Click For Audio Version
What is, “walking the Christian walk,”?
Walking the Christian walk will never be easy. Jesus calls on us to follow Him, and to do that we must give up some of our worldly desires. It is never easy to change the way you think or act. From the time we are infants, we fuss to get the things we want. We are more concerned with our wants than anything else. This is our nature.
Today’s world wants everything to be easy and does not want to hear anything that requires an effort on their part. Sin and fear of losing their following causes many Ministers to abandon the simple truths of the Bible. It is much easier to please people by preaching only the love of God.
Don’t misunderstand what I am saying, the love of God is crucial to your understanding of God’s desire for you. God does love you and always wants what is best for you. What is harder for you to understand is that living a life committed to God is the path to happiness.
One of the best-known and most often quoted Scriptures is John 3:16 NKJV, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I have preached this wonderful Scripture many times and its truth is where we place our hope. But, this is not the whole truth. It is only the beginning of God’s wonderful message to us.
The Gospel Message is about establishing a Kingdom where righteousness is always present. God is righteous in all He does and in all that He calls us to do. The Bible is clear that the unrighteous will not be allowed into Heaven.
So this brings up the question, how can we who are sinners enter into God’s presence?
Where to start
Many of you may find this a review, but I believe that most of you will find things you need to learn. You will be reminded of where you were, where you are, and where you need to go.
Let’s start with where we all were. We were and are all sinners in God’s eyes because we have all broken God’s laws. We find this declaration in Romans 3:23 NKJV, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I know you may have lived a very good life by the world’s standards. You have followed the Ten Commandments most of your life and maybe even gone to church.
How good you are will not save you, you are still a sinner. There are only two types of people, forgiven and unforgiven sinners. You are one or the other. It does not matter what race, color, or social position you are still a sinner. All of us qualify as sinners. You may have been born in the church and attended and worked there all your life. You are still a sinner and fall short of God’s righteousness.
Church can not save you! Living a good life will not save you.
You need Jesus
Yes, you need a Savior. Why you may ask? You may see yourself as a good person but God does not. You may be living as “good” as you believe possible. I have met individuals who told me how good they were and that they did not need a Savior. The truth is they were good by all worldly standards, but not sinless and there is a penility for sin.
Paul points us to this vital truth in Romans 6:23 NKJV, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It is as simple as that. If you have sinned, and the Bible tells you that you have, therefore you deserve your wages. There are no exceptions. All have sinned and the wages of sin is death. You and I have earned the death penalty on judgment day.
You are guilty
Accepting that you are a sinner and knowing that the wages of sin is death, what are you to do?
You have a choice to make. God allows you to choose what you want to do about your sinful life. You can continue in your sin and pay the price, but there is another choice that our loving God has provided. God gave you Free Will so it is up to you to make the choice.
You can accept God’s way or you can go your own way. But understand that the choice is between Heaven or hell. There are no other choices.
God offers you the gift of eternal life with Him in Heaven.
To accept this gift you must also accept the fact of your sinful nature.
Your next step
Now that you know that you are a sinner and the wage of sin is death what can you do to avoid death and hell?
Remember the Scripture listed above, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God knew that you couldn’t pay the price for your sin, so He offered His Son to pay for you.
He sent His Son into a wicked world and opened the door to all who will believe in Jesus. If this is the first time you have heard of Jesus it may be hard to accept Him as the Son of God. However, God gave us a mountain of evidence about the coming Savior. He has also given us many witnesses who knew Him and recorded all He did. We even have Jesus’ own testimonial in the Scripture below.
Only one way
The world will tell you that there are many ways to come to God. Don’t believe them! God only promised one way through the Prophets and He only gave one way through His Son.
The Apostle John tells us in John 14:6 NKJV that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. God sent His Son and established Him as our only way back to the Father.
As Peter speaks to the Jewish leaders after Jesus’ resurrection in Acts 4:12 NKJV he says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus is the only one who paid the price for our sins.
Your faith opens the door
You have learned that you are a sinner and that the wages of sin is death. Scripture tells you that God loves you and wants to save you. It reveals that God sent His Son to pay the price for your sins. What is your next step?
Luke tells us in Acts 2:38 NKJV, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This promise was not just to those listening to Peter, but to all of us who believe.
As God grows your faith, you realize that there is more to do than just listen to those who talk about God. God wants you to actually do something. He wants you to respond to the faith He causes to grow in you. He gives everyone the faith they need to know of Him and to accept His salvation.
So, what do you do?
What the Scripture tells you to do. That is what you do. You follow God’s plan.
You confess your sins, repent of your rebellious ways, believe in Jesus’ death, and burial, and that God raised Him from the dead.
Paul says in Romans 10:9-10 NKJV, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
It is not complicated and you can do this part by yourself. Just you and God. When you confess Him as Lord and ask Him to come into your heart He will.
Once you have given your life to Jesus He has promised that you will do great things. Things even greater than He did while on Earth.
