Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: Sometimes we followers of Christ are guilty of just wanting to be zapped into newness. Sometimes people just want abracadabra, new. We mean well, but that's not practical, and Paul writes a very practical letter here.

Guest (Male): One day we will be free from temptation, free from sin, and we'll be made new once and for all. But that's what the Bible calls glorification and it comes later on. Sanctification, on the other hand, happens right now and never stops until we meet Jesus face to face.

It is a lifelong process, and it requires us to be voluntary participants in the work God is trying to do within us. On today's Destined for Victory, we'll take an in-depth look at what sanctification is all about. We hope you can stay tuned, but just in case your schedule doesn't allow it, remember you can always visit pastorpaul.net to listen to any recent message. Now, let's listen closely to Pastor Paul Sheppard's Destined for Victory message, The Process of Becoming New.

Paul Sheppard: Newness requires intentionality on our part. Sometimes we followers of Christ are guilty of just wanting to be zapped into newness. Sometimes people just want abracadabra, new. We mean well, but that's not practical, and Paul writes a very practical letter here.

We love it. We love suddenlys. You read different passages and suddenly this happened. That's wonderful, and that's what happened in those instances you're reading about, but that doesn't suggest that everything is a suddenly. Sometimes it's a gradually, but it's always requiring intentionality.

Now, there are zap moments. I know people who were zapped away from things. I know people who went to a service and they prayed a deliverance prayer or whatever, and all I used to be a chain smoker and I couldn't stop myself, couldn't help myself, I left that service and I've never lit up again. Wonderful! You got a suddenly answer to deliverance. I know God does that. He's a powerful God.

But he doesn't do it for everybody. Some folk got to take their time, renew their mind, and the process is going to lead you away from nicotine. Amen. Same thing with drinking. I know some folk I used to drink regularly. I asked the Lord to deliver me and he took the taste of liquor out of my mouth. Wonderful! You got a nice suddenly.

Some other folk going to have to get there a different way. They'll still get there because God will bless us and God will help us. And those are just examples. Cussing, same thing. I used to cuss like a sailor. So now you don't cuss as much as you used to, but don't say God delivered you from cussing because unless you renew your mind, some stuff going to sneak up on you.

I need some real people. How many of y'all, you got to realize you haven't forgotten those words? You have not forgotten those words! There are some saints who can get you told real good if the right thing happened. They will cuss you so good you won't know whether you're coming or going when they get through with you.

Suddenlys do happen. We serve an amazing God who can do all kinds of things. But don't make the exception the rule. The exception is I suddenly got delivered from this or that or the other. Great when it happens. But the rule is I got to renew my mind and I got to intentionally put on some stuff.

We're going to walk through that through the remainder of the chapter as we work our way through Ephesians. Let me just talk about at least get to three habits we must develop right here in the text. Habits we must develop. And here is the first one: truth-telling.

Look at verse 25 of Ephesians 4. "Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body." First habit we must develop, Paul says, is truth-telling. We have to get used to being people who always deal in truth, never in falsehood.

That has to be developed. You know good and well that doesn't come naturally to people. When you were a kid, you learned how to lie just to cover some stuff. Come on. Did you eat the cookie? Uh-uh. Then why are there crumbs on the side of your mouth?

Nobody taught you that. That was the old man who was already manifesting. Three, four, five years old, already the old man is growing up pretty good. And the old man looks to do the first law of nature outside of Christ is self-preservation. And so we want to get away with stuff.

You've been wanting to get away with stuff all your life. So now that you're new in Christ, you got to renew your mind so that you can put on the new life. And what is that? The first habit I want to talk about from this passage is truth-telling. We have to get used to telling the truth. Whole truth, nothing but the truth.

You say some things I don't want to say. The Bible doesn't say you have to say everything you know. So free yourself right away. There's sometimes people ask me something and I don't want to tell them. Then don't tell them. But don't tell a lie! You don't like it, but I just said something that's good.

Sometimes you have to tell people I don't want to discuss that. Just because you asked me, I don't have to answer. Some of y'all feel under pressure. But they were asking me. So? I don't want to discuss that. Let's talk about something else. Why do you want to know? And even if you think you have a good reason for wanting to know, I don't have a good reason for wanting you to know. So I'm not telling you.

We got to put off falsehood. Get out of the habit of telling lies to cover something up real quick or to get somebody off your case. I just told them that just to get them off my case. Well, one of the things in this renewed mind living is I'm always living in the presence of God. So it's not about what they hear me say, it's about what he hears me say. So I need to get in the habit of telling the truth.

But Pastor, what if I slip sometimes? Don't believers slip? Yes, we do. We're not sinlessly perfect. And sometimes we slip. When you slip, call it a slip. Repent! Don't try to justify it. Don't try to cover it up. I messed up. God has a grace that covers mess-ups. And that's the only reason you saved, because he's the God of another chance.

