Transcript: Fully Popped Christians | 2 Corinthians 5:17 | Christian Growth

Thank you. Now get this. Fully popped Christians. I love that. Fully popped Christians. This is going to be awesome. Now, we do know we're living in a very dangerous time right now. It's a dangerous time for the church and for the people of God. We're seeing our rights taken away. Now, our governments are all saying we're working for equality. Equal rights for all humans. But let's be honest here. All around the world, Christians are suffering for equality. That's what it's coming down to because we have to give equal rights to other people. And thus, God's word is being pushed aside to give equal rights to other people. And that's where the problem is coming in. All around the world, Christians are being persecuted. Here in America, we're being persecuted, but not nothing like around the world. It's amazing to see that in China, Christians have to gather in homes to try to have Bible meetings together and church together because they can't go to church. And now they're getting to a point where even if they find out if a person is renting a house or whatever, and they find out that you're having a Bible meeting there, they keep you out of the house. So they have to do it secretly. We're seeing very, very dangerous times. And we can say, oh, well, that's never going to happen in America, but let's be honest. It wouldn't shock me. It wouldn't shock me that it comes to a point where a government would say, you can no longer go to church. You can no longer sing a song of worship. They're already trying that. Through COVID-19, they sat there and said, you've got to wear your mask. And we should. I'm not saying that. But we should wear our masks and all that. But then they said, oh, but if you go to church, you can't sing because that spreads the virus. think about it this way the joy of the Lord is our strength and how do we get a lot of joy it's through the joy of lifting our voice and praise to God and so what are they doing they're trying to silence us silence our praise and if they can silence our praise then it's just a hop, skip and a jump until they can close the doors. That's what's happening. So we're seeing this happen, and we have one of two choices. As Christians, we can give up and quit, or we can press on. We can press on. What did Paul say? He said, I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God of Christ Jesus. And that's what we need to do. We need to press on. Through persecution, no matter how heavy it gets, no matter if, and it's probably going to get much heavier, we need to keep pressing on and we need to keep pushing forward. And what we need to become is fully popped Christians. Now, I know you heard that already, but by the time I get to where I'm getting, you're going to understand what I'm saying when I say fully popped Christians, and I think you're going to like it. So this is where we're starting. It says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, He is a new creation or a new creature. If any man be in Christ, what does it mean to be in Christ? See, many Christians, many people call themselves Christians, but they don't abide in Christ. The word abide is a verb and it means to accept or act in accordance to a role, decision, or recommendation. Interimedation. Okay? That's what it means to abide. But we don't abide by the rules. Many Christians don't abide by the rules. Where's the rule book? Right here. This is the rule book. Bible book. This is the rule book. God's Holy Scriptures. It's the rule book. People sit there, and when you tell them, this is the rule book, you know what they do? They go, all that. Now, that's a lot to deal with. I'll tell you what you did. Go to Exodus, there's ten commandments. Do those and you're in good shape. Right? Basically, you abide by those ten commandments, you're abiding by the rules of the Lord. I mean, then you can go further with all the Bible, but the point comes down, we don't even have, we have people, we even have Christians. we even have Christians that don't abide by the Ten Commands just go through them and look and you can see, now I'm not saying that Christians are out murdering people, that's not what I'm saying I'm not saying that but I'm saying there are Christians that can stand their neighbors they'll fight their neighbor tooth and nail you're on my lawn Get your stuff off my lawn! You know? They'll scream, bloody murder at one another. They'll fight one another. They'll scream over the fences and carry on. And it's like, it's like, there you go. If you're sitting there and you're the other next door neighbor, if you're seeing these two neighbors sitting there hollering at one another, it's almost better than television sometimes. You just get out there and watch. It's better than television sometimes. These dudes screaming at one another. I told you to go for a while. I told you to shut up. You just sit there and you just go, wow, this is amazing. No, no, my neighbor's good. I have no problem with my neighbor. No, but it's true. It's true. We do. We have problems with people. We'll do that. sometimes we'll even lie really a Christian will lie yeah yeah we can lie husbands I've said it before but let's be honest husbands your wife comes out and says do I look good at this she don't look too good at it you go what yep And you know she don't, but you go ahead and say, what is that? That's all loud. Ladies same thing Ladies same thing The gentleman sits there and says is this okay Yeah it okay And you know he looks dumb in that kind of way And you sit there and let him go out of the house that