Are you a true believer of Jesus Christ? Let's just take a moment to define a believer of Jesus Christ. Aside from the confession of faith that Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose again to save them, a true believer in Jesus Christ is dead to self, meaning that Galatians 5.24 is a daily reality, as the Bible says, those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. This means life is no longer about what you want. Life is no longer about what God can do for you or what others can do for you. A true believer in Christ crucifies their flesh, meaning they are at a place where they say to the Lord, not my will, but thy will be done. A true believer in Christ is dedicated to serving, serving the body of Christ, serving the kingdom of God. We all know that there are a lot of people in church, but there aren't a lot of godly men and women. This isn't a harsh statement, but it's a reality. It's a biblical reality. Let me show you what I mean. Jesus in Matthew 7, verse 22 and 23 said, Many, notice that this is the majority, many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers. This is the harsh reality. You will find that there will be many people in the church, but very few people are in Christ. Many people will profess the religion of Christianity, but very few will practice the word of God. Many people will look holy and to the naked eye, they will look like they have a first class ticket to heaven. But beneath the surface, beyond what the naked eye can see, these people will not have Jesus Christ in their heart. Now, to further explain this point of there being a lot of people in church, but not a lot of people in Christ, the Bible in Matthew 7, verse 13 and 14 says, Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it. Once again, look at what the Bible says. It says there are many who will enter by the broad road which leads to destruction. Once again, this is the majority, but only a few will find the narrow road that leads to life. And so my message for you today, people of God, is that we should be men and women who are truly followers of Jesus Christ. And this starts with what we do in those private moments behind closed doors. When no one is looking, that's when what you do counts. God looks at the heart. God is concerned with the heart. 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 8 says, For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. A true believer of Jesus Christ will strive to live a godly life. But if you look at the world today, godliness is not a priority for a lot of people. Godliness is not sought after by a lot of people today, even in the church. And you see, the devil has cleverly deceived a lot of people to believe one particular lie. That we can be righteous on our own. The enemy wants us to believe that we can operate independently. The enemy has lied to people by telling them that they can live independently of God. But this is not true. Living in such a manner is called self-righteousness. In the Bible, the Pharisees and Sadducees opposed Jesus Christ so fiercely because they thought they were righteous. They were self-righteous. They were righteous in their own eyes. And Jesus was a problem to this group of people because he taught about repentance. He taught about righteousness according to God's standard, not man's standard. And so every true believer of Jesus Christ strives to live a godly life according to the word of the Lord, not their own personal standards. Now let me go further to clarify some of the hallmarks of a true believer. A true believer in Jesus Christ exercises practical faith, meaning that they walk by faith and not by sight. And faith doesn't mean you ignore fact. No, faith means that you trust in God despite what the facts say. A true believer in Jesus Christ perseveres in prayer because prayer to a Christian is like blood to the body. That's our lifeline. That's why the Bible tells us to pray always and to pray without ceasing. Some of the greatest moves of God come during or after prayer. In the book of Acts, in the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit moved when the disciples were praying. They weren't hearing or reading the word. They weren't worshiping. All of these things are crucial to our lives. Yes, but the disciples weren't doing that when the Holy Spirit moved. The Amplified Translation for Acts 1 verse 14 says, All these with one mind and one purpose were continually devoting themselves to prayer, waiting together along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. This group of people came together, unified with one mind and one purpose, and that was to continually devote themselves to prayer and the result was astonishing. So every believer, every true believer must make prayer a daily part of their lives. And so, dear listener, strive to imitate Christ. Strive to live according to the Word of God. I'd like to end by highlighting one passage of Scripture. The Amplified Translation says in 1 John 2 verse 6, Whoever says he lives in Christ, that is, whoever says he has accepted him as God and Savior, ought as a moral obligation to walk and conduct himself just as he walked and conducted himself. From today, strive to walk like Jesus. Strive to conduct yourself like Jesus. He loved people from all walks of life. He had compassion for every soul. He cared for everyone and we need to strive to live like this. Jesus shunned sin. He often withdrew to pray. We need to strive to live like this. We need to strive to be like Christ, to be a reflection of him in this world. So let the light of the Lord shine through your life and may all of the glory be given