Our Lives As A Christian

Isaiah 41:13  (KJB) For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Introduction: A Story of A Pencil:    In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying,  “There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world.”

First       You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow  yourself to be held in Someone's hand.

Second  You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you are to become a better pencil.

Third     You have the ability to correct any mistakes you might make.

Fourth   The most important part of you will always be what's inside.

Last       No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You  must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation.

              If we are to learn, we need to sometimes use objects in an off the wall way. 

              When I read this little story my mind was working along Biblical verses that would describe our task as Christians.

              There was a secular point for each of these five points, but what I want to do is relate this story to our Bible and our lives as Christians.

I.            HELD IN GOD’S RIGHT HAND

(Isaiah 41:13)  For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

A.              If You Understand

1.               That it is your decision

2.               That you must trust Him

3.               You must allow Him to hold your hand

B.              With That Trust In Him

1.               We can do the impossible

(Matthew 17:20)  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

2.               We, you and I, are limited

i.            Only by

a.           Our faith in God

b.           Our trust in God.

              C.           How Big Is Your Faith?

II.           WE WILL BE CHASTENED

(Revelation 3:19)  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

A.              We will Experience Pain

1.               Physical Pain

i.            From disease

ii.           From accidents

iii.          Old age

2.               Emotional Pain

i.            From disease

ii.           From accidents

iii.          Old age

B.              Yet We Must Stand Steady

(1 Corinthians 15:58)  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

1.               Steadfast

2.               Unmovable

3.               Always abounding in our work

i.            For the Lord.

                             4.           That way our labor is not in vain.

III.         WE NEED FORGIVENESS

(Ephesians 1:7)  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

A.              Jesus Gives Us Forgiveness

1.               Through His blood

2.               No other blood

3.               No other being

4.               No other God

B.              Jesus Teaches Us To Forgive

(Mark 11:26)  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

1.               We are taught we must forgive

2.               Without our forgiving others

i.            God will not forgive us

a.           Of our trespasses (sins)

IV.         THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

              A.           What We Are Made Of!

(John 14:26)  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

                             1.           Our Holy Spirit within us

i.                Shall

a.               Teach us

b.               Bring remembrance

c.               To what God has said

B.           Without The Holy Spirit

              1.           We have nothing

i.                No Salvation

ii.               No Hope

iii.             No direction

V.           WE MUST NOT RUN IN VAIN

(Philippians 2:16)  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

A.              As a Christian

1.               Our life should be for the Lord

i.            Not for me

ii.               Not for our names sake

iii.             Not for our family

iv.             Not for our future

2.           Just for the Lord.

B.              My Work Should Not Be Useless

1.               Of no consequence

2.               Of no value

CONCLUSION:    What we have seen in comparing ourselves to a pencil is that you and I are more important than a pencil.

              We can be used the same as a pencil, yet, we can do more than a pencil.

              God has created you and I as individuals capable of doing all His work.  We can do great things.

              When a pencil is finally used it is thrown away.  No possibility of redemption, no possibility of salvation and no eternal hope.

              Just hell and damnation is the only choice.  The pencil has no selection. Jesus tells in John 3:16

If we BELIEVE He will give us eternal life.  Jesus doesn’t put other requirements on us.  Just that we believe.

You see Belief is the only requirement for salvation, yet we should repent once we have that salvation.  God tells us in Acts 2:38

(Acts 2:38)  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Peter was talking to new converts, folks who had recently accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

              We are to change our ways, and ask for the forgiveness of our sins.  

              If you really and truly, sincerely, have told God you do believe in His Son, then this repentance and asking of forgiveness of sins should be your desire.

              Not something the preacher told you to do.  As each day goes by your desire should be to want to serve the Lord more and more.

              This asking for forgiveness and repentance on a daily basis should be our deepest desire.

              So what kind of life is your desire?                                          

One of personal accomplishment, or working for the Lord.

Have you as an individual confessed Jesus to others?

              Paul tells us in Romans 10:9 that if we do BELIEVE and will confess His name salvation will come. 

              No:  If’s, And’s or But’s just plain period.

Our God loves us very much (John 3:16) and He didn’t put in any fine print in His testament.  No lawyer legal jargon, just plain talk.

It all comes down to two things, God and you.

God wants you and all you have to do is put your pride away and believe He raised His Son from the grave, confess His name to others and salvation happens.

(Romans 12:2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Beloved Follow

3 John 1:11  Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

INTRODUCTION:            When John said the “follow” in the text he is using this word to state, do not imitate those who do evil.

