Answering Our Culture
#9 – I Don’t Want to Change My Lifestyle; What if Christianity is Wrong?
Various Scriptures
September 29, 2002
Introduction
Today we look at our last main message on reasons people give for not becoming Christians.
We have spent the better part of the last 3 months looking at what I have called “The Top 10 Reasons to Not Be a Christian.”
In doing that, I combined some of the reasons, such as Jesus not being the only way, and sincerity as the main requirement of making heaven.
Today we look at the last couple reasons, and they are what I consider the rock bottom issues in considering the truth of the Bible and Christianity in particular.
I hope that as I discuss these last questions or objections, that those of you listening on the tape or CD will give honest consideration to what I have to say, and will take what is offered here today and go through an intensive self-examination.
Let’s dive right in, shall we?
The first objection we will look at today is that…
I. I don’t want to change my lifestyle.
To me, this is such a huge thing. When a person gives their life to Christ, Jesus makes the demand that we are to love Him and follow Him in all things, not just some things, and we are to put away our past sinful lifestyles and put our primary devotion on Him.
Too many times Christians tell about the love of God and how to go to heaven, but they leave out the parts where Jesus demands total obedience and loyalty, in exchange for a full and satisfying life.
We’re afraid that we’ll scare them away from Jesus.
Well, friend, if you have not been told about the holy demands of Jesus, then let me apologize for you only getting part of the message.
God is totally loving – and He sent His Son to die for you, but He wants you heart, soul, mind, and body.
One time a fella was hanging out in the lobby at the Brookings Wesleyan Church just after one of the services had begun. He was invited by another guy, but this guy could not force himself to go into the service.
I asked him what he thought about Jesus, and the claims He made to be God, and His desire to see this guy go to heaven.
He answered that he liked what he heard, but was not ready to take Him as his Savior. When I asked why, he replied, “because I’m not ready to give myself to Him totally. He is demanding too much of me, and I’m not ready to give to Him.”
At least he was honest.
There have been times when I have confronted someone with the claims of Jesus, and asked them what would prevent them from taking Jesus as their Lord and Savior right then.
Generally I get answers along the lines of not trusting whether the Bible is true, or whatever.
Then I ask them a simple question: if I could prove to you that the Bible is true and that Jesus was who He said He was, would that make a difference?
Many times it won’t make a difference. Why? Because the issue is not really truth, or faith. The issue is the will. They choose to not believe or choose to ignore the truth, because to acknowledge the truth would mean to acknowledge that God has a legitimate claim on them. And that would mean they recognize the need to submit to Him. And that’s just too hard for some people.
Why should you live for God instead of yourself? Why should you live a life of loving obedience to God?
I have five reasons to give you today. Your outline only shows four, but another came after I printed the bulletin.
A. He knows everything about you.
Did you know that God knows everything about you? He knows your needs. He knows your thoughts. He knows when you get up and go somewhere.
He knows how many hairs are on your head. (Pause) That’s pretty easy in my case!
He knows everything you go through. He knows the tendencies of man.
Listen to some of what Psalm 139 says:
PS 139:1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
This psalm also says that no matter where we go, He’s there, too. There’s no getting away from Him.
While that might seem scary, it can also bring great comfort, because it means that no matter how far in the depths of trouble I might go, I can call on Him to get me out of there, and He will hear and rescue me.
He knows all about me. This leads to the next reason that it’s best to live for God rather than for ourselves.
B. He knows what is best for you!
The Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
His commands are motivated by His love and concern. They are not a holy straight jacket! They are meant to protect you from harm!
My house is on a busy street. So I don’t allow my younger children to play in the front yard. Is that meant to restrict their freedom and squelch their development?
No, it’s meant to keep my kids from getting killed in traffic when chasing a ball or something into the street.
Shortly after we had moved into our house, I had left the front door open, to let in some fresh air.
I was reading on the couch, totally oblivious to the fact that my daughter Olivia saw that open door as an opportunity.
I wasn’t aware of anything until I heard a honk outside, and as I turned around, I noticed that the door was open, and then I looked outside, and saw my daughter in the middle of the street, and cars backed up for half a block or more.
Thankfully, the first driver had seen her in plenty of time, and stopped a long way back.
If I were to be the kind of parent that most people want God to be, I would simply let Olivia or any of my beloved children do what they want all the time, no matter the consequences. In fact, I would be expected to protect them from consequences, such as getting smucked by a car or truck.
But it doesn’t work that way.
Folks, adultery hurts people – the spouse, the children, and has ripple effects in the new relationship as well. After all, how can you trust your partner if they have already proven that they will cheat on you if he or she thinks it’s best?
Murder obviously hurts more than the person killed.
Theft hurts. Ask anyone who used to work at WorldCom or Enron.
Dishonesty and cheating hurt. Ask anyone in the Nixon and Clinton administrations.
God’s laws are there for our protection. His desire is that we avoid the harmful effects of our sin, and enjoy the full and wonderful life He has for us as we walk with Him and obey Him.
The third reason we should live for God is that…
C. He will allow you to reap the consequences of your actions.
We just touched on this a bit, but let me discuss two types of consequences in particular:
1. Physical consequences.
The Bible says in the book of Romans, chapter 1 that we will receive in due course the physical consequences of our sin.
Go ahead and live risky lifestyles and receive the consequences. You play with matches you are going to get burned.
It’s not politically correct to discuss AIDS and homosexuality, but it’s just a plain fact that those involved in the homosexual lifestyle stand far and away the greatest chance of getting AIDS, and especially homosexual men. If you don’t believe me, go to the Centers for Disease Control and ask them.
That is a physical consequence.
If you are sleeping with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you risk sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Then the baby may end up paying the price for your lifestyle choice.
If you steal, you run the risk of prison and all that involves.
