“5 Recommendations for the Christian”
(Story)
A young boy when into a drug store and asked to use the telephone. The druggist said, fine, so the boy dialed the grocery store on the other side of town. When the grocer answered, he said, do you need a stock clerk, somebody who can come in and stock the shelves and carry the packages and so forth and sweep the floor. The store clerk man said no, we already have a boy who does that. The boy asked, well, does he do a good job? Maybe you need someone else, maybe he's not adequate. And the grocer said no, he does a fine job. We're very satisfied with the young man we have. The boy said thank you and he hung up. The pharmacist said, I'm sorry son, that you didn't get the job. The young man said oh everything is fine sir. I already have that job over there, I was just checking up on myself. I wanted to see how I was performing and if he really appreciated my work.
(Opening statement)
Now what I want you to do today is to check up on yourself and see if there is, in your heart and in your life, anything that is keeping you from having the remarkable kind of fellowship with God that’s available through Christ.
1. Examine yourself.
It’s not so important to examine your faith as it is to examine yourself and apply your faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5, Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified.
• From time to time people hear that we are Christians, they may wonder if we are, but here’s a better question: “Is the Spirit alive in us.”
Along with the believers in Corinth, Paul advises we all examine ourselves to see if we are living according to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He illuminates more in Romans 9 when he tells us that if we walk in the Spirit we will not live according to the flesh. So, living in the spirit of God, will make a big difference our lives.
When you’re a believer, living in Christ, you have salvation.
And yet, if you’ve walked in the Lord for any amount of time you realize there is a problem. Satan, in order to hinder us, he will try to convince us to make our Christianity about our effort to keep Jesus. But I want us to remember that, Jesus is the one who keeps us, as we live in Him. So our focus should be abide in Him, by walking by the Spirt, living in obedience to his word.
The disqualifier Paul mentions is a lack of Christ being in You. Jesus promised to give the HS to anyone who believes in him.
But here’s a problem, many believers are tortured by the advisory of their sole, Satan, who wants to rob your abiding trust in Jesus by constantly tempting you to move faith out of Jesus and back into your own efforts. Thus doubting a secure salvation in Christ.
• Here's what Satan will say to you. “Go ahead and trust Jesus, that’s alright, but, how strong is your faith; is it enough to save you?
• And before you know it, when you listen to him, you get right into examining your faith, rather than placing your faith in Jesus.
If you fall for Satan’s lie, as you open your innards and pull out your little fragile faith, you’ll look it over, examine it, I can tell you right now, you won’t be impressed. You’ll say, well, it looks pretty pathetic, it sure doesn’t look like it could do much. Listen, stop putting your faith in your faith. Put that deposit of faith into Jesus.
The devil used to pull that trick on me, and I used to swallow it hook line and sinker.
I learned how to turn the tables on him. Now my response is, well, devil you're right. My faith is weak, but Jesus is all powerful. I'm not putting my faith in my faith anymore, I putting my faith in Jesus.
Jesus never told me to look at my faith, He calls men to focus on following Him. You should never be enamored with your own faith, that only causes trouble, instead, focus on following and look to Jesus.
It’s not so important to examine your faith as it is to examine yourself and apply your faith. That’s how you Examine yourself, whether you are in the faith or not.
2. Examine your affections more than your convictions.
• People can have convictions, but they’ll live by their affections.
Mark 10:17-27, As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.” 20. “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21. Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22. At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
• Meeting Jesus is not the same a s following him. Some have met Jesus but didn’t follow him.
1 John 2:15-16, Love not the world or things in it. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
• People can have convictions, but they’ll live by their affections.
3. Examine your influence.
Jesus had influence didn’t he, was it positive or negative influence?
If it was positive, then why did the world hate him to the point of crucifixion, And why do they still hate him and his followers?
The world doesn't hate Jesus because he healed the sick.
The world doesn't hate Jesus because he blessed the children or that he turned water into wine or that he fed the hunger multitudes.
The world doesn't hate Jesus because he walked on the water or because he died on the cross.
Here’s the truth, Jesus said of hiimself, the world hates me because I testify of it, that it's works are evil.” That's why the world hates Jesus. Darkness hates the light and so it will hate the light in you.