Quit saying he's the God of a second chance. You don't even remember when your second chance was. He's the God of a second chance? Who knows when their second chance was? Let's come on, for real. I was probably about four when I blew my second chance. Don't laugh at me, you were three when you did yours. So he's the God of another chance.

And I write to you, little children, John said First John 2, that you sin not. That's God's goal for all of us. Next sentence: And if you sin, you have an advocate. See how practical the Bible is? God doesn't want you sinning. If you sin, you have an advocate. And he wants you to clean that up, clear that up, keep it moving.

Truth-telling is extremely important. By the way, when Paul says put off falsehood, the Greek word there implies every form of lying, every form of deception. It's not just a lie that comes out of your mouth. The Greek word translated falsehood here suggests disinformation or misinformation that was deliberately conveyed, whether vocally or not.

So it's like false information on your taxes. Oh no, Paul came for you. It's right here. He came for you. He came for you right there in your Bible. You're looking at it. That's just the IRS. God is looking! The IRS don't need to be in my business. God wants you to carry yourself in a certain way because you're a reflection of him.

And so it means things like that. It means like falsifying your resume. There you go. That's some good Christian folk. They know I either say amen or ouch. Because the word finds us where we are. It has to find us so it can bring us up to where we're supposed to be.

And you know the world we live in, people don't bat an eye about lying on a resume or work history, embezzling and embellishing various things. You can't get away with that in the eyes of God. You can get away with it among people. But our goal is to please him.

At the end of it all, the IRS is not judging you. At the end of it all, your friends are not judging you. The company you're trying to get a promotion for is not going to be your judge. At the end, he is going to be your judge. And so we have to put off falsehood, not only spoken lies, but all disinformation and misinformation that was deliberately given.

Guest (Male): We'll be right back with more of today's Destined for Victory message, so don't go away. If you are enjoying the audio ministry of Pastor Paul Sheppard, we know you'll love watching his full-length video sermons. Search Pastor Paul Sheppard at YouTube. Hit the subscribe button and you'll join thousands who every week receive fresh new video content.

As believers in Christ, we're called to be in the world without being of it, to engage the world without marrying it. What does that look like? Well, let's find out by listening in to the rest of today's Destined for Victory message, The Process of Becoming New.

Paul Sheppard: So, truth-telling. Back in 1991, I moved to California in '89, and in '91, I remember a book that came out. The authors were James Patterson and Peter Kim. The book was entitled The Day America Told the Truth. They did a huge national survey on private morals.

The participants were guaranteed total anonymity, and in turn, they made shocking confessions on their views of sex, crime, punishment, rape, all sorts of things. Murder. How much money could you get to murder somebody if you could be guaranteed not being caught? Stuff like that. I mean, they were digging in.

I remember when that book came out, and the amount they put in 1991 was the standard, the gold standard was ten million dollars. I don't even know if you wrote it today, you'd probably have to bump it up. People so greedy. Bump it up to fifty million dollars. What would you do for fifty million?

And the results were staggering. The book is probably you could probably still find it, at least in an old I don't know if it's still in active print, but you could probably find it: The Day America Told the Truth. It was eye-opening to tell you the least. For ten million dollars, some people are willing to do some pretty incredible things. I forget the number, the percentage of people who were willing to kill somebody for ten million dollars.

But they told the truth because of the anonymity. Nobody would find out that they were the one that filled out that survey. So, here is the thing: 91 percent of the Americans surveyed admitted to lying on a regular basis. 91 percent admitted, admitted, admitted.

The other nine, there were some who probably don't. Hopefully, some of our followers of Christ were among them. But there others, saved and unsaved, I'm sure even in the nine percent that said, "Well, what do you mean by regularly?" You're on a slippery slope when you're trying to finesse uncomfortable information.

91 percent of the people admitted to regularly lying, and many of them who were surveyed said that they were Christians. Not all, but probably whatever the percentage of Christian people who stated they were Christian in that day were also represented there. But most of them regularly lied is what this means.

We've got to understand God is serious when he says, "I am making you new people." You don't have to be intimidated by your surroundings because we are to be in the world but not of the world. I'm in the world but I don't have to act like the world. I'm in the world but I'm not to think like the world. I am to be transformed.

Remember Romans 12:1 says I beseech you, brothers, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your spiritual act of worship. Verse 2 says and be not conformed to this world. One paraphrase translation that was J.B. Phillips or one of the paraphrasers of the scriptures said don't let the world squeeze you into its mold.

And how many of us find ourselves being squeezed into a mold of expectations that if we're going to honor, we're going to have to displease people but we'll please the Lord. I told you a friend of mine said years ago, she worked on a job and she was doing reception work.

And so the boss came to her desk and said, "So-and-so keeps calling. I'm tired of talking to them, so next time they call, I need you to tell them I'm not here." She said, "I can't do that." He said, "Why?" She said, "Because you're here." Y'all see what I mean? He was trying to squeeze her into a mold of covering for his lie.

