CORNERSTONE BIBLE CHURCH January 1, 2012

A CHRISTIAN POP QUIZ Selected Scriptures Introduction: Quizzes & Tests in School • What was the worst part about being in school? Or maybe I should ask the students here, what is the worst part of being in school? • There might be several different answers: the lunchroom, getting up early, Physical Education, meeting new people, studying, all of it. • But for me, the worst part of school was the “Pop Quiz”. You know, when the teacher says those magical words, “pull out a sheet of paper & a pencil for a pop quiz today.” You get that cold sweat, that nauseous feeling in your gut, and that wish that you had actually been paying attention to what they were saying. Well, today, I want you to pull out a sheet of paper & a pencil, we are going to have a pop quiz. This should be fun. I want to give you “A Christian Pop Quiz.” Now, the blessing of this pop quiz is that you are the grader of your own quiz. That means, you are the one who will be saying if you get a good score or not on this quiz. Nobody else will be grading it, only you. Not your spouse, not your kids, not your parents, not your pastor—only you, unless you open up about your life in the small group you are in. But what you have to realize is that this is an important process to take in our lives.  2 Corinthians 13:5  "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?” As someone who goes to church, claims the name of Jesus, it is good every now and then to sit down and evaluate your heart, your life, and your standing before Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that there is nobody that fails the test this morning, but in a group this size, if you take it seriously, I would assume that there are some who will fail the test. I am well aware that there are some of you sitting in this room this morning that do not know Jesus Christ. You have not had your sins washed from you. You still sit under the judgment of God. My prayer is that maybe this morning will be the time for you to give up your desires of this life and to pursue Jesus, joyously realizing that everything you have ever wanted is found ultimately in Him. The quiz is simple: 8 QUESTIONS TO EVALUATE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO JESUS. These are questions that I hope will make you think about your life, your relationship with Jesus, and maybe some areas in which you can and should grow in your relationship with Him. 1

Why a quiz now? I hope that is obvious. It is January 1st. Which means a few things. It means that your diets started today. Many of you have probably committed today to read the Bible. You have made physical and spiritual commitments that hopefully will not be given up on in the next couple of weeks. January 1st is just a clear dividing line. It is my prayer that 2012 will be the greatest year for your spiritual growth. But there is another reason. As you have been able to tell this past year, I love preaching and teaching. And as much as I love to teach, I never want to get to the place where the pursuit of truth is the goal. Our goal is application of the truth. And so, these questions hopefully will diagnose heart issues in our lives. How to take the quiz? First, the questions are asked in the sense of your spiritual growth. I want you to think back over the course of the past year or so and look at where you were then and evaluate yourself with where you are at now. That means it is going to take some thought. Illustration: The proverbial marking on the door – size of kids • If you looked at the marking every day, it would be hard to see the growth, but if you look every 6 months or so, it should become more visible. Second, the questions are for you to answer for yourself, not for you to answer for someone else. This is your time to evaluate yourself! Third, the questions are somewhat helpful to be answered along a sliding scale, 1 to 10, with 10 being significant growth & 1 being no growth. 8 QUESTIONS TO EVALUATE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO JESUS… 1. AM I GROWING IN MY LOVE FOR HEAVENLY THINGS? Christian, do you long for the things of God or are you consumed with the things of this world?  Philippians 3:17–21 [open & read] Notice the connection between the end of vs. 19; those who have their minds set on earthly things are those that in vs. 18 Paul says he weeps over because they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. That is some very harsh language, don’t you think? And then in vs. 20, Paul reminds those believers that their citizenship is in heaven, not on this earth. Believer, are you thinking like a citizen of this earth or like a citizen of heaven? What consumes your thoughts? The Apostle John said it like this . . .  1 John 2:15–17  “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is 2