GREATER WORKS
This is where walking the Christian walk begins for each of us. Our Christian life is not a waiting game. God wants something more from us. Our faith in Jesus entails more than just believing.
Is following Jesus all about going to church and singing hymns?
Of course not, it is so much more!
Jesus explains in JOHN 14:12-13 NKJV, 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Jesus promises us that we can do greater works. What could be greater than what He did? Is it not the miracle of salvation? Jesus died for our sins, but what if those who followed Him never told anyone?
Jesus died to save the world. He was the only one who could do that for us. However, He chose us to tell the Good News of God’s kingdom to others. The greater works is the spreading of the Gospel Message to a lost world.
The miracle of salvation comes when we tell others about what He did for us and they believe and are saved.
Salvation is greater than healing or even raising the dead. God gave us an important part in His Divine plan. We are to be a part of this miracle in the lives of others.
When we are walking with Jesus and have our hearts and minds set on doing His will we have a special promise. Jesus tells us that what we ask for in His name, He will do for us so that the Father will be glorified.
One of the things we should be asking for daily is the salvation of the souls of those who are yet lost to the world. When we pray this way we are asking that God’s will be done on earth.
CONTINUE TO MINISTER
When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit, continued His ministry. If we are walking the Christian walk, we will also continue to do the good works God has provided for us to do. In Ephesians 2:10 NKJV, Paul tells us, 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Part of these good works is spreading the Good News of the Risen Lord. As followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit in us and we have His command to preach Him to the end of the World. So, how do we continue the ministry that Jesus started?
You share Jesus’s truth. We tell people about Jesus and our loving God. Followers prepare for the task by reading the scriptures daily and praying for guidance.
True Christians are not afraid or ashamed to share the truth of our Savior, Christ Jesus. Friend, you can and should be a light for others.
Live your life as close to how Jesus lived His as possible. If you are spreading God’s truth, then you also need to live His truth. Your actions can speak louder than your words.
You must be kind, not judge, and have compassion for others. Your desire should be to help those in need. Be quick to listen slow to speak, and even slower to anger. Be the example that you want to see in others. Let them see Jesus in you!
DO GREATER THINGS
You might be asking yourself, “How are we to do greater things than Jesus did?” We will not be able to heal or feed more people than Jesus did. He is speaking of the miracle that you can see today with your own eyes. His Holy Church.
The disciples He was addressing conquered the Roman Empire and established His Church in all the world. They could not die on the cross for our sins as Jesus did, but all but John gave their lives to spread the Good News.
Today Christians continue to give their lives to reach others with the message of God’s love. All followers continue to build on the foundation that is laid in Jesus.
Satan thought that he had gained a victory when Jesus was nailed to the cross and then sealed in a tomb. However, Jesus arose and is seated in heaven with His Father.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
We can face death without fear because we know we will be with Jesus. It is true that we still miss those who passed before us, but knowing where they are going gives us great comfort. Without Jesus, there is no hope or peace.
LOVE & OBEDIENCE
In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Jesus tells us to keep His commandments if we genuinely love Him. Our love for Jesus will force us to speak out when we would rather be silent. We will tell people when we see them sinning how Jesus came to set them free from sin.
Our lives will be an example of what God wants on this earth. We will show love and kindness in all we do. Hate will not be a part of our lives.
Today we are seeing the horrors of hate on our streets. It starts in the hearts of men and women who do not know the love of Jesus. Satan builds upon that hate to cause people to harm each other or support those who kill and destroy.
INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT
Jesus told His disciples to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them. When it did they became bold in proclaiming the truth of Jesus and thousands were saved.
When we accept Jesus, we also receive the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to work effectively in God’s great plan. He promises to continue and complete all of the good works that He has started in each of us.
His good works can be physical things as well as spiritual. God wants our hearts and we show our commitment by the things we do and say.
God has work that He wants to do in us for His glory and our good. When we accept the Holy Spirit, this is part of the promise that comes with that acceptance.
JESUS’S LOVE TO ALL WHO OBEY HIM
Jesus shows His love for believers in so many ways.
- He went to the cross for our sins. He paid a debt we could not pay.
- Jesus opened His arms to accept all who would come to Him.
- When we follow and obey His commands, He promises to always be with us.
- He opens the minds and hearts of those who accept Him.
- Friendship with the God who created us and all we know.
Jesus told His apostles that they were not His servants but His friends.
Friendship with God is what Jesus has promised us if we follow His commands.
Joy is another promise to us if we continue to follow Jesus’s command because doing so will result in being in God’s love and that alone brings much joy.
God promises that we will have trials and tribulations in this life just for believing in Him and not denying Him.
This promise, we already see coming true today. Do you have friends who have stepped away from you since you became a Christian? I know I have.
The loss of friends is only part of the persecution we have waiting for us. Many are paying with their lives but will reap their rewards from God.