Radical Marriage in a Greater Kingdom

Text: 1 Corinthians 7                                                              9/26/2010

Thesis: Living because of and for the Gospel where you are is more important than where you are.

I. God ordained marriage so that you will meet the needs of another for the advance of His Kingdom.

I believe the main point of 1 Corinthians 7 is stated in verse 35, “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” That means

A.  Every Christian is called to advance the rule and reign of God right where you are (v35)

All of us (single, married, divorced, or widowed) are too easily distracted from God’s kingdom.  Every avenue of life can either be harnessed for the display of God’s glory and restoration through Jesus Christ or it can be used to build our own selfish kingdoms.  So in God’s wisdom He has given us this passage to promote good order. When there is work to be done around my house or on our cars I am more efficient when my tool shop is in good order. God has prepared good works for you and the wisdom of this passage will free you from distractions.  And in His wisdom God has given us this passage to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.  It is not God who is pulling you in a million different directions.  It is God who stands ready to order your life and satisfy your heart so that every responsibility and every aspect of life becomes an act of worship.

No matter who you are or where you are God has a plan to grip your heart with His infinite greatness so that you waste nothing and use everything for the advance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Starting with good order and undivided devotion God wants to use every aspect of your life to make disciples of all nations. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to hear that this truth has radical implications for your marriage.

B.  As a spouse God is calling you to view all of who you are as a means of advancing the things of the Lord in your spouse (vs 4, 32-34)

God has poured out forgiveness and strength on you through faith in Jesus Christ so that you will pour yourself out for the good of your spouse.  It looks like husbands loving their wives and dying in order to help her look more like Christ. It looks like wives giving themselves up as they trust their husbands. We must not hold anything back. Verse 4 puts it in radical terms, “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

This verse is not a proof text to be used in order to demand something from your spouse. No, this verse is the clear command that your marriage demands all of who you are for the benefit of your spouse. When God joined you and your spouse together in a marriage covenant you came under a new bill of rights. More specifically it is a Bill of Right; you have only one right. You have the right to give up all that you are for the gospel-good of your spouse.  You exist in order to promote good order for the advance of the kingdom through your spouse. You exist in order to work for your spouse’s undivided devotion to the Lord.

It’s time to raise marriage out of the dumpster of selfishness and place it in the glorious plan of God to reconcile all things through the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

C.  Marriage is a gift that guards us from temptation for the advance of the Gospel (v2)

Every one of us faces temptations of various kinds. 1 Corinthians 7 makes it clear to us that sexual temptation is one of the more prevalent and powerful of temptations that Christians face. So, for the sake of the advance of the Gospel verse one tells us, “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” Verses 32-34 make the argument that the unmarried are able to dedicate more of their desires and dreams to God than the married.  In verses 6&7 Paul says that he wishes everyone was single.  There is much good in a single person’s undivided devotion to the Lord.  But sex can be a powerful distraction.  Physical desires can destroy good order and thoroughly distract an individual. Therefore verse two says, “but because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman should have her own husband.” Some will be given the gift of celibacy for the advance of the gospel. Others will be given the gift of marriage and God-honoring sex for the removal of distractions and the advance of the gospel.

Husbands and wives, do not deprive one another, expect by agreement for a limited time, for the advance of the gospel through prayer (v5).  Are you aware that Satan wants to tempt your spouse through your self-centered approach to sex? Withholding sex or being selfish with sex will bring temptation, destroy order, and divide your spouse’s devotion to the Lord. Do you approach sex from the angle of your benefit demanding that your needs be met? Or do pursue a healthy sexuality that seeks the benefit of your spouse demanding that his/her needs be met? Marriage protects and fulfills physical desires in a safe trusting covenant relationship.  Sex outside of marriage will always distract you from the Lord.  Marriage is God’s gift that guards us from temptation and guilt for the advance of the kingdom.

