Living For Christ – Why I Want To!

Introduction

Due to the length of that song, I’m out of time. But I must say how appropriate it was for the lesson that I’m about to preach. And if indeed what we have just sung is the sentiment of your heart and mine and everyone in this audience this morning, whatever I shall preach will be icing on the cake. We sang that song a lot. As I was attending as a young boy, the Silver Street Church of Christ in New Albany, Indiana. But I don’t know that I’ve ever appreciated it any more than right now. Awesome lyrics. An awesome prayer that we have prayed to God. And may it be reflected in how we live going forth from this place.

So thank you, Daniel, for taking up my time. As I mentioned, most of you know I grew up in southern Indiana. We worshiped in New Albany, but we actually lived in a little town, a middle class suburb called Floyd’s Knobs, Indiana. Yes, I’m the only one you’ve ever met from Floyd’s Knobs, Indiana. The first 18 years of my life were lived mostly in, I guess I was somewhere else for the first two or three, but I don’t remember those. Mostly in Floyd’s Knobs, Indiana. And to get to the Silver Street Church, we had to wind down the knobs. We lived on a scenic overlook overlooking the Ohio River Valley. New Albany was down in the valley just across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. And so we would have to wind down the mountain.

And if you do that every Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday night, that is forever etched in your memory. It was a beautiful scene as you wound down the knobs. I thought, man, how are tires going to last doing this? But it was a very beautiful thing, which you don’t appreciate when you’re little, but you do looking back. And now when I go back home and go up those knobs to our home where we lived in Floyd’s Knobs, Indiana, I always enjoy that little drive. It was not always enjoyable as we headed to services because in the back of our Oldsmobile there were three passengers. Me and my two sisters. My little sister usually sat in the middle and she annoyed me to death. And so the ride to services was sometimes very eventful, sometimes very happy, sometimes fights broke out.

But I want to tell you what else happened on the way to services on the Lord’s Day and on Wednesday night. We talked about a lot of things. You cannot always anticipate the kind of conversations that’ll take place in an automobile on the way to and from services. But those things had a tremendous impact on my life for good. On Saturday night we would sometimes sit in front of the television and we had four channels. And my dad would lay out his newspapers and bring out all of his shoe shining equipment, and he would shine his shoes. You have to get ready for the Lord’s Day. There was never any discussion on Saturday night or Sunday morning as to what we would do. We knew after breakfast, everybody get ready.

We were going to go assemble with the Lord’s people. And we would sometimes eat out with Christians on Sunday afternoon. Sometimes we would have them in our home. And I remember, as I mentioned to you many times, having gospel preachers in our homes. And my mom making roast beef and carrots and potatoes. Ooh, boy, it was good. And Sunday night at about 5 30, I knew we’d be leaving. And we’d be making that trip down that winding road down the knobs to worship with the saints who met at the Silver Street as the Silver Street Church of Christ. And we’d be there at 6 o’clock on Sunday night. And on Wednesday night, we would go to school, of course, and we would come home. Mom would fix supper, and again, there was no discussion about what we were going to do next.

We were going to get ready and we were going to get in the car and wind down the knobs, and we were going to assemble with the Lord’s people on Wednesday night. For the life of me.

Who do not make that most fundamental and simple commitment to assemble with the Lord’s people.

Sometimes people are sick. And if you have a communicable disease, you probably shouldn’t come. And I realize sometimes beyond our control and beyond our wishes, work interferes. But don’t just use that as an excuse. Well, work, that’s an acceptable excuse. And so I’m going to miss because of work. What’s your attitude? And what’s your heart?

I don’t understand why people find ways to miss assembling for worship when we sing songs like we just sang. Beautiful prayers to God. I need that. Whatever your status is as a Christian, whatever you have attained. May I suggest to you a motto for us in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. I wish and I hope that Paul could write the same words to us as he did the third church at Thessalonica when he says, now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. For indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia.

