A couple of weeks ago I had planned to preach on the Armor of God and had started preparing for that sermon. But I have realized that many are not ready for the battle. I believe many in our church need to know who God is and His power over sin, His power over the evil one.
Last week as Pastor Joe spoke he asked the question "how holy do you think God is" and "we will live on the edge of where we believe that holiness is". How close to the edge of sin do we live that we honestly think that God will tolerate in us? How much do we trust and have faith in Him because that is where we will live our lives.
Scripture gives us many examples of how we as followers of Jesus Christ should live our lives. I want us to look at the life of one man. The life of a man of God.
Who in the New Testament do we learn so many things pertaining to the Christian life than the Apostle Paul?
We first hear of Paul in the book of Acts. Luke wrote the book of Acts or the Acts of the Apostles. In 2 of the books that Paul writes later, we find that he and Luke are working together:
Colossians 4:14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas greet you.
2Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry.
But in the beginning of Paul's life this was not the case.
In Acts chapter 6 there is a dispute - a complaint in the church among 2 different groups of Jews. The one group was complaining that the other group were overlooking their widows as they were handing out the food. So we find the first Trustees being voted on to take care of these matters. One of the men - full of faith and the Holy Ghost, was Stephen.
Acts 6:8 Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
God was moving in this man's life. God's plan that He had for Stephen long before he was ever born was being lived out. Stephen was having an impact on people's lives. But what always happens when we are following the will of God - opposition:
Acts 6:9 - 15 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia--who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."
So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."
Does any of this sound familiar? Sounds like the trial that Jesus got. But there was something they could not deny:
Acts 6:15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
When Acts chapter 7 starts, Stephen speaks. He goes through the patriarch's, Moses, crossing the Red Sea, 40 years in the wilderness, up to the Sanhedrin murdering the Son of God.
Acts 7:58a They threw him out of the city and began to stone him.
What an awful sight this must have been. These men had already been a part of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and now the murder of another follower.
Now Luke introduces us to Saul:
Acts 7:58b And the witnesses laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Saul was there, he agreed with and watched the murder of the first Christian to die for the cause of Christ.
Acts 8:1 - 4 Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.
Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison. So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the message of good news.
Even though scripture tells us that Saul was ravaging the church, the gospel was still being shared and people were coming to Christ.
Saul was generally regarded by the rabbis as one of the most promising young men in Judaism. As to zeal, he outstripped all of his fellows.
As he watched the growth of the Christian faith, known as "the Way", he saw in it a threat to his own religion. So believing he was right in doing so, he set out to destroy this "false religion".
Acts 9:1 - 2 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
His desire to bring these prisoners back to Jerusalem for their trial and punishment. In Acts chapter 22, Saul who God changed his name to Paul gives us his purpose in arresting those who belonged to the Way and how he met God along the way.
To live a life for God, you must first know God. God will reveal Himself to us in His own way. It might be at church, it might be at youth camp, it might be while mowing grass. God and only God knows when and where.
At the end of Acts 21 and through chapter 22, Paul finds himself in custody for sharing the gospel. The people wanted to put him to death but he is given permission to share with the angry crowd what I would call his testimony. This is how Saul met God:
Acts 21:40 After he had given permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language:
Acts 22:1 - 11 "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you." When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter. He continued, "I am a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel and educated according to the strict view of our patriarchal law. Being zealous for God, just as all of you are today, I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women in jail, as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to bring those who were prisoners there to be punished in Jerusalem.
"As I was traveling and near Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' "I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' "He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you are persecuting!'
Now those who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
"Then I said, 'What should I do, Lord?' "And the Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that is assigned for you to do.' "Since I couldn't see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
Paul met Jesus Christ. Luke tells us that Paul was in this blind state for 3 days until God calls a man named Ananias to go and meet Paul. He continues to tell his testimony:
Acts 22:12 - 16 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good reputation with all the Jews residing there, came and stood by me and said, 'Brother Saul, regain your sight.' And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of His voice.
