Authenticity And Contentment, Part 2

Today on the Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. We are being pulled forward by the most capable wall on the University unrelenting tractor beam every one of us see.

I know it's going to happen. I just don't know when it's going is a God that's my perspective that I want to live this day. In light of that day you see an authentic followers and interest in what is going to do for Jesus Christ next year or next month or next follower of Jesus Christ want to know what I'm Jesus Christ joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhart now once again he shows us how God's word meets our world.

Generally speaking, than what the sympathetic follower look like what turn with me to Matthew 22 Matthew chapter 22 and again another famous verse from a general point of view. If I'm an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. What would that look like verse 34 and when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together and one of them, a lawyer, of which most Pharisees were said asking and asking the question he wants to test Jesus Christ. He's his teacher. What is the great commandment of the law. Now they want to get him in a theological debate which ones better is a Jesus doesn't even hesitate. He said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and mark ads and with all your strength. He said this is the great command and foremost commandment simple wasn't shocked the Pharisee by the way he repeated this almost every day. This is the Shema Shema is in the Hebrew means to hear hero Israel.

And this comes out of the book of Deuteronomy and this was quoted every day in Jesus is. Yeah, that's the great commandment love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and all your strength and sometimes and we have had that passage taught or preached.

What we end up doing is say what does it mean to love him with all your heart and what does it mean the loan with ardor. So what does it mean the Lamb with all your mind and what does it mean to love him with all your strength.

I don't think that's what God's going for here.

I think that he is viewing. This is comprehensive. In other words, the user term we use the day.

I want you to be all in BC.

I want that love the cover every aspect of who you are what you do. It is an all-encompassing love.

He also adds to it that in verse 39. The second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You see, that's what he is saying. He said if you go to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. You need to love God the way God loves you and you need to love others the way God loves others. Jesus is us the whole law that's all of it and so if that's what and by the way, that is exactly what Jesus Christ did and so if I'm following Jesus Christ and I'm an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. That's what is going to be my mantra that is going to be what guides my life. You see, my salvation is about him in my life is about him. Even my messages about him. My struggles are about him is he that's the whole point. I am all in so authentic followers are lovers of God and lovers of others. Now what does that love compel us to do so many things I'm just going to touch on a few of them this morning the first thing it does it compels us to give our lives to God. Turn with me to Romans chapter 12 Romans chapter 12, the apostle Paul was spent all this time in the book of Romans, basically from chapter 1 to the end of chapter 8 telling us how do we get justified before God. What does it take to go to heaven but would that be like what is it we must do is quite clear. You can only be justified or declared righteous by God. Based on your faith and faith alone in Christ and Christ alone. That's what he says and then he talks about the spirit of God's ministry in us and then in chapters 9, 10, 11, he goes no parenthetical section where he talks about Israel, but chapter 12 verse one picks up exactly where chapter 8 ends and Izzy comes the summation. He says this he says therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your body, your life, your bodies a living and holy sacrifice to God which is your spiritual service of worship. In other words, it's like the old him take my life.

Let it be consecrated, Lord of the just give me a life see, by the way, think you will be getting this, but just give me your life. Authentic follower never thinks about that. That's why the imagery of the early disciples they are fishing. Jesus walks up and says follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. They just drop their nets and fall. That's pretty unusual, but the ideas this is the prototype just following you see just follow him and so you present yourselves, he says as a living sacrifice, and then he warns us, do not be conformed that will literally says in Greek, squeezed into the mold of do not be conformed to this world, do not let the world squeeze you into its mold.

Think about that when it comes to contentment. We live in America, 21st century contentment is rare here. It's sort of the dodo bird of our culture. Why, because what makes Americans content virtually only one thing more more.

Just give me more. Whatever it is I want. I just need more. And if I can get more than Lord, I'll be content. And we know what a slippery slope that is Seymour will never make you content. In fact, if you think that more will make you content you will never be content. That's the point. Do not let the world he says can squeeze you into its mold. He said, but be transformed metamorphosis. The idea going from a cocoon door butterfly. You see, you are an old creature caterpillar. Now your new creature butterfly and he says, but be transformed how by the renewing of your mind, and I was about to change the way I think about what everything I have to change the way I think about me you God life this world. Eternity had to change my mind and he says do not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of your mind, with the result or so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect. In other words, you finally see his life the way it should be the byproduct of that is contentment. You see, the renewing of the mind means the second thing if felt the love of God and only compels us to give our lives to God. But it also commits us to doing the word of God.

