Blessings of Following Christ
#5 – We Get Access to God and His Blessings
Various Scriptures
November 25, 2007
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Introduction
How many here would turn down a call from the President, no matter who it was, because he needed your input on something?
He flies you in, you meet in the Oval Office, and he says to you, “I like what you’ve had to say about this, and I want you to implement it. You will have all the access you need in terms of money, support, media, or anything else, to make it work. You have the resources of the US government at your disposal, and my public and private support as well. Go for it.”
I’d be thinking, “Let’s make it illegal for politicians to advertise – especially on TV and over the phone.”
Or what if you got a call from someone you never heard of before, telling you that you are a relative of a wealthy person who wants to bestow all his wealth on you.
And from this moment on, you have access to all the wealth you could dream of and more. Would you turn it down?
Probably not.
“Access” is a wonderful thing. Access basically means being able to get hold of something we can use for our benefit or the benefit of someone else.
Access to the internet, for example, opens up countless resources to research any topic on the face of the earth, or to purchase any type of product you can think of.
Obviously, this kind of access can have its disadvantages as well. Because just as there are resources for good, there are resources for evil, and unfortunately, that seems to be a growing industry.
Because of the internet, we have access to things that we could not even think of accessing 15-20 years ago.
This will be the last of a series regarding blessings we gain from following Christ.
I wanted to grab just a few to show you just the tip of the iceberg that living for Christ is worth it – worth the time, worth the effort, worth the sacrifice, because God is in the business of rewarding such things, in many different ways.
One of the goals of my preaching on any given Sunday is to show you just what God wants to do in the lives of His people. And my hope is that as you intentionally and diligently apply the Word of God to your lives, you will experience first-hand the blessings God has in store for you as He transforms your life to be more like Jesus.
Today I want us to look at the fact that because of Christ, we get access to God and His blessings.
We/Me:
I have a feeling that sometimes we live as though we are unaware of all the blessings God has for us who have become His children through faith in Christ.
It could be that we’ve grown up hearing only about the wrath and judgment of God, and hearing little, if anything, about His love, grace, mercy, and His desire to bless us as we follow His Son.
It could be that we grew up not hearing much of anything about God, at least not from the Scriptures about Him, and so you haven’t heard of the wonderful things God has for those who love His Son.
For my own part, not only did I not grow up hearing about this stuff, I have found that at times, I take for granted these things that I’ll be sharing with you today.
I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth. So even though I’m talking to you today, these are things that I need to be reminded of on occasion so I can praise and thank God for His blessings in my own life.
My purpose today is to let you know that God has a treasure-house of blessing just waiting for us.
We’re going to look at only a few of them, but if you will take the time to really get into the Scriptures on your own, you’ll see the abundance of promises God has for us.
God: There are two main passages I want to show you that discuss this access, both from the book of Ephesians. The first is found in 2:18 –
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
The second verse is in the next chapter, 3:12 –
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Everything I’m sharing with you today hinges on the fact that because of Christ, we have direct access to God the Father.
Because of Christ, we don’t have to go through priests, offer sacrifices, pay money, hurt or maim ourselves, or anything like that.
Because of Christ, we have access to the Father. And it’s not just like Jesus and the Spirit are saying, “Okay, just go down the hall, take your second right, then go through the seventh door on the left, after the door that says, “Authorized Personnel Only. If you miss it and go through the wrong door, then you’ve blown it and won’t be granted access for at least seven years or until Jesus returns to earth, whichever comes first.”
I think we’ve all been to stores where when you ask someone where the frozen pizzas are, they don’t just tell you – they take you there.
When you come across those kinds of helpers, you understand immediately that you don’t ask where the “personal” stuff is located, right?
“Can you tell me where to find the athlete’s foot spray? It’s not for me, of course…” And then the guy can’t remember exactly where it is, so he asks three other people, and you all hope they buy the story that it’s for someone else, too.
Actually, these passages, in the original Greek language of the New Testament give the idea of our actually being introduced to the Father.
“Access is not mere liberty of approach; it is ’introduction.’ Christ did not die simply to open the way of access to God, but actually to introduce us into his presence and favour.” (A Commentary on Ephesians, Charles Hodge.)