John 3:19-21, This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
So, the life of Christ being lived by his people, reminds the world of his authority, His purity, and the judgement that is coming with him…it also marks those who belong to Him…
John 14:21, Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
EX: (The late Dr. Adrian Rogers told his personal story one time, he said) When he was going to college, he had a job as a construction worker, a carpenter’s helper. And they, those carpenters on that job asked him, what are you going to school to do? he told them that God had called him to preach. He recalls that from that day forward on that job, he began to get it in the neck, all the preacher jokes and all the Dirty language and so forth. And then one man pulled him aside. He looked at him very seriously and said, young man, if you're going to be a preacher. He said, let me tell you how to be a good one. I know a preacher, everybody loves him, he said. He never talks about politics or religion. If you just preach like that, never talk about politics and religion, you can be loved too.)
I like to sometimes ask myself, “Am I loved by the world or am I loved by the father?“
John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
Today the world says we are supposed to be tolerant of everything, isn’t that, right? I mean, you're not supposed to judge whether anything is evil. According to the world, girls can become boys and boys can have babies. This is craziness! You will be celebrated if you applaud anyone’s, so called, truth. It’s the new religion in our land, it’s to be tolerant. This is a generation that calls good evil and evil good.
Do you know what sin today is according to the world?
Sin today, according to the world, is when the church illuminates what the bible calls sin. In other words, it’s a sin to tell others what God says is sinful.
And if you do speak up, then you’re spitting against the wind today.
Jesus said the world hates me because I testify of it, that the works there of are evil.
If you love me, you will be loved by my Father. The world today will hate you when you follow Jesus because you’re following him, will indite the world.
4. Examine your path.
When you got saved, you came out of the world and so you should be different. You are twice born in a world that is once born. And so, you can find yourself swimming against the tide all the way.
What I mean is; does the path you’re on, when added to your affections, do they display the ways of God? Does it all add up to following Jesus?
What is Jesus saying? He’s telling us not to get the idea that the Broadway and the narrow way are one in the same, they'er not at all. In fact, they don’t even flow the same direction.
EX: (The hotel Lazy pool - everyone moves in the same direction but they get upset when you swim upstream.)
If the Broadway is coming this way, and you’re going that way against the flow of the world’s way. You're swimming, and you’re going to get tired much of the time.
The Narrow and Wide Gates Matthew 7:13, “Enter through the narrow gate… For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
And as a believer you will experience persecution. The only way to escape persecution following Christ is to check out and stop being salt and light, Just compromise, Rub shoulders with this whole world, and be conformed to this world and you won't experience persecution.
The wide road, the road to hell, is free from persecution.
Do you know what the devil's purpose is concerning you?
He stole the game plan from God. Romans chapter 12 and verse 2 tells us that God’s plan is that we be conformed to God and our minds belong to him. That's the reason Paul said, not conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The world wants to take you and squeeze you into its mold.
The world doesn't want you to be different from it’s own.
The world wants you to follow its Prince, your desires, and the easy path.
The world wants you to believe it's philosophies.
The world wants you to adhere to its agendas.
To be conformed to this world.
Just rub shoulders with this old world. Everybody perhaps will love you.
If that’s you, you are headed to a different conclusion / destination.
James 5:20, Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20. let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (You can see how important it is for you to examine your path) So let’s talk about how one can make their way back to the narrow way.
5. Examine the Way Back.
Hebrews 10:32-39. But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated (Brought into knowledge, enlightened by the Gospel of Christ), you endured a great struggle with sufferings:
33. partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; (That means for a time you were all in with God)
34. for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods (That means they were joining in the work of ministry at one time sacrificially, because they knew the truth) , knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.
(So this next verse explains the way back to the narrow way)
35. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
36. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry (delay).
38 Now the just (My just one) shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
EX: Salmon survival rate. Chart from the fish hatchery. According to the NOAA fisheries west Coast region: Staring out with 3000 eggs at the fish hatchery. Out of 3000 only 10% hatch, that’s 300 out of the 3,000 eggs produced. And then as they're swimming upstream and getting bigger, only 50 of those 300 will survive. And then moving to the next stage of growth, it goes down to only 4 surviving to adult stage. Surviving as they're swimming upstream to spawn, out of those 4, only 2 survive the journey to the spawning pools. (note: Pacific salmon always die after spawning) Aren’t we glad we’re not a salmon?
Now the good news is that we are not salmon. We are kept and carried by Christ. We have a sure survival rate as we abide in Jesus. Listen to this final verse. It tells us who we are and how we are filled with hope.
39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition (destruction), but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
Where are you in your walk with God today?
How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you today?
We want to pray with you and for you today....
(Prayer / worship song)
