Join Pastor Adrian Rogers in a deep dive into the essence of Christian life: living in victory through grace. In a world where grace might seem like a mere concept, Rogers passionately argues that it’s the driving force leading to a life of godliness and power. Aligning with Paul’s teachings, he explains how knowing your identification with Christ, reckoning this truth every day, and yielding to His will are essential steps towards spiritual emancipation. Enhance your understanding and appreciation of this profound truth as you learn to walk in newness of life and recognize your freedom and identity in
Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here’s Adrian Rogers.
SPEAKER 02 :
WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE. THAT MEANS THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT WE DO IN ORDER TO EARN OUR SALVATION. AS A MATTER OF FACT, UH, DWIGHT L. MOODY, WHO WAS AN EVANGELIST VERY MUCH LIKE, UH, BILLY GRAHAM, WHO LIVED IN ANOTHER ERA, SAID, HE, HE HEARD A MAN STAND UP IN A TESTIMONY MEETING, AND THIS MAN SAID, I’VE BEEN 42 YEARS LEARNING THREE THINGS. 42 YEARS LEARNING THREE THINGS. WELL, MOODY SAID TO HIMSELF, IF THIS MAN HAS BEEN 42 YEARS LEARNING THOSE THREE THINGS, I BETTER PAY ATTENTION. AND HERE’S THE THREE THINGS THE MAN SAID HE LEARNED. NUMBER ONE, I CAN DO NOTHING TO EARN SALVATION. NUMBER TWO, GOD DOESN’T REQUIRE ME TO DO ANYTHING. NUMBER THREE, JESUS HAS DONE IT ALL. WELL, THAT’S WONDERFUL, BUT IT DOESN’T TAKE 42 YEARS TO LEARN THAT. WE ARE SAVED BY THE SHEER GRACE OF GOD. BUT, LET ME SAY THIS, FOLKS, BECAUSE SALVATION IS A GIFT, AND IT ROOTS NOT IN THE MERIT OF MAN, BUT IN THE MERCY OF GOD, NOT IN THE GOODNESS OF MAN, BUT IN THE GRACE OF GOD. DOES THAT MEAN, THEREFORE, IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE HOW WE LIVE? WELL, PAUL PUTS THE DEATH TO THAT LIE. LOOK IN CHAPTER SIX VERSE ONE, WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN? THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND? AND THEN PAUL SAYS, GOD FORBID. THAT IS, ANY CHRISTIAN WHO IS SAVED BY GRACE, WHO CONTINUES TO LIVE A LIFE OF SIN, IS A DISGRACE TO GRACE. NOW WE ARE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, BUT AFTER WE’RE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WE NEED TO LEARN TO LIVE IN VICTORY. AND SO THE GRACE OF GOD IS AN INDUCEMENT TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE, AND IT ALSO SUPPLIES THE POWER TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE. NOW, WE’RE TALKING TO YOU TODAY ABOUT VICTORY, CONSTANT VICTORY, CONSCIOUS VICTORY, CONSPICUOUS VICTORY. ARE YOU READY FOR IT? NOW, THERE ARE THREE BASIC WORDS THAT I WANT YOU TO SEE TODAY IN GOD’S WORD IN THE PASSAGE THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US. AND IF YOU’LL GET THESE THREE WORDS DOWN IN YOUR HEART, YOU’RE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO WALK IN VICTORY. SO DON’T MISS IT. ARE YOU READY? LOOK IF YOU WILL IN CHAPTER SIX VERSE SIX, KNOWING THIS, UNDERSCORE THE PHRASE KNOWING. I HAVE A CIRCLE DRAWN AROUND IT IN MY BIBLE AND I ALSO HAVE IT HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW, KNOWING THIS. AND THEN SKIP ON DOWN TO VERSE 11, LIKEWISE RECKON ALSO YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN, BUT ALIVE UNTO GOD. UNDERSCORE THE WORD RECKON. FIRST OF ALL, THE WORD KNOWING. SECONDLY, THE WORD RECKON. AND THEN, FINALLY, I WANT YOU TO LOOK ON OVER TO VERSE 13, IF YOU WILL, AND UNDERSCORE THE WORD YIELD. NEITHER YIELD YE YOUR MEMBERS AS INSTRUMENTS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO SIN, BUT YIELD YOURSELVES UNTO GOD.” KNOW, RECKON, YIELD. NOW, JUST WRITE THAT ON YOUR HEART. GET THAT IN YOUR MIND. DON’T CHECK ME OUT. DON’T SAY, THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO ME. WELL, IT MAY NOT NOW, BUT NOW YOU LISTEN. KNOW, RECKON, YIELD. KNOW, RECKON, YIELD. RECKON, YIELD. NOW IF YOU WILL GET THESE THREE WORDS IN YOUR HEART, IN YOUR MIND, YOU’RE GOING TO LEARN THE SECRET OF LIVING IN VICTORY. AND AS GRACE ABOUNDS, RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL ALSO ABOUND. AND THAT IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL BECOME IMPARTED AND PRACTICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS IN YOUR LIFE. AND YOU WILL LIVE DAY BY DAY, WEEK BY