to Jesus Christ. What does the Christian of today look like? And what should the Christian of today look like? These are two very different questions which can have two very different answers depending on who you ask. Now, the Bible says in 1 Peter 2 verse 21, To this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. I believe that this is true Christianity, following the example of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ left heaven for earth to die for our sins. He put the church before himself. He obeyed God's will. He lived the life of purpose, about the life of the Lord. He put the church before himself. He obeyed God's will. He lived the life of purpose, a purpose that can be summed up with his words in Luke 22 verse 42, which says, Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done. When we get to such a place, this is what I believe to be true Christianity. Now, I would like to encourage you to take the following steps so that you can make sure you are marching forward living a life that pleases the Lord. To begin with, we all need to live lives where God is first. You and I need to live a life that places God above everything, place God before everything. The Amplified Translation for Luke 9 verse 23 says, And he was saying to them all, If anyone wishes to follow me as my disciple, he must deny himself, set aside selfish interests, and take up his cross daily, expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come, and follow me, believing in me, conforming to my example in living, and if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in me. This reminds me of the song that says, Jesus in the morning, Jesus in the noontime, Jesus when the sun goes down. And to me, this means living a life where you are completely consumed by the Lord's presence, by his word, by the Holy Spirit. And no, it doesn't mean you neglect your day-to-day responsibilities because you're praying 24-7. No, it simply means that your mind is constantly fixed on Jesus Christ. You're either quietly meditating on a verse as you are making breakfast, or you're worshiping and praising as you are driving. Whatever it is, have the presence of mind to ask yourself, am I connected to the Lord? Am I glorifying the Lord? Now, the phrase, put God first, has become very popular in this day and age, but in practical terms, what does it mean? Well, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he answered in Matthew 22, verse 37. Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. This says to me that your love for Jesus Christ supersedes everything. It's a love that prioritizes the Lord. God first really means God first. Now, another point that I'd like to highlight about a real follower of Jesus Christ is that they fear the Lord. And to fear God isn't to say that you're terrified of him. No. To fear God is to realize who he is, how big he is, how mighty and all-powerful he is, and this leads you to have a deep respect, reverence, and awe for God's power and authority. Proverbs chapter 1, verse 7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. The fear of God is what motivates godly behavior. The fear of God leads one to repent and pursue a holy life. The fear of God keeps you on the straight and narrow. When you fear God, you do not take sin lightly because you know that God is holy and pure, and he does not tolerate unrighteousness and impurity. Further traits of a real follower of Jesus Christ are that they serve wholeheartedly. All they do is to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31 says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I encourage you to do all that you can in God's kingdom, but do it to bring glory to him and not for yourself. Serve for the glory of Jesus Christ. Serve so that unbelievers and those who are lost may see the goodness of God through you. Serve with pure intentions. Serve with godly intentions. A lot of us need to be obedient to Galatians 5, verse 13, which says, For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. When you serve for the glory of God, this, I believe, is when you are truly imitating Christ. Now, my final point is closely linked to this matter of serving. A true follower of Jesus Christ is humble. And humility doesn't mean you allow yourself to be used and abused. It simply means you don't think more highly of yourself than you want to. And you don't think any less of others than you want to. And to be honest, this is a matter that's all to do with pride. Pride says, I can do this on my own. Pride says, I am self-made. I am successful and I did it because I worked hard. Pride says, look at me. Look what I have done. However, humility says, in my weakness, God's strength is made perfect. Humility says, God will give me strength. God will renew my strength. I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Do you see the difference? Pride says, look at me. But humility says, look at Christ. Pride says, look at what I have done. But humility says, look at what the Lord has done. James 4-6, but he gives more grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. You find favor in being humble. You find blessings in being humble. So I encourage you to be someone who puts God first. Whether it's day or night, come rain or sunshine, put God first. Be someone who lives with the fear of the Lord in their life. Revere and honor our Lord Jesus Christ always. And finally, be humble. Always be humble in everything you do. Seek to serve others all for the glory of God. Jesus Christ is the Lord. Jesus Christ is the Lord. Jesus Christ is the Lord. Jesus Christ is the Lord. Jesus Christ is the Lord. Amen.
