Free to be Just a Christian – All over the world today, there is a vast renewal of interest in studying the Bible. Thousands of people are reading the Bible to find the answers as to where they come from, why they are here on earth, and where they are going after this life is over. Searching the Scriptures with an open and honest heart toward God will enable you to gain knowledge of God’s total plan for all of His people.

Free to be Just a Christian – The Bible is divided into two major parts – the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament tells of the beginnings of the earth, of man, of sin, and of God’s way of salvation in Christ. Abraham was selected to become the father of the Hebrew nation and these people when they were about seventy in number; they went into Egypt to live. There they grew, prospered, and became great in numbers.

Free to be Just a Christian – The Egyptians made slaves out of them, but God led them out of Egypt through Moses, and after a while into the land of Canaan, which we know better as Palestine. God gave them His laws, including the “Ten Commandments”, and they became the chosen nation through whom Jesus Christ, the Son of God was born into human flesh, came into the world.

Free to be Just a Christian – The Old Testament also gives us the many words of men called “prophets”, who foretold of the coming of Christ and of His spiritual kingdom on this earth.

Free to be Just a Christian – The New Testament tells of the birth, life, death for our sins, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the fifth book of the New Testament, we read of the beginning of Christ’s kingdom or spiritual body. This book is called the “Acts of the Apostles “and shows us how men and women became Christians or members of His body.

Free to be Just a Christian – This means that when a person becomes a Christian, God adds that person to his “church” or assembly: thus, he does not have to look for a church to join, for the very same gospel obedience that made him a Christian makes him a “church “member.

Free to be Just a Christian – The rest of the New Testament is made up of letters written to help show people how to live the lives that God would have them live. God would have everyone study the Bible to learn of Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, and to come to know Him in a personal way, as a friend and a savior.

Free to be Just a Christian – Welcome to this study of the Bible. Remember that God speaks to each of us through the Bible. This makes it possible for each of us to know Him if we will but study and live what we learn.

Free to be Just a Christian – My prayer for each of you is that you will be guided by the Bible and not by men. May God bless you richly with wisdom and understanding?

Free to be Just a Christian – Are you a Christian? Are you saved? Do you have a close relationship with God? Are you willing to give up for Him the life of sin you now lead?

Questions

Someone is always asking us questions. The questions above are usually grouped with others, such as:

“What church do you attend? “

“Have you been baptized? “

“What kind of baptism did you have? “

“Are you willing to join a church in order to be saved? “

It is my hope that the material presented here will take some of the pressure off and allow you to deepen your relationship with God. Or, if you don’t know Him, free you to begin to know Him as your Father.

At any rate, I hope you will give this information a fair hearing and if you find yourself agreeing with it, use it to teach others and free them from bondage. You will find these teachings quite a bit different from those you’ve seen in the past. I pray that they help everyone to be free in Christ.

Free to be Just a Christian – Are You Free?

This question is not asked very often, especially by church leaders.

 

Going Back to Where We Started

Going back to where we started – I used to be a serious hunter–as much as my schedule would permit. As my life continued, I especially enjoyed deer hunting. The attraction was not in killing something. Had that been the attraction, I would have quit when I was a novice–the deer fooled or detected me far more often than I detected the deer.

Going back to where we started – The attraction was being in the woods. I loved the quiet. I loved the beauty. I loved seeing creatures that never saw me. Two of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed are sunrise in the woods and sunset in the woods. I love to see God’s creation wake up and God’s creation go to sleep.

Once I was slipping, scouting, and just generally observing in some woods when I suddenly realized I did not know where I was. With the fear of being lost instantly came everything taking on a strange appearance. The familiar became unfamiliar. Immediately I had no clue about direction.

Going back to where we started – I was less than 50 yards from being out of the woods–and did not know it! I almost headed in the wrong direction, back deeper into the woods. When I came to a fence and instantly knew where I was, I marveled at how close I was to being out of the woods and how easily I could have gone deeper into the woods wandering aimlessly around. If I had made that mistake, I could have wandered a long, long time.

