Characteristics of Total Depravity

Topic:  Characteristics of Total Depravity

Greetings:

A person who is totally depraved carries these characteristics:

1.    Dead in Trespass and Sin

Ephesians 2:1,2 Jude 12

These people are powerless and helpless. They can do nothing apart from God.

2.    Man is Always Self-Seeking 

Philippians 2:21; 2 Peter 2:10

Totally depraved people are selfish and always seek self-preservation and protection

3.    Desires Become Perverted

Romans 1:20-32; Ephesians 2:3; Proverbs 21:10; John 8:44

These people seek perverse desires through not only personal interaction but also entertainment.  Curiosity really is a major driving aspect of this perversion

4.    Rebellious

Romans 8:6-9; Romans 3:10-12

Totally depraved people are very opinionated, they have a inflated self esteem and carry a sense of entitlement. When you are like this you will alaways go against the truth, if the truth does not fit your criteria of what you believe is right. This is where ignorance turns to rebellion.

5.    Affinity for Darkness and Sin

John 3:19; Titus 3:3; Matthew 7:18; Psalm 58:3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 

Depraved people love darkness when they have grown accustomed to it and find themselves comfortable with what they have put together to be their life. 

6.    Ignorant of God’s Righteousness and Ways

Ezekiel 18:29; Isaiah 55:8,9; Romans 10:3

They are partakers of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The wisdom the totally depraved receive is the wisdom that comes from the Earth.  In the letter of James it says the wisdom from the earth is carnal, sensual and devilish.  It is this wisdom that the totally depraved use to frame their perception and knowledge of the world.

7.    Heart is Deceitful and Wicked

Matthew 15:19,20; John 12:42,43; Jeremiah 17:9

One of the characteristics of the totally depraved is they are self-seeking and fame-seeking.  Seeking to do things for the approval of man.

8.    Governed by inability

Philippians 2:13; John 5:30-32; Ephesians 1:4; Philippians 4:13

Without God man can do nothing.  Without God man cannot please, commit, come, change or seek God because the totally depraved man is dead.  God decides who He choses to call.  Ephesians 4:1 speaks of the calling of God from the foundation of the world.  It is His call and His choice.  Every attempt of man from the tower of Babel to false religion is a seeking to find God.  Every person in the earth was created to serve the Father.  It is inherently in them but they can do nothing of themselves.  It is only by God can man be all who God has created Him to be. This requires man to have a true encounter with God and in that true encounter with God, the Word, you are then empowered or graced to fulfill His Will in the earth. 

The totally depraved man is completely dead and it is not until God sends His Word to those whom He has chosen and they receive Him that the totally depraved man can be resurrected from the dead and live the Zoe (God-like) life.  For many in the church, though they be resurrected by the oneness with the Spirit, mentally they are still walking a life of death.  Romans 8: 6-11 explains this perfectly. It is time for us as the sons of God to live the life that God has given us through Christ as His firstborn sons.   We have eternal, Zoe-life, now!  Though we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness spiritually (Colossians 1:13) we must make the translation mentally (Romans 12:1,2).  When we make the translation spiritually and mentally then shall there be the manifestation of the sons of God. We are continually changing from glory to glory as we mature and submit our will to His will.  We made the declaration by baptism of water that we have died and the depraved man is dead and buried and now through Christ we are a new creation and walk in the newness of life.  Let us recognize the depraved nature within us that we may overcome and continue to change glory to glory. 

Peace and Grace

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Understanding the Depraved Man

Teaching Series: Total Depravity

Topic: Understanding the Depraved Man

             

Greetings Sons of God:

What is total depravity?  Let us first define depravity because we know total is complete.  Depravity is defined as moral corruption or degradation.  So total depravity is the complete moral corruption of degradation of mankind.  This corruption was brought about by the original sin in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  That sin corrupted the mind, emotion and will of mankind.  Because of that sin:

1.    Mankind was unable to come to God on his own. 

2.    Mankind was unwilling to seek God

3.    Mankind was unable to submit to God

Man went from being a living, immortal being in the earth, to a walking dead man.  Man was dead in his trespasses.  This is why every person born onto the earth was born in sin (Psalm 51:5).   Now lets look at a picture of the depraved man so we can get an understanding of total depravity and how it affects the maturity of the sons of God today.

John 11:11-43 – Story of Lazarus

We know that Jesus raised Lazarus from dead but I want you to look a little deeper than that.   Lazarus is a picture of the unregenerated man.  One thing we know about dead people is that they cannot talk, repent, believe, interact, hear, see etc.  But it is not until there is an encounter with God that the dead man, the depraved man is brought to life.  Now does the dead man call for God or does God find the dead man?  Scripturally it is God that comes to the dead man.  God sent Jesus to redeem us from the curse of sin and depravity.  Now notice Lazarus was completely dead but it was not until Jesus (The Word of God) called Lazarus to come forth that Lazarus was given life and was brought back from the dead. The coming to life from the depraved state is completely a God-process.  You will remain depraved until God calls you to “come forth”.   In obedience to God one is transitioned form a state of total depravity to Zoe life.  Let me show you another example:

Ezekiel 37:1-10 – Valley of Dry Bones

We have read this story but let’s get a spiritual understanding of this story.  First the dry bones represent the depraved man who is dead.  God asks Ezekiel “can these bones lives””  Ezekiel responds “only you know”.  Next God tells Ezekiel to “prophesy”  to the bones to HEAR the Word of the Lord.  When Ezekiel would prophesy God said He would cause breathe to enter into them and they shall live.  Do we see this!  The dead bones could not seek God, speak to God, repent or believe.  It is not until God sends a son carrying His image and likeness with His Word within them to the depraved that they have an opportunity to live. Every attempt at man trying to get back to God has failed and as a result many have created religions to find God.  But God did what man in his carnal mind would not ever dream of doing.  He would come to them!  Here is where the bedrock of our faith really comes into play because for many in false religion they could not think of God coming in human form to make the ultimate sacrifice that humanity would now have an opportunity come back in fellowship with the Creator and restore the divine relationship of Father and Son.  It is not until the Breath of God enters into someone that they are transitioned from death to life. The cure for death is the Breath of God. 