WEEK, YEAR BY YEAR IN VICTORY THE KIND OF LIFE THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO LIVE AND PERHAPS HAVE NOT YET FOUND THE SECRET TO LIVING. NOW, I WAS PASTORING A CHURCH BEFORE I DISCOVERED THIS TRUTH. TO BE VERY HONEST, I LOVED THE LORD AND I WASN’T LIVING WHAT YOU WOULD CALL A, A BAD LIFE, BUT I HAD NOT REALLY LEARNED HOW TO WALK IN VICTORY. SO I WANT TO SHARE THESE THREE WORDS. NOW LET’S TAKE THE FIRST ONE. ARE YOU READY FOR IT? LOOK AT THE WORD NO. NOW THAT WORD NO DEALS WITH YOUR IDENTIFICATION WITH JESUS WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU. MAY I SAY THAT AGAIN? IT DEALS WITH YOUR IDENTIFICATION WITH JESUS WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU. NOW WHAT DOES IDENTIFICATION MEAN? HA, WELL, IT JUST SIMPLY MEANS THAT WE ARE IN JESUS. HE HAS ACTED ON OUR BEHALF. HE IS OUR REPRESENTATIVE, AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LORD JESUS HAPPENS TO US. HE CHOSE TO BE ONE WITH US. IT IS A TREMENDOUS BLESSING BECAUSE, YOU SEE, WHEN JESUS CAME TO THIS EARTH, SUFFERED, BLED, AND DIED, WE SUFFERED, BLED, AND DIED WITH HIM BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR US. NOW YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW THAT. NOTICE VERSES SIX AND SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER. LOOK AT IT IF YOU WILL, KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM. DO YOU SEE THE WORD WITH? THAT’S IDENTIFICATION. OUR OLD MAN, THAT IS THE OLD ADRIAN, IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, WITH JESUS, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN. FOR HE THAT IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN. NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, IT MEANS THAT WHEN JESUS DIED, HE DIED FOR ME. HE DIED AS MY SUBSTITUTE. HIS DEATH HAD MY NAME ON IT. I’VE TOLD YOU BEFORE ABOUT THE EARST WILD PASTOR OF OUR CHURCH, DR. ROBERT G. LEE, WHO WENT TO THE HOLY LAND FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND HE CAME TO THE PLACE CALLED CALVARY, AND THE, UH, GUIDE WAS GIVING A LECTURE, AND HE ASKED, HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HERE BEFORE? NOW REMEMBER, IT WAS DR. LEE’S FIRST TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND. DR. LEE LIFTED HIS HAND, AND HE SAID, WHEN WERE YOU HERE? HE SAID, TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO. TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO. YOU SEE, WHEN JESUS DIED FOR ME, I DIED WITH HIM. THAT’S THE REASON THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID IN GALATIANS TWO VERSE 20, I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. NOW HERE’S THE KEY TO THIS WHOLE THING. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE SEVEN, FOR HE THAT IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN. NOW YOU SEE, SIN HAS BEEN OUR TASK MASTER. AND, UH, SIN NOT ONLY HAS BEEN OUR MASTER, OUR DICTATOR, BUT ALSO YOU AND I HAVE A PENALTY THAT HAS TO BE PAID. ALL OF THE CHARGES THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST US, GOD HAS SUED US FOR DAMAGES, BUT ALL THOSE CHARGES ARE DROPPED WHEN WE DIE, WHEN WE DIE. SUPPOSE YOU’RE A SLAVE AND YOU HAVE A CRUEL MASTER AND HE OWNS YOU. HE TELLS YOU WHEN TO WAKE UP. HE TELLS YOU WHEN TO GO TO BED. HE TELLS YOU WHAT TO EAT. HE TELLS YOU WHAT TO WEAR, WHERE TO WORK, AND HOW LONG, WHAT TO DO. HE IS YOUR MASTER. BUT WHEN YOU DIE, HE’S NOT YOUR MASTER ANYMORE. YOU’RE DEAD. YOUR OLD MASTER HAS NO MORE CONTROL OVER YOU WHEN YOU DIE. NOW, OUR OLD MASTER HAS BEEN SATAN, AND THE FLESH, AND THE WORLD, AND THE CHARGES HAVE BEEN LEVELED AGAINST US. OUR SINS HAVE BROUGHT US INTO JEOPARDY. BUT FOLKS, IN JESUS, WE DIED. NOW, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU? YOU SEE, WE ARE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. WHEN JESUS DIED, I DIED. HIS DEATH HAD MY NAME ON IT. NOT ONLY DID WE DIE WITH JESUS, VERSES SIX AND SEVEN, BUT WE WERE BURIED WITH JESUS. