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The Distinctions, Directions & Decisions of the Saints of God
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Welcome to church. What a special day this is—not just because it's Sunday, but because we're celebrating together. I'm so happy you're here, and I want to say that investing in your spiritual development is a truly great thing to do. Spiritual development is a major asset and a major tool for living life well.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You've made an excellent decision to be here. My responsibility is to ensure that you grow spiritually, because when you grow spiritually, you're able to grow in every other area of your life. When you have access to divine intervention and know how to walk with the Holy Spirit, you can bring your heart's desires to pass.
Last Sunday was Easter Sunday—what a wonderful celebration! We all got excited, remembering Good Friday and the resurrection on Sunday. I asked you then: what will you do with the presence of Jesus? Today, I'm asking a follow-up question: After Easter, what next?
Last week we looked at Matthew 28, where Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb. I gave you four points:
I closed by giving you two options: choose Jesus or reject Him. I hope you've chosen to be saved—that you've chosen Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.
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So after Easter, what's next? We walk in the newness of life. We live the life of faith.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Jesus has not just come to redeem us from sin—He's given us access to the reality of living the newness of life round the clock. Because we've been given this gift of eternal life, we must walk in a way that is different from the world around us.
We are also being transformed by the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead. That same power transforms us from the inside.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1–2)
It is a great responsibility and joy to constantly live your life on a daily basis in the newness of life in Christ. We are responsible for living out all that the resurrection of Jesus has accomplished for us. He didn't die in vain. He died to save you, to give you a new life, a new hope, a new personality, a new perspective, and a new approach to life.
Let me break down our responsibility across three sub-points:
Your life after salvation should be new. Your life after giving your life to Christ should be different and superior in quality to your former life. The life in Christ is new, different, and superior.
I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them... But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17–24)
Your life should be free from all sinful and corrupt habits of your former life. If there's no transformation in your behavior and character, then maybe you're not transformed at all. You can't go back there. You should leave earthly things and set your heart on heavenly things.
The old life is corrupt. Nothing good comes from corrupt thinking. Nothing great comes from that which is corrupt. The old mentality and mindset is self-centered, selfish, and has no eternal purpose. It walks itself to death in the pursuit of pleasure—from pornography to gambling to addiction. It is self-serving.
But you are different now. You are no longer what you used to be. Don't go back there. Have you noticed a difference in your own life? Your values must be different. There should be a sharp distinction between your life now and your life before Christ.
You have a better quality of life—different from your old life like night and day.
The direction of the believer is clear:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
As the saints of God, we are called to live by faith.
Simple human faith has an element of speculation in it—uncertainty. But faith in Jesus carries with it an element of certainty.
The best way to describe living by faith is to look at the father of faith: Abraham himself.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:17–19)
Notice several things about Abraham's faith:
First, Abraham had a direct order from God.
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22:1–2)
Second, Abraham trusted God. Your life is in God's hands. Your destiny is in the hands of God. Your children are in the hands of God. Your vision is in the hands of God. Abraham trusted God completely.
Third, Abraham had confidence in God's ability. He trusted all the way through. In the end, his confidence in God was attributed to him as righteousness.
God gave Abraham a difficult task—first to leave his home and his entire family to travel to an unknown destination. Then he was asked to offer Isaac, his only begotten son. That was a hard task. And he was justified because he put his faith in God.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?... And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (James 2:21–23)
Living by faith is living a life of obedience. God tested Abraham and Abraham trusted. He trusted and took action. God is trusting you to take steps of faith. God is testing you and trusting you to live out your salvation, to live out your belief in Christ. It's not enough to just say, "I believe God." You've got to live it out. You've got to work out your trust and belief in Christ. Living by faith requires action.
What is God expecting you and me to do? Here are seven key areas where God is expecting us to walk by faith:
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Matthew 4:18–20)
We are called to invite many to Christ. Open invitation to reach out to your friends, your family, your brothers and sisters. Share your life with them: "I have found the Lord. He lives in my heart. He is my Lord and my Savior."
This is much easier than what God demanded from Abraham. Can you do this? You must do this. You are called to live in the newness of life. You are separated, you are different. You are in this world but not of this world.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18–20)
Right now, you're on a global platform. Reach out to someone and say, "Come and hear the word of God." You don't have to leave your nation—the church has come to you through online services and technology. As you step out to become fishers of men, as you step out of your comfort zone to invite people to come and hear the word of God, Jesus will be with you. No go, no love. In other words, if you don't go, you won't experience the full presence of God.
You will not experience the fullness of God if you do not participate in the Great Commission. And this is much easier than what God demanded from Abraham.
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21–22)
Newness of life requires that you forgive those who offend you.
Your fellow believers can offend you. But the life of faith in Christ demands that we forgive our brothers and sisters. Can you forgive? Are you still holding a grudge from what happened 20 years ago? Let it go. It's part of your newness of life. It's an area where God will test you. Let it go.
Forgive as your heavenly Father has forgiven you.
