How many of you know Ronnie Millsap's song, number one, many years ago, What a Difference
You've Made in My Life?
Raise your hand.
Most people here.
He recorded that song to be what most people would call a secular song.
What a Difference You've Made in My Life.
You could sing it or play it for just about anybody who had made a difference in your life.
That's probably why it was him.
He did a great job with it, but it was such a good song that had a good message.
What a Difference You.
You could sing it to your spouse.
You could sing it to anybody who had made a difference in your life.
Well, a few years later, B.J. Thomas recorded that song.
It went way up in the chart on gospel stations.
And B.J. Thomas sang it as a Christian song.
And when he was singing What a Difference You've Made in My Life, everyone knew.
He emphasized, he was talking about the difference that Jesus made in his life.
That song was written by Archie Jordan.
Archie's a Christian, but he's not really what you would call a writer of Christian songs.
He wrote that song because of something that happened at a small group Bible study he attended.
He tells the story.
You can look it up.
He was at a Bible study with his wife.
And the man was there who gave his testimony.
And the man's testimony was that not too many years before that,
he had everything in life that a person could desire.
He had a beautiful wife and just a great family.
He had a dream job.
And he made a lot of money.
But he couldn't handle the success.
And he started drinking a lot.
He started using recreational drugs.
And before he knew it,
he lost his wife and children.
He lost his job.
He went through all of his money.
He was broke.
And in that Bible study with that small group,
he said,
it took me losing everything
to come to the place in my life
where I knew I needed a relationship with Christ.
And the last thing he said in giving his testimony was,
what a difference Jesus has made in my life.
Well, Archie Jordan,
he was moved by that story.
He couldn't get it off his mind.
And the next morning,
he got up and he wrote
or started writing the song,
what a difference you've made in my life.
And he was writing about
the difference Jesus makes
in people's life.
Now,
I want us to apply this personally.
There's two lines from that song
I'm going to put on the screen.
The title of it,
what a difference you've made in my life.
And then,
what a change you have made in my heart.
Could you sing that song?
Maybe not out loud,
but could you sing that song
as it was originally intended
to describe the difference
that Jesus has and is making in your life?
Could you recite those words
and mean it this morning?
Just talking about Jesus.
What a change you have
and are making in my life.
Can you sing that song
and mean it
because it's your testimony?
Last Sunday,
we celebrated the most important event
that has ever taken place in history,
the resurrection
of the Son of God,
Jesus Christ.
We looked at some of the details
about the resurrection
in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
and I want you to turn back with me
to that chapter today
and look at the last verse
with me in a moment.
But I want to quickly summarize
one of the main points
of last week's message like this.
The resurrection of Christ
should comfort us
as we face death.
The resurrection should give
every Christian comfort
as we think about
our own death.
Death will not be
the final winner
in any believer's life.
Paul says in verse 54,
death is swallowed up
in victory.
That describes how
Christ won the victory
over death
by his resurrection.
If you have a real relationship
with Christ,
you should not fear death.
His resurrection guarantees yours.
We will die,
but the Lord will give us
a new body one day.
We'll live eternally
with him one day.
The death and resurrection
of Jesus has removed
what Paul called
the sting from death.
Look at the statement
he made about that
in verse 55.
It's as if he is
taunting death
after the resurrection.
He says,
oh death,
where is your victory?
Oh death,
where is your sting?
If we are truly Christians,
death is like a yellow jacket
without a stinger.
We may not like it.
I'd still spray that sucker
with spectricide,
wasp and hornet killer.
But it couldn't hurt us
without a stinger.
Christ has removed
the sting of death.
So we need to think
of death today.
It's not something you,
you know,
you get excited about,
but we should think of death
not with fear,
but with confidence.
It's just going to be
the process we go through
to get from this life
into the presence of Jesus
in paradise
where we'll live forever.
The resurrection of Christ
means that we should not
fear death.
Our sins are forgiven.
We are children of God.
We have eternal life.
And that is so very important,
isn't it?
But it's not everything.
The resurrection means more
than that.
It means something about
the way we live,
as Michael so beautifully
sang a moment ago.
I want you to look
in verse 58 now
and see that the resurrection
of Christ
should make a difference
in how we live today.
The resurrection
that so many people
came here
and went to churches
last week
to celebrate,
as important as it is,
it's not everything.
