|
Sermon: What do I do on
Monday? For a major part of my ministry, I have been teaching and preaching the subject of the Salvation Process.
I have been showing the contrast between the Law and Godly Principles. Between keeping the Law and invoking the power of the Holy Spirit.
In several sermons I have shown how the Law was not the end of faith as the Pharisees thought but only the beginning. I have demonstrated how the Law is an element of condemnation while the Spirit of God is an element of Righteousness.
Law is unto death and the Spirit is unto life. One is veiled while the other is not.
I have been emphatic in stating that the Law is NOT done away but rather guides us to the deeper and more powerful Principles of God.
We have also discussed the many elements of the Salvation Process and we will focus on them again this afternoon.
We have even discussed the definitive verse which describes the Salvation Process. Let’s quickly review that verse in 2 Corinthians 3:18…
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
As we discussed, in the sermon, “Glory to Glory” there are 7 distinct phrases in this verse. We focused on the details of each in that sermon but to quickly recap, here they are.
1) “But we all”----meaning all true Christians
2) “With open face”----We can look upon the glory of the Lord in the gospel.
3) “Beholding as in a glass”----The image of God is reflected from heaven to the Word of God and as we look at it and absorb it, are transformed to His image.
4) “The Glory of the Lord”----The splendor, majesty and holiness of God as manifested in scripture.
5) “Are changed into the same image”----Through the Word of God, we know and become like Christ.
6) “From glory to glory”----With every step we take in the Salvation Process, we become more like Jesus Christ.
7) “As by the Spirit of the Lord”----Every step we take in the Salvation Process; every glory we realize, is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, again, we see the overall concept of the Salvation Process. However, today, we want to take a closer look at the purpose of the Salvation Process and discuss how we implement each of the elements of the process. In other words, after I take what I am going to learn today, what specifically do I do this coming Monday?
My purpose today is to give you specific instructions on how to…
IMPLEMENT THE ELEMENTS
Implement the elements of the Salvation Process.
First, let us establish the purpose of the Salvation Process.
The primary purpose of the Salvation Process is for each of us to become just like Christ….transformed to His image; conformed to His character.
The ultimate purpose of the Salvation Process is to enter into the Family of God----The Kingdom of God
Let us take a look at a verse that states these two purposes of the Salvation Process.
2 Timothy 1:9 [see Lesson] Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
This verse gives the ultimate purpose first, then the primary purpose. God’s main purpose and goal with us is to be in the Kingdom of God. This is what Salvation means.
Second, He gives us the primary purpose or the MEANS by which this takes place…. “which was given us IN CHRIST.”
The Salvation Process is a Way God talks about. It is the Pathway, and it is the Straight Gate God talks about.
Jesus Christ is the embodiment of, the example of and the goal of the Salvation Process.
Now, before we get started regarding what to do beginning Monday, let me give you the definition of the Salvation Process:
It is a commitment to a way of Christian life in which one is actively:
1) keeping the Law and commandments. 2) invoking the Principles of God which the Law points to. 3) overcoming sin ....making progress... stopping the sin process before it begins....controlling the mind. 4) becoming more like Jesus Christ. 5) going on to perfection (Hebrews 6). 6) responding to your specific Godly Calling. 7) maintaining this process at the return of Jesus Christ. 8) having absolute trust in God and Jesus Christ.
IMPLEMENTING THE ELEMENTS
1) keeping the Law and commandments.
How does one keep the law and the commandments? Do we just memorize them? Do we just acknowledge them or is there more to it? Is there some sort of process involved? Is there time involved? Let us see…
I could give you a number of scriptures here but will suffice with 3 from Revelation:
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
I like these scriptures because they show that even right up to the end, we are keeping the Law and commandments.
These verses speak of both “keeping” and “doing” the law and the commandments
Let us look at verses that show us exactly how to implement this element----that show us what exactly to do on Monday and everyday thereafter.
a] Pray to understand the law:
Psalm 119:18---a prayer Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Psalm 119:34---continuing the prayer Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
b] Make the law a topic of your conversation:
Exodus 13:9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.
c] Prepare to both seek the law and to do it:
Ezra 7:10---during the return from captivity For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
d] Mediate on the laws of God:
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
e] Do the Law:
Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Proverbs 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Proverbs 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
Isaiah 2:3---speaking of the return of Christ And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 48:17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Thus, we “do” the law by applying it to our actions.
We “do” by understanding that God will direct our actions according to that Law.
So, we implement this first element of the Salvation process by:
Praying Talking Preparing Meditating …and finally taking action….doing. We "keep" the commandments by immersing ourselves into the Word of God where those laws are listed and discussed, in detail.
We “meditate” on these laws and understand their design as they relate to Godly principles.
Remember our key Salvation Process verse (2 Corinthians 3:18): As we behold the law of God we are glorified by His glory. His glory shines on us through His wondrous Law and we are transforms to His image. The Law is part of that image.
We “do” the commandments by applying them to the invoking of Godly principles which is Element #2 in the Process.
2) invoking the Principles of God which the Law point to.
I want to spend a great deal of the sermon with this element as this is the element we live with each day.
I have spoken much on this subject of “Godly Principle” but for those new to the subject, they are summarized in Galatians 5:22-23:
Galatians 5:22-26 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
This was one of the purposes for Christ's ministry; to put the Law, which man had so codified, back to its proper design. He showed, as did Paul later, that Law points the Christian (one who has the Holy Spirit) to the Principles of God. Notice...