in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” What captures your affections more recently, the things of the world or the things of God? What do you find yourself thinking about, pondering on, and meditating on, your Xbox Kinect or the cross of Christ? Is it the new car or heaven? Were you more consumed with what sort of presents you received or even gave on Christmas as opposed to coming to church to worship the purpose of the season? Did you know that Jesus talked about money and possessions and our heart towards them more than any other topic? Could it be because He knew the lure for our life would be the stuff that we can have? Our brother Russ talked about this several weeks ago. Randy Alcorn – The Treasure Principle – every person / every year. “Many Christians dread the thought of leaving this world. Why? Because so many have stored up their treasures on earth, not in heaven. Each day brings us closer to death. If your treasures are on earth, that means each day brings you closer to losing your treasures.”1 If heaven is your home and earth is just a place that you are passing through, then it makes sense what Randy Alcorn says, that we should live for the line and not the dot. That means that we live to invest into that which will last forever instead of investing in that which robbers can break in and steal and that which moths destroy! What do I mean by growing in love of heavenly things? What things constitute heavenly things? Jesus Himself, The Bible which tells about Him, promoting His name among people that do not know Him, the Church, gospel ministries, eternity . . . are you growing in your love for those things? How do you know if you are growing in these things? There is one easy way to think about this. Look at your physical possessions and ask yourself how you have used them this past year. How have you used them for Christ? It does not mean that you do not have a nice house, but are you using your house for ministry? Are you hospitable? It does not mean that you do not have a nice vehicle, but are you willing to let someone borrow it if they are in need? How about your giving? Are you giving more this year than you have in the past?

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Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle. 42. 3

Remember, this is your question to answer for yourself. It is not for you to answer for someone else. You might see someone with nicer things that you and wonder if they are investing in the world and not in heaven; that is for them to answer, not you. Are you growing in your love for heavenly things: think about it, scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 2. AM I GROWING IN MY BATTLE WITH SIN? What I mean by this is are you progressing in seeing some victory in your continuous battle with sin, or is it even a battle at all? It starts with your desire for or against sin. Are you growing to hate sin more and more in your life?  Matthew 5:4  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Those that grow to mourn over their sin are those who are learning to win the battle of sin in their life. Let’s be honest, we have seen the devastation that sin brings into the life of people we know. We have read the Bible and have seen how David’s life was turned upside down because of an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. We have read how Ananias & Sapphira lied to God and what happened to them. We see the consequences in others, yet we still continue to sin like them. Why? Maybe because we have not grown to hate our sin like we should.

Illustration: My view of potatoes •

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I hate potatoes. But I am not really consistent. If you bake a potato, I will not eat it. It is gross. You can even twice bake them and I will not even think about eating it. You can mash them and put all sorts of unhealthy things on it, and I might get sick. But, if you cut them up really small and deep fry them with some good ketchup, I’m all over it. I sometimes think I treat my sin like I do my potatoes. I dislike or hate most of it, but allow just certain things in my life. I act as if a little is okay for my life.

 Psalm 119:104  “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”  Psalm 97:10  “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!”  Proverbs 8:13  “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Here is when you know that you are growing spiritually in regards to your battle with sin. It is when you are no longer dealing with the external issues, but the internal issues. When the Spirit of God is convicting you of the internal attitudes and thoughts and motives . . . before you even commit the external sins. That’s when you are starting to see growth. 4

Are you battling harder against your sin today than you were a year ago? Are you seeing growth in this area? Are you wielding the sword of the Spirit with more fervor than you were 6 months ago? OR, are you just living in a state of casualness against your sin? If you really want to test yourself, go home and read Romans 6–8. It will help you evaluate your heart in this matter. Are you growing in your desire to fight and enter the battle to defeat sin? You know what you struggle with more than anyone else, you know what is in your closet. Compared to 6 months ago, 1 year ago, how are you doing in your fight with sin? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 3. AM I GROWING IN MY LOVE FOR OTHERS?  1 John 4:7–11 [open & read] If you are someone who does not love, you prove yourself to fail this test, do you see that? Do you understand that?  1 John 4:20–21 [open & read] If you say you love God, yet do not love that which you can see, you prove yourself to be a liar. This is a tough section of Scripture. The Apostle John is simply repeating what Jesus had taught the disciples. One day, Jesus told them that the way everyone will know that we are His disciples is how we love one another (John 13:34–35) What does it mean to be growing in your love for others? It means that first and foremost that you care for them. You are putting their desires and efforts over and top of yours. It means that 1 Corinthians 13 means something and you are growing in applying those principles of love to your relationships.            

