Sunday, January 28, 2007

The Significance Of Being A Christian
Guarded By The Power Of God - Part One

Reviewing what we have seen thus far in this series, a Christian is "a person reborn", living in newness of life. One that now "belongs to the Lord", God’s special child sojourning in this world as a pilgrim. Is "living by faith", trusting in the Lord and desiring to be a trustworthy servant. Is "consecrated to God", set apart by the Spirit to pursue holiness. This does not mean being a Christian is easy. The world in which we sojourn does not encourage godly living. There are powerful forces that are bent on our spiritual destruction. Of course, this is true whether we are Christians or not, but the significance of being a Christian includes help that others do not have, from our Father in heaven, who is concerned for the child that now belongs to Him. His own special protection, available to those who remain faithful to Him. Peter writes of this protection in 1 Pe 1:5 "who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." He refers to how we are "kept by the power of God through faith..." He employs a military term meaning "to mount guard as a sentinel; figuratively, to hem in, protect" (Strongs) -- Therefore we can rightly say that a Christian is "Guarded By The Power Of God"!

To appreciate the need for such protection, the nature of it, and how we may ensure it in our lives will be the subject of our study. We begin by noting Satan’s goal: Our Destruction. Our adversary, Satan is like a roaring lion - 1 Pe 5:8 "Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," He is on the prowl, seeking whom he may devour. He often appears as an angel of light - 2 Co 11:14 "And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light." Working through his ministers - 2 Co 11:15 "It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works." Misleading through false doctrines - 1 Ti 4:1-3 "God's Spirit clearly says that in the last days many people will turn from their faith. They will be fooled by evil spirits and by teachings that come from demons. They will also be fooled by the false claims of liars whose consciences have lost all feeling. These liars will forbid people to marry or to eat certain foods. But God created these foods to be eaten with thankful hearts by his followers who know the truth."

There is a need for Christians to beware. Some say there is no need to be concerned by proclaiming, "once saved, always saved", or "the impossibility of apostasy". But this would make all the warnings in the Bible pointless. The Bible warns about the danger of becoming hardened - He 3:12-14 "My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end." Hardened by "the deceitfulness of sin". Who better equipped to harden us than he "who deceives the whole world"? - Re 12:8-9 "But the dragon lost the battle. It and its angels were forced out of their places in heaven and were thrown down to the earth. Yes, that old snake and his angels were thrown out of heaven! That snake, who fools everyone on earth, is known as the devil and Satan." Because the danger is real, the need to "resist him" (1 Pe 5:9 "But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are.") who seeks our destruction is very
real! But we are not alone in our resistance; "the God of all grace" (1 Pe 5:10) stands ready to
assist us.

This leads to our next point of God’s provisions for the Christian: Our Safe Keeping. God is our helper. He provides Jesus Christ:
As our Mediator - 1 Ti 2:5 "For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus," (ASV)
As our Advocate - 1 Jn 2:1,2 "My children, I am writing this so that you won't sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world's people."
As our merciful and faithful High Priest - He 2:17-18 "He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted."
Whose blood cleanses us from our sins - 1 Jn 1:7-10 "But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away. If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn't in our hearts. But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his message isn't in our hearts."

He provides other blessings designed to keep us safe:
Our public assemblies and mutual edification - He 10:24-25 "We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer."
Our mutual edification - He 3:12-13 "My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn."
The Scriptures - 2 Ti 3:16-17 "Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds."
Prayer - Ph 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel."

He therefore provides a way of escape:
In some cases, to avoid temptation altogether - Mt 6:13 "Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil."; 26:41 "Stay awake and pray that you won't be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak."’
In other cases, to bear up and overcome the temptation - 1 Co 10:13 "You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations."
God is our victory. Our confidence comes from God’s power, not our own - Ph 4:13 "Christ gives me the strength to face anything." He provides power that is greater than Satan - Ep 3:16,20 "God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers" "I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen."; 1 Jn 2:13-14 "Parents, I am writing you, because you have known the one who was there from the beginning. Young people, I am writing you, because you have defeated the evil one. Children, I am writing you, because you have known the Father. Parents, I am writing you, because you have known the one who was there from the beginning. Young people, I am writing you, because you are strong. God's message is firm in your hearts, and you have defeated the evil one."; 4:4 "Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God's Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world." Yes, it is God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ (1 Co 15:57 "But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!")! By His grace we are "Guarded By The Power Of God".