But then he goes on to say, but we urge you, brethren, to excel still more. Twice this phrase appears in 1 Thessalonians. And I think it’s significantly our motto as believers. I don’t say what I have said about assembling this morning simply to heap guilt on someone. Perhaps that heaps guilt on none of you present. But sometimes when you talk about assembling, and the sermon is going to talk about a lot more than that. But when you talk about assembling, somebody, well, he’s heaping guilt on me. That’s not really the response I’m seeking. Perhaps there should be some guilt. But I want us to go beyond that and talk about the kind of heart that a Christian ought to have that makes assembling natural. Not something you have to force yourself to do, but something you should want to do.

And this is the motto of the Christian, that wherever I am, I want to excel still more. Similar to what we read in Philippians chapter 3, verses 13 and 14. The believer’s motto is, I press. Excel still more. I press toward the mark of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And so, when people are continually missing assemblies, my question is, where is your faith? What kind of faith do you have? Assemblies are important. I can’t live spiritually without them. And I don’t see how you can. Almost every time we assemble, I get the sense that I am eradicating worldliness from my heart. As it has crept in just a few days of living out there, a focus on this secular world when this world is not my home.

Really, when we talk about assembling, I’m here to tell you, I know it’s difficult for some people, but really, when it comes to what the life of a Christian is all about, it’s really Christianity 101. It’s really just the basis of all that we’re about as the Lord’s people. So, what is your practice? Do you sometimes see assemblies as optional? Again, I can’t begin to imagine why I would choose a recliner over this pew. That’s all so temporary. This is eternal. Or why I would watch television. A ball game. Something that is very temporal and short-lived over that which has eternal implications. Or why I would go shopping for clothes that are just going to be worn out and given to goodwill or thrown away eventually when we’re talking about here things that pertain to the soul and eternity and have eternal implications.

I don’t understand it. Now, kids, you know all about skipping, don’t you? You shouldn’t skip school. You’ve heard that. Or if you’re in college, and some of our college students have returned, you shouldn’t skip your classes because you might miss something important that’s going to be on the test. And it’s going to affect your grade. What do you think skipping assemblies could cause you to miss important instruction that may just be integral to the saving of your soul? Skipping is significant. And yet some people develop the attitude, you know, I’m going to attend assemblies if and only if I feel in absolute tip top shape. You know, you only, especially when you get to my age and beyond, you only absolutely feel in tip-top shape about 20% of the time.

And yet some people develop that in regard to assemblies. If I don’t, again, don’t bring your communicable disease. But unless I’m feeling tip-top shape 100%, well, I think I’ll just stay at home. Would the way you feel affect your attendance at something where you bought tickets two weeks in advance or a month in advance? A sporting event. A play. A particular movie you’ve been waiting to come out. If you felt the same way, would you still go to that premiere at midnight? You’re not going to catch me there, but you might be that excited about it.

If you felt the same way, would you still attend that? What is that saying? Where is your faith? What is that saying about your priorities? I want to talk to you this morning for just a minute about why people miss assemblies. Now, this is not again what this lesson is all about, but I want you to understand it. Some people skip assemblies because there is some sin problem in their hearts. And whatever that is that prevents assembly needs to be stopped. It’s interesting to me that Paul just simply says that to the Corinthians. Stop sinning. Or as Jesus told the man in the story in John 5. Do not sin, go and sin no more. Stop sinning and be sober-minded as you ought. That has everything to do with what we’re talking about this morning.

Some have no knowledge of God. And that’s another thing that has particular application to what I’m talking about. People develop these poor habits and don’t regard assembling like they should because they have no knowledge of God. Their knowledge of God is not sufficient. And he says, I speak this to your shame. Let me tell you what else is happening. People miss assemblies because they love the world.

The cares of this world, the worries and riches and pleasures of this life, choke out the word, and people bring no fruit to maturity. That’s the thorny soil in Jesus’ parable about the good seed, the word of God being sown in the four soils. I’m afraid there are a lot of folks in pews who are thorny soil Christians, and we would like to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. I’m good soil, I’m a good and honest heart that produces 30fold, 50fold, and 100fold, but in reality, perhaps we may have been there at one time. But we’ve dipped back into unproductive, thorny soil as we have developed a carnal focus and a worldly heart. I think another big reason why people miss assemblies is they don’t see God very well.

