“What is a Christian?”
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Has anyone asked you the question: “What is a Christian?” Or maybe you have asked the question yourself.
If you ask 30 people the same question or their opinion about something, you most likely will get 30 different answers (lol).
Here are some examples of what someone may say if you ask them “What is a Christian?”:
Someone who believes in God (a God, a higher power)
Someone who tries to live a good life and treats other people right (does the best they can, try to do more good than bad, don’t judge others, and helps people from time to time)
Someone who has Christian parents or a Christian spouse (Christian by birth; my family is Christian and that’s how I grew up)
Someone who regularly goes to church (always attend when the doors are open, volunteer a lot, a member of a church because their family have always been members)
Someone who gives money to the church (supports what the church is doing because its a good cause)
Someone who has been water baptized (done all the right stuff)
While some of those answers may be good things, they don’t correctly define for us “What is a Christian?”
Anytime I need an answer to something in my life, I always can be confident that I will find the answer in the Bible. I have to admit, though, that sometimes it takes me a while to go to the Bible when it should be my first go-to (lol).
Transition: So, let’s turn to Acts 11:19-29 and see what how the Bible answers our question: What is a Christian?”
Body:
19 So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.
20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.
23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;
24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul;
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
One of the first observations we see in this passage is:
I. They heard the good news (v.20)
A. What is the good news? Well, first you need to start with the bad news.
1. The bad news is there is a Gap between God and mankind. And it’s all because Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
2.
II. They believed the good news (v.21)
A.
III. They turned to the Lord and experienced His grace (vv. 21, 23)
A.
IV. They became disciples (v.26)
A.
The word gospel means “good news,” so the gospel of Christ is the good news of His coming to provide forgiveness of sins for all who will believe (Colossians 1:14; Romans 10:9). Since the first man’s sin, mankind has been under the condemnation of God (Romans 5:12). Because everyone breaks God’s perfect law by committing sin, everyone is guilty (Romans 3:23). The punishment for the crime of sin is physical death (Romans 6:23) and then an eternity spent in a place of punishment (Revelation 20:15; Matthew 25:46). This eternal separation from God is also called the “second death” (Revelation 20:14–15).
The bad news that all are guilty of sin and condemned by God is countered by the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. God, because of His love for the world, has made a way for man to be forgiven of their sins (John 3:16). He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the sins of mankind on Himself through death on a cross (1 Peter 2:24). In placing our sin on Christ, God ensured that all who will believe in the name of Jesus will be forgiven (Acts 10:43). Jesus’ resurrection guarantees the justification of all who believe (Romans 4:25).
The Bible specifies the content of the gospel message: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time” (1 Corinthians 15:1–6). In this passage, Paul emphasizes the primacy of the gospel—it is of “first importance.” The gospel message contains two historical facts, both supported by Scripture: Christ’s death and His resurrection. Both those facts are bolstered by other proofs: Christ’s death is proved by His burial, and His resurrection is proved by the eyewitnesses.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that God provided the way for man to be freed from the penalty of sin (John 14:6; Romans 6:23). Everyone dies physically, but those who believe in Jesus Christ are promised a physical resurrection unto eternal life (John 11:23–26). Those who reject Christ will not only die physically but will undergo a “second death,” which the Bible describes as an eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:13–14). Jesus is the only One in whom salvation can be found (Acts 4:12).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the best news anyone will ever hear, and what a person does with this news will determine where he or she spends eternity. God is calling you to choose life. Call on the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13).
No. 1: God’s love
The gospel reveals God’s great love for us: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9, ESV).
No. 2: Our problem
Through the gospel, we also grow in the awareness of our own failure and need. Each of us has turned from God and gone astray at many times and in many ways. This is what the Bible calls sin. The result is that we are spiritually dead or separated from God and the life He gives. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, ESV).
No. 3: Christ’s solution
This is the heart of the gospel, its essence, which meets our need. As the Savior and Lord, Jesus died in our place, paying the penalty for our sins. But He did not just die. He rose from the dead and is alive today, reigning as the Lord of all. “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, ESV).
No. 4: Our response
As we understand who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we realize there is nothing we could do on our own to earn or merit salvation from our sin and its consequences. Jesus Christ has done it all. So now we can receive Him into our lives through faith (John 1:12). Paul describes this as the gift of God’s grace: “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV).
Conclusion:
We have answered the question, “What is a Christian?”
Now we have another question, “Are You A Christian?”