LIFE of a Christian

Wayne Rodgers

Introduction:

          You probably remember the commercial of LIFE cereal…He likes it! He likes it! Well, Mikey always liked it. But, some people are scared to try something new.  Many feel this way about the Christian life. They don’t want to change their life.  Christian life is a most wonderful life! But many wonder what it is truly about.  Is it really worth giving up the things of this world?  What does it mean to live the LIFE of a Christian?

 

      I.            L-oyalty

A.   To God –

1     Mt. 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” KJV

2     Acts 21:13 – “Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ASV

3     Gal. 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live; yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” KJV

4     Go to the cross of Calvary

B.   To family

1     Physical

a.     Mt. 10:37 – “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” ASV

b.     Eph. 6:1-4 -

c.      Prov. 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” KJV

2     Spiritual

a.     John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” KJV

b.     1 Jn. 4:20 – “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.” ASV

   II.            I-nvestigation

A.   God’s word

1     Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.” ASV

2     John 5:39 – “Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me;” ASV

3     Acts 17:11 – “Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” ASV

B.   My life

1     James 1:25 – “But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.” ASV

2     2 Cor. 13:5 – “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” KJV

3     1 Cor. 11:29 – “For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body.” ASV

III.            F-ellowship

A.   Warning of fellowship

1     Eph. 5:11 – “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” KJV

2     2 Cor. 6:14 – “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” KJV

B.   With God

1     1 Cor. 1:9 – “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” KJV

2     Phil. 1:5 – “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;” KJV

3     1 Jn. 1:3 – “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” KJV

C.   With those of like precious faith

1 Jn. 1:6-7 – “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” KJV

2     How? Walking in the light!

3     Ps. 119: 105 – following the same rule – Phil. 3:16

D.   Benefits of the fellowship of the saints

IV.            E-ternity – Mt. 7:13, 14; Josh. 24:15; Acts 24:25 Felix made a choice, though not a good one. What are the choices? Mt. 25:46 – God wants you to go to Heaven; God has done his part by sending his Son to die for you.  Peter describes heaven as an inheritance “incorruptible and undefiled reserved for you in heaven.” And that’s a wonderful reward for faithful service to God

A.   Heaven

1     No tears, no sorrow, no pain, no sickness, no death – Rev. 21:4

2     I don’t want to go just b/c of what is there, but b/c WHO is there!

3     John 14:1-3

4     Rom. 8:34 – Christ is at the right hand of God making intercession for us. –

5     Heb. 4:14-16 – A high priest “passed into the heavens…”

6     Does this sound like a place you want to go? God has a plan to get you there!

7     Now we will each spend an eternity somewhere. And as sure as there is a heaven, there is a HELL!

B.   Hell – Isa. 59:1-2; 2 Thes. 1:7-9

1     Luke 16:19-31 – The only way to truly describe hell is from first hand knowledge of one who was there.  Let’s look at hell through the eyes of the rich man:

2     READ ALL VERSES – v. 23 stress

3     Now is that a place you want to go!

4     Well maybe we should!  Preacher, elder, deacons, members, visitors, all in this community should go to hell just for 5 seconds!

5     Just for that long (5 seconds)!  Wouldn’t we come back with a different attitude, we would have forgotten the material things of this world,

a.     You’re preacher would come back preaching God’s Holy Word with more fervor than ever before.

b.     You’re elders would come back watching over the flock as God willed.

c.      You’re deacons would come back serving the Lord, working in their respective works.

d.     Members would come back with an appreciation for God’s truths, would receive with all readiness of mind the word of God.

e.      Visitors outside of God’s precious body could not be stopped from coming down the isle confessing Christ and repenting of their sin and wanting to be baptized to be in Christ.

 

Conclusion:

A.   The LIFE of a Christian is the best life with all of its trial and toiling; the END of the Christian LIFE will always be worth it!

B.   Will you make a choice today (2 Cor. 6:2) to obey God?

C.   God’s plan to get you to Heaven:

1.     Hear God’s Word (Rom. 10:17)

2.     Faith In Jesus Christ (John 8:24)

3.     Repentance of a Sinful life (Luke 13:3, 5)

4.     Confession of Faith in Christ (Matt. 10:32-33)

5.     Baptism For The Remission of Sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21)

6.     Remain Faithful (Rev. 2:10; Matt. 10:22)