WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?
Most people live their entire lives without ever knowing
“WHY?” They exist year after year
without any idea of why they are alive or what God’s purpose is for their lives.
The most basic question a person can ask is “What is the meaning of my life?”
Most try to find meaning in being happy.
Everyone wants to be happy. People
try many ways:
.....Some look for happiness by acquiring possessions.
.....Some look for happiness by experiencing pleasure.
.....Some look for
happiness by gaining prestige and power.
But real happiness comes from understanding my PURPOSE IN LIFE.
I. Why Am I
Here?
“And God said, Let us make man in our image. After our likeness: and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth.” - Gen. 1:26
“Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the
second is like unto it, Thou shal love thy neighbor as thyself” - Mt. 22:37-39
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” - Eccl. 12:13
1. We were created to have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with God and
to RULE over all of the rest of God’s
creation! This makes us special.
2. The whole duty of man is to
LOVE God and to keep His COMMANDMENTS and enjoy Him forever.
3. When we know and love God, and
live in harmony with his purpose for our lives it produces tremendous benefits.
Clear Conscience
Life & Peace Help with
weakness
Rom. 8:1 Rom. 8:6 Rom. 8:26
Purpose Confidence Security
Rom. 8:28 Rom. 8:31 Rom. 8:39
Power & Strength Fulfillment Freedom
Philip. 4:13 Philip. 4:9 John 8:32,36
This is the kind of lifestyle that
God intended for us to have. What keeps you from all of this?
II. What’s the
Problem?
Man has the natural desire to be
HIS OWN BOSS and reject God’s rule and authority over Him. That attitude of
rebellion against His authority is expressed in such sayings as:
“Look out for #1” or
“Do your own thing”
“If it feels good, do
it, regardless of what anyone says”
“It’s my life and I’ll
do what I please!”
The Bible calls the
attitude behind these expressions - SIN.
We are born with this kind of attitude and express it to our parents as
soon as we are able. The Bible says
that all humans are sinners.
“if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is
not in us” - I Jn. 1:8
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his OWN WAY....” - Isa. 53:6
What are the
consequences of sin?
Sin affects your attitude toward God
“For the carnal mind (non-Christian mind) is at enmity with God and is
not subject to the LAW of God and neither indeed can be.” - Rom. 8:7
Sin causes problems between you and other People
The attitude of “boss” and
“I’ll do as I please” causes relational problems between people. Divorce, murder,
envy, jealously are results. War
between individuals and between nations are the results. Jails full of self-centered, self-seeking
people are a result.
Sin Violates God’s Law
“For sin is the transgression of
the Law” - I Jn. 4:6
Violating God’s Law has a penalty
“For the wages of sin is death” -
Rom. 6:23
DEATH is the consequence of sin. God is the source of both
physical and spiritual life. Sin is rebellion against the only source of life.
To rebel against The One Who is the source of life is to die. Sin separates you
from the Author of life.
Sin separates you from God
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear you.” - Isa.
59:2
WHEN PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS, THEY OFTEN TRY MANY DIFFERENT WAYS OF COPING
BEFORE TURNING TO GOD.
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man: but the end thereof are
the WAYS of death” - Prov. 16:25 - DEAD ENDS
Even when we know that our deepest need is God, we often try wrong ways
of getting to know Him:
“My mother was a
Christian so.....”
(your mother was married, does
that mean you are?)
“I’ll work real hard and earn it.”
(God does not grade on a curve He
demands absolute Perfection - Mt. 5:20; 44).
“I’ll be religious and
go to church.”
(Sitting in church does not make you a Christian any more than
sitting in a chicken house makes you a chicken)
“It doesn’t matter
what you believe, just be sincere
(You can be sincerely wrong!
Consider Jim Jones)
...all religions lead
to the same place”
(There are million of phone
numbers in the world, but all of them do not reach home - there is only one
number no matter how sincere you may be in dialing all the others)
III. What’s
the Solution?
Jesus left heaven and came to earth in order to
provide the solution for the problem of sin and separation and death between
mankind and God.
Jesus said, “I AM THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father but BY ME.”
- Jn. 14:6
“Neither is
there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12
These verses teach that
Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God and neither is there salvation in any other.
IV. Why is
Jesus the Only Way?
1. All men have two serious
problems that prevent them from being accepted by God and going to heaven.
