“Two steps forward and three
steps back” seems to be the phrase that sums up what many people feel about
their Christian walk. When did acting like a Christian become the substitute
for being one? The call of Jesus has been and always will be, “Come just as you
are.”
I. Living the Christian life
is not hard…it's impossible!
An
exhausting and excruciating life usually best describes the life that most
Christians live:
· Precept without Power
· Rules without Resource
· Laws without Life
II. The great irony of living the Christian life is that it is only possible
when you die to yourself.
· To die to self is to lay down what
you want in the moment and quit being “self” centered.
· To die to self is to live for Christ,
who is now your life source.
· To die to self is to submit your will
to God’s will and follow His example.
My works only count for me after
salvation is experienced, and even then all they prove is that Jesus’ work was sufficient
enough to save me.
It is Jesus who will do the things
through you that He has called you to do. You don’t have the power to do
them on your own.
III. God is not asking you to make a promise
you can't keep; He is asking you to believe a promise that only He can
make.
The mystery is not you being like
Christ. It’s Christ being in you: not imitation, but impartation.
It’s Christ in you – the hope of glory!