It should make a difference
in the way that you
and I live each day.
I want you to look
at verse 58.
Therefore,
my beloved brothers,
be steadfast,
immovable,
always abounding
in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord
your labor is not in vain.
The word therefore,
you know that's
an important word
in anything you read.
It's recalling
what has just been said
and in some ways
going to apply it
or elaborate on it
in the words that follow.
That's what Paul does.
It calls us to recall
what has just been said
about the Lord's victory,
his triumph
over death
and sin.
We certainly need
to remember
what the Lord
has done for us
but not stop there.
We need to think about
what the Lord
has done for us.
He loved us so much
that he gave his life.
That it motivates us
to live now
in a way
that demonstrates
our love for him
and our gratitude
to him
for what he's done
for us.
Paul points out
some of the ways
we can and should
do that
in the rest of this verse.
He uses three words
to describe
how we need to live.
Look at them.
Be steadfast,
be immovable,
abound in the work
of the Lord.
Look at the first two first.
They sort of go together.
Steadfast means
to be steady
as you move forward.
Keep on going.
Don't quit.
Don't stop and start.
Start and stop.
Steadfast.
Firm.
Strong.
Moving.
And then the word
immovable is similar
but it's stronger.
He's talking about
standing strong
and not being moved
like a tree
that has deep roots
that go way down
and hold it
strong and secure
in the bad winds
that come.
Never gets blown down.
That's what he tells us.
This is how
we should live
as Christians.
We should be people
who are steadfast.
We're not up and down,
on and off
as living the Christian life
and we don't let things
just sway us
the winds of adversity
that we all have to experience.
You know,
these two words
recalls what Paul said
in the same chapter
verses one and two.
If you've got your Bible
open to 1 Corinthians 15,
look up verses one and two.
It'll be on the screen as well.
He says,
Now I would remind you,
brothers,
of the gospel
I preached to you,
which you received,
in which you stand,
and by which you are
being saved,
if you hold fast
to the word
I preached to you.
Unless you believed in vain,
it's possible
to believe in vain.
You know,
there's a lot of people
who make a profession
of faith,
even become baptized.
They just don't
continue in the faith.
They don't
act like anything happened
and what Paul is saying here,
nothing did.
It was
in vain.
We're,
we are as Christians.
We are to hold
to the truth
of God's word,
especially the truth
of the gospel,
firmly.
The reason he says that
is because
some people don't.
We're all tempted
not to,
but we all know people
who started out like
what I just described
a moment ago.
We all know people,
maybe it's people
you grew up with,
went to church with,
were baptized with,
went to Sunday school with.
Maybe some people
that you work with.
At one point in their life,
they confessed faith.
At one point in their life,
they would talk about
the things of God.
But after a period of time,
it just seems that
they didn't care.
They didn't continue
because they had no
desire to continue.
Their life never changed.
They appear to have
believed in vain,
is what we're talking about.
We're talking about people
who are easily blown over
when difficulty comes in life.
Now,
you're here this morning
if you say,
I'm a firm believer.
I've gone through a lot in life
and I've never wavered.
Good.
That's a sign
of God's hand on you
and you've cooperated with Him.
That's good and great,
but don't be prideful.
All of us
are tempted
to give up at times
and all of us
do give in
to the temptation
at times.
All of us,
all of us
fail the Lord
at times
in our lives.
and I want you
to be honest
with God about it,
honest with yourself.
There are no
super saints
in this room.
There's no one
in this room
who doesn't know
what it's like
to be tempted
and to give in
to that temptation
and to fall
flat on your face
before God
in guilt
and shame.
Even Peter,
the leader
of the Lord's disciples,
the apostle Peter,
he failed
the Lord
miserably
on more than one occasion.
But Peter
always came back.
Sometimes he was down,
but he was never out.
That's the sign
of a true Christian.
The sign
of a true Christian
is never
they live
flawless lives.
They never fail.
The sign
of a true Christian
is how they respond
after they failed
by getting back up.
When a true
child of God
falls or stumbles
into sin,
sooner or later
they're going to be
convicted of their sin.
They're going to be
made aware of it.
The Spirit of God
living within them
will do that.
Understand what
we're talking about here.
If you're a true Christian,
let's say,
if we,
I don't know what you think,
just you,
all of us,
if we're true Christians,
we can fail
the Lord
miserably.
