You
Must Die To Live! 
Home - T.G.B.T.G. Missions - Power Of God Center
Other Messages: Altar Of God - Jesus Takes It Personal - Covenant - Complete Message List
You
Must Die To Live!
Let’s go in our bibles to Ezekiel 11:19 & 20 (And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: ver.20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.) Now let’s read Ezk. 36:25 - 27 (Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. ver.26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. ver.27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. ver.28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.)
In And Out, In And Out, In And Out
This was the history of that Old Testament people of God; IN AND OUT! IN the Land of Promise for a little while, and then OUT of the Land of Promise because of their Sin, Rebellion, Disobedience, and their going whoring after other gods.
IN! God had brought them into the Land which He had promised unto Abraham to give unto his seed. God purpose for His people was not: IN AND OUT, IN AND OUT! His purpose for them was to be: OUT AND IN! Look at it in Ex.6:7 & 8 (And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ver.8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord.) Glory To God!
OUT! But because of all their sins against Him, Rebellion, Disobedience and going a whoring after other gods God would cast them out of the land He had given unto them. Then while in their state of captivity and bondage they would again cry unto the Lord for Deliverance.
IN! The Lord would have pity upon them because of their cries unto Him, and would then bring them back INTO the Land of Promise.
OUT! And then when things were going good for them again, because their back in the Land of Promise, and the Blessings of the Lord are upon them; THEY WOULD AGAIN TURN AWAY FROM THE LORD WHO HAD BEEN SO GOOD UNTO THEM! Again they would be cast OUT of the land because of their sins against Him.
IN! They would then cry unto the Lord in their Captivity & Bondage and He would have mercy and bring them back INTO the land.
OUT! Their sins against God had become so grievous that God said, I will cast you OUT of this Land of Promise, and will Scatter you into every nation of the earth, because you refuse to Serve Me and Obey My Word.
2Chr.36:14 & 16 (Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. ver.15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: ver.16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.)
This being Cast Out of the Promise Land, and being scattered into every nation is not what God wanted for His people; this is what their STONY BACKSLIDING HEARTS brought them to. God gave them this Land of Promise, and this is where God wants them; DWELLING IN THE LAND OF PROMISE!
But it must be made clear; THAT GOD WANTS THEM TO LOVE AND SERVE HIM IN THE LAND OF PROMISE!
In ver.17 & 18 God’s promise to His people is to Gather them from all the nations into which He had scattered them. And that when He had brought them back into the Land of Promise, they would take away ALL of the Detestable things and Abominations.
How can this be? Every other time that God had brought them back, it wouldn’t be very long and they would be right back into Sin, Rebellion and Disobedience. What makes this time different? Hear it: I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: Well, Somebody Go Ahead And Give God Praise! Hallelujah!
I want you to understand that this Promise of God is not only to natural Israel. It is God’s Promise to ALL MANKIND! And though we know that it is God’s promise in the Last Days of dealing with the Jewish nation; but it is also God’s Spiritual promise to Fallen, Sin Captive Mankind of EVERY NATION, that they can be made NEW CREATURES in Christ Jesus, through the NEW BIRTH.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor.5:17
Out With The Old. You Must Die!
I will take the stony heart out of their flesh. Did you hear what God said? Let me say it one more time: I will take the stony heart out of their flesh.
How many of you know what happens when you, TAKE SOMEONE'S HEART OUT? That's right; THEY DIE! God is saying: I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!
Hear it; I WILL TAKE THE STONY HEART OUT! And when God removes your old Stony Heart, YOU WILL DIE! Come On, Shout Amen Someone.
This is what’s keeping many from THE LIFE OF GOD; THEY DON’T WANT TO DIE! But they must come to realize, that in order to have GOD’S LIFE, THEY MUST GIVE UP THEIRS! It is through our DEATH, that we gain REAL LIFE.
Take a look at what Jesus had to say about it in Mat.16: 24 & 25, (Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ver.25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.) All those who Insist on KEEPING THEIR OLD SINFUL LIVES, CAN NOT HAVE THIS WONDERFUL ETERNAL LIFE OF GOD!
The reason that Adam and Eve aren’t going back into the Garden of Eden to PARTAKE OF THE TREE OF LIFE after they had been Drove Out by God because of their Sin; is because THEY DON’T WANT TO DIE! You see it says in Gen.3:24, ( So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.)
