What is a Christian: By Dedication

Father, we thank you for today. We are grateful, Lord, for this opportunity to spend time in the word of the Lord. You have allowed us this opportunity, Lord, and we are grateful.

Our prayer tonight is that you'd open our hearts and minds to be able to behold the beauty of your great name, and that, Lord, we would understand what it is you'd have us do as your children, that we might live in obedience to you. We are grateful, Lord, for the word of God that teaches us, that grows us, that stimulates us, that motivates us, and that the spirit of God uses the word of God to move us on to maturity in Christ. For that, we are grateful, and we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.

This past week, I had a unique opportunity. We had a homeless man come by the church on Monday, and he came by because he needed a place to stay. He had been kicked out of the location he was for alcohol, and he had been there for eight months, but because he was drinking, they kicked him out.

And so he came by the church, and of course, Peggy asked if I'd love to talk to him, and I said, sure, I'd love to. So I came down and talked to him about his situation, why things went the way they did, and I asked him, do you live in the area? He said, well, my wife and two children, they live in West Covina. I said, well, why don't you go to their home? He said, well, I can't because I've been kicked out of my home.

I said, well, when were you kicked out? Oh, I was kicked out two years ago by my wife and by my father-in-law, simply because of my alcohol problem. I said, oh, so you can't go back there because you were kicked out. You can't go back to the home you were in because you were kicked out.

What do you want me to do? I mean, where do you want me to put you? I don't know what to do. He says, well, I just need a place to stay. So I said, well, you know, we can find a place for you and look for a place and see if there's someone who can take you.

And he had in his Bible, he had a beat-up Bible, he had a place that would allow him, if we called, to maybe stay. So I picked up my phone and called the place. And the man said, yes, we do have a bed.

And yes, he could come tonight. I said, great. I say, he goes, well, we need to interview him.

I said, okay. So I put him on the phone. His name was Ronnie.

I said, here, Ronnie, this guy wants to interview you. So he interviewed him on the phone and then gave the phone back to me. And I said, does he pass the interview process? He says, yes.

He says, now our home is in Fontana. I said, well, that's a good thing. I live in Fontana.

That's not a problem. Where is the home at? So he told me exactly where it was. I said, well, that's right next to my house.

No problem. So I hung up with him. I said, okay, Ronnie, we're gonna get in my car and we're gonna make our way to Fontana because they have a bed for you tonight and you can stay there for as long as you want.

He said, really? I said, yeah. So let's get your stuff and get your coat and get in my car and off we'll go. So we got in the car and I said, hey, you know what? It's about a 40-minute drive and I probably need Starbucks to get me home.

So how about we go by and get some coffee? He goes, well, I don't drink coffee. I said, you don't drink coffee? He says, no. I said, you drink alcohol, but you don't drink coffee.

He says, no. I said, we need to change that around for you to help you understand that coffee's a lot better for you than alcohol is. He says, yeah, yeah, I know.

I said, so how about if I just get you a lemonade? He goes, okay. So I got Frappuccino and got some lemonade and off we went. I said, now we have a 40-minute drive.

I said, so I have you as a captive audience and I'm a preacher. So I'm gonna talk to you about the Lord Jesus Christ for the next 40 minutes. He said, really? I said, yeah.

For the next 40 minutes, I'm gonna talk to you about the Lord. And so I very succinctly went through the gospel with him to help him understand what it means to make a decision for Christ. What the Bible says in Luke chapter nine, verse number 23, that if any man follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.

I said, there's a decision that you need to make based on what God says in his word. Outside of that, you need to understand what a Christian is. I said, do you know what a Christian is? He says, well, somebody who follows God.

I said, well, sort of. I said, but let me explain to you what a Christian is. So I began to define for him Christianity.

Having defined Christianity for him, I went on to describe for him exactly what a Christian is, how he is in Christ, in Christ is in him. And I said, do you need Christ in you? I said, because the only way you can overcome your addiction, the only way you can overcome the alcohol addiction that you have is through the power of the Spirit of God in your life. You can't do it on your own.

You can go and you can go to some kind of rehab center, which you have done, and you were sober for a while. It didn't last. I said, but Jesus Christ can do a great and mighty work in your life.