We can bring
shame to ourselves
and our families.
We can do harm
to the name of Christ
by some of the things
that we say
as well as some
of the things
that we do.
But sooner
or later,
if the Spirit
of God
lives within us,
and the Bible says
the Spirit of God
lives within every Christian,
sooner or later,
we're going to
feel the guilt
and the shame.
And as children
of God
being disciplined
by God,
we're going to
confess it.
We're going to say,
yes, Lord,
it's true.
We're going to
change our,
we're going to repent
of it.
We're going to change
our mind about it.
We're going to turn
from it.
We're going to come
back to Christ
in faith,
trusting Him
that He's paid
the penalty
for our sins.
We're right with God
through faith in Him.
That's what's going
to happen
if you're a true Christian
when you fail,
when you fall
into sin
sooner or later.
That's why,
for an example,
John describes
the importance
of Christians
admitting
and confessing
their sins.
Look at it
in 1 John 1
verses 8
and 9.
We've looked
at verse 9 a lot.
Let's look at verse 8
to begin with.
If we say
we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves
and the truth
is not in us.
Stop for a moment.
I know
there would be
very few people
who could possibly
be here
who would deny
that,
but every now
and then
I have come
across a Christian
who just really
doesn't want
to admit,
deal with the
reality that
they sin.
It may be
an attitude,
it may be
words,
it may be
actions,
it may be
something small.
But every now
and then
I run across
someone who
gives the
appearance
or acts
like they're
a little bit
above others,
a little bit
condescending
toward less
faithful Christians.
If you don't
understand the
seriousness of
your sin as a
Christian,
look at that
verse.
If you say we
have no sin,
you take it
lightly even.
You're deceiving
yourself and the
truth is not in
you.
But read on.
But if we
confess our
sins, he is
faithful and
just to forgive
us our sins
and to cleanse
us from all
unrighteousness.
That's the good
news about when
God disciplines
us, when he
breaks us, when
he humbles us.
It's all for the
purpose of making
us come back to
him and this is
the way back.
This is not all
John said.
There was a
verse 10 that
we're going to
skip.
Then I want you
look at chapter
2 verses 1
and 2.
He writes,
my little
children.
He likes to
write that way
to the church.
My little
children, I'm
writing these
things to you so
that you may not
sin.
That's the goal.
I'm emphasizing
we all do.
But we
shouldn't accept
that in
ourselves.
We should
seek to obey
God, not
disobey him.
We should
seek to live a
holy life, not
an unholy life.
I'm writing
these things to
you so that
you may not
sin.
But if anyone
does sin, we
have an advocate
with the
Father, Jesus
Christ the
righteous.
He is the
propitiation for
our sins.
Some translations
say he's the
sacrifice of
atonement.
What that means,
he's the
propitiation for
our sin.
He's the one
who stands
between God
and us.
He takes the
blow.
He absorbs
the wrath of the
righteous wrath
of God against
sin so that
we don't have
to.
He is the
propitiation for
our sins and
not for ours
only, but also
for the sins of
the whole world.
A true
Christian will
never overcome
all sin in
this world,
but we should
see progress.
We should see
signs that the
Lord is making a
difference in
our lives.
So let's just
pause here and
you make it
personal.
Do you see
some signs?
Can you
sing what a
difference he's
made in my life,
what a change
he's made in my
heart?
Because you see
it, well now
in your mind I
want you to list
it.
what are some
specific differences
that the Lord has
and is making in
your life?
What are some
specific changes
that he has and
is making in
your life?
If you can't
list some,
there's a
problem.
If you can't
see that there's
progress being
made, maybe you've
been a Christian
for 20 years,
maybe you've been
a Christian for
only 20 months.
If the Spirit of
God lives in you,
which the Bible
says he lives in
every Christian,
he comes to live
within us when
we're converted.
If you can't see
signs of what he's
doing in your life,
you're not
perfect, but you
are growing, you
are maturing, you're
overcoming some
sinful habits, you're
developing some new
godly character
qualities, that is a
sign of being a
Christian.
And there's
something terribly
wrong if we can't
identify and list
some changes that the
Lord has and is
making in us.
I want you to look
at the next phrase
in verse 58.
Abounding in the
work of the Lord.
Look at it
together.
Therefore, my
beloved brothers, be
steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in
the work of the
Lord.
Abound means to
overflow with.