Love is patient Love is kind Love is not jealous Love does not brag Love is not arrogant Love does not act unbecomingly Love does not seek its own Love is not provoked Love does not take into account a wrong suffered Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness Love rejoices with the truth Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

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Do you gossip? Do you slander? Do you talk evil of someone else? Do you love others with your speech? Do you love them with your forgiveness? Do you love them with your time? Do you love others with your attitude? Visitors this morning, I hope and pray that you experience the love of Jesus because we love you like He does. I hope you understand that there is something different about these people because they love Jesus and love each other. Are you growing in your love for others? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 4. AM I GROWING IN MY DESIRE TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD? Do you desire to spend time with God? Do you desire to read your Bible, to pray, to meditate on the Holy Scriptures, to take what you have been taught and reflect on how that should apply to your life? Are the Scriptures to you, your life? One of my favorite passages in the Bible is after Moses had received part of the Law, he sings a song and then makes a statement to the people of Israel that is just as applicable to us today . . .  Deuteronomy 32:46–47  “He said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life.’” Illustration: writing letters to your loved one • Many of you older people know what it was like writing letters to your loved one when you were younger. You younger people have no idea of what it is like to receive a letter from the person you love that you are far apart from. • You get the letter and you read it over and over again! And over and over again! Spending time with God should capture that sort of affection for you. Do you remember that story about Mary & Martha. Martha is busy doing things for Jesus, serving Him. But Mary isn’t doing anything but sitting at the foot of Jesus and spending time with Him. Jesus tells Martha “only one things is necessary.” It is in reference to spending time with Jesus.  Psalm 1:1–2  “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Notice it is HIS DELIGHT to be in the Law of God, the Word of God. It is his joy to spend time with God. Can I ask just a really blunt question: Is it tough to get out of bed to come to church? Is it tough to get out of bed to read your Bible? Is it tough to get out of bed to pray? And is it easy to get out of bed to 6

hunt, play golf, exercise, go to work? How are you doing in your desire to spend time with God? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 5. AM I GROWING IN MY JOY? This is sort of a follow up on the last one, but I have made it its own category. Are you growing in your personal joy? Do you live out of your desire for God or out of your duty for Him?  Ecclesiastes 2:26  “26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.” Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that one of the fruit of the Spirit is that we would have joy. Yet we have redefined this in the Christian world, that Christians should be somber and serious and self-disciplined to the point of pain. The Lord does not want you to do things out of a dutifully attitude, but to do things because of the Joy in your heart.  Jeremiah 15:16  “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart,” Are you happy about being in Christ? Does it bring fulfillment in your life? Is there satisfaction there that is not brought about by other things?  Philippians 3:1  “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.”  Philippians 4:4  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Read the context in Philippians 4 and you will notice that it is a command. You are supposed to be filled with Joy. How? In the context there in Philippians 4 it is because of the contentment that you have in God. This joy thing is all over the Bible. One of the first things we studied when I got here were the beatitudes (in Matthew 5) & they all begin with “Happy = makarios = deep rooted joy.” It is a joy that is not based upon your external situations. Honestly, there are some people that walk into church and I think, their physical demeanor says anything but joy! It does not mean that you fake it. It does not mean that you put on a happy face when you are going through the tough trials of life. But even through those trials of life, we understand that James says we should consider it all joy! Are you becoming more and more happy in Jesus? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 6. AM I GROWING IN MY COMPASSION FOR THE LOST? Think back over the past year; are you more concerned today for those who are lost and do not know Jesus than you were a year ago? My guess is that this issue becomes a cycle. Maybe you read something or you hear a sermon on 7

