Derek Prince - Jesus Comes Back For Christians Who've Dealt With This
This is an excerpt from: The Cross In My Life - Part 2
See? Okay, we must move on, we've got two more deliverances to consider. The next one is in Galatians 5:24. Galatians 5:24. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with its passions and desires. What's the deliverance from there? Crucified the what? The flesh. What are you delivered from there? The flesh, that's right. We have to define what the flesh is. The flesh is not your physical body. It's the nature that you received when you were born in your physical body. It's essentially the nature of a rebel, it has all sorts of desires and feelings that are not in line with God's will and are not subject to God. God's remedy is crucifixion.
You see, as far as God's concerned, the crucifixion... Well, let me say a little bit more about the nature of the flesh. Notice that phrase there, first of all. Galatians 5:24: Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with its passions and desires. That's not a denomination but those are the people who belong to God. It's not Baptists or Pentecostals or Presbyterians. It's those who are Christ's. What's the mark, what separates them out from the others? I didn't ear you. They have crucified the flesh.
If you turn for a moment to 1 Corinthians 15:23, you'll find the people that Jesus is coming back for. Do you want to know who they are? It's not the Presbyterians, nor the Baptists, nor the Pentecostals, nor the Catholics. It says in verse 23 about the resurrection: Each one in his own order: Christ the first-fruits [He's already risen], afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Who is He coming for? Those who are Christ's. What's the mark of those who are Christ's? Galatians 5:24, they have crucified the flesh. So who is Jesus coming back for? Christians who have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So now you know how you have to qualify.
We had a lady in our church in London years ago, whenever she prayed she said, 'Lord, help us to remember it'll be too late to be getting ready.' I have never forgotten that. You can't leave it to the last moment; you've left it too late. You have to have already dealt with the flesh. You see, this nature that we're talking about is in direct opposition to the will and the way of God. Romans 8:7-8, Paul says the carnal mind now the word carnal is the same as fleshly, it's just a different word derived from a Latin root. The fleshly mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be; so then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Those who are controlled by their fleshly nature cannot please God. There is no way you can do it. You can try as hard as you will, you can be as religious as you please but you cannot do it.
And then in Galatians again, 5:17. Paul brings out the same thought. Galatians 5:17: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit [the Spirit of God], and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary one to another Your natural fleshly desires are contrary to the way, and the will of the Spirit of God. So that you do not do the things that you wish. Maybe that's a revelation to some of you. You set out with all sorts of good intentions, you consecrate yourself, you go forward at the altar of the church, pray a nice prayer and say, 'That's it.'
And about a month later you say how could I have ever got so far away from what I intended to be and do? The answer is the flesh lusts against the Spirit. You have in you an enemy of God and that enemy has to be dealt with. You cannot lead the Christian life successfully until the flesh has been dealt with in you. Paul had that problem. Perhaps that will encourage you. It's not a problem just a few people have, it's universal. You need to read Romans 7 right through sometime and see Paul's personal struggles against the flesh. My observation is the most dedicated Christians and the ones whom God intends to use the most are the ones who have the main struggles.
Pentecostals used to have the attitude I think it's changed. I've been a Pentecostal for 48 years. The attitude used to be you get saved, baptized in water, baptized in the Spirit, speak in tongues, and you have no more problems. How many of you know it doesn't work that way? Wish it did. I know it doesn't. Why? Because it didn't work with me. And furthermore, I pastored Pentecostals long enough to find out it isn't like that. The reason is the flesh. It's an enemy, an enemy of God. Anyhow, listen to what Paul says about his own experience in Romans 7:15: For what I am doing, I do not understand: for what I will to do, that I do not practice but what I hate, that I do.
None of you have ever had that experience. Paul was unique. Was he or was he? No, it's true of all of us. None of us can point a finger at somebody else and say there you are, that's you. We need to look in the mirror, and say there you are, that's me. But Paul explains the reason, the reason is the fleshly nature in each one of us. It is not subject to God's law, nor can it be. I would basically say religion as opposed to salvation is a system of trying to make the flesh behave. It makes it religious, but it doesn't enable it to please God. You see? A lot of religious people are just suppressing the flesh. They're making it conform outwardly but the inward attitude isn't there.