We Are Perfect In Christ By Dr. Pete Norris

Today on Power In The Word How could he endure the cross? Because of the joy that was set before him, guys. He could endure the cross because of the joy that was set before him. Who was set before him? Mine in your perfectness. He presented us before the Father, absolutely perfect. And he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. And now you're standing, see, and the devil's saying, you're wrong, you're wrong. No, he's wrong. We're right. Not because of us, because of Jesus Christ. He delivered us and freed us. The blood of bulls and goats couldn't do it, but the blood of the Son of God removed us from sin completely. Welcome to Power In The Word. Have you ever thought of yourself as being perfect in Christ Jesus? Most of us have a hard time thinking about ourselves as being perfect. Well, today Dr. Norris shows us in the scripture that we're perfect in Christ Jesus. And that anything other than that is to deny what Jesus did at Calvary. Well, if you don't believe it, stay tuned and be enlightened and be encouraged. I want to talk about you being perfect. How many of you believe that God came down to earth and brought heaven down here? And he manifested heaven on the earth and his kingdom is what's living on the inside of us. I want you to understand something today. The kingdom of God is on the inside of you, according to Luke 17, 21. Now, if the kingdom of God is on the inside of you, where's heaven? Inside of us. You've got to understand it's inside of us. And so when God came down, he brought heaven down. So his kingdom of ruling and reigning on the earth can only rule and reign through the kingdom of God. Not through the world system, but through the kingdom of God. Because Luke 17, 21, low here, low there. For the kingdom of God is within us. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but it's what?

Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So we understand here that in the kingdom there's going to be righteousness, peace, and joy. Now, I want to ask you something. How many of you have righteousness, peace, and joy? How many of you have peace in every area of your life? How many of you have joy all the time? Okay, that's where we need to get to. Because he said that's what the kingdom of God's made up. The kingdom of God's made up with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. So we understand that the Pentecostal say ghost, and the Baptist folks say spirit. They're both the same. Okay, the Holy Spirit's the Holy Spirit. If you're born again, the Holy Spirit's living inside of you. So, go to 1 Peter 1, verse 4 and 5. And we're going to start right there. To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that does not fade away. Now let's stop right there, because I want to break all this down today, because I want you to see it. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away. Now how many of you know what he's talking about here? He's talking about a kingdom that's going to come to earth that's never going to fade away. How many of you know that Moses went up on the mount, and he was in the presence of God for 40 days. He comes down, breaks the Ten Commandments, because the people are worshiping all kinds of idols. But if the Ten Commandments had to come down and they'd have been in sin, then everybody had to have been destroyed. So he broke the Ten Commandments, he had to go back up on the mount for 40 more days. Rewrite the Ten Commandments with his own finger. Come back down. And when he come back down, what happened? The glory of God was so strong on him, he had to cover his face. Not so he would burn them up, because they would see the glory fade. But the glory that's on me and you today in the new covenant is never going to fade.

So the veil has been removed. Moses had a veil on. Y'all remember the story, right? And he come down, and the veil was upon his face, and the Bible says the glory that was fading away. Now this one says it's not going to fade away. So the glory that's on me and you are not going to fade away. Now guys, listen to me very carefully. You need to look at people in Christ instead of looking at what they do wrong. Amen. And so when we can start looking at people through Christ, we'll stop seeing all the things they're doing wrong. So we said, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Now let's stop right there, because everybody believes that's when you get to heaven. That's not what he's talking about, guys. The word is the word E-N in the actual Greek, and it means beforehand. So he had reserved heaven on earth. What's he talking about? It's referring back to how Adam was in the beginning. How many of y'all remember when God created everything in the book of Genesis, then he placed Adam on the sixth day inside everything he was creating. Everything he was creating was here already. Adam didn't have to do anything to get it going. He'd done everything, made everything perfect, everything Adam was going to ever need, and then he put Adam in it. And then once Adam fell, I don't know how long it was between the time he started and the time he ended, but when Adam fell, the kingdom of God was lost. So what happened? They had to form another kingdom. So what began to happen? They began to put judges in the Bible. They began to put the old covenant in the Bible.

