More of the Lord in 2024 (John 3:30)

This is a Preeminent Statement(He)

When we strive to put Christ first, we will be put out of the way.

Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (superiority/first place)

The first word of the verse is even Him! HE!

He needs to be important! We need to care about Him more than anything! (Not just at the church house)

A lot of Christians only know of Christ being present in their lives. They do not have Him preeminent. HE MUST HAVE SUPERIORITY IN OUR LIVES, EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES!

This is a Personal Statement (I)

God has left it up to us how much we want to put Him first in our lives.

Romans 12:1–2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Because YE are bought, YE glorify God in YOUR body and in YOUR spirit which ARE God’s!

Romans 6:12–14 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

There is absolutely no excuse for the child of God to try their best to live for God. Saying, “this is to hard” is a get out of jail free card. SIN DOESN’T HAVE DOMINION (CONTROL, RULE) OVER THE CHILD OF GOD!

How can you get rid of a conquering sin in your life? You let the conquering Savior conquer the sin! 1 John 5:4–5 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Let the one inside have control of you and He’ll help you with those lusts!

This is a Positional Statement (He increase, I decrease)

When Christ becomes preeminent (not just present) in our personal lives, our lives will start to have a positional change.

Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Deny self, follow the Savior

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

I’m living, yet I’m not. It’s Christ in me.

THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE

George Muller received millions of dollars over his ministry and provided housing for thousands and thousands of orphans and gave them the Gospel. One man asked him how he was so successful. George Muller said...

“There was a day when I died, utterly died, died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will, died to the world, it’s approval or censure, died to the approval or blame of even my brethren and friends, and since then I have studied only to shew myself approved unto God.”

The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated unto Him!

God help us to give us some people with eternal life that are dead to self!

This is a Progressional Statement (decrease is a process)

It takes time to be what God wants us to be. He is molding and making us, such as the potter and the clay.

Some of us get discouraged if we look at other Christians and say, “I can’t be that.” And your right. We don’t look at other Christians and how they grow, we always look to Christ for our growth.

The more Christ we know, the bigger he gets, which makes us smaller.

Peter didn’t preach to thousands right after he got out of the fishing boat.

Paul even grew in the knowledge and power of God.

Acts 9:22 “But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.”

A fulfilling walk with Christ is a continual decreasing, diminishing, and denying of self.

Children grow, even if you haven’t noticed in a few weeks. DON’T STOP TRYING TO GROW IF YOU DON’T SEE THE EFFECTS.

Keep going to church.

Keep reading your Bible.

Keep studying the Word.

Keep praying.

IT WILL MAKE YOU GROW IF YOU SET GOD FIRST!

This is a Pressing Statement (MUST)

This statement is of the utmost importance. It’s a critical statement. UNLESS THE CHILD OF GOD DECREASES AND INCREASES CHRIST IN HIS LIFE, HE WILL NEVER BE WHAT GOD WANTS FOR THEM.

The gates of hell will never prevail against the church. But the church should be a lot stronger. IF we want God to see wonderful things this year, HE MUST INCREASE! How can He increase in our lives?

More of the Word of God (Walter McPherson memorizing Scripture with his tongue, reading the Bible through.)

More of the Will of God (you can’t know the will of God if you don’t know the Word of God)

What does God want for you? For me? For our church? For our families?

More of the Work of God

We don’t need less church, we need more. That’s obvious, and easy. But church isn’t the work of God.

A lot of Christians don’t want the work of God that makes them have to deny self (witnessing, passing out tracts, inviting others to church). BUT IF WE WANT THE WORK OF GOD TO GO ON, WE MUST DENY SELF AND PUT HIM FIRST!!!

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Soul winning is the solution to the sin problem in our community and our country. We don’t need anything but the Gospel and to get the Gospel out. LET’S TELL THE WORLD MORE ABOUT THE LORD IN 2024.