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSES THREE AND FOUR, KNOW YOU NOT THAT SO MANY OF US, AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO JESUS CHRIST, WERE BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH? THEREFORE WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM INTO DEATH. WHEN, UH, JESUS WAS BURIED? I WAS BURIED. WELL, YOU SAY, WHY IS THE BURIAL SO IMPORTANT? DID YOU KNOW THAT THE BURIAL OF JESUS IS PART OF THE GOSPEL? AND PUT IN YOUR MARGIN I CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 15 VERSES THREE AND FOUR, PAUL SAID, FOR I DELIVERED UNTO YOU, FIRST OF ALL, THAT WHICH I ALSO RECEIVED, HOW THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, AND THAT HE WAS BURIED, AND THAT HE ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY, ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. NOT ONLY IS THE DEATH OF JESUS A PART OF THE GOSPEL, THE BURIAL OF JESUS IS PART OF THE GOSPEL. NOW IN BIBLE TIMES, WHEN A MAN WOULD DIE OR A WOMAN WOULD DIE, THE DEAD WERE PUT QUICKLY OUT OF SIGHT. THEY WERE BURIED. WHY DOES THE BIBLE SAY NOT ONLY DID WE DIE WITH JESUS, WE WERE BURIED WITH JESUS. BECAUSE, YOU SEE, JESUS CARRIED OUR SINS INTO THE GRAVE OF GOD’S FORGETFULNESS. THE DEVIL WOULD LOVE TO INTIMIDATE YOU WITH THE BONES OF YOUR OLD LIFE, BUT YOUR SINS ARE IN THE GRAVE OF GOD’S FORGETFULNESS. AND WHEN SATAN COMES LOOKING FOR THE OLD ADRIAN, HE SAYS, WHERE’S MY BUDDY ADRIAN? I HAVEN’T SEEN HIM FOR A WHILE. WELL, UH, HE’S, HE’S DEAD, SATAN. YOU DON’T HAVE ANY MORE POWER OVER HIM. WELL, WHERE’S HIS BODY? UH, I WANT TO TORMENT IT. YOU CAN’T TORMENT IT. IT IS BURIED. IT’S GONE. NOW, YOU SEE, LOOK, WE DIED WITH JESUS. WE WERE BURIED WITH JESUS, AND WE HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH JESUS. LOOK AGAIN IN VERSES FOUR AND FIVE OF THIS SAME CHAPTER. AND IT GOES ON TO SAY IN THE LAST PART OF VERSE FOUR, THAT AS CHRIST WAS RAISED UP FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. NOW JESUS HAD A LIFE THAT THE GRAVE COULD NOT KEEP. AND WHILE HE CARRIED MY SINS TO THE GRAVE AND LEFT THEM THERE, JESUS CAME OUT OF THAT GRAVE LIVING, RISEN, VICTORIOUS. AND WHEN JESUS ROSE FOR ME TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO, I ROSE WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. AND NOW THE BIBLE SAYS, I’M CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. THAT’S GALATIANS 2 20. NEVERTHELESS, I LIVE. YET NOT I, BUT CHRIST THAT LIVES IN ME. NOW, CHRISTIANS ARE NOT JUST NICE PEOPLE. THEY’RE NEW CREATURES. WE HAVE THE SAME POWER THAT RAISED UP JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD. WE HAVE THAT POWER IN US. WE ARE NEW PEOPLE. WE HAVE COME OUT OF THE GRAVE OF THE OLD LIFE. OUR OLD MASTER HAS NO MORE HOLD OVER US. THE OLD DEBT HAS NO MORE PENALTY THAT WE HAVE TO PAY. OUR SINS ARE BURIED IN THE GRAVE OF GOD’S FORGETFULNESS. AND THEN WHEN JESUS CAME OUT THAT EASTER MORNING OF THAT GRAVE, WE CAME OUT WITH HIM AND WE HAVE BEEN RAISED TO WALK IN A NEW LIFE. AUGUSTINE, FOR WHOM THE CITY OF SAINT AUGUSTINE IS NAMED, WAS A PROPHLEGATE, A SINFUL YOUNG MAN. HE LIVED WILD AND WICKED. HE HAD A MOTHER THAT WAS PRAYING FOR HIM. HER NAME WAS MONICA. ONE DAY AUGUSTINE GOT SAVED AND, AND HE WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREET AFTER HAVING MET THE LORD AND A PROSTITUTE SAW HIM. HE SAW THE PROSTITUTE FIRST. AND SHE WAS A WOMAN THAT HE HAD CONSORTED WITH, AND IT WAS A PART OF THAT OLD LIFE. SO AUGUSTINE JUST DUCKED HIS HEAD, CROSSED THE STREET, PUT HIS HEAD DOWN AND BEGAN TO WALK, DIDN’T WANT TO SAY A WORD TO HER. SHE RECOGNIZED HIM, AND SHE SAID, AUGUSTINE, HUH, AUGUSTINE, IT IS I. HE SAID, YES, BUT IT IS NOT I. AND KEPT ON WALKING.” WHAT HE MEANT BY THAT IS, THE OLD AUGUSTINE IS DEAD. I HAVE BEEN RAISED TO WALK IN A NEW LIFE. NOW FOLKS, THAT’S SOMETHING, THAT IS A FACT, AND YOU NEED TO KNOW IT. AND SO WHAT’S THE FIRST THING? KNOWING, KNOWING THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, THAT WE WERE BURIED WITH HIM, WE WERE RAISED WITH HIM. THAT IS AN F-A-C-T FACT. NOW YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW THAT. YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW THAT. THAT’S THE FIRST THING. THAT’S NOT VICTORY YET. BUT FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW THIS. YOU KNOW IT. I HOPE YOU KNOW IT NOW. I HOPE YOU BELIEVE IT. IT IS THE PRECIOUS DOCTRINE OF IDENTIFICATION THAT JESUS CHRIST GAVE HIMSELF FOR US AND HIS DEATH HAD OUR NAME ON IT, HIS BURIAL HAD OUR NAME ON IT, HIS RESURRECTION HAD OUR NAME ON IT. WHEN HE DIED, WE DIED WITH HIM. WHEN HE WAS BURIED, WE WERE BURIED WITH HIM. WHEN HE ROSE, WE ROSE WITH