Sunday Sermon Starter 6-18-12

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Have you ever wondered exactly what is at stake with your faith?  If you succeed will you be the only one who is blessed?  If you fail will you be the only one who suffers?  Sometimes people can have a selfish view of their lives.  They have the idealistic mindset that they can make decisions they shouldn’t to have experiences they shouldn’t to abandon a faith they shouldn’t and it isn’t going to impact anybody else’s life whatsoever.  However, the Bible clearly makes the case that many different people have a vested stake in our faith and when we fail as Christians we fail in our commitments to them as well.  This sermon examines the reality of the failed Christian life.

Title:  If As A Christian I Fail…

Text:  2 Peter 1:5-10

Main Point:  I have a personal stake in Christianity for one primary reason.  My most precious possession is my soul and by reaction of Christianity puts my soul at stake.  Thus if I fail as a Christian I have lost everything.  In 2 Peter 1:5-10 Peter confesses some realities of New Testament Christianity:  (1) it is something in which we can find surety, (2) adherence determines whether or not we have entered the kingdom, (3) teamwork is necessary), and (4) it is a matter of life and death.  Therefore we gather at least two things from these facts: if I fail then I have let myself down and I have let others down.  Who are these affected by my failure if I don’t succeed as a Christian?

Discussion Points:
1.      I Fail Myself – Christianity is first and foremost personal – it is my life I am submitting and it is my soul that is on the line.  Earlier in our text (vs. 5-7) Peter had listed some graces that are essential to the personal growth and benefit of the individual.  And the reason those graces were so important was so that the individual would never fail (vs. 8).  Peter’s plea was for the individual to not fall, thereby withholding from one’s self the great blessings found in Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:1-10 – we can have these great blessings found in Christ but by failing as a Christian we fail ourselves because we will not receive them.  Thus if I fail as a Christian I first fail myself.

2.      I Fail My Family – while I do and must have a deep seeded concern for my own soul I cannot overlook the clear obligation that I have to my family.  Husbands have a responsibility to lead their wives (Ephesians 5:22ff).  Fathers have a responsibility to lead their children (Ephesians 6:1ff).  However, a man’s leadership of his family is contingent upon his own personal obedience.  A man cannot lead in an area in which he himself is not willing to abide.  Thus if as a Christian I fail then I also fail my family because I am not living nor leading as I should.

3.      I Fail My God – Ultimately my life, as a Christian, is a reflection of my true feelings toward God.  The love of Christ constrains us but only if we have a true appreciation for the sacrifice He made (2 Corinthians 5:14).  If I don’t appreciate that great sacrifice then I will be constrained to do nothing.  What am I being constrained to do?  We are constrained to become new people (2 Corinthians 5:15-21).  My new life in Christ is a direct reflection of my relationship with God.  However, if I fail as a Christian I fail my God who has done so much for me.

If is quite clear that my Christianity is much bigger than myself.  Someone might say, “If I am not a Christian I am only hurting myself.”  That isn’t true because our lives by association deeply impact the lives of others as well.  Therefore if I fail as a Christian I fail everyone!

 

-Andy Brewer

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