II. We must fight to keep marriage in its proper place

A.  You two are joined together in order to please your spouse not yourself (vs32-34)

Think about marriage and singleness this way: The single person is concerned about giving everything for the advance of the gospel in every avenue of his/her life. The married person is concerned about giving everything for the advance of the gospel in every avenue of his/her life as well as in the life of his/her spouse.  Marriage is not a bad thing, a lesser thing, or a sinful thing but marriage increases responsibility. To ignore the sanctification and strengthening of your spouse is to reject God’s purpose for marriage. Husband think about ways to please your wife. Wife think about ways to please your husband. Many marriages in this room are struggling because spouses are more concerned about pleasing themselves than they are anxious about pleasing their spouses. That’s why right now you can instantly call to mind 3 things you wish your spouse would start doing for you but struggle to call to mind 3 things your spouse needs from you in order to advance the gospel through his/her life. We must think God’s thoughts: Guys you are not married for you but for her. Ladies you are not married for you but for him. And there is a trap here that we must watch out for:

1. Guard your heart against the idol of a godly spouse

Verse 16 is wisdom, “how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” Your selfless faith-filled gospel-centered pursuit of a godly spouse is not a guarantee of his/her salvation or godliness.  It is God-honoring to passionately pursue your spouse’s undivided devotion to the Lord. But if your joy depends on gaining a godly spouse and not on the fact that you have already gained God then you have made an idol out of a good desire.  Ask yourself if your joy because of God is greater than your discouragement over your spouse. God is calling you today to think in ways that promote good order.

2. Good order is displayed in a person who lives, prays, and serves for the advance of the kingdom through and beyond every avenue of life (29-31).

Paul has just explained that for the sake of the gospel stay as you are. If you are single stay single. If you are married stay married. If you are engaged stay engaged but if you get married that’s okay. And then he writes this beginning in verse 29:

This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had not dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Some have taken these verses to mean we should ignore and care nothing for our spouses in order to advance the kingdom. Rule over your emotions such that you are neither happy nor sad. Stop thinking about and devoting time and money to your home, car, and clothes. Quit your job. Just get ready for Jesus to come back. That’s not what the Spirit is saying through Paul.

Verses 29-31 are another way of saying what the Spirit said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The present form of this world is passing away.  Concerns about marriage, emotions, houses, cars, clothes, and pay checks are tied up in this age. When Jesus comes back there will no longer be marriage and there will not be even the slightest concern about emotions, houses, cars, clothes, and paychecks. Use these things as far as you can for the glory of God knowing that they are only temporary.  Leverage all of your life to make Jesus known but hold onto all of these things loosely; they are passing away. Here is the truth that must shape your understanding of every aspect of life:

The work of God through the gospel is bigger than you, your marriage, your emotions, your stuff, and your job

III. Let’s talk know about some implications of these truths on conflict and divorce.

A.  We have the Gospel for the reconciliation of Christian marriages (vs10-11)

Look and be amazed at the power of the gospel when marriage turns sour. Verse 10, “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from  her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.” When a Christian man and Christian woman are joined together in marriage and they face the possibility of tearing apart the one flesh union through divorce there are two options.

Option number one is to trust that the powerful gospel that reconciled you and God is powerful enough to reconcile you and your spouse. For some reason the church has bought the lie that Jesus is big enough to remove every sin and hindrance between us and God but Jesus is not big enough to remove every sin and hindrance between spouses.  When Christians divorce it proclaims that reconciling, restoring, and rescuing power of Jesus is big but it’s not big enough. Christians set your eyes on Christ, place your faith in his power, rely on the help of the Spirit-filled word and other believers. Through Christ-centered gospel-driven faith labor and sacrifice for the restoration of relationships. In this way the gospel is held out as glorious for all to see. Do not separate. Do not divorce. Trust the gospel. That’s option one.

Option number two. Should the divorce occur. If sexual sin has torn apart the one flesh union. If you succumb to sinful selfishness and go forward with the divorce then what? Verse 11, “remain unmarried or else be reconciled with your spouse.” Trust that believing the gospel for reconciliation and engaging completely in kingdom work is better than remarriage. Verse 8, “to the unmarried…it is good for them to remain single.” Verses 39&40, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.”

Do we as a church have such an amazing grip on the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can say giving your life for the advance of the gospel is more satisfying than remarriage? Does your life and your conversations and your Sunday School class and your marriage proclaim the greatness and satisfaction of the gospel? Are you investing yourself in the marriages around you? Are you investing yourself in the single persons around you? A right understanding of the gospel will lead you that way.