So once you're in Christ and Christ is in you, then the Spirit of God does a marvelous work. So I talked to him about what it means to be in Christ. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. And I said, you need to become new. I said, and God doesn't wanna reshape you. He wants to recreate you into his image. So we talked about that for a little bit.

And I asked him some questions along the way, and then I finally said to him, you need to understand that to be a Christian, you must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, that he is the Messiah of God, and that he came to die for your sins. So it took me all of the 40 minutes on our way to Fontana to talk to him about the gospel. We got to the end of our time, and I said, listen, you need to give your life to Christ, because that's the only hope you have.

He said, well, I'm not sure I wanna do that. I said, well, you might not be sure you wanna do that. I said, but if you die tonight, and you're really in not really good condition, but if you die tonight, you're gonna go to hell, and you're gonna burn in hell forever.

I said, but you can go to heaven if you give your life to Christ, but you need to do that. And if I was you, I wouldn't put it off much longer. I said, because you have no guarantee how much longer you're gonna live.

And I said, so you know where my church is, and you know what my name is, and so you know where we're at, and you're more than welcome to come any time you wanna come, but I will let you know. I'm gonna buy you lunch, and then you just need to wait right here, and the home is gonna come by and pick you up right here at Ralph's in Fontana, and then they'll take you to where you need to be and give you a place to sleep. He says, okay.

I said, but you need to know that all this was providential. I said, you know what providence is? He says, no. I said, do you know what the sovereignty of God is? He says, no.

I said, well, let me explain it to you. So I explained it to him. I said, it was providential that you came by the church today.

It was providential that the home was in Fontana. It was providential that God allowed me to talk to you about the gospel today for 40 minutes without any interruptions. It was providential that God has allowed us to engage in this conversation.

This was not an accident. This was a divine appointment, and I'm not sure how many more divine appointments God's gonna give you to hear the gospel. He might give you more.

He might not. He might not. I said, but you need to understand that today is a day of salvation.

You can put it off for a day or two or three or four or however long you want, but I can't guarantee that you'll live all those days. I can only guarantee this moment. He says, I hear you, but I'm not sure I just want to do that.

I said, okay, that choice is completely yours. So you know my name, you know where our church is. You're welcome any time.

Basically, the whole conversation centered around what is a Christian, trying to explain to him the decision that a Christian makes, the definition of a Christian, the description of a Christian, the declaration of a Christian. I basically summed up in four weeks what we talked about in 40 minutes. And of course, you're probably thinking, why can't you just do what you did in four weeks and 40 minutes, right? But I didn't give him the whole kit and caboodle like I'm giving you guys.

So the bottom line is, is that you walk people through an understanding of what it means to be a Christian. And when you get all said and done, they might want to respond. They might not want to respond.

And our job is not to get them to respond. Our job is just to present the gospel. Our job is to show them the way, help them understand who Christ is.

And that's all our responsibility is. We don't save people. We just proclaim the truth to people.

God saves people. Ronnie and I had a time of prayer together before he left. I fed him lunch, or bought him lunch.

And then I said, I trust that one day you'll give your life to Christ. What is a Christian? I told him, I said, you know, when you become a Christian, you live no longer for yourself. You live for Christ.

And that's just the greatest of all lives. I said, right now you're living for yourself. That's why you're an alcoholic.

And that's why you've been kicked out of your house. And that's why you've been kicked out of the home you're in. Because you're living for yourself.

But a Christian, he lives for Christ. And that simply is the Christian and his dedication. A Christian is dedicated to living for Christ.

Paul said it well in Philippians 1:21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. That is the Christian's dedication.

He does that simply because of what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse number 15, which says, he, Christ, died for all, so they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Christ died so you would no longer live for yourself, but you would live for Christ. So Paul says, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Paul was dedicated to living for Christ, not living for himself. But isn't it interesting that everybody lives for someone or something? You live either for money, power, prestige, and fame. You live for recognition.

You live for honor. You live for appraisal. You live for yourself.

Everybody lives for someone or for something, but the Christian is unique. He doesn't do that. He lives for Christ.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Now, do you live for Christ perfectly? No, but you do live for Christ progressively. That is, you progress in Christlikeness because you wanna live more and more like the Christ, but nobody lives perfectly for Christ this side of eternity, but you do progress in your life with Christ and for Christ.

