Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Philippians

What is God?

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Do you believe in God? According to a recent Gallup poll, 81% of Americans say they do. The better question is, what is it they claim to believe? Or simply, “What is God?” In another poll, Gallup found that 29% of Americans believe the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.” That means there is at least some overlap between those who say they believe in God and those who do not believe the Bible to be God’s Word.

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So, who or what is this God in whom they say they believe? Before asking someone if they believe in God, we should first define who or what God is. It is a given that followers of Christ believe in God. After all, Jesus is God and God is Jesus (John 10:30; John 14:10; John 17:10-11). That is who God is.

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We Belong to the Lord

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Our only hope in this world is knowing we belong to God. If we were on our own, the weight and struggles of this life would crush us. The pressure would annihilate us. But thanks be to God, we are not alone. We are not our own. The life we live, we live because of Jesus and for Jesus.

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Paul reminds us in Romans 14:7-8 that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Our purpose for living is to do the work of our Lord. And when we die, we die for Him, having run the race and doing all He has given us to do (2 Timothy 4:7-8). This is our hope: we belong to the Lord.

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No Neutral Position

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In a world of compromise and so-called “tolerance”, we must remember there is no neutral position in Christ. We are for Him or against Him (Mark 9:40; John 3:36), and we can never stand in a middle that does not exist. Today’s culture regards those who accept whatever is popular as the favored class. Those of us who push back against the tide of perversion, selfishness, and immorality are branded as outcasts and even criminals.

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Light has no fellowship with darkness (II Corinthians 6: 14; Ephesians 5:11), so we must abstain from drinking from the fountain of popular thought. The temptation to go with the flow is great, but if you are truly for Christ, you must stand firm on His Word and obey His commands.

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Fear God

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Why do you fear God? Perhaps a better first question to ask is, do you fear God? Scripture commands us many times to live in the fear of God (Deuteronomy 6:13; 1 Samuel 12:24; Proverbs 9:10; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 2:17; Revelation 14:7). So, it’s not a question of whether we should, but imperative that we must. With all the sermons teaching God is love these days, it may seem a bit out of step to be talking about fearing God. Humans do not typically fear those we love.

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But God is not just someone else we love. He is the holy, righteous, and glorious Creator of the Universe, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings. God is indeed the highest expression of love. John told us this plainly in his epistle to the Church (1 John 4:8). However, we do not serve a one-dimensional God. Every emotion is magnified and perfected in Him. Thus, jealous, zealous, and righteous anger are also part of who He is. To quote Jonathan Edwards, “… it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”.

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Spiritual Maturity

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What does it take to rob you of your joy? Are you joyful when things are going well but less so when troubles come? You can know joy every day of your life, no matter what you are going through. It is possible to live in joy in every circumstance. John MacArthur once wrote, “One of the surest measures of our spiritual maturity is what it takes to rob us of our spirit-bestowed joy”. A spiritually immature person will find their joy in a constant ebb and flow, coming over them in waves, but drifting away just as easily.

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So, if we want a joy that does not leave us, we need to become more spiritually mature. This works because the more we spend time with God, the more joyful we become. And the more we learn about His unchanging character and love, the more we come to believe in His unfailing promises, the more confident we will become in our joy. We will develop such joy that nothing can shake it.

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