A Life that Honours God

27/07/2009 by John Marsden.

Persuading Righteousness

1. God Desires Godliness

“Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” – Romans 6:19b

• Part of our calling as Christians is to, like Paul, persuade men and women to live righteous lives devoted to God.
• We do this not with our own energy and wisdom, but with the power of Jesus in us.
• God expects righteousness out of His followers.  If we call ourselves Christians, we must live like it.  See 1 Peter 1:15.
• God also expects us to persuade others to live righteous lives.  As ambassadors of Christ, it’s our job to show both the world and the church a clear line between right and wrong. 
• Don’t be afraid to talk about the standards God has – it’s the only way people will know what God expects of them.
• Does this sound like legalism?  Raise your hand if this sounds like being too legalistic.
• We’re not talking about legalism, where you follow a code of conduct because you think it will make you righteous.  We’re talking about living a holy life through the power of Jesus because you’ve been changed by God (Ephesians 4:24).
• By faith, God makes us righteous, and we live it out to prove what he’s done (James 2:18).
• It’s only in the energy and power of Jesus that we can be made righteous and persuade others to live the same.

Passing on the Teachings

1. The Power of Discipleship

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” – Matthew 28:19a

• Paul said that he got his power to teach and train others in Christianity, to disciple people, from the energy of Jesus within Him.
• After Jesus rose from the dead, he gave His disciples the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.
• God’s plan to rescue the world isn’t through one or two amazing evangelists but through simple discipleship, taking one person at a time and training them to follow God, then teaching them to do the same.  See 2 Timothy 2:2.
• God has plans to bring His rule to the entire earth (Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8).  This is way bigger than any one of us can do out of our own energy and power.  If this is going to happen, we’ll need the power of Jesus in us!
• We need the power of Jesus in order to make disciples who make disciples, until the earth is filled with God’s glory!

Presenting to Perfection

1. You Work At It, God Does It

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” – Colossians 1:28

• Paul’s goal was to present everyone perfect in Jesus.
• Does anybody here think they’re perfect yet?
• Perfection isn’t that we never miss a basket in basketball, never get an A- in Geography, and never give in to temptation.  Perfection is being whole and complete in Jesus, despite mistakes we may make on the way.  See James 1:4.
• To be made perfect, and to present others perfect, it takes the energy of Jesus.
• Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.”  It’s a partnership of us and God working together toward perfection.
• You can’t make yourself perfect.  Nor can you make anyone else perfect.  You aim toward it, but it takes the energy and power of Jesus working in you.

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” – 1 Corinthians 2:4 

• When Paul preached, his strength came from God
• In the same way, Jesus is our energy to serve Him and impact the world
• You don’t have to be amazing.  You don’t need to know a lot or go to school for years or have a lot of skill – He is your energy to do the impossible

This will be my last blog for a day or two as I am off to hospital for a small operation.

Have a great day walking with the Saviour

John

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