I want to welcome everybody to the Believers Bible Assembly Truly this is the day that the Lord

has made and we're going to rejoice and be glad in it Let's open our Bibles this morning to 1

Corinthians chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 and it reads as follows The natural man does not accept the

things that come from the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand

them because they are spiritually discerned The spiritual man judges all things but he himself

is not subject to anyone's judgment Today what I want to do is I want to continue our

teaching on living a spirit-led life which is the key to a victorious life in Christ That's

my objective When everything is said and done when this teaching series is over we'll understand

that a spirit-led life is the key to a victorious life in Christ Now the last time

that we were together we talked about our connection to God through the Spirit Today

I want to continue teaching on this topic and I want to talk about understanding

the spiritual man believer the real you Because we are connected with God through the Spirit

we need to understand that spiritual connection because we are connected to God through the Spirit that makes us

spiritual beings spiritual believers This is the real you If you go back to the

passage I read 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 we see Paul is making a contrast Between the

natural man and the spiritual man we are spiritual beings We are led by the spirit and

Paul is making this contrast between the natural man and the spiritual man I want to

begin our teaching today by getting some insight on what a spiritual man and woman is in Christ by

looking at the tripartite nature of man Man is composed of three parts spirit soul and body

your entire spirit soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ As a human

being a man or woman we are made up of three parts the spirit the soul

and the body And this makes up the tripartite nature of man Now I said

in the beginning of this teaching we are spiritually connected to God through the Spirit So as

we break down the three-partite nature of man we see where we have to put our emphasis Our emphasis

must be on the spiritual That is the part that's connected with God who is spirit This three-part

nature of man is broken down by the spirit It connects us with the spirit

the soul or the mind which is the psychological aspect of man and the body the physical nature

of man These are the three dimensions of man body soul spirit Together this comprises the

whole person Now each part of man has a vital role in the life of the believer The

spirit connects with God The soul expresses our individuality and our emotions and the body is what interacts with

the physical world So we are a spiritual being in a physical body that interacts with God

and the world the tripartite nature of man And this is important to understand because all three aspects of

man the spirit the soul and the body are designed to function in harmony with

God and His sovereign will and plan for our life I wanted to share this

with you to set the context for the rest of this message Who we are We are spiritual beings connected

with a spiritual God and in order for us to be led by the Spirit we must be connected

to the Spirit and follow the leading of the Spirit I want to break this

down a little further We talked about the tripart nature of man Also there's 3 categories of man that we

need to understand Man is also composed of the natural man the cardinal man and the

spiritual man the three categories of man the natural man the cardinal man and the spiritual man

So what I want to do is to break down these three categories of man All people fall into

one of these three categories natural man a carnal man or a spiritual man So let's talk about

it by looking at the natural man first The natural man the unbelieving man is unsafe

and they don't possess the spirit of God They possess a spirit or else they wouldn't be

a living being But that spirit they possess is not the spirit of God Spirit in this instance

is life Everything that is living has life When God first created man he breathed in him and man became

a living soul So everything that's living has a spirit but the natural man does not

possess the spirit of God where he can be led by the spirit The natural man is led

by the spirit of the world by his flesh by his human wisdom The natural

man is unsaved He's a nonbeliever He's unspiritual He does not possess the spirit of God The

natural man is lost and eternally separated from God The natural man considers the things of God as

foolishness nonsense The natural man does not accept the things of God Therefore the concept of

salvation being born again through a crucified Messiah is crazy talk to the natural man It's

foolishness It's nonsense to the natural man Why Because they're trying to process this through the spirit of

the world They're trying to process this through their flesh They're trying to process this through human wisdom

and reasoning The natural man the unbelieving man has rejected the gospel and is on a path to spiritual

destruction That's the natural man And everybody before they were born again of the spirit of God

fell into this category We were unsaved we were lost and we were eternally separated from God until we heard

the word of truth and we believed and we were born again So there is hope for the

natural man but as long as natural man is in this state of rejection Being led by the

spirit of the world is flesh and human wisdom Natural man is on a path for spiritual destruction That's why

the church exists to proclaim to the world about Christ's life death and his resurrection So that they too

can believe and be born again But until that happens the natural man is on a path for

spiritual destruction So that's the natural man Now the next category is the cardinal man the worldly man Now I'm

going to take some time to talk about this individual because the worldly man the cardinal man

is saved Oh yes they're born again but they still have fleshly desires and they are spiritually immature