The renewing of my mind is not enough. I have to do something before earlier in the series. We dealt with. James 122 and James adult be a hearer of the word only, you gotta be a doer if you don't do it and help you so often. As Christians we misunderstand that so often. As Christians we think that spirituality is knowing the word of God. It's not is important to know the word of God.

But it's not spirituality's doing word of God over the years. I can't even tell you how many people come to me and said to me, Pastor, can you spend time with me or have a group meeting with us or recommend a book for me or something I should listen to so that I can know the word of God better and am all for that. If it's a means to an end, but in all the years that I Pastor no one's ever come to me and said Pastor here's what I need I need to do the word. I know you see that's what we need. You need to do the word you know we got the thing on II just need to know more about the word it's it's good to know more about the work of dedicated my life to it. The truth the matter is if I don't do it. It won't help me at all. In fact, Jane says Bill you'd be deluded to think that way. You see, that's the whole point. So I authentic follower not only gives our lives to God but they are committed to doing God's word. The third thing they do is find a Colossians chapter 3 in verse two, Colossians 3 in the apostle Paul says in verses one into Reese's.

Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ. That word if is a first-class condition of assumption it means since, and you have he says. Therefore, since you have been raised up with Christ is what I want you to do. Keep seeking the things above were Christ is seated at the right hand of God and set your mind on the things above and not the things of the earth the same idea that Paul picks up on a moments, but he says look when you get your values going from heaven don't get the values area around on the earth don't get the values you see from the culture. Get your values in the Lord. Set your mind. He says on the things above. In other words, the third thing that this love of God compels me to do is to make decisions from an eternal perspective.

What is the God values versus what is our culture value. I found this illustration this week and it made good sense to me but I want to tell you how profound that would be back in 2007 Seattle Mariners traded a picture to the Kansas City Royals is a left-handed pitcher and his name is Gilgamesh and the Royals gave him an enormous mega contract and when he actually was a five year contract and when he showed up he really lived up to it. He was an All-Star pitcher. He pitched well for them for a couple years. He was really really good and then the injury set in, and then his pitching shoulder simply went to the point where he could not pitch at all and so we had one more year on his contract and so he said I want to meet with the organization and they met with him and he said to them, here's what I would like to do. I would you please keep the money 12.4 million would you keep the money. The decision rocked the baseball world. You see all he had to do it. Anybody else of the no cut contract baseball resort spring-training did not throw pitch and they gave him 12.4 million Sports Illustrated reporter call history are ending at perhaps the most unbelievable finish in major league history. The Mets manager said this is just so odd and rare.

The New York Daily News wrote by showing our kids what integrity looks like he's earned our respect to the here's what he said this is an about being a hero. It just wasn't the right thing to do when I signed my contract. My main goal was to earn it. Once I started to realize I was earning my money.

I felt bad. I was making a crazy amount of money for not even pitching. Honestly, I didn't feel like I deserved it and I didn't want to have those feelings anymore. Just think we make decisions like receipt was the response of culture to a guy like that. Are you crazy 12.4 million.

It's legally signed. It's your money, which is values are higher than it and inner so I don't want just think of. We as Christians make decisions on that basis set her mind on things above residence things of the earth where she lived and held ourselves a higher standard.

If we did that. Just think of the profound effect would have another people authentic followers of Christ live that way they make decisions based on an eternal perspective and then one last thing they do and they we find that in the book of I Thessalonians. This go to first Thessalonians chapter 5, Paul was winding down this letter. It is a great ending. By the way could be preached for six months just in the ending is a letter he starts in verse 14 he says.

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone see to it that no one pays another with evil for evil. Always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. You can see loving God and loving others right there.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. And do not despise prophetic utterances, but examine everything carefully hold fast to that which is good, and abstain from every form of evil. And then he says this now may the God of peace himself sanctify or set you apart entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, and then this at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So what does an authentic follower do in this case they live each day. In light of that day.

