How to live
A Consistent Christian Life
Consistent Christian Life
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well as I said we've been the last
couple of weeks looking through the
series that Idol title Christians in the
crosshairs and we've been thinking about
the challenge that we face many times
today with animosity that is directed at
us as a result of our faith in Christ as
we started the series two weeks ago we
talked about the fact that animosity
toward those that follow Christ is
something that is to be expected the
Bible in many places tells us that Jesus
himself said to his disciples if they
hate me that going to hate you because
the servant is not greater than his
master and so Jesus was very clear with
his disciples and saying that you're
going to face animosity you're going to
face persecution we talked as well about
the fact that the reason that is is
because a righteous life really condemns
those around it that aren't living
righteously not necessarily by our words
although at times that is a case but by
our lifestyle and any of you that have
had a a dramatic change in your life
from before you were a Christian to
after knowing Christ we've seen that it
experience that some of your friends or
families and what what's going on why
have you changed you think you're now
better than we are the change in your
life brings conviction it brings
challenge and a ten times that leads to
animosity toward us it is we live out
our Christian lives last week we thought
thought about their talked about the
fact that God is in control and we said
that one of the things
we have to grab ahold of those
Christians if we are going to continue
to live in Christian life in a world
that is filled with animosity we have to
grab ahold of the fact that God is in
control and as we talked about that last
week we went through the Book of Daniel
very quickly actually we went through
the Book of Daniel twice last week first
of all we saw that the culture of
Babylon was very anti God it was it was
very accepting of all kinds of gods but
it was very anti the God of Israel it
was very anti the true God and then we
went through it again we saw through
Daniel and through his friends and
through some of the leaders in Babylon
that God was in charge God was in
control and Daniel and his friends and
some of the others were able to take a
stand because they knew regardless of
what happened that God was still in
control and so that's where we've been
so far in our study I want you to think
about something looking back if you were
here to last week in the Book of Daniel
and if you weren't here I'm sure you're
familiar with Daniel and so in your mind
you can go back and think about this but
did you notice something as we went
through the Book of Daniel last week did
you notice the consistency and Daniels
life as he served his God did you notice
the
didn't see in Daniels life in an annual
walk of faith daniels nathan life was
insane whether he was a new captive in a
foreign land or whether he was second in
command under King Darius Daniel faith
and life was exactly the same he
followed the same God he lived the same
way and he demonstrated his faith in God
we also noticed that Daniels faith in
life was the same whether he was being
rewarded for helping the King or whether
he was thrown into the Lions Den
Daniel's Nathan God was exactly the same
it didn't change we also saw that you
know when those that were looking at
Daniel's life toward the end of the book
they were jealous of Daniel and they
were looking at his life and they were
looking at his life trying to find
something that they could use against
him and you remember what they said when
they examined Daniels life I can't find
anything to use against me if we're
going to do something to get Daniel in
trouble the only thing that we can use
is his faith in God and this consistent
faith Daniel ax live a very consistent
life as he lived out his faith in God
the question I want each of us to
consider for ourselves is what is this
how consistent is
my Christian life I want each of us to
just look for a minute into our own
parties and whole lives and answer that
question do I live a consistent
Christian life is my wife as a Christian
consistent is my life the same at church
it as it is at work or at school you
know am I the same Christian here at
church is I haven't work on Monday
morning am I the same Christian you're a
church as I am in school on Monday
morning it is my life consistent is my
life the same at home when no one is
looking as it is in the community what
everybody's looking when everybody's
watching am i living the same way am i
living by Christian belief in my
Christian principles if someone was
looking into your life or two by trying
to find something that they could use it
against me would they have to look long
and hard or with alien we pick something
up just like that and say well I can use
that against it because then wife isn't
consistent they say one thing and they
do another is my life consistent am I
consistently adhering to and following
the Christian principles that are set
apart for us in the Word of God now we
might be asking this this morning what