I think sometimes people attend assemblies and don’t see God very well. Oh, I know we cannot see him with our eyes, but this is all about him. This is all about us collectively coming together and bringing our hearts to the very throne of God as we’ve just sung in that song, Living for Jesus. And may our hearts be his throne. What we are doing right here, right now, is being taken to the very throne of our Creator, the living God and our Savior Jesus Christ. And we ought always to be thinking about that. We get distracted by whether the song is too fast or too slow or too high or too low, or what’s being said or done by someone who leads in the assembly or the distractions of the little ones, and we see all these people, and we forget about that.

1. I Am a Saint

This is all about the living God. But let me tell you one more thing that I want to spend just a few minutes with you this morning talking to you about. I think there’s another reason, and this is the one I want to spend our time with for the last few minutes today. It’s not just our vision of God that lacks, it’s also our vision of ourselves. How do you see yourself? Do you see the purpose that you have to be light in the world? So I want to spend a few minutes talking to you about living for Christ and why you should want to. And why I want to. And help you to develop a clear vision of yourself. The first thing, living for Christ, why I want to, is that because I am and you are, as a child of God, a saint.

We don’t use that term a lot. If we were going to describe ourselves, we would say, I’m a Christian. And that’s important too, because that means I’m a follower of Christ. But I think this term will help us to better understand what that term means. How many times does the word Christian appear in the New Testament? Three times. The word saint and its associated word sanctified appears twenty times that number. What does it mean? Do you have this view? I am a saint. Well, no, you’re not a saint until you’re dead. That’s what Catholicism teaches, and then you have to go through several stages, and if you qualify for all those stages, then you get proclaimed a saint only after you’re dead. That’s not New Testament instruction.

2. We Are Disciples of the Lord Jesus

Believers, Christians were called saints, and it meant that we were sanctified or set apart or sacred unto God. And those set apart who are sanctified and sacred unto God, we’re vessels of honor. As we read in one of Paul’s epistles in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and so, or 2 Timothy chapter 2, and so we’re vessels of honor, useful to the master. We have been set apart for this purpose. I come here because I am a saint. God has expectations of me. And God, it seems, named us to redefine us, to give us a new identity to strive for as his people. We are saints, and we’re not only saints, we are disciples of the Lord Jesus. When I put on Christ, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ, Galatians chapter 3 and verse 27, that means that I became his disciple.

A disciple is a learner or a learner or a follower. Or a learnerer. I like that too. If you wanted to be a fashion designer, you might study the designing work of Carl Lockerfeld. If you wanted to become a great chess player, you might follow some of the matches of Harry Kasparov. If you wanted to be a great football coach, you might study the style of Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry.

Here you go, AM, folks. I’m going to throw you a bum.

3. I'm a Citizen of Heaven

If you wanted to know how to play quarterback in the SEC, you might study Cam Newton. Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute. David Ash. Oh, no, that other guy. Johnny Football. Or Johnny Heisman. If you want to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus, you have to study his will. He is an expert in life, in living, in wisdom, in values and relationships. And to truly be his disciple, we have to learn from him, he says in Matthew chapter 11 in those great verses. Come unto me. Learn of me, he says, for I am meek and lowly of heart. I’ll tell you what else helps me in my decisions to assemble, but beyond that, to be the kind of person and strive to be the kind of person that Jesus calls me to be is that I’m a citizen of heaven.

Paul tells the Philippians that in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven. Do you think about that? When you wake up each day.

That’s where our citizenship lies. I know we’re proud to be Americans. Well, maybe not as proud as we used to be, but we’re still pretty proud. And I know we’re proud to be Texans. But how much more to be citizens of heaven? We have been raised up, according to Ephesians chapter 2, to sit in heavenly places. We who were once dead in our trespasses and sins, and once who by nature were children of wrath. That should help us to appreciate not just this point, but the point about being saints. What we were that needed redefining was that we were by nature children of wrath. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we’ve been made alive and we’ve been raised up to sit in heavenly places with Christ.

