| Living Life God’s Way | ||
| September 09, 2000 | Sermon by DRW | Passage 1 Thessalonians |
Many committed Christians wrestle with feeling like they’re just not doing well in their relationship with God. The symptoms include: a burning desire to please the Lord; a fear, no matter how much you’re doing that it isn’t quite enough; a growing anger or frustration in your Christian life; a tendency to compare your Christian life with others. (Miller, 1989).
Many Christians hold as true these words of a song quipped by Mike Warnke:
“I come before Thy throne of grace
And fall down upon my face;
I know that I am but a worm —
So, step on me God and watch me squirm!”
However, our lives in Christ are far removed from this thinking. It can be seen in an illustration of Worms and Butterflies:
Being made into a new creation is like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Originally an earthbound crawling creature, a caterpillar weaves a cocoon and is totally immersed in it. Then a marvelous process takes place, called metamorphosis. Finally a totally new creature — a butterfly — emerges. Once ground-bound, the butterfly can now soar above the earth. It now can view life from [a loftier perch] the sky downward. In the same way, as a new creature in Christ you must begin to see yourself as God sees you.
If you were to see a butterfly, it would never occur to you to say, “Hey, everybody! Come look at this good-looking converted worm!” Why not? After all, it was a worm. And it was “converted.” No, now it is a new creature, and you don’t think of it in terms of what it was. You see it as it is now — a butterfly.
In exactly the same way, God sees you as His new creature in Christ. Although you might not always act like a good butterfly — you might land on things you shouldn’t, or forget you are a butterfly and crawl around with your old worm buddies — the truth of the matter is, you are never going to be a worm again!
This is why the usual New Testament word for a person in Christ is “saint,” meaning “holy one.” Paul, for example, in nearly all his letters addressed them to the “saints.” Yet all the time I hear Christians referring to themselves as “just an old sinner saved by grace.” No! That’s like calling a butterfly a converted worm. We were sinners and we were saved by grace, but the Word of God calls us saints from the moment we become identified with Christ. (George, 2000)
The Bible speaks of holiness, or sanctification, in three phases—
1. What Happened to Me when I got Saved?
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3.1-3)
1. What Happened to Me in the Past
“That state of separation in the spiritual realm accomplished by God the Father by means of the blood of Christ instantaneously at spiritual birth for each Christian” (Fairman).
This is involvement of our position: But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and not our practice. This is freedom from the condemnation of sin: [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1); not the temporary deliverance from the effects and consequences of sin. This is the beginning of new life for the butterfly, the Christian.
2. What is Happening to Me Now
“Conformity to Christ enabled by all of the Godhead. This conformity is endeavored by the believer, continuously during spiritual growth for each Christian” (Fairman).
This is the temporal aspect as seen in verses like:
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)
This involves freedom from sin’s control: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. (1 Corinthians 10:13). This is a continuing process from spiritual birth to the end of life on earth. Both God and man are involved: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. (Philippians 2.12-13).
3. What will Happen to Me in the Future
“State of perfection accomplished by the Father, instantaneously by death or rapture” (Fairman).
This is the merging of positional and present sanctification: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 1:24)
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8.29-30)
Today, however, I would like to look into that area of what is happening in our lives today.
II There are Two Steps that I Have to Take in My Life Now
A. I Need to be Dependent upon God
1. I Need to Yield to God through . . .
a. Repentance
For God took the initiative to bring us into a relationship with Himself, not thαt we should continue to live in impurity, but that we should be wholly consecrated to Him. (1 Thessalonians 4.7). Before the Christian life can be lived we must acknowledge that we sin; that we have rebelled against a perfect God: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). When this is recognized we must realize that: the wages of that sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23).
When we realize that we have sinned we must repent of that sin. We all identify with Peter in his sin, but often we fail to learn the lesson of his repentance. The characteristics of repentance are:
1) It is divine, initiated by God. Being sorry that we have sinned is not necessarily penitence. Responding to God and yielding to God.
2) It is very sensitive. God always deals with us gently.
3) It is an intense experience.
4) The experience is a lonely one. In Peter’s case, only between God and Peter. Luke 22:61,62.
Repentance is a 180 degree turn away from what we were doing, “crawling around with your old worm buddies,” and returning to the position God placed us in when we became Christians, a butterfly.
There is not a passage more clear on this than 1 John 1.9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
When I think about this verse I automatically recall a most vivid illustration that I have told many people:
I have always wondered why God asks us to repent in prayer when He knows our hearts. This verse has always bothered me until I realized that God is our Father. When I get married and have children (now I can idealize this because I am not there; therefore, those of you who are married and have children, don’t rain on my parade), I would discipline like this:
When Naomi hits Mephibosheth (these are the names I want to give my children and I realize that who ever I marry will voice her opinion rather strongly), and she will, and she comes to me wanting to play, talk and joke around; no matter how hard, I will have to refuse until she tells “Meph” she’s sorry. She may come to me daily and cry out to me but I won’t be able to respond until she “repents” of her sin. In the meantime Meph and I shall talk and play together. She will come up to me, hopefully sooner and not later, and tell me she’s sorry for hitting her brother. I will ask her if she told him; have her tell him; have both of them come to me and tell me so; and take both of them in my arms and play with them, talk with them, and joke around with them: love them
You see, God wants us to show our love for Him by confessing to others of the deeds we did against them, thus showing our love for them.
b. Dependance
After we repent of our sins and in confession tell God this, we need to lean on God for strength not to fall into that deed, that sin, again.
We do not need to fall into that sin again for we view life from a loftier perch: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)
2. I am Free From Sin as I Depend on God
Christians are freed from sin by God’s power from within to without: It shows on the outside what is inherent on the inside.
