Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day. This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

Just as there was a point in time when you were born physically, there was a time when you were born again into the kingdom of God. At that moment, you were justified. You were declared not guilty forever.

Now, who's responsible for justification again? That is a work of God alone. You and I can't do anything to be justified. That's what he does for us.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.

As Christians, we often struggle to understand the balance between God's sovereignty and our responsibility. If God is ultimately in control of everything, then is there anything really left for us to do?

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress examines our role in experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message. Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 2

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Just before we get started with today's message, I'm eager to draw your attention to a new resource created just for you. Not long ago, I commissioned our creative team at Pathway to Victory to help me put together an illustrated reference tool that traces the footsteps of Jesus through his earthly ministry. I've called it the Jesus Map. This beautiful multifolded brochure represents a collection of 52 key events in Jesus' life described in the four Gospels. This is a reference tool that will show you where these events happened and in what order they took place. And the Jesus Map is my gift to you simply for contacting Pathway to Victory.

Today, the quickest way to request your copy is to go online to ptv.org. In addition, to complement our current series on the Holy Spirit, I'd like to send you a book I've written called I Want More. This is a book that teaches you how to unleash the power of God's Holy Spirit in your life. If you've begun to feel like going to church is a chore, or if you struggle to defeat the repeated sins in your life, or if you find it difficult to read your Bible on a consistent basis, then my book is for you. Again, it's called I Want More, and a copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory.

We'll say more about these resources later in today's program, but right now it's time to get started with our study. Today, I titled my message with a question: If it's going to be, is it up to me?

Speaker 3

If you're a parent, you probably have been through this before. Your child has difficulty with a homework assignment and says, "Mom or Dad, can you help me out with the assignment?" And out of compassion, you agree to help out. Pretty soon, you find yourself being the one who's doing the homework assignment while your kid is off playing a video game. Has that ever happened to you before?

Or maybe you've had this experience before. You're a supervisor at work, and you give one of your employees a task to complete. A few days later, the employee comes back and says, "You know, I'm really not sure how to do this. Can you help me out?" And you, the supervisor, end up doing the task that you had originally given that employee to complete. If you've ever had one of those experiences, you are a victim of what managers call upward delegation. Upward delegation occurs when a subordinate gives back to a superior an assignment the superior has first given the subordinate.

You know, many times you and I are not just victims of upward delegation; we actually practice upward delegation, especially in our relationship with God. Many times, we try to give back to God a responsibility that He has given to us. For example, maybe in your small group or in your Sunday school class, there's a single mom in the class, and during the prayer request time, she says, "Please pray for me. The transmission in my car has gone out, and it's going to cost $600 to repair. I don't have the $600. Would you pray that God will send the money?"

And so, in your most sanctimonious, pious voice in that small group, you pray, "Oh Lord, you know that the cattle on a thousand hills belong to you, and we've got a dear sister in need here. Please, oh Lord, send this dear sister the $600 she needs. Amen." Now, the fact is, everybody in the group could have coughed up $50 themselves and paid for that woman's transmission. In fact, that's what James 2 says we're to do. If we see a brother or sister in need, we're to be the ones to help. If a fellow Christian is in need, we're the ones who are to help. We don't give that responsibility to God; He's given it to us.

Or maybe you have a relative who's not a Christian, and you really are terrified at the thought of them perishing in hell forever. You want them to be saved, and so you pray, "Oh Lord, please send the gospel to them somehow. Oh Lord, if you need to write John 3:16 in the scholarship so that they can read it, or one night when they're watching 'Dancing with the Stars,' miraculously change the station to 'Pathway to Victory' so that they can hear the Gospel and be saved." You say that's upward delegation. That's giving to God a task He's given to us. He said, "You're to be the one to take the gospel to that friend, to that relative."

One more example: tired of a mediocre Christian existence? Tired of being addicted to sin? You pray, "Oh Lord, I'm tired of living this way. Fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can experience the new life that you have for me." As wonderful as that prayer sounds, it's upward delegation. Because in our series on the Holy Spirit, we've seen that the responsibility for being filled with the Spirit is not God's responsibility; it's our responsibility.