Now those are two options for the Christian marriage. What about marriages that involve a believer and an unbeliever? There are two options here as well:

B.  For spiritually mixed marriages the gospel in you is greater than the unbelief in your spouse (vs12-14)

Verses 12 &13 are simple to understand. If your unbelieving spouse will have you then don’t seek a divorce.  Verse 14 is not so simple, “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” There is much that could be said here but for today I want to be as simple as possible. Being unequally yoked with an unbeliever is difficult as any who are will tell you. And this verse is not permission to marry an unbeliever; verse 39 rules out that option. These verses are God’s wisdom for the individual who becomes a Christian after being married. First, she was married. Then, she became a Christian. He is refusing the Gospel. Now what?  Stay with him because the Gospel in you the one individual is powerful.  I believe we can summarize what these verses teach by saying, “stay with them because just one person set apart for God makes the entire home set apart for God.” It only takes one Christian in the home to make it a Christian home. If you divorce you might not get the kids; they may go with the unbeliever and then what influence would you have? Stay with them because the Gospel in you is greater than unbelief in them.

But what if the unbelieving spouse doesn’t want to stay?

C.  If your unbelieving spouse stumbles on the sacrifice and glory of Christ then let him/her go (15)

Verse 15, “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.” The picture here is one of a believer seeking peace through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Through faith in Christ and joyful self-sacrifice a believing spouse loves and serves and prays and works for the good and salvation of the unbelieving spouse. Peace through faith in Jesus Christ is sought. Peace will never be had by a spouse or parent who forces an unbeliever to act like a believer. The unbeliever has neither the desire nor ability to live a life of faith.  Without self-righteousness, without legalism, without nagging, or pride the believer lays down his/her life for the salvation of his/her family. If the unbelieving spouse sees your joyful sacrifice for the advance of the gospel as repulsive and wants nothing to do with you because you want everything to do with Jesus. Then let him/her go. You are not bound to force peace. Only Christ can give it.  What you must fight for and humbly ask others for is accountability for making Christ the stumbling block and not your attitude, words, or behavior. The Gospel is greater and Christ will bring you peace even if your unbelieving spouse wants nothing to do with Him.

Throughout 1 Corinthians 7 we have seen different ways that the gospel is greater. The Gospel is greater than marriage so it is good to be single.  The Gospel empowers us to live in such a way that empowers our spouses for undivided devotion to the Lord. The Gospel is greater than divorce so reconciliation is possible for all couples in conflict and all person who have divorced. The Gospel brings peace. The truth we started with is where I want to finish:

IV. Living because of and for the Gospel where you are is more important than where you are (vs17-28).

A.  God is more interested in using you where you are then changing your circumstance.

Verses 17 and 24 repeat this idea. “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him…So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”  Stop making excuses or thinking that when ___________ happens then you’ll be more effective for the kingdom.  It’s a lie to keep you ineffective.  God may change your circumstances but that happens in the minority of cases. Instead God changes you.  God has assigned you the position in your marriage, in your family, in your job, in your neighborhood, in your car pool, in wherever you are. And God is with you there. And what God wants for you there is for you to pursue good order and undivided devotion to the Lord.  This doesn’t happen by changing spouses, changing jobs, or changes neighborhoods. Good order and undivided devotion come through believing the Gospel.

As we believe the Gospel and follow Christ through the word our minds are transformed (Romans 12:2). As we know more of grace we are trained to let go of selfishness and through faith live godly lives right where we are. Think of your life and your struggles like the sea of Galilee. Like Peter you have stepped out of the boat and onto the crashing waves in order to be with Jesus. But now because of your circumstances, because of your marriage, you have taken your eyes of Christ and have begun to sink. You are in a panic and you desperately want the thing Jesus has not promised to give. You want Jesus to take you out of the sea and put you on dry land.  But Jesus is here for something bigger than that; something more miraculous. Jesus is here to lift you up and walk with you through the difficulty.  Jesus is here to give you something greater than release. Through the power of his Spirit and the wisdom of his Word Jesus will bring your life into order and set your heart on him.  For too long our hearts have been set on our situations.  Today in repentance and faith may we turn back to God and see the kingdom advance through our marriages and out to the nations.

