HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN AND STILL ENJOY LIFE
A LIFE ENJOYED IN A LIFE SHARED Pt.2
Sunday February 10, 2008
Scripture Reference: Philippians 1:6-8
Intro.
A. In last weeks message we focused much of our attention on the ministry that Paul shared with the Philippian church. How he rejoiced with them in the fact that they were praying for him and supporting him materially and financially in the work of spreading the gospel. I also spent a little time talking about Paul’s prayer for these believers, how he remembered them with joy and how I too can remember with joy those who served with me in not only my past churches but those who are serving with me now. In fact the week I wrote out this message it was my great privilege to actually live out the words of this passage. I was on my prayer retreat and I got to spend each day not only praying for you as a whole but praying for specific and individual requests that you gave to be before I left. It is such a joy to do that and it such a joy to me to serve you and be available to help you in this great spiritual journey we are on.
B. Today I want to focus on another aspect of Paul’s partnership with these believers. I want us to focus on this partnership that Paul speaks of in V.5 and how he elaborates on that partnership in V.6 specifically. I will just go ahead and tell you that I won’t give much attention to V.7-8 not because they aren’t important but because in my mind they tend to express more of Paul’s praise and joy in the Philippian church for working with him to get out this wonderful message of God’s grace and forgiveness.
1. What I find in V.6 is Paul’s joy in knowing that these Christian people with whom Paul had invested so much of his life were still growing and maturing in their walk with God. As I said in my message last week, it is a cause for great joy in my life when I hear about those that I served with in past churches who are still walking with God and becoming mature Christ like disciples. About this time last year I got to go back and visit some people from the church I served in Fresno. It was great to see this one young man named Brad Black who was just a young teen when I was there. Now he is a college graduated and a teacher, but more than that he is still serving in that church despite a lot of pastoral changes. He is even serving on the church board. Now I also need to tell you that with as much joy as there is in seeing people you invested your life in still growing in the Lord it is just as saddening to see people with whom you invested your life who have abandoned that faith. Who decided that is wasn’t worth it to follow Jesus.
C. Now I want to tell you right up front that today we are going to get a little theological and doctrinal in these next two messages. Now for some that may sound like these will be a boring messages but I believe they won’t be. In fact I think that what I share with you today will not only be interesting but more importantly it will be helpful in encouraging your growth in Christ likeness.
1. Now let me remind you of something we learned in the first message of this series. Theology is our human attempt to think clearly and correctly about God. The fact that it is a human attempt to do this also means it will never be perfect. No matter what theological camp we chose to join and like it or not we are all in one whether we want to admit it or not. But no matter what theological position we chose to hold it will never fully or completely define or explain God. How can what is finite fully describe what is infinite?
2. Now some would ask, “Why bother with all this theology and doctrine?” “Why can’t we just believe and that’s that?” Well that sounds nice but it doesn’t work and the reason it doesn’t work is because as I said a minute ago we are all in a theological camp whether we admit to it or not. We all have a belief about God and it is that belief or theology or doctrine that defines for us the way we will live as Christians. That is why the philosophy that says, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere” is so faulty. It is entirely possible to be sincere and yet believe the wrong things. In other words to be sincere and yet sincerely wrong. [] I have known people who got into traffic accidents and they said, “But I didn’t see that car coming, I thought I was clear to turn.” Why they might not have seen the other car coming I don’t know but the fact that they were sincere in making that turn didn’t prevent them from having the wreck. The reason theology and doctrines are important to us is that they direct the way we live our lives. If my theology or my understanding of God is that He only cares that I act like a Christian when I am in church or around other Christians then what effect do you think that theology will have on the way I chose to live my life? If you don’t know I will tell you, it means that anything goes a part from church. If I feel it is necessary to steal from my boss then I will do so because my understanding of God is that He doesn’t care about what goes on at work, only that I don’t steal from the church.
3. Now here is a very legitimate question that you either have yourself or you have heard from others. “How can people have two different beliefs about the same God?” That is a very good question and let’s not be afraid to address it. Part of the answer we already have, theology is our human attempt to think clearly and correctly about God. The other part is that it is entirely possible for two people to look at the same scripture and see it completely different. In fact as I was studying for this message that very thing occurred. I was reading some commentaries (and if you don’t know what those are then you need to sing up for a CLASS 201) and the writer explained some passages of scripture almost completely opposite of how I would interpret them. Why is that? Well the fact is there can be two truths in one scripture passage. Let me give you an example. Ephesians 1:4-5 (read). We will address these terms in more detail in a few minutes but in this passage some will argue this proves the case for Predestination. Predestination is the doctrine that says, “God predetermined who would be saved and who would be lost. In fact predestination means that God predetermined everything about our lives. Who you married, where you work, the kids you have, so on and so on. I look at these verses and see just the opposite. I see where Paul says that God predestined us in love. Those two words, “in love” make all the difference for me. I have a very hard time equating a loving God with a God who would predetermine before a person is ever born that they will go to hell. For me that is not love at all, that is cruel. Now another reason we may see the same scripture differently is because of our own spiritual maturity level. [] My idea of 1 Cor. 10:13 when I was growing up. Paul also addressed this issue in 3:15-16 (read). What is important for us to know here is the fact that just because we don’t have unanimity in how we see the scriptures does not mean we can’t have unity in purpose. I don’t agree with those of the predestination persuasion but I don’t fight with them or try to put them down and say their faith is invalid because they don’t agree with me. We still have a unified purpose and that is to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ and grow into Christ like disciples. If you want to believe that God predetermined that to happen I really don’t care as long as it doesn’t get in the way of reaching the unreached and helping them become Christ like.
