What is it that will bring you into the next level of commitment to Jesus Christ and the Christian life?
The original thought planned for tonight’s lesson was to present another lesson in this series on Apologetics, discussing some of the very specific statements in the Bible and some reasons that they are included in Scripture, even though some of them might seem to be only insignificant details.
That was changed when a co-worker asked me about some verses in 1 John that gave him some concern:
1 John 3:4-9; 5:18 which discuss the concept that whoever is born of God and abides in Him does not sin.
These verses need to be considered in the light of the context of the other statements made in 1 John, esp. 1:5-2:2, and the teachings of sin, repentance, forgiveness, justification, etc., in the rest of the Bible as well.
Then I began to think about these passages in relation to my co-worker’s concern -- "If one who is born of God does not sin, and I sin, does that mean that I’m not really born of God? Does that mean I won’t get into heaven?"
And then I thought about this in relation to the Apologetics theme about specific detailed statements and their significance, particularly with regard to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s (Jehovah’s Witnesses) doctrine about only 144,000 people gooing to heaven. Considering the general lack of commitment and obedience to the commands of Christ in the church today . . .
Well, the Bible does not teach that only 144,000 people are going to make it to heaven, far from it. One of the phrases used in Scripture describes:
". . . a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ’Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (Revelation 7:10-11 NKJV)
I believe that the passages we have considered teach that although through the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit we have been given the power and ability to resist temptation and avoid sin. But we still have the ability of choosing to sin and sometimes do so. I believe that these verses also teach that obviously God is aware of this,and through His love He has made provision for our restoration to fellowship with Him if we do sin. But still, He has commanded us not to sin and expects us to obey Him.
The point: DON’T DO ANYTHING TO COMPROMISE YOUR TESTIMONY OR YOUR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD!!!
I thought about the relationship of the level of obedience to the level of commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"If you love Me, you will obey My commandments." (John 14:15)
Many have "accepted" Christ without making any specific commitment to Him. Many are willing to accept His offer of forgiveness, love, and help in times of trouble, but are unwilling, like the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22, to commit their lives and possessions to Him totally and unconditionally.
There are things which you can accept as true in your mind, that you can give intellectual assent to, but you will only do what you really believe in your heart.
Example: I had known for many years that smoking tobacco was bad for my health, but I finally quit only when I began to have chest pains, difficulty breathing and my heart would race at 120 beats per minute while I was just sitting down. But you know what? I started chewing "snoose." I decided to stop chewing tobacco when the inside of my cheek got hard as leather and I started losing teeth. I knew in my mind that tobacco in any form is injurious to health, but I became committed to setting it aside only when I became convinced in my heart AND mind as I experienced some of those injurious effects.
Interesting statistics to ponder:
80% of Americans say they believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
48% of Americans believe that no one set of values is right. -- U. S. News & World Report
"Two out of three (67%) of adult Americans say there is no such thing as absolute truth." -- George Barna
How do you fit these numbers together? It doesn’t make sense! If you analyze these numbers you find that 20% of Americans don’t believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. So if you subtract that 20% from the 48% who believe that no one set of values is right (it would follow that those who don’t believe the Bible would not believe this either), you get 28% of Americans who say that they believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God but that no one set of values is true! Something is not clicking here!
Also, if you subtract the unbelieving 20% from the 67% who say there in no absolute truth (Irony -- How would you be able to tell that there is absolutely no such thing as absolute truth? The statement that there is no such thing as absolute truth is in itself a claim of an absolute truth!), you have 47%, or nearly half, of adult Americans who say that they believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but that there is no such thing as absolute truth!
So we have in America, and in the American church, a large percentage of people who claim to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but that it does not teach the only right set of values and that it is not absolute truth!!!
I wonder if all these people in these surveys have ever actually READ THEIR BIBLES?!
Major difficulties and frustrations reported by Pastors:
95% of Pastors interviewed reported that the vision given to them by God for their ministry and congregation was not understood or supported by the people.
70+% reported that their people were not competent apologists or evangelists/witnesses.
30% were frustrated by the lack of laity commitment.
I believe that lack of commitment to the Bible as the inspired Word of God, to Jesus Christ as Lord, and to Christian values and principles is at the heart of all these problems and is the major reason for the weakness and ineffectiveness of the American church today. God said, "If My people will. . ." Well, it seems that many of the people don’t want to.
Commitment to obedience and holiness -- it is possible!
Daniel 3:16-18: "We will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image. . ." regardless of the threat of the fiery furnace.
Daniel 5:1: Belshazzar throws a huge party for 1,000 of his lords and ladies, but Daniel is conspicuous by his absence. In fact, he has to be called in to interpret the handwriting on the wall.
Daniel 6:10: "When Daniel knew the writing was signed, he went home. . .and with his WINDOWS OPEN. . .he knelt and prayed and gave thanks AS WAS HIS CUSTOM," in spite of the threat of the den of lions.
