Sent Week 4 (Almost Christians)

Introduction

What if I told you, my senior year of high school I was ALMOST a state champion?

Explain story of season and beating the number one team in the state out at their home field and how ultimately we didn’t meet the mark.

Our mission from the beginning of the year was to go all in and win it all.

Can I tell you in Christianity there are people who are almost Christians?

People who maybe had a moment in their life where they felt bad for their sins, but ultimately never changed.

I’ll explain it this way, no one will ever be perfect except for Jesus, that’s part of why he was so special.

You probably have sinned today already and I know myself well enough to know that I have too.

You’re going to sin. The difference between a Christian and an ALMOST Christian, is their attitude toward sin and their heart toward repentance.

Anyone know what repentance means?

So for the Christian, we hate our sin and we love our savior, Jesus.

We admit that we are never going to be perfect, but we are constantly striving for obedience to God.

the difference between that and an ALMOST Christian is shown in Matthew 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15–20 (CSB)

15 “If your brother sins against you, go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. 17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church. If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.

The attitude of an ALMOST Christian is complete rebellion to God. It’s when you get to the point where your sin doesn’t faze you anymore and make you want to further trust in Christ and the change that only he can cause.

The passage we just read is the most famous passage in the NT on Church discipline, it shows us as a church exactly how we are to handle ALMOST Christians.

We’ve talked about it before, but ultimately it is saying that after continuous unrepentant sin, we as a church are supposed to look at them as an unbeliever.

The reality is often our commitments to Christ, whether that be you or a friend at school, tends to be statistically closer to that of an ALMOST Christian than to a Christian.

I’m not saying don’t love those people all the same, Christ calls you to love them the same and maybe even more, but the reason this passage tells us to treat them that way, is because often they never truly made a commitment to follow Christ

and it is the most hateful thing in the world for us to look at our friends who call themselves “Christians” and let them continue to live far from Christ.

You have an amazing platform to make a change, each of you.

Don’t be afraid to step up for Christ with those friends, because in reality, especially in a small town like Agra where there aren’t a ton of other students. You may be the only person who can help them get right with God.

As we continue today in our series “Sent” I want you to see the attitude that Paul encourages Timothy to have, in his greatest mission field yet, Ephesus.

Does anyone remember what’s going on in Ephesus?

As we read, I want you to pick up the same attitude as you go into a similar mission field as Timothy the young pastor.

Read with me today:

Body

1 Timothy 4:1–5 CSB

1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. 3 They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods that God created to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 since it is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer.

The “Almost Christians” Commit to the culture, the biblical Christians commit to Christ.

We have to understand when we look at people who act crazy, who may try to put you down or at the very least say your weird for believing in Jesus, we have to understand that those people are just people and people are stupid.

We have to find a way to hate the sin and not the sinner though, we have to realize that person is someone whom Christ eagerly wants to trust in him and there is a certain level of demonic and cultural influence that has pulled them away from him.

That’s their sin, we all had sin right?

Who’s your one?

1 Timothy 4:6–10 CSB

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed. 7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. 8 For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. 10 For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Are you genuinely being a good servant of Christ right now?

Are you godly?

It’s gonna be hard, we are going to have to labor and strive according to this passage to reach those people.

1 Timothy 4:11–16 CSB

11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 13 Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. 14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. 15 Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Be an example. You don’t have to know it all, you just have to have the right attitude toward outreach.

Understand your young and that you don’t know much right now biblically, but realize the person your talking to also doesn’t know as much as they act like they do, and realize as a Christian your job is not for them to accept the message.

Your job is to plant the seed, it is to tell other people about Jesus. Get involved and serve.

This passage tells us right her, be committed to these things, so that your progress may be evident to all.

Think about a young Timothy coming to Ephesus and trying to call all out these older or more spiritually knowledgable people on their faith.

It’s going to be hard but it’s always worth it.