Necessary Things

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

Today, we're going to be looking at four things that are necessary in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Let's look at a dictionary definition of the word necessary. Necessary, according to the dictionary, is something that is essential or that needs to be done or needs to be present. And as we study God's Word today, we'll see that there are four things the Bible says are necessary. They need to be present. They need to be done. The first we're going to look at today is time in God's Word. We need to feed ourselves on the Bible. And Job chapter 23 and verse 12 tells us, I have not departed from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. It's important for us to not let things in our lives, the busyness, all the activity in our lives, take away from the most important things. And one of the most important things for us to do is to spend time at the feet of Jesus, listening to his word, putting ourselves in a place of daily devotion where we are listening to him speak to us through the Bible. We give ourselves time in prayer and in worship where the Holy Spirit can begin to highlight what he wants us to do, what he wants us to see, and how he wants us to follow Jesus through the scriptures. In Luke chapter 10, we read about Mary and Martha. One got busy with all the activity that needed to be done and all the responsibilities. The other took time to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear him teach. Let's read Luke chapter 10, verse 41 and 42. It tells us, but the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her. There are some things that need to get done, and I understand that. I understand the urgency of what needs to happen in our lives on a daily basis, how many responsibilities we have, but there are some things that are necessary for our spiritual well-being, and these things will not be taken away from us. They have eternal value, and one of those things is time in God's word. I want to encourage you, church family, to make sure that you prioritize time with God with your Bible open, your heart open, your ears attentive to what the Holy Spirit is saying, reading the scriptures and saying, Holy Spirit, show me what you want me to do from what I'm reading in the scriptures today. The second thing that is necessary is every member in the body of Christ. Please turn with me if you would in your Bible to 1st Corinthians chapter 12, and we're going to read from verse 14 through to verse 22. We'll see that there are no spare parts in the body of Christ. It says, For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? And if the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them as He chose. If we were all a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. We are all part of the body of Christ. We all have a part to play, we have a function that we need to fulfill in order for the body to function as God designed. And quite clearly, these verses that we read teach us that no one part of the body is more important than the other. Thank you for all of those who serve on a regular basis. We appreciate all you do, and we know that you're not doing it for us to say thank you. You're doing it so that one day the Master will say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Keep it up, but remember we're doing it for the Lord Jesus Christ. Number three, the third thing that is necessary is to speak words of life and encouragement to others. The Bible teaches us that our words are powerful, they have a creative force behind them. Our words can give life, they can build up, or they can tear down. And the Bible says we should speak words that are necessary to build others up according to their needs. Let's read Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 29. It tells us, let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Before you speak, we should ask ourselves three questions as a filter. Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Is it true? Is what we're saying actually true? Not just true according to facts, but true according to the scriptures. Is it truth that we are speaking? Is it necessary? Is it really important for us to be able to highlight that situation or speak about that situation? Or should we just extend grace and give that person time to be able to work this out? Or three, is it kind? You know, kindness is such an important thing, and kindness is extending grace, love, and mercy to somebody who cannot necessarily extend that back to you. Let's not be self-serving in our compliments. Let's not say something kind to someone else, expecting them to say something kind back to us. Let's rather just be kind and extend his love and his grace to others. The psalmist said, I set a watchman over the door of my mouth, so that I would speak words that edify and build up. And it's important for us to make sure that our words always encourage and are words that are necessary in a given time. Choose your words carefully. Speak words of life and encouragement to others. And number four, number four, the fourth thing that the Bible says was necessary was the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was necessary for our redemption. We appreciate the fact that we could not save ourselves. We had a debt that we couldn't pay, but Jesus Christ came and he paid the price in full for our sin so that we can have a right relationship with God. Let's read a few verses that tell us about how important it is for us to understand that it was necessary for Jesus Christ to come, to be born for a purpose, and that was to pay the price on the cross for our sin, to die for our sins, to be buried, and then to rise from the dead again. And we read some of these in Luke 24. Let's look at selected verses. Luke 24, verse 26 says, Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And then in verse 45 through to verse 47, we see Jesus talking with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and it says, He opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, It's written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. It was necessary for Jesus to pay the price for us, but then it also tells us that it's necessary for that message to be shared with others, for others to be exposed to the proclamation of the gospel, so they too can respond to what Jesus has done for them. As it says in Luke chapter 24, verse 47, that repentance and the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. In Acts chapter 17, verse 2 and 3, we see Paul went as was his custom, and on the three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ. He was telling them that Jesus is the Messiah, he is the one who came to pay the price for our sin as our Redeemer. And as we respond to Him by grace through faith, we can receive His forgiveness and walk in a right relationship with God. It's important for people to hear that message. Unless the message is proclaimed, people will not hear it. I heard somebody once say that the good news is not good news until it's been delivered. And we need to be able to go and share the good news with others. Let's look at a few verses from Romans chapter 10. We see in Romans chapter 10, verse 9 and 10, that it's necessary for us to confess Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead for us to be saved. Now I want you to notice there's two things there. It says in Romans 10, verse 9 and 10 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. This is necessary, and I want to encourage you, if you have not done that, to respond to Jesus Christ. If you click on the link in the notes under the heading What is Salvation, you can download a free copy of What is Salvation, a booklet that I wrote that explains how you can have a relationship with Jesus Christ, how you can receive salvation and become a follower of Jesus. Let's look at Romans 10 verse 13 to 15. Here we see that it's necessary for people to call on the name of the Lord to be saved, and we see that it's necessary for people to go and share the gospel with others. It says in Romans 10, verse 13 to 15, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it's written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. You and I have been commissioned to go and share this wonderful message, the gospel with people, so they too can receive redemption, salvation, peace with God, the joy and purpose that He gives us in life. So today we've seen four things that are necessary according to the Bible for us as followers of Jesus Christ. Why don't we pray together? Father God, thank you for the things that are necessary revealed to us in Scripture. Thank you that it's necessary for us to spend time in your word. And I ask that you give us a fresh hunger and thirst for your word. And Holy Spirit, we invite you to make the word applicable to our lives every day, to show us what you want us to do as followers of Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for every single person in our church family, for those who serve in so many different ways, praying for one another, serving one another, helping behind the scenes and upfront. We thank you, Lord, that you have a function and a fit for each one of us, and help us to find that fit and serve you and one another in Jesus' name. Help us to speak words of life and encouragement to those in our lives. Help us to be a blessing, to filter our words with is it true, is it necessary, is it kind? And finally, thank you for your death, burial, and resurrection. It was necessary for you to pay the price that we couldn't pay for ourselves. We owed a debt we could not pay, you paid a debt you did not owe. You did it so that we can have a living relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you so much, Jesus. And help us and give us opportunities, give us boldness and opportunities to go and share your gospel with people who need to hear it. We want to proclaim the goodness of God. We want to proclaim the love of God, the grace of God to a world that so desperately needs hope that can only be found in a relationship with you. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.