The Christian Life

This morning I’d like to follow on from what Andrew Axon said a couple of weeks ago about Christianity being a seven day a week relationship with God and not just something we pick up and dust off on a Sunday morning.

I’ve called my talk ‘The Christian life’ and I want to show why the idea of just having a Sunday faith is completely at odds with what God intends for us.

And I’d like to start by looking at how we initially find a relationship with God because this is key to how we should then continue to walk with God day by day.

According to the bible, our relationship with God starts as we repent and turn to him.

Lots of people think repentance sounds a bit gloomy and negative but actually it’s a very positive thing. And it is simply us reaching a point where we truly want God in our lives and therefore we’re willing to turn to him and submit to him.

We’re willing to say OK Lord I’ve tried life my way and I’m not happy or fulfilled. I want meaning and purpose and forgiveness. I want to know you and why you created me – so please come into my life and be my God.

And we can reach this point in life for a variety of reasons.

It may be because we feel our lives are empty and pointless without God and we are hungry for meaning and purpose.

Or it may be because we are fearful and feel lost and alone in the world. It may be because we are burdened with a realisation that we’ve made a mess of our lives and we realise we need forgiveness and a fresh start.

People come to a point of repentance for a whole variety of reasons – but as we truly repent and turn to God and invite him into our lives – he responds to the cry of our heart and comes into our lives by his spirit – and we come to know him and his love for us.

In other words our relationship with him starts.

And then in order to grow and develop that relationship, just as we received Christ by turning to him and submitting our lives to him – we should continue to live in the same way day by day.

Paul says in his letter to the Colossians – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.”

So, each day we should be turning to and submitting ourselves to God afresh - inviting him to guide us and work through us in any way he chooses.

And this what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel reading when he speaks about taking up our crosses and following him.

Jesus lived in perfect submission to his Heavenly Father every day of his life even as he approached his crucifixion.

He chose quite literally to take up his cross in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said; “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

And metaphorically speaking we should do the same. In our case the cross Jesus is taking about is self-denial and choosing each day to do our best to follow God’s will for our lives rather than our own.

This is what Jesus means by losing our lives for his sake and the gospel. He means choosing God’s plan and purpose for our lives rather than our own.

Paul says essentially the same thing in our reading from Romans chapter 12. He says; “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.”

The true and proper way to worship God is for us to lay our lives down in service to him. In practice this means allowing God to be the God of our lives.

It means being obedient to him. It means allowing him to direct and guide us. It means stepping out in faith if we believe he is asking us to do something.

It means submitting our plans to him and asking him to ensure that whatever we’re planning is in accordance with his will.

Its acknowledging that he knows best and that his way is best. It’s acknowledging that he is our Lord and God – not us.

And as we turn to and submit to Jesus as Lord and King we experience his kingdom – his rule and reign in our hearts and lives and we become a part of it.

And we become ambassadors for it – and our main purpose in life becomes to help extend it because we realise it is an eternal kingdom and it is the very best thing any person can ever experience or become a part of.

So, we walk through life each day in the world but also in the spirit - conscious of God’s kingdom and always looking for opportunities to share it and make Jesus known.

We walk in the world and in the spirit at the same time.

Its interesting that in the Old Testament according to the Law of Moses, the Jewish people could only eat clean animals – animals with a cloven hoof and that chewed the cud, such as cows, sheep, and goats.

In some ways just as an animal with a cloven hoof leaves a double footprint where it walks, so do we as Christians. As we walk through life, we leave a worldly foot print but also a spiritual footprint.

And just as cloven hoof cattle chew the cud – so should we chew and reflect on God’s word in order to get the goodness from it.

Of course we have to live our earthly lives and fulfil our worldly duties – to earn a living, pay our bills, do the washing up, mow the lawn, get our cars serviced – etc - but as we do these things we are conscious that God is with us and that he wants to reach out to those around us through us.

He wants us to be like salt and light. To change the flavour of life around us and for people to see something of his love and goodness in us.

And of course every Christian is a missionary – someone who is sent by God - and has a mission field?

Our mission field is the people we mix with and encounter each day. First and foremost our family. God wants to save our families and to reach out to them through us – through our prayers for them; through our words and the example of faith they see in us.

Our mission field is also our friends and work colleagues and anyone we may meet in life.

God loves each one and we just need to be open to the prompting of his spirit as we go through life.

Now at this point I just want to say that this is what God wants us to do – but as frail and weak and imperfect people, of course we fall short of doing this. I certainly do.

We get side tracked by the world and our busy lives and we can forget about God. We can put him on the backburner – and we miss what he is asking us to do because we’re too focused on stuff we have to do.

We fail to reflect his love and goodness. We have a tendency to be impatient and selfish and to wander away from God.

And this is the great struggle of the Christian life – the pull of God and the pull of the world, the flesh and the devil.

But so much of this struggle and how well we manage to lead our Christian lives hinges on the choices we make each day.

How we choose to feed or starve our relationship with God.

Generally speaking, the more time we choose to spend in prayer and reading God’s word, the healthier our relationship with him will be.

The bible says draw close to God and he will draw close to you.

I can’t stress how important it is for us as Christians to make space each day to spend time alone with God.

I really like doing the Bible in One Year as it gives me a focus for my quiet time each morning. I can lift the day ahead to God and ask him to be with me in it and through it.

Joyce Meyer is a really good American bible teacher – and she believes that Satan’s primary attack on our lives is often on our quiet times.

She says that Satan knows if he can stop or deter us from spending time with God, he can disrupt our walk with God and limit our fruitfulness.

So, don’t be surprised if other things crop up just as you’re about to pray or if you mind starts wandering and you suddenly think about some job you need to do.

Of course as Christians our walk with God is not just personal, its corporate. We need each other. We need the encouragement and prayer and support of our Christian brothers and sisters.

And as we meet and come together with other Christians Jesus is among us in a special way.

He says; “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

And this is why we come to church and meet together. This is why we join study groups. Its to meet with our spiritual family, to encourage one another and build each other up, in order that as we go out into the world during the week, we can be fruitful.

I know I’ve tried to cover quite a lot of different aspects of our Christian life this morning but as I said I wanted to try and show how far away from God’s purpose for our lives is the idea of being a Sunday Christian.

If we are trying to cram our relationship with God into an hour on Sunday we are miles away from his plan and purpose for our lives.

So, as I tie up my talk this morning, I’d like us to reflect on how we are doing on our Christian walk with God.

Are we submitting our lives and our plans to God – because this was the case when we became Christians? Are we spending time with God each day? Are we reading our bibles and chewing the cud? Are we actively looking to try and help others come to know him? Are we seeking to serve God in some way in our lives?

Of course, he doesn’t condemn us for failing to do these things but he wants us to be obedient and focused on him so that we can experience his life and love and then share it with others because there is nothing we can do that is more important.

I’m going to close now with a time of quiet when we can reflect on these things with our Heavenly Father.

So, let’s all close our eyes and talk to God in our hearts about anything I’ve said this morning which may resonate with us.

QUIET

Lord Jesus forgive us for all the ways we fall short in our walk with you. As we sing this next song we ask you to come among us and fill us with your Holy Spirit. We ask you to fill us with your life and your love and to give us the willingness and determination to follow you. Help us to make a difference in the world, Lord. Amen