Trans. OK here is what we are going to do with the rest of our time today. We will look at one of the things that caused Paul to rejoice in the lives of these believers. The first will be the work God began in them then next week we will look at the work God continued in them.
I. THE WORK GOD BEGAIN IN US: SALVATION
Salvation can be a sort of all inclusive term so you need to know that the way I am using this word today is in reference to what we would call being “saved” or “born again” or “becoming a Christian”. Look again at what Paul said in V.6 (read). He tells us that this work of salvation was begun by God. We believe at Cornerstone that:
A. Our Salvation Is God’s Doing.
1. We believe along with most other evangelical churches that this work of salvation, of becoming a Christian is God’s doing. That does not mean we do not have a part because how can we be saved unless we respond to what God has done, but it also means that we are saved not by what we do but by what God has done for us and what did God do for us? John 3:16 tells us, He loved us so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for our sins. The key verse for those like us is Ephesians 2:8-9 (quote). On Paul’s first trip to Philippi we read in Acts 16 that he is thrown into prison because of the demon possessed girl that he delivered. Then there was the earthquake and the jailer thought all the prisoners had or would escape so we was ready to kill himself when Paul stopped him. The jailer comes to Paul and asks how he can be saved and here is Paul’s answer, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Notice that Paul didn’t tell him to start going to church or to work in a soup kitchen or give money. He told him to believe in Jesus Christ. Now it is very important to remember that believing is not intellectual assent. It is not knowing something but it is acting on that knowledge.
Trans. Now here is where that issue of predestination comes into play. Did God predestined this jailer to be saved and did God predestine you to be saved?
B. Is Our Salvation Predestined?
1. Here is another theological term you need to be some what familiar with, “irresistible grace”. This is another side of the predestination issue. If in fact God’s grace is irresistible then obviously it can’t be resisted. So if in fact God has predestined me to be saved I really have no say in the matter because I can’t resist God’s grace. Let me share with you why I do not believe in this doctrine of predestination. It is not because of a few verses of scripture that I am lifting out to support my cause; both theological camps can do this. My belief comes from the whole of the bible. What I see from Genesis for Revelation is God’s continued pursuit of mankind. His continued efforts to draw us to Himself and to His love for us. For me the greatest case against predestination was made on the cross of Calvary. If in fact God had already predestined you or I to be saved then what was the purpose of the cross? Why did Jesus have to suffer such a cruel and agonizing death if our salvation was already predetermined?
Trans. Since I do not prescribe to predestination then what do I believe about this work God does for us? Let me share with you.
C. The Work God Does: Prevenient Grace.
1. What I believe is in this thing called prevenient grace. What this means is grace that goes before us. If you are a follower of Christ today, if you have confessed your sins and asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart then I know you can share a testimony about God’s prevenient grace. You can share with me the various things God used in your life to bring you to the place where you finally realized that you needed Jesus as your savior. God may have used your own children as He so often does. He may have used a tragedy or crisis in your life to awaken your spiritual life. As I said before, while I do not believe that God’s grace is irresistible I do believe that God will go to great extremes to lead us to Himself. (I might have someone share a testimony at this point that will help people to see the way God works in our lives that leads us to the point of salvation.) So when Paul says that God began this good work in these Philippians I understand that. Part of the prevenient grace in their lives was Paul himself being willing to obey the Holy Spirit and not fight against God hindering them from entering the places they were trying to enter before the Macedonian vision. Paul’s willingness to go over to Macedonian was all part of God’s grace going before these people so they could hear this good news and respond.
2. Can we just pause for a moment right here? I can’t help but do this because of this very subject we are discussing. I just can’t help but feel that God’s prevenient grace is working right here, right now in this worship service at Cornerstone. If what I have been sharing with you is true then it could well be that God is using me as he used Paul. Look at what Paul said to the Corinthian church, 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. I know that I am not some great orator, I am no Billy Graham or Rick Warren or Greg Laurie, but what I do know is that I pray and prepare to share God’s word with you each week God uses me. God is able to take my feeble words and make them shout great spiritual truths in your heart. I can’t help but believe that God is doing that right now for someone. For the very first time a spiritual light has come on. You have probably been to church numerous times, you have heard numerous sermons and maybe you have sit in on Sunday school or other bible studies but for some reason it wasn’t until this moment that you understood what God has been trying to show you all along. I can understand where you are coming from, I grew up in church. I went to worship services every Sunday we were in town. I attended Sunday school I was in the teen group going to all those teen activities but I didn’t know Jesus as my savior until that one night at a teen event and some how and I can’t even explain how, but the spiritual light came on and I knew that the message the guy was sharing that night was for me. It was my night to know Jesus! Here is what the bible says, 2 Corinthians 2:6 For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
OUR NEXT STEP
A. I am going to ask you to take a bold step today in response to the good work God is doing in you right now. I am going to ask you in just a moment to get up from your seat and come down to this altar and knee in prayer before God to thank Him for his prevenient grace and then to ask Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart. I know this may not be easy for you to do, especially if you have been coming to church for a while and every one who knows you thinks you have already done this but you know in your heart today that all you have been doing is going to church. If going to church could save you, you would not feel that pressure on your chest right now, but you do feel it and you know that you need to get up and come forward.
1. I also feel lead to open the altar for those of you who have fallen away. You did sincerely give your heart to Jesus one time and you can remember when it happened just as I can. But something happened a while ago and sin has crept back in and found a home in your heart. Oh I know you are still coming to church, you still look the part and you probably have even me fooled, but God isn’t fooled and neither are you. You need to come forward today and ask God to forgive you and renew your relationship with Him. You need to be like King David who said in Psalm 51:1-9 1. Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