              What a verse, folks that this verse leaves no leeway.  God in simple terms is asking us to follow good and refrain from evil. 

              There is no slack in this verse, let’s look into this and see what God actually wants us to do.

I.            BELOVED FOLLOW NOT

              A.           That Which Is Evil

(Deuteronomy 12:30)  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

1.               Be not snared

2.               Enquire not after their gods.

i.                Don’t ask questions

a.           You will begin to follow them

3.               Depart from evil

i.            Avoid it

(Psalms 37:27)  Depart from evil, and do good;..

            B.           He That Doeth Evil

                             1.           Hath NOT seen God

(2 Kings 17:15)  And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

1.               We should not do like them

i.            The unsaved

ii.           The cultist

iii.          The idolator

II.           BELOVED FOLLOW THAT

A.              Which Is Good

(Luke 17:15)  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

1.               Only one of ten turned back

2.               Where are the others

i.            We were each healed

ii.           Where have we been

                             3.           What is Good?

(1 John 3:10)  In this the children of God are manifest,..

            B.           The Children Of God Are Visible

(1 John 3:9)  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit {purposely/habitually} sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1.               He does not purposely sin

2.               He cannot purposefully sin

i.            He is born of God

(1 John 3:6)  Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever {habitually} sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

                          3.           Whoever habitually abides in sin

i.                Even if they call themselves Christians.

ii.               Cannot abide in God

iii.             You cannot know Him

iv.             He sees you not.

C.           Shun Evil

(Isaiah 1:16)  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

Note:     (The sinner must accept the cleansing by the Lord, His          blood, not your works)

1.           We are going to sin

i.            Sometimes purposefully

ii.           Sometimes just not thinking

2.              It is the habitual, I’m going to do it anyway sin

3.           Cease to do evil (Sin)

(Romans 12:1-2)  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

D.              A Living Sacrifice

1.               Your reasonable service

2.               How do I do that?

3.               By renewing your mind

CONCLUSION:

(Ephesians 2:8-10)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

If we claim Jesus Christ as our eternal Saviour, we must know that it is His blood that washes away our sin. And that we, as Christians should walk in His works.

              His paths, the precepts Christ have laid down for you and I.  I know that each of us cannot live to the letter of the verse.

              He died on that cross for you and me, because He knew we could not follow exactly.  I am not giving you an excuse for sinning, just telling you to do better.  The best we can because Jesus didn’t have to climb on that cross and died for you and I.  I believe He had a choice, the same choice you and I have.

              You see Jesus, as a man, had a choice of sinning against God our Father or doing God’s will.  Jesus is a man-God who being God could not go against the will of God.  But the choice was there.

              He chose to shun evil, He chose not to sin, He chose His Father’s will.  That is our problem, we choose to accept evil and sin, and we choose not to do God’s will.

              My question to you today is: If you died today, would heaven be your home?

              If you can say yes, get down to this altar and thank God for what He has given you, praise Him for His Son and your salvation.

              If your answer is no or I’m not for sure, that needs to be taken care of today.  I pray if there is anyone here who doesn’t know Jesus or isn’t sure that you will take care of that during the invitation time.

              You say Bro John I don’t know how to get saved

(John 3:16)                               (Romans 10:9) 

(Joel 2:32)  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:..

(Acts 2:21)  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

(Romans 10:13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

(John 10:28)  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

(John 10:29)  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

(John 10:30)  I and my Father are one.  

Some People Are Offended By Jesus Christ

John 6:59-71  These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.  (60)  Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?  (61)  When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?  (62)  What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?  (63)  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.  (64)  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.  (65)  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.  (66)  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  (67)  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?  (68)  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.  (69)  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.  (70)  Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?  (71)  He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Introduction:       When we are out their knocking on doors, some are offended just because we knocked on their door.

              Some are offended by the fact that a Baptist knocked on their door.

              Some are offended because a Christian knocked on their door.

Some when we do get to talk to them have difficulty in what we say about Jesus.  These are “hard sayings.”                                                                                                               

              The “hard” part is what a person must do to accept Him as the God that He is.

              The hard part wasn’t the understanding; it is the giving of their heart to Jesus.

              Jesus understood this and he started with this question:  “Doth this offend you?”

              Jesus continues and describes three things that offend men about Jesus and His claims.

The First Is:

I.            CHRIST’S ACENSION & EXHALTATION (v 62)

              A.           If Man Accepts This Claim

1.               He must surrender his life to God

2.               He can no longer control his own life

i.            Do the things he wishes to do

              a.           His “want to’s” must change

              B.           The False Disciple Is Unwilling To:

1.               Look at Christ as the perfect sinless man.

i.            As the Son of Man.

