A Brand Name Believer or Just An Imitation
- If I started to poll this audience about brand names, you could throw me a hundred in the blink of an eye...
Coca Cola, Ford, Chevrolet, Lexus, Rolex, Timex, Hewlett Packard, Martin Guitar, Barnes & Noble, Pepsi, Mercedes Benz, Kenmore.... these companies hve spent millions to identify their name with a certain product. Our laws protect these names for they are often worth billions of dollars as a result of advertising and trade.
But if you went to NYC, you could find a vendor who would sell you a knock-off of a Rolex watch, couldn't you? At first glance, that imitation made in some Chinese factory looks like a genuine Rolex. But if you pick the watch up, hold it, look it over, and inspect it; you'll detect the fraud in short order.
In the local deli's frig, right next to Coca Cola, there are other colas that sell for half the price of Coke, but I pass them up for the exact taste of the real thing. The copy cola's look like a Coke, but they're not and your taste buds will tell you that. Now - here's the point....
Christian, are you the real thing or an imitation?
Few people determine... "I want to be a hypocrite. I just want to pretend to be a real Believer."
It
happens much more subtly. Here's the scenario:
In a time of crisis and/or personal need a person learns about the love of the Lord. They are presented the Truth of the good news in Christ Jesus and they believe it. What happens when they believe? Most of you know.
There is an initial euphoria resulting from having the sense of nagging guilt and shame lifted. There are new friends, a lot of support, and the novelty of a whole new way of life. But after some time passes, old temptations return. The 'newness' of it all wears off. That new Believer discovers that other Christians are quite human. He or she begins to feel the Spirit of God pressing for character change as sinful habits become more obvious. IT IS A TIME FOR CHOICE.
- Either, this person moves forward into authentic Christianity, OR
- he becomes an imitation, a hypocritical fraud.
Being fake is easier than being real, at least, at first. In fact, there are so many fake Christians, that a young Believer might even confuse phony and real unless he is very careful to listen to the Holy Spirit and to look for a spiritual mentor who is the real thing, too.
What are some of the characteristics of an imitation Christian?
- He has a church life that is completely different than the rest of his life.
- He is very rigidly moralistic, condemning of others' sins, but oblivious to his own.
- He is uses a lot of 'church speak,' words he reads in the Bible or hears at church but lacks sincerity.
- He is quite concerned about conformity. People who talk differently, sing different Christian songs,
or have differing doctrines disturb him and he doesn't really think that they are Christian.
- He doesn't admit to his doubts or sins. He always pretends that he has life under control and
learns how to quickly put on his spiritual mask when he is around other Believers.
Just like that fake Rolex offered on the street of NYC the imitation Christian, at first glance, looks at lot like the real thing. He sits in the same church. He speaks the same language. He carries the same Bible. But, on closer inspection, the truth emerges. The veneer of Christianity is paper thin over his life. Scratch the surface and you will find an unbeliever's set of values, an emptiness, no fullness of the Spirit, a barren and lifeless soul.
This morning we're going to a text that outlines characteristics of the Real Christian.
If you have a Bible, turn with me today to - 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:2.
My understanding of this passage was deeply influenced years ago by a book written by Ray Stedman, the late Pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA. I owe him much credit for making this passage so much a part of my life.
In this text, we find 5 Distinguishing Characteristics of a Genuine Believer.
Interestingly, they aren't
related to church attendance, moral codes, or doctrinal purity. Why?
You don't have to be alive in the Spirit
of God, to be experiencing the daily spiritual renewal of your inner person, to go to church, even three times a
week. A relatively disciplined individual can observe a high moral code. And simply knowing the Truth is much
different from living the Truth.
However, the marks of the Believer that are found in this text absolutely require the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. A natural person can't fake these characteristics with any consistency. Only the person who has surrendered his life to Christ, who is being spiritually transformed, who is living in the Spirit can even HOPE to live in the way that is described in our text. Take a look.