If you drink while under the influence, you run the risk of injury to yourself, and injury to others, and the weight of that kind of guilt has killed otherwise strong people.
I think you get the idea. We live in a cause and effect world. What you do affects others, make no mistake.
So rather than live lifestyles that have such heavy consequences, why not live a life that is much safer, just from a physical level?
2. Spiritual consequences.
There are two main spiritual consequences:
First we don’t have the opportunity to get to know God in an intimate and personal way.
The Bible says that God, while He knows everything about us, desires to have a relationship with you that is deeper than any relationship you can have on earth.
But our sin separates us from Him. The Bible says that because we have sinned, God cannot hear the prayers of those who cry out to Him without coming to Him through Christ.
The second spiritual consequence is that we remain in God’s wrath.
What do I mean by that? Let me read a portion from the gospel of John, when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus.
Jesus has just told the very religious Nicodemus that he needed to be born again, and then goes on to explain what happens to those who reject Christ.
JN 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Then we pick it up again, and John the Baptist concurs with Jesus when he said that…
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him."
You see, folks, it’s not an issue of how bad you are, it’s an issue of realizing that you are already under condemnation unless you have received the forgiveness that is only available through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
And when we reject Him, the spiritual consequence is the punishment already in place for those who reject the free offer of salvation.
The fourth reason we should live a life for God is that…
D. He owns you and has the right to make demands of your life.
God made you and has the ownership.
If you made a clay pot, you get to decide what that pot will be used for. Why? Because the pot gave you permission to make that decision? No, because you own it and made it.
That’s the way it is with us. The Creator of the universe also created you, and He has a claim on you that He has every right to call in at any time.
Besides, it seems to me that the one who created the galaxies and holds them in place knows what’s best, wouldn’t you agree?
The last reason I want to look at today for why you should live for God is that…
E. Jesus promises you will enjoy the benefits.
Jesus said that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But that He came to give us life and to have it to the full.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had an empty life and I’ve had a full life. I’ll take the full life any day.
I’ve done a lot of the things our world tells us are good and pleasurable, but I also know the emptiness that comes with it.
Jesus took my life and filled it, and the life I have now I wouldn’t exchange for any amount of money.
And here’s another thing. When we love God and want to live for Him, He makes it easier for us!
1 John 5:3 says that to love God is to obey His commands and His commands are not burdensome.
Why are they not burdensome?
Because it’s always easier to do something for someone out of love for that person, rather than duty.
Men will follow a commander they love into certain death, but will rebel against another commander they don’t love or respect.
Obedience to Christ is easier for me than ever before, because my love for Him continues to grow.
Devotion makes it easier, and makes it enjoyable.
Well, there you go. Five reasons why I think you should live for God rather than for yourself:
He knows everything about you.
He knows what is best for you.
He will allow you to reap the consequences of your actions, both physically and spiritually.
He owns you and has the right to make demands of you.
And Jesus promises wonderful benefits in living in obedience to Him.
I hope and pray that you can see the truth of that, and that you will strongly consider the benefits of living for God, and weighing them against the life of continual rejection of God and His love for you.
We’ve been kind of on the heavy side, so let me just throw in a cute story I came across recently:
The Bear and the Atheist
An atheist was walking through the woods looking at the beautiful trees and flower that had just bloomed. Because he was an atheist he couldn’t thank anyone for the beautiful landscape that he was witnessing. As he was gazing at the sky he saw a bear running toward him, he jumped up and began to run up the hill. Not knowing any better he continued to run up the hill, a bear runs best up a hill because of his strong hind legs, it is better to run down a hill, but any way… The atheist fell to the ground and thought a second and said well I don’t believe there is a God but maybe this one time I will call upon His name. The atheist said “God, I need help!” Since I don’t believe you exist, I have a request. Will you make this bear a christian? Just then the wind stopped howling, the creek stopped running and the bear stopped - knelt to the ground and said “Dear Lord, Please bless this food that I am about to eat!”
Let’s move on to today’s last question.
II. What if Christianity is wrong?
What if the Bible is wrong, and Jesus was a liar or insane, or whatever. What happens then?
I see 2 main possibilities:
Nothing: we just die and that’s it.
Another religion is correct: but, following Christ’s teachings is looked upon favorably by almost every other religion, so I’m probably okay.
And if you are leading a fairly decent life, you probably don’t have much to worry about.
But the real question is “what if Christianity is right?
Why is that the real question? Because if the Bible is right, and if Jesus was who He said He is, and if He is the only to God as He claimed, then you have to make a decision.
You can accept Him or reject Him. Acceptance brings forgiveness of sins, a home in heaven, and a full life on earth.
Rejection brings the punishment we deserve for our sins.
So let me ask you a question: are you willing to risk your eternal destiny on the faint hope that the eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ followers was false?
I’m not willing to take that risk. I choose Jesus, believing Him to be the Son of God who came to rescue me from hell, and give me a relationship with the Father that does not compare to any relationship on earth.
I choose to love Jesus as my Savior and Lord, and I choose to live in the promises of Scripture.
I choose Jesus. Won’t you do the same?
Conclusion
God loves you more than you will ever be able to know this side of heaven.
And He wants only the best for you: He wants you to have a full life on earth, and an eternity in heaven with Him.
Yes, He wants you to live for Him, obeying His commands. But they are there for your benefit, to protect you from harm.
Give Him a chance to prove it. Give Him an opportunity to prove it to you on a personal level, and see if He doesn’t do it.
He wants your joy and happiness even more than you do, and He sent His Son to suffer a cruel death to give it to you.
Call on Jesus to give you the life that reflects knowing that you will spend eternity in heaven, and that pleases God in all you do.
It’s not easy, but I’ll guarantee that it’s worth it.
Shall we pray.
