Say yes to God
When traveling to an unknown or unfamiliar location, directions are essential. Thomas, in John 14, told Jesus they didn’t know the way to where He was going. Jesus assured him that He, Himself was the way the truth and the life. To be called “Christian” is to be a signpost to the way of grace found only in Christ. Unfortunately, whenever we carry the label of “Christian” but don’t live in a Christ-like manner, we are no longer a signpost to salvation, but instead we are a sinkhole of grace, where we become an apologetic for the devil. I have heard many times a lost person declare that if being “Christian” is like so and son, then they wouldn’t want to be “Christian,” or that they are at least as good as that example. I am always encouraged when I hear people say about those in our church, “I sure wish I had what that person has. Can you tell me how?”
Being “Christian” isn’t about checking boxes or doing things, but about being like Christ and about the things that Christ commands. The label “Christian” has taken on a nebulous meaning as it is attached rather than lived out by those to whom it is affixed. Biblically, to be “Christian” is to live a Christ-like or Christ-emulating life. This happens as we “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.” This is an act of submission and surrender. It is laying down our control and ceding it to the Spirit of God in our lives. And this is a daily exercise because the battle is a daily one, fought over and over with the temptation to listen to the lies of the enemy. The best counsel to overcome these lies is found in James 4:7-10
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
The very best plain drawing place to find the help to draw near to God is in the church, with fellow believers. Believers who, like you, struggle and submit; who will encourage and lift you up; who will pray for you and hold you accountable before the Lord; who will cry, pray and walk with you as you learn to say “no” to temptation over and over again, while learning to say “yes” to the grace and mercy of the Lord to become more like Him and less like you have been. It is in the church that the true meaning of the word “Christian” is found and celebrated.
Pressing on…
Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor
Sorry video of sermon, not available at this time.