The Discipline of a Godly Man- 1st Corinthians 9:24-27

Text: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27                                            4/27/08 a.m.

Thesis: Our greatest work is to stay connected and connect others to the power of the cross.

 

Intro: Christianity is a powerful thing. Romans 1:16 says, “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.”

1^st Corinthians 1:17 says that the cross of Christ has power.

1^st Corinthians 1:24 says that Christ is the power and wisdom of God. That power is real and that power is for salvation, daily living, and eternal life.

I want to experience that Christ-centered power and I want you to experience that power.

We all have muscles. The more you use those muscles the stronger they grow. As Christians we have all been given the power to live boldly for Christ.

Muscles don’t get strong over night and your faith and boldness in Christ do not get strong over night. It takes discipline.

I believe that you and I will experience the power of God poured out through Christ when we put in the hard work to stay connected to Christ.

I want you to live the truth that your greatest work is to stay connected and connect others to the power of the cross. This is the discipline of a godly man

Read 1^st Corinthians 9:24-27

 

I) We must fight to keep Jesus the main thing

a)      Godly men are not ashamed to live the truth that Jesus is the prize.

i)        Verse 24 states it as an obvious fact that when there is a race every man is competing to win the prize.

ii)      All the runners run. There is no one there just to try their best. They are all there to try their best in order to win the prize.

iii)    And there is only one prize so only one person gets that prize.

iv)    The runners’ hearts pound with the desire to be the one man holding that one prize.

v)      Now their prize was generally a crown of olive leaves. Their prize was being recognized by all the people as the greatest of athletes.

vi)    They compete, exercise self-control, live intentionally, and discipline themselves in order to win a perishable wreath.

vii)  But verse 25 says we Christians compete, exercise self-control, live intentionally, and discipline ourselves in order to obtain an imperishable wreath.

viii)            Let me show you from Scripture that Jesus is that imperishable wreath. He is our prize.

ix)    This particular word, ‘prize’ is found in only two places in the New Testament. In 1^st Corinthians 9 and in Philippians 3.

x)      Turn to Philippians 3:12-14

xi)    The athletic metaphor in Philippians and Corinthians is unmistakable but neither gives us the specific content of the prize.

xii)  The prize is an imperishable wreath in 1 Corinthians 9. The prize is an upward call in Philippians 3.

xiii)            So let me give you the explicit content of the prize: Philippians 3:7-11 (read it).

xiv)            The imperishable wreath and the upward call are both “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”.

xv)  Our hearts cry out for something glorious and satisfying.  The Hebrew word our bibles translate as glory carries the main idea of heavy.

xvi)            We want something bigger than ourselves; something greater than us that gives hope. Hope that will not disappoint and hope that will sustain all that we do.

xvii)          Athletes do all that they do to win, shave off a few strokes, trim a few seconds off each mile, and be the best they can possibly be so that they can win the prize.

xviii)        The prize that we as Christians press on to obtain is the prize of eternal life. The prize of attaining the resurrection from the dead.

xix)            John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

xx)  Seeing that person you love who has past away sounds so good now but eventually the excitement of that will wear away like it did when they were here.

xxi)            You’ll grow accustom to the mansion.  The streets of gold and pearly gates will one day become normal.

xxii)          If Jesus is not there to give heaven it’s fill of glory than eternal life is only the equivalent of being a healthy debt-free 20 year old.

xxiii)        Let me tell you, being a healthy debt-free 20 something is nice but I crave something deeper.

xxiv)        I feel good when I wake up, my needs are met, but I desire a prize that will not perish or grow old or lose it’s luster throughout eternity.

xxv)          Only Jesus is a sufficient prize. He is the only prize that will not lose it’s luster. Knowing Him is the only mega-prize that will keep heaven satisfying for all eternity.

b)      We must live today so that we will obtain that prize

i)        The end of 1st Corinthians 9:24, “So run that you may obtain it.”

