Title: How Christians Live/Luke 9:23-24
Content How Christians Live
Text Luke 9:23-24
Christians need to live a little differently.
How does the Bible tell Christians to live?
1. A life of denying and abandoning me
Christians are not people who follow the way they live for themselves. Those who sacrifice themselves for the Lord.
Christians are not just people who try to live by any means possible. Those who want to die for the Lord. They are not people who live according to their own blood and lust. These are people who are self-controlled and patient for the Lord.
(Luke 9:23-24) "And he said to the crowds, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. If I lose my life for it, I will save it."
1) It is to be temperate and give up and live for the Lord.
If interpreted correctly, it would be necessary to re-recognize values and re-establish the order of values. When we come to a moment where we have to make a decision, our choices must always be on the Lord's side.
Giving up on me to follow the Lord and rejecting me.
(1 Corinthians 9:25) "Everyone who competes for the victory is temperate in all things, for they want a perishable crown, but we want the immortal."
(1 Corinthians 9:27) "I beat my body into subjection, lest after I have preached to others, I myself will be rejected."
2) It is to give up all that I am attached to for the Lord.
(Matthew 19:29) “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.”
▶ There was a doctor. Since there are many doctors in the world, he said that he decided to go out as a scholar and entered a steel company. He boldly gave up his job as a doctor and went to a place with many workers to get a job. There, he taught Bible studies and mentored the workers. One day, when an accident put a person in danger, the doctor took first aid. But the emergency measures saved him. After the company president found out about this, he entrusted the company hospital to him, and eventually he calmed himself down. When we let go, God fills us more and works.
(Philippians 3:8) “And I count all things as loss because of the exaltation of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
3) You risk your life and live with the determination to die.
(John 12:24-25) "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (25) He who loves his life loses it, and in this world Whoever hates his life in Esau will keep it for everlasting life."
Those who stake 生命 on the propagation of 福音, can do it with 生命. They should be the ones who can't stop. Hebrews 11:38 concludes that these are the people the world cannot stop. How can you stop me from dying for the truth?
What an honor it is to die while preaching the good fortune, without slipping and dying. What an honor it would be to not die while taking a bath, in the bathroom, and to die while preaching the good fortune!
The highest person in prison is a death row inmate. A person who has given up his or her life at all is terrifying. There is nothing to be afraid of and nothing to be unable to do if you give up your life for the sake of good fortune. All excuses come from not being prepared to die.
(Acts 20:24) "I do not regard my life as of any value in any way, so that I may finish my course and the mission I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
2. A life that only follows the word of God
Do not live according to science, not according to medicine, not according to fate, not according to the world, not according to the human heart, not according to greed, not according to philosophy, not according to ideas, not according to the Word is to live.
1) Living with only the Word as the highest value
(Isaiah 40:8) “The grass withers and the flowers wither, but the word of our God stands forever.”
(Psalm 1:1-2) "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, (2) but delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates on it day and night. one who does"
2) Living by the Word
(Matthew 5:16-17) “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (17) Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to do it, but to complete it.”
(Matthew 4:4) "Jesus answered, "It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
▶David: (Psalm 19:11) "And the reward is great, for your servant receives a guard with his teeth, and keeps them."
(Psalm 119:11) “I have put Your word in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”
Through this Word, we must be sure that the Word will be completely fulfilled, and we must honestly live by the Word. Only those who want to live according to the Word will become a ruler with authority.
3. A servant-like life that leads to service
Christians are not people who try to rule others. They are people who serve others. I don't try to be the master of others. These are people who want to take the Lord as their master and treat others as servants.
Doesn't block others. They are people who open the way for others and lead a life.
(Matthew 11:29) “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and your hearts will be at rest.”
1) Serving God as a servant
(2 Corinthians 4:5) We must bear in mind the words, "We do not preach ourselves, but that Christ Jesus is the Lord, and that for Jesus' sake we are your servants."
2) It is to live by serving people as servants.
Everyone likes someone who is honest and sincere. Thieves also like honest and savvy men. If so, why don't you just go to church? For some reason, the church is trying to be elevated, but this is very wrong.
(1 Corinthians 9:19) "I was free to all, but I made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more."
(Matthew 20:26-27) "It is not so among you; whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, (27) Whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant."
4. Life as a Sent One
Christians are not people who think of this earth as their hometown and live like the people of the world. Instead of having a sense of belonging to this earth, you have a sense of belonging to heaven. People living in this world as strangers.
We are not sent by any organization. They are people sent by God.
(John 20:21) "Jesus said again, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you'".
1) Living proudly with the consciousness of heavenly status
(Philippians 3:20) “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from there we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2) It is to live with a clear main occupation, duty, and purpose.
We must not forget for a moment that the righteous person is an agent sent by Christ.
See if our occupation has changed. boiler maker? design? no. It's just our side job.
(See Paul's life) For the sake of the Way, he had a side job. The 傳道ja needs this kind of philosophy.
Only then, the passion of the whole body and the explosion of the life-defying path will occur.