Joseph Prince - The Subtle Lie That Keeps Believers Defeated
God’s truth outlasts the fact. God’s truth is forever. Can I have a good amen? And once Jesus died on that cross for all your sins, everything that is between you and God, and I speak the barrier of sin because sin is what separates man from God, has been removed. That is the truth, amen. So therefore, the facts in your body, the facts that say that, hey, you still have sin, right? You still have sin in your mind, in your body, predominantly that’s where it manifests. You still have that anger, amen. You still have that bitterness. But here is where a lot of scholars may differ from what I believe is the Word of God’s teaching because they will teach like, you still have your sinful nature. And the NIV especially talks about the flesh. Where it says the flesh, it says sinful nature, amen?
Now how many of you know that a lot of your problems today, even when you sit down there, is because of your flesh. Now Is the flesh the sinful nature? No, once upon a time, you had the sinful nature. But once you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, amen. And the divine exchange took place. God made Jesus who knew no sin, he did no sin, in him is no sin. At the cross, God made Jesus to be sin with your sins. He bore your sins so that you can become the righteousness of God in him. Jesus did not commit sin to become sin at the cross. He carried your sins, all right? You don’t commit righteousness to become righteous, amen. We are not saved by our works, amen? We receive his righteousness and therefore we are now the righteousness of God in Christ. Can I have a good amen?
The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creature. I say you are a new creature. Now, turn to your neighbor and right now say, «What a creature! You are a new creature». That’s the Old King James and the New King James for creation, new creation. That’s a nice name for a church. New Creation, amen? If anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. I’m so glad we chose that name. New Creation Church, amen? «Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. All things have become new».
So the Bible says, «If all things have become new,» where has it become new? In your spirit man, amen? One day when we see Jesus face to face, we’ll have a new body. A body that will never grow old, never die. Forever young, forever healthy, forever strong. Forever is a very long time, my friend. Make sure you are saved, amen. Don’t leave this to chance, hallelujah. Once you are a believer, you are no more the old creation. You are a brand-new creation. But you have the flesh. The flesh is like the lifestyle that you still have, the bad habits and the proclivities and the, you know, sensations even of the old sinful nature that does not exist anymore. But it feels so real, amen. And your failures tell you, «Look, you are still the old sinful nature, nothing has changed».
Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s truth tells you. These are just facts, right? And those facts is that you sin. When you sin, we’re not saying you didn’t sin. All right, you lost your temper. You’re angry with someone on the road, amen. That’s sin, amen? So we have this problem, right? They say that you are a new creation but you’re not a new creation. Am I righteous or not? Yes, the Bible says you are righteous in Christ but, amen, it is a position. Okay, what talk you now? It’s a position, okay? What you are is that you are still sinning, okay? But your position before God is that you are righteous.
But you know something? That’s just a position. What you need to do, what you ought to do, what you must do, you must give, you must obey, you must forgive, you must, you must, and all these things are good. Don’t misunderstand. But what is evil and what is subtle in this teaching that has produced instead of the true holiness and the victorious lifestyle that we believers are believing for, amen, as a result, we see failure after failure after failure. Why? It’s based on a false premise. Listen: you don’t do to become. You already have become so that you can do. It’s something called, which one comes first? The command, all right? Or the become. Who you are. What you do, and what you is. You don’t do to become. You are. Now you do what you are, amen. Are you listening?
Look up here in Romans chapter 6. It says, «Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lust». Now we hear this teaching very often, right, in the Christian life. And we hear it preached but it’s a verse taken out of context. You cannot just say, «Stop sinning. Don’t let sin reign». It’s out of context. Why? Because, notice the word, «therefore». Can you see the word, «Therefore do not let»? «Therefore do not let»? That means that the previous verse is telling you something. Therefore do not let.
All right, if you have a problem with watching pornography or you’ve got a problem with forgiving people or you’re always bad-tempered or even depressed or even, you know, you’re always in a state of unbelief or you’re very, very, you know, what you call the… always doubting, reasoning, second guessing. Your life is miserable. Sin will make you miserable. But how do you overcome sin? Just don’t do it, lah. That’s the try harder mentality. The Bible doesn’t teach that way, all right? So I’m going to ask you again. Class, why is the «therefore» there for? Why? Okay, one more time. Why is the «therefore» there for? Why is it there?
So you see, you cannot take the verse out of context but people understand this verse. Therefore, people usually don’t see what God wants them to see, the reality the way God sees it. Therefore, «Ah, just give me practical». They love the book of James. They say, «James is practical». That means Paul is not? What do you mean? Paul’s letters are not? «I don’t understand this, 'seated with Christ in heavenly places, right now.' Right now, I’m in Ang Mo Kio. You understand or not? What is this 'seated with Christ in heavenly places'»? They don’t see. Their imagination don’t see.