And so today, we're going to talk about what we must do in order to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Now, of course, that brings up a question. Is there really anything that we can do to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God? See, Christians get confused on this subject. There are a lot of Christians who think that being filled with the Spirit is God's responsibility, when in fact, it's our responsibility. In fact, a lot of Christians really don't understand what works of God are totally His responsibility and what works of God are our responsibility.

So this morning, I want you to turn to John chapter three, and I would like us to look at three works of God that really are His responsibility and some that are our responsibility. John chapter three. The first and perhaps the most significant work that God does in your life is what we call the work of regeneration. Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit by which He makes those who are spiritually dead spiritually alive so that they can trust in Christ. That's regeneration. It means to give life to. Regeneration is the act of the Holy Spirit by which He makes those who are spiritually dead spiritually alive.

Do you realize that you and I will never trust in Jesus as our Savior on our own? Nobody who is a spiritual corpse ever wakes up one day and says, "You know what? Today I think I'd like to become spiritually alive." That is a work of the Holy Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us even the ability to believe in Christ. And you see that in John chapter 3. Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit, and He was talking about regeneration.

Jesus answered, look at John 3:5-6. "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Now, when He talks about being born of water, that's talking about physical birth, the water that's associated with physical birth. He said, 'If you want to be a part of the kingdom of heaven, you have to be born physically, that is, of water. But that's not enough. You need a second birth. You need to be born of the Spirit. Unless you are born of the water and the Spirit, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.'"

And then look at verse 8. "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." We have no control over when or upon whom the Holy Spirit is going to fall. We don't know whom the Holy Spirit has selected to regenerate. That is a mysterious act of God. You and I can do nothing to regenerate ourselves. It is completely a work of God.

Now, there's a second work that is completely of God, and that is justification. Justification is the act by which God declares us not guilty on the basis of our faith in Christ. Justification is the act; it's a judicial term by which God declares you not guilty on the basis of your faith in Christ. The moment you trust in Christ as your Savior, God declares you not guilty.

Let me illustrate it for you this way: what it means to be justified. Let's imagine, man, that you decide to take your wife to dinner at a very exclusive restaurant. You've been looking forward to the evening for a long time. You arrive at the restaurant, and as you're standing before the maitre d', you see a little plaque on that stand that says, "Jackets required." And you've come that evening; it's the middle of June in Dallas, Texas, and you're hot. You've come in some very nice but casual clothes. You see that little sign there, and you say to the maitre d', "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I needed to have a jacket."

And the maitre d' says, "Well, I'm sorry, but that's the policy of our restaurant. You can't come in unless you have this jacket." And you just protest about how unfair it is and so forth and so forth. The maitre d' says, "Well, you know what? You're not the first customer who's come in here without a jacket. We realize some people don't understand the policy, so we've made this provision. We keep a dirty old stinky jacket in the back that's never been dry cleaned before." No, they don't say that. But they say, "We keep a jacket in the back for people just like you who come in with the wrong clothes. And if you would like, you can borrow this jacket, and you can enter into the restaurant."

Now, at that point, you have a choice. You can, out of pride, say, "I don't want your stinking jacket. If you don't want me the way I am, you can do without my business," and you and your disappointed wife can walk out of that restaurant. Or you can humble yourself and say, "You know what? I really didn't understand the policy here, but I want to enjoy that meal. So I will accept that jacket. I'll put it on so that I can enter into the restaurant." The choice is yours.

Now, folks, it's the same way in our relationship with God. Listen to me. The Bible says none of us has the right spiritual clothes to get into heaven. The Bible says the best we do, our goodness, our righteousness, is like a filthy rag in God's sight. None of us has the right spiritual clothing to get into heaven. But God says, "You know what? You're not alone in that." The Bible says every human being has fallen short of the glory of God. And so I've made this offer. I've made this provision for you. God says, "If you would like, I will wrap you in the perfect righteousness of my Son, Jesus Christ. His righteousness can become your righteousness, and you are welcome to come in and enjoy your relationship with me forever."

Now listen to this. Just as there was a point in time when you were born physically, the Bible says there was a time when you were born again into the kingdom of God. At that moment, you were justified. You were declared not guilty forever. Now, who's responsible for justification? Again, that is a work of God alone. You and I can't do anything to be justified. That's what He does for us.