Getting back to where I started could have been a long, long journey–simply because I did not know where I was or where I was going.

Going back to where we started – This evening I want to make a simple comparison between the garden of Eden in Genesis 2 and the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21, 22.

Going back to where we started – I want to make a single point: it has been and is a long journey to get back to our beginning.

David Chadwell lesson – Going Back to Where We Started

I.  I would like to begin by reading Genesis 2:7-9 and then 2:15-17.

Genesis 2:7-9 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:15-17 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

* Let me call some things to your attention.

* God provided the human being he brought into existence with a home and placed him in that home.

* In that home there was beauty.

* In that home there was security–there was no need for fear.

* In that home there was no need–never was there anxiety of starving.

* In that home there was responsibility–Adam was cultivate and keep the garden (scripture does not say what was involved in doing that).

* There were also prohibitions: there were tragic consequences to eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

* In that early existence there was no knowledge of evil.

 

* Having the knowledge of evil was not a good thing.

* To understand evil only as it contrasts to good was a destructive understandin...

 

SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF FAITH

Solving the Problem of Faith.  What do you do when you have a problem?

“I ask someone who has the right kind of knowledge to help me. If it is a money problem, I ask someone who is good with finances. If it is a car problem, I ask someone who knows about cars. If it is an electrical problem, I ask someone who knows about electricity.”

Solving the Problem of Faith. Well, I have a problem. In some form or fashion, I have been confronting this problem for about 50 years. So I want to put the problem before you. I do not know if any of us will have the answer, but the problem is much more likely to be addressed in our individual lives if we are aware that it exists.

“So, what is this problem we need to be aware of?”

Solving the Problem of Faith. It is a faith problem. The problem is very old. It is so old that it predates the existence of Christianity by over a thousand years. It is a problem that existed in Israel in both the Old and New Testaments. But this problem definitely exists in Christianity today.”

“What is this faith problem that has existed for such a long time?”

The problem: how do you encourage Christians to place faith in God instead of placing their faith in something they substitute for God and calling it faith in God?

Perhaps the problem is best understood by using illustrations.

Illustrations #1: let’s begin by asking a Christian we have never met a simple question: “Religiously, what are you?” The person answers, “I am Church of Christ. My family has been Church of Christ for at least three generations. My father was an elder in the Church of Christ of my teen years. My grandfather was a preacher in the Church of Christ. We are just a Church of Christ family.”

Question: is your faith in a religious organization called “The Church of Christ,” or is your faith in the living God who always has been active in His creation?

Perhaps you ask, “What is the difference?” You see the difference far too often. When a congregation of the Church of Christ behaves poorly, it is amazing to note how many people just quit. They do not worship. They make no effort to serve God. They are very ambivalent about what they believe. Often they become religiously bitter and religiously negative. They did not belong to God.

They belonged to the Church of Christ. Their confidence was in the Church of Christ, not in God. They substituted faith in the Church of Christ as a physical religious organization for faith in God.

Illustration #2: we ask a Christian we do not know a series of questions. “Do you go to church here?” Yes I do. I have been coming here for a couple of years. In fact I rarely miss.

“What do you think of worship?” Oh, I rarely miss, but I hardly ever am in the auditorium. I am always here, but I am rarely part of the worship assembly.

“What do you think of classes?” Oh, I am always here, even on Wednesday nights, but I do not go to a class. There is always someone else to talk to or somewhere to go.

“If you do not worship and you do not go to class, why are you here?” I believe it is essential to come. I would not dream of not coming. Being here is very important to salvation. I just do not think it is necessary to worship or go to class.

This person’s confidence is in being at a geographical place at the right time, not in God to be praised and trusted to direct our lifestyle.

Our God Is An Awesome God

* As I said, misplaced confidence is a very old yet very real problem.

* It was a frequent problem in Old Testament Israel.

* Listen to the words of Amos in Amos 5:21-24.

What is the Why

What is the Why? This evening I want to begin our thinking with a “what if” situation.