They began to put the law in the Bible. And then they began to cover everybody's sins by sacrifices of bulls and goats who could never make people perfect. But then this Messiah is going to come along. This one Lamb is going to come along. Along and make everybody perfect. How many of you believe he made everybody perfect? How many of you today that he made everybody perfect? You're perfect. Oh I got six amens on that one because we don't understand Whether we're in the flesh because we haven't walked out of it The Bible said even though you're in the flesh You're not in the in the flesh if you're in the spirit because if you're born again Then you're in the spirit not the flesh at all. Oh pastor. You don't understand. I'm walking in the flesh That's not who you are because this part of you which is flesh is never gonna go to heaven guys But heaven's gonna come down to consume what you are So he said it's reserved in heaven that doesn't mean it's reserved in heaven It's reserved in Christ for you and me on the earth now look at verse 5 who are kept by what how are you kept? By the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last Time not the last days the last time this is not when you get out of here The word time there is the word cosmos in the actual Greek, and it means that a specific time It's been appointed when was that time Galatians 4 and 4 tells you that appointed time There was a point in time Jesus showed up on the earth Built born under the law born of a woman to do what to redeem us back to righteousness in Christ The Bible said in 2nd Corinthians 5 21 him who knew no sin became sin that you and I might become the righteousness of God We're absolutely perfect why because the kingdoms made up of righteous peace and joy as in Romans 14 and 17 So we got to understand that we're the righteousness of God. You're righteous nothing can make you unrighteous listen to me There is not enough sin in the world to make you unrighteous Cuz sins been conquered Turn to somebody say sins been conquered Guys you need to get ahold of this sins been conquered see some of you today are sitting around I can see depression on you I'm serious. I can see it. I'm serious. It rested right on you. Why because throughout the week It's wonderful to come and hear me on Wednesdays

We're for coming here me on Sundays, and I'm gonna cheer you up lift you up But you got to go home and deal with you You're your worst enemy you the devil ain't you a problem devil's defeated first John chapter 3 verse 8 the Son of God come to destroy the works of a devil That you and I might have freedom we got freedom you got to create your own joy You got to look in the mirror and tell yourself who you are You got to look in the mirror and fall in love with who you are Hey, man, you need to look in the mirror. I have a thing is it I put one I gave one to miss Nikki this week somebody made it for me fear I kept it on my my bathroom for years fear knocking on the door faith open it won't nobody there see Faith fear is coming at some of you all the time all the time because you'll pass you'll pass you'll pass if you didn't have One he wouldn't have anything do you talk about? Let me have you know you don't have a past Stop being a victim and be victorious He's made you more than a conqueror you're more than overcome a greater is he that is in your knees in the world no weapon Formed against you can prosper why because Jesus died to remove all the weapons the word incorruptible means imperishable indestructible So how many of you know that the inheritance is incorruptible is imperishable and indescribable? How many of you know the word undefiled means morally untainted? Do you understand that you've been delivered and you've been undefiled so you're you're nothing about your morals are tainted You've been untainted because of the blood of Jesus Christ was flowing through your veins is the royal blood of Jesus that is freed you The word kept we are secure because we continued guarded by God How many have you know God's keeping you and sustaining you and looking after you he put you in himself So nothing could get you you can't be got out of him But you can't be taken out of him Nothing can snatch you out of his hands the Bible says So what's this the word power means the billy or a force living within? Where's the kingdom of God living on the inside of us some of us believe the kingdom of God's coming it ain't coming if it Ain't here, then you ain't got grace if it didn't hear then Jesus didn't die died in vain But he died and resurrected that you and I'd be free now go to first Peter chapter 1 verse 4 and 5 in the new living translation and

We have a priceless inheritance inheritance that's kept in heaven for you pure undefiled beyond the reach of change or decay It can't change guys He can't you can't change The devil's not gonna slip up on you and change the rules The rules have been plied with the blood and the blood has delivered and freed me And you it ain't about you and I as all it's about his marvelous grace look at verse 5 and Through your faith God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation Which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see let me let me know Jesus coming back Absolutely he's coming back The struggle is y'all think y'all going up, and y'all just going out Cuz you already gone up And you already resurrected out, so what am I trying to say to you today? I'm saying that his power is gonna keep you and he's gonna come back a second time to fulfillment of the salvation But it's not for the sins of the world because he's already removed the sins of the world He's gonna come back for the glory of God to reign on the earth as one and us to live in victory forever. Why? Because we got, oh listen we're just practicing right now. We're taking batting practice. There's a game about to happen. Some of you don't know anything about ball. I know you don't. But if you know anything about ball, if you hit a lot and you get a bad hitch or something in your swing, it takes 1,500 swings to correct that one bad habit. 1,500. So you got to hit till your hands bleed. You know what I mean? Some of us have got so much religion that it's hard for us to believe that God can graciously take that drug addict and send him to heaven. And take that homosexual and send him to heaven. And take that one that's struggling with life and send him to heaven. And you know why? Because self-righteousness is a powerful thing that operated in the scribes and the Pharisees throughout the four Gospels. And it's operating today in the church because we think we have seniority in this message and we forgot. Listen to me. Anything that you add to a gift, if you put a condition with a gift, it's no longer a gift. If your confession can fix your sins, then you didn't need

