Why Be a Christian?

September 7, 2008

Introduction

 

            This morning, we ask the question, Why Be a Christian?  In Mark 10:28-30 (NKJV), we find this interesting account of a discourse between Peter and our Lord:

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You,"{29}  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, {30}  "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time; houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”

            In this answer, Jesus gives two reasons for being His disciple or follower:  (1) In this life, we will receive “an hundredfold, and, (2) in the world to come eternal life.”  So to paraphrase what Jesus said, He is saying that life will be a hundred times better in this present world, and we will receive life eternal in the world to come.

 

            So what do I get as a Christian in this present life?

 

Body

 

I.        In this life we have great personal relationships.

 

  1. A Relationship with God.

 

1.      It begins with feeding on the word of God

 

(Mat 4:4 NKJV)  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

 

2.      It must include a real love for God.

 

(Mat 22:35-40 NKJV)  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, {36} "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" {37} Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' {38} "This is the first and great commandment. {39} "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' {40} "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

 

  1. Jesus said that knowing God is eternal life.

 

(John 17:3 NKJV)  "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

 

1.      It is the restoration of our relationship with God that was lost.

 

(Gen 3:8-10 NKJV)  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. {9} Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" {10} So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

 

2.      It includes communicating with God through prayer

 

(2 Chr 7:14 NKJV)  "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

 

  1. Knowing God is to know calm in the midst of the storm.

 

(Heb 13:6 NKJV)  So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

 

II.     We have great relationships with our fellow man.

 

  1. The general rules for living with each other.

 

1.      That we love one another.

 

(John 13:34 NKJV)  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

 

(John 15:12 NKJV)  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

 

(John 15:17 NKJV)  "These things I command you, that you love one another.

 

(Rom 13:8 NKJV)  Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

 

2.      That we forgive one another

 

(Mat 6:12 NKJV)  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

 

  1. We apply these principles to our life in the church

 

1.       There is to be great love and unity in the church

 

(John 13:34-35 NKJV)  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. {35} "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

2.      The church is to be our spiritual family.

 

(Eph 3:14-15 NKJV)  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, {15} from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

 

  1. We apply the general principles to our home life.

 

1.      It applies in the husband wife relationship.

 

a.       Wives are to submit to their husbands

 

(Eph 5:22 NKJV)  Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

 

b.      Husbands are to love their wives.

 

(Eph 5:25 NKJV)  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

 

(Eph 5:33 NKJV)  Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

 

2.      It applies to the children in our home.

 

a.       It applies to the children.

 

(Eph 6:1-3 NKJV)  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. {2} "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: {3} "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

 

b.      It applies to parents.

 

(Eph 6:4 NKJV)  And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

 

III.   “And in the age to come, eternal life”

 

  1. It is the blessed hope of the Christian

 

(Titus 2:11-14 NKJV)  For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, {12} teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, {13} looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, {14} who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

  1. We, like John, can look forward to His return.

 

(Rev 22:20 NKJV)  He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 

Conclusion

 

I.        The Next exit:  Two weeks ago, we talked about what follows our becoming a Christian.

 

II.     Today, we have talked about why we should become a Christian for this life.

 

III.   Finally, we’d talked about the Last exit.  When life is over, will you be ready to meet the Lord?

 

 

Scripture quotations marked "NKJV™" are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

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