does that have to do with Christians in
the process what does that have to do
with our series of animosity toward
Christians I'm glad you asked it's a
good question here here's my thinking if
there is animosity toward us as
Christians we need to make sure that
that animosity is because of our faith
and
and not a result of hypocrisy that comes
from an inconsistent bridge in life in
other words if you are suffering
animosity for your faith are you
suffering because of your faith or are
you experiencing animosity because
you're not living a consistent Christian
I hadn't thought of it until I stood up
here this morning that here's an example
for my own life and it was it was a
while ago but it was embarrassing and it
really brought a point home I remember
in high school I was in the locker room
and a lot of good things happen in
locker room I don't remember exactly
what was going on in the locker room but
I remember taking part in activities
that I knew were not Christian at the
time because I wanted to fit in little
buddy l surrounding I wanted to be a
part of what was going on and i'll never
forget one of my non-christian friends
looked at me and he said the words that
still make me emotional the words that
I'll never forget he said is that what
they teach you in church and he might
ought to slap me right across the class
because I realized at that moment that I
was not living in consistent Christian
life that I was one way in church and
another way at all did something
completely dinner to school
and I don't know if it was animosity but
what what that friend of mine was
feeling toward me and nothing to do with
my Christian faith it had everything to
do with the inconsistencies of it and
there are times that I fear that his
Christians that we we pull apart our
soap box or we get on our high horse and
we preach morality to our world and then
we don't live by that morality and then
people point the finger at it today they
said what are you doing you know they
they're they're critical and they're
filled with animosity and it's not
against our Christian faith it's against
our inconsistent life and so I think
that is we are thinking about animosity
toward those that are Christians we need
to make sure that we stop and consider
why that animosity is data and if it's
there because we're not consistent and
we're living as hypocrites then the
problem isn't the world the problem is
us and we need to examine our hearts and
our lives and see whether that is
suitable we read this morning first
Peter chapter 3 I could get that passage
out of my head this week because Peter
and in that passage lists a number of
characteristics that generally speaking
are part of a consistent Christian life
he lists things like unity and sympathy
and brotherly love having a tender heart
and being humble lacking a desire to
seek revenge he touched about keeping
our tongue from evil talks about turning
to do good and turning away from me
it talks about seeking peace and as he
shares all of those things he says
something that that I thought was
interesting he then says it's hard to
believe that we would suffer for doing
those righteous things and I don't
believe that Peter is contradicting what
Jesus said or what Paul said about
suffering as a christian but i believe
the Peters expressing what we all think
when we live a Christian life he's
saying why would anybody why would
anybody persecute you for showing love
and kindness and unity and seeking peace
he says that given ly speaking that
doesn't make any sense but then he goes
on and he says but and the idea here is
you will suffer for that type of
righteous living and he says if you
suffer for righteous living make sure
that you're suffering for doing the
right things and not doing evil things
he says that in verse 17 make sure that
if you're suffering you're suffering
because you're demonstrating love and
sympathy and peace and ability and all
of those other things make sure that the
reason you're suffering is we're living
in outer life make sure that you're not
suffering for doing evil things or
sinful things make sure that you're not
suffering because of hypocrisy if we
experience animosity toward our
Christian faith that's one thing but if
we suffer because we're living as
hypocrites we're getting exactly what we
deserve we're getting exactly what we
deserve because of our way of life and
so Peter is saying make sure you're
suffering for the right thing is I
thought about that this weekend
some of you brought this out at our
Bible study last week what made you
think about it I bet you know I need to
say this I'm not talking about trying to
live up to the standards that the world
often puts on Christians because you
know as well as I do that if you are
trying to live your Christian faith
those that are outside of the Christian
faith are going to be saying you well as
a Christian this is how you need to live
and how you need to act and I don't know
how to be honest without being blunt
those outside of Christ have no business
w aside live the Christian life and I'm
not saying that we need to live up to
the standards that are non Christian
that they set up and many times what
they expect of Christians is wrong and