4. I'm a Brother in Christ

We are a citizen of heaven and we are his saints, his sanctified people. But furthermore, I’ll tell you what else affects my decisions, or the decision that I made long ago when I became a Christian to assemble with the Lord’s people. Is that I’m a brother in Christ. I came into a relationship with other believers. And the fact that we are the Decker Prairie Church, that we are a local church of the Lord’s people, means that I have responsibilities to you, and you have responsibilities to me, and people need to be encouraged. And that’s why we’re here. Again, I’m not preaching the sermon to beat you over the head, but you need to start assembling better. I want you to understand who you are as a child of God and the responsibilities incumbent upon you and the gratitude that should attend your efforts.

Because of what Jesus did for you. Tell you two things concern me. Two attitudes of the 21st century. And that is number one, I don’t owe my brethren anything. And number two is likened to it. I am waiting on the brethren to serve me. How can we be a disciple of Jesus with that kind of mentality? What if Jesus said, I don’t owe them anything? He did not owe us anything. He died for the ungodly. According to Romans chapter 5. What if, how can we claim to be a Christian or a disciple of Jesus when we maintain the attitude, look, I’m not going to sacrifice and put myself out like that, though it’s not that great of a sacrifice. But for some people it seems extremely large with all of these other important things that are all going to be burned up one day.

But all these things are so very important that assembling is just optional. I don’t owe those people anything. That is not true discipleship. That passage that talks about assembling in Hebrews chapter 10. One thing it says, you know, about forsaking the assembly. We can debate what all that applies to, but I’ll tell you what it says is encouraging one another all the more. As you see the day draw near. In what sense can you be an encouragement to someone else by your absence? When you have chosen the world over him.

5. I'm a Believer in God's Promises

It’s not just that they don’t see God. That’s really a big part of the issue, but they don’t see themselves. This is what we are. We’ve been redefined. I have been set apart for God. That’s why I’m here today. I’m a saint. And by the way, I’ve not just been set aside. I really need what’s going on here. And furthermore, I am a disciple of the Lord. And so I need to be learning from him, and I still have some learning to do, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord, Ephesians 5 and verse 10. And I’m a citizen of heaven, and I’m a brother in Christ, and I’ll tell you this I’m a believer in God’s promises.

Studying the Word of God is fascinating to me. I don’t know. It’s probably because of the people I’m studying with, too. I mean, this has been for the last three and a half years or so, some of the best Bible classes I’ve ever been in my life. And as we focus on the text together and the things that we’ve studied, I marvel. I cannot tell you how much more I am marveling now at the word of God. I read through, as we’re reading through these stories in the Gospel of John, I’m just, I just want to say, wow, over and over and over again. It’s remarkable. This book comes to us from God. And he makes exceeding magnificent and precious promises to us. And the fact that we can sing that song, Living for Jesus, and believe that God is hearing that prayer.

And the fact that he’ll have anything to do with us at all for how we’ve been and the things we’ve done. It blows me away. I have never believed more strongly in the Bible than I do right now. Does your confidence in God’s word increase by the day? You know, we’re challenged. This all these things I’m telling you flow out of Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, and the things that are said there about presenting your bodies unto God, a living sacrifice. And this was discussed Wednesday night from this pulpit about that being your reasonable service by Zach. I mean, that’s your reasonable service or your spiritual service of worship, the New American Standard says. Living sacrifice, that makes sense. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.

Conclusion

That’s what’s going on here today, and that’s more significant than anything else, being transformed in the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I believe that. And when you live it, you prove it. Not because it needs me to prove it, but because its power and its efficacy is demonstrated when I live it. That it’s pure. The word of God is good. It’s acceptable. It’s perfect. And I believe in its promises. Well, I got that wrapped up pretty quick, Daniel. I want to end today with the question I began with. What kind of faith? What kind of faith do you have? Sometimes, admittedly, I feel like the disciples in Luke 17. After Jesus gave some significant instruction there about stumbling blocks and forgiveness.

Lord, increase our faith.

Or the father of the demon possessed boy in Mark chapter 9. Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. We need to stop vacillating between belief and unbelief. Our belief needs to grow. And that’s what Jesus tells Thomas after the resurrection. Thomas, your belief needs to grow, and it does as he responds, My Lord and my God. Can you make that exclamation? Jesus is my Lord. The Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are my God. And I have given my allegiance to them. Living for Jesus. You should want to. And won’t you decide to if you need to while we stand and sing?