What is the Why – Here is the situation: you have a friend that you have had for years and years. Though you are very close to your friend, you have never discussed religious concepts with him or her. He or she has never given you an opening for such a discussion. In fact, he or she has made it quite clear in the past that he or she does not want you to talk about religious concepts with him or her.

What is the Why – Since this has been clearly established, you have honored his or her wishes? The two of you have a lot in common. You relate to each other easily. And it is obvious that he or she cares about you deeply as a friend.

What is the Why – One day, quite unexpectedly, he or she talks to you about religion. He or she says, “I have been watching you as a religious person for a long, long time. I do not want you to make an effort to convert me. But I do have a question I want to ask you. It is a religious question. If it is okay to ask you this question, just answer the question.”

You assure him or her that it is quite all right for him or her to ask you a question. You have no idea of what might be asked, but it is okay for him or her to ask anything.

Here is the question: “What is the bottom line, basic objective of being a Christian? What is the basic answer to “why” in seeking to be a religious person? I think I have figured out why you follow Jesus Christ. That is not what I am asking. I am asking that if you go to the most fundamental reason for being religious, why are you religious?”

What would you say? What answer would you give your friend? If you wanted in a truly biblical way to explain to him or her why you choose to be a religious person, what would you say?

Before Israel existed, there were religious people. Israel existed as a religious nation. Christians should exist as religious people–not just a people who have religious habits one day a week. There always have been people who choose to be religious. You choose to be religious.

The question that concerns him or her is why you made that choice. Obviously, your answer will be quite important.

I want to call your attention to three scriptures.

* The first scripture I call to your attention is Exodus 32:9-14.

The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

* Consider the context of the situation.

* In Exodus 20 God gave these slaves He led out of Egypt His core laws which we commonly refer to as the Ten Commandments.

* In Egypt, these slaves existed for generations under the Egyptian influence of the wrong concept of deity.

* The entire experience of securing Israel’s release from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, and sustaining them in the wilderness was to change their con...

The Fruit Of The Spirit

The Fruit Of The Spirit – It was early October. The first frost had not yet come, but the mornings were cool and the evenings were hot. It was that unique time of the year when you shivered in the morning and sweated in the afternoon.

A 25 year-old man who grew up on a local farm got off work on Fridays at noon. He decided he would take his .22 rifle and roam the hollows of the family farm squirrel hunting. By 4 p.m. he had not seen one squirrel, so he headed for his truck. The afternoon was hot as the sunshine beamed down, and he began to sweat heavily.

About half way to the truck, he crossed an old watermelon patch. The good melons were taken to market over a month before. All that was left were the culls that came from the late blooms.

At the edge of the patch was a large white oak tree. On impulse, he decided to lean his gun against the tree, gather 3 or 4 cull watermelons, and quench his thirst by eating the hearts out of the small melons. And that is what he did.

As he sat under the tree, he took his hunting knife, split the melons, and began to eat the sweet center out of each melon. Just as he started eating, a white oak acorn fell on his head. He looked up among the branches of the tree at its acorns, and then he looked across the watermelon patch. He immediately had two thoughts. The first thought: “I sure am glad watermelons do not grow up in trees.” The second thought: “God sure knew what He was doing when He put acorns in trees and watermelons on vines.”

I want to ask you a question: how often do you say to yourself, “God sure knew what he was doing?”

Have you ever read the fruit of the Spirit and said to yourself, “God sure knew what He was doing!”

Listen: Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

How often have you read these two verses and said, “God sure knew what He was doing!”

* I want you to note some things about the context.

* Paul made this statement in his letter to the Christians in Galatia because they were not treating each other right!

* Some of these Christian were using their freedom in Christ to hurt other Christians.

* These people caused problems in Christian-Christian relationships, and then cried out, “I have the right to Christian freedom!” to escape the responsibility or the consequences of their acts.

* Paul declared they had freedom, the freedom to love each other–in Christ Jews could love gentiles and gentiles could love Jews.

* While they had the freedom to love each other, they did not have the freedom to be selfish.

* So they were not to use their freedom in Christ as an excuse to do ungodlike things to other people.

* Pay special attention to a significant contrast.