it's not correct it's not right and we
need to be careful that we're not simply
just trying to live up to the standards
that the world clips on Christians but I
am talking about consistently living out
our faith in Christ living out my
relationship with Jesus Christ following
the the leading and the nudging and the
prodding of the Holy Spirit of my life
that will enable me and helping to know
what a consistent Christian life is a
Christian life also a consistent
Christian life does not equal perfection
it is interesting because the first
thing that comes up when you talk about
living in consistent Christian life is I
can because I have not
in a consistent Christian life at least
what I'm talking about this morning is
not a perfect Christian life if I was
going to preach this morning on the need
that we have to look a perfect Christian
life my mind so calls my Bible or go
home because we're not going to live in
perfect Christian life there's none of
us here it's not going to happen and
it's interesting to me because John says
in the book of 1st John who he's writing
to Christians if you say that we or
without seeing your life and the truth
isn't any and so we can't live a perfect
Christian life but a consistent
Christian life is what can be handling
because as we consistently live the
Christian life there are times that
we're going to fail sometimes that we're
going to fall well a consistent
Christian life recognizes those times
that we fall admits our founder li rete
ends of that failure does it make
excuses for that failure but but admits
it to God repents of it turns away from
it and comes back to where it needs to
be and it is walking with Christ and so
a consistent Christian life is not
perfection it's not striving to be
perfect because we can but it is
consistently following the values that
God sets forth for us in his word I was
using a dictionary again as week to look
up the word consistency and the
dictionary says that the word
consistency is this there means this to
constantly adhere to the same principles
to constantly adhere and to follow the
same principles and certainly the
principles that we here
as Christians principles in God's Word
we grab ahold of the principles in God's
Word and as we hold on to those
principles by the power and guiding and
the strength and the Holy Spirit brings
into our lives we strive to be obedient
to those things we strive to follow
those things and again if we fall short
or i should say when we fall short of
those things a Christian life or a
consistent Christian readily admits
their failure without making excuses
repents of their failure and accepts
God's forgiveness and most forward and
that's all part of a consistent
Christian as I was thinking about where
I wanted to go with this message this
morning I thought you know probably what
we really need to do is is set up these
talk about what is it consistent person
life and how do I live there how do I
live a consistent Christian life well
the easiest thing for me to do this
morning would be to give up and we've
talked about this many times so you know
where I'm going with this but the
easiest thing for me to do would be to
give you a whole list of do's and don'ts
they don't put it right up on this room
you know on one side we got all the
things that we must do as a Christian
and on the other side all of the things
that we dare not do as a Christian and
the easiest thing would be to say okay
look at the do list and if you're doing
more on to do list and adult list and
you must be living in consistent
Christian life that would be the easiest
thing but that's not what the bible does
and so it's not what i'm going to do
what the bible does what it talks about
living the Christian life is it gives us
some principles to follow principles
that are not always specific about what
you can do
you can't do this but principles that
will guide us in our decision making to
help us understand what is to be part of
a Christian life and what is not to be a
part of the receiver and so what I'm
going to do take your Bibles and turn to
first Corinthians chapter 10 in first
Corinthians chapter 10 Paul is in the
middle of an argument here on what is
the Christian life and what isn't the
Christian life and we're going to start
at verse 23 and i want to read down
through the end of the chapter actually
the first verse of chapter 11 i want you
to think about Paul's argument here
about the Christian life he says in
verse 23 all things are lawful but not
all things are helpful all things are
lawful but not all things build up let
no one seek his own good but the good of
his neighbor eat whatever is sold and to
mark the meat market without raising any
question on the ground of the conscience
for the earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof if one of the
unbelievers invites you to dinner and
you're exposed to go eat whatever he
sets before you without raising any
question on the ground of conscience but
if someone says to you this has been
offering sacrifice then do not eat for
the sake of the one who informs you and
for the sake of conscience I do not mean
your conscience but it is for why should
my Liberty
by someone else's conscience if Piper
