"Death To Self" Kathryn Kuhlman 1 Corinthians Series Part 4

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually deserved. Today we're going to have another one of those heart -to -heart talks. And I've just read a portion of the Word of God. From 1 Corinthians, the second chapter. The verse that I read was the 14th verse. Now remember something. The Bible divides all humanity in just two classes. And only two. No more. It's not the rich, the poor, the ignorant, the intellectual. No. The Bible doesn't divide people. The world in two. More than two classes. Just two. The saved and the lost. The lost man is called the natural man. Because he's been born only once of natural parents. To the line of Adam. Man's federal head. The saved man is called the spiritual man. Because he's been born again. The second time, born by the Spirit of Almighty God himself. The natural, the unregenerated man possesses the nature of Father Adam. The spiritual man possesses the Spirit of God, having become a partaker of the divine nature. Just two classes, even as I speak to you right now. You are either saved or lost. You have either been born just once, the natural birth, or you have been born twice, the natural birth and the spiritual birth. Now, as we study the Word of God, We see that these two natures are forever opposed to one another. They're antagonistic to each other. They can never blend. They can never compromise. By our first birth, we are born in sin. Children of wrath. We're lost. We're condemned. The Bible says we are dead in trespasses and sins. And we are absolutely helpless so far as saving ourselves. We have no righteousness of our own, none. However, when we are saved, when we have our second birth, that which we call the new birth, the Spirit of God does nothing to this old nature. Now get this, and get this once and for all. It's most important that you see this. When we're saved, when we get our second birth, the Spirit of God does nothing to this old nature, but instead creates a new nature. The nature of God himself, sinless, holy, perfect. And he places this new nature alongside the old within the individual. The new nature does not replace the old. It does not improve the old. But it will overcome and destroy. The old. Of the old nature with which all of us are born. Everyone listening to me. We are born. That's one thing we all have in common. We are all born of the old nature. And of that old nature, Paul says, we were by nature. the children of wrath, even as others. And concerning this evil, natural heart of man, the Bible clearly says the heart is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked. And who can know it? So corrupt is this old nature by our first birth. that even God himself does not attempt to improve it, to fix it up, to repair it, to reform it. You can ride down the street and you can see them repairing an old house. Oh, it's amazing what they can do to an old house. They can put some of the best -looking stuff on the outside of an old house, and when they're all through with it, I'm telling you, it's a knockout. It looks wonderful. But God doesn't do that. So corrupt is this old nature by our first birth that God doesn't even attempt to improve it, to fix it up. He doesn't even attempt to repair the old house, the old nature. He ignores the old nature as being absolutely hopeless. Therefore, he creates a brand new thing. and he calls it a new creation. It's a brand new nature. Whole and distinct from the old nature of Adam. That's the reason the Word of God says that, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. He isn't fixed up. He isn't repaired. He doesn't just get a new coat of paint. He doesn't just get a new roof above. No. He is a new creature, a brand new creature. Old things are passed away, and behold, all things are beat. come new. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Now, that's exactly what I tried to show you in our last little heart -to -heart talk regarding this portion of the Word of God. When God creates anything, He always begins with nothing. God will not use any pre -existent material. Never. God's creations are all new creations. When he created the world, when he created the heavens, he created them. out of nothing. He doesn't just repair. He doesn't just fix up. Therefore, we become new creations when we come to Him and experience that new birth experience. Therefore, there has got to be a time, a place, an experience when we become as nothing. And it's just like that. Again today. I want to give you from God's word. The words of Hannah is her prayer of thanksgiving. Now, in just reading Hannah's prayer, in just reading the words that came from Hannah's innermost being, she literally took the lid off of her heart. Just at first glance, you don't realize the full depths of that which she was saying. It's recorded in 1 Samuel, the second chapter, the sixth and the seventh verses. The Lord killeth and maketh alive. He bringeth down to the grave. and bringeth up the lord maketh poor and maketh rich he bringeth low and lifteth up ah beloved watch something before god can make alive he must first put to death all of self and all reliance upon self. I think one of the portions of God's word that is grossly misunderstood are the words that Jesus spoke when he said, If any man will follow me, let him take up his cross. His cross. We preach much. We talk much about the cross of Jesus. Remember, that was his cross. And as surely as there was a cross for him, so surely is there a cross for every man and every woman who will die dare to follow in his footsteps. And always, the cross is a symbol of death. Whenever you see a cross, always know it's a symbol of death. And when Jesus speaks of our cross, every man shall take up his cross. That man, that woman who'll dare to follow Christ. That one who desires a new birth experience. That one who wants power in his life. Remember, there must be death before there is life. Hannah said, the Lord killeth. But watch something. Before God can give life, before God can make alive, he must first put to death all of self and all reliance upon self. He bringeth down to the grave. Oh, sure, beloved. One of these days, If I should die before the great catching up, someplace they're going to dig a grave. Yes, six feet below the surface of the ground. And passersby will say, that is where Miss Kuhlman is buried. That's her grave. It will be marked. And that grave will just be my body. But I can take you to a place at the end of a dead -end street where Catherine Kuhlman died. When she was just in her teens, late one Saturday afternoon, there are no markings. Nothing. Nothing that can be visibly seen regarding that death. And yet, it was when Kathryn Kuhlman died to self, literally, when I was willing to die on that cross, it was then that he brought me up. That was the beginning. of my life of service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Before God could make me alive, he had to first of all put me to death. There had to be a death of self and a complete reliance on him. Hannah continued. He maketh poor and maketh rich. She wasn't talking about dollars and cents. We've gotten so materialistic in our thinking that we can only think in terms of money. of the material and when we talk of one being poor we talk of one being rich worth thinking in the sense of money that which i am talking about hear me without it the richest person in the whole world is poor And with this wonderful spiritual experience, the poorest person in the world is rich. He's an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. Oh, Hannah looked up in this prayer of thanksgiving and said, The Lord maketh poor. He stripped me of all self -reliance. He took away all of my egotism. He took away my pride. He took all of my crutches from me. Paul looked up and said, oh, I thought I was brilliant. I thought I was rich. in wisdom, but it was only man's wisdom. I knew I was rich intellectually. I was rich in influence. I was rich in talent. I was rich in much learning. But it wasn't until I became poor and recognized the fact that True wisdom comes from above. True wisdom is spiritual wisdom. The Lord maketh poor. He has stripped me of everything. And then he maketh rich. He bringeth law and lifteth up. What did Paul say? I am the very least among you. Paul didn't gloat over his much learning. Never once can you find Paul gloating over his own ability. I say again, the greatest of all Christian graces is humility. And one of the greatest examples of that humility came from the lips of Paul when he says, I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much... He bringeth low and lifteth up. That is the greatest experience that any human being can experience. God bless you.