not enough. If you are trying to make a difference for both time and eternity, if you want to leave your footprints in the sands of time and make a mark that will never be erased, you cannot do it in the power of who you are or what you know.

It will only happen when you learn like Paul to divest of your sense of I can pull this off, and to take your knowledge, God will bless your knowledge, take your wisdom, he will use that, but commit it to the Holy Spirit and say, I want you to use me. I want you to demonstrate your power through me so that lives can be changed forever. Paul said, I came to that town with the assignment to preach the gospel and to teach these folks. This was a pagan town for real. I told you as we opened the series that Corinth was so bad folks from other parts of the region would use their name to describe wild living and wild partying. They would say, we’re going to Corinthianize. We’re going to do the Corinth tonight.

This was the kind of city he went to and he knew there’s no way I’m going to grab these people’s attention if all I do is share with them what I know. But if I come depending on God, if I come saying Spirit of God have your way, the same Holy Spirit that fell on the Day of Pentecost and started an instant revival in the city of Jerusalem. That same Spirit wanted to use him to change lives. And I want to let you know the same is true in your life and in mine.

Guest (Male): Let’s pause right there for a quick timeout, but don’t go away. The second half of today’s Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Sheppard is coming right up. Well, words alone cannot fully express our gratitude to all of our listening friends and partners who financially support our media ministry. Your support will sustain this ministry during the summer months when giving often declines. Thanks for your generosity and the positive eternal impact it’s having in the world. To make a generous donation today, please visit pastorpaul.net or give us a call at 855-339-5500.

If you’ve ever tried and failed to change your spouse, it might be time to change your approach. Now let’s get you back to the rest of today’s Destined for Victory message, Knowing the Mind of Christ.

Paul Sheppard: Some of us are trying to get something done for God. We want to make this world better. We want to influence lives for the kingdom. We want to share our faith. We want to influence our family members. But you can’t do it in the power of who you are. Only when you learn to rely on the Spirit so that he uses you, but it is a demonstration not of how good you are, but of how powerful God is. Some of you are trying to change your spouse, and I come to let you know you can’t do it.

Got a word for you: you can’t do it. Can’t do it. You’ve been trying. Haven’t you figured it out by now? You are not the change agent. You are not the change agent. The Holy Spirit has a power that can change anybody. You don’t have the power to do anything but get on somebody’s nerves. I’m trying to help you now. You have your wisdom and your know-how and I’m going to get this thing done or else. It won’t get you the results you seek.

But I dare you to in weakness, fear, and trembling, turn that person over to God and say, Lord, first of all, love them through me. And then secondly, the things I wish they would understand, I pray that you by the power of your Spirit would speak to them, would deal with them. You’re not the change agent. People marry very often with very wrong assumptions. Not everyone, but many people marry with wrong assumptions. Generally speaking, women marry thinking men will change. There are exceptions, but that is a general rule that I’ve come to discover.

Many women marry a man as a project. Let me help you now. They marry a man as a project. You may not have thought about it on a conscious level, but when you think about it now, say, yeah, that’s true. I saw him as having potential. I saw him as having real potential. I thought I can do something with this guy. And you saw him as a project and you set out with the goal of saying, as soon as I get this straightened out, as soon as I teach him this, as soon as I train him in this area, as soon as I get this done, as soon as he gets rid of that false priority that will never work for me, as soon as this kinds of happen, these things happen, he will be just right.

And many of you have set out to do that. And sure, because of his love for you, perhaps there are some things that he has adjusted to accommodate you. Hopefully, if he’s walking in the word, he understands that the Bible calls him to dwell with his wife according to knowledge. He’s getting to know you and he has committed his life to you so he’s got to make some adjustments. You probably have run into some issues that you’ve been talking about until you’re blue in the face and you haven’t made any headway. That’s because you are not the change agent.

First of all, it may not need to be changed. You may need to change. Oh, I know you wish I’d move on to my next point, but not yet. Not yet. I’m going to park here a little while. Who told you that that had to change in the first place? And so it could be that as you start talking to God and saying, Spirit of God, I want you to control my thoughts, I want you to control my very desires. And if what I want is just a fleshly thing but it doesn’t glorify you, Lord, I want to change my heart and my attitude.

Because you’re not the change agent. Men have an internal switch that they can just hit. And you think this is still a conversation, but it’s over. You are going on talking, you are making your case, you are presenting your arguments, you have it all laid out, and you don’t know that five minutes ago he said, click. I’ve heard everything I want to hear about this. The game will be on in a few minutes. I’m trying to relax myself and so you are messing up my mindset, so I need to shut you out.