What are we talking about this morning We're talking about the three categories of man That's made up of

spirit soul and body This cardinal man worldly man is saved He's born again but his mind has

not been renewed He's still thinking like the world acting like the world talking like the world in the

world This cardinal man is a person that has 1 ft in the church Oh he'll

attend church service on Sunday but his behaviors and attitude outside of the church It's still

fleshly still cardinal which leads to being spiritually immature So let's talk about this individual The worldly cardinal man is

controlled by his sinful nature and worldly desires rather than the spirit of God They have the

ability to be led by the Spirit because they're born again and they have the Spirit of God

dwelling on the inside of them But because their minds are not renewed and they still have a

desire for the flesh they still have a desire for the world something in the world still appeals to

this worldly cardinal believer and they are controlled by their sinful nature and worldly desires rather than the spirit of

God Number 2 they're hostile towards God The carnal mind is enmity is hostile against God for

it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be Romans chapter 8 verse

chapter 8 verse 8 says this those who are in the flesh living a life that caters

to sinful appetites and impulses cannot please God While they're in this cardinal worldly state Nothing

they do can please God because they're not following the law of God They're not following the

scriptures They're not being led by the Spirit of God Nothing they can do as a cardinal worldly believer can

please God Number 3 they lack spiritual discernment The worldly or carnal man does not accept

or understand the things of God They consider them to be foolishness They consider it nonsense And the reason

for this is because the things of God has to be spiritually discerned and they

cannot spiritually discern the things of God because they are following their sinful nature and

their mind is set on worldly desires This explains a lot of things Why a person on the surface can

appear to be spiritual but their lives don't reflect Christlikeness They can quote scripture but

still entertain and be a part of the things of this world and it's because they reject the

things of God They consider it foolishness because the things of God are spiritually discerned We

understand them by the spirit Number 4 their focus is on selfish desires and worldly pleasures

These are people who are driven by their lust and desire for personal gain personal pleasure which

leads to conflict and division meaning they'll do anything to get it They'll do anything

to achieve it It don't matter who they have to step on or step over

they're driven by Their desire for personal gain personal wealth personal pleasures that leads to a division

in the body of Christ because as believers we seek after the things of the Spirit not the

things of the flesh not the things of the world They're going in total opposite of where

the Spirit is leading and where the Spirit is guiding Their focus is on selfish desires and pleasures rather than

the spiritual things of God Number 5 they seek friendship with the world because they love the things of the

world and they seek to please the world which is hostility towards God James chapter 4 verse 4 You

adulteresses you adulterous people do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility towards

God Therefore whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy

of God The amplified reads You adulteresses disloyal sinners flirting with the world and breaking your vow

to God Do you not know that being the world's friend that is loving the things

of the world is being God's enemy So whoever chooses to be a friend of

the world makes himself an enemy of God It's a choice As a cardinal believer you choose to

be followers of the world You choose to love the things of this world You

choose to please the things of this world and you see it on full display in churches today

If you listen to some of the things that preachers are preaching about they're supporting the ungodly

things of the world when they should be speaking about the spiritual things of God They're highlighting and supporting

the things of this world that are contrary to the things of God Why Because they

seek friendship with the world because they love the things of the world and they seek

to please the world But Pastor Mike there in the church that's a pastor preaching That pastor

is a pastor name only He's cardinal He's worldly They desire the things of the world

They love the things of the world and they seek to please the world They're masquerading as angels of

light but in all actuality they're doing Satan's work in the pulpit every Sunday Now pastor that's

harsh How do you know that Listen to what they're saying Go to your word line

it up Is it spiritual or is it worldly or is it cardinal If it's of God it's spiritual

and it's going to lead people to a deeper relationship with God But like I shared earlier the cardinal

worldly man is not able to discern the things of God People are sitting in churches every Sunday saying

amen preach to things that are against God that God opposes You got a church that's led by

a worldly cardinal pastor and the church is full of worldly cardinal people so they're not even concerned

or interested about the things of God because they love the world They want to

be friends with the world They still want to be connected with the world They think they

can have their cake and their pie too saved but I'm still going to do this

world thing Because remember now the assignment of the church is to bring the world

to Christ and that's true But nowhere in the scripture will you find that you have to

be in the world support the things of the world love the things of this world in order to bring

people to Christ One of the biggest lies you hear people promoting is that Jesus Christ hung

out with sinners No he didn't You can't find one scripture to support that Sinners

were attracted to him because he was speaking the word of truth That's the only reason why

a sinner should be gravitating towards you because you're speaking the word of truth and the Holy Spirit

is drawing that person to you for an invitation to receive Christ Not to hang

around them not to adopt their lifestyles and their behaviors and their attitudes hoping that you will

lead them to Christ More than likely they'll lead you from Christ back to the world

The scripture says that bad company corrupts good behaviors See it should be the opposite

