“Art
thou a Christian?”
John 3:10
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Introduction: Jesus
asks a question of Nicodemus “Art
thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”
Jesus asked a hard question of this Pharisee you
see, but what came to my mind was Jesus redirecting the question to us possibly
saying, “Are you really a Christian and
you don’t know these things?”
I want to look at three things God wants us to know,
and these things we should know, and this is not a complete list of what we
need to know, but a good start.
I. WORKS
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9
Not of works,
lest any man should boast.
A. Not
Earning Your Way To Salvation
1. You
would brag on how good you were.
a. Pride
Romans 4:1-2 What shall we say then that Abraham
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof
to glory; but not before God.
B. It Wasn’t The Law
1.
Abraham
didn’t build a temple
2.
Abraham
raised livestock
3.
Abraham
wandered about the land
C. It Isn’t Being Good
1.
Abraham
lied Genesis 20:2
2.
Abraham
argued with God.
Genesis 18:27-28
II. SEPARATION
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
1. Could it be me? (I am the
only man that can move me away from the “love” of God. It is not total separation, just out of the
will of God.)
Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
B. We Cannot Be Separated From God’s Love.
1.
He loves us without any doubt
2.
What about my love of God and His Son Jesus?
C. God Expects Separation
Numbers 6:2-3 Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to
vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: 3
He shall
separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar
of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of
grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
1. When we make the statement that “I am a
Christian,” (Nazarite) we are claiming:
a.
I
am separated (Holy)
i. Sanctified
b.
I
am unique (Born Again)
i. Justified
c.
I
am different (Set Apart)
i. Separated
Romans 12:2 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.
2. As a professing Christian we are
claiming Non-Conformance to the world.
3. We are claiming we have been
transformed. (Born Again)
4.
We
are claiming repentance
(Renewing of our mind)
D. Why Do We Separate Ourselves?
1.
To
Prove
a.
The
Good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
2. Most Christians don’t want to prove
anything; They just want a spot in Heaven.
III. FAITH
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
A. By Faith
1. By Faith Alone
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
a. Without Faith
i.
It
is impossible to please Him.
2.
Look
at Sarah
READ: Genesis
18:9-15
a. She did laugh
b.
She
now knew God
i. She now had Faith
ii. She could now conceive.
iii. God didn’t want Isaac born of an
un-believer.
3.
Enoch
had Faith
4.
Abraham
had Faith
5.
Noah
had Faith
6.
Isaac
had Faith
7.
Jacob
had Faith
8.
Joseph
had Faith
9.
Moses
had Faith
10.
The
Harlot Rahab had Faith
(Rahab; Harlot, Gentile, yet through her son Boaz she is in the lineage of Jesus Christ the man.)
B. All Before The Law
1. All believed God’s Promises
CONCLUSION: Where
my brother do you stand? Are you
planning on going to heaven because of your works?
John tells us in chapter 3
verse sixteen we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We
must believe that Jesus and God are one.
John 10:30 and re-read Ephesians 2:9.
Not
by works can you get to Heaven, to have the eternal Life with God and His Son
Jesus.
Are
you planning on getting there by your separation?
Being separated you still
must believe. If you have separated
your life unto God and do not believe that God raised His Son from the dead
(Romans 10:9) you are attempting to work your way there.
Mormons, Catholic, JW’s all
are separated
Are you attempting to get there by faith in God
alone?
If you are then, without Christ Jesus you are still
working your way to Holiness.
Our Bible, the Word of God tells us
John 3:16 “…whosoever
believeth in him…”
Romans 10:9 “…believe in thine heart…”
We must acknowledge and believe that Jesus Christ is
Lord and Saviour, and that He is the Son of God and that God did raise Him from
the Dead.
Once we have accepted Christ as our Saviour now we
can start working for the Lord.
Now we can separate ourselves to the Lord
from the world.
Now our faith in God and the Lord Jesus
Christ will get us to the Promised Land, where we came spend eternity with God
in the presence of His Son.
Have you accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour?
Are
you separated from the world
Or are you mired into the
world and
Only half
struggling to get out.
Make the changes today (repent) to
re-acquaint yourself to God and His Son.
Re-dedicate your life to God and His Son today
NOT TOMORROW
NOW