So they say that James is practical. James talks about what to do. Give me something to do. Give me something to do. And that’s why there are people who love sermons that tell you what to do, right? Now, are there things to tell you what to do? Yes, the Bible is chock full of that, amen. But when the Bible teaches you something, it always tells you, «Because you have received, now…» Got it? Sometimes it put the 'cause in front. Sometimes it put the 'cause behind. For example, behind is like this. We love! We all want to love. We want to be loving people, amen? Love our families, love people around us as believers. We are called to love, amen. Love God most of all. But why do we love? We love because!
Now the 'cause is put at the end. Because he first loved us. So which one happened first? You gotta experience God’s love. You gotta know how much God loves you. And then you can love. Your life of loving is an outcome, is an outflow of your life of being loved. When you live loved, amen. Always live life when you wake up in the morning, know that you are someone loved, dearly loved. And you know how God has made you holy, blameless, amen. In other words, he has made you lovable in his sight. You are lovable in his sight, amen. Not based on your actions. This is something very hard for us to do. But back to this before we go on. Are you all learning so far?
Mothers, are you all learning? More than anything else, the devil loves to attack women for some reason. Your husband takes you for granted. Look at that, the demons say thank you. Look at that, look at that, look at that. Imagination, look at that. See in your mind, you are not appreciated. You are this, you are that. So the devil attacks, especially women. That’s why the disciples were shocked when Jesus looked at the woman at the well and talked to her. Even she herself was shocked. «Why is it that you being, you know, a Jew,» she make it into a racial thing. «You speak to me who am a Samaritan».
But also the fact that she is a woman. And the disciples were surprised. They themselves, they are Jewish. And they are surprised that Jesus is talking to the woman. And this woman had five husbands. Five! That poor woman is suffering. But for the religious mentality, «Ah, she’s terrible. How can she do that»? She’s looking for love in all the wrong places. So she had five husbands and then Jesus told her, «The one that you are living with,» so there’s a sixth man. So she had five husbands, that mean what? All divorced, right? So the one that you’re living with now, that is not married, that you are not married to. The one that you are living with now is not your husband. That means she is living now with the sixth man in adultery.
So Jesus did not say, «Ah, this woman is terrible, I won’t talk to her. I’ll bypass her. Like the Pharisees, like the Sadducees». No, he took time to talk to her. «So the one that you are living with, the sixth one, is not your husband». Then she asked, «Who is the one»? Later on he says, «But the Messiah will come,» right? She said, «And will teach me all things». Jesus says, «I who speak unto you, I am he,» seventh man. And her rest is found in the seventh man. She’s finally fulfilled. That is the living water. The seventh man gives you water that will quench you. No one else can give you that kind of water. And her journey came to an end all these years, amen.
So Jesus would treat men and women, even those who are social outcasts, with respect. He calls them by name. There’s a guy, if you talk about social outcasts, it is Zacchaeus. Because Zacchaeus collects taxes. He’s a tax collector. Collects taxes for a country that Israel at that time was under. The Romans, amen? So he lived a high life, amen. And he can collect as much money as he want. Even some extra for himself. So the people of that day hated the tax collectors. When Jesus saw him up on the tree, when Jesus passed by in Jericho, what did Jesus say? «Zacchaeus»! Don’t forget, a crowd was around Jesus. Many of them would love for Jesus to call their name. Wouldn’t you? None of them had the honor except for a person who is a social outcast. «Zacchaeus! Come down, I must eat at your house». «I must eat at your house,» a necessity just like the woman at the well.
The Bible says there’s another way of going by-pass. Most Jewish people by-pass the city of Samaria because they don’t like the Samaritans, all right? So they by-pass the city of Samaria. The Bible says Jesus must needs go through Samaria. It is not a must of geographical necessity. It is not a must of convenience because they have to eat. Jews don’t want to go through Samaria. Jesus must go through. Why? For one, just for one. He’ll do the same for you. He doesn’t treat you like a crowd, you know, in a face in a crowd. He treats you, he knows what you’re going through, and he loves you. Hey, you don’t serve a dead Savior. He’s risen! He’s alive today, amen? And he’s with you by his Holy Spirit. And one day we’ll see him face to face, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Are you with me so far? Are you learning this?
So just to say, don’t sin, don’t sin, don’t sin. No, that’s not the language of the Bible. The Bible says, «Therefore do not sin». So what is that? Why is the «therefore» there for? Always find out why the «therefore» is there for and you will find the secret for the «therefore». «Therefore do not let sin,» okay? Don’t forget. That’s the idea here. But look at the context. Then we come to verse 9: «Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him».
How many agree that Jesus, once he’s risen from the dead, death is behind him. Death no more has power over him? For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all. «Hapax» in the Greek means once and for all. So in the death that he died, he died to sin. How long did he die to sin? Did Jesus die to sin gradually or once and for all? Once and for all. It’s in the past, folks, all right? When you come to church, remember this. Bring along your brain, okay? We want to reason as well, okay?
