The Rooted Christ Follower

The Rooted Christ Follower

A true display of Christianity is so needed in our world today. Oh we need this in our world today. We have weak kneed believers who have never got off the milk of scriptures and moved to the meet. How we need to present ourselves before God mature in the faith.
Colossians 2.6-7
I. Lives by Grace (we receive Christ through grace..not on our own merits) I must live in full dependence of Him, who is he
a. Accepts Christ as Substance of Christianity (totally embraces)The burning center
i. Doctrinally, (scripturally)
ii. The Person –Character-- historical Jesus
iii. The Lord-king and controller of all your life
b. Accepts Christ as the Substance and Sum of the Hope of Man
i. Because we cannot live this life on our own with all these pressures, emptiness of doing it on your own….I CANT DO IT!!
1. The husband, daddy, preacher (I will fail)
2. He is our hope because of Grace we receive this:
a. John 1.11-12 sons
b. Heb. 9.15 Eternal Inheritance
c. Rom 8.17 co heirs of the kingdom
d. Matthew 11.28 rest for our souls
e. Hebrews 7.25 security of salvation
c. Sufficient unto sanctification
i. When we walk in Him as the Truth, the Way, and the Life, changes are made able to Glorify God.
ii. All of our Strength, guidance, motives ARE to be found in Him.
iii. His grace is all we need. When all things leave you in this life His Grace is sufficient. It will get us through.
II. Built on Truth –this truth is Jesus. He is the Lord,
a. Act of Rooting
i. Past act. It was done once and for all at regeneration. “The tree may shake at the top most branches, but its roots are firm because of the earth” the firmness is Christ. Psalm 1 talks of the man who heeds to the word is like a tree…
b. Process of Building (illustration –the church…..)
i. The foundation that upholds, the roof that shelters and covers, the mortar that hold it together, the water that sustains, the electricity that gives power.
ii. Process- once again he is faithful to finish what he has started in you
c. Confirmation of Faith
i. We are established….just like the metal rebar that goes into the concrete as bracing strengthens the building our faith is confirmed by what he is doing inour life. Allowing us to continue to be built upon and fully trust him!

III. Abounds in Praise
We have fallen asleep Wake up put on strength and praise him..Oh how we must praise our God. Not just give lip service, but true praise (abundant praise life filled praise God Glorified, Christ Centered, Bible Saturated, unquenchable praise!!!!!!!! Let us not focus on the negative, let us proclaim the Lord. The Lord longs to hear His Name made Renown and Glorified!!! Christ is not valued unless he is valued above all-Augustine
a. For his Grace (the called are the chosen, the sinners and thieves, but from the ashes come the song of the redeemed)
i. Salvation, awakened to sin, deliverance
b. For his Blessings
i. Remedy for sin
ii. Forgiveness of debt
iii. Coming again
iv. Amazing perfect love, incomparable
v. That he accepts the broken, beat, worthless, wounded, weak, sinners
c. For Him
i. Oh let us fall on our faces at his feet and worship the Lamb that was slain for the sins of fallen man. He is the one saved, the one who forgave
d. Glorifies God
e. Fulfills man
f. Keeps you accountable
g. It displays our relationship with Christ.
Conclusion
Are you rooted? This all starts with being reborn. Made anew by the work of Christ. Christ saves sinners, allowing us to have a relationship with God. Freeing us from guilt and shame and sin. When God saves us he starts a work in our lives that he will complete.
Christian are you relying upon your own strength to be the husband, wife, daddy, mother, son, daughter –don’t depend on your own strength. Live in his GRACE , BUILD on truth….
God deserves our praise….with all we have… how he made you…is he getting it…do you abound in praise. We have so much to be thankful for!!

John the Baptist

John the Baptist is one of the most interesting characters in scripture. We first here of the one crying in the wilderness in Isaiah. Then we meet his parents Elizabeth and Zechariah. These two old Messianic Jews were used by God to raise a mighty man of God. In Luke 1.67-79 we read a poem that was prophetic in every word. John's daddy sings a song over his son, telling what he would be in the eyes of God. John grew and becomes strong in the spirit and goes to the wilderness. John was unique...in his appearance and in his message. There is no doubt he looked different than most religious folks of the day. He was wearing a camel hair jacket for crying out loud. Not to mention his preferred food (locusts...grasshopper like creature). But his message is what stands out. It was a message of repentance and turning from sin.......Notice his humbleness how he centered himself around the Christ.

We as called men of God should stand with the preachers of old. Like John we need to be the voice who cries in our wilderness. A cry for repentance, for preparation. May we too be humble and center ourselves around the Lamb of God.

revelation

The Doctrine of Revelation
Knowing God is the most important thing in life. God created people fundamentally for a relationship with himself. The relationship depends on knowing who he is as he has revealed himself. God is personal, which means he has a mind, will, emotions, relational ability and self consciousness. Because he is personal, and not merely an impersonal object, God must personally reveal himself to us. He has done this in what is called a general revelation (the World) and special revelation (the Word of God).
General Revelation
Revelation of God given to all people at all times. This revelation is found both in the external creation (Psalm 19.1) and in the internal human experience. (Romans 1.19-20)
General Revelation shows the attributes of God. His existence, power, creativity, and wisdom; in addition, the testimony of human conscience also provides evidence of God’s moral standards to all human beings. ((Romans 2.14-15) This means from the general revelation all people have some knowledge that God exists, some knowledge oof his character, and some knowledge of his moral standards. So we have from this a awareness of Guilt before God as all people instinctively know we have not meet his requirements. Many world religions have been invented to soothe the sense of their guilt.
General Revelation does not provide knowledge of the true solution to man’s guilt before God: The forgiveness of sins that comes through Jesus Christ. GR does not provide personal knowledge of God as a loving father who redeems his children and establishes covenants with them. For this we need something more we need a special revelation, which God has providentially provided in the Bible
Elements of the Special Revelation
What is the Word of God? Emma said, “The Bible the book of Jesus, it’s the good sword, it is the mighty sword. The Bible says that we are sinners.”
Special Revelation; The Bible is God’s written revelation of who he is and what he has done in redemptive history. Humans need this divine, transcendent perspective in order to break out of their subjective, culturally bond, fallen limitations. Through God’s written Word, his people may overcome error, grow in sanctification, minister effectively to others and live abundant lives as God intends.
II Timothy 3.14-4.5 “elements”
Introduction: Paul’s swan song his final words….what is most important of all the words he could have told him this is what he said. D
I. Grace (vs15)—holy scriptures
a. Undeserving to receive the revelation because of COnditon
b. Displays the Gospel—mans need
II. Completeness (vs 17) nothing else is needed. Pure no additives total package it is complete. Nothing added nothing took away.
a. Sufficient for Salvation
b. Sufficient for Sanctification
c. Sufficient for your life purpose.
III. Superiority (theopneustos) (vs3.16-4.1-2) this was a new word coined by Paul. It has never been used before in Greek lit. secular or biblical
a. All works of men…
b. All ideas above all things….philosophers (4.3-4)
c. Unique..because it speaks of the unique one Christ.
d. Original
IV. Offends
a. In Pride
b. In Sin
c. In false hoods