Preach The Gospel To Yourself

In Sunday morning’s sermon I brought before us some of what it involves for us to live like Jesus from Philippians 2:5-11. This is a pretty tall order, especially since we discovered that it means we have to give up our desire to fit in with everyone else around us and we have to give up our excuses for why we are not helping people (including our sons, daughters, and spouses) know, grow in, serve, and share Jesus to the glory of God, all so they can help others do the same.

Two responses immediately come to mind for many of you. To begin, “But Tom I have failed at this!”  Some might even add, “…and it is too late for me to do this with my own family! It just feels hopeless.”

Second, some of you might say, “Tom, I am scared to start. It is so out of my comfort zone and I just don’t know what to do!”

To both responses I say, “Preach the gospel to yourself.” This means, on the one hand, we are reminded that in Christ we are forgiven for our sins and there is therefore now no condemnation (Rom. 5:1; 1 John 1:7). Our favor with God is not based upon what we have achieved, having the perfect record with discipling our children, or the perfect record with discipling anyone else. It depends upon Christ and Christ alone (Phil. 3:9). As such, we can stand strong and go forward with hope.

On the other hand, because the grace of Jesus Christ that is with us and in which we stand (Rom. 5:2; 2 Cor. 13:14) not only saves us (Eph. 2:8), but also transforms us (Titus 2:11-13), the gospel reminds us that we can do whatever God calls us to do (2 Cor. 9:8-10; Phil. 4:13, 19). If our children are still under our roof, we can begin to disciple them and pray for them. Our God will help us (Mt. 28:20)! If our children are already grown, we can pray that God would bring others along to disciple them and/or would give us opportunities to impact them positively. Additionally, we can invest in other people for their benefit and God’s glory. And the very God who has worked so powerfully in us has also promised to answer our prayers for this mission (John 14:12-14). So, pray, pray, pray. Depend upon God to show you the way forward and to bring you to the right person to give you help.

By all means follow the model of Jesus Christ, but also do not forget his main ministry:  To save us and also to enable us to live under the Lordship of our God and to experience his blessings.

So, wherever you find yourself in relation to Sunday’s sermon, preach the gospel to yourself.

Preaching The Gospel To Myself As a Joyful Follower With You,

Tom