A Cry of the Spirit - Pastor Craig Winnington

• 13/09/2018
• SLC Stuart Price

 

 

A Cry of the Spirit - Pastor Craig Winnington

 

    Why in the Christian life do we sometimes withdraw from Gods’ Presence?

 

    Is it because the desire of the natural man is greater than the desire of

    the Spirit man?

 

    Again when we look at Romans 6, we see Paul’s great revelation of how we

    are to live the Christian life.

 

    In Verse 4 Paul says “…. we were (past tense) buried with Him …. that just

    as Christ was raised from the dead …. so we also walk in newness of life!

    Buried - Raised - walking in a new life ! Not our life, our desires, or our

    self centredness, but by living out of His life we have been empowered to

    walk in the freshness of a new life.

 

    When a body is dead, we bury it. Why? because it will start to ‘stink’ if

    it is not buried. So with our old nature – it’s finished, it’s dead ! Bury

    it!

 

    Verse 6 “KNOWING THIS ! Our old man WAS crucified” - what for ? that the

    body of sin might be “rendered inoperative” (margin NKJV).

 

    Do you KNOW this? It is applied truth that transforms.

 

    The Word teaches us that the Blood of Jesus “Cleanses us from ALL sin”.

    that is, what we have done. The Cross crucifies the flesh, that is, who we

    were, our old nature. Herein lies the foundation of a victorious Christian

    life. His blood removes the guilt of sin, His Cross removes the power of

    sin.

 

    In Mark 10:46-50 is the story of Bartimaeus. Let us consider some

    principles in this passage.

 

    In verse 46 it says that Bartimaeus was blind – no vision, he sat – no

    victory, begging – no value. Bartimaeus means “Son of Timaeus” - that is,

    “highly prized or esteemed”. Bartimaeus didn’t live from the heritage he

    was born into. Why? Because he was blind and a beggar. His condition

    determined his value . When we fail to appropriate ALL that Christ has done

    for us we can become spiritually blind and spiritual beggars sitting on the

    roadside of life with no purpose or direction.

 

    When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was coming he began to cry out (v47), and

    when the crowd told him to be quiet he cried out all the more! There are

    many ‘voices’ that want to shut us down, but let us allow ‘The Christ

    within us’ shout louder than the voice of the flesh. Verse 49 – Jesus stood

    still ! He is calling you !

 

    Jesus will always answer and respond to the cry of faith within our heart.

    It is faith that will move the hand of God. Bartimaeus first heard about

    Jesus before he believed in Him. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the

    word of God” (Romans 10:17)

 

    What we hear will determine what we believe. Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus,

    and responded accordingly.

 

    Verse 50 - “Throwing aside his garment” he came to Jesus ! Bartimaeus wore

    a ‘beggars garment’. This was issued to all beggars by the authorities of

    the day to identify them. In throwing off this garment Bartimaeus was

    declaring he was finished with his past life, no longer being a slave to

    it, to embrace a new life with Christ. As a result of the cry of his heart,

    he went from begging to believing (now valued), from blindness to seeing

    (new vision), from sitting to walking (victorious living) and then followed

    Jesus on the road (new direction). A transformed life.

 

    Whatever shouts the loudest on the inside of us will determine the way we

    live. What is ‘shouting’ on the inside of you!!

 

    Let us “Reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God.” Romans 6:11.

    Verse13 “Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and as

    instruments (weapons. NKJV margin), of righteousness to God. May we learn

    from the example of Bartimaeus, “forgetting the past, reaching forward and

    pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ

    Jesus”.

 

    Pastor Craig Winnington