INTRO.- Life. What is life all about? Obviously, that depends on who you are talking to. Here are some examples.
ILL.- It was said that Jimmy Johnson, when coaching football on the college level, had a wife and the appearance of a marriage because it was expected of college football coaches.
The wife and family was needed for social occasions. The day he was named head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he set about to rid himself of this excess baggage. He threw her away like yesterday’s newspaper. He didn’t need her any more and he didn’t lose any time in losing her. He confessed that he never bought his boys birthday or Christmas presents. He just didn’t have the time, and they weren’t a priority.
So he single-mindedly threw himself into his football team, and in January, 1993 he made it to the top, #1, they won the Superbowl. The writer said: "So what’s he going to do next year, and the year after that, and ..." Well, that was a long time ago and I do know that he married again in 1999. He divorced his first wife in 1990. NOW FOR THE OPPOSITE OF THIS.
ILL.- Someone once asked Tom Landry why he had been so successful as a football coach. He said, "In 1958, I did something everyone who has been successful must do, I determined my priorities for my life — God, family, and then football."
I would say that Tom Landry was right or had the right idea. It matters not what we choose to do in life as long as the Lord is our top priority.
What did Jesus say we were to seek first in life? Matthew 6:33
And what did He say would happen if we gained the whole world and lost something very valuable? Matthew 16:26
ILL.- Forbes’ list of richest people in the world just came out again. And guess who is number one? It’s still Bill Gates, head of Microsoft at $50 billion dollars. Warren Buffet is number two at $40. And Oprah Winfrey lags far behind at a mere $2.3 billion.
It matters not, however, because wealth can’t buy anyone a home in heaven. The price was paid at Calvary and it’s a matter of accepting that sacrifice and that Savior. And the sad thing is most wealthy people don’t see their need for a Savior. They think they’ve got it all! Or they’ve got it made. But death is coming.
What is life for us? What is important to you as a Christian? Do you give the Lord any time? When? How much? Hopefully, it’s not just an hour or two on Sunday morning and nothing more.
ILL.- Carl Sandburg said: Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
Eph. 5:15-17 "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."
PROP.- In our text, we can grasp a greater understanding of what it means to be in Christ or what life in Christ is all about.
1- Life in Christ excludes hypocrisy
2- Life in Christ excludes salvation by observance of the law
3- Life in Christ includes death to self
I. LIFE IN CHRIST EXCLUDES HYPOCRISY
11When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
ILL.- Preacher: “How come I never see you in church anymore, Morris?” Morris: “There are too many hypocrites there, Reverend.” Preacher: “Don’t worry, Morris; there’s always room for one more.”
Yes, there is always room for one more. And any way you cut it, we all play the role of the hypocrite at some time or other in our lives. We say one thing and do something else. We claim to have faith in Jesus but sometimes, our lives say something entirely different.
ILL.- Someone says, "I believe in Jesus with all my heart, but I can’t give back to God. I need all my money for myself." Or "I believe but I can’t go to church this Sunday because I have something else to do...." Or "I believe in Jesus as God’s Son but I can’t serve in the church. I don’t have time..."
ILL.- A preacher was making a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster did not say a word, so the preacher kept working. He was sure the lad would soon leave but he didn’t.
Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the preacher finally said, "Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on carpentry work?" "Nope. I’m just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer." Our hypocrisy could be far worse than this.
ILL.- For example, I read on the internet recently about two preachers who embezzled over a million dollars from their church. That’s both hypocrisy and stealing!
The Orange County, CA, Register reports two former pastors of Calvary Baptist Church of Yorba Linda charged with embezzling more than $1 million from the church. They are: Richard Cunningham, who founded the church in 1971, and his son Phllip, who took over as senior pastor in 1995. These pastors resigned in 2006 after a private investigation found more than $3 million in funds from the church and an affiliated school had not been accounted for.
The ex-pastors returned some $3 million in cash and property to the church and that seemed to help them quite a bit, according to their attorney. The embezzlement was $3,669,376 that the pastors withdrew from secret accounts in cash or cashier’s checks. Between the 2 of them, they owned 6 homes, 2 timeshares, a Cadillac and a Mercedes-Benz.
Richard Cunningham, 76, and Philip Cunningham, 52, have been sentenced to 2 years each in prison. They are paying for their hypocrisy and stealing.
In our text, Peter played the role of the hypocrite. He ate with Gentiles but when the Jews showed up, he separated himself. He didn’t want to have any fellowship with the Gentiles. He didn’t want his Jewish brothers to see him eating with those sinners!
This might be like greeting someone when they come into the church but outside the church, you don’t want to have anything to do with them or even speak to them.
How do we overcome any hypocrisy in our lives? We recognize it for what it really is and take it to the Lord. "Lord, I’m sorry, help me to cease this hypocrisy. Help me to live the faith I claim."
II. LIFE IN CHRIST EXCLUDES SALVATION BY OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW
15"We who are Jews by birth and not ’Gentile sinners’ 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
We are saved by faith in Christ, not by the law.
ILL.- Many years ago it was announced that General William Booth, of the Salvation Army, was losing his eyesight, and that his days of usefulness were over. After many weeks of seclusion this Christian hero of eighty years appeared having had one eye removed and possessing only a little vision with the other eye. To an audience of over 4,000 in London, he spoke for an hour and a half. “I want to do more for humanity,” he said, “and I want to do a great deal more for Jesus. There are thousands of poor, wretched, suffering and sinning people crying out to us for help, and I want to do something for them.”