HIM. THAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF IDENTIFICATION. NOW, WHY DO WE BAPTIZE PEOPLE BY IMMERSION? WELL, LOOK AGAIN IN VERSES THREE AND FOUR, THEREFORE WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM INTO DEATH. THAT LIKE AS CHRIST WAS RAISED UP FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. FOR IF WE HAVE BEEN PLANTED IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH, WE SHALL BE ALSO IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION.” WHAT DOES BAPTISM TEACH? WHAT DOES IT SYMBOLIZE? THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. THAT BAPTISTRY IS A LIQUID TOMB. WHEN YOU GIVE YOUR HEART TO JESUS, WE TAKE YOU AND EMERSE YOU BENEATH THE WATER.” WE BURY YOU BENEATH THE WATER. WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM. THAT’S WHY YOU CAN’T CALL SPRINKLING BAPTISM. HUH, YOU CAN’T BURY A MAN WITH A FEW DROPS OF WATER ANYMORE. YOU COULD BURY HIM WITH A FEW GRAINS OF SAND. SUPPOSE I DIED AND YOU HAUL ME OUT IN THE CEMETERY AND SAID, NOW WE’RE GONNA BURY THE OLD PASTOR, PUT A FEW GRAINS OF SAND ON MY FORRED AND LEFT ME OUT THERE TO BAKE IN THE SUN. THAT’D BE DISGRACEFUL. NO, I, WE, WE, WE’RE, WE’RE BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM INTO DEATH. THAT LIKE AS CHRIST WAS RAISED UP FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. BAPTISM IS A PICTURE OF A DEATH, A BURIAL, AND A RESURRECTION. WELL, YOU SAY, WELL, PASTOR, IT, IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER. IT’S, IT PICTURES JESUS. JUST ANY OLD PICTURE WILL DO, OH? SUPPOSE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A PICTURE OF MY WIFE, AND SAY, ADRIAN, YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF JOYCE? AND I PULL OUT A PICTURE OUT OF MY BILLFOLD. MAYBE IT’S A PICTURE OF A, A RACING BOAT, OR A FIRE HYDRANT, OR A POLO PONY. YOU SAY, IS THAT, IS THAT JOYCE? DOESN’T LOOK LIKE HER. I SAY, WELL, ANY OLD PICTURE WILL DO. NO, LISTEN, IF THERE’S ONE MESSAGE THAT THE DEVIL WOULD LIKE TO TAKE OUT OF THE CHURCH, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE? JUST ONE. IF HE HAD TO SAY, THERE’S JUST ONE MESSAGE I WANT TO TAKE OUT OF THE CHURCH, IT’D BE THE GOSPEL MESSAGE, THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. AND THAT IS WHY EVERY TIME SOMEBODY GETS SAVED, WE PUT THEM IN THAT BAPTISTRY, PUT THEM BENEATH THE WATER, RAISE THEM UP OUT OF THAT WATER. THAT PICTURES OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST. WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM INTO DEATH. THAT LIKE AS CHRIST WAS RAISED UP FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. NOW FOLKS, THAT IS A FACT. YOU KNOW IT. BUT NOW LOOK, WHAT’S THE SECOND WORD? RECKON. FIRST WORD, KNOWING. THE SECOND WORD IS RECKON. LET’S LOOK AT THAT SECOND WORD NOW. AND IF KNOWING DEALS WITH OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH JESUS, RECKON DEALS WITH OUR APPROPRIATION OF JESUS. NOW, YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR IDENTIFICATION BEFORE YOU CAN MAKE THAT APPROPRIATION. THIS FOLLOWS ONE, TWO, THREE. NOW LOOK, IF YOU WILL, UH, AT THE SCRIPTURE HERE, AND HE SAYS THIS IN VERSE 11, LIKEWISE RECKON YE ALSO YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN, BUT ALIVE UNTO GOD. NOW THE WORD RECKON HERE IS A BOOK-KEEPING TERM. WHAT IT LITERALLY MEANS IS THAT YOU COUNT ON IT, NOT BECAUSE YOU FEEL IT, UH, NOT BECAUSE YOU GUESS ABOUT IT, NOT BECAUSE YOU DESIRE IT OR BECAUSE YOU IMAGINE IT, YOU RECKON ON IT BECAUSE IT IS TRUE. THIS WORD RECKON MEANS COUNT ON IT. THIS WORD RECKON MEANS CALCULATE UPON IT. RECKONING IS NOT JUST CLOSING YOUR EYES AND PRETENDING IT TO BE TRUE. IT IS ACTING BY FAITH, ACTING ON WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE TRUE. IT IS APPROPRIATING WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE TRUE. NOW, IF YOU HAVE SOME MONEY IN THE BANK, AND YOU GET YOUR BANK STATEMENT, AND IT SAYS YOU HAVE X NUMBER OF DOLLARS IN THE BANK, THEN IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE MORE. OR IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU HAVE ANYTHING, YOU JUST LOOK AT THE BANK STATEMENT AND YOU RECKON ON THAT. NOT A MATTER OF FEELING. YOU KNOW, SO MANY OF US WANT TO SAY, WELL, WHETHER I FEEL VICTORIOUS OR NOT. HEY, FOLKS, YOUR FEELINGS ARE THE SHALLOWEST PART OF YOUR NATURE. SALVATION