Beyond Belief in Him, Jesus Expects Christians to Live Lives Beyond “Passive” Belief and “Actively” Follow Him in “Love one another”
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus claimed to be the unique, divine Son of God; therefore, Jesus is on an equal footing with God. Jesus said that He would one day judge the world. Jesus Followers have belief and faith in God as the Creator of the Universe, Jesus’ Resurrection as the Son of God, and our Eternal Life through God’s Grace and our faith and belief. However, “faith” and “belief” can be “passive”. Therefore, Jesus expects us to be “active” and follow Him so that our “actions” (e.g., making disciples) let others see Jesus in us. How you respond to Jesus, in your life, will determine how you are judged. The Apostle John summarizes, in John 20:27-29, the interchange between Jesus and the Apostle Thomas when Thomas realizes who Jesus, the man that he had been following for years, is: “Then he said to Thomas, ’Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”. You, as a Jesus Follower, have not seen Jesus or His wounds. Therefore, do you believe through your faith; and are you able, by your faith, to say: “My Lord and my God!”? If so, are you actively following Jesus by living His “Great Commandment to “love one another”?
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Matthew 12:36-37; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; Psalms 70:1-5.
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WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””: www.AWFTL.org/watch
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