* It was the contrast between the values and acts of idol worshippers and the values and acts of God worshippers.

* Paul classified the acts of idol worshippers as “deeds of the flesh.”

* He classified the acts of God worshippers as “fruit of the Spirit.”

* It is amazing to note how many of the “deeds of the flesh” focused on selfish indulgence.

* It is equally amazing to note that all of the expressions of the “fruit of the Spirit” focus on the unselfishness of godly relationships.

* Paul made it quite clear to those Christians that the person who converted to God through Christ by personal choice did not think or feel like people who do not belong to God.

* People who belong to God through Christ want a lifestyle led by the Spirit.

* The lifestyle of people who are led by God’s Spirit are at war in their lives with the ...

Is It Worth It?

Is It Worth It? – All of us make major investments. The greatest investments we make are investments of ourselves. We invest ourselves in two primary ways: through intense interest and through time.

Is It Worth It? – When it comes to the investment of self, we all make basic investment decisions as we live our lives. Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our families. The wife, or the husband, or the children are a major priority in our lives. Nothing is more important than family.

Is It Worth It? – Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our jobs or our careers. Nothing is more important than succeeding in our job or career. We literally define who we are by the level of success we experience in our career.

Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our lifestyles. The house we live in, the car we drive, the circles we move in, the people we know are an extremely important measurement of who we are. If we cannot use these means of defining ourselves, we think we do not amount to much.

Some of us make major investments of ourselves in our pleasures. The form of pleasure differs greatly from person to person. But, having fun, enjoying life is extremely important. Whatever is necessary to reach a pleasurable high is considered reasonable.

No matter how each of us invests life, the moment always comes when we must ask, “Is it worth it?” Because people now live longer than people used to live, more and more people are asking themselves, “Was it worth it?”

Is It Worth It? – A necessary question everyone who seeks to be a Christian must ask: “Is investing my life in Jesus Christ worth the investment?” Is living for God worth it? When my physical life approaches its end, when I look back at my past and I ask that question, what will be my answer?

The Lord Knows What he is doing

* This morning, I would like for us to consider Paul’s answer to that question. [I challenge you to look at Paul’s life and consider his answer.]

* The early part of Paul’s childhood was spent in the Roman province of Cilicia a few hundred miles north of Israel.

* His childhood was spent in the city of Tarsus, which was the principle city of that area (Acts 22:3).

* Tarsus, when Paul lived there, was a very old city–it was an important trade city 2000 years before Paul was born.

* During Paul’s lifetime, Tarsus was the capital city of the province.

* Tarsus held a position that many cities envied and aspired to: it had autonomy as a free city; it could govern itself.

* Tarsus was an important city.

* On an earlier occasion, Anthony met Cleopatra there.

* Caesar Augustus exempted Tarsus from Roman taxes.

* It was a university city whose school devoted itself to the study of liberal arts and philosophy.

* It was a wealthy city that had a reputation for its linen and a special material made from goats’ hair.

* Childhood in Tarsus probably provided Paul an interesting environment for personal development.

* He grew up living in an important place.

* The trade that he learned [a trade he used as a Christian adult to support himself as a missionary when circumstances required self-support] was tent-maker which perhaps meant he knew how to use the special cloth made from goats’ hair.

* Far more important than those two, he was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:25-29).

* That means that at least his father had been awarded citizenship or had been given opportunity to purchase citizenship.

* Roman citizenship was a highly prized possession th...

MY OPINION OF ME

My Opinion Of Me – Gods Message on the web . What do you think of yourself? Chances are that the way you look at yourself is a real paradox. In some ways, we hold ourselves in very high esteem. There has been and is considerable emphasis in this society on self-esteem. In some ways, we hold ourselves in contempt. There has been and is considerable contempt in this society for failure. If we focus on self-esteem, we think about our value. If we focus on our failures, we hold ourselves in contempt.

My Opinion Of Me – If we look at ourselves through glasses that magnify our value, we tend to be arrogant and presumptuous. If we look at ourselves through glasses that see only our weakness, we tend to be defeated and believe we are worthless.

