Leaving a Legacy for Christ

Introduction

John Samaniego is being baptized today.

I want to use today to encourage him and all of us to examine our faith.

, Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Genuine Faith

“Genuineness of your faith” (7)

“Born again” (3)

“Believe in Him” (8)

What is a genuine faith?

Faith in Christ. Believing that Jesus Christ from the dead (3).

Battle Tested Faith

“Guarded” (5)

“Various trials” (6)

“Tested genuineness of your faith” (7)

“Tested by fire” (7)

Joy in the Battle

“Living hope” (3)

Phil Wickham Song

Incredible Inheritance (4)

Imperishable

Undefiled

Unfading

Salvation (5, 9)

Christ Himself

We might have our ups and downs, but these things mark the life of a true Christian.

Illustration: Charles Templeton

Born in 1915, professed faith at age 21. Expressed doubts in 1945; abandoned the faith in 1957.

He recounted a conversation with a fellow evangelist in 1948 just before he entered Princeton Seminary.

Expressed doubts in 1945; abandoned the faith in 1957.All our differences came to a head in a discussion which, better than anything I know, “explains” Billy Graham and his phenomenal success as an evangelist.In the course of our conversation I said, “But, Billy, it’s simply not possible any longer to believe, for instance, the biblical account of creation. The world was not created over a period of days a few thousand years ago; it has evolved over millions of years. It’s not a matter of speculation; it’s a demonstrable fact.”“I don’t accept that,” Billy said. “And there are reputable scholars who don’t.”“Who are these scholars?’ I said. “Men in conservative Christian colleges?”“Most of them, yes,” he said. “But that is not the point. I believe the Genesis account of creation because it’s in the Bible. I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘The Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don’t have the time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I’ve decided once for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God’s word.”“But Billy,” I protested, “You cannot do that. You don’t dare stop thinking about the most important question in life. Do it and you begin to die. It’s intellectual suicide.”“I don’t know about anybody else,” he said, “but I’ve decided that that’s the path for me.”Application: What about all the people who slip away silently?

In the course of our conversation I said, “It’s simply not possible any longer to believe, for instance, the biblical account of creation. The world was not created over a period of days a few thousand years ago; it has evolved over millions of years. It’s not a matter of speculation; it’s a demonstrable fact.”

“I don’t accept that,” he said. “And there are reputable scholars who don’t.”

“Who are these scholars?’ I said. “Men in conservative Christian colleges?”

“Most of them, yes,” he said. “But that is not the point. I believe the Genesis account of creation because it’s in the Bible. I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘The Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don’t have the time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I’ve decided once for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God’s word.”

“But...,” I protested, “You cannot do that. You don’t dare stop thinking about the most important question in life. Do it and you begin to die. It’s intellectual suicide.”

“I don’t know about anybody else,” he said, “but I’ve decided that that’s the path for me.”

The man on the other end of that conversation was Billy Graham. One man left the faith behind; the other through faith changed the world.

Application: What about all the people who slip away silently? Those who walked an aisle at 8 years old, but live in unrepentant sin? Or made a decision at camp, but their life looks exactly like their agnostic neighbor?

Application: If you want your to matter, you must possess genuine faith.

Harvest for Jesus

A life that makes Jesus look awesome.

Praise

Glory

Honor

Your life will lead either to the praise, glory, and honor of yourself or to the praise, glory, and honor of Jesus.

Challenge for John Samaniego

John, by your baptism today, you are declaring that your faith is genuine. So think of today as a launching pad. So many in the church allow baptism to be the highlight of their Christian lives. But I want you to use it as a springboard by which you launch yourself into the stratosphere of the Christian faith.

Keep believing the gospel everyday. Preach it to yourself.

Fight through the battles of the faith with joy!

Bear fruit for Jesus that leads to His praise, glory, and honor.