2 Corinthians 2:14-3:2
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ
and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For
we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who
are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the
fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not
peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before
God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
1. The Real Believer OVERFLOWS WITH THANKFULNESS.
Let's not confuse a life of thankful acknowledgment of God's sufficiency with the empty rhetoric that is often mistaken for it. If you smack your thumb with the hammer while driving a nail and exclaim, "Praise the Lord," instead of a curse, you might think you've met the test. No so, my friend. Thankfulness goes deeper than that.
Let's not get taken in by the wrong-headed teaching that implies we must thank God for sin and suffering, either.
- "Praise God, sailors died on a US warship this week."
- "Thank the Lord, I've got diabetes."
The Bible never even implies that we thank God for such things. But a MARK of a true Christian is his attitude of thankful IN the most terrible situations. Scripture tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you."
The Spirit-filled Believer knows that God is unchanging, is positive that God's purposes will prevail and
thus -
he overflows with thankfulness for such assurance!! The hymn says,
"Blessed assurance! Jesus is mine.
O what a foretaste of glory divine.
I'm an heir of salvation, purchase of God;
born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.
This is my story. This is my song.
I'm praising my Savior all the day long."
Remember Paul's and Silas' experience in the Phillippian jail? After being beaten and chained to the inner prison wall, they began to overflow with thankfulness. Acts 16:25 tells us that "About midnight (they) were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them."
However, that kind of centered and solid assurance cannot be worked up, figured out, or naturally grasped. It comes from a Spiritually transformed mind that sees past the immediate and into the eternal realms!!
2. The Real Believer is Spiritually Victorious.
Christians do not win every battle, but they do ultimately triumph. Paul wrote that God led him in triumphal procession! He was alluding to the Roman tradition of recognizing victorious armies. Those armies returned to Rome and went on parade down the streets, leading their captives and displaying the spoils of war. You may say, "Pastor, I don't always see victory. I am struggling." Of course you are.
IF you are a real Christian you are the enemy of the Evil One. Thus, you are engaged in an ongoing war to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. You are in a battle to the death against sin, suffering, injustice, poverty, and oppression. You are a targeted soldier that the Evil One wants to neutralize.
But, know this! In Christ, you will be victorious. Don't confuse your own comfort or the fulfillment of all of your goals and objectives with spiritual victory. As with any soldier, you may suffer. But the Kingdom's purposes will prevail.
I love another story from Paul's experience that illustrates this truth. He writes from house arrest in Rome to a church he founded in the city of Phillippi. By the wisdom and insight of the Holy Spirit, he sees past his own situation and grasps the Kingdom purposes being worked out in his life.
Listen... Philippians 1:12-14
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
a. All the while Paul was in custody as a prisoner of Ceasar, the palace guard - the elite young soldiers of Rome's vast armies -- were standing guard listening to his preaching and teaching. Those to whom he could never had access, were brought to him in the plan of God.
b. He also noted that his experience was causing other preachers to be fearless in the cause of Christ!Once again, you cannot just say that you are victorious. You cannot just psyche yourself up to this assurance. Only if the Spirit is directing your life and revealing the purposes of God to you, can you see past the 'light and momentary troubles' to the greater victories being won. And only the Real Believer experiences that work of the Spirit.
3. The Real Believer has an Unforgettable Influence for Christ.
Our text says it in these words, through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of (God.)
Ray Stedman, illustrates this point in a down-to-earth way. "Have you ever been in a room when a very pretty woman walks by wearing a distinctive perfume?" he asks. From that time, whenever that fragrance whiffs into your nostrils, you recall that woman. An unforgettable imprint is made on your brain! (I'm not certain if the illustration holds for women!)
Our lives, IF we are filled with the Holy Spirit, will have a distinctive quality that makes an unforgettable impression on people around us. Note that not all people will be favorably impressed. To some we are the stench of DEATH. The Spirit in us causes them to be even more aware of their spiritual need, of their alienation from God. They may not even know why, but they don't like us. They don't like the way we make them feel. But to others we are the fragrance of life because we bring them the knowledge of eternal life through Christ Jesus!