Wow! In Gen. Booth’s old age and blindness he still wanted to do more for the Lord. HE WAS A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT THAN MOST OF TODAY. As we age or our health declines we don’t want to do anything, much less preach and serve the poor and needy.
I wonder what got into that man Booth? I think I know what got into him. Jesus got into him really good, really strong! I WOULD TO GOD THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ALL OF US.
ILL.- Ben Merold has been one of the most beloved leaders in Christian churches and churches of Christ over the past half-century. He began preaching in 1948, and beyond leading churches in four states, he has preached the gospel in 47 states and seven foreign countries.
Ben has been senior minister at Harvester Christian Church, St. Charles, Missouri, for 16 years. He went there at the age of 65. He and Pat recently celebrated 58 years of marriage. The Harvester Church has gone from 200 to nearly 3,500 during those years.
I think Ben recently retired from being the Sr. Minister but is still serving in certain areas and still preaching at various meetings.
I think one reason that God has blessed Ben’s ministry is that Ben has never given up. He’s never stopped preaching, teaching and serving. GOD USUALLY BLESSES THOSE HAVE STICK-TO-ITIVE-NESS! Especially, when they are stuck on Him!
ILL.- My preacher/college professor friend, Bob Stacy, is still preaching full time at the age of 75. He is the Sr. Minister of the Spring Hill Church of Christ in Middletown, OH, and even though he has an associate minister and a youth minister, Bob still most of the hospital visitation, etc. Bob is possibly thinking about slowing down a little, however, but still wants to serve and teach, etc.
I wish more Christian ministers had his zeal for serving the Lord. If more would keep on, keeping on the Lord’s kingdom would grow and be blessed.
These preachers and church leaders believe in working and serving the Lord as best they can and as long they can! That’s the mentality that more of us should have. We can’t go wrong in serving the Lord but we can’t certainly go wrong when we stop serving. And we stop doing good when we stop serving the Lord!
And even though these preachers I have mentioned believe strongly in Christian service, each of them know very well that they are not saved by their preaching or their long time Christian service. THEY ALL KNOW THAT THEY ARE ONLY SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD!
Life in Christ excludes salvation by observance of the law. In other words, we are not saved by our service (works, good deeds, etc.) but by God’s grace and gracious, however, we are motivated to serve because of God’s grace.
Ephesians 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
ILL.- Preacher Charles Spurgeon ( British Reformed Baptist preacher in the 1800’s) once said that a person might be better off to try to sail the Atlantic Ocean in a paper boat than to try to get to heaven on good works.
III. LIFE IN CHRIST INCLUDES DEATH TO SELF
20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
ILL.- The story is told of two ducks and a frog who lived happily together in a farm pond. The best of friends, the three would amuse themselves and play together in their waterhole. When the hot summer days came, however, the pond began to dry up, and soon it was evident they would have to move.
This was no problem for the ducks, who could easily fly to another pond. But the frog was stuck. So it was decided that they would put a stick in the bill of each duck that the frog could hang onto with his mouth as they flew to another pond.
The plan worked well--so well, in fact, that as they were flying along a farmer looked up in admiration and said, "Well, isn’t that a clever idea! I wonder who thought of it?" The frog said, "I diiiiidddd." "I DID" could you get into trouble every time.
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
ILL.- George Gordon Liddy, Watergate conspirator recently released from prison: "I have found within myself all I need and all I ever shall need. I am a man of great faith, but my faith is in George Gordon Liddy. I have never failed me."
If G. Gordon Liddy never failed himself then why did he go to prison as a Watergate conspirator in the Nixon era? Liddy was convicted of conspiracy, burglary and illegal wiretapping. He was sentenced to a 20-year prison term and was ordered to pay $40,000 in fines. He began serving the sentence on January 30, 1973. On April 12, 1977, President Jimmy Carter commuted Liddy’s sentence to eight years.
Pride brings every human person low. Perhaps not as low as Liddy, however.
I Peter 5:5-6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."
A person has to go down before he can ever go up or ever GO WAY UP! Meaning to heaven. Pride keeps more people out of heaven than perhaps any other sin. And it was pride that cast Satan out of heaven and eventually into hell!
Life in Christ includes death to self.
20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
How could Paul be crucified with Christ? Certainly, not literally. Paul purposely died to self. I am sure this wasn’t easy, because of his past as a faithful Jewish believer.
Somehow he fought with his pride, prayed about and asked the Lord to help him die to self. And we all need to humble ourselves and die to self.
ILL.- When the wife of missionary Adoniram Judson told him that a newspaper article likened him to some of the apostles, Judson replied, "I do not want to be like a Paul...or any mere man. I want to be like Christ...I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His footprints...Oh, to be more like Christ!" For this to happen, we must die to self. And that’s what life in Christ should be.
CONCLUSION-----------------
ILL.- In Florence, Italy, a young artist labored long and hard over a marble statue of an angel. When finished, he asked Michelangelo to examine it. The young artist concealed himself. No Master looked over the work more carefully—it was perfect in every way. The young artist waited. But his heart nearly broke when he heard, “It lacks only one thing.”
For days the artist could not eat or sleep, until a friend called Michelangelo at studio and ask him what he thought. “It lacks only life.”
It lacks life. That held true for that painting but it also holds true for the lives of many people. They may be alive but they "lack life."
Christ alone puts life into people. Sin takes life out of people, but when Christ enters into a person’s life, He gives them true life, the abundant life and the promise of life eternal. SOUNDS LIKE A DEAL TO ME!
