The characteristics of the age is a desire for an Easy Time. This is true in serving God as in a great many other things. People want an easy time with no self-denial involved. And some Christians today do not want any Spiritual exercise. Here are four things that many Christians are faultering in:
1. They do not want to Pray.
A. God’s word is clear as to the believer’s duty to
pray. I Thess. 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."
Lk. 18:1, "And he spake a parable unto them to
this end. that men ought always to pray, and not
to faint." Church, God is not just talking about
preachers and deacons,"that men ought always to
pray", God is telling us, that means everybody!
B. Everything else seems to take priority.
2 Chron. 7:14. "If my people which are called by
my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land." We must
give God first place, and let everything else
take second.
C. Family Altars. This seem to be a relic of the
past. How many of you have a place or altar set
up in your home for prayer and devotion as a
family? Eph. 6:1-4, "Children obey your parents
in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy
father and mother, which is the first
commandment with promse. That it may be well
with your thee, and that thou mayest live long
on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath: but bring them up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord." How many of
us are doing what God said to do?
2. They do not want to read God’s Word.
A. We should have the desire in our heart to read
the Word of God. Peter tells us in 1 Pet.2:2,
"As newborn babes, desiring the sincere milk of
the word, that ye may grow thereby." And Paul in
2 Tim. 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of God." We are
accountable unto God, for we are not our own, we
are bought with a price. We are the only espistle
read by many people, so we should always be ready
to give an answer to everyone who asketh the
reason of our hope.
B. The Word is a Lamp and a Light to guide us in
the way of Righteousness. Ps. 119:105, "Thy word
is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path." God not only gives us direction but so
that we can know the way.
C. We should be like the Bereans. Acts 17:11,
"These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they recieved the word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
God has given us a clear example of how we
should be as Christians.
3. They do not want to yield to the will of God.
A. Self motives: people have the "me" syndrome, Its
what I want, its my way, all about self.
B. God must be first in our lives. Please listen to
me this morning, God wants "US" today!
Rom. 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service. And be
not conformed unto this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God."
4. They do not want to attend church regularly.
A. Many feel you can attend church when you fell
like it. Well, I just don’t feel good today,
maybe this evening service...Many of you work
when you’re sick, gotta have that money, gotta
pay those bills. Church, all the temporal things
pass away with the using, but the things that
you do for God are eternal.
B. But what does God’s word say about it?
Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another:and much the more, as ye
see the day approaching." To "see the day
approaching" means that you’ve must be looking
for it, you must be expecting the Lord’s return.
C. The Reward of attending God’s House.
Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them." The Lord wants to be with us, he
wants to bless us, he wants to give us of the
heavenly things.
Conclusion: God only knows what will happen (IF) we’ll, pray without ceasing, study God’s word, yield ourselves unto him, and put HIM first in our lives!