In the next message we will look at characteristics of the totally depraved man and I promise you will be shocked to see many believers possess some of these very same traits.

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Overcoming the Spirit of Ammon

Journey of the Sons of God to the Promised Land

Today’s Focus: Overcoming the Spirit of Ammon

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:32-40

Greetings Sons of God:

Jeremiah 32:32-40: Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and the their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me the back and not the face though I taught them rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.  But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.  And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom to cause their sons and daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.  And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, where ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine and by the pestilence; behold I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

Now from examining this extensive Scripture we see that the children of Israel had sinned against God and now desire to come back but the only way to come back to Him is through repentance, submission and obedience to His Sovereign rule.  When a son comes into the House of God, the Father desires for the son to learn His Way and fear Him (reverence and respect) for ever.  As long as they do good and that is obey the Lord they would be safe and prosperous. 

To overcome the spirit of Ammon is to repent and make the Sovereign Lord, King and Father ruler over your life and despite people’s opinions, you stay within the ways and character of the Father.   In the Kingdom of God, it is governed by the Sovereign King and His Laws and Commandments, not our opinions and thoughts.  We are the sons of God, not the sons of the people.  It is notuntil we embrace a “Kingdom mentality” that we will continue to fall short due to the opinions of man and not advance by the Word of God. 

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Sacrifice of the Children

Journey of the Sons of God to the Promised Land

Today’s Focus: The Spirit of Ammon Today Part 2: Sacrifice of the Children

Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:9-12

Greetings Sons of God:

Deuteronomy 18:9-12: When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard or a necromancer.  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 

When we examine the spirit of Ammon and we know that the most common sacrifice of children we talk about in Christian circles is abortion.  Now we know abortion is the killing of children and is strictly against the law and commandment of our Lord but when we examine this Scripture notice not only does the Lord speak of the physical sacrifice but also He points to the spiritual sacrifice of our children.   Divination, observer of times, consulter of familiar spirits, witch, wizard or necromancer all point to the turning of the hearts of children from their Lord to the spirits, powers and principalities of darkness. 

If we take a deep look at the things our children are exposing themselves to or what we are allowing them to be exposed to we will find some of these very things in the things that they are being exposed to.   For example we see a complete influx of horror films, cartoons glorifying false god worship, identifying themselves through horoscopes in many of our children.  What it really shows is a search for the spiritual or supernatural.  We know in the Body of Christ there is good and evil in the supernatural and when we search using our carnal being we will more likely find the evil spirits and they will use every trick in the book to appease to your desire to trap you. 

The enemy understands that if he can get your children then he also gets the subsequent and future generations.  This is why we as parents must be spiritual minded and informed about the movements of the enemy and be able to explain to our children why doing these things is wrong in the Lord’s eye. Anytime we expose and allow our children to learn of this spiritual abominations to a point that they indulge in it, we sacrifice them.  Yes Abortion is killing many children everyday but how many of our children are being spiritually killed by the above things because of parents not teaching their children about the Lord and being informed of the movements of the enemy? 

The spirit of Ammon seeks to defile the sons of God through these things that appeal to our carnal desires in the attempt to kill off, not only physically but spiritually, generations of sons of God.  This is why parents are given to watchover (pastor) their children and be aware of the fact that the enemy seeks to infiltrate the home and the church to defile the people of God. 

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Spirit of Ammon: False God Worship

Journey of the Sons of God to the Promised Land

Today’s Focus: Spirit of Ammon Today Part 1: False God Worship

Scripture: Psalm 2:1-3

Greetings Sons of God:

Because we now understand that the spirit of Ammon is primarily characterized by a rule of the people then we see one of the primary forms of government harbors that allows this spirit to rule and even govern people is the government of democracy.  Democracy is characterized by a rule of the people.  When it is a rule of the people that governs a nation then whatever the people’s opinions are which can be influenced by culture and even religion, that will be the way decisions are made for the whole of a nation.  Because I live in the United States let me us our nation as the example. 

Psalm 2:1-3: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rules rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

This nation was supposed to be founded on Christian principles.  Now we know the United States has a dark past of slavery and segregation which scar run deep even to this very day but because we are discussing a spirit let me show you how the spirit of Ammon has crept its way into our nation and how it is revealing itself. 

False God Worship

Many in our government who the people vote for or think they vote for are part of secret societies and other organizations that are only there to promote their cause and really the god of their organization.  We see major secret socities such as the freemasons and skull and bones in our government and the symbols of their existence is throughout our nation from the buildings to the currency.  The thoughts and actions of the god of the organization run deep within those who are sworn to it and they are there to forward the agenda of the god of that organization.  The Ammonites were a people who did not worship Yahweh of the Scriptures.  They worshipped Molech and other deities.  We know that these false gods and deities sought ways through people to defile Israel and cause them to sin against God. 

It will not be until the Lord Jesus Christ begins to rule and reign over the United States that this nation will get better.  It begins with the turning of the hearts of fathers to the sons and sons to the fathers.  One person at a time.  But understand that when Christ is exalted in a nation the nation is blessed and protected.  But also understand because we are sons of God and the god of this world despises us, he will rise up against us and make war with the saints, we are seeing today in our nation, the attack on Christian principles.  It is the worship of the sovereign God that restores order, rule and peace to any nation.  

In the next message we will look at the spirit of Ammon and the sacrifice of the children.   

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.