But that such grace might not be received in vain (2 Co 6:1 "We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God's kindness to you."), we need to remember our responsibility: Remain Faithful.

We will continue this lesson in a second part looking at what our responsibility as Christians is in order to remain faithful.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Consecrated To God

The Significance Of Being A Christian
Consecrated To God

We have begun to see that there is much significance to being a Christian. A Christian is "a person reborn", experiencing a new creation that leads to a new life. A Christian now "belongs to the Lord", God’s special child that lives as a pilgrim, who sojourns in this world "living by faith", trusting in the Lord and being a trustworthy servant. Another significant fact about being a Christian involves the concept of "sanctification". The words "sanctify" and "sanctification" are translated from the Greek "hagiazo". It means to make holy, to set apart for a special purpose; related words include holiness, consecration, and saint. As we shall see, this pertains to both our standing before God and our conduct before God. Thus a Christian is "Consecrated To God".

As we take a closer look at this aspect of being a Christian, let’s first consider the progress of sanctification. All Christians are sanctified. Some understand sanctification as "all at once" or "in two stages", as in the Wesleyan concept of "entire sanctification". Some even suggesting that once "sanctified", one can no longer sin. The Biblical evidence suggests otherwise. The church at Corinth was made of people who were "sanctified in Christ Jesus" - 1 Co 1:2 "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:" (KJV)
They had been "sanctified" - 1 Co 6:11 "And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (KJV) -- Note the past tense. Yet many of these people were still "babes in Christ" and "carnal" - 1 Co 3:1-3 "My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world."
They were filled with envy, strife and divisions. They were acting carnally, as mere men. Thus, while Christians may not be perfect, they are still called "saints". Note the use of the word "saint" in addressing all Christians - Ro 1:7 "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."; 1 Co 1:2 ""Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"; Ph 1:1 "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:"; Co 1:2 "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (KJV). Because they had been "set apart" to be "God’s holy people", it was appropriate to be called "saints" - 1 Pe 2:9 "But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done." -- This pertains to our standing before God; we are blessed to be considered His holy people.

Christians are also being sanctified. Sanctification is an ongoing process. Those in Christ are "being sanctified" - He 2:11 "For both he that sanctifies and they who are being sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (NKJV). It begins at conversion, and continues as we grow in the faith. As Paul prayed for the Thessalonians: "may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely" - 1 Th 5:23. Thus Christians are to pursue sanctification (holiness). As the Hebrews were admonished to do - He 12:14 "Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord." As Paul commanded the Corinthians - 2 Co 7:1 "My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We should honor God and try to be completely like him." Because God is holy, so we are to be holy in our conduct - 1 Pe 1:15-16 "Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. That's why the Scriptures say, "I am the holy God, and you must be holy too."’ -- This pertains to our conduct before God, our responsibility to live holy lives. God has therefore called Christians to be holy, set apart, sanctified. In obeying the gospel we have been sanctified; but if we are truly "Consecrated To God", then we will pursue and perfect our holiness (i.e., our consecration).

To assist us in this goal, let’s consider the process of sanctification. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. Note how sanctification is tied in with the work of the Holy Spirit:
"sanctified by the Holy Spirit" - Ro 15:16
"sanctified...by the Spirit of our God" - 1 Co 6:11
"sanctification by the Spirit" - 2 Th 2:13
"the sanctifying work of the Spirit" - 1 Pe 1:2 (NASV)
The Holy Spirit naturally has an important role in our ongoing sanctification, because He was instrumental in our spiritual regeneration when we become Christians - Ti 3:5-6 "He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning. God sent Jesus Christ our Savior to give us his Spirit." The Spirit is the instrumental agent by which God strengthens the inner man - Ep 3:16 "God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers"
How does the Spirit accomplishes His work of ongoing sanctification? Read on...

Sanctification is also the work of the Word of God. Note that sanctification is also said to be tied in with the Word of God:
"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - Jn 17:17
"that He might sanctify...by the word" - Ep 5:26
Since the Word of God is said to be "the sword of the Spirit" (Ep 6:17), the Word is evidently the instrument used by the Spirit to help bring about our sanctification. One who sets their mind on things the Spirit has revealed through the Word is setting their mind on "the things of the Spirit" When we set our minds on "the things of the Spirit" (the Word of God), we are then able to "live according to the Spirit" - Ro 8:5. Led by the Spirit through the Word of God, we will then produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, instead of the works of the flesh - Ga 5:16-22 "If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you. People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom. God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways." -- If we wish to live holy, sanctified lives, we must allow the Spirit to do His work through the Word of God!

