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(The four great rules of our faith)
Christian brethren, I welcome all us to this sermon platform of our meeting, to share the bread of life in fellowship and also take home this bread to our friends, to whom it may please us to forward it to. It is my prayer that the Lord God, will bless us immensely, as we journey on this path, inspite of discouragements, He will keep us marching on.
THE RACE WITH RULES.
The Race With Rules, is such a race which you can understand, when you are winning or loosing. Where there are no rules people grope about in darkness and often end in the bush with frustration. Our christian faith is a race which is run with rules.
CAUTION IS FUNDAMENTAL TO RULES.
In 2 Tim. 2 : 4-5 we are instructed by this caution:
“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.” (2 Timothy 4 :4 – 5).
CHRISTIAN RACE IS RUN WITH RULES.
Rules which are transparent are the best of rules. The Christian way is a way which is run by transparent rules and no one is crowned except he strives lawfully.
Christian friends, I am not taking you to an unknown terrain, but it is the wish of God that we come together with this reminder. No one running according to the rules entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.
As in 2 Peter 3 : 1 – 2, the Apostle Peter tells us this :
3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: (2 Peter 3 : 1 – 2).
This sermon is to remind us of the godly path we already know, which we must follow if we are to be crowned.
THE FOUR GREAT RULES.
If any man follows these four rules he will never miss the crown.
- Faith
A faithless man is a man without destiny. We need faith to begin this race, which has an eternal destination. In the book to the Hebrews Chapter 11, we read as follows: it is by faith we grab the promises of God as if it is already there with us (Hebs. 11 : 1), and without faith we cannot please God, neither can we accept that there is God at all, nor that He is a rewarder of those that follow after Him.( Hebs. 11 : 6).
FAITH MUST REFLECT WORK.
2:24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (James 2 : 24).
Our faith must be demonstrated through a righteous work. If some one shows you his faith, show him your faith with your work.
FAITH in God and all that God stands for remains our first step to God.
- Holiness
We need holiness to act In faith, knowing the nature of He whose way we tread. In the book of Leviticus 19 : 2, God calls on those who have chosen Him as their God to be holy for He is holy. Holiness signifies living a righteous life. The passengers on this way must practise godliness with contentment (1 Timothy 6 : 6). The righteous shall be delivered from trouble.
“The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. (Proverbs 11 :6)
No man can see the Lord without holiness. It is holiness that qualifies any man to be in heaven with the Lord. It is only in heaven, that we can see the Lord. Therefore the race to eternal life must be run in utmost holiness and submission to God. No matter how grown up we might be in the Lord , there is always need to accept the chastisememt of God for our holiness to be shaped rightly.
11:5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (Prob.11 :5).
- Love
The rules in love are set up as a very important rule in the race of life. This is stated in Matthew 22 : 37 – 40, by Jesus Himself.
22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
All the rules we are touching here are all subsumed in this rule of love.
If we love our neighbours, we will in no wise hurt them and if we love God we will not worship any other God and will accept Jesus as revealed in John 3 :16.
A very difficult rule in love which men will struggle with is when Jesus said that His followers must love their enemies and even pray for them (Matt. 5 : 44).
Moses spoke about an eye for an eye. No forgiveness, in the law of Moses. The circumstance they met with was responsible.
There is no religious faith that preaches and practises love like the Christian faith and that is why some enemies of the faith are killing christians in their believe that christians are powerless. The Christian faith must leave vengeance in the hands of God. It will not be denied by God.
- Hope
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4 : 4).
The believers are called into one hope by our God, who in fairness, gives favour equally to all irrespect of race, tribe and tongue for living a life of holiness before Him.This one hope is revealed in eternal life.
There is hope for the Christian in eternity or the life to come. So all the struggle to win this race, has been built on hope that He who called us is faithful. This makes the Christian to practice love, self denial, endurance, and the role of burden bearing, through evangelism, to win own soul and the lost souls for the Lord.
May God bless you and may you find grace to win the race Amen.
Join friends of Rev. Professor P. C . Nnaocha @ Miracle Valley Gospel Ministries Platform in FACEBOOK today. You are blessed Amen.
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