Better Christians

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Better Christians</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id370.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Living In The Reality Of The Resurrectio"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id348.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="More Christians"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"God's Plan for the Church: Better Christians" </B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church,  January 19, 2003am</B></div> <bR> <div>      Most of us have unfinished projects in our lives. Imagine living in a city where every building project was only half-finished. Mere foundations for skyscrapers, shells of luxury homes, half-finished shopping malls. Such a town would bring most people much dissatisfaction. We like to undertake projects and get them done.</div> <div>      However, we are often satisfied with unfinished business and little progress in our spiritual lives. We are content to have a foundation started, but not be building on it. We realize we will never be "finished" until we see Jesus. But Jesus himself is already in the process of transforming us to be like himself. While we will not be finished on earth, we should be making progress in the power of God. We should not be content to give up the pursuit of becoming what Christ intends us to become. God's plan for the church includes more Christians, but it also includes better Christians. </div> <div>      Here are three steps to help get you started (or re-started) in making progress in the Christian.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Recognize that God expects development in your spiritual life.</B></div> <div>      Don't make the mistake of thinking that because we are "under grace" that it does not matter what we do or how we live. It matters to God, and it must matter to us. Law and grace existed in the Old Testament (the law was given to God's people, people of faith, so they would know how to live; it was not given to help people find a way to become God's people by their own obedience). Grace and law exist in the New Testament era as well.</div> <div> A. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Matt+22:34-40" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Matthew 22:34-40</U></A> - Jesus affirmed the truth of the Old Testament. All the laws lead to loving God and loving one's neighbor. It involves our total being (not just our good intentions). Fortunately, God did leave us to guess as to how to show our love to him. He gave us his will, written in his word. God's law expresses how we show love to him. God has high expectations for his followers.</div> <div> B. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=John+14:15-24" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>John 14:15-24</U></A> - Love for Jesus is expressed through obedience to him (for the right reasons). In verse 15, Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Verse 24 says, "He who does not love Me does not keep My words."</div> <div> C. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10: "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may rece\ive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." What we do with are lives and bodies on earth matters to God. We please him, in his way, not ours. His law expresses what it means to please him. We do not make up our own version of what it means to please God. That is pleasing ourselves. We find out from him. </div> <div>      God's rules for living are for our safety. We lived in a third-floor apartment in Dallas, and we were fortunate to have a balcony, where could sit and watch traffic or cook on the grill. The balcony had railing, designed to keep people from falling off the balcony. Ignoring God's laws is like removing the railing. While we call God's law a hindrance to our "freedom," God calls it protection for our own good.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Determine what a "better Christian" looks like.</B></div> <div>      Galatians is a book about avoiding legalism (trying to earn God's favor by keeping laws, especially ones we make up). But Paul affirms that there is a certain way Christians are to live, and certain ways they are not to live. Read <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gal+5:16-26" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Galatians 5:16-26</U></A>. If the Holy Spirit is in control of your life, your actions will reflect that and you will be obeying the laws of God. Compare these two lists (the positive and negative) to your life. Be specific. Don't just evaluate yourself about what sins you avoid, evaluate the positive side as well. Is the Spirit bearing positive fruit in your life? Evaluate yourself, identify specific areas for development, and focus on asking God the Holy Spirit to develop you in those areas.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. Commit to being part of the Christian community.</B></div> <div>      Helping its members grow in Christ is a responsibility of the Christian church community. It involves both shared and personal responsibility. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gal+6:1-5" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Galatians 6:1-5</U></A> instructs people in the church to help those who are caught in a sin (this is before the level of outright rebellion against God). We are to help one another with gentleness and humility (pride is always destructive to the community). Yet we are also to take personal responsibility for ourselves and our own growth.</div> <div>      The experience of Christian community is indispensable to becoming a better Christian. When we isolate ourselves from one another in the Christian life, spiritually we will shrivel up and stop developing. We need each other in order to keep growing in Christ. </div> <div>      Take the next step. Get started (or restarted). Pursue growth and development in your Christian life through the power of God.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2003, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>