First, they have failed to measure up to God’s standard for acceptance; Second,
they are under eternal condemnation for violating God’s law and must pay the
penalty for breaking His law.
God’s Standard for Acceptance and for Entering Heaven:
“....Except your righteousness EXCEED the righteousness of the scribes and
pharisees, ye shall IN NO CASE ENTER IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN...Be ye therefore
PERFECT even as your Father in heaven is PERFECT.” - Mt. 5:20, 48
“There is none righteous, NO, NOT ONE...ALL have sinned and come short” of God’s Standard (Rom.
3:10,23).
God’s Penalty for violating His Law:
“...For it is appointed unto man once to
die and then the judgement...” - Heb. 9:27
“...and they were JUDGED every man according to their
works. And DEATH and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the SECOND
DEATH.” - Rev. 20:14
Your best must EXCEED the
best that men can do and must EQUAL the best that the Father in heaven can do.
Your Penalty for failure is ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. Perfection and Eternal
Punishment are the obstacles you must overcome to enter heaven. Jesus left heaven and came to earth to
provide the solution for those two problems.
1. Jesus is the ONLY WAY because He alone lived a PERFECT life:
“in all points tempted like as
we are, YET WITHOUT SIN” - Heb. 4:15 and “who did no sin” - I Pet. 2:22 and “For he hath made him to be sin FOR
us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God IN Him” - 2 Cor. 5:21
2. Jesus is the ONLY WAY because it takes GOD in the flesh to
pay an ETERNAL Penalty in
behalf of many sinners.
“In the beginning was
the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” - Jn. 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld the
glory of the only begotten of the Father.” - John 1:14
He would have to be the ETERNAL God in order to (1)
suffer an eternal penalty in a short span of time; (2) provide a
substitutionary VALUE that could equal the value of all the sinners in the universe. Only God is ETERNAL and only God could provide such
VALUE and with PERFECTION.
He would also have to be a man in order to be a proper
representative or substitute for mankind (Heb. 2:14-17; 10:5-7). Jesus provided all of this for sinners and
He is the only hope for sinners.
V. What God
Must Do to Save Me?
You are not able to save yourself. In fact, you will not even
seek God unless He first seeks you. When God saves a person He will give that
person a new heart or a new want to.
1. HE MUST GIVE YOU A NEW HEART
THAT WANTS
TO OBEY HIM.
“A new heart also will I give
you and a new spirit willI put within you...and I will put my Spirit in you and
cause you to walk in my statuates, and ye shall keep my judgements and do them”
- Ezek. 36:26,27
a. You must be given a new
heart Because Your present mindset is AGAINST God
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to
the Law of God and neither indeed can be”
- Rom. 8:7
b. You must be given a new
heart Because your present heart receives not God’s Word
“But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they
are spiritual discerned.” - 2 Cor. 2:14
2. HE EMPOWERS THE GOSPEL TO
CREATE A NEW HEART WITHIN YOU
“knowing, brethren beloved
yhour election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance...” - I Thes. 1:4-5
So the first thing God does in saving a sinner is to bring them
under the hearing of the gospel and then gives them a new heart that accepts
the gospel.
VI. What are
the Consequences of a New Heart?
How will you know if God is working in your life and giving you
a new heart that will accept the good news (gospel) about Jesus Christ? If He is dealing with you, you will:
1. CONFESS AND REPENT OF YOUR SINS
AND ADMIT THAT GOD’S WILL HAS NOT BEEN FIRST IN YOUR LIFE.
“If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” - I Jn. 1:0
“Let the wicked forsake HIS
WAY, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
- Isa. 55:7
2. BELIEVE THAT JESUS PROVIDED ALL
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS YOU WILL EVER NEED BY HIS LIFE AND PAID FOR ALL YOUR SINS BY
HIS DEATH AND AROSE FROM THE GRAVE AND LIVES.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.” - Rom. 10:9
“For by grace ye have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, for it is a gift of God, not of
works lest any man should boast.” - Eph. 2:8-9
3. THE EVIDENCE OF SALVATION IS
FAITH IN CHRIST
“.....as many as were ordained
to eternal life, believed.” - Acts 13:48
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar
and the truth is not in him.” - I Jn. 2:4
“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not what I say?” - Lk. 6:47