the blood. But it says the blood removed us from our sins. Now what's my part? Receiving what's been done for me. That's it. That's all I got to do. It isn't about my being right, living right, doing right, because ain't nobody out of you, anybody in here living right and doing right and looking right. It's his grace that's making us right. Go me to John chapter 10 verse 28. So me and you are perfect in Christ. Now watch this. And I give, I give them eternal life. Who's the them? And they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. Now do you understand he's not talking about he's got everybody in the palm of his hand. You know, he's not talking about that, you know. You realize that, don't you? Now he got a big hand. But he ain't got everybody in the palm of his hand. He took all your sins in the palm of his hand. And because of that, he's got you in his hand because you're consumed in his work on the cross. That's what eternal life is. John 17 3 tells us what eternal life is. It's the ability to know God. Guys, are you with me? It ain't about you. It's about his, I give them eternal life. He didn't say I give them heaven. He said I give them eternal life. You have eternal life, eternal life. You're going to live forever. Go to Jude 1 and 24. Watch this, guys. This is good. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless. Now if you'll notice something here, if you'll notice something here, there's some powerful translations here. Now to him who is able, who's the him? Jesus. To keep you from stumbling. How many of you know the word keep means to guard you and to keep you from stumbling? And to present you. How many of you know the word present means to show or exhibit? Goodness gracious. He's showing you off. Why? Because he made a show of the devil openly and triumphant in Christ Jesus and because of that now he's showing me. See, the devil only, listen to me, listen to me. You're standing before the devil absolutely perfect and he's trying to tell you that crazy mess and if you don't know who you are, you're going to listen to that crazy mess because you don't know that you're faultless before. Now if you notice, that's a capital B. So I begin to do some research on why that's a capital B. In the actual Greek text, before is before the foundation of the world. He'd already moved you and made you faultless. Before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. The Bible said how could he endure the cross? Because of the joy that was set before him, guys. He could endure the cross because of the joy that was

set before him. Who was set before him? Mine in your perfectness. He presented us before the father absolutely perfect and he chose us in him before the foundation of the world and now you're standing. See, and the devil was saying, you're wrong, you're wrong. No, he's wrong. We're right. Not because of us, because of Jesus Christ. He delivered us and freed us. The blood of bulls and goats couldn't do it but the blood of the son of God removed us from sin completely. Guys, we're free and he's presented us faultless before the foundation of the world, the presence. How many of you know the word presence means the face of? In other words, you have the ability, man, that's why you're seated in heavenly place. You have the ability to stand before God without any spot, wrinkle, or blemish. Glory be to God. Not because you're good, not because you do what's right all the time, because he's faithful and you're not. He's faithful when you're not faithful. And that's what I'm saying. Now you stand before God absolutely pure. There's nothing against your record. Guys, you got to get this. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20 Now he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you ask or think According to the power that works in us What's he talking about the kingdom of God you're able to exceedingly above all not not just above and not just exceedingly exceedingly abundantly above All that we can ask or think in other words the action amplifies that I'll dare you to think it Before it's all over the things you think are gonna happen. They're already happening. You don't even realize it Some of you looking for trouble and it's showing up If you look for joy joy you show up because whatever man thinks in his heart Proverbs 23 7 whatever main thinks in his heart That's what he is the word heart. There's the word mind. So your mind's a powerful thing. That's why the Bible Center for First Corinthians chapter 2 verse 16 you and I have the mind of Christ Be you not conformed this world be you transformed by the renewing of this bad boy See the enemy wants to tell your failure. So now think about it We go to church and you got to live right you got act, right? You're going to hell for doing that you're going to hell for doing that you're going and the devil saying amen Amen, tell him brother. Amen. Tell him brother. And so he don't bother that preacher because he's preaching his message