take with thankfulness why am i denounce
because of that for which I give thanks
so whether you eat or drink or whatever
you do do all to the glory of God give
no offense to Jews or degree sort of the
Church of God just as I try to please
everyone and everything I do not seeking
my own advantage but that of many that
they may be say the imitators of me as I
have of Christ Paul's jumping in here to
an interesting your argument and the
argument really if we could sum it all
up is all about what is Christian and
what should a Christian do and what
shouldn't a Christian do in the argument
that he jumps up into here is the idea
of eating meat offered the angles and
you could make this about anything but
Paul makes it about eating meat that was
offered to idols when people in his day
worship the false gods they often make
sacrifices and the sacrifices amounted
to you generally you know cows oxen that
type of thing and they would make the
sacrifice and as part of the the rules
of worshipping to false gods some of the
sacrifice was then he given to the
priests that offered the sacrifice in
other words he got some of the meat and
because that often amounted to a lot of
me the priest couldn't eat all of that
and so he would take it to the
marketplace and he would sell it and so
Paul is answering a question that some
of the quiz the Christians are asking
should I eat meat that was offered itís
if I go to the marketplace and there are
all of these meat booths set up and I
don't know what is offered to idols or
not because the side doesn't say this
meat was offered to such and such a god
and Paul the Christians are
the meat market and I pick up this this
beef and I go home and I cook it up and
it was offered to idols should i eat
action I eat that Paul says hey all
things for you as a Christian or love
all things are lawful but he says not
all things are expedient and not all
things build up and so Paul says if I
believe market I'm not going to ask you
where that came from does it really
doesn't matter to me were thinking he
said all things are God's the earth is
God's the cattle were gods and yeah they
may have been offered to a false
government what is a false god it's
nothing and so Paul says I'm going to go
to the meat market and I'm going to find
a good cut of beef and I'm going to buy
that thief and i'm going to ask any
questions at all and i'm going to take
him home and i'm going to roast it up
and i'm going to eat it and enjoy it and
he said if you go to somebody else's
house and then cook up this rose and
they put it on the table all says unless
it's tuna fish all set I'm going to eat
it listen to the last couple of messages
you'll know where that case but Paul
says I'm not going to eat it or I am
going to eat it I'm not going to ask any
questions at all put that beef on the
table I don't care where it came from
it's me it's be and I'm going to enjoy
it but he says if they come and say now
hey Paul I want this beef but it was
offered to the god of so and so Paul
says now don't eat it because now you're
going to cause them to stumble and it so
Paul the setting up some friends
series setting up some ideas and
principles principles about what it is
to live the Christian life and I'm going
to get into any more detail on that
because I want to look at the president
and the principles are spelled out for
us in verse 31 and 32 and 33 and their
general principles that apply to
everything who you are and i want to i
want to look at two of them times we
have left the first principle that paul
gives at verse 39 whether you eat or
drink or whatever you do do all to the
glory of God Paul says principal level
14 the consistent Christian life is this
whatever you do do with the door if I go
whatever it is do it to the glory of God
and if you can do it to the glory of God
do it and if you can't do it to the
glory of God don't do it stay away from
it now I remember as a teenager being
taught in my my home church that
principle and one of my youth leaders at
the time said this they said if you can
pray in the middle of whatever you're
doing and ask God to bless it that's
probably a good thing for you to do but
if you can't in the middle of whatever
activity you're taking part in if you
can't bow and ask God to bless that
activity then you probably shouldn't be
doing it because you're not doing it to
the glory of God if you can't ask God to
bless the activity that you're involved
in it probably isn't hot enough and it
probably isn't your fight you go and so
Paul says whatever you do make sure you
run it through the strainer of is it
bringing glory to God or isn't it am I
glorifying God Paul says much the same
thing over in Romans chapter 12 more
fruit more familiar with these verses
but Paul says I appeal to you brothers
by the mercies of God to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice holy and
acceptable to God which is your sphere
do not be conformed to the world but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind
by that my testing you may discern what
is the will of God what is good and
acceptable and perfect how much all say
that we know what is acceptable and
right in our lives if we're living our
lives as a sacrifice to God if we're