And so when Paul says, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain, he recognizes that the premise of a great life is to live for Christ, and the promise of a great life is nothing but gain, complete gain. Why? Because everything for a Christian is gained in glory. The Christian knows that because the Christian doesn't live for the here and now because he's not of this world.

He knows that. She knows that. The Christian knows that there are aliens and strangers in a foreign land.

They know that they're only passing through. They're living for Christ because they're living for eternity. They have the value of eternity in mind in all that they do.

That's the Christian's dedication. He's dedicated to living for Christ. So I ask you the question this evening, who are you dedicated to living for? What do you live for every single day? What do you wake up for every single day? What motivates you all throughout the day? Is it the Christ or is it someone else or something else? Unfortunately, most of us live only for ourselves.

Solomon did. Remember Solomon? Ecclesiastes chapter 2. This was his testimony about his life.

Listen to what he says. Verse 1. I said to myself, come now, I will test you with pleasure.

Enjoy yourself. Now we might not say it like that, but that's how Solomon said it. Remember, this is his journal.

Those of you with us who are studying Ecclesiastes, this is the life journal of Solomon. He lived for himself. It says, and behold, it too was futility.

I said of laughter, it is madness. And of pleasure, what does it accomplish? I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely and how to take hold of folly until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives. I enlarged my works.

I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself.

And I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves and I had home-born slaves.

Also, I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men, many concubines.

Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them.

I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus, I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted and behold, all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun. Here was the wisest man, the richest man, the king of Israel who could have whatever he wanted and basically obtained all that he desired.

And after it was all said and done, he said, you know what, it's just nothing but emptiness. There's nothing there. It's futile.

There's nothing of value here. Amidst all the parks and all the ponds, amidst all the houses and all the money, amidst all the concubines and all the slaves, amidst all the things that he had erected and created and he could erect and create anything he desired, none of it fulfilled him. It was all empty.

None of it accomplished what he thought it would accomplish because the things of this world just don't do that. But Solomon lived for himself. And for those of us who think that living for ourselves is gonna bring us the happiness and the joy of our lives, it does not.

Oh, it might make you satisfied for a moment or two but it doesn't bring you lasting joy. Only Christ can do that. That's why Paul says for to me to live is Christ.

He died that I might live for him, that I might no longer live for myself. You have to ask that question. If you're living for yourself, do you really know the Christ? You have to ask that question.

If Christ died so that you would no longer live for yourself but for him, why is it you keep living for yourself? That's a legit question. Why don't you live for Christ? Why don't you live to honor him and to please him and to glorify his name? We fight this struggle all the time. And so what does it mean to live for Christ? And how do you know you live for Christ? Well, let me give you a few principles that will help you, that will guide you along the path of living for Christ.

Those who live for Christ, number one, listen to Christ. Now this might sound elementary or basic, but in order to live for Christ, you gotta listen to Christ. You gotta hear him speak.

That's why the Bible is replete with commands about he who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, Revelation 2 and 3. Christ would say in Luke chapter 8, be careful what you hear. In Mark's gospel, he said be careful how you hear.

Because if you have ears to hear, you need to listen well. Well, Jesus said in John chapter 5, verse number 24, he who hears my words and believes in him who sent me has eternal life. Those who live for Christ listen to what he says.

They want to hear what Christ has said. The Bible says in Luke nine, verse number 35, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John hear the thundering voice out of the cloud, this is my beloved son, listen to him. Listen to him.

Mary and Martha had their spat in Luke chapter 10 because Mary wanted to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to him speak. But Martha wanted to do the work in the house to prepare the meal and was upset that Mary wasn't helping her. And Christ said to Martha, oh, Martha, you are worried about so many different things.

But Mary has chosen the good part. Mary has chosen the one thing that's needful, just one. One thing is what's really needed in your life, Martha.

And Mary's chosen that better part. And that is to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what he has to say. That has always been the theme.

You can go all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter six, it says, now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it. So that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God and keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command you all the days of your life and that your days may be prolonged.

Oh, Israel, you should listen. Listen and be careful to do that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly just as the Lord, the God of your fathers has promised you in a land flowing with milk and honey. Then in the great Shema, which means to hear.

Hear, oh, Israel. Are you listening? The Lord your God is one. Are you listening, Israel? Later in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 11, verse 26, Moses says, see, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.

The blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today. And the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way, which I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. There's a blessing and a cursing.