It means to do
things that count for
Christ and do a lot
of them.
What are you doing
that counts for
Christ?
How are you abounding
in the work of the
Lord?
I want to emphasize
something here that I
failed to emphasize in
the early service.
Just about everything
we do in life, just
about everything we can
do and actually do
can be done in a way
that brings glory to
honor and brings glory
to God.
You can do your job in a
way that brings glory to
God, that honors Him by
your attitude, the way
you treat people, by what
you do on your job.
If you can't, you ought
to change jobs tomorrow
and I'm serious.
We can glorify God by the
way we treat our spouse,
our children.
We can glorify God by the
way we act at a wreck.
Some people lose their
mind at the Y and the
wreck and other children's
sports events.
Act like pure fools in
front of everybody.
I forgot who the
conversation was with.
It was somebody in the
church.
What we talked about
years ago, there was
someone that used to sit
in the stands down here
at Bruceville for
football games.
Oh, known, active
Christians, all I'm
going to say.
Some of you, whoever we
talked about this, you
were grinning because you
know who I'm talking
about.
This person yelled and
screamed at officials in
such a way he destroyed
his witness every single
JV and varsity football
game that I was sitting in
the stands with him.
It matters how we live.
It matters.
And we can do anything and
everything we should be
doing in a way that
pleases God, that honors
God, that's a good
witness, that impacts
people's lives in a great
way.
And we all need to be
doing that first in our
homes, with our family
members, and where we work,
where we play, where we do
anything.
It all matters.
But now let's come down to
this.
How are you abounding in the
work of the Lord in some
aspect of what I'm going to
call gospel ministry?
Making disciples, as Jesus
told us in the Great
Commission.
That doesn't mean by any
means everybody's got to be a
missionary or a preacher or a
Sunday school teacher.
It takes all kinds of
people using their gifts and
talents and abilities to
serve God's purpose.
Some people are out front.
They're preaching.
They're teaching.
They're singing.
They're doing something.
And they're seen.
There's a lot of people who
are involved in the worthwhile,
meaningful ministry of the
church privately, behind the
scenes.
For years, we had a group of
men and women sometimes that
worked in the kitchen on Friday
mornings preparing breakfast
for Pickens High School FCA
students.
Most people in the church
didn't know who they were.
Most of the kids that came
through the line and got the
pancakes and bacon.
Most of them didn't pay
attention to who was back
there unless they knew some
of them.
They prepared that breakfast.
They prepared that environment
for those high school students
to come.
And somebody taught the Bible,
shared the gospel every Friday
morning.
And for some of those students,
that was the only exposure they
got to the gospel or to
biblical teaching.
A lot of people would know who
was out front, who the speakers
were, who the singers were.
But we wouldn't have had an FCA
breakfast for all those many
years without those men in the
kitchen, men and women in the
kitchen, cooking, working early in
the morning.
And that just applies to just about
every single thing we do as a
church.
Every Christian is called, we're all
called to be involved in ministry
according to the way God has gifted
us, opportunities given us, the
abilities that we have developed.
They can all be used in some way.
So let me ask you, how are you
helping us as Pickens First
Baptists to be well, to be a
worshiping, evangelizing, learning
and loving family of faith for the
glory of God?
How are you doing it?
What are you involved in?
Name it.
It doesn't have to be a lot.
It doesn't have to be where people
see it.
How are you involved?
What are you giving?
What are you doing for the glory of
God and the good of others, the
promotion of the gospel, helping
Christians to grow?
What are you doing behind the
scenes?
What are you doing that makes
things that are more visible
happen?
Now, if you are involved, don't be
smug.
Don't pat yourself on the back and
ask another question.
Are you doing it willingly,
lovingly, for the glory of God and
the good of others?
You know, sometimes we could just
do something because it's sort of
expected of us.
We could do something because we
like to be seen.
We like the attention.
Are you doing what you're doing
out of a sense of, this is what I
know God wants me to do because I
can do it.
He's given me what I need to do it
and I'm doing it.
It's hard work.
It takes time away from doing some
things that I would sort of like to
do.
But the Lord gave his life for me.
I'm going to give something to him.
If you're doing the right ministry for
the right reason, the right heart, it'll
be rewarding even if it's hard, even if
it's tiring, even if it's taking more
time than some days you want to give to
it.