When a Christian understands that he or she is "a person reborn" who now "belongs to the Lord" and is "living by faith" they should have no trouble accepting the idea that they are also "consecrated to God". Do we appreciate the privilege of being "Consecrated To God"? That God has blessed us to be part of "a holy nation"? That God has called us to holiness, because He is holy? That having sanctified us, He desires to sanctify us completely?
-- That He does this because He desires to dwell among us? - cf. 2 Co 6:17-18 "The Lord also says, "Leave them and stay away! Don't touch anything that isn't clean. Then I will welcome you and be your Father. You will be my sons and my daughters, as surely as I am God, the All-Powerful."’

If we do, then we will take to heart the admonition of Paul:
"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Co 7:1). Are we perfecting holiness in the fear of God?

May the promise of a new creation and a new life in Christ remind us of "The Significance Of Being A Christian", and challenge us to examine our loyalties if we do not see in our lives the evidence of "A Person Reborn" That "Belong’s To The Lord", "living by faith", being "Consecrated To God" then we need to repent and take advantage of the wonderful blessings from our Lord and Savior. Have you taken advantage of this wonderful gift, by responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Would you like to be reborn in Christ to be a new creature with a new life? If you have not responded to the gospel message and would like to do so, by all means please contact me directly at jimnewy@classinet.net

This material is from ExecutableOutlines.com, a web site containing sermon outlines and Bible studies by Mark A. Copeland. Visit the web site to browse or download additional material for church or personal use. The outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. Feel free to use them as they are, or adapt them to suit your own personal style. To God be the glory!
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2002

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Living By Faith

The Significance Of Being A Christian
Living By Faith

An important aspect of being a Christian involves the element of "faith". The gospel to which a person responds in becoming a Christian is called "the faith" - Ju 3 "My dear friends, I really wanted to write you about God's saving power at work in our lives. But instead, I must write and ask you to defend the faith that God has once for all given to his people." Those who obeyed the gospel have been "faithful to the Lord" - Ac 16:15 "Then after she and her family were baptized, she kept on begging us, "If you think I really do have faith in the Lord, come stay in my home." Finally, we accepted her invitation."; Co 1:2 "To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ. I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!" Christians are called or referred to as "the household of faith" - Ga 6:10 "So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith."

Indeed, "faith" is the underlying principle of all the Christian’s conduct. It is fundamental to our salvation in Christ - Ro 1:16-17 "I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, "The people God accepts because of their faith will live."’ It is central to the life we now live in Christ - Ga 2:20 "I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me."; 2 Co 5:7 "But we live by faith, not by what we see." Yet the nature of faith and its importance in the life of a Christian is often misunderstood and is often neglected.

As we continue to examine "The Significance Of Being A Christian", we therefore wish to emphasize that it means "Living By Faith"! What that entails may be clearer as we first define the meaning of faith. Faith involves the idea of belief. The certainty or conviction that one has in some truth or proposition. For example, believing in things concerning Jesus and His kingdom - Ac 8:12 "But when they believed what Philip was saying about God's kingdom and about the name of Jesus Christ, they were all baptized." Such faith, or conviction, comes from the Word of God - Ro 10:17 "No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ."; also Jn 20:30-31 "Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life."

Faith involves the idea of confidence, the willingness to place one’s trust and reliance on someone else. For example, placing our trust in God, that He is reliable - Ro 4:3 "The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."’, 20-22 "But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God. Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. So God accepted him, just as we read in the Scriptures." We are to have similar trust in God - 1 Pe 4:19 "If you suffer for obeying God, you must have complete faith in your faithful Creator and keep on doing right."

Faith involves the idea of fidelity, that one is loyal, committed, and can be trusted. An example is a faithful steward as one who is reliable - 1 Co 4:2 "And since our first duty is to be faithful to the one we work for,". Our faithfulness (commitment, trustworthiness) is to last even to the point of death - Re 2:10 "Don't worry about what you will suffer. The devil will throw some of you into jail, and you will be tested and made to suffer for ten days. But if you are faithful until you die, I will reward you with a glorious life.", 13 "I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you have kept true to my name. Right there where Satan lives, my faithful witness Antipas was taken from you and put to death. Even then you did not give up your faith in me." A faithful Christian, then, is one who believes in the Word of God, he has confidence in the Person of God, and is himself loyal and trustworthy in the service of God.

