Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

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I Want To Be That Person

September 10, 2015

“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:16–18.

Sometimes you unexpectedly meet a person and you find yourself face to face with what it means to be more like Jesus. A person who has an acute acceptance of their dependence on Christ. They seem to be reminded of God’s love every day. I want to be that person.

The person that doesn’t view Christ as just an acquaintance. Rather He is my deepest and truest Friend. Christ is not my battery pack when I need a quick jolt; Christ is the power plant of my spiritual life. He generates my wisdom, my righteousness, my sanctification, and my redemption. He is the boast of my life. 1 Corinthians 1:30–31 says,  “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

 I want to be the person who lives like Jesus, who healed bodies with a touch and who commanded death to flee with a word. Be like the Jesus who commanded waves to stop crashing and who commanded sinners to stop sinning. And most solemnly of all, I want to be the person that lives by the death of Christ, who was hammered to a cross in my place, and who shed His blood for my sins. I want to be the person who lives their life in light of the fact that Christ rose from the dead in power and glory.   

I want to be the person that never forgets and worse yet never ignores Christ while living in a loud and busy world. I want to be the person who knows that  keeping Christ in view is a fight, the central fight of my Christian life, and the central fight for my daily joy. But I also need to remember that this daily struggle to keep my eyes focused on Christ is not how I save myself.  No, my daily focus on Christ is a reminder that my full salvation is found in Jesus. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25).

To the uttermost. Uttermost is one of those compound words for which we have no equivalent. It means that He is able to save unto all completeness, unto the total perfection of saving. Jeremiah 17:14 tells us, “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” I want to be the person who asks where I would have been had not Jesus saved me to the uttermost.  I want to be the person who remembers that in spite of my sins, weaknesses, fears and failures, Christ saves to the uttermost.

I want to be the person who centers my life around Christ. I want to pursue Christ more than praise and applause, more than likes and shares, more than Twitter followers and more than my income statement. I want to be the person who wins the fight by keeping my eyes focused on the Savior.  I want to be the person who fights for focus in our daily lives by attending church, joining  a small group, by praying and having a quiet time to read and reflect on God’s word. These are the keys to personal growth and maturity. I do not want to be the person who settles for a Christian life that is less than it can be. Focusing on Christ is hard, but He is worth the fight.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you feel the presence of God on a daily basis?
  2. Is it possible to practice the presence of God–take time each day–even for a few minutes to be aware of the presence of God? Yes or no? Why or why not?
  3. What does it mean to serve God? Is it a position, a role, or a mindset?
  4. In what circumstances are you most tempted to stop talking to God?  If you were to talk to Him in those circumstances, what would you want to hear from Him?
  5. Do you have a tendency to talk to God in “big moments” and not so much in the “in-between” moments? Why?
  6. Pray and ask God to give you a daily connection with Him.

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