Welcome to Basic Training
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This morning we are beginning a new series, that I’m calling, “Basic Training.” The past couple of months we have been studying 1st and 2nd Peter. In these letters, Peter talks about how we should live our lives. But beginning this morning, I want us to look at practical ways or practical steps we can take to live our lives for Jesus.
I want us to bring us back to the basics of what Richard Foster calls “Spiritual Disciplines.”
Try or Train?
Try or Train?
I talk to so many people who tell me they are really trying hard! They are trying to be a good Christian! They are trying to love. They’re trying to have joy. Trying to live a life of peace. Really trying to be patient, and kind. Some are trying hard to be good. Trying to be faithful to God and gentle with others. I even have people telling me they are trying control themselves.
But there is a problem with all of this “trying!” You see, the Christian life is not about trying. The Christian life is about training. When we try, even try hard to do something we will often become tired, discouraged, and we’ll give up! We find ourselves saying things like, “I can’t!” or “It’s too hard!” We may get mad, and simply stop trying because we give up and no longer care! All of this happens because “Trying” never works!
Throughout God’s Word it is about training! We must train (or practice) love. We must train to be joyful no matter what happens around us. We must train be peaceful in the midst of struggles. If we train, our training will kick in, allowing us to be patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle. And the only way we can be filled with self-control is to train—practice! If you have your Bibles, turn with me to 1 Timothy 4:7. Over the next several weeks we will be looking at a number of verses, so be prepared to go from passage to passage. Okay, 1 Timothy 4:7.
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
When I first began volunteering as a “First Responder” I went to school to learn to be an EMT—Emergence Medical Technician. In that class we had a book that told us how to do things. But we didn’t just study the book, but our instructors would take us to the Nursing Lab. There we would practice CPR on dummies—no not our partner, but on a real dummy! We practiced, and practiced. We didn’t do CPR for 2 or 3 minutes, no we would do CPR on the dummy for 10, 20, 30 minutes or longer. We would practice over and over again until it became automatic! But it NEVER became automatic without training!
The same is true for the Christian life. It doesn’t just happen, it takes training! Unfortunately, many people think “accepting Jesus” is all they have to do and Jesus does everything else!
Well, that’s not the case. Throughout God’s Word there is talk of training! Or the role we play in our process of “sanctification.”
Having just studied 2 Peter, some of you will say, wait a minute! Just the other day we looked at 2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
And you would be correct! But look down to verse 5!
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you notice his wording? “For this reason, make every effort to. . .So we are to do something, it doesn’t just happen! That’s training! And look at verse 8 again!
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, notice the wording, “for if you possess these qualities. . .” So again, we must possess these things. The Greek word translated here “possess” means to have at one’s disposal, or take the initiative. It is an active word, not something that just happens to us!
Cultivating a Relationship
Cultivating a Relationship
The Christian life is not about a list of do’s and don’ts, but rather it is about a relationship with our living Savior, Jesus!
The thing is, many people want to have a closeness to Jesus, and a closeness to God, but they don’t want to make the sacrifice necessary to achieve that closeness.
When Deann and I began dating, I made a number of changes in my life. First, I didn’t hang out with my roommate as much. Don was a great guy, but when I compared hanging out with Don, or hanging out with Deann, Don lost! I wanted to spend as much time with Deann as possible! And I wanted to get to know every little detail about her no matter how insignificant. Honestly, I’ve spent the past 40 plus years getting to know every tiny detail about her. I want to have a close, deep, intimate relationship with her! And I want to do things that please her!
I should have the same kind of desire to know and please Jesus! In Colossians 2:13 we read:
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
God did His part! He provided a way for us to destroy the power that held us captive by making us alive with Christ! God did what we could not do! He forgave our sins! He set us free from the power of sin and death!
But it doesn’t stop there. In verse 20 we read that God’s work should make a change in us!
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
In order to have a relationship with Jesus the first step of Basic Training is to change our allegiance!