IS THE DEEPEST WORK OF GOD. HE DOESN’T DO THE DEEPEST WORK IN THE SHALLOWEST PART. HE DOESN’T SAY, FEEL IT. HE SAYS, CALCULATE IT, RECKON IT TO BE TRUE. REMEMBER NOW, THIS IS A BOOK-KEEPING TERM. AND YOUR FEELINGS DON’T MATTER. A WOMAN WOKE UP ONE MORNING, THE ALARM CLOCK WENT OFF, AND IT SEEMED LIKE SHE’D JUST GONE TO SLEEP. HAVE YOU EVER HAD ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS THAT JUST PASSES JUST LIKE THAT AND YOU’RE SLEEPING SPECIALLY SOUND AND SEEMED LIKE YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND THE ALARM CLOCK GOES OFF? SHE SAYS, IT COULD NOT BE SIX O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING. BUT SHE LOOKED AT THE ALARM CLOCK. IT SAID SIX. SHE TURNED ON THE RADIO. THE SIX O’CLOCK PROGRAMS WERE PLAYING. SHE OPENED THE WINDOW AND LOOKED OUT, AND THE SUN WAS COMING UP. AND THE, THE RADIO SAID IT WAS SIX. THE CLOCKS SAID IT WAS SIX. THE SUN IN THE EAST SAID IT WAS SIX O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING. NOW FOLKS, I SUBMIT TO YOU, IT REALLY DIDN’T MATTER HOW SHE FELT. ALL OF THESE FACTS WERE SOMETHING SHE JUST HAD TO RECKON ON. I, IT, IT’S A FACT NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT. NOW, WE NEED TO GET OUR SALVATION OUT OF THE REALM OF FICKLE EMOTIONS AND BEGIN TO RECKON AND TO COUNT ON GOD’S FACTS. YOU SEE, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, YOU HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS. DON’T YOU THINK IT’S TIME YOU HAD YOUR FUNERAL? NOW, NOW LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE SIX, LOOK AT IT, KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM. NOW THAT, AND I DON’T WANT TO GET TOO TECHNICAL, BUT THAT IS IN THE GREEK TENSE, THE AORIST TENSE. NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, IT MEANS IT IS DONE, IT IS ONCE FOR ALL, NEVER TO BE REPEATED. THAT HAPPENED, THAT IS A FACT, THAT IS DONE, IT IS FINISHED. BUT NOW NOTICE AS WE CONTINUE TO READ HERE, RECKON, THE WORD RECKON, IS IN THE PRESENT TENSE. NOW WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, THAT MEANS THAT DAY BY DAY YOU COUNT ON WHAT HAPPENED TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO. DAY BY DAY, EVERY MORNING, YOU WAKE UP AND YOU SAY, HEY, I AM DEAD TO SIN. I’M ALIVE IN CHRIST. I KNOW IT IS A FACT HE DIED FOR ME. NOW I RECKON IT, NOT ONLY BY MY IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST, BUT NOW JUST BY MY APPROPRIATION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO NOT ONLY GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME, BUT JESUS NOW HAS GIVEN HIMSELF TO ME, AND THE LIFE I NOW LIVE, I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD. NOW I MUST COUNT ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN ME DAILY.” ARE YOU WITH ME SO FAR? NOW, LET’S MOVE ON TO THE THIRD WORD, BECAUSE HERE IS WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD. THIS IS WHERE MOST OF US FAIL. UH, MOST OF US GET TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY THERE, AND WE NEVER, EVER LIVE IN VICTORY. THE FIRST WORD IS KNOWING, AND THAT DEALS WITH OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US. THE SECOND WORD IS THE WORD RECKON. THAT DEALS WITH OUR APPROPRIATION OF CHRIST WHO GAVE HIMSELF TO US. YOU SEE, HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR US THAT HE MIGHT GIVE HIMSELF TO US. HE LIVES IN US NOW. WE ARE ALIVE IN HIM AND HE IN US. NOW THE THIRD WORD IS YIELD, AND THAT WORD DEALS WITH OUR EMANCIPATION. THROUGH CHRIST, WHO LIVES HIS LIFE IN US. HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT GIVE HIMSELF TO US, THAT HE MIGHT LIVE HIS LIFE THROUGH US. NOW, HOW DOES THIS BECOME REAL IN OUR HEARTS? BECAUSE YOU SAY, PASTOR ROGERS, IF I AM DEAD, IF I’VE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST AND I HAVE BEEN BURIED WITH HIM, HOW COME THAT OLD MAN WON’T LIE DOWN? I MEAN, HOW COME THE OLD ADRIAN, OR THE OLD BILLY, OR THE OLD SUSIE, OR THE OLD BOB, THE OLD JIM, HOW COME HE KEEPS COMING UP? I THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD. WHY AM I HAVING SO MUCH DIFFICULTY? I, I KNOW IT AS A FACT THAT I DIED WITH CHRIST. I RECKON IT TO BE TRUE. BUT WHY IS IT THAT I DO NOT HAVE VICTORY DAY BY DAY? IT IS BECAUSE YOU’VE NOT LEARNED TO YIELD AND BE EMANCIPATED. WHEN YOU YIELD, THEN YOUR IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS BECOMES IMPARTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. NOW, THE VICTORIOUS LIFE IS THIS. IT IS GOD’S WORK. YOU CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT HIM. HE WILL NOT DO IT WITHOUT YOU. COUNTRY PREACHER PRAYED ONE TIME, LORD, HELP ME TO COOPERATE WITH YOU SO YOU WON’T HAVE TO OPERATE ON ME. NOW, YOU, YOU, YOU NEED TO LEARN TO COOPERATE WITH GOD. YOU DO THIS BY YIELDING. NOW, HOW DO YOU YIELD? WELL, LET ME MENTION THREE THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS THE DETHRONEMENT OF SIN. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSES 12 AND 13 NOW OF THIS SAME CHAPTER. LET NOT SIN, THEREFORE, REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY. LOOK AT THE FIRST TWO WORDS, LET NOT. DO YOU SEE THAT? LET NOT SIN, THEREFORE, REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY. THAT IS, YOU DON’T HAVE TO. YOU DON’T HAVE TO. THAT, THAT MEANS THAT THERE IS A WAY FOR YOU. LET NOT SIN THEREFORE REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY. WHY CAN’T SIN REIGN? BECAUSE WHEN YOU DIED, YOUR OLD MASTER LOST ALL CONTROL OVER YOU AND YOU HAVE TO DETHRONE SIN. YOU MUST CHOOSE AGAINST YOUR OLD MASTER. YOU HAVE TO SAY, SATAN, NO LONGER WILL THESE EYES BE YOUR TOOLS. NO LONGER WILL THESE EARS BE YOUR INSTRUMENTS. NO LONGER WILL THESE HANDS DO YOUR BIDDING. I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY IN ME. NOW, SATAN DOESN’T WANT YOU TO LEARN WHAT I’M TEACHING TODAY. AND SATAN WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT’S JUST PREACHER TALK. YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY INTENTION TO THAT. ROGERS IS JUST GOING THROUGH THE BOOK OF ROMANS AND THIS IS ALL JUST RELIGIOUS GOBBLEY-GOO. NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME. YOU DON’T HAVE TO LET SATAN HAVE HIS WAY IN YOUR LIFE. NOW, BEFORE CALVARY, BEFORE YOUR IDENTIFICATION WITH THE LORD JESUS, AND BEFORE YOUR APPROPRIATION OF THE LORD JESUS, THERE’S NO POSSIBLE WAY THAT YOU COULD LIVE THE VICTORIOUS LIFE EVEN IF YOU WANTED TO. NOW YOU DON’T HAVE TO LET SIN RULE IN YOUR BODY. YOU JUST DON’T HAVE TO. YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU. ALL IT TAKES, IT IS THERE. BUT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO USE YOUR POWER OF AUTHORITY. YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO KNOW IT, AND YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO RECKON IT, AND YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO YIELD TO IT. I WAS READING A WHILE BACK ABOUT A WOMAN, I BELIEVE IN ST. LOUIS. SHE WASN’T MARRIED TO A PARTICULAR MAN, BUT THEY THOUGHT THAT THERE WOULD BE A NICE ARRANGEMENT IF THE TWO OF THEM LIVED IN AN APARTMENT TOGETHER. UH, THEY WEREN’T MARRIED, HOWEVER. THEY THOUGHT, WELL, WE CAN JUST, UH, SHARE THIS APARTMENT AND, AND IT’LL BE A NICE ARRANGEMENT. AND, UH, SO SHE LET THIS MAN MOVE IN WITH HER. AND SHE REALIZED SOON AFTER SHE LET THIS MAN MOVE IN WITH HER THAT SHE’D MADE A SERIOUS MISTAKE. AND, UH, SHE DIDN’T WANT HIM IN HER APARTMENT ANYMORE. I GUESS SHE WAS CONVICTED THAT SHE WAS DOING WRONG, LETTING A MAN LIVE THERE WITH HER. AND BESIDES THAT, SHE DIDN’T LIKE HIM, AND HE REALLY WASN’T DOING ALL THAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. SO SHE SAID TO HIM, UH, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO MOVE OUT. HE SAID TO HER, I’M NOT GOING TO MOVE OUT. SHE SAID, OH, YES, YOU WILL. THIS IS MY APARTMENT. HE SAID, YOU INVITED ME HERE AND I AM NOT MOVING OUT. WELL, SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SHE DIDN’T HAVE THE PHYSICAL STRENGTH TO THROW HIM OUT. SHE GOT A LAWYER. A LAWYER WENT TO THE COURT. SHE GOT A COURT ORDER. SHE GOT AN INJUNCTION. SHE CAME BACK TO HIM AND SAID, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE OUT. I HAVE LEGAL PAPERS THAT SAY THAT YOU MUST GO OR ELSE YOU’LL BE THROWN IN JAIL.” HE SAID, I’M NOT MOVING OUT. AND SHE SAID, OH, YES, YOU ARE. AND HE MOVED OUT. HE MOVED OUT. NOW SATAN IS VERY MUCH LIKE THAT MAN. SATAN WILL COME INTO YOUR LIFE AND YOU’LL SAY, SATAN, I DON’T HAVE TO OBEY YOU. HE SAYS, OH, YES, YOU DO. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU KNOW HOW WEAK YOU ARE. YOU KNOW MY POWER OVER YOU. YOU KNOW MY CONTROL OVER YOU. YOU’VE INVITED ME INTO YOUR LIFE. YOU AND I HAVE BEEN FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME. YOU KNOW WHAT WE’VE DONE IN THE PAST, AND I’M NOT MOVING. YOU SAY, SATAN, PLEASE BE GONE. HE SAYS, NO, I’M, I’M NOT GONNA GO. I’M NOT GOING. LISTEN, FOLKS, YOU TAKE THE POWER OF ATTORNEY. YOU TAKE THE WORD OF GOD. YOU SAY, HERE IS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW TO BE TRUE. AND THEN YOU SAY, HERE IS SOMETHING THAT I RECKON. I COUNT UPON WHAT I KNOW. I CALCULATE UPON WHAT I KNOW. I KNOW MY IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST. I RECKON MY APPROPRIATION WITH CHRIST, AND SO NOW I DETHRONE SIN IN MY LIFE. SATAN, I DON’T HAVE TO LET YOU RULE MY LIFE. I JUST DON’T HAVE TO DO IT, AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STAY AND RUIN MY LIFE. NOT ONLY IS THERE THE DETHRONEMENT OF SIN, BUT THERE’S THE ENTHRONEMENT OF SIN. OF THE SAVIOR. LOOK NOW IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 13, NEITHER YIELD YE YOUR MEMBERS AS INSTRUMENTS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO SIN, BUT YIELD YOURSELVES UNTO GOD AS THOSE THAT ARE ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, AND YOUR MEMBERS AS INSTRUMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO GOD. NOW IT’S, IT’S NOT JUST ENOUGH TO SAY SATAN BE GONE. NOT ONLY DO YOU DETHRONE SIN, YOU ENTHRONE THE SAVIOR. YOU SAY, LORD JESUS, RIGHT NOW, THIS MOMENT. I ENTHRONE YOU, I PUT YOU UPON THE THRONE OF MY LIFE. NOW THIS WORD, YIELD, IS AN INTERESTING WORD. AS A MATTER OF FACT, OVER IN, IN ROMANS CHAPTER 12 AND VERSE ONE THAT WE’LL GET TO LATER, PRESENT YOUR BODIES UNTO GOD, A LIVING SACRIFICE, THE WORD PRESENT THERE IN ROMANS 12, 1 AND THE WORD YIELD HERE IN ROMANS 6 IS THE SAME WORD. YOU JUST COME TO THE LORD AND YOU SAY, LORD, HERE I AM. I JUST PRESENT MYSELF TO YOU. SATAN, I WILL NOT OBEY YOU. I DON’T HAVE TO OBEY YOU. THE WORLD, I DON’T HAVE TO OBEY YOU. THE FLESH, I DON’T HAVE TO OBEY YOU. I AM DEAD. YOUR HOLD ON ME HAS BEEN GONE. I WAS CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. YOUR OLD SERVANT IS DEAD AND BURIED. AND ALL THE CHARGES AGAINST ME ARE GONE BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR MY SINS AND I DIED WITH HIM. AND THE LAW CANNOT BRING ME INTO DOUBLE JEOPARDY. AND IT IS DONE. AND I DON’T HAVE TO OBEY YOU. AND NOW, LORD JESUS, I PRESENT MYSELF TO YOU I YIELD MYSELF TO YOU.” NOW, HERE’S THE THIRD THING. FIRST OF ALL, THE DETHRONEMENT OF SIN. NUMBER TWO, THE ENTHRONEMENT OF THE SAVIOR. AND NUMBER THREE, THE ENSLAVEMENT. NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY, THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE SAINT, THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE SAINT. NOW LOOK IN, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSES 17 AND 18 OF THIS SAME CHAPTER, BUT GOD BE THANKED THAT YE WERE THE SERVANTS OF SIN. AND THE WORD SERVANT THERE MEANS BONDSLAVE OF SIN. BUT YE HAVE OBEYED FROM THE HEART THAT FORM OF DOCTRINE WHICH WAS DELIVERED UNTO YOU. BEING THEN MADE FREE FROM SIN, YE BECAME THE SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. NOW THERE’S THE DETHROWMENT OF SIN, THE ENTHROWMENT OF THE SAVIOR, AND THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE SAINT. YOU BECOME JESUS’ SLAVE. UH, YOU SAY, WELL, PASTOR, I, I DON’T THINK I WANT TO BE A SLAVE. WELL, YOU’RE GOING TO BE A SLAVE OF JESUS OR A SLAVE OF SATAN. EVERYBODY’S A SLAVE TO SOMETHING. EVERYBODY IS, IS EITHER IN ADAM OR IN CHRIST. BUT WHEN YOU SAY, LORD JESUS, I, I YIELD MYSELF TO YOU, I BECOME YOUR BOND SLAVE. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL ME WHEN TO WAKE UP, WHEN TO GO TO BED, WHAT TO EAT, WHAT NOT TO EAT, WHAT TO WEAR, WHAT NOT TO WEAR. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL ME ANYTHING YOU WANT. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO ALL OF MY POSSESSIONS. I AM A BONDSLAVE. REMEMBER PAUL BEGAN THIS EPISTLE BY CALLING HIMSELF A BONDSLAVE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. NOW IT IS THAT ENSLAVEMENT, LISTEN CAREFULLY, THAT BRINGS PERFECT LIBERTY. NOW WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU ENSLAVE YOURSELF TO THE LORD JESUS? WELL, YOU GET A NEW FREEDOM BECAUSE LOOK IN VERSE 18, BEING THEN MADE FREE FROM SIN. UH, SIN DOESN’T HAVE ANY MORE DOMINION OVER YOU. UH, YOU GET A NEW, UH, FAITHFULNESS. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSE 19. HE SAYS, UH, EVEN SO NOW YIELD YOUR MEMBERS SERVANTS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO HOLINESS. YOU HAVE A NEW FRUITFULNESS. LOOK IN VERSE, UH, 21, WHAT FRUIT HAD YE THEN IN THOSE THINGS WHERE OF YE ARE NOW ASHAMED? FOR THE END OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH. BUT NOW BEING MADE FREE FROM SIN AND BECOME SERVANTS TO GOD, YE HAVE YOUR FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS. SO WHEN YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO THE LORD, YOU GET A NEW FREEDOM, YOU GET A NEW FAITHFULNESS, YOU GET A NEW FRUITFULNESS. NOW, THREE WORDS, YOU KNOW IT, THAT IS YOUR IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU. NUMBER TWO, YOU RECKON IT, THAT IS YOUR APPROPRIATION OF CHRIST WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU. AND THEN NUMBER THREE, YOU YIELD, THAT IS YOUR EMANCIPATION, TRUE CHRIST WHO LIVES HIS LIFE IN YOU. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DO A LOT OF MORNINGS WHEN I WAKE UP? I, I KIND OF FEEL SILLY TELLING YOU THIS, BUT I’VE TOLD ENOUGH FOLKS NOW I’LL JUST LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG. LET, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING TO DO IN THE MORNINGS, AND IT DEALS WITH THESE THREE WORDS. WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, I MEAN WHEN YOU GET OUT OF BED, ON YOUR WAY INTO THE BATHROOM OR WHEREVER, JUST LIFT YOUR HANDS TO GOD. AND PRAISING. I MEAN, FIRST THING, JUST, JUST PRAISING AND SAY, LORD, I PRAISE YOU THAT YOU GAVE YOURSELF FOR ME. OKAY, THAT’S KNOWING. AND THEN TAKE THOSE SAME HANDS AND TURN THEM UP AND SAY, LORD, NOT ONLY DID YOU GIVE YOURSELF FOR ME, BUT YOU GAVE YOURSELF TO ME. LORD, THIS MORNING I RECEIVE OF YOUR FULLNESS ALL THERE IS OF YOU, GOD. I JUST, I JUST RECEIVE YOUR FULLNESS. YOU SEE, IDENTIFICATION IS, LORD, I PRAISE YOU, YOU GAVE YOURSELF FOR ME. BUT APPROPRIATION IS, LORD, YOU GAVE YOURSELF TO ME. AND, AND, LORD, WHAT I KNOW NOW I RECKON I, I JUST, I JUST RECEIVE, LORD, OF YOUR FULLNESS. THANK YOU, LORD, YOU’RE POURING YOUR LIFE INTO ME. AND THEN DO THIS, THEN PUT YOUR HANDS UP, LIKE SOMEBODY HAD PUT A GUN ON YOU. BOW YOUR HEAD AND SURRENDER AND SAY, NOW, LORD, I YIELD TO YOU. LIVE YOUR LIFE THROUGH ME. SEE, HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR YOU THAT HE MIGHT GIVE HIMSELF TO YOU, THAT HE MIGHT LIVE HIS LIFE THROUGH YOU. JUST SAY, I’M YOURS. I AM YOUR SLAVE. LIVE YOUR LIFE THROUGH ME TODAY. AND WHEN YOU’VE DONE THAT, JUST SPREAD OUT YOUR HANDS AND SAY, IT’S GONNA BE A GREAT DAY. IT’S GONNA BE A GREAT DAY. THERE IS SOMETHING TO KNOW. THERE IS SOMETHING TO RECKON. AND THEN YOU MUST YIELD TO WHAT YOU KNOW. YOU MUST DETHRONE SIN. YOU MUST SAY, SATAN, I’M NOT GONNA LET YOU DO THAT. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT. YOU’RE TRESPASSING ON MY FATHER’S PROPERTY AND IN THE NAME OF JESUS AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD. LEAVE ME ALONE. AND THEN YOU SAY, LORD JESUS, I PUT YOU ON THE THRONE OF MY LIFE TODAY. AND, LORD, I AM YOUR SLAVE. I’M HERE TO DO YOUR WILL.” AND YOU’RE GOING TO FIND OUT, FRIEND, THAT GOD WILL BEGIN TO LIVE, BLESS HIS NAME, HE’LL BEGIN TO LIVE HIS LIFE IN YOU IN WAYS THAT YOU’VE NEVER DREAMT OF. AND IT WILL BE SUPERNATURAL ALL THE WAY. HE DIDN’T SAVE YOU AND SAY, NOW GO OUT THERE AND DO THE BEST YOU CAN. THERE’S SOMETHING TO KNOW, IDENTIFICATION. THERE’S SOMETHING TO RECKON, APPROPRIATION. THERE’S SOMETHING TO YIELD, EMANCIPATION. GOD HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THIS. WOULD YOU SAY, LORD, TEACH ME THESE LESSONS? LORD, HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND MY IDENTIFICATION WITH YOU AND YOUR DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION. LORD, HELP ME TO COUNT ON IT. HELP ME TO KNOW THAT IT GOES FAR BEYOND MY FEELINGS. THAT I CAN RECKON IT TO BE TRUE NO MATTER HOW I FEEL. AND NOW, LORD, HELP ME TO YIELD TO WHAT I KNOW, TO DETHRONE SIN, ENTHRONE THE SAVIOR, AND ENSLAVE MYSELF. I AM NOW YOUR SLAVE, LORD JESUS, READY TO DO YOUR WILL. WOULD YOU DO THAT? FATHER, I PRAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS THAT YOU’LL MAKE THIS REAL IN OUR LIVES. IN YOUR HOLY NAME, AMEN.
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