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Becoming a Christian: Lesson 2 - My Future as a Christian

Introduction

• Now that I am a Christian, my life and my future are more important than ever before. I need to give special consideration to what I am going to do with the rest of my life.

My Future as a Christian

• Jesus taught that a man must plan his life and consider the consequences before he acts. Just like the builder, I must give serious thought to what I am doing before I begin. I want to be a successful, fruitful, faithful servant of God.
  • Luke 14:27-33: ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

    ²⁸ �Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won�t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, �This person began to build and wasn�t able to finish.�

    ³¹ �Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won�t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

• To achieve these goals, I must give consideration to the following areas:
  • I must resolve right now to be a Christian for Life.
    • I can't please God any other way. Jesus taught I must keep the word with patient faithfulness.
      • Luke 8:5-15: ⁵ �A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.�

        When he said this, he called out, �Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.�

        ⁹ His disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, �The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, �though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.�

        ¹¹ �This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life�s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

    • Scriptures that will help me to recognize that fact:
      • Revelation 2:10: Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor�s crown.
      • 2 Timothy 4:6-8: ⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day�and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
      • Hebrews 10:35-39: ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

        ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For,

        �In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.�

        ³⁸ And,

        �But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.�

        ³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

      • 1 Peter 1:3-6: ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God�s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

    • These Scriptures emphasize the great blessings which are to come to the faithful. All of these great blessings are mine at the end IF I remain faithful unto Him!! All the more reason to determine to be a faithful Christian for life!

  • Family Considerations:
    • What kind of a person will I marry? (to the unmarried). What are the benefits of marrying a Christian? Should I marry an unbeliever? The person I marry will have more bearing on my personal happiness than anyone or anything else in the rest of my life.
    • What about the rearing of the children? I must plan to rear them properly. I must consider their spiritual welfare in all the decisions I make.
      • Proverbs 22:6: Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
      • Ephesians 6:4: Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
    • What about moving (due to job, personal considerations, etc)? Should I move my family into an area where there is no congregation of the Lord's people? What could be the consequences of moving where there is no church? Consider the difficulties that will be encountered.
    • When I go on my vacation, will I plan it where I can be with the saints on the Lord's day? Can I take a vacation from the Lord? What should I do?

  • What kind of decisions will I make in regard to developing my talents and my personal growth in service to God?
    • A Christian never arrives at a point where there is no more room for growth and challenge. A Christian's life is a life of continual striving for higher goals.
      • Philippians 3:13-14: ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
    • I need to set goals for my personal growth. I need to grow both in knowledge and spiritual strength. Where do I plan to be on the " Spiritual Maturity Ladder" in one year, five years? I need to resolve myself to study each and every day!
      • 2 Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
    • I should set goals for developing my talents. If I really want to be of service to God, I must begin NOW to equip myself with the qualifications necessary to succeed.
      • Area of service: Elder, deacon, preacher, teacher, personal worker, elder's wife, deacon's wife, helper to the sick, song leader, etc.
      • It is good to decide at an early age (in the faith) what you would like to accomplish. One reason for the lack of elders, deacons, preachers, etc is because young men never made the decision while they were young to work towards qualifying themselves in this endeavor.
      • There are many 50 year old men in the church who were converted 30 years ago, but are not qualified to be elders because they were not thinking and planning ahead. They did not set goals for growth and service.

Conclusion

• Each and every one of us should consider our future as a Christian. We should honestly evaluate ourselves as to what talents and abilities I have and how I can develop them to the fullest extent for the service of God.
• Remember, God doesn't expect more from us than we're capable of delivering!! But, He does require we put our talents to work as good servants!
  • Luke 17:10: So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, �We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.��