ii)      We’ve made Christianity about walking in gardens alone while the dew is still on the roses while the bible makes Christianity about putting on body armor, strapping on a sword, and putting to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13; Eph 6; Col 3:5)

iii)    Run, in the end of verse 24, is a present active imperative. It’s a command to keep on running. And it’s not you in the singular it’s you in the plural.

iv)    Ya’ll get off your spiritual duffs and run. When the Spirit stirs us and we discipline ourselves to focus on Jesus the Christian response is to run after Christ.

v)      Here’s a no-brainer: run can be defined as the “rapid forward movement of the feet” (TDNT, Vol8.226)

vi)    The every day forward moving of our feet must be for the purpose of taking hold of or seizing Christ.

vii)  Notice that the runner receives the prize but the Christian obtains the prize.

viii)            Receive is the word “lambano” while obtain is the word “katalambano.”

ix)    When you add the prefix kata onto a word it intensifies the meaning.

x)      The Christian should be more intense when it comes to knowing Christ than Dick Butkus and Bill Romanowski  when it comes to making a tackle.

xi)    To cross that finish line to the words, “well done my good and faithful servant” there must be intensity and purpose.

xii)  Intensity and purpose come from intensity and purpose. Discipline builds with compounding interest.

xiii)            Let’s look at what discipline for the cause of Christ looks like.

II) Gaining Christ involves exercising self control, being intentional, and disciplining yourself.

a)      Verse 25 makes it a matter of fact that Christians exercise self-control (read 25)

i)        Self-control is the idea of having power over yourself. Apart from the work of Christ applied to us by the power of the Spirit we are ruled by ourselves.

ii)      Apart from being born again we are slaves to sin. For the non-Christian it’s not a matter of choosing to sin or not to sin it’s a matter of choosing which sin.

iii)    For the Christian who has been set free from the power of sin and death it is a matter of choosing to sin or not to sin.

iv)    Now because of Christ in us and the Spirit-filled Scriptures we are equipped to put our sinful desires in their place.

v)      It has now become a matter of wanting to control our sinful desires and seeking God’s grace to control our sinful desires.

vi)    If athletes make great sacrifices in order to be in the best physical condition possible does it not hold true that Christians should make great sacrifices in order to be in the best spiritual condition possible?

vii)  Galatians 5:23 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Self-control is a gift given to every believer who must put that gift into action.

viii)            The key to success is to exercise self-control in all things. Success in the Christian life is found as the mega-gospel of Jesus Christ redeems and reshapes every aspect of our lives.

ix)    A defeated athlete is the athlete who has self-control in every area of exercise, diet, equipment choices, and strategy but lacks self-control in the area of getting enough sleep.

x)      This is why the Spirit ensured that Paul was writing about the athlete in the singular but the Christian in the plural.

xi)    One dude is easily whipped but a chord of three strands is not easily broken.

xii)  If soldiers are going to battle and one brother notices a weakness in his other brother it is necessary for survival that the weakness be pointed out.

xiii)            Self-control is never attained with just you and Jesus. Self-control is attained, exercised, and restored as a body.

xiv)            If you lack self-control repent to God, put your faith in Christ, and find a believer here to help.

b)      Verse 26 makes it clear that Christians must be intentional

i)        Read verse 26

ii)      I do not run without clarity. If you are living a Forest Gump Christianity one day you’ll be out in the middle of no where and realize you are just running without a purpose.

iii)    Running for the sake of running is foolishness. Run so that you can obtain Christ.

iv)    Many of us live frustrated Christian lives because we’re like a ship without a port. We’ve got a rudder. We’ve been given the Spirit and Scripture but we’re not going anywhere. We’re content to float in the ocean of life.

v)      Set your compass on Christ and no matter the terrain do not get off course. Be purposeful as you run.

vi)    Do you know who the shadow boxing champion of the world is? There is no such thing.

vii)  The skill of a boxer is proven when he enters the ring against a real opponent who bobs, weaves, and hits back.

viii)            Christians don’t run around fighting imaginary battles. To obtain Christ we must step into the ring against a real opponent.

ix)    So, we must be clear about our destination and we must be ready to fight a real enemy to get there.

x)      Now who is our real enemy? Is it Satan? No. Is it the world? No.  Is it our spouse or kids or boss? No.

xi)    Our real enemy is ourselves.

