A Real Christian

The Day of Pentecost. June 5, 2022.

Matthew 7:21

A Real Christian.

 

○ Today is the final Sunday of Easter or commonly so we called, the Day of Pentecost.

 

○ Today’s text is the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21. First of all, let’s read it together. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”(Matthew 7:21 NIV)

 

○ Have you ever heard of “a nominal Christian”? This word is often used by English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. In other words, they are called the Puritans. Puritans used this word to compare with “a real Christian.”

 

○ Who are nominal Christians?

First, they believe God.

They know that there is God and they believe God. They believe Jesus the son of God. And they also believe the Holy Spirit.

 

○ Secondly, they go to Church every Sunday.

They like to attend Sunday worship. They like to sing hymns and songs to God. They enjoy the worship and give their offering to God. And when the time of prayer, they ask to God hardly.

 

○ Thirdly, nominal Christians, they try not to sin against God.

They know the Ten Commandments of God. They know the Bible and they know what the Bible says, what to do and what not to do. They like the word of God.

 

○ Then, are we nominal Christians?

So, are nominal Christians wrong?

No, It is not.

 

○ Nominal Christians are not bad believers.

But nominal Christians are not enough in God’s standard.

 

○ Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But only those who actually do the will of God will enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

 

○ What is the true meaning of this teaching of Jesus?

That means we must be real Christians, not just nominal Christians!

We have to be real Christians beyond nominal ones.

Our goal is to be a real Christian!

 

○ OK. Let’s delve into this a little bit more.

Who are real Christians?

 

○ First, they love God as well as they believe in God.

Do you love God more than anything else?

 

○ Let’s read the verse 37 of Matthew chapter 22 together.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”(Matthew 22:37 ESV)

 

○ A real christian does love God.

So we have to love God as best we can.

 

○ Then, how can we prove that we love God?

Let’s read the Gospel according to John 14:15 together.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”(John 14:15)

 

○ And let’s read the First Letter of John 5:3 together.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”(1 John 5:3)

 

○ Who are real Christians?

A real Christian loves God as best one can.

And real Christians are those who keep all the commandments of God because they love God.

 

○ Who are real Christians?

Secondly, they worship and pray to God in truth.

 

○ Let’s read the Book of the Psalms 145:18 together.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”(Psalm 145:18 ESV)

 

○ Let’s read the Prophetic Book of Jeremiah 29:13 together.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”(Jeremiah 29:13 ESV)

 

○ Let’s read the Gospel according to John 4:24 together.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”(John 4:24 KJV)

 

○ What do we find in common in these phrases?

Yes! We can find the word “in truth.” That is “with all one’s heart.”

 

○ Nominal Christians pray, too.

On the other hand, real Christians pray “in truth.”

 

○ Then what is prayer “in truth”?

It is the prayer of hearing.

It is the prayer to hear the word of God.

 

○ Who are real Christians?

Thirdly, they are going on to perfection.

 

○ “Going on to perfection!”

Real Christians must go on to perfection every day.

 

○ So let me list a little bit more of the concept of perfection.

One of the concepts of perfection is that believers are becoming more like Christ.

 

○ Let’s read the Letter to the Galatians 3:27 together.

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”(Galatians 3:27 ESV)

 

○ “Clothing ourselves with Christ” means following and resembling Christ.

 

○ And another concept of perfection is the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s read the Letter to the Ephesians 5:18 together.

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.”(Ephesians 5:18 NLT)

 

○ Perfection means being filled with the Holy Spirit!

When we read the Acts of the Apostles, we can find the story explaining the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

 

○ Please listen to it!

“When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.”(Acts 2:1-4 GNT)

They were the first Christians.

 

○ And the last one of the concept of perfection is perfect love.

Perfection means simply perfect in love.

 

○ Let’s read the First Letter of John 4:12 together.

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”(1 John 4:12 ESV)

 

○ Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(Matthew 22:39 NAB) Perfect love is love of neighbor.

 

○ Beloved brothers and sisters.

Please remember that God called us real Christians.

First, real Christians are those who follow and emulate Christ.

Second, real Christians are those who worship and pray in truth.

Third, real Christians are those who go on unto perfection.

Let’s all of us be real Christians and be pleasing to God!