For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.'
The scripture says "wash away your sins by calling on His name".
There is only one way to become a child of God, that is asking Him to forgive you of all your sin, and He will wash all of them away!
This was the beginning of the life of a man of God. Paul's life was changed - completely! Never again did he go after those in the Way to arrest them and put them to death - he became one. True repentance shows itself in a changed life, in a complete about face, a turn around.
I've said many times it is a change from going south on route 522 heading to Winchester (like all of us were born heading towards) and making a complete a turn-around and heading north. You no longer walk in darkness but now you walk in the light.
You might say what do we do with the sin problem? In the book of John we find the answer. Jesus is at the temple complex in Jerusalem:
John 8:3 - 11 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. "Teacher," they said to Him, "this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?" They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger.
When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, "The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her." Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center.
When Jesus stood up, He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, Lord," she answered. "Neither do I condemn you," said Jesus. "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."
That's true repentance - "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."
Jesus then tells them that He is the light of the world - He will light our path - He will give us strength. He knows the hold that sin has on our lives - and He knows that only He can set us free from it. It is a choice. We don't know any more about this woman. We don't know what choice she made. Did she say yes to Jesus and allow Him to change her? Or did she decide to continue to live her life the same old way - in darkness? If you were in her shoes what would you have chosen?
Jesus died on the cross so that you might have forgiveness of your sins - all of them, and so that you might have a changed life. He died on the cross so that your life would be changed from darkness to light:
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again: "I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life."
John 3:7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again.
What is the first step in living the life of a man or woman of God? Knowing Him in a personal way. How do you do that? We find that answer also in the book of John. These verses many of us know them by heart:
John 3:16 - 18 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.
Revelation 3:20 - 22 Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne. "Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."
There are many today that think and believe that there are many ways to get to heaven, many ways to have your sins forgiven, many ways to have your life changed. Many today make their own way to heaven, they pick and choose what they want to believe, they make excuses for themselves and the sin they commit trying to justify it. Satan has this world living in mass confusion.
Where are you today? Do you truly believe what the Bible tell us?
Do you believe that He is returning soon? Scripture after scripture tells us that He is. He tells us what the world is going to be like before He returns.
Matthew 24:4 -13 Then Jesus replied to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these events are the beginning of birth pains. "Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.
There is a scripture in Isaiah that is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Yesterday there was a conference being held about the drought situations on the earth. Representatives from California, which is in drought conditions now, were there. One of the key speakers was a Jewish man from Israel. His speech - they are now producing water from the desert.
Isaiah 41:18 – 20 I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains. I will turn the desert into a pool of water and dry land into springs of water. I will plant cedars in the desert, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees. I will put juniper trees in the desert, elms and cypress trees together, so that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Who is a true friend? A true friend is one who will tell you the truth no matter if it will jeopardize the friendship. Someday I will have to answer to what I shared with you. If I just preached sermons that made you feel good and didn't share with you of Jesus's love for you and the change He wanted to bring in your lives, and if I didn't share the truth that sin will send you to Hell, what kind of pastor would I be? What kind of a true friend would I be?
Luke tells a story of true friendship:
Luke 5:18 - 25 Just then some men came, carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down before Him. Since they could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the mat through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd before Jesus. Seeing their faith He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you."
Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to think: "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" But perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, "Why are you thinking this in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--He told the paralyzed man, "I tell you: Get up, pick up your mat, and go home."
Immediately he got up before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.
These men were willing to risk all for their friend. They didn't care what anyone else said or did or felt, they just wanted to get their friend to Jesus.
I am willing to do the same for you.
Do you know Jesus?
John 14:6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
How do you begin a life of a man or woman of God? You must go through Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
Do you know Him? Are you ready to meet God? Do you want to begin the life of a man or woman of God?
No comments:
Post a Comment