c)      The Christian must discipline himself for godliness

i)        Paul told young Timothy to get in the spiritual gymnasium and make progress.

ii)      1 Corinthians 9:27 says…

iii)    Paul wrote in Romans 7:18-19

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

iv)    What has been called indwelling sin distracts us from Christ. Indwelling sin messes up the compass.

v)      Indwelling sin is the desire of the flesh to find worth, satisfaction, and pleasure in any place other than in Christ and in any way other than God’s way.

vi)    This leads to being disqualified.

vii)  If an athlete competes against the rules he is disqualified.

viii)            I guarantee I can beat any Olympic athlete in the 100 yard dash if I get a 30 second head start.

ix)    But that is called a false start. You get disqualified for that. Your race doesn’t count when you compete in violation of the rules.

x)      Don’t be surprised when you have desires that are against the gracious commands of Christ.

xi)    “I can’t believe I did that.” I can’t believe I said that. These are phrases that need to be dropped from the Christian’s vocabulary.

xii)  “I’m sorry, forgive me because of Christ” needs to be added to our vocabularies both with God and with others.

xiii)            The Christian’s response to temptation and failure is not to give in or give up.

xiv)            The Christian’s response is not to bind demons or find someone including God to blame.

xv)  Our response to temptation and failure is discipline.

xvi)            Everyone of us is like Cain. God said to Cain in Genesis 4:7

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

xvii)           If you run hard to obtain Christ you will do well but your pride is crouching at the door. Your pride wants to master you. You must master it.

xviii)        You must pummel your body. Beat your body, your sinful desires into submission. How do you do that?

xix)            How does an athlete do it? Is success found by simply avoiding what is wrong? Never.

xx)  Success is found by avoiding what is wrong and pursuing what is right.

xxi)            If Christianity in your mind is just a list of things to avoid then you’ve totally missed Christianity.

xxii)          Christianity is intentionally avoiding what is cheap to gain what is valuable and Christianity is training your mind to know the difference.

xxiii)        Christianity is about training your appetite to desire something different.

xxiv)        That’s one of the main reasons Christians fast. When we fast it shows us just how much our flesh rules us.

xxv)          Fasting shows us where we have gotten a few clicks off of the target. And pursing Christ gets us back on target.

xxvi)        So go to town on wrong desires by going to town on right desires. I must decrease Christ must increase.

xxvii)      You and I will never get rid of sin by trying to get rid of sin. The way to get rid of sin is by running hard to gain Christ. This must be done in all humility.

xxviii)    As we close I want to be very clear concerning what can be a confusing idea.

d)     There is a right way and a wrong way to live

i)        Read verse 27

ii)      Disqualified means that the circumstances of life prove your profession of faith in Christ to not be true.

iii)    It’s a word used to refer to the process of testing metals. Fools gold and real gold look the same until they are tested by the metal smith.

iv)    When tested fools gold is disqualified.

v)      2 Corinthians 13:5 says

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

vi)    I’m about to ask you a question that is at the same time very simple and quite profound.

vii)  Is Jesus Christ in you?

viii)            Jesus said in John 3:36, “he who believes in the Son has life but he who rejects the Son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him.”

ix)     Your life is a race. Every one of us is running after something. To receive the Son is to run after the Son. He is the goal of your life.

x)      To receive the Son is to start with the Son. He cleanses us by the power of the cross removing the guilty stain of every sin. He is the starting line.

xi)    To receive the Son is to rely on the Son. Because he was made like us and tempted in every way he can sympathize with our weaknesses. He knows your weakness and sent the Spirit to give you strength. Christ is our energy.

xii)  The great news of the gospel is that even though there is only one prize everyone who runs receives the prize.

xiii)            The fastest runner and the runner who twisted his ankle coming out of the blocks receive the same glorious prize.

xiv)            My prayer for you and I hope your prayer for me is that you would see the infinite value of Christ and run the race of this life so that you will obtain Christ.

xv)  Let’s pray for eyes that see His glory and want to pursue him. Let’s pray for faith that sees his powerful sacrifice for sins. Let’s pray for consciences that are cleansed. Let’s pray for love that endures. Let’s pray for each other.