New Hope Notes
Restoring Fallen Saints
Citizens And Sojourners
Pastor Mark Olmos
March 13, 2005 - W0511
Have you ever come to a point where you’ve had to ask the question: when did I lose my first love? Or, where did the fire and passion in my relationship with God disappear? Sometimes something called “backsliding” occurs. When a Christian life fails, it’s not called “back-leaping” because, as one person put it: it’s not a draining faucet but it’s a slow leak. During worship at a church a person may have tears in their eyes and you look over to realize, you used to be like that but not so much now. The ministry you volunteer for now becomes that thing on the to-do list to check off. The Word doesn’t penetrate like it used to and then the Bible becomes unused.
In the spiritual realm, these are slow jabs of the enemy, working at you little by little to get you, the Christian, to the brink of quitting. It’s where the devil is positioning himself to knock you out for good. It’s the point where the dust clears a little and we need to stop “doing” and ask ourselves this…
Defining question: Who am I becoming?
At this point, we need to make a very important decision: am I going to give up on this spiritual journey, on God?
There’s a story in Luke 15 about the prodigal son who leaves his father and his faith to spend his inheritance on wild living. Slowly though, the consequences of living such a life begins to spin the young man’s life downward. At the end of himself, the Bible tells us that: “…he came to his senses…” (Luke 15:17). He had a moment of clarity and had to make a decision; he turned back home.
Right now we have a moment of clarity and we have a decision to make. Taking a good look at ourselves, what do we have to do to find that clear road to restoration and a really strong relationship with God? For some of us, we really need to hear this and we are on the brink of quitting. For others, we are doing alright but we just need a refresher. For all of us, there is a basic pathway we can take that the scriptures outline: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and so do the deeds you did at first…” (Revelation 2:5).
The first step we can take in that road to restoration is to say to ourselves:
1. I NEED TO REKINDLE THE WONDER OF THE CROSS.
If we are to remember from where we have fallen, it starts here…at the cross. We are reminded of what it was like before we knew God through scripture: “You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to Him because of the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12b-13).
I remember that I didn’t come into a relationship with God until my junior year in high school. I remember the desperate struggles I had in wondering who I was, how to deal with my weaknesses, friendships. There was a lot of doubt. The clearest spiritual moment I had in which I sought God’s help at the time was that I had to break up with this girl. It’s sounds silly now but at the time, it was real serious for me. I had an older hippie sister who told me, “Ask God, ‘cause He’s real man. If you pray to Him, He’ll really help you.” I actually got on my knees and said a simple prayer: “God, I need to break up with this girl. If you could help me, that’d be really great. Amen.” Funny thing, the next day, I broke up with the girl. That was a very defining moment in my life.
Q. 1: Can you remember the time before you knew God, before you had hope?
Remember what it was like before you knew Jesus. It’s important to remember, especially when we’re really struggling, to come back to the cross where it all began.
When we’re at the cross we need to also remind ourselves that:
- I am totally accepted.
Do you know what qualifications we need to have to come to the cross? Nothing really, just a sincere heart and a willingness to change because…“…God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Many times, Christians can get caught in a trap based on performance. We like to convince ourselves that our acceptance is based on how well we perform. It just doesn’t work that way because pretty soon we start looking at God and realize that we just aren’t measuring up. The devil will use this on us unless we realize that we are already fully accepted.
Q. 2: Is there an area of your life that you feel pressured to perform in order to be accepted (i.e. lack of diligence in doing devotions, ashamed to admit struggles with certain sins, feelings of inadequacies when serving)? Is there an area of your life where you might directly or indirectly be pressuring those around you to perform in order for them to be accepted?
When you come to the cross, you are going to encounter a God full of grace. The Father runs to you when you turn to Him. The next thing the cross reminds us of is that:
- I am fully forgiven.
The Bible calls the devil “the accuser of the brethren”. Ever encountered people that just point their finger at you all the time? Well, the devil accuses you to the Father. He’ll try really hard to haunt you with the sins of your past and convince you that you are damaged goods; that God will not forgive. This is far from the truth and the truth is that: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
The work on the cross paid the full penalty for our sins so that when we believe, we are fully forgiven and there is no condemnation in your life. It doesn’t mean that we won’t fail because the Christian life a progressive journey. Sometimes it’ll feel like we’re taking three steps forward and two steps back. Yet, even in that process, there is no condemnation. Whenever the devil reminds you of your past, you just remind him of his future.
The third thing about the cross is this:
- I am immersed in the immeasurable love of God.
If one thing the cross demonstrates more than anything else throughout the history of mankind is that God loves us! The Apostle Paul tried to draw on every image he could from the spirit in order to communicate this very powerful idea as he says: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
In those times when we are in the edge, one of the things satan will really try to do is convince you that God doesn’t love you saying things like: “God had a plan A for you and you went on to B, C, D, E and F. Now you’re on Z and that’s for losers. How could he possibly love you?” Or he’ll say this: “And you asked for help and He didn’t help you, did He? If God really loved you, He would have shown up.”
But He did show up!