Our Lord is worthy of us giving of
ourselves, of our time, our energy, our
money, our whatever to serve him.
You know, we've got a problem in this
country and it's not just in the church,
not just among Christians, but it's
among us too.
We are basically a selfish people who are
entertaining ourselves to death with all
kinds of technological toys, hobbies, or
what some people would call leisure
activities.
I want you to look at something John
MacArthur said along this line.
It's eye-opening, convicting.
Look at it.
Leisure and relaxation are two great
modern idols to which many Christians
seem quite willing to bow down to.
In proper proportion, recreation and
diversions can help restore our energy
and increase our effectiveness.
I want to stop there.
If you're a workaholic who takes pride
in the fact that you never take time
off, never take a day off, never take a
vacation, you are not commended.
You are not wise.
And God is not honored.
Everybody needs rest, recreation,
socialization.
The bow needs to be unstrung sometimes
for every human being.
It's important.
Go on a vacation.
Take time off.
Play with your kids.
Do something that doesn't make you money.
Do something fun.
Having said that, don't make that what you
major on.
Look at what he says.
But they also can easily become ends in
themselves, demanding more and more of our
attention, concern, time, and energy.
More than one believer has relaxed and hobbied
himself completely out of the work of the Lord.
Could that be describing you?
Have you allowed your hobbies, your leisure,
your technological toys to take all of your
attention, your attention, your
concentration, your time?
And it's preventing you from serving the Lord in any
kind of meaningful and consistent way.
Most Christians need to get more serious about giving to
themselves, as he says, fully to the Lord's work.
It's worth it.
The day's coming when we'll see that serving the Lord is
worth it in a big way.
I want you to look at something Jesus said at the end of the
book of Revelation, the last chapter.
Behold, I am coming soon.
My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to
what he has done.
What kind of reward will that be for you?
If the Lord comes today, or you die today, and you stand
before him, what kind of reward do you expect to receive based
on your faithfulness?
Now, you're not going to misunderstand this.
Salvation, everything about our relationship with God is based
on his grace.
We don't earn it.
We can't deserve it.
It's all a matter of grace.
Salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus, period,
plus nothing.
But the Bible tells us over and over again in various kinds of
ways, the faith that saves changes us, purifies us.
The faith that saves continues.
It produces good fruit.
God's not calling any of us to burn out in serving him.
But at the same time, he is calling us to be active, to be
involved in some aspect of gospel ministry.
What difference has Christ made in your life?
What difference is he continuing to make?
What would be on your list in terms of character development?
What do you need to grow at?
What do you need to develop more?
What would be on your list in terms of ministry involvement?
Could there be some things that you need to add to that?
There could be something you need to take away from that.
What I want us to hear is 1 Corinthians 15.
The Lord gave his life for us.
He arose triumphantly over sin and death and the devil.
Look at the last verse one more time.
Let's pray together.
Father, show us all how we should respond this morning.
If there are people in this room that you have shown that while they profess faith,
there's no evidence that you have done a work of grace in them.
There's no evidence of the Holy Spirit's action in them.
If that's true, Father, convict them of their sin, of their fact that they're not Christians,
and call them right now to be honest with you,
to forsake their selfish way of living,
and to put their faith and trust in Jesus wholeheartedly,
and call upon him to save them.
Help them do that right now.
Father, if there are Christians here that they see evidence,
but it's not recent.
Father, if there are Christians in this room who know
you have made a difference in their life,
but you are not making a difference now like you once did,
because they're disobedient.
They're rebelling.
They're indifferent.
Lord, wake them up and call them back to you.
Call them to get serious about being sensitive to
and obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in their life,
about developing Christian character,
about serving you in meaningful ministry in and through this church.
Father, I pray for Christians in this room who do see
not just the difference you have but are making in their life.
There is a list, and it's real.
It's genuine.
Father, affirm them.
Bless them.
Help them to hear,
well done, my good and faithful servant.
But Lord, help them not to become complacent.
Help them not to quit regardless of their age.
Help them to be faithful as you give them the ability and the opportunity to be faithful.
And just in an attitude of prayer,
you listen to the Lord and you obey Him.
Whatever it is He's calling you to do,
to start,
to stop,
then you do that as we pray.
And if I could pray with you during the time,
this time here at the front,
I'd be happy to do that.
I'll be right here at the front of this podium here.
Thank you.