way It the same thing You know, we sit there and we say, this one's easy, and this one's probably all Christians do. Someone says, man, I'm going through a trouble, going through a lot of stuff. And we go, well, I'll be praying for you. And we go home, and we go pray. That's a lie. We've got to make a mental note, put it on our phones, do something that says pray for so-and-so and pray for them. We all do it. It's all, I mean, we're all guilty. It happens. I've done it before. I'm going to be totally honest. I've done that before. I did that before. The other day someone said to me, they said, I need you to pray for me at the radio station. They said, I want you to pray for me. And I said, I will do that. now the good thing was I did do it but I got busy at the radio station and didn't do it thankfully God brought it back to my mind later that night and then I prayed for that person but I didn't do it right when I thought I would do it because the phone I love the phone, you have to do this, you have to do that and then before I knew it the day was over and then the night came along and then I sat there and it came in my mind and I was like oh and then I went to the Lord and prayed but I could have forgot all about it. You know? It happens. We don't follow the rules sometimes. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, if we abide in Christ, if we live in Christ's holy words, we've got to be more than just a Christian in name only. We've got to realize that the term Christian is not just a word. The word Christian, the title Christian, holds a lot of responsibility. What does it mean to be a Christian? It means to be a follower of Christ. That means we are to be an example to a world that is looking at us to be the example, the follower of Jesus. So they hold us up in a higher standard than everyone else. Is that right? No. Because we're just normal humans trying to live by the word. But the point is, people do. Look at us. My dad used to say it this way. Sometimes the only Bible anyone will read is your life. And that's true. so that's why we have to make sure that we're living a Christ-like life I love it in 2 Corinthians 6 and 17 it says wherefore come out from among them and be separate sayeth the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you so what does it come down to we must come out from among the world and be separate if a person looks at a sinner and looks at us and they see no difference we in trouble I mean let's be honest here if they can look at a Christian and they can look at a sinner and they see no difference in the lifestyle then we're missing the mark we're not living up like we should we need to change our ways because that's exactly the point we need to come out from among the world and be separate. And let's be honest, in this word, we see something very interesting. Come out from among them and be separate, sayeth the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. In other words, don't go near anything that's unclean. And that's not just talking about Old Testament unclean food. That's not what that's talking about, because this is New Testament. What he's talking about here is unclean things that will defile us in our spiritual life. And we know what the unclean things are. Those things that go against God's word. And if we stay away from those things, if we come out from among the world and we're separate, what does the Bible, what does it say here? I will receive you. If you do these things. So that means if you don't do these things, what's going to happen. He's going to reject us. That's what it comes down to. And the point comes down to this, that I don't want to get to heaven, stand before the Lord, and hear Him say, depart from me, I never knew you. I don't want to hear those words. I want to hear those words, enter thou into the joy of the Lord, and well done. You know, those are the words I want to hear. I love this. Therefore, for any man being Christ, he is a new creature or a new creation. I thought about that and I thought about the first time you became a Christian. We heard that testimony today, right? 25 years of Christian, right? This is... I thought about that and I think it goes perfectly with the messenger, you know? The idea is, think back to when you first became that Christ follower. That first time you knelt down on your knees before God and you said, Lord, I am a sinner, forgive me of my sins. You remember that time and how when you cried out to God that when you opened your eyes and you looked at the world, it looked different. It seemed like a different world. It seemed like a better world. Things seemed a little brighter. I thought about it and I thought, how do we feel now? When we look at God now, do we love Him more now than we did that time when we held down? Is our love for Him greater? or, and this is going to be tough, have we become comfortable with a relationship with God? I hate the term a comfortable relationship because I think a comfortable relationship is a dangerous thing. We should never become comfortable Comfortable. When I think of comfortable, I think of like a comfortable chair. And you sit down in that comfortable chair and it's just easy. And you don't have to do nothing, right? You just sit there and you don't feel like getting up, right? And if we're in a comfortable relationship with God, it becomes too easy to just sit there and say, Well God loves me and I love God and that all I need and I don care It becomes too easy We can allow ourselves to become comfortable See it reminds me of the ten virgins You had five wise and five foolish They were waiting for the