Now let’s take a look at what can be said about the life of faith. The life of faith involves confessing our faith. For example, acknowledging our belief in Jesus Christ before others. Something we must do as a condition of salvation - Ro 10:9-10 "So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others." This is something we do throughout our lives - Mt 10:32-33 "If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers. But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don't belong to me."; 1 Jn 4:15 "God stays one with everyone who openly says that Jesus is the Son of God. That's how we stay one with God and are sure that God loves us." -- The life of faith is never ashamed to admit that one believes in Jesus Christ.

Living the life of faith involves living by faith, for example, conducting one’s life with trust in Jesus Christ - Ga 2:20 "I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me." Trusting in the works of Jesus, not our own; that His death was truly for our sins - 1 Co 15:1-3 "My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing. I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say."; Ti 3:5-7 "He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning. God sent Jesus Christ our Savior to give us his Spirit. Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life." Trusting in the words of Jesus, and living accordingly - e.g., Mt 6:33-34 "But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.\pard plain "; Lk 6:46-48 "Why do you keep on saying that I am your Lord, when you refuse to do what I say? Anyone who comes and listens to me and obeys me is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When the flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn't even shake." -- The life of faith is one that seeks to live in harmony with the teaching of Jesus.

Living by faith involves benefitting by faith, enjoying the blessings that come from a life of faith. Such as joy and peace, hope and power - Ro 15:13 "I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope." Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can receive such blessings - Ep 3:12 "Christ now gives us courage and confidence, so that we can come to God by faith."; Ph 4:6-7 "Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.", 13 "Christ gives me the strength to face anything." -- The life of faith does not go unrewarded in this life, even though its primary concern is the life to come.

Living by faith involves maintaining our faith, remaining steadfast in the faith we have in Christ. There is a need to stand fast, for faith can turn into unbelief - 1 Co 15:1-2 "My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing."; He 3:12-19 "My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end. The Scriptures say, "If you hear his voice today, don't be stubborn like those who rebelled." Who were those people that heard God's voice and rebelled? Weren't they the same ones that came out of Egypt with Moses? Who were the people that made God angry for forty years? Weren't they the ones that sinned and died in the desert? And who did God say would never enter his place of rest? Weren't they the ones that disobeyed him? We see that those people did not enter the place of rest because they did not have faith."; 4:1-2 "The promise to enter the place of rest is still good, and we must take care that none of you miss out. We have heard the message, just as they did. But they failed to believe what they heard, and the message did not do them any good.", 11 "We should do our best to enter that place of rest, so that none of us will disobey and miss going there, as they did." To maintain faith, we must add to it other things such as virtue, knowledge, self-control, etc. - 2 Pe 1:5-11 "Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love. If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don't grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven. My friends, you must do all you can to show that God has really chosen and selected you. If you keep on doing this, you won't stumble and fall. Then our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will give you a glorious welcome into his kingdom that will last forever."; 3:17-18 "My dear friends, you have been warned ahead of time! So don't let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance. Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen."

A Christian is one who should take his faith very seriously. It is essential to salvation (both being saved and remaining saved). It is essential to life (to receive blessings now, and in the life to come). Are you "Living By Faith"? Do you believe what has been revealed about Jesus Christ? Do you have confidence in Him, that He can deliver on what He promises? Are you a trustworthy disciple of Jesus, someone He can count on to be faithful? Unless we can answer in the affirmative to such questions, we have yet to appreciate that "The Significance Of Being A Christian" which includes "Living By Faith"!

May the promise of a new creation and a new life in Christ remind us of "The Significance Of Being A Christian", and challenge us to examine our loyalties if we do not see in our lives the evidence of "A Person Reborn" that Belong’s To The Lord then we need to repent and take advantage of the wonderful blessings from our Lord and Savior. Have you taken advantage of this wonderful gift, by responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Would you like to be reborn in Christ to be a new creature with a new life? If you have not responded to the gospel message and would like to do so, by all means please contact me directly at jimnewy@classicnet.net

This material is from ExecutableOutlines.com, a web site containing sermon outlines and Bible studies by Mark A. Copeland. Visit the web site to browse or download additional material for church or personal use. The outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. Feel free to use them as they are, or adapt them to suit your own personal style. To God be the glory!
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2002

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Belonging to The Lord - Part Two

The Significance Of Being A Christian
Belonging To The Lord - Part Two

In Part One of this lesson we looked at the principal of "Belonging to the Lord"; which has many connotations attached to it. One is that a Christian is God’s special person. Christians are now God’s own special people. In Part Two we will now turn our attention to the blessings and responsibilities we have in "Belonging to the Lord".

