Three Truths Christians Need To Understand In Order To THRIVE

Apr 22, 2014

Our church is currently doing a four week online Bible study of the parable of the sower (a story that Jesus told in Matthew 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8). In this study we are discovering how we can THRIVE in our walk with Christ. (Here is a link to the actual online study so that you can join in too!) 

During this first week, I taught about three things that are ESSENTIAL for a Christian to understand if they want to THRIVE in life. And these three things are…

#1 – Once I receive Christ, I am always in Christ. 

One of the GREATEST fears of someone who receives Christ is that they will not be “good enough” to keep their salvation. 

We ESPECIALLY struggle with this when we mess up. 

One of the things I have always found comfort in are the words of Jesus in John 3:3, that a person enters the kingdom of God by being BORN AGAIN! 

If you are a parent then you understand that once a child is born to you it is a biological impossibility for them to cease to be your child. In other words—the RELATIONSHIP is established through birth. 

However, there may be times in the future where the FELLOWSHIP between you and your child are damaged (especially during the teenage years). 

BUT—just because the FELLOWSHIP is damaged the RELATIONSHIP is still in tact. 

Yes, as Christians we will still sin…but if we have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus then we can rest assured that what Paul said in Romans 8:1 is true, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”

#2 – I have been saved because of God’s grace, not my good works. 

All of us are natural born sinners—meaning that NO ONE had to teach us to be selfish, self-centered and to scream when we did not get our way. 

And there is NOTHING we can do to save ourselves. Isaiah 64:6 says that on our BEST DAY our righteousness is still disgusting in the sight of God. 

Which is why I am so thankful that salvation is HIS WORK, not mine. Some of THE most comforting verses in my life since meeting Christ are Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

We can truly THRIVE in life when we learn to trust in Jesus’ work for salvation and not our own. 

#3 – I will always battle with sin and temptation. 

This is the one thing that NO ONE taught me when I first became a Christian. In fact, I was taught the complete opposite. I was told that the more like Jesus I became the less I would be tempted. And I believed that until I discovered that the enemy actually tempted JESUS (Matthew 4 and Luke 4)! 

Being tempted is NOT a sin—it’s what we do with that temptation that makes it a sin.  

We are promised in I Corinthians 10:13 that we can have VICTORY over temptation. 

The Apostle Paul (who wrote 13, possibly 14 of the letters we have in the New Testament) said this about his struggle with sin…

Romans 7:15-19

"15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."

If Jesus was tempted—we will be too! 

If Paul (who obviously knew a lot about Jesus and loved Him a LOT) wrestled with temptation—we will too! 

So if you are wrestling with temptation, the BEST way to THRIVE is to ASK SOMEONE for help! James, the half-brother of Jesus, said in James 5:16 that if we confess to one another and pray for each other WE WILL BE HEALED! 

Jesus did not die on the cross so we could merely survive in life—He died on the cross and rose again so that we could THRIVE!! 

Once again, here is the link to this study!! I would love for you to come hang out with us over the next four weeks as we talk more about how Jesus wants us to THRIVE!!!