living our lives in a way that is going
to war if I God then that's acceptable
to God and that's right in the sight of
God Paul says don't be conformed to the
world don't be like the world around you
be different from that live your life as
one that is that is glorifying God one
that is that is a sacrifice to God and
it's interesting because the contrast of
that is to be conformed with the world
and he says if you're being conforms the
world you're not living a consistent
Christian life if you're if you're
trying to be like the world like I was
in high school in that locker room that
day if you're trying to be like the
world you're not living a life that's a
sacrifice to go you're not living a life
that is that is bringing Maury together
and so the principle in our lives is are
you glorifying God it are you living in
such a way that you can ask God to bless
what you're doing and are you bringing
glory to God by your life a consistent
Christian life continually brings glory
to God and we need to be striving for
that in our lives in Romans turn over a
couple of chapters to chapter 14 Paul
again is saying the exact same thing in
chapter 14 and there's there's 12 verses
here let me read it
you get a read through it very quickly
here that in Romans 14 Paul says as for
the one who's vegan if they welcomed him
but not to quarrel over opinions one
person believes he may need anything
that flies back to what Paul said in
chapter 12 while the beep person eats
only vegetables but not the one who eats
despise the one who stands and let not
the one who stains passed judgment on
the one who eats for God has welcomed
him who are you to pass judgment on the
servant of an elderly and is before his
own master that he stands or Falls and
he will be upheld for the Lord is able
to make him stand one person is teams
one day is better than another while
another is teams all days like each one
should be fully convinced in his own
mind the one who observes the day
observes it in the honor of the Lord the
one who eats eats in the honor of the
Lord since he gives thanks to God while
the one who abstains of stains in the
honor of the Lord and gives thanks to
God for none of us lives to himself and
none of us guys to himself if we live we
lived in the Lord and if we die we die
to the Lord so then whether we live or
whether we die we are the Lord's for to
this end Christ I lived again that he
might be both floor both of the dead and
of the living and why do you pass
judgment on your brother or you why do
you spies your brother for we will all
stand before the judgment seat of God
for it is written as I live since the
Lord every knee will bow and every
tongue will confess to God so then each
of us will give it
of himself together now what is Paul
saying you know if I was to give a list
of principles what does it get a
consistent Christian life or was it what
isn't this morning we would have some
disagreement with me because I might
just I wouldn't probably look to use
what Paul said here I might say all good
Christians would never eat this and all
good Christians must observe this day
celebrate this and in all good
Christians and you might sit there and
say no I don't agree with that at all
and so we can argue well I have a more
consistent Christian life than you do
because I do these things and you don't
do those things or vice versa impulses
listen don't what are you about those
things What did he say was the most
important not the list he said the most
important thing is whenever you do do it
to honor God do it to honor god I was
working with a fellow here recently who
i believe as a Christian man who
believes completely differently about
some of the things new by the lady I
obviously eat me I enjoy any me he is a
vegan because he believes that we need
to follow these different principles of
the Bible and initially my initial
thought was I need to condemn him for
them and then I got thinking I can't
condemn it for why is he doing that he's
trying to honor God with his life and
why am I not doing those things because
i am trying to honor God with my life
you know one of this is doing anything
at the Bible called simple but we're
both in a different way trying to honor
God and Paul is saying the most
important thing is it what you eat and
what you go or what day you observe and
what day you don't observe Paul says the
most important thing is honor God with
your life and as Christians we need to
be focused on honoring God with our
lives and if we focus on honoring God
with our lives we're going to live
consistent Christian lives Paul again
says honor God with your wife glorify
God with our lives I don't know if this
fits here or not this is what I thought
of putting those Hells together too many
of us in our Christian lives are
interested we give lip service Oh what
were more interested in is that we don't
get caught when we don't undergo we're
not so many times unfortunately we're
not so much interested in the consistent
Christian life were more interested in
what can I get away and if we make a
mistake it's like oh no I need to make
sure that my pastor or my friend or my
neighbor doesn't find out and so we
begin to try to cover those things up
