Becoming A Servant In Christ -B.a.s.i.c. Series

B.A.S.I.C.

Becoming A Servant In Christ

Introduction-

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

I want to be up front and honest about what I am seeing with believers that I have been in contact with lately.

After talking to a women that wanted me to marry them....but not want anything to do with the church after the wedding, to believers that have not grasped some of the basic tenements of the Christian faith. I am not even talking about just Nazarene beliefs, I am talking about Christian bare bone beliefs about salvation. I have decided that I will address some basic beliefs.

1 Corinthians 1:18-26 (paraphrased)

Apostle Paul is telling us that the cross is to those that are perishing is foolishness.

They don’t want to bother with it.

They laugh at it.

They are not willing to make changes in their life.

They think if they do accept it , it will be latter rather than sooner.

He tells us that some smart people have thought their way right out of their relationship with Christ. The stumbling block is that it is too easy.

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intellect, I will frustrate.”

Am I saying that intelligent people can’t come to Christ? No In fact, just the opposite.

They say that faith is blind, but it is not stupid.

Apostle Paul addresses some issues of our faith because even after a few years of Jesus being gone, they began to miss out on what it is to be a disciple of Christ, and the fact that a disciple of Christ has a changed life, it may be gradual, but it is a changed life.

Matthew 4:18-20:

Jesus calling his first disciples. He is calling Peter and Andrew, he is approaching them at their work place and tells them to “follow me” He tells fisherman that they will now also be fishers of men. The Bible says “At once” they left their nets and followed. (V21) Jesus approaching James and John- “Immediately” they left the boat and followed. Jesus.

As he calls us to follow Him, He requires that we immediately respond and follow him.

We see that there is a cost of following Jesus.

A teacher of the law says to Jesus “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” After trying to convince Jesus he had other things to do first, Jesus tells him to let the dead bury the dead. Let all the others things wait.

I am looking for those that will follow me and put me first in their lives. Jesus makes a direct statement, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

There is no room for fence huggers.

A man comes up to Jesus and asks “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? Jesus replies “Obey the commandments” He says that he does that, what does he lack? Jesus tells him to go sell all his possessions, give to the poor, then follow me.

What do we see here?

We see Jesus demands something from us if we are going to be followers of Christ.

There is lip service. That is the one that says it with his mouth, but his life does not show it.

There are those that have different lives, one at church, with their church family. Then separate lives with those outside the church.

I believe the Bible to be 100 percent true.

I believe the Bible to give us everything we need to know to be saved from our sins.

I believe it tells us how to live a victorious lives.

It tells us about being filled with the Holy Spirit, and the importance of being filled.

It tells us as believers we should have a heart for the lost and that we have a responsibility to bring light to a dying world.

There is only one way to get to heaven, it is through Jesus Christ.

No Jesus, no heaven, no exceptions.

Like I said last week, it is not about being good, it is about Jesus dealing with the sin in our lives.

God is a holy God, he cannot tolerate sin in heaven. There will be no sin in heaven. Jesus is not covering for sin like Old testament animals were. He is the sacrificial sin offering that was acceptable to God for each one of us.

Weather we accept that gift is up to each one of us. I cannot candy coat it. You accept His gift and you live for Him, there should be a change in your life. You cannot accept and be with Jesus and not have change.

Then you can be assured of heaven. That is a promise of God.

At any point you decide that you no longer want the gift and reject or give back that gift- you have walked out of the grace and mercy of God and again stand before God without Jesus Christ as your savior. You are safe in the hand of the Lord, but you always have a choice weather you want to walk out of it. That is your choice