How did these men come to such a high degree of commitment? One reason:
Daniel 1:8: But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. . ."
Decide BEFOREHAND how you will respond to temptation.
Depend upon the wisdom of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to resist temptation and sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13.
I believe this it the difference between serious commitment to Christ and what has been called "casual Christianity."
(Book: "Confronting Casual Christianity, Charles Stanley)
Now there is a conflict which occurs within believers. In fact, it is an intense spiritual warfare. Even the great Apostle Paul confessed:
"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. . .For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." (Romans 7:15,19. (see 7:13-25)
That is why we MUST abide in Christ -- John 15.
That is why we MUST be filled with the Holy Spirit -- Ephesians 5:18.
Greek -- "Be being filled" continuously and repeatedly.
Charles Spurgeon was once asked why he so often prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he responded, "Because I leak!"
CONFLICT between:
...the old mind and the new mind.
...the old heart and the new heart.
...the flesh and the spirit.
...the old man and the new man.
Repentance, holiness -- why a commitment to holiness?
"Without holiness no one will see the Lord..." (Hebrews 12:14)
Fellowship -- "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together..." (Hebrews 10:25)
The "One Another" commands -- do you obey them?
They are important, critical, for encouragement, support, strengthening, prayer, help, accountability, love, hope, learning, discipleship, etc.
Teh general health of the body of Christ.
WHAT? COULD YOU NOT WATCH WITH ME ONE HOUR?
Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22.
Matthew 26:33-34 Jesus predicts Peter’s denial.
26:40 He said to Peter, "What. . .?"
Luke 22:44 agony, great drops of sweat and blood.
How often has Jesus checked in on you at prayer and devotional time and was "amazed" or "astonished" because He found you sleeping?
Jesus desires total commitment, not just mere acceptance.
Many people "accept" Jesus as Savior because:
...they don’t want to go to hell.
...they want to go to heaven.
...they want help out of trouble.
...they’re sick and tired of their present futile way of life.
...they want help, a second chance, a new life.
...they want health, blessings, wealth, etc.
But they fail to make a total, unconditional commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord of their life.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE. . .
...for you to move into the next level of commitment to Jesus Christ?
...for you to excel from mere acceptance of Christ to making yourself a living sacrifice unto the Lord?
...for you to proceed from making a decision to taking action?
Continue in 1 John to 2:3-6 NIV:
We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but doew not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His Word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO BEGIN TO WALK AS JESUS DID?
Charles Stanley said, "A central principle of a conquering Christianity is: ’JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!’"
Once when Charles Stanley was in the hospital he had time to ponder these questions in his life:
"Is Jesus Christ really my Lord?"
"What is really involved in my being committed
and obedient to the Lord Jesus?"
He came up with a checklist of 8 principles which he uses periodically to check on his own spiritual condition and suggests that we might benefit greatly from considering and acting on them in our own lives.
CHECKLIST OF EIGHT PRINCIPLES FOR PRACTICAL COMMITMENT TO THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST:
1. Jesus Christ is my Lord when I obey the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit without hesitation or argument.
2. Jesus Christ is my Lord when I am committed to fulfilling His will for my life before I even know what He will require of me.
3. Jesus Christ is my Lord when I am able to serve Him without regard to time, space, or circumstance.
4. Jesus Christ is my Lord when I recognize His ownership of my total life and all of my possessions -- and submit to that ownership.
5. Jesus Christ is my Lord when pleasing Him exceeds my desire to please others.
6. Jesus Christ is my Lord when I look to Him as the source of all my needs and desires.
7. Jesus Christ is my Lord when I am turning my difficulties and failures into opportunities for spiritual growth.
8. Jesus Christ is my Lord when to know Him intimately is the obsession of my life.
-- Charles Stanley
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."
(John 17:3 NIV)
"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11 NIV)
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteousness. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2 NKJV)
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
The Christian life is a life not characterized by sin, although the Christian may from time to time find himself in the position of having to confess, repent and ask forgiveness for a particular sin. God in His infinite love and mercy has made provision for restoring His children when they have strayed and desire to be restored to full fellowship with Him.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NKJV:
For no other foundation can anyone lay that that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, nor of doubt or confusion. As we grow in grace and in the most holy faith, we will stumble from time to time. We need to know what to do when that happens: confession and repentance. But as we walk with Jesus these stumblings should become fewer and fewer as we decrease and He increases. We must build our lives not on the sand but upon the Rock. And we must delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart. Let the desire of our heart be to hear on that Day, "Well done, good and faithful servant...Enter in to the joy of your Lord."
If we follow the examples of Daniel and Shadrach, Meschach and Abed-nego, we will be able to determine beforehand how we will meet any challenge that comes our way and be victorious in the Lord.
WHAT IS IT THAT WILL BRING YOU INTO THE NEXT LEVEL IN YOUR GROWING COMMITMENT TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?
DO IT NOW!