The blessing comes to those who listen and obey. The cursing comes to those who do not listen, therefore they cannot obey. But it's always about listening to what God says.

Not listening superficially, not listening with a half-hearted turning to God. He wants you to listen with all of your heart. He wants you to listen intently.

He wants you to listen wholeheartedly, with passion. He wants you to hang on every word that he says. But you know what? For the most part, we don't do that.

We go to church or we read the Bible and we are partially listening, but we're not really all into listening, you know? And the question comes, well, why not? In order to live for Christ, you have to listen to what the Christ has to say. So therefore, you're all in on what he is saying. Later in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse number 15, the Lord, your God, will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you from your own countrymen and you shall listen to him.

There's coming a prophet, Moses says, that's greater than I am, from our own countrymen and you need to listen to him. And that's why Luke nine is so important because when God says, this is my beloved son, listen to him, it was a fulfillment of the book of Deuteronomy, the 18th chapter, that this was the prophet, the prophet, not a prophet, but the prophet that would eventually come the Messiah of Israel. Solomon would say in Proverbs chapter 1, verse number 33, he who listens to me shall live securely.

Who doesn't wanna live securely? He who listens to me will live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil. Who doesn't wanna be at ease from the dread of evil? Well, it comes from listening to what God says. Proverbs chapter 8, Solomon once again says it this way, heed instruction, be wise, do not neglect it.

Then he says, blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts, for he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. Blessed is the man who listens to me. Blessed is the man who waits daily at the doorposts, who can't wait to hear what God has to say.

To live for Christ begins with listening to what Christ has to say. Again, every one of us listens to something or someone. The question is, do you listen to God more? Do you want to hear what God has to say more than anyone else has to say? That's the important thing.

So to live for Christ means you listen to the Christ. Number two, those who live for Christ not only listen to the Christ, but they love the Christ. Notice this, if you listen to him, you will love him.

And one of the reasons you don't love him as you should is because you're not listening to what he says. The key to everything is being a good listener. That's why Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter five, when you go near to the house of God, go there, guard your steps, because you go there to listen.

Why do you go to church? You go to listen, that's why you come. What is God going to say? What does God's word say? How is God going to speak to me today? Through his word. When you draw near to the house of God, guard your steps because you're going there for one reason and one reason only, you're only going there to listen because Jesus said, there's one thing that's needful and you need to hear me speak.

And God only speaks through his word. So God's word must be preached and proclaimed so you know what God says. Well, when you listen to the Lord speak, you can't help but love the Lord who has spoken.

That's why the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:22, if anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Let him be accursed. That's why Peter says in 1 Peter 1:8, though you may not see me, yet you love me.

You may not see the Christ, but you certainly love the Christ. Philippians 1, this was Paul's prayer for the church of Philippi. He said, in this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge.

Okay, in real knowledge and all discernment. In other words, I want your love to grow and the only way your love is gonna grow is if you grow in the knowledge of God. And the only way you're gonna get to know God is if you listen to him speak.

And so I want your love to grow. And by the way, this should be a pattern for all of our lives when it comes to praying for other people and for our church. When we pray about things that are so superficial instead of praying for things that are truly spiritual.

Every one of us should be engaged in praying that our love would abound more and more in the knowledge of God so that we can have the discernment to be able to decide between that which is good and which is evil. That's what you need. And then he says this.

So that you may approve the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. I want you to be able to approve all things. I want you to be blameless.

For that to happen, your love has got to abound more and more in the knowledge of God. So important. So let me ask you a question.

Do you love the Lord? I think every one of us in the room would say, yeah, I love the Lord. But the question comes, how do you know you love the Lord? Because if you're gonna live for Christ, you gotta listen to him and you must love him. But what does it mean to love the Lord? That's a great question.

It goes way beyond the feelings and emotions that we have for the Lord. There is feeling and emotion in it, but how do you know you love the Lord? Well, let me give you a few ways you know that. One is, if you love the Lord, you're gonna meditate daily on the word of God.

If you love the Lord, you're gonna meditate daily on the word of God. Psalmist says it this way, Psalm 119:97. Oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day.

You see, if you love the Lord, you love his word. Because you can't love the incarnate word without loving the inspired word. The two go hand in hand.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was God, the word was with God, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And the word of God is the breathed word of God. So to love the Lord, you must love his word.