My Opinion Of Me – The problem: most of us tend to move in one of those two directions. Being a Christian does not make us immune to the problem. Either we tend to have such a high opinion of ourselves that we seek to control and dominate everyone. Or, we feel so inferior that we have no confidence.

My Opinion Of Me – God challenges us to have His view of us. The closer we come to God, the more we change the way we look at ourselves. The more we change the way we look at ourselves, the more we change the way we look at others.

* The man or woman who walks with God must change the way he or she looks at self. (That change is fundamental to Christian existence.)

* More than once Jesus’ twelve disciples debated among themselves which of them was the most important.

* Luke 22:24-30 states they had that discussion the last night of Jesus’ earthly life.

* In fact, the discussion was so intense that evening, Luke called it a dispute.

* Jesus stated some facts about his kingdom they were to remember.

* Fact one: his kingdom did not function as other kingdoms did.

* Fact two: in other kingdoms, those who possess authority or were older were served.

* Fact three: In his kingdom, the situation is distinctly different.

* Fact four: in his kingdom, the one who serves is more significant than the one who is served.

* Jesus reminded them that he and his treatment of them was an example.

* He used his power to serve others and to serve them.

* Though they called him their master and acknowledged they were merely disciples, that very evening he would wash their feet (John 13:12-17).

* The way we look at ourselves, the opinion we have of ourselves, is one of the enormous problems most of us struggle with in our lives.

* “I” want “you” to verify my significance and importance.

* In order for “me” to feel significant, “you” must serve “me.”

* For “me” to serve you is demeaning, but for “you” to serve “me” verifies my importance.

* I want you to focus on a statement Jesus made in Luke 17:10.

* But, in order to have a contextual focus, we must begin our understanding in Luke 16:10.

* Jesus made a statement on the unacceptability and undesirability of a person who belonged to God placing his or her trust in money.

* God will not entrust someone with eternal wealth if that person does not manage small things in God’s interests.

* No person can give primary allegiance to two controlling, opposing forces in his or her life–both God and wealth cannot control your life.

* Some Pharisees (important religious influences) heard Jesus and ridiculed what he said.

* They loved money, and they (in their estimation) belonged to God–there was no conflict between the two.

* Jesus said, “You use what people think to justify yourse...

Who Turned Loose Me Or God

Who Turned Loose Me Or God – I want to challenge your thinking this morning by asking you a multiple-choice question. The question: in daily life terms, what is the purpose of life? Rank these five options with number one being the highest option:

Achieving success

Taking care of your family

Achieving a desirable lifestyle

Enjoying life

Serving God

Who Turned Loose Me Or God – I ask you to rank these items privately, in your own mind, with no one knowing your list. All I ask is for you to be honest with your own heart and mind.

Who Turned Loose Me Or God – In your own mind and heart, list each with number one your most important consideration and number five your least important consideration [in this list].

* Now that you have made your selections, I want to read some New Testament scriptures for you to consider.

* Each of these statements was made by Jesus either to a group listening to him or to his disciples.

* I realize that each scripture must be studied in its context with serious consideration given to Jesus’ point at the time.

* I am not going to discuss each scripture, but I hope to call your attention to a single factor all these scriptures have in common.

* As we read together (you are encouraged to follow each reading on the screen), ask yourself what do these scriptures share in common.

* Scriptures:

* Matthew 8:19-22 Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

* Matthew 10:24-28 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

* Matthew 16:24-27 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.”

* Mark 8:34-38 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

* Luke 9:23-27 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Has God Abandoned Me

Has God Abandoned Me – It was a deeply depressing moment, and it occurred on the worst possible occasion. The conversation was extremely distressing. The men gathered to remember God’s great victory that brought their nation into existence. It was a sober time, but a joyful time. They should have talked about God’s incredible power to deliver His people, they talked about their leader going away.

Has God Abandoned Me – It was not fair! They left everything to follow this man! Recently he was more popular than ever! A month ago they feared his death, but in the last few days, he was untouchable. Their concept of victory was in their grasp!