In fact, I want to talk about the two parts of your brain today, if I have time. And it’s very interesting. But bring along your understanding part, amen, the logical part. But that’s not how we live life with God. We live—okay, I’m getting ahead of myself but listen, church, Jesus died to sin once and for all, not gradually. This idea of like, we are all dying to sin slowly. Every day, we should be dying more and more to sin. It’s not in the Bible. The Bible says, watch this now, Jesus died to sin, what? Once and for all! There’s not going to be a future repeat, okay? Now, «He’s talking about Jesus, Pastor»? Yeah, he’s talking about Jesus, I agree. «For the death that He died, He died to sin once and for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God».
So death is behind him. Now he lives his life to God. Look at verse 11: «Likewise, you also reckon yourself to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord,» hallelujah. «Likewise, the way Jesus died to sin,» how did he die to sin? Gradually? No, once and for all. Done deal, amen. «Likewise, you yourself reckon». The word «reckon» is a accounting term to say, as the facts are, all right? Esteem it, account it, according to the facts. For example, if you have $1000 in the bank, you must esteem, reckon, you have $1000 in the bank.
Now you’re reckoning that you have $1000 in the bank, don’t put $1000 in the bank. Let’s say it’s 0. I reckon I have $1000. Then, boom, $1000 happens. A lot of people think faith is like that. No, faith is not seeing what you have but God says you have it, amen? Then you agree with God. You reckon that God, whatever God says that you have, you have. That’s reckon. It’s based on facts, spiritual facts, realities. It’s based on the truth, amen. God says, «Likewise, reckon yourself,» account yourself, esteem yourself like Jesus. Likewise means what? In the same manner! If you try harder, that means you are not there. It’s not you.
So try harder to become what you are not. So actually the problem is that the more we let go, the more we rest and relax, the more who we are in Christ will come forth, amen? So the message of rest, actually rest, because the devil say, you are not… see, you’re not holy. See, you’re not loving, all right? You have that bitterness, all right? You have that anger just now when the lady spoke and all that, you had the bitterness towards her, you had the jealousy in your heart towards her and all that.
See, see, see, see. See, you are still the same person, amen? What you need to do instead of, I know, I try to suppress this feeling. I try to avoid this feeling. I’m not… you have lost before you began. Because you are acting based on a lie. And the lie came from the enemy. But you feel it, you feel it. You feel it doesn’t mean it’s truth. Most feelings come and go. Learn to handle your feelings, even bad feelings, depression, you know, negative feelings, anger, and all that, like you are on a tour bus, all right? When you are on a tour bus, you look at all the scenery. Some scenery are beautiful. Oh, look at that! Those are like feeling good, enjoy it, feel good. But you know what? Very soon, the feel good pass by and you see an area where it looks horrible. People have abused the plants down there. They have abused the forest there. It’s burned down.
You see the abuse and you feel angry, all right? And then you pass by that scene to another more beautiful scene again. You see, your feelings come and go. See your feelings like fleeting things. You may experience it, but it is not you. So right now, the devil says, «You feel depressed. Therefore you are depressed». Throw it back at him. «I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I’m a new creation in Christ, amen. I’m not depressed. I feel depression at times, but I’m not depressed». You’re gonna lose your mind. «No, I have the mind of Christ».
That’s why we need to know the Word. We need to study and renew our mind. That’s what the Bible says in the Gideon Ephesians chapter 4: «That you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts». Notice it’s telling you, put off, and this is past tense, that you put off, past tense, aorist tense, concerning your former conduct, the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Now it’s not saying you have an old man now, put him off. No, no, read carefully. You have put off.
In Colossians, it says like this, «Seeing that you have put off the old man,» amen? In Colossians, it says, «seeing that you have put off the old man,» amen. So the key is this. How to put off this one? The Bible says: «That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed,» where? «In the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God». Now this new man is created according to God, in what? «In true righteousness and holiness».
You see, folks, put off is done deal. Finish with it. It doesn’t say you are to put. A lot of people turn it around and say, «You see, you must put off, you must put off, you must put off». It’s always this word, you must, you ought, you should. Watch out for that. That’s a try harder Christianity. No, it’s all by grace, people. We already are what we are by grace.
Now God is saying, walk it out. Walk out the fact that you are a prince, you are a princess, you’re living the high life, amen. Praise God. You know, princess and princesses, right, in the original form, does not look at people that criticize them, you know, and seriously start scolding them and all that because it’s beneath you to do that. You are bigger than that. In fact, when you focus on people who criticize you, you are giving them a leg up. You are giving them a platform. You are giving them attention. And what you give attention to, you give power to.
So, what you do doesn’t make you what you are. It is who you are that makes you. And the Bible says you are created in… this new man that you have is created in what? According to God, «in true righteousness and holiness». Not this fake righteousness. It’s true holiness and righteous. People, listen! You are truly righteous and holy! Now, your actions might not be holy depending on when I find you, early in the morning, you just wake up, might not be very holy, all right? It all depends when you catch people sometimes. Their actions can line up, but if you know who you are, you are holy but sometimes your actions are unholy, you can line it up, amen? Praise the Lord. You are not unholy. You’re a new creation in Christ.