The Bible tells us that God exists in three persons and existed forever: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At one point in history, over two-thousands years ago, God the son, came to earth and clothed Himself in human flesh…this is unimaginable! Not only that, but He lived a self-less, sinless life only to allow Himself to be nailed to a cross and die for us! If we just take the time to understand the magnitude of that rescue mission…it just leaves you shaking your head asking: why? Why would an eternal God leave the throne-room of heaven, clothe Himself in flesh, live a perfect life, only to die?
The answer is simple and very profound. You! The thing you struggle with, those hurtful words you said to injure another, that action you did that ruined your character…He died for you! Paul struggled to say, in as many words as possible: “You have NO idea how much God loves you!”
Q. 3: How is your passion for God? Do the words of worship songs still “get you”? Does the word of God still penetrate deep into your soul? If you volunteer in a certain ministry, is it more of a chore than a joy?
When you come to the cross, you are immersed in the greatest love act that will cry out throughout your whole life: God loves you. You are accepted, forgiven and loved; He wants a relationship with you. Another step in the road to restoration is this:
2. I NEED TO REFRESH MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST.
Just a reminder, when you put your faith in Christ, you are not signing up for a religion. No, you are entering into a very personal, a very real relationship with the God of the universe. The Bible says that when you put your faith in the work of the cross, God deposits in us His spirit and it does powerful things in our lives. He changes your identity (see 2nd Corinthians 5:17) and you become a new creation. So when satan tries to make you forget your identity in Christ, there are three things to be remembered: The first one is this:
· I am a child of God.
God could have just looked at us as a category of creatures He created that, if we put our faith in the work of the Cross, we could just get into Heaven; like a gym membership and without the “family” aspect. The plan of salvation could have been like being a part of a club but instead, God created it so that we would be part of a family. “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Other places in scripture say that God “adopts” you into His family. Jesus even taught us to address God as “Our Father” or Abba (Daddy). He goes onto explain that this Heavenly Father treats us tenderly and even knows our needs before we ask. If God was not hesitant to send His son, how much more will God give to us when we ask? He’s like a “ga-zillionaire”.
Q. 4: Is it hard to believe that God can and will provide for your needs? If not, what makes it hard?
The greatest command is not to keep up with Heavenly dues but to love God with all our strength, mind and soul…it all starts with a relationship. A second thing to remember is that:
· I am a citizen of heaven.
In this series, we’re talking about being citizens of Heaven and sojourners here on earth. When you become a Christian, you have a new hometown and the scriptures state this clearly: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). In Jesus’ prayer, recorded in John 17, Jesus talks to the Father about His disciples explaining that they don’t belong in this world anymore.
Once while traveling back from a conference in Thailand I began to get travel weary. Sitting the plane I remember thinking: “I can’t wait to get home”. I distinctly remember the Spirit saying, “No. You’re not going home. Hawaii is not home. Heaven is your home. And while you’re on this earth, home is the center of My will”.
Satan can no longer use the material things of this world as leverage against a Christian who knows that his citizenship is in Heaven. We then start living for the eternal and come to grips with the verse that says: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) There are only two things that will last forever: men’s souls and God’s word. A person whose citizenship is in heaven is going love God and lives according to His word.
A third point to remember:
· I am a dangerous disciple of Jesus Christ.
As silly as is may sound, I truly believe that a disciple of Christ is like a strong, spiritual “Jedi” of this universe. The Jedi in the Star Wars universe were the protectors of truth and justice; their only weapon was the light saber, that’s it. When Jesus was about to leave this world, he prayed to the Father: “As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). Jesus entrusted the work of His mission to a group of His followers (disciples). As a disciple of Christ, you are dangerous because He put His holy spirit in you; God, Himself, the creator of the universe, inhabits with you…it’s incredible! So when you’re walking in His will and praying according to His will, your prayers become powerful. Jesus exhorts His disciples to pray in His name and even mountains could move.
Not only that but Jesus gives us a message that can change the course of someone’s eternal destiny. Do you realize that someone can walk into a room for 5 or 10 minutes, hear the gospel and change eternity? A third step on the road to restoration is…
3. I NEED TO RETURN TO A LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD.
We are exhorted to not only rekindle the wonder of the cross and remember our identities in Christ but, to also get back on the road that leads to righteousness. The price was high because the demands of sin were high and we couldn’t nor can we ever pay for it; God knew this. The way to return is spelled out in scripture for us; “…repent and do the deeds you did at first…” (Revelation 2:5).
Q.5: What kinds of things did you do when you first believed that kept you restored and feeling spiritually full?
Our relationship with God is what Jesus died for. In preparation for Easter, can you stop to answer the question: Who am I becoming? If you are on the brink of slipping, there is a road to restoration. Rekindle that wonder for the work on the Cross. Know that you are totally accepted, fully forgiven and immersed in God’s immeasurable love. Refresh your identity in Christ by remembering where your true citizenship lies…in Heaven! And, because God’s spirit is in you, you are a dangerous, spiritual Jedi in the universe. Repent and return a life that pleases God because, God loves you and wants you to be restored. Amen!
Q6: What most impacted you about today’s lesson and how will you be different because of it?
Much mahalo to volunteer writer,