and hide those number one that's not
glorifying to god number two that is not
a consistent Christian life that's
hypocrisy we need to live our lives not
so let's worried about what other people
think is we are worried about what God
things because ultimately in ruins 14
Paul says this everyone needs to stand
before God and give an account of
himself none of us are going to stand
there and give an account of our
neighbor or somebody else I'm going to
stand before God good account of myself
and whether I lived in such a way as to
glorify God and God's not going to stand
before God and you said you know on this
day
in this year you ate this piece of meat
that I told you not to touch that's not
going to happen I'm going to stand there
and he's gonna say how did you live to
honor me did you live to glorify me
that's what a consistent Christian life
is one that constantly seeks to honor
and glorify go the first principle that
pole sets out there in 1st Corinthians
chapter and the second one is not as
long as I promise I only have an hour
left so I gotta move quickly the second
principle is not that long and it really
feeds off of the first one and they
almost seem contradictory first but it's
not he says when they leader drunk or
whatever you do do all to the glory good
principle number to give no offense the
jews or greeks into the church which are
just as i try to please everyone
everything i do not seeking my own
advantage but that of many that they may
be saved principle number two in our
consistent christian life we need to be
sensitive to people around us we need to
be sensitive to people we need to be
sensitive to realize and even in our
consistent Christian lives some things
may be offensive to other people some
things may be offensive that's why Paul
said earlier in chapter 10 of first
Corinthians if one of the unbelievers
invites you to dinner and you're
disposed to go to eat whatever is sent
me for you without raising any question
on the ground of conscience but if
someone says this has been an offering
the sacrifice then don't eat it for the
sake of the one who informed you and for
the sake of consciousness I don't need
your conscience
what appalls what does he say he says
you're free to live your life and
whatever way more wise guy but he said
Joe make your brother stumble in their
faith don't cause someone else to be
turned away from faith in God because of
the way you are living your life and I
think it really comes down again to
glorify God if I am going to attempt to
live it away that is going to cause you
to stumble I'm not glorify God me
because I'm pushing you away from where
you need to be in your relationship with
you and it so Paul says glorify God but
be aware that those around you may see
living differently than you do don't
make them stumble he says jaan free meat
that's offered any I love but if it's
going to make you stumble I'm not going
to eat it it's not worth it there's
something more important glorifying God
is more important your relationship with
God is much more important than my
liberty in my freedom cards so more if I
go and he says be sensitive to those
around you the Christian life with God
first other people second to myself 30 a
consistent Christian life is putting God
first other people second
and myself thirds and if and when we
suffer are any type of animosity for our
faith we need to make sure that we're
living our life in that order we need to
make sure that we're putting God first
we may need to make sure that we're
glorified er we need to make sure that
we're being sensitive to others and we
need to make sure that we're putting
ourselves we need to make sure that when
we experience animosity it has nothing
to do with my hypocrisy and everything
to do with my faith in Jesus calls and
so my challenge this week is for us to
day by day ask ourselves the question am
i bringing glory to God and way that I
live my life is my life live to honor
and glorify God am I putting him first
and when that is true everything else in
our lives will fall into place
everything else our lives will be
exactly let's take a moment about our
Heavenly Father I thank you this morning
for your work I thank you for the
principles that you give us for living
the Christian life putting you first
honoring you horrifying you glory I pray
that that would be our highest priority
our chief concern above all else and
what I pray that is we get involved in
activities or situations that are not
glorifying to you I pray that we would
recognize that immediately for what it
is and Lord rather than try to hide it
or make excuses like we just repent and
walk away and Lord in doing that
continue to live a consistent Christian
life or help us as well to be sensitive
to others or there are many different
opinions and ideas at times on how we
have lived what we were to do maybe what
we're to eat and days were to celebrate
the lord help us to realize those aren't
the most
things of life glorify you is
encouraging and building up others in
their faith is important as well it
won't help us to be sensitive to those
things as we strive again to put you
first but again we thank you for how you
will work in our lives in Jesus name
