5 Recommendations For The Christian

“5 Recommendations for the Christian”

(Story)

A young boy when into a drug store and asked to use the telephone. The druggist said, fine, so the boy dialed the grocery store on the other side of town. When the grocer answered, he said, do you need a stock clerk, somebody who can come in and stock the shelves and carry the packages and so forth and sweep the floor. The store clerk man said no, we already have a boy who does that. The boy asked, well, does he do a good job? Maybe you need someone else, maybe he's not adequate. And the grocer said no, he does a fine job. We're very satisfied with the young man we have. The boy said thank you and he hung up. The pharmacist said, I'm sorry son, that you didn't get the job. The young man said oh everything is fine sir. I already have that job over there, I was just checking up on myself. I wanted to see how I was performing and if he really appreciated my work.

(Opening statement)

Now what I want you to do today is to check up on yourself and see if there is, in your heart and in your life, anything that is keeping you from having the remarkable kind of fellowship with God that’s available through Christ.

1. Examine yourself.

It’s not so important to examine your faith as it is to examine yourself and apply your faith.

2 Corinthians 13:5, Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified.

• From time to time people hear that we are Christians, they may wonder if we are, but here’s a better question: “Is the Spirit alive in us.”

Along with the believers in Corinth, Paul advises we all examine ourselves to see if we are living according to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He illuminates more in Romans 9 when he tells us that if we walk in the Spirit we will not live according to the flesh. So, living in the spirit of God, will make a big difference our lives.

When you’re a believer, living in Christ, you have salvation.

And yet, if you’ve walked in the Lord for any amount of time you realize there is a problem. Satan, in order to hinder us, he will try to convince us to make our Christianity about our effort to keep Jesus. But I want us to remember that, Jesus is the one who keeps us, as we live in Him. So our focus should be abide in Him, by walking by the Spirt, living in obedience to his word.

The disqualifier Paul mentions is a lack of Christ being in You. Jesus promised to give the HS to anyone who believes in him.

But here’s a problem, many believers are tortured by the advisory of their sole, Satan, who wants to rob your abiding trust in Jesus by constantly tempting you to move faith out of Jesus and back into your own efforts. Thus doubting a secure salvation in Christ.

• Here's what Satan will say to you. “Go ahead and trust Jesus, that’s alright, but, how strong is your faith; is it enough to save you?

• And before you know it, when you listen to him, you get right into examining your faith, rather than placing your faith in Jesus.

If you fall for Satan’s lie, as you open your innards and pull out your little fragile faith, you’ll look it over, examine it, I can tell you right now, you won’t be impressed. You’ll say, well, it looks pretty pathetic, it sure doesn’t look like it could do much. Listen, stop putting your faith in your faith. Put that deposit of faith into Jesus.

The devil used to pull that trick on me, and I used to swallow it hook line and sinker.

I learned how to turn the tables on him. Now my response is, well, devil you're right. My faith is weak, but Jesus is all powerful. I'm not putting my faith in my faith anymore, I putting my faith in Jesus.

Jesus never told me to look at my faith, He calls men to focus on following Him. You should never be enamored with your own faith, that only causes trouble, instead, focus on following and look to Jesus.

It’s not so important to examine your faith as it is to examine yourself and apply your faith. That’s how you Examine yourself, whether you are in the faith or not.

2. Examine your affections more than your convictions.

• People can have convictions, but they’ll live by their affections.

Mark 10:17-27, As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.” 20. “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21. Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22. At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.