February 4, 2001, SM: How much do you know of Jesus Christ

February 4th, 2001, Sunday Morning

"How much do you know of Jesus Christ?"
Examining how much you know of your Savior

OPENING: 2 Corinthians 9:11, KJV

Today, most Christians believe that once they're saved, knowing Jesus Christ is the Savior is enough. Yet, scripture states we are to continue to grow in grace.
How much do you really know Him? Do you know Him as your "exceeding great reward"? Your hightower? Your shield? Your counselor? Your provider?
You must begin with enriching your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. No one else can do it for you. You are accountable to yourself.
Enrichment is like bearing fruit through fertilization. To enrich, one must have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Enhancement is to raise, lift, heighten, increase...
James 2:17: On judgment day, many will claim to be saved and do nothing more in their life. As it is written here, faith without good works is dead. As such, these people will stand before GOD saying, "I knew you! I spoke of your name!" and Jesus will say "depart from me. I never knew you."
2 Corinthians 13:5: As this scripture says, we must examine ourselves to make sure we are in accordance with Biblical standards.
- Millions would be left behind in the church if Christ came right now. You need to examine yourself to have the evidence to prove yourself at the judgment seat.
- HOW TO INSPECT YOURSELF (discover the fruits of your salvation)
  - #1: 2 Corinthians 5:17: Did you feel a radical change the moment you accepted Christ into your life?
    - Look into your heart. If not then you probably weren't saved.
    - Even if you profess Christ as Savior when you were a little child, you were probably not saved if you didn't feel a change.
  - #2: Conviction
    - Is there any in your heart? Do you feel miserable when you've sinned? The difference between the sin of the saved and unsaved is the Holy Ghost conviction.
  - #3: Do you get confidence from reading GOD's Word?
    - Hebrews 12:5-8: The LORD chastises those whom He loves. If you've never felt corrected by the LORD by something adverse or bad happening in your life, perhaps you're not saved.
    - Romans 12:19: If you don't repent, one day, your sins will catch up to you at the appointed time to bring you to repentance.
    - Sometimes dreams play a role in what you think deeply about--whether it be a desire or the attempt to hide something. Just as GOD spoke to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon through a dream, He can do the same to you.
    - Galatians 5:22-23: Notice the word "fruit" used in this scripture is not plural. All the attributes listed are this one fruit. Remove any one attribute and you have no fruit of the Spirit. This is the fruit that is in the life of a believer. If you don't have these feelings, perhaps you're not saved.
Saving faith is not:
- Simple head knowledge--mental conviction of your actions--just knowing it's wrong to do does not save you.
- Just saying "I believe in GOD." So does Satan!
- Saying Christ is the "Savior of the World." Wrong--He's YOUR Savior.
- Acknowledging Jesus walked the earth. So did George Washington and you never met him!
Saving faith is:
- #1: Believing in who/what He is--Jesus is "The Christ," the Messiah.
  - Acts 4:12: His is the only name by which you can be saved.
  - He is the Son of GOD and GOD the Son.
  - Put 100% of your faith and confidence in Him.
  - Romans 5:8: Even in the moment we were sinning, GOD loved us.
  - Romans 10:9-10: This is the heart of the saving faith.
  - Romans 10:11: How can you believe in Christ and be ashamed of Him in public at the same time? If you are ashamed of Him in this world, he will be ashamed of you before GOD at the judgment.
  - When you really open your heart to GOD is when you have the saving faith.
  - Some folks miss heaven by 18 inches--the distance from your head to your heart.
  - No one, in their right mind, wants to go to hell.
- #2: Repentance of the heart
  - A change of the heart/mind will lead to a change of action.
  - GOD's grace will work your heart ... if you let it to.
  - Acts 20:21 and Romans 2:4: GOD does not discriminate--his saving grace is for all if all are sorry and believe on Him. When you fully experience his undeserved grace upon you, then you will want to be sorry for what you've done.
  - 2 Corinthians 7:9-10: GOD does not rejoice when you're sorry but when you wanted repentance from Him because anyone can be sorry for being caught. That doesn't mean you won't do it again. Christ didn't die for the sins of the world but for YOUR sins.
- Why examine yourself? To check for self-deception.
  - Galatians 6:3: most commonly seen in people who think they're tough, to be feared, or make false claims about themselves ... and believe it (i.e., "talking smack" on the football field or basketball court).
  - Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is the ultimate deceit. Your heart and GOD will never think on the same frequency. They are opposites.
  - James 1:22: Walk the talk.
  - 1 Peter 2:2: Today, the unsaved say they are saved but are really spiritual dwarfs because there's no growth. We should grow because it's by our human design to!
  - Ephesians 4:14: And when we do grow, we should be sure what we read is biblically rooted and not a custom or tradition of man.
    - The purpose of growth:
      - To know Him
      - To have testimonies
      - We should come to know Him intimately
      - There's always room to draw closer to Jesus
- #3: Principle/procedure of growth
  - A personal, constant, daily devotion to bible study
  - To get a joy from reading the Bible
  - Not getting but learning more to give more
CLOSER
1 Chronicles 28:9: You should not only recognize GOD but know Him more intimately and follow His commandments. We must enhance the quality of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is not just the fire escape from hell but someone who is closer than a brother. He's never lost a fight.