07/29/12 Participation of Faith!
Text: Philemon 1:6 (NIV)
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a
full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
“Therefore, as
through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation,
even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men,
resulting in justification of life.” Romans 5:18 (NKJV)
Intro: Try to picture
someone giving you a gift, it isn’t an ordinary gift, it is special. It is
something you really wanted and could really use. It could change the way
things are done for you it could change your life. But even Knowing all this you
still chose to neglect the opportunity to open the gift and really use it. From
a spiritual perspective most of you are probably aware of where I am going with
this? God has given us a gift and many of you have received this gift but are
still neglecting the participating value of the gift. This gift requires
participation!
Mankind is Doomed, Defeated or Delivered. Everyone falls into
one of these three categories. Bible says we have all sinned, we are doomed, and
this is the natural state of mankind. You can be a believer and out of
fellowship with Christ the flesh is in control you’re defeated and this state
of mankind is carnal, or you can be a believer who has been delivered now
guided by the Holy Spirit participating in the faith and this state of mankind
is spiritual.
Application: Sharing your faith allows you to have a full
understanding of Christ
1. A Participator is not Doomed: Romans 5:18a (NKJV)
“Therefore,
as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in
condemnation,” Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone; the
unbeliever is doomed without a relationship with Jesus Christ! The natural
state of mankind is doomed.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see
how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace
became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them
to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing
with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans
5:20-21 (NLT)
The law is a major topic and theological debate throughout the
book of Romans and in the end of all that might be said, man cannot nor have
they ever been able to fulfill the law or be sinless. Christ came to fulfill
the law and did and therefore by Grace Man does not have to be doomed so by
grace can be redeemed, saved from the wrath of God.
Grace, Grace God’s Grace! The
participator is not doomed because of God’s Grace. Grace that is greater than
all our sins.
2. A Participator is not Defeated: Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)
21 "I have
discovered this principle of life - that when I want to do what is right, I
inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But
there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes
me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I
am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank
God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I
really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to
sin.”
You can be a believer and out of fellowship with Christ, the flesh is in
control, you’re defeated and this state of mankind is carnal.
A participator of
the faith is not doomed and is not defeated, a participator has not allowed sin
to control them nor allow carnality to be the state of this Christian. The sad
commentary of this carnal state is where the average church member stays,
churches are plateauing, declining and doors are closing all because the
Christian is defeated no participation!
3. A Participator is Delivered: Romans
5:18 (NKJV)
“Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men,
resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free
gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”
Jesus’ act of
righteousness allows mankind to be delivered. This third point is really my
focus of interest and challenge for the Church member today. My desire from the
beginning when I started to prepare this message, was built around Philemon and
the prayer and praises he received from Paul and his example of a Participator
of the faith. It was pertinent that I went to Romans to set this stage and I
don’t think I became too topical to conclude with Philemon’s testimony.
From
what we read in Romans: Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone,
but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and
new life for everyone. If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ you will be
delivered from the bondage and captivity of sin, but to really be delivered the
Christian will be a part of the “participation of faith”. Meaning you will
participate. You will be on the front line, you will be in the game not in the
bleachers.
Just to be sure you understand: the definition of participator means
to take or have a part or share, as with others. We just don’t ever know if
something might happen! What if you chose not to participate and you didn’t
tell your neighbor or family member how to have a relationship with Christ and
that family member or neighbor gets shot and killed by a sniper at a gas
station, or killed in a car accident or God forbid that neighbor or family
member goes to see a midnight movie and a madman kills them. Can Christians
continue to idly stand by and chose not to participate because of fear or doubt
or whatever great excuse that comes to mind while family and neighbors die? Philemon
was being prayed for but also praised for his participation in the faith. He
was a doer not just a hearer of God’s word! Philemon’s “participation in the faith”
would mean that he also participated in the good things that promoted the cause
of Christ.
At the very heart of Christianity there is forgiveness and
fellowship. I don’t have to take 30 minutes to explain the importance of this
verse: I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will
have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Are you a
participator of the Faith? Philemon was a Christian who was able to forgive a
runaway slave (Onesimus) who came back to Philemon after being led to the Lord
by the Apostle Paul and was forgiven. That is a participator of the faith! He
loved, he forgave and he had fellowship.
Philemon:
- Was active in sharing his
faith
- Had a full understanding
- Knew of the good thing
- We have in Christ
Christians
not only belong to one another but actually become mutually identified, truly
rejoicing with the happy and genuinely weeping with the sad. Philemon’s
“participation in the faith” allowed him to experience the good things that
promoted Christ.
Paul states: "I thank God" for you. Imagine having a testimony so strong in the Lord that Paul would thank God for you! This was Philemon.
1. His testimony was so strong that it stirred Paul
to pray for him, not just every now and then, but always.
2. His testimony was
steeped in love
3. His testimony was steeped in faith
“remembering without
ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father” 1 Thessalonians 1:3
Conclusion:
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a
full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
This is actually the prayer that every strong believer needs. Simply stated, Paul is asking god to help Philemon to share his faith more and more effectively. We too much have:
A Concern for the Lord
A Concern for People
A Concern for
Fellowship
A Concern for Knowledge
A Concern for Glory
A Concern to Be a
Blessing
Ephesians 4:12-13 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Are you doomed or defeated? Or are you delivered?
In : Sermon
Tags: faith
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