[nazerene] *Victory in the Christian Life

Sat, 06 May 2006 11:43:09 -0700


Victory in the Christian Life
by brother bob....<><
 
It is not uncommon for people who have just become Christians to start to doubt that they really are saved. The emotions that felt so good the first day wear off and normal life seems to return. But it is not the emotional high that proves that you are saved; something different has happened in your life. You have become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away, and you are given a brand new start with your life.
 
2 Cor 5:17 (KJV)
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
 old things are passed away;
 behold, all things are become new.
 
 
That is why Jesus refers to it as being "born again":
 
Joh 3:3 (KJV)
Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily[ verily[G&H=amen, amen, this is the absolute truth], I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
 
The following Bible verse gives us assurance when we start doubting that we really are Christians. Consider this.:
 
Joh 1:12-13 (KJV)
 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name:
(13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
This verse tells us that everyone who receives Jesus Christ into their life is given the right to become a child of God. To To To "receive Him" means "to welcome Him gladly into your life". Before you may have been running away from God, denying His existence, and doubting the truth of the Bible. But now, the Holy Spirit has done a work in your life, forgiven your sins and blotted out your past. And you feel a new presence of Christ in your heart. Paul puts it this way...
 
Gal 2:20 (KJV)
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me.
 
 
The Enemy of our Faith
 
So if you have receivred Christ into your heart, the Scriptures promise that you are born again. This is an eternal change in you, and cannot be undone. But then, the enemy of our faith, Satan, realizing that he has lost his power over you, will try to plant doubts in your mind that you really are saved, especially if you should go back to doing some of the same sins you did before you were saved. However, this time if you should do them, something is different: you feel guilty, dirty, repulsive within yourself...you cannot believe that God could forgive you or love you ever again. You are experiencing "conviction of sin" . The Holy Spirit who now lives on the inside of you is pointing out your sin so clearly you can think of nothing else. You want to be rid of it and be done with it and be cleansed from it. .but how? How can God forgive me when I went back on my commitment to Christ? The answer is found in 1st John 1:9...
 
1st John 1:9 (KJV)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 
Confess your sin, that is, agree with God that it is sin, and make an inner commitment that you will never do it again. But if you do, the same remedy is always open to you...confession, and repentence, and God will forgive and continue to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
 
The Walk of Faith - Put your trust in the promises of God
 
Rom 1:16-17 (KJV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
{17} For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:
 as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
 
The chief characteristic of children of God is faith: they "believe in His name". This means that they trust Jesus and know that He is the way to God. Therefore if you have prayed and received Jesus Christ into your life then God has given you the right to become a child of God. So, instead of putting your trust in your "feelings", which can change from moment to moment like a wave of the sea, put your faith in the promises of God, which are settled forever in heaven, and cannot change.
Rom 10:9-13 (KJV)
... if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.
(10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
(12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
(13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 
This Bible verse tells us two things that we need to believe if we are truly Christians. The first of these is that we must believe in our heart that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. In order to believe this we need to believe that Jesus Christ actually lived, died on a cross and then was raised from the dead by God. This is critical to our proper understanding of Christianity.
  • If Jesus did not really exist then our sins are not paid for by anyone and we are still in danger from God's wrath.
  • If Jesus lived but was just a good man and a teacher but did not die on the cross then we have the same problem plus another one... His teachings are so high that unless our sins are forgiven and we have confidence before God then it would be absolutely impossible to live the Christian life.
  • If Jesus really did die on the cross but did not rise from the dead then we would have no way of knowing if He had truly conquered death.
  • But when we believe the well attested historical fact that Jesus Christ  did rise from the dead, then we affirm all the central truths of the Christian faith.
The Lordship of Christ
 
The second thing we have to believe and live by is that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is to say that Jesus is the Supreme Commander of the universe and is above every individual, government or human structure. This means that we must obey His Word. And in order to obey His Word, we must read and study His Word, and make it a part of our very lives, that is, let it change us.
Heb 4:2 (KJV)
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them:
but the word preached did not profit them,
 not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
 
Rom 12:1-2 (KJV)
[1}I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
 {2} And be not conformed to this world:
 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
Assurance of Eternal Life
 
God wants us to read and study and hear His Word, apply it to our lives, throw out the old worldly ways, and replace them with God's heavenly ways...one command at a time: "walking" from precept to precept, examining the ways of God, and taking them by prayer and faith into ourselves, confessing and rejecting the old ways of the world the flesh and the devil, and leaving them behind for the new life in Christ. And then God gives us this wonderful promise that we already have eternal life...
 
1John 5:11-13 (KJV)
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life,
 and this life is in his Son.
{12} He that hath the Son hath life;
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
{13} These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God;
 that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
 and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
 
Sharing the Joy
 
Having filled your life with the Presence of Christ, the joy of doing His will, and the peace which comes from having your sins forgiven, and the assurance that you have eternal life, you will be overflowing in your desire to share Him with those around you...
 
Rom 10:9-13 (KJV)
...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
 (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
 (11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
 (12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
(13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 
Are you ready to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father?
 
Mat 10:32 (KJV)
Jesus said...
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,
him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
 
God bless you as you do.
In Christ....brother bob.......<><
 
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God Bless You
In Christ.....brother bob.......<><
 


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