So you will meditate daily upon his word. It says over in verse number 127, these words, therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold. There you go.

Do you love the commandments more than gold? More than money? More than anything else? Verse 163, I hate and despise falsehood, but I love your law. Verse 159, consider how I love your precepts. Verse 167, my soul keeps your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly.

You know you love the Lord when you meditate daily on the word of God. Because you can't wait to hear him speak. Another way you know the Lord is not only that you meditate daily on the word of God, but you hate fully all that God hates.

You know you love the Lord when you hate what God hates. Hate evil, all you who love the Lord. Psalm 97, verse number 10.

Hate evil, you who love the Lord. So if you love the Lord, you hate evil. So you're gonna hate fully what God hates.

Remember 1 John chapter 2? 1 John chapter 2, verse number 15. Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. Why? If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

You can't love the things of the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world's passing away, also its lust.

But the one who does the will of God, that person abides forever. So in other words, you hate what God hates. So important to realize this.

We forget that our love is seen in hating what God hates. And so we don't love the world, we don't love the things of the world, we don't love evil, we hate evil. Because God hates evil.

So when you begin to get down to brass tacks as to what it means to love the Lord, it means that you're gonna meditate daily on the law of the Lord, and you're gonna hate fully the things that God himself hates. Number three, if you love the Lord, you're gonna imitate authentically God himself. Ephesians five, verses one and two.

That we are to be imitators of God, and walk in love. So if you love the Lord, you're gonna imitate authentically God himself. You're gonna walk in love.

This is so important. How do I know you love God? I know you love God because you love your wife as Christ loved the church. That's how I know you love God.

I know you love God simply because you're forgiving. Because the greatest standard and measurement for your love is the willingness to forgive those who have sinned against you. And so forgiveness then begins to reign supreme in your life, for love covers a multitude of sins.

The book of Proverbs tells us, along with first Peter chapter four, love does not expose people's sins, love covers those sins. Love forgives. So you wanna imitate God. You wanna imitate his forgiveness. You wanna imitate his love. You wanna imitate his grace and his mercy. You wanna begin to imitate authentically the God you say you love. You wanna be like God. See, that's what love does.

That's how love manifests itself. It manifests itself because I meditate daily on his law because I wanna know all there is to know about him because I love him so. And then I'm gonna hate what he hates because I don't wanna offend him in any way.

And then I'm gonna imitate him daily because I wanna be like him. That's how you know you love the Lord. So important.

And number four, you demonstrate freely your obedience to Christ. Listen to John chapter 14. John 14, verse number 15.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Verse 21, he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and will disclose myself to him.

Love is always seen in obedience to the commands of God. I'm gonna do what God says. If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

If you don't love me, you could care less about my commandments. You don't wanna obey my commands. But if you love me, you will keep my commands.

Another way is that you consecrate wholly your life to God above everything and everyone else. So when Christ comes to Peter in John 21, he says, Peter, do you love me more than these? And we don't know what the these are in John 21. It could be the other disciples.

It could be his business, his fishing business, right? The question is, do you love me more than your financial stability? Do you love me more than your friends? Do you love me more than anything else? Do you love me more than these? Peter says, of course I love you, Lord. Then feed my sheep. But Christ asked him three times that same question because he wanted to make sure Peter understood that everything about loving him centers around consecrating your life to him.

And he goes on and talks about how he's gonna follow him and how he's gonna stretch out his hands where he doesn't wanna go. He's gonna be crucified. He's gonna die by following Christ.

Those who love the Lord consecrate their lives fully and freely to him. He means more to them than everything else, than anyone else. So ask yourself, do you love the Lord? Peter denied the Lord.

Judas denied the Lord. But Peter loved the Savior. Judas loved himself.

And Judas was the son of perdition. Big difference there. And so you have to ask yourself, do I love the Lord? This is why I listen to him.

Because I get to know him. And if I listen to him, I will love him. For to me to live is Christ.

To do that, I must listen to him, number one. Number two, I must love him. Number three, I must learn all I can about him.

If you love the Lord, you're gonna learn everything you can about him. And you'll never stop learning. You'll wanna know him deeply, intimately.

Daniel 11:32 says that people who know their God will display strength and take action. Let me ask you a question. Do you display strength and take action? If you don't display strength, you probably don't know the Lord.