And the brothers would say amen, but you’re sitting here. So I’m speaking on their behalf. Hallelujah. You can’t change a person. You can sure get them to reason about some minor things, but there are some issues that only God can deal with a person about. And you’ve got to learn to give way to the Holy Spirit. Say God, demonstrate your power, you do what I can’t do.

Women sometimes marry thinking the man will change. Men sometimes marry thinking the woman will not change. Can we talk? See, when you’re dating a man, you’re giving him your time and attention and your focus. His ego gets stroked over and over and over again. He starts feeling like he’s the man cause you are always looking forward to talking to him. When he calls you or you call him, it’s a good conversation. You sound cheery and light and wonderful, and he feels good. My girl just called me. She’s jocking me all the time.

Call me in the middle of the day for no reason at all. We go out, she looks good, smells good, has on the clothes I like, everything is good. Life is good. And sometimes, my man thinks that’s going to be life for the rest of life. And he is in for a rude awakening. Because he doesn’t understand that you are on a mission. You have decided this is the time in my life, I’m going to get married. I have selected him, he doesn’t know it yet.

But I have selected him and I am now working this thing to get to the altar. So I know he needs my focus and my attention and what have you cause I’m on a mission. But he doesn’t understand that that’s a phase, that’s an aspect, that her perspective is going to broaden. And she is going to begin nesting after you get married and she’ll be concerned about some other things that she nests and gets ready for life together and eventually the children phase comes. And so, you know, you get pregnant and what have you, and the next thing you know, you’re coming in from work and she is there and all that little goo-goo that used to happen when you all were dating on the phone and you were getting all the attention, all that little special talking, all that little baby-baby words and sweetie and mmm-mmm, all that. Now you come in from work and that is going to some kid who doesn’t even have a job.

Doesn’t even have a job. Been laying around all day, being pampered, being cared for. Don’t even have to, I went to the bathroom, come hook a brother up. I’m ready to eat, feed me. I want your attention, smile in my face, kiss me all over my head. And the kid is getting it. And in some cases, you are not. And you are wondering what happened. And so you were set up. You were set up by your ignorance of not understanding that there are going to be phases in life.

And now you’re struggling with bitterness or resentment or whatever, and you’ve been trying to show her I need some time, I need some attention, I need to reconnect with you, I need to remember why I did all of this in the first place. And if you’ve been trying to preach that sermon and she has not been taking notes, you need to turn her over to the Holy Spirit. And say, God, I need you to say the things and to demonstrate your power in her life and speak to her about what it is you would have her to know so that we can minister one to another as you have ordained.

When you have tried it and messed it up, why not turn it over to God and see what he’ll do for you? And you will feel better, brother, you will sleep better. You will have peace when you really turn it over and allow the Holy Spirit to demonstrate his power through you to be a better husband. And then you can give your cares and concerns that you’ve not been able to make headway about, you can give them to the Lord and say, Holy Spirit, you do the work that only you can do.

You didn’t understand. This woman has been ahead of you the whole journey. Her thought process has been ahead of you the whole journey. You didn’t know you were getting married. She did. The whole journey. And listen, this started way back. This is Genesis. Do you not know, read the book. Do you not know that Adam was asleep and Eve was awake?

The Bible says God put Adam to sleep, took the rib, clothed flesh, and created a second human being. And breathed into her the same breath of life that was breathed into him. But now God has him under divine anesthesia while he performs this surgery and creates this new being who is softer and more beautiful and attractive in form than he is and all of that. And God got it all ready, and this woman was awake when he got Adam back up. She was already awake. He didn’t know, she already knew where they would live. She already understood that. She had been to Ikea, picked out colors, everything.

You know I’m being humorous to make the point that there are things we don’t understand as we deal with people. If you’re dealing with your children and you’re not able to make headway, turn it over to the Holy Spirit. If you’re dealing with issues on your job, issues in some area of your life, and you have been pushing and trying to use your might and your power, the Bible says there are some things that are only accomplished by a demonstration of God’s power. And I want to encourage you to turn those things over to God and let God be God in your life.

Guest (Male): Consider the people you love most: your spouse, your friends and loved ones. Instead of pointing out their need for change, point them towards the one who can do the changing. It just might make all the difference.

You’ve been listening to Destined for Victory and Pastor Paul Sheppard’s message Knowing the Mind of Christ. Thanks so much for being with us. Now, if you haven’t already downloaded our free mobile app, why not do it right now? Search Destined for Victory at the App Store and listen to any of our messages wherever you go.

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Paul Sheppard: And let me tell somebody that you keep asking God to have his way, but he can’t have his way because you are in the way. And as soon as you get out of the way through surrender and through saying, God, not my will but thine be done, you’ll see a difference in whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.

Guest (Male): That’s tomorrow in our continuing message Knowing the Mind of Christ. I hope you’ll join us. Until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.