So how’s that for cool? We are introduced into the presence and favor of God Almighty!
This is huge, because we have to understand something that the world doesn’t seem to get: that unless you come to God the Father through Christ, you cannot come to Him at all.
Romans 5:10 –
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
The world seems to think that anyone can come to God at any time, not matter what. Unfortunately, the Bible very clear that outside of Christ we are enemies of God!
But God loves everyone, right? So how can we be His enemies?
First of all, He does love His enemies. That’s exactly why Christ came to die – so His enemies could become His children.
Try to wrap your brain around that for a minute. Instead of killing His enemies outright, He wants to adopt them into His family.
Second, it’s a wonderful model for us, since Jesus said we are to love our enemies. Jesus was the living example of the lengths God was willing to go to see that happen.
Do you understand that if before you put your own faith in Christ you were an enemy of God?
But the moment you put your trust in Him, you moved from being and enemy to being a child, with all the privileges and rights and responsibilities that brings.
What are some of benefits and blessings of that access?
1. We can come directly to God in prayer.
Hebrews 4:16 –
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
This is one of the direct benefits of having that real access to God. We can come to Him directly in prayer.
I grew up Catholic, as most of you know, and I was taught that prayer was primarily to be done to the saints, who would then come before God on our behalf with our particular request, especially if that saint had some sort of connection to us in some way or to the problem at hand.
One of the questions I would have nowadays would be, “What if I prayed to the wrong saint for whatever I needed? Would I be sent away, or would it go to the prayer equivalent of the Dead Letter Office?
My point here isn’t to make light of Catholic views on prayer. My point is that we don’t have to worry about such things because Scripture is clear that we can come directly into the presence of God with our prayers, and who better to talk to than God Himself?
The direct access of the Christian is something that only believers – followers of Christ possess.
A second benefit is that as believers and followers of Jesus…
2. We gain the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13 –
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
What does the Holy Spirit do? He seeks to glorify God by…
> Helping us see our need for Christ.
This is primarily His activity before we come to Christ. But He also reminds us of the fact that Christ has saved us as we read the Scriptures and contemplate the wonderful news that we have eternal life.
> Living in us and working within us so we can be Christlike.
The Holy Spirit is the one who takes the Word of God and makes it live inside us – taking it from being merely ink on paper to something life-changing.
He is the One who works in us to desire to be like Jesus and gives us the power to do it through obeying the Scriptures.
> Praying to the Father in ways we cannot.
3. We can gain understanding of the Scriptures.
Luke 24:45 –
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
One of the things that frustrates me more than most is when people who don’t love Christ love to quote the Bible.
“Don’t judge lest you be judged.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
These are in the Bible, for sure. But they don’t generally mean what those outside of Christ want them to mean – acceptance of their lifestyles even if they are in direct contradiction to Scripture.
William Shakespeare once said, “The devil can quote Scripture for his purpose.” (Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 3; source: e-notes.com)
And too often, Christians who are not grounded in the Scriptures find themselves not able to argue, because they don’t have the wisdom that comes from actually spending time with God in His Word, seeking His input and understanding.
It’s not enough to hear the Bible on Sundays, or to simply read it, even if you do it frequently and regularly.
You need to ask God to help you understand it so you can use it properly.
Paul said to Timothy that He needed to study the Scriptures so He could handle them correctly. Study the Scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to open your mind so you can understand them.
There is a lot of false teaching from well-meaning people. They rely on their own understanding of God’s Word, and they fall short; and unfortunately, they influence others the same way.
But if you take the time to really get into the Word – hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, meditating on it, and applying it, God opens His storehouse of understanding in your life, and you discover even more all the riches that are stored in the Bible.
We have access to all that. All we need to do is make the effort to get it.
4. We are promised a full and abundant life.
John 10:10 –
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I’ve mentioned from time to time that one of the mysteries of ministry is coming across those who don’t seem to understand that the Christian life is to be one of joy.
That in spite of the trials and hardships that come with following Christ, it can be joyous because we know that Christ will triumph in the end, and because we can know God on a real and personal basis.
Part of the fruit of the Spirit is joy, after all!
Jesus says He wants His sheep to have a full life. Not just a dreary existence, but a full life.