As God’s Children we have blessings and responsibilities. We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ - Ga 4:7 "You are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be given what he has promised."; Ro 8:16-17 "God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him." For we are heirs according to the promise of God - Ga 3:29 "So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised." It is an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade, and is reserved for us in heaven - 1 Pe 1:4 "God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear." As heirs, we have many responsibilities, including:
Being thankful for the inheritance we have - Co 1:12 "I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light."
Abstaining from the works of the flesh - Ga 5:19-21 "People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom."

Perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord - 2 Co 6:17-7:1 "The Lord also says, "Leave them and stay away! Don't touch anything that isn't clean. Then I will welcome you and be your Father. You will be my sons and my daughters, as surely as I am God, the All-Powerful." My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We should honor God and try to be completely like him."
If we wish to receive the promised blessings, we need to patiently carry out our responsibilities with an enduring faith - He 10:35-39 "Keep on being brave! It will bring you great rewards. Learn to be patient, so that you will please God and be given what he has promised. As the Scriptures say, "God is coming soon! It won't be very long. The people God accepts will live because of their faith. But he isn't pleased with anyone who turns back." We are not like those people who turn back and get destroyed. We will keep on having faith until we are saved."

Besides being God’s special person and God’s child, a Christian who "belongs to the Lord" also has a special relationship to the world in which he or she lives as God’s pilgrim. Christians are in the world, but not of the world. As Jesus mentioned in His prayer for His disciples - Jn 17:15-16 "Father, I don't ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. They don't belong to this world, and neither do I." Like Abraham, a Christian is a sojourner, a pilgrim - He 11:13 "Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth."; 13:14 "On this earth we don't have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city." We are fellow citizens with members of God’s family - Ep 2:19 "You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God."
As such, our true citizenship lies in heaven, not here on earth - Ph 3:20 "But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there."

As God’s pilgrims, we have special obligations to conduct our sojourn on earth with fear - 1 Pe 1:17 "You say that God is your Father, but God doesn't have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth." We have an obligation to abstain from worldly lusts - 1 Pe 2:11 "Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you."; 1 Jn 2:15-17 "Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever." We are obligated to keep our conduct honorable, filled with good works - 1 Pe 2:12 "Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do." We are also tlineobligated while here on earth to obey the laws, and respect the leaders, of the countries in which we sojourn - 1 Pe 2:13-17 "The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens. God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. Respect everyone and show special love for God's people. Honor God and respect the Emperor."

We have seen that a Christian is a person who "belongs to the Lord", one who is God’s special person, God’s child and God’s pilgrim. The more we understand the significance of such privileges we ought to be filled with gratitude and humility. We ought to be moved to be the kind of people God intended. Are we living and conducting ourselves as those who "belong to the Lord"?. Are we acting like a special people?. Do we live like a child of God should?. Is our life truly a sojourn, or are we living like we want to make this earth our permanent home? As we saw in our beginning text:
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Co 6:19-20)
May the significance of belonging to God prompt us to always glorify God in our bodies and our
spirits!

May the promise of a new creation and a new life in Christ remind us of "The Significance Of Being A Christian", and challenge us to examine our loyalties if we do not see in our lives the evidence of "A Person Reborn" That Belong’s To The Lord then we need to repent and take advantage of the wonderful blessings from our Lord and Savior. Have you taken advantage of this wonderful gift, by responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Would you like to be reborn in Christ to be a new creature with a new life? If you have not responded to the gospel message and would like to do so, by all means please contact me directly at jnlnewsted@nts-online.net

This material is from ExecutableOutlines.com, a web site containing sermon outlines and Bible studies by Mark A. Copeland. Visit the web site to browse or download additional material for church or personal use. The outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. Feel free to use them as they are, or adapt them to suit your own personal style. To God be the glory!
Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2002