He's only the bothers ones got a different message in what the world's hearing So you don't want this message. I'm telling you how good you are in Christ He wants you to go to hell and struggle and barely get by and just hang on with a string and die out of here And I sick and I'm pained I broke and I busted and discussed it Tore up from the floor up God wants you to be blessed highly favored deeply loved He wants the goodness of God to follow you all the days of your life your children to be blessed your grandchildren to be Blessed your home to be blessed listen to me now There's consequences for what you do because the power of seeing there was no seeing until death I mean there's no death until sin came sin brought death, but Jesus brought life Hallelujah you gonna live forever come on guys you gonna live forever You're just gonna turn into a butterfly and fly out of here come on somebody. I'm telling you you're some kind of something God works just like this word said he's gonna work. He said you can be in a family Pete, and I got you He said you can be struggling everything fall apart, and I got you You won't find my seed begging bread throw it out on the water and watch it come back when it needs to come back So it'll show right up when it's time to show up somebody turn to somebody says showing up Some of you missing your stuff because you ain't looking for it. God wants you to be favored and highly blessed listen Don't you be don't you don't you don't you don't you? Don't you hide the blessings of the Lord You let everybody see God's goodness You are what you are because of God's goodness You can't tell me this word don't work you give and you so and you watch what God does He'll bless you beyond anything you can imagine he'll fix us. He'll turn the situation out to your good He told me one time. He said Pete. He said if you keep your heart right son. I'll turn the situation out You're good even when you're wrong Go to Colossians chapter 1 verse 29 stay with me To this end I also labor Striving according to his working which works in me mightily how many of us I'll do exceedingly above all yes I think according to the powers working in you what's working in you listen to me listen to me God ain't gonna Do nothing else for you He'll let you be depressed the rest of your life if you want to be you choose that

What's he gonna do tell me how he's gonna fix it you can go get you some help and talk to some folks and that's Good talking to folks But you need to talk to the right folks Because some people talk you right into a deeper place than you already are I've come to set you free Jesus said I didn't come to talk about your problems I've come to take tell you I got him and I've took him and greater is he that send me I'm what you what I've got did you a drink off you won't ever thirst again the prison depression can't stay where the word is Under what listen depression can't say I've battled depression my whole entire life Let's go there glory be to God you can't tell me he ain't a deliverer I was depressed as a young child the press as a teenager. I was a suicidal I was almost out of here, but the goodness of God has put some passion in me brother And I'm telling you he's alive forevermore, and I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna become this I must speak this I'm a prophesy this Listen it doesn't still tries to come and show up some day But I got to get up and look in the mirror say you know what you can't stand because I'm the man I'm the man because the blood of Jesus I'm the man because of the blood of Jesus not because of anything I've done I'm taking depression to kill you my whole family's on there all kinds of antidepressant junior ain't Why because I'm telling you why because greater is he that's in me listen to me You can't tell me this word won't deliver you you can't tell me this thing won't free you You can't tell me you can be so depressed, but you can come up out of it, baby You can rise up in the morning say you know what I don't I don't say I'm trying to figure out Why did he have a heart attack? Why did he why did he go through a wreck? Why did baby die? How was he alive why Jesus died for me because of the goodness of the Lord he loves me better than he loves anything else Why because of his goodness and mercy? You got to get up and shake that stuff off of you listen He'll get you out of the grave, but he ain't gonna take the grave clothes off of you You can't stop what he's got a plan for he'll do exceedingly abundantly above All you can actually think when I was stuttering at about 13 years old and couldn't talk. He never he saw this He saw the word was gonna be he saw the anointing on my life. He saw the joy

It was coming in the morning. He knew that the nice that I cried because I couldn't talk Oh, you can't tell me about pain because I'm telling you God's a good God and he'll take a painful man And he'll make a believer out of it He'll give you resurrection power that you didn't know you had it'll come alive on the inside of you and you say you know What you don't talk much now, but you catch it up, baby Well because I got something there to talk about you hear me. I got something to talk about he's been good to me He's been good to me. He's Let's go to Ephesians 3 and 7 I got to stay on my message Look what he said here in Ephesians 3. This is Paul talking to the Ephesians of which I became a minister According to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effectual working of his power and Paul said listen I'm a minister according just by the gift now. I'm gonna say something you ready for this If the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable Then grace is irrevocable because it's a gift Listen to me if God called you to do something and you went out and fell right deep in the sin that calling is still there Now we want to throw everybody under the bus But I come to get them out and under the bus and drag them out and dust them off and say preach again Preach again preach again preach again believe again receive again Oh, you may listen the world ain't gonna. Let you go, but I tell you Jesus did If you get to about what people say you're gonna stay to up all the time He didn't say I'm preaching and I've got to satisfy a bunch of people he said you just you just preach And he'd tell me how many had to preach to so my most powerful message been preached to the to the to the mirror By myself on the back porch in the yard in the woods It was kind of crazy, and he don't come upstairs yesterday And I was up there talking to myself up there in the in the playroom She's the ball game was on and I was talking to myself up there. I was I heard some So when you hear something he talked back See when the devil start talking about negative stuff you better talk back, or he's just gonna keep on talking And me I never hear his voice just keep talking talking talking you ain't worth nothing you ain't no good You know what you ain't making no difference. Why don't you quit and sell cars or some?