They live each day. In light of that day she would that affect you of how but this, ask yourself this question saying that the Lord appeared to you and only you tonight and he said to you I just want to let you know right now I'm coming back on Wednesday. I just want you to know I'm coming back on Wednesday. Nine. When asking the question, would you live the next days.

The way you would've lived in before you heard that Syria is not, would you live them differently is coming back Wednesday. You know I get back on my goodness, what was my best couple days left home. It's how little sleep can I do I really want. By the way, according to the word of God, the return of Jesus Christ is imminent. He can get back any day including Wednesday about a way to come back today you see and nothing follower of Jesus Christ lives every day you see in light of that day all by the way there's one other aspect of that, there is the possibility that Jesus could come back at any time, and there is another possibility. We often don't want to think about it, but I could go and be with Jesus at any time, so could you see that trip that we take is impossible to cancel or delay your making the trip to see your making the trip and saw my men to be more profound than a die.

So my we are being pulled forward by the most unbreakable wall on the universe. The unrelenting tractor beam of entropy. Everyone of us.

You see, I know was going to happen. I just don't know when it's going to happen.

So consequently if that's my perspective than I want to live this day.

In light of that day you see an authentic followers and interested what is going to do for Jesus Christ next year for next month for next week but I think follower Jesus Christ want to know what I'm gonna do for Jesus Christ today. Now what is the one for me now each day may be the final data display my love for God. This might be my day. My last chance to demonstrate my authenticity.

So if you don't feel prevailing contentment in your life you have to ask yourself the question of my authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Authentic followers are not perfect the not close but they see themselves the way God sees him they see their need for Jesus Christ. They see themselves as new creatures, and they are marked because they love God and they love others and that love compels him to give their life to God to commit themselves to doing God's word to make decisions based an eternal perspective in the live each day. In light of that day. One last motivation God deserves your contentment. Richard Swanson, who had been very indebted to for this whole series writes this and I'll close this series in this message with what he wrote.

He writes God is continually making his case.

No one has ever been courted like we have no one is ever been showered with gifts like we have.

He gave us a foundation on which we stand that is unmovable and unshakable. He gave us a vision that is staggeringly comprehensive. He gave us an inheritance sent ahead.

That is not susceptible to market bubbles.

He adopted us into his family. He grafted us in he forgave us completely. He gave us the privilege of being joint heirs with Christ gave us unimpeded access to the throne of God, he gave us himself, the Christ, who came and walked among us so that we could look God in the eye and get to know him. He gave us the gift of his suffering and he suffers with the still, he gave us his life and he gave us his death. He gave us his blood. He gave us the gift of the cross and explain why it is blotting and why it is empty, along with the tomb. He paid the awful one complete penalty for sin, he gave us reconciliation.

He gave us righteousness by grace, even he says when we were far away. He gave us his friendship. He gave us fellowship.

He gave us patience. He'd measured gave us a measure of faith.

He gave us the truth. He gave us peace.

He gave us the word of God for instruction. He gave us the spirit of God for encouragement.

He gave us a Christian mind.

He gave us a body crowned with glory and honor. He gave us another body to the body of believers he gave us the earth gave us the sun in the day and the moon at night he gave us the gift of nature so that we might see is an artist who paints sunsets free of charge. In other words, he gave us love boy that sounds like a good deal does not. If this is what has been given. Perhaps we can take a really bold risk and give him a gift as well. Contentment.

God is most glorified when we are most content in him the spring father my prayer this morning is simply this. We look into our own lives in our own hearts. We have to ask ourselves the question in my own authentic follower of Jesus Christ do I love you within non-conditional love you I love you in such a way that I will have you have charge of my life. Father I pray that if we understand what it means to be authentic stopped the pre-tensing stop wearing the mask and live our lives. Honestly and openly before you that the companion of that authenticity will be contentment on our part. Father is your desire in your will that your children be content even in broken bodies in a fallen world.

Father, you have provided the need.

Father, we must provide the real and the faith to make it so that's my friends. Pastor broke apart on the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just the one time support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds of pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you're looking for. You can search by title.

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