ONE OF THE GREATEST ABUSES OF TITLES TODAY IS "CHRISTIAN." TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE USING THIS TITLE AS IF IT WERE ONLY A SUMMATION OF THEIR LIVES AS BEING A GOOD, DECENT, CHURCH-GOING, LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN.
CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A "TITLE" TO BE ABUSED OR USED AS LEVERAGE. A CHRISTIAN IS WHAT ONE BECOMES WHEN THEY ACCEPT THE ONE WHO IS THE "CHRIST" IN "CHRIST-IANITY!" THAT "ONE" IS JESUS CHRIST.
ACCEPTING JESUS AS ONE’S LORD AND SAVIOR ALSO MEANS ACCEPTING HIM FOR WHO HE CLAIMED TO BE. WE CAN’T REMAKE HIM INTO WHAT WE WANT HIM TO BE BY KEEPING THE THINGS WE LIKE AND THROWING AWAY THE THINGS WE DON’T LIKE.
IF WE WANT JESUS AS THE ONE WHO FORGIVES OUR SINS, WE MUST ALSO ACCEPT HIM AS THE ONE WHO SAYS, "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. TURN THE OTHER CHEEK. PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU."
IF WE WANT THE JESUS WHO PROMISES TO RELIEVE THE BURDENS OF LIFE, WE MUST ALSO ACCEPT THE JESUS WHO DEMANDS THAT WE FEED THE HUNGRY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, CARE FOR THE POOR AND LONELY, AND VISIT THE PRISONER.
IF WE WANT THE JESUS WHO, WITH POWER AND CONVICTION, CONFRONTS THE EVIL OF THE DEMONIAC AND THE HYPOCRISY OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADER, WE MUST ALSO ACCEPT THE JESUS WHO TOUCHED THE UNCLEAN AND WEPT WITH THE BROKENHEARTED.
WITH THE PRESSURES MOUNTING FROM OUR PAGAN SOCIETY IT IS FAR TOO EASY TO "GIVE IN" AND TURN JESUS INTO A "POLITICALLY-CORRECT" ENTITY OF GOODNESS WITH WHOM WE ARE MOST COMFORTABLE.
THE KINGDOM OF JESUS COMES THROUGH FORGIVENESS, LOVE, AND WITNESS, NOT THROUGH POWER, POLITICS OR ANY OTHER WORLDLY STRATEGIES OF "POLITICAL-CORRECTNESS."
THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES AS PEOPLE ACCEPT, IN THEIR HEARTS, THE MESSIAH FOR WHO HE CLAIMED TO BE! ONLY UNTIL WE ARE WILLING TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WILL WE BE SAVED. ONLY THEN, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CLAIM THE NAME OF "CHRISTIAN."
WE CAN’T "CLAIM THE NAME" WITHOUT FIRST "CLAIMING CHRIST." USING THE NAME AS IF IT WERE AN INCLUSIVE TITLE OF ALL OUR WONDERFUL ATTRIBUTES IS BLASPHEMOUS.
CLAIMING TO BE A CHRISTIAN WITHOUT HAVING CHRIST IN OUR LIVES IS AS ABOUT AS SILLY AS STATING THAT WE ARE OF ROYAL LINEAGE BECAUSE WE EAT AT BURGER KING!
SOUNDS SILLY DOESN’T IT? IMAGINE IF WE INCORPORATED THIS SAME TYPE OF THINKING INTO ALL AREAS OF LIFE! THEN WE WOULD BECOME A DOCTOR SIMPLY BY WALKING INTO A HOSPITAL. WE WOULD BECOME OXFORD SCHOLARS SIMPLY BY WALKING INTO A LIBRARY.
IF ALL OF THIS SOUNDS SO ABSURD, THEN WHY DO WE KEEP ON THINKING THAT A PERSON CAN CLAIM TO BE A CHRISTIANS BECAUSE THEY ARE A GOOD PERSON WHO GOES TO CHURCH AND DOES GOOD THINGS? ONLY CHRIST CAN MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN.
JUST LIKE A BRIDE WHO CANNOT RIGHTFULLY TAKE THE NAME OF HER GROOM UNTIL THEY BECOME ONE THROUGH MARRIAGE, NEITHER CAN WE TAKE THE NAME OF CHRISTIAN UNTIL WE HAVE "MARRIED" INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR.
THIS IS ONE OF THE KEY IDEAS PAUL IS EXPRESSING IN OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE TODAY. THE IDEA THAT, IF WE ARE GOING TO VERBALLY CLAIM OWNERSHIP TO THE DEFINITION OF "CHRISTIAN," THEN WE MUST ALSO REFLECT ITS MEANING BY THE WAY WE LIVE.
PAUL SAID IN VERSE FIVE, "YOUR ATTITUDE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT OF CHRIST JESUS." WHAT HE MEANT WAS THAT WE SHOULD NOT ONLY HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST IN US, BUT IT MUST ALSO BE MADE EVIDENT AMONGST US.
