SUNDAY SERMONS

 

WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

Many answers have been given to the above question.

A young girl defined a Christians as, “People who go to Sunday School and church, that talk about religion, and take the preacher home for Sunday lunch.” That was her idea of a Christian, which, doubtless, she had gathered from the professing Christians with whom she had come in contact.

Obviously, this is not the Scriptural definition of a Christian.

“Christian names are everywhere; Christian men are very rare."

1 Peter 4:12-19  Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13  But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15  If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.   

16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17  For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18  And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" 19  So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 

The little girl was nearer the mark when she said, “A Christian is a born-again person”

To be a Christian you must be …

(NOTICE: These are active phrases.)

I.                 Saved by the Grace of God

 Ephesians 2:8 - 9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9  not by works, so that no one can boast. 

a.  Are you Saved?

b.  Witness training … deacon that was lost … no one ever asked

A preacher told his church … I had an unusual experience last week as I was driving into church. Down the road lies a sheep farm. As I was driving by, I noticed a lone sheep in the pasture, just standing there with a plastic feed bag over his head and down around his neck. How in the world does that happen? I assumed the sheep’s appetite got the better of him and his head and neck just followed his mouth into the bag! Almost simultaneously with that thought there was another realization, “That poor thing is going to suffocate in that plastic feed bag! ”Well, I couldn’t let that happen, so I stopped my car. I knocked on the door of the farm house and no one was home. That poor sheep was without a shepherd! So, there was only one thing to do. Hop the fence and see if I could help the poor critter. Now I did not grow up on a farm but I did know enough to carefully watch my step as I walked across the pasture I was not real sure how to approach a sheep. Do you talk to it? “Nice little sheepy, just stand still, I’m trying to help you…” or, since it was not only suffocating but blind-folded as well by the feed bag, do you just sneak up to it and grab the bag? I chose the former. “Nice little sheepy… .” The poor thing stood still and didn’t move. I was amazed that the sheep was not shaking his head trying to get the bag off. Suffocating and blind-folded, he could not seem to save himself. He was probably exhausted having tried this and that and now was just in a stupor with a “what should I try next?” kind of puzzlement. I grabbed the bag. The sheep abruptly pulled away six or eight feet and the bag tore free from my hand – it was still firmly around the sheep’s head and neck. Fortunately the sheep did not run far away – blind-folded by the bag, it would have no idea where it was running. I approached again and grabbed the bag firmly with two hands. Again the sheep promptly pulled away and this time I held on to the bag and the sheep was free! It wandered off without giving me a second look - the ungrateful wretch!

c.   We are to be saving lost sheep!

1 Corinthians 1:2  To the church of God in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 

 

II.              Sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption.

a.  When you are saved, the Holy Spirit comes inside you and takes up residence.

b.  You get all of the Holy Spirit you are ever going to get.

c.    The question is “How much of YOU will you let the Holy Spirit have?”

I can go out and get a huge electrical generator, fill it up with fuel, start it up and plug in a 30 watt light bulb. It will put out a little bit of light… or I can plug in rotating spot lights and strings of Christmas lights. I can make it so bright it can be seen from outer space! The power is there and I am the only thing that limits how much I want to shine!

You have the Holy Spirit but how much of His power will you use?

 

III.          Shining for the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 5:14-16  "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

a.  You have a responsibility to let your light shine before men!

Jesus stated that we are to be the "Light of the World", and that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. In the Canadian province of New Brunswick there is a church building on Deer Island that for many years has served as a physical light house to the fishermen of that community. It is not that the building has any unique architectural design that would resemble a nautical lighthouse. It fact, it resembles the style of many church buildings built a century ago. It is the location of the building that makes it ideal as a lighthouse. The Church in Lord's Cove is elevated a few hundred feet higher than the Cove below. For many years the fishermen returning to port could see the steeple of that Church building for miles from the water. In days before electronic equipment to guide them home the fishermen would aim for the Church building when returning to port. From miles away, the men would aim for the church, or the light in its steeple. That course of direction would guide them past all the ledges and shoals, and safely back to the home port. Just as the physical light of that building was a light that led many safely home, so also the Light of Jesus Christ leads all who will follow his light to their heavenly home. May we also serve as a light for Christ to guide others to the home port of heaven.

IV.         Serving with the Lord

1 Corinthians 3:9 "We are laborers together with God”.

Disney's movie "The Lion King" features a young lion named Simba. As the story opens, his father takes him to "Pride Rock"  and shows him his inheritance ... he would rule as far as his eyes could see; everywhere the sun placed its light. Soon afterward an evil plot is set afoot and Simba's father is murdered. Simba flees. He runs from his destiny due to guilt and fear. In his absence the evil Hyenas take Pride Rock. When the hyenas seize the throne the world changes. Their evil alters everything. The land becomes desolate and grey and life erodes into desperation. Rafiki, the monkey, is the wise sage of the land. Rafiki seeks out Simba and helps Simba overcome his guilt and fear and aids him in understanding his destiny and person. You see, Simba did not fully grasp who he was or what power and authority he possessed. Once Simba realized who he was, what he possessed, and his role in the society of the Savannah he returned, drove out the hyenas and took His place as king, He restored peace and beauty to the land. Simba is a good illustration of Jesus' church. Often we, like the young Lion King, fail to recognize our position and inheritance. We fail to grasp that we are "A Kingdom of priests," destined and given a duty that brings peace and restoration.

Revelations 1:6 “And has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."

Revelations 5:10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

When the evil Hyena rules ... things are bad. When God rules ... things prosper.

V.             Surrendering to the Lord,

Romans 6:16  Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 

a.  Isn’t it time to Let God Be God!

b.  Turn over control to him.

Have you ever been to a Demolition Derby? Its fun watching drivers traveling in a figure eight with no stop lights! They take aim at each other trying to demolish or disable one another. The last car still running is declared the winner. Each driver has a long wooden stick duct-taped to the side of the car, and if for some reason he can't go on, either because he's feeling a bit woozy from getting clobbered or the car has gone caput, he simply reaches up and breaks the stick, which is supposed to signal to the other drivers that he has surrendered. No one is supposed to smash into a car that has a broken stick. During one of the heats, a car stalled and  the driver reach up and broak his stick. Apparently the other cars didn't see this, and so they revved up their engines and came at him full-speed and collided with the stalled car. The driver was not very happy at all. I couldn't hear what he said but I could tell that what came out of his mouth was not a word of blessing. He held his hands up in exasperation and starting waving the stick at the other drivers as if to say, "What's up with that? Can't you see that I'm out of commission here? Stop hitting me."I suspect that some of you feel like you've been in a demolition derby. You've waved the surrender stick but the hits just keep coming and you don't know how much more you can take. As we wrap up our series called, "When Life is Hard," we're going to learn that God loves to bring out His purposes through our problems.

What is a Christian?

“In faith, he is a believer in Christ.

In relationship, he is a child of God.

In character, he is a saint.

In influence, he is a light.

In communion, he is a friend

In conflict, he is a soldier.

In experience, he is a pilgrim.

In expectation, he is an heir.”