Called A "Christian" To His Praise
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 4/22/2012 AM |
Text: | Revelation 5:10; Lord's Day 12 |
Psalters: | 251, 333, 315, 319 |
- The significance.
- Only God can give anyone the right to have this title (cf. I Peter 2:9 and Isaiah 43:21).
- Man was created with a right to this office, but he lost it in the fall into sin.
- What we lost, God restored in Jesus Christ, The office-bearer, Who served in our place.
- By His Spirit Jesus makes us partakers of His own anointing.
- Regenerating us, Jesus gave us the right, ability, and the will to be God?s friend-servant in this world.
- Those given the right to the office have a three-fold calling to fulfill the office.
- As prophets we are to confess His name by means of our words and deeds.
- A prophet is one who bubbles over, so filled that he has to speak out.
- As Christians we confess Him objectively, declaring and defending the truth of the Scriptures.
- And we confess Him subjectively, as our personal Savior.
- As priests we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices of thankfulness.
- It is a dedication of our whole life in self-sacrificing love to God and to our neighbor.
- The right motive is only thankfulness for receiving freely the unspeakable gift of salvation.
- As kings we are to fight against sin and Satan in this life, and later reign with Him eternally.
- While on earth our kingship is exercised mostly in our having the ability to fight against sin (Eph. 6:12-19).
- Later we will reign with Christ in heaven.
- Do you have the name ?Christian? - it is a mere formality or a reality ?