Ah, friend. Are you the Real Thing? Does the fragrance of the Lord fill your life? Or are you like a vase of silk flowers, beautiful but lifeless; attractive but without fragrance?
4. The Real Believer has an Unquestionable Integrity.
In the natural person self-interest is never far from the picture, is it? Some people are attracted to Christianity for selfish reasons. Jesus encountered this kind. When He would not feed them, they left Him. Paul lamented the loss of his friend, Demas, writing to Timothy - "Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me." Today the so-called Health and Wealth Gospel is attracting disciples with the promise that Jesus wants all His followers to enjoy the rich American dream.
But, the Word in our text, says that the genuine Christian does not have a self-interest. Instead, he is motivated by a higher goal of unselfish service. Take another look at v.17, the second part. 2 Corinthians 2:17
"In Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."
- The integrity of the Believer comes from knowing that he stands in the sight of God from whom nothing is hidden.
- The integrity of the Believer comes from knowing that he is under orders and has no right to adjust God's commission to seek his own advantage.
If you're always thinking of yourself, your reputation, how people are accepting you, what people think of you, if you're getting your fair share - some heartfelt evaluation is in order. The call of the Spirit is to forget yourself, to abandon your reputation, to set aside your comfort in order to carry out the will of God. And, like Jesus, for the real Believer, there is no higher joy that knowing you have served well.
"For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
And that service was no grind for Him. Doing God's will was better than food and drink. At the well in Samaria, where He a sinful woman to a new relationship with God, the disciples brought Jesus some food but listen to His response.... John 4:32-34
32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other,
"Could someone have brought him food?"
34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
The Spirit of God will make you selfless in this way IF you are truly alive in Him. Out of that selflessness will emerge the kind of integrity that no one can question, not even for a moment. Your "yes" will truly be "yes."
Finally, the Real Believer's life will make a Lasting Impact on the world.
Re-read 3.3 with me....
2 Corinthians 3:3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
What is your legacy? Are you looking for monuments to be built bearing your name?
Will your life pass with little consequence? Both of those extremes are not true of the person who is filled with God's Spirit and thus, doing God's work. I do not expect that my likeness will be carved into any marble monuments in the center of a town square, but neither do I want to end my life having nothing to show.
And I know, that IF I am faithful - eternal destinies will be changed, marriages will be restored, social wrongs will be righted -- because that is God's work and thus it is my work. If your Christianity is not making a measurable difference in your family, in your neighborhood -- take some time to reassess.
If you're genuinely full of God's Spirit, there will be an impact in your sphere of influence.
_____________
As I close this message, I want to leave you with two thoughts....
1. IF you're wondering if you are really up to these standards, take heart from the Word.
Even Paul asked, 2.16 "And who is equal to such a task?"
Next Sunday, I want to follow up this message with one about the confidence that the Genuine Believer enjoys.
2. You must be born of the Spirit of God, a member of God's kingdom, in order to live the
Christian life.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will,
but born of God.
There is an open invitation from God. Believe and receive. Hand over the control of your life to the Lord this morning. It is an expensive transaction for both God and you. God gave His Son to die so that He and you could be reconciled to one another and He asks that you give Him your life without reservation.
Want a life of meaning, destiny of hope, a lasting legacy? That's God's offer to you today.
Don't be a merely religious fraud. Be the Real Thing....
1. The Real Believer OVERFLOWS WITH THANKFULNESS.
2. The Real Believer is Spiritually Victorious.
3. The Real Believer has an Unforgettable Influence for Christ.
4. The Real Believer has an Unquestionable Integrity.
Finally, the Real Believer's life will make a Lasting Impact on the world.
AMEN
Copyright 2000 Jerry D. Scott