If you display weakness and fragility, you probably don't know the Lord. Daniel says if you know the Lord, you will display strength and you will take action. You will do great exploits for God.

Why? Because the knowledge of God does something in your life that moves you and motivates you to live for the glory and honor of his kingdom. And the power of God within the life of a person catapults them to action. So important to realize this.

There's something about knowing God and learning about God. It is a pursuit. A pursuit that is impenetrable.

In other words, you're never going to know God fully this life, eternity. Psalm 145 says his greatness is unsearchable. You're never gonna find it out.

So knowing God is impenetrable because he's infinite and you're finite. So you're never gonna fully come to know him but there's this passion behind the pursuit of him to learn all you can about him because he's your God, he's your savior, he's the God that you love. Knowing God is life's most impenetrable pursuit but it's life's most impressionable pursuit.

Nothing will change your life more than knowing the Lord God. Listen what the Bible says over in the book of Colossians. Colossians chapter 1.

Paul says this, for this reason since the day we heard of it we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. You can't walk in a manner worthy of the Lord unless you know who he is. You gotta learn all you can about him.

You'll please him in all respects, you'll bear fruit, you'll increase in the knowledge of God, you'll be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. That's what God does. There's something about it. There's something about learning about God that just catapults you into another sphere of living because everything about your life centers around living for Christ, knowing that dying is gain.

Back in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah says this in Jeremiah chapter nine verse number one. Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.

He wept for Jerusalem. He wept for Israel. Why? Because Israel was once a strong nation. Israel was God's people. Israel was gonna be used by God in a great and mighty way but now he begins to weep bitterly over Jerusalem. He says in verse two, oh, that I had in the desert a wayfarer's lodging place that I might leave my people and go from them.

He's saying, oh, if I just had a home, if I had a condo in Palm Springs, I would go there. If I had a house in Tahiti, I would go there. If I had a condo in Maui, I would go anywhere to escape what I'm facing right now.

So he says these words. For all of them are adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like their bow. Lies and not truth prevail in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil. I don't wanna be around evil. I don't wanna be around liars. I don't wanna be around adulterers. I don't wanna be on treacherous men.

So if I could escape and go someplace other than where I'm at, I would do that. He couldn't, but if he could, he would. So what was the problem? He tells you.

And they do not know me, declares the Lord. That was a problem in Israel. Hosea tells us they were destroyed for lack of knowledge. They just did not want to learn all they could about their God. It cost him desperately. It cost him tremendously because he would not learn all they could about their God.

To live for Christ simply means that you listen to all that he says. And once you listen to him, you can't help but love him. And the more you love him, the more you wanna learn all you can about him.

So you know you love him when you just can't get enough of him. Have you had enough of God? Are you bored with God? Are you done with God? Those who wanna live for Christ, they wanna live to know all they could about him. And know this, once you learn about him, this is number four, you lean upon him.

You lean upon him. You trust him, right? All your energies, your life is just thrust upon God. You can't help but trust him.

The psalmist, in Psalm 50, verse number 15 says, call upon me in the day of trouble, I shall rescue you and you will honor me. In Psalm 56, verse number 3, when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I'll lean upon you.

In God whose word I praise, in God I put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? How about this, Proverbs chapter 18. Proverbs chapter 18, verse number 10.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runs into it and is safe. The name of the Lord, the character of God, the nature of God is a strong tower. It's a place of refuge and the righteous can't wait to run into it for safety, for protection.

Verse 11, a rich man's wealth is his strong tower. This is this, and like a high wall in his own imagination. Oh, how wise that is.

A rich man's strong tower is his wealth, his riches, his financial stability. The righteous have a strong tower and that is the name of the Lord. They run to the strong tower and they are secure, they are safe, they are protected, but the rich man, he runs to his imagination, his imaginary tower, his finances, his stability, his strength.

What is your strong tower? What is your fortified city that you run to, that you lean upon, that you trust in? For some, it's their degree, their education. That's their fortified city. For others, it's their 401k.

That's their fortified city. For others, it's a friend, husband or wife. But for the righteous, it's the name of the Lord.

That's the strong tower. Psalmist said, when I am afraid, I trust in you. That's it.

I just lean on the Lord. Psalm 44:6 says, I do not trust in my bow. What he doesn't say is important. He doesn't say, I throw my bow away. I don't trust in my bow, so I throw it away. No, he still has his bow.