Not a “Oh well, being a Christian is so dull and restrictive – can’t have any fun, because fun is sin, and we don’t want to sin. And besides, Jesus said that the world will hate us, so I’m just waiting for the stones to start coming.”
That’s not what Jesus wants for us at all! Folks, if you want to see some of the joy that can be ours, just read through the Psalms!
It’s amazing to me how many people just figure that God out to get them or that He is bent on denying them any sort of fullness or meaning in life.
Is that what God wants for His children? As D.L. Moody would say, “No! A thousand times, no!”
That is not what God wants for us. Jesus came so that we can have a wonderful life on earth.
You gain access to that by getting into His Words and putting them into practice, as best you know how, gaining that wisdom from God as you do so.
I’ve been following Jesus now for 25 years, and it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. But I wouldn’t give up living for Jesus for the world. I love Him too much and He has given me a full life.
Some of you here have been living for Him for longer than I’ve been alive – and you can affirm that even better than I can.
He wants you to have a full and abundant life.
Here’s the fifth and final blessing that we’re talking about today. And again, these are just the tip of the iceberg, not a complete list, okay?
5. We have the promise of continual forgiveness.
1 John 1:8-9 –
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
When you first come to Christ, all of your sins are forgiven to that point. My Baptist friends would say all sins, past, present, and future.
I don’t know about that, but I do know that Scripture tells us that we always have forgiveness available to us, if we have Christ.
These verses were written to those who have put their trust in Christ. It is not for those who simply read this verse and think, “Okay, all I have to do is confess this, and it’s taken care of.”
If they don’t have Christ, then they don’t have any forgiveness. It’s that simple.
Yet for those of us who call on Christ, then we have this wonderful promise that when a sin is confessed, it’s forgiven.
And we can start over once again, with a renewed commitment to live by the power of the Spirit in us to avoid that sin in the future.
You don’t have to live in guilt – you can live as a forgiven person, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wonderful, freeing thing to know and understand.
I could go on and on with things God promises for us: answered prayer, help in obedience to Christ, help in financial matters, all kinds of stuff.
But my hope is that these five things will give you an idea of the blessings God wants to shower on you.
You: They key to access to God and all His blessings lies in one word: submission.
We cannot be the Boss and Master of our own lives if we expect God to allow us access to Him and His blessings.
Can you imagine ordering the President around or the Queen of England and then saying, “Oh by the way, I want access to all the money and power that you have to offer.”
The next thing you hear would be something along the lines of “Off with his head!”
We don’t get to play by our own rules and expect God to shower us with blessings.
I’ve said in the past that in terms of finding forgiveness and a home in heaven, we don’t come to God on our terms, we come to Him on His terms.
The same applies here. If you want access to God and His blessings, you don’t come to Him with a set of demands or with the idea that you and He have an “understanding” that lets you play to your human weaknesses while God just winks at your sin and throws joy and happiness your way.
The way to the presence and blessings of God comes through humble submission and recognition of the fact that He could refuse and still be perfectly just and fair.
After all, who would expect God to meet with those who were formerly His enemies and give them blessings untold?
But when we realize that God, in His love and mercy, extends His hand to us because He actually wants our company, then we will have the right attitude of humility that submits to His authority and His Word for our lives.
We: Folks, I think I’ve made it clear over the last couple of weeks that I don’t think much of the “big hair evangelists” who promise you untold wealth in return for sending them money.
But I also want to make very clear that God wants to bless His children in every area of their life.
And the world needs to see it happening. Not the way some TV preachers say it should, not the way the world would demand it, not the way we would necessarily want it if we could make the rules.
They need to see it happening as a result of lives living in submission to Christ as the Lord, Master, and Boss.
They need to see that our lives are full and abundant because we have made ourselves open to receiving the blessings of God by refusing to put ourselves above God and His Kingdom.
They need to see that living for Christ is really worth it, in spite of what the rest of the world says.
Will they see it in you? Will they see that you trust God by living in humble submission to Him? Will they see that you are living a full and abundant life because Christ has filled you with a joy that they can only dream of?
Will they see something in you that they will want for themselves?
I hope so. And I hope that you will be willing to help them find it for themselves.
Let’s pray.