Galatians 3:24-27 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Note: If you have been "brought to Christ", you have been brought to Principle, for Jesus Christ is all Principles (fruits of the Spirit).
Verse 24 says that we are "justified by faith". The term "faith" here is not only a principle itself but is a collective word for the Salvation Process of which invoking principles is a part.
If we are brought to Christ, we are in the
Salvation Process. Each time we invoke the power of the Holy Spirit, we take a step forward in the process. We are justified at the same time to the extent that God can declare that we are still IN THE PROCESS. We can also declare this to ourselves.
That is, if we know we are taking forward steps, WE KNOW WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.
Therefore, we must look for every opportunity to take a step forward.
When we invoke a principle, we give off Spiritual light and people see God and Christ.
Going back to our key verse of 2 Corinthians 3:18, the light of God shines in us and through us by both the Holy Spirit in us and by way of reflection from God, through His Word and unto us. When we invoke the power of the Holy Spirit, that light shines through us unto the one we interact with…
…be that a brother in the faith or someone in the world.
Galatians 3:27 which we just read says that if we are baptized and have the Holy Spirit we have "put on Christ". To put on Christ is to invoke principles because that is what He did.
Each day of our lives is training ground offering opportunities for us to invoke Godly principles.
Let us create a checklist for ourselves. This will be your initial checklist. You have the rest of your life to add to it.
Marriage:
a) love your mate b) give preference to your mate c) pray for your mate d) encourage one another e) show respect to your wife or husband f) bless one another. g) forgive your mate immediately
Family:
a) give time to your children. b) educate them. c) provide for them. d) love them and let them know mom and dad love each other. e) encourage them. f) always exhibit forgiveness and trust. g) provide for your parents
Let me tell you about a woman named Marian Anderson…
Marian Anderson was an outstanding opera star. Toscanini told her that she had the finest voice of the century. She was invited to the White House to give a private concert for the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. Her hometown of Philadelphia awarded her the Bok Award as the person who had done the most for the city.
On one occasion, she stood beneath the Lincoln statue and sang for a crowd of 75,000 including most of the high-ranking leaders of government. However, when asked by a newspaper reporter to name the greatest moment in her life, she referred to none of those outstanding events.
Instead, she said the greatest moment of her
life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to
take in washing anymore, that she had enough to provide for her mother.
Marian Anderson was not overwhelmed by her greatness or hardened by her
fame. She had the right attitude about herself.
Read about her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Anderson
Now continuing with our checklist…
Your Employer:
a) Work for your employer as you would for Christ.
Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.
b) Do whatever you do well. (Colossians 3:23) c) Don’t lose heart in doing good. (Galatians 6:9) d) Do all in Jesus’ name (Colossians 3:17) e) Let your work glorify Jesus.
1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.
To your employees and co-workers:
a) show kindness and respect. b) avoid all conflict. c) help them to succeed.
To Strangers:
a) smile. b) offer a kind word. c) do a good deed. d) do a random act of kindness e) do something for a homeless person f) give someone a helping hand.
I want to tell you about a kid named “Kyle” as told by a kind person who offered a helping hand.
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said,
"Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives."
He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this
handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his
mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not
until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.
How many times has God given us the opportunity for one small gesture? Each one we do is by the power of the Holy Spirit and takes us a step forward in the Salvation Process.
In our Bible Studies we have discussed many of the Godly principles we can invoke in our daily lives.
Besides those listed in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, etc.) we have discussed the principles of Service, Discipline, Honesty and Courage. In light of this, I want to tell you about a man named Butch O’Hare:
Butch was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific.
· entire squadron was sent on a mission · noticed that his gas tank was not topped off. · headed back to aircraft carrier. · spotted a whole squadron of Japanese Zeroes heading for the American fleet. They would be defenseless. · No time to reach squadron or to alert fleet. · He attacked the whole squadron by himself. · He diverts the squadron. · Limps back to carrier and reports · film from video camera told the tale · Proclaimed a hero and given medal of honor · Today O’Hare Airport in Chicago is named for him.
Now I want to tell you about another man and the power of doing a righteous deed. His name was Easy Eddie and he worked for the mob.
In fact, he was the chief lawyer for Al Capone who was famous for enmeshing the city of Chicago in everything from bootlegging, booze, and prostitution to murder.
Easy Eddie was a very good lawyer and his legal skill kept Capone out of jail for years.
· Capone paid him well. Mansion, maids, cars & wealth · Easy Eddie lived the high life giving little consideration to the atrocities that went on around him. · One soft spot….his son. Gave him everything, cars, clothes and a good education. · Tried to teach him right from wrong. · Could not give him two things—good name or good example. · Eddie makes a difficult decision. · Turns state evidence against Capone and the mob. · He wanted to give name, integrity to his son · Eddie was shot down in the street. · He gave his life for his son.
Now you are probably wondering what these two
stories have to do with each other. Well, you see, Butch O’Hare was
Easy Eddie’s son.
So now we see how righteous effort on our part can effect all those around us…husband, wife, son, daughter, boss, co-worker, friend and stranger.
We can also see the power of the Salvation Process in our lives and how God is working with us to become like His son Jesus Christ.
There is much more we can discuss and we will for this is only Part 1 of our discussion of how to Implement the Elements of Salvation. We will discuss this further in the future and continually.
Till then, we all have lots to prepare…
Monday is the day after tomorrow!! |