2.               He would then be required to pattern himself after Jesus.

i.            Trying to do the best he can.

              C.           The False Disciple Is Unwilling To:

                             1.           Submit Himself To Jesus

i.                He is opposed to patterning himself after Jesus.

ii.               Doesn’t want Jesus dominate over him

              D.           Jesus Said “where he was before.”  (v 62)

                             1.           This shows Jesus was preexistent

                             2.           The God of all

i.                Therefore; a man must submit to Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Second Is:

II.           MEN ARE OFFENDED THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT QUICKENS                                                            (vv 63-64)

A.              The Flesh Cannot Make Man Alive

1.           Our flesh is a “Zero” effect

                                           i.            Man wants to keep

a.               His youth

b.               His physical attractiveness

c.               His physical abilities

                             2.           It is true that only the Holy Spirit quickens

i.                It just offends us

ii.               We want to be able to do it ourselves

B.              Only the Spirit Can Quicken

1.               Make man alive

2.               Giving him eternal life

3.               When we accept Jesus we start to live

i.            As never before

John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

              C.           There Are Some Who Do Not Believe

                             1.           They do not have a faith to believe His Words.

i.                Consequently; they do not have eternal life

ii.               They do not have the Holy Spirit

a.      They are only existing

b.      Not living abundantly

c.      They are not living eternally

iii.             They do not have the unswerving knowledge of eternal life.

a.      Always doubting

b.      Always wondering

c.      Never quite sure

The Third Is:

III.         MEN ARE OFFENDED; IS THAT GOD DRAWS THEM.                                                     (v 65)

              A.           Only God Through His Son Saves

                             1.           Only through the conviction by God

i.                Can man be saved

ii.               Can man have eternal life

                             2.           No man is saved without God’s conviction

                             3.           All men are lost without that conviction by God.

              B.           This Is What Disturbs People

                             1.           They think being good

                             2.           Doing extra good

i.                Will get you to heaven regardless

ii.               It is always me;  not God

John 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

CONCLUSION: There were three responses to Jesus’ message.

1.           Many disciples turned back and walked no more with the Lord.          Why?    

              i.            Jesus was claiming to be Lord       

                             a.           They had to deny themselves

                             b.           Give all they were to Him

                             c.            Give all they had to Him

              ii.           Jesus claimed He came down from Heaven

                             a.           He was the Son of God

                                           i.            Some could not believe

              iii.          Jesus demanded total allegiance

                             a.           Complete self-denial It cost to much.

2.           One disciple spoke for all the Apostles that was Peter

i.                Peter called Jesus Lord.

ii.               Peter declared Jesus’ Word were Words of life

              iii.          Peter and the Apostles knew Jesus was

a.               The Christ the Son of Man

b.               The Holy one of God

3.           There was one disciple who was a devil

              i.            Judas was a chosen man

                             a.           Chosen to be saved

                             b.           Chosen to be a minister of Christ

              ii.           Judas chose to be an adversary; an enemy of Christ

iii.             Judas was a betrayer

a.               A professed follower

b.               A hypocrite

When we see this synopsis Jesus give us in these last few verses and we look back over the previous verses it tells us to stop and look at where we are and at where we are going.

              We need to know before the last hour where it is that we will spend eternity.

              We need to understand that it wasn’t my will that got me saved, nor yours.

              It was my willingness to succumb to the conviction of my heart by God through the Holy Spirit.

              Jesus doesn’t ask the capable to do His work He asks the ones with a willing heart.

Isaiah 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

              It is those who are willing to serve Him.  Not those who are unwilling.

              God does use unwilling to get the willing to going.

Are you unwilling to call upon His name?

              Do you understand what your reluctance can bring?

It can bring the wrath of God upon you.  John the Baptist tells us in:

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

              That wrath is eternal damnation and hell, burning forever.

That comes on you after death.

              Jesus tells us in John:

John 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

We can have a glorious eternal life with Christ and never even know about the wrath of God.  But How can I get this eternal glorious life.

              God teaches us through out the Bible we must first believe He is what he says He is.

              That is taught cover to cover in our Bible.  It, the Bible, tells us in      John 3:7 “Ye must be born again.”

              How can that be asked Nicodemus?  Jesus tells us it is a spiritual rebirth not a physical one.

John 3:16            Romans 10:9 10:13 

Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.