See, you can still have riches, you just can't trust in riches. You can still have friends, you just can't trust in your friends. You can still be married, just not trust in your marriage.

You gotta trust in the name of the Lord. You can't lean on your own understanding. You gotta trust in what God says and who he is.

And those who love him and have learned all they can, the reason you lean on him is because you learned about his omnipotence. You've learned about his omnipresence, his omniscience. You've learned about the fact that he's the mighty God, the almighty God.

You learned about his forgiveness, his grace, his mercy. You learned about him. You can't wait to lean on him because of who he is and because of what he does.

That's what it means to live for Christ. That's how Paul lived his life. He lived the life that honored the Lord.

Those who live for Christ, they listen to him. They love him. They love him.

They learn about him and they lean upon him. J.C. Ryle, in his book on the holiness of God, says this about those who love God. This is really good.

He says, let it never be said that we cannot find out whether a Christian really loves Christ. You ever wonder whether or not people know you love Christ or not? J.C. Ryle says, let it be known, never be said, that we cannot find out whether a Christian really loves Christ. It can be known.

It may be discovered. The proofs are already in your hand. You have heard them this very day.

Love to the Lord Jesus Christ is no hidden secret, no impalpable thing. It is like light, it will be seen. It is like sound, it will be heard.

It is like heat, it will be felt. Where it exists, it cannot be hid. Where it cannot be seen, you may sure, be sure that there is no love at all.

That's just so good. If you love the Lord like light, you see it. Like heat, you feel it.

But if you can't feel it and you can't see it and you can't hear it, there is no love that's there. Now, I didn't say that. J.C. Ryle, a much smarter man than me, a much more intelligent man than me, a much better preacher than me, understood the love of God.

People say, well, I love the Lord, but you don't ever see it. You don't ever hear it. But they say it.

Just because you said it means nothing. Can you feel it? Can you see it? Can you hear it? That's when you know someone really truly loves the Lord. So Paul says, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

How do you know you live for Christ? Ah, you listen to everything he says. Can't wait to hear him speak. Once you hear him speak, you just fall deeper and deeper in love with him.

And the more you love him, the more you can't wait to know about him, so you just keep learning all you can about him. And the more you learn about him, you just lean upon him all the time. Just trust him day after day because there's nothing else you can trust in because he's everything.

To live for Christ means you look to him for everything and no one else. You look to Christ. Your gaze is away from everything and everyone and you look to Christ alone.

Looking unto Jesus, Hebrews 12, the author, the originator and finisher of our faith, consider him. Right of Hebrews tells us that we look to Christ. Why? Because he is the originator of our faith.

And we turn our eyes away from the things of the world and look completely upon him. And once you look toward him, you long for him to return. You just long for him to come back.

So Paul would say in 2 Timothy 4, verse number 8, that the crown of righteousness is for all those who love his appearing, who long for him to come back. And those who live for him long for him to return. So Paul says, for to me to live as Christ and to die is the greatest of all gains.

How do you live for Christ? Well, you listen to what he says. You love him for who he is. You learn all you can about him.

You lean upon him. You look to him and you long for him. Why? Because if you don't, you're lost without him.

You're completely lost without the Christ. And Paul knew that. That's why he gave his life to Christ.

Because he was lost without him. But with him, you are found. You're in Christ.

You're his child. That's the Christian's dedication. He's dedicated to living for Christ and not for himself.

He's dedicated to living for Christ and not for himself. He's dedicated to living for Christ and not for the world or anything else. He is sold out to live for Christ.

Is that you? What is a Christian? A Christian is known by his dedication. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for tonight.

A chance to be together, to look into your word once again. Truly, you are a great God. You've allowed us to have a brief moment where we can look into the word of God and examine our lives.

I pray for everyone in the room that Lord, they would truly live for Christ. They need to ask themselves, who am I living for? What am I living for? They might examine their lives in light of what your word says. And ask, am I living for Christ or myself? Do I listen to all that he says? Do I listen in such a way that I just love him more and more? So much so, I just wanna learn all I can about him.

I just can't get enough of him. And the more I learn about him, I just lean completely and totally upon him for everything. I look to you, no one else, that long to be in your presence one day.

May that be each and every one of us, Lord, as we seek to do your will and glorify your name. Until you come again, as you most surely will. In Jesus' name, amen.