Now, there's one third work of God, one final work I want us to look at this morning called sanctification. Sanctification. One of the most popular series I ever preach anywhere at any time is how to know God's will for your life. Everybody's interested in that topic. How can I know God's will for my life? How many of you would like to know what God's will for your life is? Okay, how many of you are interested? Boy, you are so lucky you came today. Because today I'm going to reveal to you God's will for your life. It's found in Romans 8:28-29. Will you turn there? Romans 8:28-29. Here is God's will for your life.

Paul says in this well-known verse, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good." Now, unfortunately, most people stop right there. That's the only part of this section they know. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good." You know how most people interpret that? They interpret it to mean no matter how horrible something is that happens in my life, somewhere there's something good in there. And if I just look hard enough or wait long enough, I'll see the silver lining in the cloud. Isn't that how you've heard that verse taught? Isn't that how most people interpret this verse?

We know that God causes all things to work together for good. There's a silver lining in every cloud. That is not what this verse means. There are some things that happen to us that are so horrible, they're so terrible, there is no good in and of itself in that tragedy we experience. That is not what Paul is promising. We have to finish the verse here. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Now, you don't go to hell for writing in your Bible, okay? So I want you to do something in your Bible. I want you to circle the word "purpose," and then I want you to circle the word "good" in verse 28. I want you to draw a line between "purpose" and "good." These words relate to one another. What Paul is saying is everything that happens to you, the good, the bad, the ugly, God is using all of it to accomplish His purpose in your life.

And what is that purpose? This is going to surprise some of you. God's purpose for your life is not that you have a satisfying marriage. God's purpose in your life is not that you have a successful career. God's purpose in your life is not that you have a full bank account. God's purpose in your life is not that you be healed from every physical disease. No. His purpose for your life is verse 29: "For whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that His Son might be the firstborn among many brethren."

You see, God so loved Jesus. He was so enraptured by His Son Jesus, by His perfect obedience, by the love He had for His Father, by the way that He lived His life. God was so taken by His Son, Jesus Christ, that He said, "You know what? I don't want to just have one son. I'd love to have many children, many men and women that resemble the Son I love in the things they love, the way they act, the thoughts that they have." And so God's plan from the beginning was to redeem from fallen humanity a group of men and women that would become just like His Son, Jesus Christ.

And so God's plan for you was not just to save you, to rescue your soul from hell, but to transform you, to chisel in you, if you will, the perfect image of His Son. That's what sanctification is. Sanctification, if you want to write it down, is the perfect process by which God conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ. Becoming like Jesus Christ is a cooperative effort between God and you. It is a joint project. It is God who supplies the power. And God's power, through the Holy Spirit energizing our efforts, is what makes us like Jesus Christ. It's not all of God, and it's not all of us. It is a joint project.

I illustrated this to a former congregation one time this way. In my last church, before we built our new sanctuary, the pulpit was here, and it was surrounded by white carpet. All of the church carpet was white. Bill, you remember what it looked like in there? And one Sunday morning, in the middle of my sermon, I took out a bag of dirt, and I opened up that bag and I poured it on the white carpet. We had several heart attacks that morning when I did that. I mean, it was a mess down there.

And so after I let the effect wear off, I walked back and I had hidden behind here a vacuum cleaner. And so I brought out the vacuum cleaner, and I said to the congregation, "How many of you think this vacuum cleaner is capable of cleaning up this dirt?" Everybody raised their hand. I said, "Now, let me show you why you're wrong." And so I started pushing the vacuum cleaner across the dirt, and nothing happened. I said, "Why isn't this vacuum cleaner picking up the dirt?" And one of the brighter deacons in the group shouted out, "Because it's not plugged in." I said, "That's right. It's not plugged in. I mean, this vacuum cleaner, in and of its own strength, can do nothing to remove this dirt. It's just like our trying to remove the dirt from our life in our own effort. We can't do it. We don't have the power to clean up our own lives."

I said, "Now, how many of you believe the power of God is sufficient to remove all of the dirt and grime in your life?" Everybody raised their hand. I said, "Let me show you why you're wrong as well." And so I took the extension cord that had been plugged into the outlet, and then I took that socket, that open socket, and I said, "You know, there's 120 volts surging through this extension cord. If I put my finger in this socket, this is the last you'll see of the pastor." So there's a lot of power in here, but let me show you how insufficient that power really is.

