“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Introduction:
A lot of Christians live their walk of faith without the gospel. So many know of the gospel, but only few have the gospel in their hearts. The gospel needs to be shared but we remain in the beginning of stages of hearing the gospel and keeping it to ourselves. We need to come to the conclusion that the gospel is everything, the good news. Jesus came to deliver us from the power of sin, satan and hell when nothing else could deliver us. We need to confirm and make this message my own, that Jesus is my Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:16
How can we rightfully enjoy the gospel? Through worship. God has given us so many blessings but our own limitations prevent us from enjoying them, and we can only overcome these through Christ. God has called us to live a thriving life of enjoying and sharing the gospel and saving dying souls, but we remain stuck in the introductory life. We remain stuck in our old nature.
There are natures that hinder us from enjoying the gospel, such as pessimism, legalism (do’s and don’ts), humanism (relying on human strength, rather than God’s). These serve as channels for Satan to attack us.
Ephesians 4:7, 6:11,13,16
1 Peter 5:7
Then, what kind of nature do we need to restore?
1. Christ has to be my master
Paul tells us that we need to make Christ your master every day. God gives us problems and hardship to give us opportunities to make Christ my master, so we could hold on to him tighter. When Christ becomes our master, all the problems we once had become resolved in Jesus. He has all authority in heaven and earth and is Lord of all.
Check, is Jesus the master of your household, of your church? Letting Jesus become your master is the greatest blessing God has given us but so many Christians are afraid of letting go. However, there is true freedom and enjoyment only when we let go and allow Jesus to take full control. Christ wants to be our master. We just need to let him be.
It is well with my soul
2. Word of God has to be the center of my heart
In the throne of your hearts, who is your center? Adam was filled with wisdom when he had the word of God, but when he lost it, he fell into curses. The word of God reveals God’s covenant, that Jesus finished everything on the cross. Hold on to the Sunday Pulpit message. The true Christian is the one who holds the word of God in their hearts dearly everyday. We only listen to the message for 30 minutes a week, and then for the rest of the week we hold on to the word of the news, of other people, and of the culture.
3. Prayer has to become my nature
If the word is organized and my own, prayer will naturally take place. Even though we are busy, when we pray, God gives us strength. Let’s be those who enjoyed the mystery of prayer the most. We need to restore the prayer that aligns our will with God’s. We can’t possibly change the world, filled with people crushed by their spiritual problems.
Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit
Conclusion:
Whenever you come across a problem, turn to deep prayer. Set up time to pray a simple prayer to restore Christ as your master. Do not fall into deception but allow Christ to be your master.