Has God Abandoned Me – Now the man who was the center of their daily companionship said he was going away, and for the first time, he said none of them could go with him? Daily life without Jesus’ physical companionship was unthinkable! All their expectations were centered in his physical presence, and now he said he was leaving.

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.”

(The same conversation.)

John 14:16-21 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

Please remember these statements were Jesus’ statements to eleven of his apostles just hours before he was arrested.

A Common Cause Of Great Joy And Great Suffering

* I call to your attention several statements Jesus made to eleven of his disciples/apostles in this reading.

* First statement: “You trust God; trust me in the same way you trust God.”

* The eleven men are confused and disturbed.

* Their confusion is so deep that they are troubled in their inner being.

* It was much deeper than intellectual troubling, more than “this does not make sense.”

* They struggled with troubled hearts; their emotions as well as their thinking were deeply distressed.

* Jesus said they had an option.

* They could be heart troubled by what he said.

* Or, they could trust him.

* The antidote to a troubled heart is faith in Jesus.

* Second statement: “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places.”

* There are several contrasts made by Jesus’ use of dwelling places.

* In a poor country with primitive housing, a big issue confronting most people was, “Where are you going to live?”

* As they followed Jesus, they did not have a house–Jesus owned nothing.

* But Jesus said his Father’s house had lots of rooms, and his Father’s house would be their permanent residence.

* He would leave them now, but eventually, they would live with him–permanently.

What are you trying to prove?

What are you trying to prove – Four or five times a week I work out at a gym. John Glidewell graciously and patiently allows me to workout with him. This is not a new experience. I been involved in exercise programs for over 20 years.

What are you trying to prove – Why? Why exercise all that time? Why go to a gym and get into a physical fitness program? Why pay someone to sweat and strain and get sore? Different people have different reasons–and there are many, many reasons. Let me note just three reasons.

What are you trying to prove – Some people work out to compete or to prepare for some form of competition. If you work out at the gym to compete with other people who work out, you will always meet someone who is stronger, bigger, and better developed than you are.

Some people work out to feel better about themselves. They use exercise to build their self-esteem, self-image, or self-confidence. That has merit. But it also has risk. With age and time, we lose physical ability. If we completely invest our concept of self in our physical bodies, we face a major crisis when our bodies decline.

Some people work out for the sake of their health. They want to become and to be the healthiest that they can be.

I knew before I began to work out that I had no interest in competing with anyone. I surely am glad I realized that! Competing is not an option for me! Sometimes I struggle to lift the bar with no weight on it! But this is true: if I could lift ten pounds more than someone, that would not make me more significant than that person.

I also realized that I did not want to define my person with my body. With my body, that is also fortunate! My body is just the house I live in while I am on this earth. “Me” is the person who resides in that house. “Me” will continue to live after this body dies.

Physically, I wanted to be the healthiest person that I can become. I want to be the healthiest I can be because I want to use my life to its fullest. There are many things I yet want to do with my life, and a healthy body is critical to doing those things.

Making a long term commitment to working out is the commitment to becoming and being. That becoming and being is based on a number of discoveries. Each discovery opens a door to new possibilities.

In that there is an important parallel between the long term commitment to exercise and the long term commitment to being a Christian.

A Common Cause Of Great Joy And Great Suffering

* In the New Testament, the Christians who were the church at Colossae had difficulty understanding a basic truth about Christian existence. Paul talked to them about their misunderstanding in Colossians 3:5-11.

* They had a hard time understanding that their existence before they became Christians and their existence after they became Christians were contrasting existences.

* The person each of them was before becoming a Christian and the person each of them was after becoming a Christian were distinctly different persons.

* When they became Christians, they did not become members of a club, or a fraternity, or a social organization–it was not a membership thing, it was a becoming thing.

* Becoming a Christian was much more than changing habits or accepting responsibilities.

* As a Christian person, he or she actually became something that never existed before.

* Since they as persons had become something that never existed before, their behavior, their moral conduct, and their relationships should reflect this new existence.

* Since what they now were had not existed previously, a radical transition had occurred.