July 17, 2022 | Behave Over Belief
July 17, 2022 • Pastor Ken Cline
Is Jesus more than Savior to you? Is he Lord? As such, He gives instructions and grows us up into our destiny. We must be willing to do what He says. Much of the sermon today comes from The Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. This portion of scripture at the beginning of Matthew 5 is also called the “Beatitudes.|
In Matt. 7:24-25, those who DO the word of Jesus will not fall. When one puts Jesus’ words into action, He is not just Savior but Lord. Sometimes the words of Jesus make us cringe and are uncomfortable. In Romans 8:29, we see that God has “conformed [us] to the image” of Jesus, and He is continuing to do so. This can be a painful process. He is shaving off old stuff. However, Ps. 34:8 says that the Lord is good. Sometimes He is an acquired “taste.”
What happens when Jesus is not Lord? Our “house” crashes, according to Matt. 7:26-27. This is the law of sowing and reaping. To clarify, we are not accepted by God according to our good behavior, but our beliefs in Christ will affect our behavior.
INFORMATION—--------APPLICATION—---------TRANSFORMATION
The three words above show the process that must take place in every believer’s life. If we say “no” to Jesus, there’s no staying, we slide backward. We must take one step at a time of obedience. Ask, “When did I stop obeying Jesus?” We must not compromise with sin but put our beliefs into action. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matt. 7:28, why were the people astonished? Because His teaching was with authority as Lord.
Ultimately, our beliefs cannot be separated from our behavior. Our behavior must be like Jesus. When we look at the Beatitudes in Matt. 5:7-9, we must ask ourselves if we are different or like the world. Are we showing mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking? Matt. 5:14-16: We are the light of the world. It’s what a blessed life looks like. This can apply to many areas in our life. Going into another election season in the US, we can disagree but love. We must let go of anger, forgive, get things right with others, and love our enemies. (Matt. 5:21-22) Jesus showed the kind of love we are to show others when he washed the disciples’ feet (Jn. 13:34). When our behavior is over our belief, all people will know that we are Christians if we have love. This world needs love to show them Jesus.
Is Jesus Lord? (Matt. 6:24) If so, how do we deal with behavioral issues? First,have Jesus and His words in front of our eyes. Jesus must be our focus! Then apply Col 3:12-15 which says to “clothe” ourselves with Him. Remember what He has done for us; then we will have compassion for others. We are being “read” by the world. Are they reading Jesus? D.L. Moody said, “Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” Who is reading you? Are they reading Jesus?
