Are You For Jesus?
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Are You For Jesus?
Are You For Jesus?
Varied Texts...
Welcome
Scripture:
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
Prayer
Announcements
Jerry
_____________________________________________________
Well, again it is joy to be here with you all...
It is hard to believe this is our last Sunday for the month of October, and in case you are wondering… it is just 8 weeks till Christmas…
Today I want us to consider a topic that I think as born again believers we must consider as we walk with the Lord.
Are you for Jesus? Or are you against Him?
Now, I know what you are thinking, Preacher, I couldn’t be against Jesus… I am for Him...
Are you sure?
I ask that because as the children of God, we must consider our words and deeds. And do these honor and bless the Lord.
Now there are two passages of Scripture that speak to the idea of being for or against Jesus.
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says in Luke 11:23
23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
And there is a similar passage in Luke 9:49-50
49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
So what is being said here in these verses, and what is the greater picture that we have to pay attention too?
Following Jesus requires a complete and total submission of our our lives, as we seek to follow Him.
I think, at times we forget there is a cost to following Jesus.
So we have to evaluate our life and actions. Does what we approve, what we choose to participate in or with each day does it honor and bless the Lord
Or are we serving self.
And listen this isn’t a new issue that Christians are forced to deal with, Our life has been a constant pull against our life in Christ. William Greenhill, a puritan pastor of the 15th century wrote a book entitled “Stop Loving the World..”
Because the flesh, the earthly man has also struggled to have priority over the spiritual man..
So, we must ask ourselves, are we for Jesus?
So what must we do? Let me share three things my friends...
The first involves surrender...
1 We Must Surrender Self..
I think, like never before as the children of God we must, must put away self, and we do this by surrendering our life to Jesus.
And in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks to this issue… Listen with me here.
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Now this is the second time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus has spoken of this… The first in Matthew 10:38 and then in the passage I just read to you.
If a person wishes to come after him, literally follow him, they must be willing to die to self-will.
So what do I mean by the idea of self will?
Self-will is the natural desires that people, those desires that we have in our flesh. These could include things like envy, greed, lust and so forth.
And how does this effect people? Honestly, it drives people to chase after the world…
So what is the solution… Look at what Jesus says there in verse 24… "...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me...”
So there are two key thoughts there.. (A.) the first key thought is self denial… Self denial means God is first and we are second. God and his kingdom priorities must come first.
And here is what is neat… when we think like that, when we chose to live like that, it is visible, it is seen in our lives.
Now mind you, that is not why we do it, we don’t do it to be seen. But the world takes notice of those who live differently.
And listen, Jesus told us in Matthew 6, do not worry about the world, do not worry about it, don’t chase after what we will have, or don’t have… In fact Jesus says Don’t be anxious asking “what shall we eat, or what shall we wear...”
Why? Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things .. And the implication is simple...Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
(B.) The second key thought is “Take up your cross and follow me..” This is one of the most powerful statements that Jesus makes toward those who are following him.
What does this mean? To take up your cross, reminds those following Jesus that if a person was carrying their cross, they were heading to their own death, their execution.
So when Jesus tells us to take up our cross, and follow him. The call is for those following him to be willing to die to self. Put your old self, your old nature, your old ways and desires to death.
Taking up your cross is the call to submit ourselves to the will of God for our life. Surrendering self calls for us to examine our life and say.… Lord here am I. I want everything in me to be pleasing in your sight.
So examine self and see if there is anything that God wants us to change, then it needs to change...
But what else
2. Requires a Daily Commitment...
The desire to walk with the Lord is not one we are to take lightly.
It should be part of our Christian conviction that we as God’s people seek to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.
Why? Why pursue a daily commitment to walk with the Lord?
There is a a couple reasons as to why we seek this way of living…
1. One is the sacrificial death of Jesus. -
The Lord Jesus laid down his life, taking our sin and punishment upon himself as He hung there on the cross.
He bore the full punishment for sin upon his own body, dying, in our place. We deserved death and instead He He provided a substitutionary death there upon the cross,
The Apostle Paul commends us to walk in this life in such a way that honor God... Philippians 1:27
“27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”
And also in Ephesians 4:1
“1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”
My friends, His sacrifice should spur us to live for the Lord more and more each day with purpose and desire to be found pleasing to him.
2. But secondly, That our light might shine before others…
One blessing concerning how we walk before the Father is the testimony is can share with the world around them.
It should be our hope that our life, by that I mean the way we talk, the way we walk, what we do whether in person or on social media would tell the world of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16
“16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
The way you live is seen by others my friends, and what does it say. I see a lot, at times I see to much… If we just walk through social media we can see a lot about people.
And it reflects a lot about those we see…
How you live can have a great impact either in a negative or positive way...
This week I listened to the wonderful story of Rosaria Butterfield, a tenured English Professor in NY State who was a lesbian, and activist, and she was writing a book on the Religious right. And she wondered why they just couldn’t leave consenting adults alone. And in the midst of this thought if I am going to talk about the Bible. I should read it.