And so I took that open socket and I knelt down and I started rubbing it all over the dirt. And of course, nothing happened. I said, "See, the power is insufficient to remove the dirt." And so it is with the power of God. It doesn't matter how powerful God is; God's power alone will not make you like Jesus Christ. God's power alone will not remove the grit and the grime from your life as a Christian. And then I plugged in the socket to the vacuum cleaner, turned it on, and started rolling it over the dirt, picking it up. And I said, "See, it is a cooperative effort between the power from the outlet that is surging through the vacuum cleaner. That cooperative effort is what makes the job complete."

That is the same way in our relationship with God. Human effort won't do it. Just like a vacuum cleaner not plugged into the outlet, God's power alone won't do it. Sanctification, becoming like Christ, is a joint responsibility. Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not.

Now, what does all of this have to do with the power of the Holy Spirit? Let me leave you with two principles this morning. I want you to write down, first of all, the purpose of God's power is transformation, not exhilaration. Think about that outlet that I had plugged into the wall. What was the purpose of that power? It wasn't so I could stick my finger in the socket and get a buzz. Okay. It's the same way with the Holy Spirit of God. A lot of people think the reason the Holy Spirit exists is to give me, you know, spiritual warm fuzzies. To give me spiritual goosebumps so I can get into a worship service and say, "Oh, I feel that. Oh, that feels so good. Ooh, I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside." Many people think that's the whole purpose of the Holy Spirit, to make us feel good. That's not the purpose of the power of the Holy Spirit.

The reason the Holy Spirit's power exists is not so we can have exhilarating worship or miraculous answers to our prayers or anything else. The reason God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit is to accomplish His purpose in our life, to make us like Jesus Christ. Remember, the purpose of God's power is transformation, not exhilaration. And that leads to a second truth. The process by which we experience God's power is cooperation, not delegation. We don't say, "God, you fill me with your Holy Spirit." Now, we already have the spiritual generator, the Holy Spirit, living within us. It's our responsibility to access that power.

I like the way J.I. Packer, a great Christian writer, said it. He said being filled with the Spirit really means removing the boulders in our life that prevent the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Again, using the generator idea. You already have the spiritual generator in your life if you're a Christian, the Holy Spirit. But for the Holy Spirit's power to flow into your everyday life, you have to understand that there are some conduits, some channels through which the Holy Spirit's power flows through our life. And in the weeks ahead,

Speaker 2

Nothing will transform your walk with God any more than learning to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And there's much more to learn as we continue this series on the pathway to Victory. Now, as I mentioned earlier, we've prepared a number of resources to help you take your next steps. The first is requesting a book I've written called *I Want More*. If you're ready to let the Holy Spirit's power flow through your life, this book is for you. You'll discover why God has given you a relentless hunger for something more. I'll expose common misunderstandings about the Holy Spirit. And together we'll take an eye-opening look at the Spirit's role in your worship.

When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll be pleased to send you a copy of my book called *I Want More*. In addition, I'll include the resource called the Jesus Map. It's a beautifully illustrated reference tool that traces the footsteps of Jesus throughout his earthly ministry.

And thank you for remembering that Pathway to Victory is heard on your station because people like you give voluntary gifts. Together, as a united family of listeners, we can push back against the powers of darkness in our country and in our world. For example, as a result of the generous outpouring of gifts from our listening family in recent months, God has allowed us to add a number of new television and radio stations, reaching far more viewers and listeners than ever before. Pathway to Victory is now heard in nearly every major city in America because of the generosity of listeners like you. So you can see that your gifts are truly making a difference.

Speaker 1

David thanks Dr. Jeffress. You can request the book *I Want More* along with a copy of the *Jesus Map*. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, give us a call at 866-999-2965 or visit our website at ptv.org. When your gift is $75 or more, you'll receive not only the book but also the Unleashed teaching series on both CD and DVD.

One more time, call 866-999-2965 or find us online at ptv.org. You could also write to us. Here's that mailing address: PO Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

One last thing: Dr. Jeffress is working on a new teaching series about miracles. If you have a story about God's supernatural intervention in your life, you can share it with Dr. Jeffress by emailing miraclestv.org.

I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us again next time when we discover the first of four conduits through which the Holy Spirit pours His power into our lives. It's a message called *How to Take a Spiritual Bath*. That's Wednesday on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here.

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