How is Your Spiritual Health?, 2 part

I. Introduction

How’s your health? Mine could definitely be better…you can tell by looking at me I could stand to lose a pound or two. I’m working on it....diet....trying to move a little bit more....I’m on some supplements to help me out. I’m trying to get more sleep....all the things you’re supposed to do in order to take care of myself...

But I’ll be honest it’s hard. You all know I’m trying to finish up with my doctorate in the next few months....I teach…I preach…I teach some witha college now…I counsel with folks....not to mention we have a one-year-old at home....so I stay busy....just like a lot of you. It makes it hard. Makes it hard to find time and energy, for that matter, to exercise....makes it harder to find energy to cook healthly. But if I want to be around to see my baby girl grow up, frankly, I just have to make the time.

I’d submit to you though, if you want

a. Scripture: Hebrews 6:18-20

I’m going to ask you to stand with me, if you are able, as we read from God’s Holy, Perfect, Sufficient and inerrant Word.

<Pray>

Thank you, and you may be seated.

II. 5 Dimensions

A Sure Hope

Intentional Sanctification

Regular Fellowship

Kingdom Service

Intimate Communion

III. Point #1: A Sure Hope

Explanation

The writer of Hebrews mentions two things that are absolutely unchangable and true:

i. God cannot lie…He is faithful....true…and you can rest in that. He is truthful and His Word is truthful.

and

ii. That if we seek this sure hope in Christ, it can be theirs.

You see the Hebrew readers had been drifting rather aimlessly…the write reminds them that we have a sure hope in Christ. God is totally trustworthy and therefore when He makes a promise, it is sure.

Illustration

You know there is not much in life that we can rest surely in.

Family is good....we love family. I love MY family....but how many of you know that family can let you down?…Absolutely, they can…why? Because no matter how much you love one another, people can still disappoint you, family or not…why? Because they are people....and people are unreliable at times, even our families....

So even our family isn’t always sure...

Even our friends, certainly, aren’t always sure...

Even our careers....our finances....CERTAINLY not our government, can we place our hope.

Application

Friends: I submit to you this morning that we have ONE sure hope, and it is in Jesus Christ.

So when we read in Acts 2:21

Acts 2:21 (NASB95)

‘...everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

…that is a promise. And when we read that promise in God’s Word, that means that we have SURE HOPE that the Lord can and WILL save us from our sins.

So I would say this, first and foremost church: If you want to be spiritually healthy, that will never happen if you are not saved by the blood of Christ. You MUST be a Christian to even begin to be spiritually healthy...

And as a result…you are the beneficiary of several things:

a. First, you are the beneficiary of an eternity in Heaven....you have the hope, the sure hope, of not having to wonder what will happen to you when you die....of no longer needing to fear death. The Bible says death has lost its sting when you are in Christ.

b. Second, being in Christ gives you the sure hope of having a personal relationship with your Creator. What a blessing, church, it is to know that you can know God on a personal level…and we will discuss that more later in this series.

So folks, if you want to be spiritually healthy, you need to first be saved from your sin an to become, as the Bible says, a new creature in Christ Jesus.

IV. Point #2: Intentional Sanctification

Explanation

Once a person becomes a Christian through making Christ their Lord and Savior, unfortunately many people think that is the end of the road.

One of the unfortunate conclusions that many people arrive at because they have a sure hope in Christ is that they no longer need to work on themselves. Many people believe that they have simply arrived....they have their “fire insurance” through their salvation…and they believe that their journey is essentially over.

But the Bible teaches something very different.

Luke 9:23 (NASB95)

Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Many of you know, I have taken that as my life verse....because this verse picks up where salvation leaves off. Once we are saved, are to begin living like it.

Illustration

There was a gentleman pretty nearby in South Georgia that won the lottery several years back. It was a tremendous amount of money. The first thing he did is, what I believe I would have done, is he paid off of all of his and his familiy’s debts. He paid off all of the cars, the house, and any other outstanding debts.

Frankly, if it had been me, I think I would have stuck the rest in the bank and let it collect interest....leave myself a huge nestegg to retire and retire early.

But not this guy....just as many of his bad decisions led to a lot of bad debt before he won the lottery, I understand that he went back to making the same sort of mistakes after he won the lottery…and I understand that, within a couple of years, the gentleman had lost every penny of the money and not only that, ended up in debt again.

Application

Folks, once you have been freed from your sin debt, its your responsibility to begin living like you are out of debt. If you are a Christian, it is your responsibility to live like it.

Luke 9:23 says that to do that, it’s going to cost us something. You see our salvation cost God something…it cost Jesus His very life…but the next step in our Christian life consists of denying ourselves, that means putting God’s standards and desires before my own. And it also mentions taking up our cross, which implies that it’s going to cost something…that there is persecution that can come and effort that must take place to be a Christian…and it also says to do so daily....so this isn’t something we can commit to sporadically....it isn’t something that is OK to just relegate to once or twice per week....this is something that we must commit to every single day.

John 14:15 NASB95

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

God says that if you love Him, you’ll be obedient.

What we are truly talking about here church is a life of being committed to seeking holiness in our lives. The Bible calls Christians those who are “being set apart.” The word for being set apart, for seeking holiness in life is called “sanctification.” As we are seeking Christ in our lives and seeking obedience, the Holy Spirit is in the process of conforming us into the image of Christ. He is Sanctifying us....setting us apart from the world.

Church: If you want to be spiritually healthy, you will remember that a large part of your responsibility as a Christian has to do with representing your Lord. You are an ambassador of the Kingdom, and that means you represent Jesus. Your life does not stop at salvation, in fact your new life starts there as you are a new creation....and that means you HAVE TO make seeking to live Holy a part of your life.

Look, I knew everybody in here is different. What I struggle with is probably totally different than what YOU struggle with....but the fact is, at this moment, NONE of us is perfect…NONE of us is exactly life Christ, Amen? That means that we ALL have room to improve.

But I can tell you this: whatever it is you’re struggling with, its not going to just get better accidentally. You are going to have to intentionally work on it. Folks....if you were an alcaholic…would you say “I want to get better” but still keep beer in the fridge? Of course not....if you truly wanted to get better, you would make some changes. So let me encourage you: if you want to continue being sanctified, you need to start working on those areas you struggle with intentionally. If you get better, its only going to happen on purpose. It won’t happen on accident. be intentional. You can come to church....you can pray....you can spend time in Bible study…but if you are living in sin and not doing anything about it, you will NOT get any closer to God than you are right now. You must seek holiness in your life.

Conclude for Sermon 1

IV. Point #3: Regular Fellowship

Explanation

When it comes to spiritual growth and spiritual health, we all grow individually. We are all saved individually and we are all responsible for our own health and our own growth. We must look after ourselves and take care of ourselves if we expect to be able to take care of anybody else. However....we experience no better growth than when we grow with other believers.

Illustration

Application

IV. Point #4: Kingdom Service

Explanation

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Application

IV. Point #5: Intimate Communion

Explanation

Illustration

Application

V. Conclusion

a. Let me ask you this morning:

b. Let’s Pray