evangelism and you become excited about sharing the gospel and then over time, you slowly revert back to your previous attitude of evangelism; which is we should do it and I will support others doing it, but I am a bit fearful to do it myself. What did Jesus say about it?  Matthew 9:36–38 [open & read] Notice the connection between the compassion Jesus had for the people and His plea to the disciples that the workers are few. I would guess that we should desire more and more to have the heart of Jesus. He gave us the example to follow and yet we fail to act like Him. We are told that when Jesus approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it (Luke 19:41). Maybe one way to weep over your city is to serve it. There is a story that is told in Luke 17:11–19 where Jesus heals 10 lepers and only one comes back to give thanks and worship Him. Jesus does chastise the other 9, but he doesn’t put the leprosy back on them. Jesus didn’t say He would stop ministering to people because they took advantage of Him. Sometimes doing ministry and developing compassion for lost people means that your hands are going to get dirty! It means that people will take advantage of you. But wouldn’t you rather be taken advantage of a little in the name of Jesus than to sit on some holy perch and say God loves you, but I do not want to get involved in your life? Evaluate yourself, are you growing in your compassion for the lost? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 7. AM I GROWING IN MY THANKFULNESS? Are you a thankful person? Are you more thankful today than you were a year or two years ago? We just finished the holiday season, did that move you to more thankfulness or more bitterness? I know you probably already know this, but the Bible has a lot to say about the child of God being thankful.  Psalm 69:30  “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”  Psalm 147:7  “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving . . .”  Ephesians 5:20  “ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Philippians 4:6  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  I Thessalonians 5:18  “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 8

 Hebrews 13:15  “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Do you only give thanks when you like what God is doing, or when you like what is happening around you? Of course the opposite of giving thanks is what? Giving complaints! In Philippians 2:12, Paul says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And the first application that Paul gives after telling them this is to do all things without grumbling and complaining. This past year, have you been growing more and more thankful or more and more grumbler? Assignment, go ask your spouse which you have grown in this past year. If you are not married, ask a friend that knows you and spends lots of time with you. Ask them to be serious and shoot straight with you. Are you growing in your thankfulness? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? 8. AM I GROWING IN MY SPIRITUAL GIFTEDNESS?  I Peter 4:10–11 [open & read] How are you doing at serving the body of Christ? How are you being used for Christ for the impact of other people? Do you know?  Ephesians 4:11–12  “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, and the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”  Romans 12:6–8  “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. What is your spiritual gift? How are you serving others? Over this past year, do you feel like you have worked hard at figuring out where you fit in the body of Christ: are you a leg, an arm, a mouth, an ear, an eye, or some other part of the body. Seek to understand best where you can serve others. It is commonly thought of in churches that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. But why? Why are not others involved in ministry? What is your ministry that you serve in? Ask yourself that question. Maybe you are new to our church and do not know where you fit, seek some help. View your spiritual gift like you view an occupation. The more you work at it the easier and more effective it becomes in your life. How are you doing? 9

Have you grown more in your service, are you working harder at being a better servant, are you growing in your spiritual gift? On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? That’s it, the pop quiz is over for now. I say now, because this is something that you should examine in your own heart a couple times a year. What’s the point of this quiz? Well, I hope to draw you closer to your Savior. The point of the quiz is what we will be doing this morning, to draw us closer to the Lord in remembrance of what He has done in our life. ASK THE MEN TO COME FORWARD FOR COMMUNION: What we do here this morning carries no further grace from God. This is a time for us to come and remember, reflect, and proclaim what Christ has done for us in our salvation. We have bread and juice, and these are to be a memorial for what Jesus did when He went to the cross. This is a time of remembrance for Christians. We celebrate an open communion, which means that if you’re a believer, please join us in celebrating Christ’s death. You do not have to be a member of our church; you do not even have to be a regular attendee, just a believer in Christ and part of the universal church as we talked about this morning. Warning: 1 Corinthians 11 says that you should not take this table in an unworthy manner, that is, you should not come here with unconfessed sin, harboring bitterness to others, or if you are unsure if you’re a Christian. We are going to sing some songs, if you need to deal with the Lord some more, do it. There is no shame in passing the plate by and not taking. Resist the temptation to take these elements simply because others next to you are doing so. PRAYER FOR BREAD:  I Corinthians 11:23-24  “23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." PRAYER FOR CUP:  I Corinthians 11:25-26  “25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”

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