You ever heard that don't you ever hear that? Maybe he don't bother y'all either. Let's go to Colossus chapter 1 Colossus chapter 1 verse 22 in the body of the flesh through death in the body of his flesh through death To show you and exhibit you off holy blameless and above reproach in his sight Think about that a moment guys you're above reproach in his sight Think about it. Just a moment. You're above reproach in his sight You're holy blameless and above reproach have you ever heard this in the last few months Here's what you hear in the last few months And this is what you hear really a lot of people say Well when the church cleans up God's only gonna come back for a holy a spotless a church without blemish Now look what he did in the body of his flesh through the through the through death he presented you holy blameless and above reproach in his sight What did he do? He delivered you and made you holy blameless and above reproach this has nothing to do with your performance This has to do with his death of the flesh and the resurrection He died to make you holy he resurrected to give you life You need to think about that a minute Now I want you to go with me to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 27 and the Bible says let everything be established upon two or three witnesses if you can't find a scripture then don't make a doctrine out of a scripture you found out and taken out of context so Many people take scriptures and to take them out of context You know it's kind of like the one he's faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse the small unrighteous first John chapter 1 verse 9 And we've taken that and taken it completely out of context and made it where everybody's supposed to confess all the time There's one scripture you can't find them anywhere else in there and the word confess There is homo logos which homo means the same and logos means the word you need to say the same thing about your sins He said about him. What'd he say about him? They're removed to be remembered no more But we spend all of our time being sin conscious instead of spending all our time being God conscious And maybe you know God presented you as perfect. I'm gonna show you again

I'm giving you scriptures to prove it Ephesians 527. I don't give you my opinion because my opinion don't matter But the word you got to deal with it that he might present her to himself a Glorious church, this is not when he comes back This is right now to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing But that she should be holy and worthy without blemish. So how did he do now guys? He presented to himself that church. In other words, when he died and resurrected, he became the head of the church. Now watch this, if the head is named Christ, then what's the body? If I call Aaron up here, if I talk to his head and I say, you know that's Aaron's head, but that really ain't Aaron's body, then that's a freak. And anything that's got two heads is a freak, right? So if Jesus is the head and I'm the body of Christ, then how are we any different? We're not. So what he did at his death and burial and resurrection, he presented us to the Father with having not a spot or wrinkle or a blemish, and we were holy before God. It was not a denomination. He made us holy. I'm holy because of him. I have no spot, no blemish because of him. Now I'm going to make a statement. You say, well pastor, I just got out of the car and I was so ugly to my wife on the way here today, or I was so ugly to my husband on the way today. I want you to know that's forgotten. Now she may not have forgotten, or he may not have forgotten, but God's forgot it. Now listen to me, and you listen to me good because right here where condemnation sits in. You need to get past you, and if God's forgot it, you need to let it go too. That's what he's talking about, holding your sins against your brothers and sisters. What's he mean by that? He said if you retain the sins, they're retained. If you forgive them, then they're forgiven. You and I have the power to forgive sins. Oh pastor. Colossians 128. This is Paul saying, hymn we preach. Who's the hymn? Jesus. Warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. See guys, it's not based on your performance. He presented you before the Father perfect in Christ Jesus. Now you're worthless in yourself. You're lost spiritually in yourself. You're spiritually dead in yourself, but once Christ becomes the center of your life, and you're in Christ, you're absolutely perfect in him. If you notice, he said every man perfect in Christ Jesus. You're not perfect in the man,

you're perfect in the spirit, which is in Christ Jesus. Your man is not in Christ Jesus. Your spirit is in Christ Jesus. So we got to understand that he presents every man, see we use this and we preach against it. Hymn we preach, warning every man, teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect. He didn't say you got to do something right to become perfect. He made you perfect in Christ Jesus. Guys, we're free. Thank you for joining us today at Power in the Word. All of us here at Harvest Fellowship Church want you to know that God is not mad with you, but he loves you so very much, and he has a plan for your life. Please feel free to contact us here at Harvest Fellowship Church at our website, HarvestFellowshipChurch.net. So until next week, please remember, there's power in the word.