The TREE OF LIFE WAS IN THE GARDEN; but now THEIR OUTSIDE THE GARDEN! And the ONLY WAY to get back in, in order to PARTAKE OF THE TREE OF LIFE; meant they would have to PASS THROUGH THE SWORD! And that SWORD MEANT DEATH TO ALL WHO WOULD PARTAKE OF THE TREE OF LIFE.
And in order for mankind today to EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE, THEY MUST COME THROUGH THE SWORD; WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD!
And yes, it means the DEATH OF SELF. God says the first thing I have to do to you, so that you can Love and Serve me in the Land of Promise, and be my people is: PUT YOU TO DEATH!
I will take the OLD stony heart out OF THEE! I will remove from you the Old Nature, Old Desires, Old Motives, the Old Works of the Flesh. Gal.5:19 - 21, (Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ver.20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ver.21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.)
There is no INHERITING THE KINGDOM OF GOD "The Land of Promise", as long as these things are STILL ALIVE IN YOU!
In With The New. New Life!
But Praise Be To God, He’s not going to leave you to death; HE’S GOT NEW, ETERNAL, EVERLASTING LIFE TO GIVE YOU! Somebody Ought To Be Praising The Lord About Now.
Look at it: I will give them an heart of flesh! God say’s, after I have taken out of them the Old Stony Heart, and they have Died; then I will put within them A NEW HEART, and that NEW HEART MEANS NEW LIFE!
Their Old Heart which God has TAKEN OUT, was a STONY HEART, a HARD HEART. Mark 16:14 (Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.) The OLD HARD HEART they had keep them from being able to BELIEVE, TRUST, and OBEY THE LORD! Heb.3:12 & 13 says, (Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. ver.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.)
But PRAISE BE TO OUR GOD, the NEW HEART He has given unto us, is a heart that FEELS GOD’S DESIRES, FEELS WHAT GOD WANTS, and enables us to BELIEVE, TRUST, and OBEY THE LORD!
It’s a HEART OF FLESH. Now it’s not talking about a heart of FLESHLINESS, CARNALITY or WORLDLINESS; but a heart FILLED WITH A LOVE FOR GOD, AND THE LOVE OF GOD!
Look at how Rom.6:3 & 4 puts it; (Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? ver.4 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.) Glory, Glory, Glory.
Take a look at what Brother Paul said by the Holy Ghost in Eph.4:22 - 24 (That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ver.23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ver.24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God [like God] is created in righteousness and true holiness.)
Col.3:8 - 16 (But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. ver.9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; ver.10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: ver.11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. ver.12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; ver.13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. ver.14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. ver.15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. ver.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.)
It is clear to see that there is a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW! The Old Heart and Man is like it’s father the devil, but thank the Lord the NEW HEART and NEWMAN IS LIKE IT’S FATHER GOD!
The Apostle Paul exhorts you and I that have been MADE NEW in Eph.4:17 - 19, (This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ver.18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: ver.19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.)
God’s Word let’s us know that because the Lord has PUT IN US A NEW HEART, and NEW LIFE we can, and are commanded of Him in 2Cor.6:17 & 18, (Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ver.18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.) And then 2Cor. 7:1 immediately follows by saying, (Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.) And I will put in them a new heart! and with that New Heart they can Love & Obey Me.
New Life. It’s Worth Dying For!
We had made mention earlier in the message, that what is keeping many from HAVING THIS NEW LIFE WHICH GOD GIVES; is that, YOU HAVE TO DIE IN ORDER TO GET IT!
There is absolutely no other way to get it. Your Life in exchange for HIS LIFE. YOUR OLD HARD STONY HEART in exchange for HIS LOVING CARING COMPASSIONATE BELIEVING OBEDIENT HEART.
But what you that are struggling with DYING, AND GIVING UP YOUR LIFE need to realize is that, this EVERLASTING, ETERNAL, NEVER ENDING LIFE OF GOD: IS WORTH DYING FOR!
Come On, Lift Your Hands And Give God The Praise. Thank Him, Praise Him And Worship Him For This New Life: THAT'S WORTH DYING FOR!
Other Messages: Altar Of God - Jesus Takes It Personal - Covenant - Complete Message List