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)
Walking in the newness of life demands that you live a prayerful life. A prayerless Christian is a powerless one. Have you given up? Are you still prayerful as a new person in Christ? Whether you just got saved last week or you're like me in your fourth decade, we are all called to the place of prayer.
Mankind always ought to pray and not lose heart.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
These things I command you, that you love one another. (John 15:17)
This is the requirement. One of the requirements of the newness of life is that you love each other—not because they love you, but because you've embraced the cross and you are walking in faith.
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)
Giving is part of the newness of life. It guards your motive for doing what you are doing. I always say to the Holy Spirit: "Put favor in my hand and my church will feel it. Put favor in my hand and I will pass it on to those in need. Put favor in my hand and the kingdom of God will know that You have blessed me."
Giving is part of walking in the newness of life. Giving is also part of your faith work.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And try me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)
Tithing is a test of faith. If you can't give one out of ten, you have a bigger problem than money. It's never about money—it's about your faith. It's about walking in the newness of life. It's about trusting God.
I always say: someone who has ten and cannot give one out of ten has a bigger issue than their money.
Abraham was just a human being like the rest of us. It wasn't easy for him to render pleasing service to God, but he lived by faith. When we live by faith in Jesus, we live with confidence. We have more reason than Abraham to live by faith.
Abraham had no precedent. Most of what he did—leaving his homeland, offering his son—there was no reference point. Yet the Bible says he did those things, he stepped out, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
But you and I have examples to follow: Abraham, Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and the entire New Testament. Contemporaries may have thought Abraham was crazy because he was alone and had no reference point. But in his heart, he trusted God and took action.
Will you take action?
Abraham had no reference point. You and I today hear testimonies—testimonies of testimonies—of people who trusted God for something, acted on their faith, and then experienced divine intervention. So if Abraham can do it, you can as well.
If we have faith in Christ, we must strive to please God. We live to serve Him. It should never be hard to get you to pray if you love Jesus. It should never be hard to get you to become a fisher of men if you love Jesus. It should never be hard for you to forgive your neighbor if you really love Jesus.
It should never be hard for you to pick up your phone and call someone on the other end of the world and say, "Hey, come online and hear the word of God today. Grow your spirit." It should never be hard if you love Jesus.
Because you yourself have been forgiven by Jesus Christ, it should never be hard for you to let go. If you genuinely love Jesus, it should never be hard to give. If you genuinely love Jesus, it should never be hard to tithe.
What is your motivation for doing whatever you are doing? My motivation has always been to advance the kingdom of God and to prosper His local church. What's your why? Does Christ play a part in your reason for doing whatever it is you're doing?
God hasn't asked us to make sacrifices as hard as Abraham was asked to make. We live righteous lives just by faith in what Jesus did.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
All we need to do is believe and walk in the newness of life. Living by faith in Christ means trusting our lives to Him. When we live with Him through faith, we can live with confidence. We can live for Him and we must live righteous lives.
Finally, let's talk about the decisions of the saints. We've talked about the distinction. We've talked about the direction. Now let's talk about decision.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16–18)
You must put off the old man, the old nature, the old habit. Get rid of it. Paul said:
I die daily. (1 Corinthians 15:31)
Daily death to yourself is a major requirement. Put off the old man. Pull it off.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)
You stop your old habits, and then you must renew your mind. Renew your mind with the word of God.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20–24)
You take off your old nature, put on a new mind, and then you put on new behavior.
I pray for you that indeed you will become a vessel of honor in the hand of our Master Jesus. I pray for you that even as you have set your hand to the plow, God Almighty will fortify you by His Spirit.
You are in the kingdom of God for such a time as this. God wants you to be a fisher of men. God wants you to make disciples of all nations. I pray that you will carry the burden of Christ for lost souls.
I pray for divine visitation. I pray that God will open your eyes and your ears to hear the heartbeat of the Lord over our world—our dying world. I pray that God will use you to rescue as many as possible, to bring knowledge and light into the hearts of mankind.
Listen to me very carefully: You are in a privileged position right now. You are watching through this online platform. All you need to do is make a simple invitation. Someone, right now, God is preparing their heart, and they are waiting for your phone call. All you need to do is reach out and say, "Hey, do you want to check this out?"
In our family, we have people from the US, from Africa, from Asia—all from the comfort of their homes. Do you know how many people out there are waiting for you to invite them? Look at your phone book. Look at your friends online. Reach out to them. Don't assume anyone is saved.
Allow God to use you. Bless the world with the same Jesus that you have invited into your life. Don't be a sidelooker. Get in the game. Make fishers of men. Make disciples of all nations. Give. Forgive. Pray. And the hand of God will be upon you, my friend, in Jesus's mighty name.
Heavenly Father, I thank You. I ask, O God, that You bless everyone who hears my voice right now in Jesus's mighty name. Lord, grow them. Raise them as warriors, as soldiers in Your kingdom, in the name of Jesus. Father, we thank You. In Jesus's mighty name, we pray. Amen.
