7 Steps to Victory

I Cor. 15:57

 

 

4 Last Things in this chapter, and 7 practical steps to victory:

• The Last Witness--

Paul said, "I saw him myself."  v. 8

In the Lamb's Book of Life in heaven there is a list of all the saved, and Paul's name is last on the list of those who saw Jesus with their own eyes and believed!  Last and also least in his opinion, the least of all saints.  Today we see Him not w/ our eyes but our hearts:

Hebrews 11:1
¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Your name can be added to the list today!

 

• The Last Enemy--v. 26

Death is the last enemy we face, and it is defeated before we even meet it...the war is already won!  V. 54b says death is swallowed up in victory.

Death was also Christ's last enemy.  And He conquered it. [v. 20-22]  Man's curse after Eden was the sweat of the brow and thorns, and in Gethsemane Jesus sweat great drops of blood and on Golgotha wore the thorny crown.

Death is not a period but a comma for the believer.

 

• The Last Adam--v. 45

Death was brought about by the first Adam and was conquered by the last Adam.  Contrast the two:

v. 44--natural vs. spiritual

v. 45--body vs. spirit

v. 47-49--earthly vs. heavenly

v. 50--corruptible vs. incorruptible [flesh vs. spirit]

    John 3 says that which is born of the flesh is flesh and spirit is spirit.

 

• The Last Trumpet--v. 51-52

Not all believers will taste death.  But the sting of death is taken out for all believers.  [v. 55-56]

 

Paul, the last witness told us how the last enemy death was defeated by the last Adam, Jesus Christ, who preserves His saints until the last trumpet sounds, taking us home in victory. [v. 57]

 

Let's get practical now...

 

These 7 points spell VICTORY!

 

*Vigilance

1 Peter 5:8

    Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

 

Romans 13:14

    But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

 

Be watchful and on guard.  Is it paranoia?

Ill.—one guy was so paranoid every time the football team huddled he was sure they were talking about him.  [actually looking for a contact!]

 

This is a spiritual paranoia that is actually healthy!

 

Satan is public enemy #1 now that you’ve been saved.  He walks about w/ free reign for now, and he CAN devour you and sift you as wheat!  This is why we must walk w/ God.

 

Don’t feed the lion [your flesh].

 

*Imagine the Consequences

Eccles. 8:11-13

    Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

    [12] Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: [13] But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

 

1 Tim. 5:24

    Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

 

This is more about a “Healthy Fear”.

 

Also imagine the physical, emotional consequences of certain sins.

 

*Cry out to God

Psalm 34:6

    This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

 

Jeremiah 33:3

    Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

 

Cry out when tempted, after you fail, and throughout the day.

 

*Take thoughts into captivity

2 Cor. 10:3-5

    For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: [4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [5] Casting down [suppressing] imaginations [thoughts], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

Temptation comes like the serpent in the garden, saying, “ye shall not surely die…you’ll become as gods!” 

        This is the kind of thoughts to cast down during temptation.

 

Thoughts become desires, which turn into actions, which produce habits, that become your life.

 

The most dangerous form of LSD:  Lust-Sin-Death!

 

*Omnipresence of God

Genesis 39:7-9

    And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. [8] But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; [9] There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

 

His omnipresence means He sees it all, His omniscience means He knows it all, and His omnipotence means…well, He’s big enough to deal w/ us when we sin as children!

 

Psalm 139:2

    Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

 

*Rely on the Scriptures

Psalm 119:11

    Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 

Memorize, meditate [Josh. 1:8]

Ill.—Meditate in Heb. means to “chew the cud”.

 

1 Cor. 10:13

    There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

        [God will bring the verses to mind if they’re in your mind!]

 

The Bible is a sword…an offensive weapon w/ which to resist the devil and fight against him.

 

*Yield to the Spirit

Romans 8:13

    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.

 

Whatever God says to do, we must obey, in order to have His power over sin in this world.

 

1 Cor. 15:57

    But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.