So what about it? What matters?

What really matters?  How important is your Faith?
(Notes from last talk at Dayton Christian High School)

Couple of questions?

1. If there was no age limit on being able to drink—would you?
2. If pot were legal would you smoke it?
3. If you got your girlfriend pregnant would you consider an abortion?   After all it is legal?
4. Is loosing your virginity the worst thing you could do?
5. Is “Christianity” about rules or faith? Both?
6. On a scale of 1-10  how important to you is your faith?
7. On a scale of 1-10 rules?  How important?
8. Do you care about a relationship with the living God?

What really matters?

Romans 14.22  Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves, but the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats because his is eating is not from faith;  and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

How important is your faith?  Remember the question?  How important is your FAITH?   You see you are being duped to believe that faith is not important—or no big deal.  It is the most important thing.  The question of legal or illegal trumps faith to most.
Christianity is not so much cognitive as it is unseen, belief, faith.
If you care about anything today, care about your faith, or you lack thereof.
At some point you gotta move away from what others tell you is right and wrong— what is legal and illegal, what is a rule at your home or school and what is important, boundaries, how sin, your tainted heart– and desire a relationship with God that goes beyond all the stuff that will fail.

That moves into the realm of daily living by faith.  No?  What happens when you leave home?  No more mommy and daddy to tell you what to do.  What happens when you leave and go to study for your dreams of making money, having top of the line cars, houses – living in a dorm and you are 21?   What happens when no one is looking anyhow?  Isn’t that who you are really?

How bout it?  Really—does smoking a joint really change life?  (I have seen years of use destroy people) Does it really get you through the hard things of life?  Does having sex make you a man? Does getting drunk make you someone special, normal, or just another person that got drunk?

See here is the crux of this issue called spiritual—
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.  One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.
Romans 14.1-5
The problem of disputable matters- meaning there really are things in the realm of the Christian faith that are disputable

Let me make sure we have an understanding

1. I am a 52 year old man
2. I am going on my 19^th year of sobriety
3. I have been married for  26 years this June.
4. I am a full blown sinner
5. I believe in Christ Jesus as the only savior
6. I have been justified by faith
7. I don’t follow your rules and I’m not obligated period
8. I don’t follow my parents rules—my dad is dead and my mom is 93 years old

Make sure you understand today that I don’t follow the Levitical law, I never did, I never will.

I follow rules at my job, I follow rules everyday when I drive.  I get up religiously everyday and go to work.  I read my Bible because I enjoy it and sometimes I miss my time alone with God.  I love God because He first loved me.  I have found Him to be my everything in this sick, fallen broken world.

I don’t believe everything I hear, I don’t put my faith in humans, I don’t like socialism, I don’t believe in bailing everyone out, I do believe in helping, being kind, doing right to people.  I don’t appreciate fake people, I don’t enjoy being around people that expect me to live differently then they selves live.  I don’t appreciate Christians that speak poorly of the local church, and badly about those that lead the church.

I am in process like everyone else.  I will die someday and enjoy heaven not because I ever earned, not because I’m a good person, not because I had it all together, not because I did this or didn’t do this, but because by faith I believe in Christ Jesus as my Savior period.

I can’t add to that or take away from that period.  Quite frankly if you have been a believer of Christ for over a few years you should be getting this stuff by now, Really.
Bottom line is none of the above is that important or that spiritual for that matter. (my lil opinions and attitudes and feelings and the rules I keep aren’t that big of a deal nor our yours.)

Well here is spiritual—

Romans 14.17  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Context—Verse 12, 13,14 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
Verse 14 is key!

Finally—   So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.  Romans 14.22,23

Spiritual matters?  Your faith matters the most period.
Hebrew 11.6

Not of faith is Sin—
Get it straight—
the issues
Of what is legal and what is not?
The issue of this or that?
Disputable matters?
Is the above really that important?  Not according to the Scriptures (which by the way everyone loves to claim as their basis for what they do or don’t do.)  Really?

• Your faith matters

• You are going to face huge difficulties in this life

Where will your faith lead you?
Think about it?  Why is the “Testing of our faith” so important?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1.2-4

Faith matters!