THAT MEANS EVERYTHING WE THINK, SAY, AND DO MUST BE IN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TRUE NATURE OF JESUS CHRIST. THE NATURE OF POURING HIMSELF OUT FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS BY TAKING ON THE ROLE OF A SERVANT.
BY TAKING ON THE MIND AND ATTITUDE OF CHRIST THE HALLMARK OF OUR LIVES WILL BE GIVING RATHER THAN TO GETTING, SERVING RATHER THAN BEING PAMPERED, BEING OBEDIENT RATHER THAN STINGY AND SELF-CENTERED.
BY ACCEPTING, CULTIVATING AND INVESTING THE LOVE OF CHRIST IN ALL THAT WE DO WE WILL SEE THE BEAUTY OF KNOWING THAT THE SUREST WAY UP IS BY STEPPING DOWN!
THAT BEST WAY TO PROFIT IN THIS LIFE IS TO GIVE AWAY ALL THAT YOU ARE. THAT THE BEST WAY TO HAVE FRIENDS IS TO LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND THAT THE BEST WAY RECEIVE IS THROUGH THE JOY OF SERVING OTHERS.
THIS IS WHAT JESUS DID AND THIS IS WHAT HE MODELED FOR US TO FOLLOW. HE DELIBERATELY STEPPED DOWN FROM DEITY AND TOOK THE HUMBLEST OF POSITIONS.
JESUS CHRIST: HE WHO WAS IN THE FORM OF GOD BECAME A HUMAN BEING SO THAT HE COULD SERVE SUCH A HUMANITY. IN THE SELF-HUMBLING ACT OF THE INCARNATION, GOD BECAME MAN FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF SEEKING TO ADVANCE AND PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF HIS CHILDREN.
IT WAS NEVER THE INTENT OF JESUS TO FIGHT FOR HIS OWN HONOR, RIGHTS, AND CREDIT AS THE SON OF GOD. SIMPLY THROUGH SELF-SURRENDER, SELF-RENUNCIATION, AND SELF-SACRIFICE TO STRIVE FOR THE HONOR, RIGHT, AND CREDIT OF OTHERS. TO OBEY AND TO SERVE WAS HIS JOY!
SO RADICAL WAS HIS OBEDIENCE THAT HE DID NOT WITHDRAW IT EVEN WHEN HE WAS FACED WITH DEATH -- THE MOST CRUEL OF ALL DEATHS, DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION.
SOMEHOW, THROUGH THAT AGONY, HE MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT HIS DEATH WAS NOT HIS ALONE, BUT ONCE AGAIN, AN ACT THAT WORKED FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS!
AS A CONSEQUENCE OF HIS UNENDING DEVOTION, OBEDIENCE AND SERVICE GOD EXALTED HIM! THAT IS WHY WE DO ALL THINGS IN GOD’S WAY SO WE CAN RECEIVE FROM ALL THAT WE GIVE.
IN OTHER WORDS, IT WILL BE BY GIVING THAT YOU’LL RECEIVE, BY SERVING THAT YOU’LL BE SERVED, BY LOSING YOUR LIFE YOU WILL FIND IT, BY DYING YOU’LL LIVE, BY HUMBLING YOURSELF YOU’LL BE EXALTED.
ALL OF THESE FOLLOW EACH OTHER AS DAY FOLLOWS NIGHT BUT ALWAYS IN THIS ORDER -- SELF-SACRIFICE FIRST BEFORE ONE IS EXALTED BY GOD.
THEREFORE, LET US GO FORTH THIS DAY, CLAIMING THE NAME "CHRISTIAN" BY SERVING OTHERS BECAUSE IT FOLLOWS THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST WHO EXPRESSED HIS DEITY IN LOWLY AND HUMBLE SERVICE.
BY PLACING THE INTEREST OF OTHERS AHEAD OF OUR OWN BECAUSE JESUS MODELED HIS DIVINE CHARACTER IN HIS UNSELFISH OBEDIENCE TO GOD BY MEETING THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF OTHERS.
BY LIVING ACCOUNTABLE LIVES IN REVERENCE TO THE WARNING THAT WE WILL ONE DAY STAND BEFORE GOD TO GIVE ACCOUNT OF OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE TIME, TALENT AND RESOURCES HE HAS GIVEN TO US.
SO MAY WE, ON THAT DAY, STAND BEFORE ALMIGHTY GOD PURE AND BLAMELESS. IT CAN BE DONE, IF WE WILL WALK THE PATH OF CHRIST’S EXAMPLE SET FOR US THROUGH HIS INCARNATION, HUMILIATION AND EXALTATION AS WE AWAIT THAT FINAL DAY. MAY YOU BE FOUND FAITHFUL, AMEN.
