INTRODUCTION
There is something different about a real Christian, something that separates them from the world and others. Today we will see how there are something different about being a Christian.
IT’S GOD’S BLOOD NOT OURS
It seems the price of certain deities to assure your place in paradise is your death. If you die for the cause then you automatically pass go and get straight in. but that is not the truth. It is God’s sacrifice that gets us in not ours:
Heb 9:12-14
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
No animal sacrifice, no human sacrifice, nothing other than that precious blood shed at Calvary is sufficient to pay for our sins.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
GOD’S VENGEANCE NOT OURS
We are not to avenge our God, He can do that Himself. We are not to kill those that disagree with us, we get two warnings about this:
Hebrews 10:30-31
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Matt 5:44-46
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
We are not to exact vengeance and judgment on non-believers. That is wrong in any religion. It is just as wrong to put an infidel to death as the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition were and the bombing of abortion clinics and murdering their doctors is now.
But the true Christian is called to love them, pray for them, it is how we show the world we are the children of God.
IT’S GOD’S GRACE NOT OUR WORKS
It is not “they will weigh my good works against my bad and if I have more good works than bad, God will let me in!” (I remember the Father Gudio Sarducci method from Saturday Night Live! You get money in your account for doing something good, money taken out for each sin. Sometimes you get 1,000,000 for something real good or lose 1,000,000 for something real bad. I had a dream they were checking my account balance and I came up 25 cents short!) or I’m better than ol’ William Joseph Robert up the road, he is a real sinner, God may keep Him out but He will let me in! We can try to live right, do right, be right but the sum total of all our righteousness amounts to a pile of dirty rags:
Isa 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
It does not matter if you do the work for God (or your notion of God). You may believe that the first 144000 of your religion will get in and the rest have to work their way in, not true!
Rom 11:6
And if by grace , then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace . But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
If we have to work to get it, then it is of us not grace. If we have to work to keep it then it is of us and not grace. Grace and works are mutually exclusive when it comes to salvation. If it is one that it cannot be the other.
Eph 2:8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are saved by God’s grace. It is nothing I can do about it but accept it or reject it. Remember what Jesus said to those who tried to get in by good works?
Matt 7:22-23
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
However we are supposed to do good works after we are saved. Because we love God and want to show that love to others.
BUT ALL RELIGIONS ARE THE SAME!
No they are not! I am not going to join hands with everybody and sing Kumba-Ya with them. If one saves by grace, another by works they are not the same. If one says vengeance is mine and the other says go avenge me, they are not the same. I use a very simple argument against this kind of thinking:
2+2=5
They argue with me “are you stupid, everyone knows 2+2=4. Well, 2+2=4 may work for you…but for me 2+2=5. If you have two opposing views that are mutually exclusive they cannot both be right.
Then I get that wagon wheel argument. You know the one, all religions are spokes on the same wagon wheel, starting at different points and ending up the same place. That is correct, and that place is the lake of fire which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death:
Rev 20:14-15
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Then the name calling begins, you are so intolerant. No, I am very tolerant. To tolerate means I can disagree with you while still respecting you.
-One person is a Republican, another Democrat. We put aside our differences and get along
-One person is a (Florida) Gator, another a (FSU) Seminole. We put aside our differences and get along.
-Some of us are NY Yankee fans, the rest of you hate baseball. I love you anyway and we get along.
See, I love people too much to let them go to hell rather than hurt their feelings. It is not PC (Politically Correct) but Jesus. It is His sacrifice, His love, His grace that makes salvation possible.
IT IS YOUR DECISION
Just as Elijah on Mount Carmel told the people of Israel “why halt ye between two opinions? If God be God then follow Him!” (I Kings 18:21).
And when the true God answered by fire, the people followed. They took a stand against the false prophets. (Reminder here: I am not advocating violence. I am as much against Islam’s Jihad as I am against so called “Christians” who bomb abortion clinics and kill their doctors) There are two decisions to be made here tonight:
1. Are you a Christian? If not, why not? I would love to take the Bible tonight and introduce you to my Jesus. Christianity is not a religion but a relationship, and you can choose to start yours tonight.
2. Are you serving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? This is not a time for timid Christians and closet commandos for the Lord. If the Lord God Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, then serve Him!
