Living for Christ
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I just want to say “Praise God” for the salvation's and baptisms He has allowed us to be part of the past two weeks, and as I started thinking about the new journey in life that these new Christians are taking, God pressed on my heart the question “What does it mean to follow Christ”?
In biblical terms, a follower of Christ is called “disciple”.
Lexham Bible Dictionary refers to a disciple as: A student, pupil, or learner.
Easton Bible Dictionary describes a disciple as one who: (1) believes his doctrine, (2) rests on his sacrifice, (3) imbibes his spirit, and (4) imitates his example.
To be a follower of Christ, a true disciple, means there is a relationship similar to that between a teacher/master and pupil. The purpose of which is for the pupil to learn from the teacher. But this is a unique situation in which the student does not seek out the teacher, but the teacher extends an invitation to the student.
We find three examples in scripture of an extended invitation:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
God calls to us at the moment we need Him most. For most young people who believe in Christ, it is simply the weight of sin that causes them to labor and heavy burdened. For someone who may be older, conviction may come because of past experiences, bad decision, or other life events that may cause us to have guilt that burdens us and causes us to labor - growing tired from straining and stressing. But the decision must be made when the invitation is extended.
17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Once an invitation has been accepted, there is an offer. Christ often used fishing as an illustration, and 4 of his 12 disciples were fishermen by trade. These fishermen would not have been the hobby person with a rod and reel, but would have had a cast net or a troll net to catch fish in bulk. Jesus says He would make us fishers of men - we, too, are to see multitudes of lost come to know salvation through Jesus.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
As we learn, as we grow, as we are tutored, mentored, we are reminded we are not to do this thing called life alone. Abide in me, as I in you. We are to receive our nutrition, our supplementation, by being fed by the vine.
When we follow, become fishers, and abide in Him, we find Christ offers us peace and equips us for the work of His will, Our way of thinking changes and our path is set before us, and we become light in a world of darkness.
Peace and Equipping
Peace and Equipping
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
In a world full of turmoil, God IS peace. Not only is He peace, but He is working in us, equipping us to do His will. How does He do this for us?
For a follower of Christ, we become perfected in peace, feeling God’s presence as we go through life’s trials and temptations. But notice is God IS peace, there is no TRUE peace apart from God. To feel true peace, though, a Christian must fully commit and turn themselves to God. Peace has been compared to a seed, planted by God in the soul of a believer, watered and nourished with our relationship with God, and PEACE grows and grows.
The point is this: God is the God of peace; therefore, man’s only hope for peace is to come to God. God and God alone can give man perfect peace within his heart.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
True peace comes by binding together, to join, to weave together - meaning believers are bound, woven, and joined together with God and other believers. When we make the decision to live for Christ, we are able to experience something truly humbling, true, perfect peace. By experiencing this peace, we can trust His path for our lives.
Trust His Path
Trust His Path
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Part of following God s placing our full dependence and commitment to God. Just like a worldly parent who loves their children, all they want is for them to listen to, follow their commands, and learn/grow into independent, productive citizens. Is that not the similar to what God expects from us as we live for Him? He wants us to listen to Him, follow His commands, learn/grow into independent/productive citizens spreading His Gospel to a lost world!
Trust does not come from the head but from the heart. It is not the result of reasoning; it is the result of believing. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
But notice when Abraham leaned on his own understanding, he failed. Abraham thought it was best to pass Sarah off as his sister in Egypt, he tried to “help” God when he and Sarah could not conceive, and we see the impact of Abraham leaning on his own understanding to this day. Trust cannot be “partial”, it has to be all or nothing. Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart.
Do we fully trust in God? In His will, in His direction, in His sovereignty for our lives? Or, do we like Abraham try to follow our own understanding?
Unfortunately, our understanding is clouded by our sinful nature. It is limited by our human knowledge, and often our wisdom goes contrary to Gods.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
If we fully yield our life to God’s direction, trusting Him fully, acknowledging His path for our life, scripture tells us He will make straight our paths. What does this mean? It means He goes before us, removing obstacles, dangers, and makes the path clear so we can reach the destination HE has for in store for us.
Too often, we want to “help” God by taking goat paths, by looking behind us instead of looking forward, and we get lost or the path becomes obscured by obstacles, making our path more difficult. Now, it doesn’t mean there won’t be rough patches or deterrents, but it does mean if we are living for Christ, God will be with us and help us during the rough parts of the road we travel. Not only does He set our paths, if we put our faith and trust in Him, but He allows us to be a light in a dark world.
Light in Darkness
Light in Darkness
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus IS THE light in this world. While we are still in sin, we are in darkness. The good part about darkness is we do not see all of the dangers around us.
In addition, we cannot see God’s future for our lives, we cannot see God, who He is and what He is like, we cannon see the real meaning of life, or what our significance or purpose is in this life, and we cannot understand what the assurance of eternal life means. But with light, darkness flees and we are able to see what God has in store for us.
You see, when we have the Light of the world in us (through salvation) we then become light in a dark world. The light of Christ is needed in this world so others can see the dangers, obstacles, and paths God has orchestrated for their lives.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
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.
But what happens when we ignore our call to be a light in this world? God does not receive His due glory, and we lose our way. When we lose our way, we get anxious, and we fail to see the direction God has for us. But we can overcome as we live for Christ.
Calm, Cool, Collected
Calm, Cool, Collected
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God wants for us to not worry about the things of this life, and living for Christ leads us to true peace which comes through prayer and supplication. Supplication is simply asking for things in which we need or lack (but these have to also be in His will).
As we have seen in Hebrews, God IS peace, he PROVIDES peace, but how do we KEEP peace?
Peace comes through prayer. We shouldn’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. If anyone had the right to worry, it was the Philippians. They were enduring persecution, they were facing problems within the church, they had people looking to serve themselves instead of others and God, they had false teachers attacking Christ and the cross, and some of the congregation struggled to provide the basic necessities for their lives (food, clothing, and shelter). They were truly suffering. It goes to show, worry is a normal human reaction to life. In the midst of such circumstances, the only way a person can keep from worrying is to receive an injection of supernatural power. There is an answer to worry and anxiety, a supernatural answer: the peace of God.
Note God DOES NOT necessarily remove the problem, but He can provide peace so great that we go through the trial with little to no worry no matter how terrible it may be.
Now, there is a difference between concern and anxiety or worry. Concern drives us to arise and tackle the problems of life with an indomitable courage and diligence. Concern drives us to tackle and conquer all that we can handle. Anxiety and worry cause all kinds of problems …
• fear to act
• withdrawal
• hesitation
• cowardice
• depression
• discouragement
• a defeatist attitude
• quick, unplanned action
• unwise and harmful decisions
• physical sickness and infirmities
• emotional problems
• spiritual backsliding
• distrust and unbelief
Of course the list could go on and on, but the point to see is the seriousness of anxiety and worry. Just take a moment and think about a few of the above problems: how anxiety and worry cause a person to act and suffer. The seriousness is easily seen. We all know people who suffer greatly because of anxiety and worry; they simply lack the peace of God. Yet, the charge of Scripture is forceful: be anxious for nothing, not even for a single thing.
The peace of God passes all understanding. It is beyond anything we can ask or think when we are living for Christ.
Closing
Closing
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”