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? WHO
AM I
AND WHY
AM I
HERE ? In the Gospel of John, chapter 9, a blind man is healed
by the Lord Jesus Christ. This man does not know Jesus at the time of his
healing. He has no understanding of the deeper things of theology, probably
because he spent most of his time concerned for his own existence as a blind
man. He was grilled by the elite Pharisees, who were brought in to question him
about the One that healed him, and more importantly to these hypocrites, why on
the Sabbath? Now this man’s answer in John 9:25
is famous for its precision and accuracy: “He
answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know,
that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” That was a wonderful answer for a man who did not know
too much about Jesus, and certainly was not prepared for dialog with the learned
Pharisees. But what about those of us that have been born again for such a long
time? Are we up to speed according to the requirement of
I Peter 3:15? “But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear” A classic example of being unprepared may be found in the
political arena. Often, politicians invite criticism because they go before the
public or the media unable to correctly answer the questions asked. One such
blunder occurred during a debate leading up to the 1992 Republican presidential
nominating convention. Admiral James Stockdale was
the Reformed Party Vice Presidential Candidate with Ross Perot in that year. No
sooner had the debate begun when the Admiral - who by the way was a bone fide
Vietnam war here, having spend many years in what came to known as “Hanoi
Hilton”, the Vietnamese prison camp – was asked a basic political question.
In obvious frustration he responded with “Who am I and why am I here!” After
this blunder, Stockdale was never again taken seriously. What he meant and what
he thought was never discussed, only that he said it. Years later it came out
that the two men had never discussed their platform. The Admiral had no idea
what Perot stood for, and so was not “Ready to give an answer for the
reason he was there”. Some of Christ’s Ambassadors
also suffer from the “Stockdale Syndrome” as they attempt to represent the
Master. There are untold numbers of reasons for the hope you have, but you must
be ready to give them. I want to give you three circumstances in your life that
are totally familiar to each of you, and that may be used as an initial response
to anyone friend or foe. These three circumstances are What
I was, What I am and What
I shall be. If you know
this much for sure, you are a match for the bulk of opposition that will
confront you. I WHAT I WAS (A Child of Wrath) Open
please to Ephesians 2:1 and let us read
through verse 3. “And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others.” The important truth here is that prior to faith in Christ
all of us were “children of wrath.” Take note of the deplorable condition
that the Ephesians were in by nature, and all persons with them before their
conversion from sin to God. It is a state of spiritual death. The natural and unregenerate man is a dead man. Spiritually dead in sin. It does not mean that he is merely “dying” or “half dead”, but that he is “dead”! But let us not misunderstand what this death means. We were: · Not dead to Natural actions: We could eat and drink as well then as now. · Not dead to Rational actions: We could reason and discourse as well then as now. · Not dead to civil actions: We could buy and sell, bargain and trade then as now. ·
Not dead to moral actions: We could pray, read the Bible
then as now. ·
But dead as to spiritual actions, that must be spiritually
performed, That
is to be truly dead!. 1. Legally
dead, being under the condemnatory sentence of the law; we call a man under
the sentence of death, “A dead man”. 2. Spiritually
dead, not having the “quickening principle” to enable the soul to
perform spiritual operations. That
Principle is the Holy Spirit. II WHAT
I AM (A Child of God) Now take a look at I
John 3 and let us read the first 2 verses. “Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that,
when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” The important truth here is that we are no longer under Wrath,
but embraced in the Love of God. What a difference faith in Jesus’
atoning death makes! Too often, we hear the Gospel presented in such a fashion
that one would think that everyone in the world is in a favorable position with
God. Not so. Again, we are very quick to quote John
3:16 to the lost in order to show them the love of God, but reluctant to
also quote John 3:18; “He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.” or 3:36; “Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see
life, for God's wrath remains on him." (NIV). Please be faithful to the Word of God, and remember that
a valid response to the Gospel invitation requires acknowledgment of sin,
repentance toward God and faith in the finished work of our Savior on the Cross. III WHAT
I SHALL BE (A Joint Heir with Christ) Finally we come to our future
expectations. For this we want to look at Romans
8:17,18 “And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.” The important truth here is that not only are we delivered
from His Wrath, and made children of His Love, but that we have been
granted the privilege by the Father to enjoy eternal life with Him as brothers
and sister of His own dear Son and joint heirs with Christ. WOW! What a
glorious outcome for the Children of God. You certainly do have something to say
to those that ask you for a reason of the hope that is in you. But once again,
we must take note that the glory to come is contrasted with the present
suffering that comes to us while we are still in the flesh. Read again I John 3:1
“Therefore the world knoweth us not,
because it knew him not.” The world here is the same world that
Jesus came to save. But the Bible explains that; “He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John
1:11) This means that He came into a world that was His by reason of
creation. He owns it all. And because He loved this creation so much, He sent
His Son to save us. But the very people he came to save rejected Him and
Crucified Him. Now see His Grace in verse 12; “Yet
to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God”. The “World” is condemned along with all that love its
appeal. This is the system which has Satan as its god. “In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them.”(II Corinthians 4:4).
God is saving sinners “out of” this world before He destroys it.
Those that love the world, as it now exists do not have the requisite love of
God in them. “Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he
that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” My dear friends, let me be so bold as to say that this
love for the world can very easily sneak up on us. Simply stated, it is love for
anything that takes priority over the place in your life that God has reserved
for Himself. It may be our pursuit of riches or power or our home or even
something as valueless as our car or some other distraction. The idol is not
necessarily evil in itself, but becomes evil because we value it more than God
will allow. “You
shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people who are round about
you; For the LORD your God is a jealous God among you lest the anger of the LORD
your God be kindled against you, and destroy you from off the face of the earth” ( Deut
6:14, 15 NKJV) Pastor Hayden |