In the course of all this a local pastor and his wife befriended her. They became real friends, and loved her. And through the course of their being Christ in front of her and with the witness of God’s word. She became a Christian and follows the Lord faithfully. And in God’s grace, he found a Christian husband and they both follow and serve the Lord.
You see there must be a daily commitment that I am going to walk with and follow the Lord Jesus each day.
So as we walk with the Lord, our commitment must push us to walk with the Lord daily. And this my friends must involve us actively
Praying- that we might commune with our heavenly Father, speaking too, sharing our heart with Him and listening to him as he speaks to lead us
If we see the Lord in prayer, we will hear from Him. This is the testimony of Scripture, not just my own.
Jer 29:13 tells us
13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
And Matthew 7:7
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Likewise, we must also commit our self to the reading of the God’s Word.
The Word of God tells us much about the Father and how we can walk and live in front of Him. In fact the Word instructs us in how we can keep our ways pure before the Lord
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
Everything you seek to know about this life and much about the next is found in the Word of God.
And finally in all things, abide in the Lord Jesus. Seek to live as Jesus would live and no other way. The time of his appearing or our departure may be sooner than we realize.
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
And lastly we are for Jesus simply because we have a New Life
3 We have a New Life....
There are things I will mention here perhaps I have already touched on, but here, what I want you to see is this; we've been given a new life my friends...
And this new life, well it is extended to us for a great purpose, to live, enjoy and walk with our Creator and Savior, but please know, this new life you enjoy in Christ, it is not your own.
You belong to Jesus! Paul reminds us of this in ...
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
As you look at this passage, I want you to see a couple thoughts that perhaps, we don’t always think of when we read those verses.
The first is this... your are God’s own vessel. His Spirit resides in each person who is a born again believer. He is in you..
So all that we do each day, He is with us…
And as His vessel, He has a purpose for your life. Regardless of your past struggles or activities, God has cleansed you of those things and has forgiven you. Now he is calling us to be a willing vessel for his purpose.
This means we are to continue to be a clean and willing vessel for the Lord’s work. How do you do this? Through prayer and your willingness to take hold of God’s word and make it part of you.
The Word of God will keep you from sin if you will walk according to its ways. If you are reading the Word, you will be able to recognize several things:
A. What is good and pure. -
B. What is solid doctrine. -
C. And to discern from true and false preachers. -
There are people who are embracing the opposite of these because they are not grounded in the word. They do so because they have been “tossed around by every wind of doctrine”...
People are to busy looking for the spectacular, looking for what makes them “feel good” on the inside.
The only feel good we need is knowing that we are standing right in front of a Holy God.
Also being a vessel of the living God, we have a desire to be available and used by God.
Think of Isaiah, when he saw the Lord, sitting high and lifted up on his throne in the temple, He was in awe and when he heard who shall and send and who will go for me… Isaiah said ..Here am I, send me...
Maybe some of you sense God leading you, and in your spirit you want to go, you want to be used.. but fear has kept you silent. Don’t let the devil use fear to keep you silent, go, serve and do as the Lord has lead you....
But let me share this as we finish up our thought this morning… We have this new life, please remember what the Scripture teaches us.
We are not our own, we have been bought with a price, … Look back at that text in I Cor 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Oh my friends, we are allowed to live and enjoy much in your life, but please do not with hold your life and service from the Lord.
Your life that you enjoy is because of Christ. He has redeemed you, and your life now belongs to him.
As such, glorify God in your body....
What does that mean?
It means you are to take your body, your life and use it to bring glory and honor to God in everything you do in this life...
It reminds me, we must abstain from sin. And everything we speak, that we share on Social media and what we do should be that which honors the Lord above.
It reminds me that we are to sere the Lord with gladness in a way that honors Him.
Listen there are people in your life that you would do anything for because you love them dearly...
Do you love Jesus that much?
You heard that correctly, Do you love Jesus that much.?
My friends when your life was dead and lost, He took it, and Jesus gave you life and life eternal...
He is the only one who can take our little, bless it and make it much in the His Kingdom.
Consider Moses, He had it all, left it, tried to be more for his people and ended up being a murderer. He fled fro the land of Egypt and hid our in Midian, and there tried to put it all behind him.
And God took that same man, and forgave him, and sent him back to Pharaoh to lead God’s children out of the land of Egypt.
God even reminded others, he spoke face to face with Moses, and we know why… Moses was available and loved God and God loved him.
We have a new life… How are you using it. Have you confined it to the same ole, same ole each day or are you allowing God to lead it and use it for his glory.
There is life as we walk with the Lord
This morning, are you for God? Are you open to being used by Him and for Him, for HIs glory and purposes and not your own?
And if you say..No..
Then what will you do? Will you make a change and ask the Lord to take your life and let it be, holy, consecrated unto thee..
Lets pray