Illustration: “Let’s imagine that a king made a decree in his land that there would be a blanket pardon extended to all prostitutes. Would that be good news to you if you were a prostitute? Of course it would. No longer would you have to live in hiding, fearing the sheriff. No longer would you have a criminal record; all past offenses are wiped off the books. So the pardon would definitely be good news. But would it be any motivation at all for you to change your lifestyle? No, not a bit.
But let’s go a little further with our illustration. Let’s say that not only is a blanket pardon extended to all who have practiced prostitution, but the king has asked you, in particular, to become his bride. What happens when a prostitute marries a king? She becomes a queen. NOW would you have a reason for a change in lifestyle? Absolutely. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the lifestyle of a queen is several levels superior to that of a prostitute. No woman in her right mind would go back to her previous life.
As long as a half-gospel continues to be taught, we are going to continue producing Christians who are very thankful that they will not be judged for their sins, but who have no significant self-motivation to change their behavior. That’s why so many leaders have to use the hammer of the law and suffocating peer pressure to keep their people in line.
But what is the church called in the New Testament? The Βride of Christ! The gospel message is in effect a marriage proposal. And just as the prostitute became a queen by marrying the king, guilty sinners have become sons of God by becoming identified with Christ. It is that relationship and our new identity that becomes our motivation, and it is motivation that comes from within. ((George, 2000, 96-97)
This is God working within us, changing us to be like Him. We can behave like the butterfly He created us to be: Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
B. I Need to Know What is in God’s Word
“While sanctification is exclusively of God, that is, its power rests entirely on his holiness, the believer is constantly exhorted to work and to grow in the matters pertaining to salvation” (Erickson, 1998).
1. I Grow in Christ by . . .
As Christians we are to GROW not by rules and regulations and the resultant guilt, but by:
a. Pursuing Holiness
Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14). Our lives as Christians need to be characterized by that which is holy.
Holiness is God’s Word expressed in action — It is faith gone to work. — It is love coined into conduct; devotion helping human suffering, and going up in intercession to the great source of all good. (Huntington)
b. Depending on Others
In a recent article of Decision, Billy Graham asked these questions to ascertain whether a Christian was in right relationship with God:
1) Is your conversion true and acceptable to God?
2) Are you following the calling God extended to you?
3) Is your life acceptable, including prayer and daily devotional time?
4) Are your message and your delivery acceptable?
5) Do you have compassion for others?
He then asks an interesting question, that is essential for Christian living today:
6) Are your relationships with other Christians acceptable?
God asks us in Scripture to “…love one another…serve one another…be patient with each other… be courteous to one another…set an example to each other…forgive one another…not to judge each other…be subject one to another…edify one another…pray for one another.” (Graham, 1989)
Do we? This is how we grow. Proverbs says: “As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.”
2. I Need to be Active in God’s Word and the World
Blessed is the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted from the world. — Yet more blessed and more dear the memory of those who have kept themselves unspotted in the world. (Jameson)
A holy life is not an ascetic, or gloomy, or solitary life, but a life regulated by divine truth and faithful in Christian duty. — It is living above the world while we are still in it. (Edwards)
Christianity is to be characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit, Jesus said that all men will know that we are His if we love one another.
Although Christianity in its various forms is the world’s largest religion, at least nominally so, Islam is threatening to take control of what used to be Europe’s Christian heartland. There are 2 million Moslems in West Germany. Germany has over 1,000 mosques and Islamic houses of prayer. Muslims doing missionary work in nominally Christian countries–where freedom of religion generally prevails–is three times that of the number of Christians working among Muslims. “The greatest weakness of Christianity in Europe does not result from the unfair rules of competition, but from the moribund state of the Christian churches throughout most of Europe.” And, therefore, the Christians within those churches.
There are times when we feel like we have blown it in our Christian lives, because we do not live up to our “Ten rules for getting to heaven,” but if we follow what we learned in today’s message we will not be defeated in this life. Remember, over and over again Christians blow it, but God is always ready to begin again. God uses disobedient, silent, unholy people for His purposes. Adam and Eve disobeyed, Noah was silent, Abraham was impatient, Joseph was self-centered and egotistical, but God used all of them. (Mars, 1989)
However, we must remember, as-well, that each one of these, in turn, were yielded to God; they were free from sin; and they continued to grow in Him. God was at work within them and they were active in the world, are you.
If we keep in mind Peter’s words in 2 Peter we shall do well. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1.1-11)
When we come to the knowledge of who we are in Christ (our positional sanctification) and what He is doing in us (present sanctification) and what He desires for us to become (permanent sanctification) then we can live in His freedom. This knowledge of who God is and who we are in Christ leads us to love Him more. The more knowledge that we have of Him, the more love we have for Him, the more dependent we become on Him. Dependency then becomes our motivation to live like Christ wants us to live. When we become motivated to serve Him, progressing in present sanctification (in Christ, by the Holy Spirit), we will desire to know more of His Word. The more we desire to know more of His Word, the more we know Him and the reality of Him in our lives becomes salient. Thus, we have come full-circle: knowledge leads to love, leading to dependency, leading to motivation to know Him and serve Him.
Where are you, butterfly?
Prayer:
Father, it is only in You that sins are forgiven, life is for real, and eternity is found. I thank you for all that You desire to do in us and for all that You are doing in us. I pray that we would come to You in our life situations. That we would come to You for strength, for help, in our times of need, that we would come to You in our times of exultation. Help us to remember You in all that we do. Keep Your Word before us in all things that we do.
Amen.
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