As I was looking back through some of my sermons throughout 2010, I came across a short challenge (not an expositional sermon) I shared with our church family around the beginning of 2010. I titled it “My Passion For Our Church in 2010” (Yah, I know real original). But as I was looking through it, I was convicted and encouraged that many times, we forget some very important disciplines in walking the Christian life. These disciplines are not “new” or “earth shattering” but usually, the “deep things of God” are simple obedience to the clearly revealed Christian duties. So I thought I would post some of these reminders to stir us up again to love and to good works.
1. We need to be people who Pray as Christ Prayed!
- Christ prayed regularly.
(Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46) The importance of regular, solitary prayer cannot be diminished. Nothing good will happen in and through Grace Baptist Church if we don’t individually take time to pray, even though all men seek for us. Do not become distracted with business that we cease to pray.
- Christ prayed appropriately.
(Matt. 6:9-13) The pattern prayer of the Lord reveals that we should pray with praise and adoration to God our Father because of His holiness and High position. We should pray for God’s will to be manifested. We should pray for our physical well-being and we should pray for our spiritual growth (primarily in forgiveness and deliverance from the evil). We should give all glory to God for answering our prayer.
- Christ prayed passionately.
(Matt. 26:37-44) Of course Christ is facing the greatest trial a man could face. In his humanity he does what we all must do and his passion is clearly seen. Sometimes I don’t think we really are serious about our praying. It is a habitual thing to us. This doesn’t mean that we must weep, but rather our prayer life would be enhanced greatly if we exuded a small portion our Savior had for the power of prayer. At this hour of trial, it is all he has and you can sense that in the words he prays. I don’t mean emotional by passionate, but rather real, sincere, honest and open before God.
2. We need to be people who Love as Christ Loved!
- Christ loved universally.
(John 3:16) God loves the world. What wondrous truth that revives our souls. We must love all mankind. Do we love the unlovely? Do we love those we disagree with? Do we love those we clash with? Christ loved the world, how far does our love reach.
- Christ loved willingly.
(Eph. 5:1-2) Love as Christ loved us by choosing to give himself a sacrifice for us. Don’t love your brother, sister, neighbor, or other out of duty, but rather choose to love them. Choose to show grace to them. Choose to show compassion. Choose to rebuke where needed. Choose to not harbor hate. Choose to love!
- Christ loved sacrificially.
(I John 3:14-19) The greatest demonstration of love was sacrificial giving of all for the need of another. Learn this year to truly recognize what each other needs spiritually and love them enough to give it to them. Learn to recognize what does not need to be said or done toward a brother and lovingly don’t give that to them. We must withhold malice, anger, evil thinking, assumptions of motives, but we must sacrificially give grace and truth, mercy and compassion, guidance and rebuke, gentleness and forgiveness. If it doesn’t hurt, it probably is not really sacrificial love.
3. We need to be people who Forgive as Christ Forgives!
- Christ forgives completely.
(Matt. 18:21-22) Christ died for our sins once for all. If we will not or “cannot” let our brother’s error or fault go especially after there has been confession (even if not, Jesus forgave on the cross and they never asked for it), we have desecrated the beautiful grace of God. Forgiveness does not mean letting sin go without setting what is right wrong. A murder can be forgiven while still deserving to die for his crimes. I am speaking of a personal choice to not harbor ill-will or angst or bring up their fault against them again. It is something I must choose regardless of how I feel. Forgiveness and love are companions and they both are matters of the will. I am so glad Christ did not say, “I am just not sure if I can forgive them for that Father.” Or “They hurt me too much to forgive them.” Forgiveness is not forgetting, but many times, by God’s grace forgiving allows us to forget with time. Choose not to hold a grudge. Bitterness will destroy your soul. Choose not to make someone pay! It will bind you into bondage you cannot pay your way out of. Choose not to make someone sorry! You will become full of sorrow you cannot control. Choose to forgive and demonstrate to all who know you, that you have been forgiven.
- Christ forgives graciously.
(Luke 23:42-43). Christ could have required some proof of remorse concerning the thief on the cross. But when the thief turned to him, Christ didn’t have to think twice about it. He graciously forgave all immediately. We need not have to think about forgiving. Especially those who come seeking it. We ought not throw up a wall, but rather leave our emotional and willful selfishness behind and embrace them as a brother. I think of the prodigal son. If there ever was a demonstration of a gracious forgiver it was that Father, and God is represented in the parable by the father. A gracious forgiver does not make deals with the one needing forgiveness. A gracious forgiver does not mutter against them while saying they forgive. A gracious forgiver proactively seeks to restore the relationship. Don’t you think this would be a blessing for 2010 for our entire church family? Just imagine immediate repentance and forgiveness when we wrong each other. A gracious spirit that refuses to hold grudges or assume the worst. No, this is not utopia, this is possible if we each seek to decrease as Christ increases in our lives.
4. We need to Obey as Christ Obeyed!
- Christ chose humility over reputation.
(Phil. 2:5-8) Christ’s obedience was only possible because he chose to be humble. This is manifested in the mystery of our Trinitarian God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are three persons while yet God. But they are not the same as each other. Son is not the Father, the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Holy Spirit. They are not simply manifestations of the same God. While Jesus was on earth, the Father was literally in heaven, yet they were one and not just one but equal as Jesus testifies many times. So how can they be equal and yet Jesus the Son is obedient to the Father? Because Christ who is God and equal in every way to the Father. The Father is not greater than the Son (John 5) yet the Son chose to humble himself and be subservient to the Will of the Father while on this earth. Submission to another does not make unequals. Christ chose his humility and submission over his reputation as God. As we go into this year obey as Christ obeyed and willingly submit yourself to the Word and Spirit of God. Submit yourselves to the authorities God has given and placed over us. Submit minds to the renewing of the Word of God. Be submissive people. Submission, Gentleness and serving is not a sign of weakness, but rather a mark of mature Christ-likeness. Self-asserting, self-defending, self-liberating is a sign of weak mind and a weak spirit.
- Christ chose the Father’s will over his flesh.
(John 5:30) Do we take God at his Word? Do we believe what he says then act upon it? If the Word says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves, do we think it is okay for us to forsake it? If God says casting all our cares upon him, is it okay to keep back this one worry and fret about it? If we God says that he will meet our every need, do we then need to scratch, claw, and finagle to get what is coming to us? If God says, put on the armor of God, can we dare to step out into our day without the Spiritual protection found in time with Him? If God says pray without ceasing, is it okay to let our flesh decide I don’t have time to pray. If God says flee fornication, does it mean it is okay to just dabble a little bit in immorality and fantasy? Let us be resolved this year to be people who not only hear the Word of God but are doers of the Word of God. You know me, you know I am not talking about people’s opinions and applications about the Word of God, but rather what God plainly tells us in his Word. We need to be people who obey God’s will, not live according to the desires of the flesh.
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