We were under the command (control) of Sin and Satan! But now we are free from their abusive rule, and we pledge our allegiance to Jesus! Jesus our Savior—Messiah!
The night that Jesus was betrayed, He spent the evening with his disciples. John records for us his experience with Jesus on that final night. We call it “The Upper Room Discourse.” It’s recorded for us in John chapters 13-17.
Friends of Jesus!
Friends of Jesus!
In John 15, Jesus tells His disciples that He is now calling them friends. What an amazing title to give these men who has spent the past 3 years with Him. They are His friends.
In John 15:9 we read:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.
Obeying Equals Friendship
Obeying Equals Friendship
1. Training Begins with Knowing Jesus
1. Training Begins with Knowing Jesus
Many in the world around us believe that following Jesus is crazy, or foolish. Maybe you are joining us today because someone has talked about Jesus and you wanted to see what this “church” thing is all about. Well, this “church” thing is really about relating to the living person, Jesus!
Now that might sound foolish to say—Jesus is living. Honestly, to many people the good news message sounds foolish. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 we read:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The message of the cross ceases to be foolish when we begin by accepting the gift of Jesus—a relationship with Almighty God! This all begins—Spiritual training begins with joining the team—Jesus’ team. It comes by putting your faith in Jesus and Jesus alone!
Look at Romans 10.
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
That is the beginning! It is the beginning of a new relationship with God through Jesus. And it is the beginning of Basic Training!
2. Training Moves to a Longing
2. Training Moves to a Longing
Once you have begun your relationship with Jesus, it doesn’t stop there. You should begin to grow! That is what this series on Basic Training is all about—it is about helping ALL of us grow in our relationship with Jesus!
What I can tell you is this: The more I get to know Jesus, the more I want to know about Him. Through the years, I have developed a unquenchable thirst to know Him.
David wrote about this thirst in Psalm 42.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
As we move through our Basic Training, my hope, my goal is to help each of our souls long for God. I want each of us to have an unquenchable thirst. I want us to long to meet with God, and I want us to have a deep desire to experience God!
3. Moves to Intimacy with Jesus
3. Moves to Intimacy with Jesus
Having an intimate relationship with Jesus and with God the Father begins when we learn to follow and obey Him.
We’re not talking about following a long list of do’s and don’ts, but rather developing a deep desire to please Jesus! Too many people begin following Jesus and end up discovering that part of following Him is conforming our will, and our desires to His will! Sadly many see this as constricting, controlling, or overpowering. Jesus knew this how many people would feel. In John 8:31-32 He said:
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Notice the condition! “If you hold to my teachings. . .” Obedience is part of discipleship! But it is more than that! Obedience is freedom. We cannot know the truths of God without obeying His Word. And we cannot experience the freedom that comes from knowing Him without experiencing the truths and we can’t experience the truths without obedience! So keeping the commands of Jesus does not enslave us, but rather it sets us Free!
This freedom allows us to experience friendship with Jesus! Look at again at what he says in John 15:13-14.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
Conclusion
Conclusion
1. Following Jesus takes training!
1. Following Jesus takes training!
Over the next several weeks we are going to be looking to see what Basic Training is all about!
2. Following Jesus is all about having a relationship with Him!
2. Following Jesus is all about having a relationship with Him!
When we begin this relationship with Jesus we should mover from a simple knowledge to a longing for more, to a deep intimacy with Him!
My prayer for this series is that as we walk through our Basic Training we will move from meeting Jesus to longing for Jesus, to being intimate with Jesus!
3. Friendship requires obedience!
3. Friendship requires obedience!
As we go through Basic Training we will begin to understand more and more of what is expected of us!
Over the next several weeks we are going to be looking at what it takes to build our relationship with Jesus. We are going to get back to the basics so that we can experience what it means to truly means to be a “friend of God!” It is my hope and prayer that this study will help each of us learn specific actions that will train us for action!
So let’s get back to the basics! I hope you will enlist in Basic Training!
