Pastor Leon Seaton

Why Be A Christian?

Recently a friend asked me what I was going to preach on today. I told him I was going to list the practical reasons for being a Christian. He responded, “That will be a short list!” (Sort of rude, I thought!)

            We have a friend that we’ll call Henry.  Henry started his own business about 40 years ago. When he first started the firm he knew God and attended church whenever he could. However God simply was not that important to him. A few years after he started the business he faced a major crisis…no money for the payroll and his credit was dried up. It was a sad day as he contemplated closing the business. In desperation he turned to God and asked for advice.

            He felt impressed of the Lord to keep the business going. He asked, “And where will I get the money?” The Lord reminded him that he had cash value in his life insurance policy. That was enough to get him through the crisis.

            After that incident God became super important to him. Whenever he faced a major problem he said that he dealt with the problem “on my knees.”

            Did he face other problems through the years? Absolutely! Please remember, every day you will face problems. It’s just the way life is! The advantage of being a believer is you have God on your board of directors.

            Henry saw another big miracle when he sold the business. It would look like everything was a go, but then it would hit a snag. The sale was not final by the anticipated date – several times. In the end it was to his advantage. Shortly before the sale was completed a tax change in his town increased his profit by over $600,000.

What are the benefits of being a Christian?

  Salvation - Eternal Love. God’s love for us lasts forever. No matter how bad our sin God is anxious to forgive and restore us. God is not looking for a way to end his personal relationship with you.

  A Friend! A really good friend

Proverbs 18:24, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

John 15:13-15, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.”

  He feeds the hungry. When the Children of Israel were going through the wilderness God fed them with manna and provided water from a rock. No little task, there were over one million people plus their animals. God loves to help people; He sends many people to feed the starving people around the world. The City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City has a budget in excess of $1 M and they do very well with no tax money.  God often calls men and women to go into poor countries around the world to help them with water wells and sometimes money for business enterprises so they can become independent.

  God answers prayer. James wrote, “You do not have because you do not ask – or because you ask for the wrong reason.” (James 4:2, 3): “You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

  The Word of God (Bible) works! Tithes and offerings are God’s plan for man. God does not need your money, but you need to give it to Him. Malachi 3:6-11, “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.  “But you ask, 'How are we to return?'

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. ‘But you ask, 'How do we rob You?' "In tithes and offerings.  You are under a curse -- the whole nation of you -- because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.

  God heals the sick – sometimes by supernatural miracles, sometimes by medical miracles.

          God wants to bless us. Yes, I know we have problems. I face them every day, just like you do. Some of them are my own fault, some of them are cause by the people around us, some are caused by the government, some by Satan, and yes, some problems come from God Himself.

    And, to be perfectly honest, some problems are from living in Oklahoma where the weather is often a real challenge.

    But God wants us to live life to the full even if things are not perfect.

         The background for this: God had gotten His fill of Israel’s sin and rebellion, so He sent Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem and take the people as slaves (servants) to Babylon. They were to be in bondage for 70 years.

We, too, are to live life to the full while on planet earth. We know that Jesus could come at any time and take us on to heaven. That will certainly be a glorious day. But until then we need to be busy living our lives every day.

         Jeremiah 29:11-12 still applies to us today: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

3 John 2 says, “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Other translations are more direct. The KJV says, “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

         Think of it. If we will focus on our spiritual growth and development, God will bless us with good health and prosperity. True prosperity is when all of our needs are met, our bills are paid and we have money to share with others. God wants us to prosper and be healthy – but He insists on our spiritual progress coming first.

  The June 2009 issue of Christianity Today has a story about the Rev. Tim Keller, pastor of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the Manhattan district of New York City. Pastor Keller started the church 20 years ago. Today they have an average attendance of 5,000 each Sunday…scattered over 3 rented locations. When Keller preaches he seeks to make the scripture apply to believers and unbelievers as well.

        It is fun to preach and teach about the biblical heroes, but the truth is, you can’t be a leader without followers….

Adam and Eve had a simple life. God created the Garden of Eden and gave them the responsibility of taking care of it. In fact they were given charge over the entire planet. Every evening God Himself dropped by for a visit…until Satan messed everything up.

Jesus faced the same difficult choice as Adam did when He was confronted by Satan in the wilderness. Satan said, “Bow down and worship me and the world is yours.”

Jesus emphatically said “No.” (Matthew 4:10) Had Jesus gone along with Satan’s idea, the world rule would have been short, and we would have no hope of salvation.  

Abram was a normal every-day sheepherder, but God saw something special in this man. After proving him, God changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” Twenty-five years later Abraham fathered his first son…

Abraham accumulated a lot of servants and a lot of wealth. However, he would have been ineffective if the servants did not follow him. Imagine what his men felt when he told them that they had to rescue the women and children that had been kidnapped from Sodom and Gomorrah!

If our church is going accomplish all that God has called us to do it will take every person in this congregation doing the work that God has prepared in advance for us to do. “For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

The book of Ruth is about a young woman that lived in the country of Moab. One day a new family moved to town. They were Israelites from Canaan. Elimelech and his wife Naomi left the Holy Land because of a drought. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with her two sons. The boys married local girls, Ruth and Orpah. Ten years later the boys died and Naomi was left in a foreign country with two foreigners as daughters-in-law.

When she heard that things were better in Canaan Naomi told the girls to return to their families…she was going home. She said, “Even if I remarry and have two more sons you aren’t going to want to wait until they are old enough to marry.”

The girls started to Canaan with her, but at the border she again encouraged them to return home. Orpah went back; Ruth said, “Wherever you go, I am going. Your people will be my people; your God will be my God.”

Through the leadership of God Ruth married a handsome rich man, Boaz. The story has a fairy tale ending.

What did Ruth do that was spectacular? Nothing, really, except to follow the lead of God’s servants. She was hard working, she was highly motivated and God honored that.

God wants us to be totally committed to Him.

God is not angry or vindictive. The truth is He really wants to bless us. He wants to bless everyone. But God blesses His way, not ours. The blessings are based on our faith, not our need. But being the kind person He is, He provides for everyone’s basic needs.   

Matthew 5:43-45 - “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

What can we learn from Ruth’s story? You do not have to be a great, well-known spiritual leader; you do not have to be wealthy; you do not have to have a college education. Just obey God and He will take care of you.

            Remember the story of Jonah? He had a lot in common with a prophet named Balaam. Jonah was swallowed by a very large fish. Balaam had a talking donkey.

            Both men were very stubborn!

            Jonah refused to go to Nineveh as God commanded. God prepared a great fish to swallow him. Three days later he had prayed through and did God’s commands, but with a stubborn rebellious heart.

            Balaam was so interested in earning a huge reward that he tried to con God into letting him prophecy against the Jews. I love this story… here is how the New Living Translation explains the encounter. Numbers 22:21-33 (NLT)

The popularity of Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” illustrates the fact that we are uncertain about what God wants us to do with our lives.

God is on your side! God wants you to have a great life. God wants you to leave a legacy with your friends and family.  Satan is opposed to this and beats us up all the time.

The Holy Bible explains God’s will and purpose for your life.  It is full of promises and principles that will help you be successful. Even people that do not believe in God will prosper physically and financially if they will follow God’s divine principles.

Let’s examine our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we are committed, He will bless us and help us through the frustrating battles of life!

June 14, 2009