Saturday August 22, 2015

Read Phil 1:1-2

 Some things just aren’t meant to go together – ice cream and mustard, olives and whipped cream, ejection seats and helicopters, fools and money and so on. Unfortunately many people would think that saints and slaves should not go together. Surely a slave can’t be a saint and a saint can’t be a slave!

The dichotomy is a false one. A saint, as we’ve seen already this week, is someone who has been made holy. A slave is someone who has a master. There is no intrinsic reason why someone with a master cannot be made holy by placing their faith in Jesus Christ.  In fact Ephesians and Colossians address believers (aka saints) who are slaves, and the letter we call Philemon was written to a runaway slave!

Even more so, Paul calls himself a slave of Christ Jesus and calls the believers saints. The two go hand in hand when one’s master is the Lord Jesus Christ.  In fact, when a person believes in Jesus Christ there is no other option. You cannot be anything else but a saint and a slave in Christ Jesus.

What that means is that a believer has Jesus Christ as his or her master and seeks to please Him in every area of life. The believer seeks to put the will of Jesus into practice in their heart, mind, soul and living. Internally and externally, the believer seeks to live a life that brings honour and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even more so, because the believer has been declared holy, ie made into a saint through the sacrifice of Jesus’ body at Calvary, he or she can live without the worry/anxiety of trying to be good enough for God. Christianity is NOT about trying to earn brownie points with God, or about seeking to secure one’s salvation.  Christianity is a lifestyle lived out in gratitude for the love of God that one has been lavished with.

That declaration of holiness, the sainthood we have been given by God through Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice cannot be undone or removed. When I fall into sin or make wrong choices in life God does not tick me off the saint list. God does not revoke the status of holiness conferred upon me. Quite the contrary. In 1 John 1:9 we read what God does.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

When we do fall, God graciously and lovingly picks us up, dusts the sin off us and washes us clean. God’s love is truly unconditional and He will never leave nor forsake us.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that the youth of your church would understand more clearly what it means to be holy in Christ and that they would be growing in holiness.

· Ask the Lord to equip our youth leaders and to grow them in holiness so that their teaching and their lives are a powerful witness to the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. During a frank and lively discussion someone says to you that not all believers are saints but only those so designated by the Church! How do you respond?

2. Should we pray to saints? Back up your answer with biblical references.

3. A non Christian asks you describe what a saint is. How do you respond?