So now you got a believer who is being asked every time this man calls, tell him the boss isn't here, and the boss is there. She said I can't do that. She said but the only way I will tell him you're tied up, I will tell him you're doing something else because you are doing something else because you're not talking to him.

I'll tell him you're doing something... she said no, he said I don't even want him to know I'm here, tell him I'm not here. She said to the guy, true story, said to her boss, the only way I'll tell him you're not here is I will put him on hold, say hold on, let me see, and I'll give you a chance to go outside.

She told her boss that! I'll give you a chance to go outside. Once I know you're outside, I'll say sorry, he's not in the building. And he was flabbergasted. He never met anybody who cared about what they said. Now let me tell you something: she kept her job. Not everybody is guaranteed that same result.

We love the stories, "Oh, he got so convicted that he came, what must I do to be saved?" That would be wonderful. But how many know some folk could get fired because you wouldn't lie? You got to decide: is the job more important than pleasing God? Or do I go on and lose this job and say, "God, I did it to glorify you, and I believe you're going to open a door and make a way for me now that I've taken care of your business, I expect you to take care of mine."

And that's what you and I have to learn to do. That's the level we're being called to. We have to be married to truth-telling because it is the will of God. It's because of what God wants for our lives. It's not convenient. Sometimes it'll get you in a world of trouble. But you have to decide I would rather please God and suffer consequences elsewhere than to displease God and make heathens happy.

So, truth-telling. Second habit we need to develop according to this passage: anger management. I told you Paul was coming for you. Anger management. Look at verses 26 and 27, we're still in Ephesians 4. "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

If we're going to please God, Paul says we got to invest in and develop the habit of truth-telling. Don't lie out of convenience. Don't lie to get somebody off your back. Don't lie for any other reason. There is no legitimate reason for telling a falsehood, both verbally and also writing a falsehood or resumeing in a falsehood.

On top of that, he says now you got to deal with your anger in a way that pleases God. So what is he telling us to do? Manage it. How do you do that? Don't sin. First thing that tells you is anger in and of itself isn't sin. Everybody got that? Just because you're mad, "Oh, I'm in sin." No, you're not. You're angry. Anger isn't sin.

But there is a place, there is a border. And if you stay on this side, you're angry but you're not in sin. If you step over there, now you're in sin. All right, Pastor, where is that? It is where the anger is no longer focused on the issue that needs to be resolved. It is now gone beyond trying to resolve an issue. Now it's gotten personal, it's gotten ugly, it's gotten ungodly.

Guest (Male): We're so glad you stopped by for today's Destined for Victory message, The Process of Becoming New. You know, Pastor Paul often used to say that even after his preaching days were over, he wanted the Destined for Victory media ministry to keep sharing the Gospel all over the world. So, when he went home to be with the Lord just a year ago, his daughter, Alicia Greer, had already a clear idea of her father's wishes.

The first order of business was to express those wishes to you, our listening friends and partners. She has done just that many times in the last few months, but today, as we find ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year, Alicia wants to talk to you about the future of Destined for Victory and our commitment to keep Pastor Paul's legacy alive. So, Alicia, I'll let you take it from here.

Alicia Greer: Pastor Paul's media ministry is at a crossroads, and as executive director and as his daughter, I'm sincerely asking for your help. When my father went to be with the Lord earlier this year, you all showed such tremendous support, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you.

But recently, we experienced a change in one of our significant sources of funding, and that change has led to a deficit. So we need your help to keep Pastor Paul's teachings on the air. So we're asking you to prayerfully consider giving a gift over and above your normal amount to help us keep this teaching legacy alive. You can make a donation by visiting pastorpaul.net. Thank you so much for standing with us and keeping this mighty man of God's teaching legacy alive. God bless you.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Alicia. We really are so grateful for all that have already responded to this urgent need and thank you in advance for what you can do to help Destined for Victory continue to share the Gospel all over the world on multiple platforms. And as you give today, we have a great thank-you gift to share with you, one that will challenge you to persevere through life's challenges or unwanted changes.

Introducing our booklet, Keep Moving Forward. Drawing from Israel's transition from Moses to Joshua, this booklet will remind you that God has promised to go before you as your leader and your protector, even when you're facing new challenges. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to be more fully equipped to move confidently into the future God has prepared. Again, it's called Keep Moving Forward, our thank-you gift for your generous donation to Destined for Victory today. You can give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. Or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. And as always, you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, PO Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538.

Paul Sheppard: Paul says if we want to please God, put on the new self. The new self learns the habit of telling the truth, and the new self learned how to manage its anger. So he says don't sin. Don't let it go past the point.

Guest (Male): That's next time in our continuing message, The Process of Becoming New. Until then, remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.