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7/12/2012 recording date. audio/video is 10 minutes takes a few minutes to load so be patient please. Or just read ahead. Also the following week it is air on utube on turtle30cshell channel. Just type in website name when you got to utube. One Must Decrease for God’s Word to Increase This is your host Christina Farris coming live today from turtle30cshell home to share a simple message concerning the fact we must decrease for God’s Word to increase. I am not talking about death, but about God’s word coming into a person life and increasing with knowledge by the Spirit and minister or teacher becoming less important to the believer. It like filling a glass with milk. Unless the milk is poured into a baby’s bottle and the baby begins picking up the bottle himself to drink, he will only be depended on his care giver. At some point that baby has to learn to drink milk for himself or it has little value in the baby desire to sustain life for himself. Unless a child begins to read on his own a child will never learn beyond what he is taught. Today’s passage comes from: John 3:22-36 KJV (22) After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. (23) And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. (24) For John was not yet cast into prison. (25) Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. (26) And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. (27) John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. (28) Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. (29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. (30) He must increase, but I must decrease. (31) He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. (32) And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. (33) He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. (34) For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. (35) The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. (36) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. God is our caregiver, unless we take time to hear from God ourselves to listen to Him then we will be at an impasse. Christ is the Solid rock in which we stand. All other ground is sinking sand. We need to desire Christ the Word of God. To desire to grow in the milk of the word. Scripture says in: 1 Peter 2:1-3 KJV (1) Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. The whole Gospel message can be summoned up with love. Yet some might ask how can one say it love when John is speaking of having to decrease so the bride groom is more important. A Father has to decrease in a bride’s life in order for her to be depended on her husband. A woman has to stand with her mate. Just like each of us must stand with Christ on our own. Christ being the Word of God, must take root in order for us to stand upon it. The church is married to the bridegroom Jesus. What it means is that Christ is Lord above the church. Christ meaning the Word of God that takes away the sins of the world. Sin of the world meaning the guilt that is caused by knowing the commandments of God, knowing the righteousness of God and knowing the judgment and condemnation of God, yet a plan of salvation was given to us that if we walk by the Spirit of God there would be no condemnation. We must follow the Word of God. Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments, but the only commandments given in the Old Testament summed up the ten commandments to love the Lord thy God and to love your neighbor has yourself. David a man of righteousness with God committed adultery by sleeping with Bathesheba. Yet God punished him for that sin. Yet the sin itself did not stop him being righteous before God. God still corrected David by the loss of his child. Tragedy strikes all of us in different ways, it does not mean it always punishment from God, but in this case it was. God’s correction is swift with the sword. His Word breaks us from sin. Until what God’s say penetrates our hearts and we decide that God’ s Word is true we can not escape the fiery pit called hell on our own. John made it clear he was not the Christ, he could save no one, but He could lead them to the one that could save them. He point straight to Jesus and declared he was the Lamb of God that could take away the sins of the world. David a man of God from the Old Testament had to believe that Prophet Nathan and accept the punishment of God. Yet it changed not his status of faith. David said in: Psalms 32:1-2 KJV (1) A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. Also it is repeated in Romans 4 by the apostle Paul to the Roman church. Romans 4:6-8 KJV (6) Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, (7) Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven who’s sins are not covered is speaking of the believer. For Christ took away our sins by the shed blood and death on the cross. God will corrects us like any good Father, but His correction is through the Word. The penetrating of our hearts that we understand our imperfection without Christ. Yet Christ came to take away the sins of the world. By doing so, we are made whole. Sin is still sin, consequence for sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life with Christ Jesus. Christ justifies us through His death on the cross. Christ bore our guilt and our open shame. We all nailed Christ to the cross. We nail His word to the cross, when we do not obey it or we twist God’s word and make it mean something it is not. Each time this happens we put a nail in Christ and or add a strip to Him. We must remember the words found in: Romans 8:1-17 KJV (1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (15) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. No condemnation to those that walk after the Spirit of God. No condemnation to those that walk after the Spirit of God. Christ came not to condemn but a day of judgment is coming. The judgment is not just now but when Christ returns. Better to be judge now and recognize you are in need of a Savior or die not knowing Jesus the Word of God. Dear Heavenly Father, help us to receive that Christ is the payment for our sins. That He bore our iniquity on the cross. In Jesus precious name, Amen. |