You should be leading people to the Lord but this cardinal worthy person easily persuaded because he got

this worldly cardinal Christian because there are more of them than spiritual man These are the people whose minds have

not been renewed The apostle Paul said do not be conformed to this world but

be transformed by the renewing of your mind Who is Paul talking to He's talking to the church He's

telling the church in Rome don't be conformed to this world But be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Why would Paul make such a statement if it was not possible for a born again believer to go

back to worldly things to seek after worldly desires Paul knew that it was a spiritual battle between

right and wrong good and evil flesh spirit so he gave instructions to the churches to help them not

fall into the traps of this world But this cardinal man this cardinal believer they seek friendship with the world

which makes them an enemy of God Next we have the arrogant worldly cardinal believer They have no regard for

the things of God because they make plans without even seeking or acknowledging God They

just want to do their thing They're telling believers now Matthew 6:33 says we ought to seek

first the kingdom of God and His righteousness Proverbs says that we're not supposed to

lean toward our own understanding Then all always acknowledge Him and he'll direct our path But this cardinal worthy

Christian is arrogant because they're going to seek their way and not God's way They make plans without

seeking or acknowledging God They act as if they are in control of their lives that they can

determine their future their destiny all the while ignoring God's will and His sovereignty That's the state of mind of

this arrogant Christian this cardinal worldly man They actually think they can act independently of God Now you might

be saying how is this possible Are they seeking the things of God No Are they considering the

things of God direction of God Are they seeking to be led by the Spirit No Now they'll

probably say that the Spirit led them to do A B C or D but

when you look at the Bible from cover to cover you don't see the Spirit leading anybody in that direction

That's why you have to be in your word The things of God have to be spiritually discerned And

in this day and this hour if you're not in your scripture if you're not in the word of God

if you're not being led by the Spirit you'll be easily deceived thinking that you're in

the will plans and purposes of God But how is that possible if you're never seeking or acknowledging God's will

for your life How is this possible if you're making independent decisions apart from God The

arrogant cardinal worldly Believers Now I want to keep putting the emphasis on it they're believers

they're born again which means they have the ability to follow the things of God but

they choose not to And all of this leads to spiritual immaturity There's no way that you can grow in

the things of God if you're still a cardinal worldly Christian There's no way That's why you see people that

quote been in the church 1015 years still doing ungodly things They're drinking they're smoking they're shacking

up because they're living this cardinal worldly lifestyle and it's not leading to spiritual maturity That still bathes in

Christ that desire milk Go to 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 1 and this is what it said Therefore

lay aside or rid yourself of all evil behavior all malice and all deceit hypocrisy envy slander of every kind

Verse 2 like newborn babies you have to crave The pure milk of the word so

you may grow up The Amplified says like newborn babies you should long for the pure

milk of the word By it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to

salvation is ultimate fulfillment You cannot do this if you are a cardinal worldly Christian You cannot do this

if you are spiritually immature Because you're not seeking those things which requires you to grow You still desire milk

and you are unable to handle the deeper spiritual truths of the scripture and they're not able to do

this because they're still consumed with worldly behaviors and attitudes I'm spending some time on the worldly carnal Christian

Because there's a lot of Christians believers that think they're spiritual but they're still displaying these behaviors

that I'm sharing with you today And lastly this worldly cardinal believer the critical and judgmental of others Try to

correct a worldly cardinal Christian and watch what comes out I guarantee you nothing Christ-like is going to

come out These are the ones that are talking about you can't tell me what to do stay

out of my business you can't judge me can't tell nothing or they're critical of other people You're trying to

walk right talk right live right and they're critical of you Oh look at her look at him acting all

holy What do you mean acting all holy Why are you quote a believer criticizing someone

who's trying to live holy Isn't that the lifestyle you're supposed to be living But because of their

worldliness they're so deep into the things of the world they can't even see the truth

in the life of another believer So instead of supporting them they are harsh they're critical they speak

evil against fellow believers that's trying to live right talk right do right Because the

lifestyle of a worldly or cardinal Christian is marked by the works and desires of the flesh they're

still following the works and the desires of the flesh The truth of God's word cannot be spiritually discerned because

they're not seeking after truth They're not seeking to renew their minds to the word of

God because that's going to take them away from the life that they've been accustomed to live The

reason why they're still cardinal the reason why they're still worldly is because they like

that They want to be in two worlds at the same time which is impossible You cannot seek

after the things of God and seek after the things of the world at the same time As

a believer we seek the things of God We renew our minds to the word of God We seek to

be led by the Spirit of God and that keeps us spiritually connected to God And that's why

as spirit-led people we're able to live a victorious spiritual life because we're connected with

the giver of life and that's Jesus Christ And in Christ we are victorious In Christ we are

more than conquerors In Christ we are world overcomers But the natural man the calm

the worldly man will never experience victory In life because they are not connected spiritually with

Christ So in our next believer's Bible Assembly I want to dive deeper into this

teaching and I want to examine the four aspects of the spiritual man So until

our next believer's Bible Assembly everyone be blessed in Jesus' name