bridegroom. You had the wise ones. They bought all their oil and had their lamps trimmed and they were ready. Then you had the five foolish. They were comfortable. They were comfortable. They were waiting. They were okay. they were comfortable. They didn't have to do no work in a relationship. They didn't have to do anything to make themselves love the Lord anymore, do anything. They were comfortable. And then what happened? They began to see that their lights were going out. Things had become so comfortable that they didn't do anything. And then their love had begun to rain. Then they went to the five. Why? They said, give us some of your oil so that we can have so and so when the bridegroom comes. But let's be honest here, people. We cannot borrow off of somebody else's relationship with God. This is a one-on-one thing between us and God. My dad loved the Lord with all his heart, and I know that because I watched him, because I saw his life inside of the church and outside of the church, so I saw that. and as good a man as my dad was and as amazing of a God follower as he was that wasn't going to help me his relationship wasn't going to help me he could be my example but that wasn't going to get me through just because he was a good person doesn't mean I was going to get through because he got there I had to make my relationship with God and that was the point the genuine foolish said We need some of your oil. And they said, no. Go and do something for yourself so that you can have some. And that was the point. And when the bridegroom came and the call went out, the wives went and met the bridegroom where the foolish were left behind. Because they had let their relationship become too comfortable. Comfortable is a bad thing. We think of comfortability as a good thing, but in the relationship of God, it's a bad thing. I love this. He says, if we, being Christ, we're a new creature. Old things are passed away. We're not living the same way we used to. We're not living the same way we used to. Are we? there's a question to ask. Are we living the same way we used to? Or when we meet those old friends that are not Christians on a street, and they say, I've got to tell you this joke. And it's a dirty joke. And you sit there and go, that's a good one. Or when they start out and it starts getting a little dirty, you go, wait a minute, I don't want to hear this. I can't hear this. I'm sorry, but I just can't. He said, when we come in Christ, we're a new creation. Old things have passed away, and what? Behold, all things. I like that. Not some things, not a couple things, not two or three things, not four things or five things. All things, hallelujah, become new. A relationship counselor will pretty much tell us that for a relationship to work, we must work at it. Okay? You need to do something every day to let that person know that you love them, that you care for them. Something every day. if it's nothing but just sitting and saying to that person I just want to tell you that I really love you. I love you more today than I loved you yesterday. That goes a long way. It's the same way with our relationship with God. When's the last time you said to God God I just want to tell you I love you today more than I loved you yesterday. And you know what, God? Tomorrow I'm going to love you more than I did today. And just keep that. You know? What are we doing in our daily relationship to make our relationship with God better? That's something we've got to think about. Because we can be like popcorn. Now, here we go. Now, a lot of people are going to sit there and say, what in the world is he talking about? How can a Christian be like popcorn? I think you're going to love this. I think we all love popcorn, probably, right? We all love popcorn. Popcorn is a good, good snack, healthy snack, as long as you don't put too much butter and salt on it. A little bit, yes, too much eat. but it's a good snack. It's healthy, right? But if you pop popcorn, you realize no matter how hard you try, there's going to be some of them rogue kernels that are not going to pop. They're going to be in a bottom of their bag, in a bottom of their bowl, and there's nothing you can do. They're just going to stay there. And then there's some of them little boys that they don't pop all the way. You know, you get some of them, they pop all the way. And they're really good, and they're real fluffy, and it's awesome. And then you get some of them, they go halfway. And then they're just, and then it's like a kernel, and there's like a little bubble of pop after. And you sit there eating, and you're like, sound like Bob's bunny trying to eat it. You know? But we're all like that. Christians are like that. People that go to church are like that. You have some that are hard kernel Christians. There are the ones that come to church every so often. You might see them on a Christmas or an Easter or maybe a couple other times during the course of the year, but other than that, you don't see them. None of them hard kernel Christians that you don't want to. They're like that. Hard, man. You just don't want to, you know. they can get some that are the medium pop Christians. They're the ones that come, but they still like to dabble in the world. They come to church on Sunday, and they're all dressed up, 50 kids, and they look good. And they all look like they go to the mean church, you know, clothes. You know they're going to church. ladies wearing all the stuff wearing their fancy hats gentlemen wearing all their fancy clothes got them tied up to them you know dressed to the notch you know looking good looking sharp but then when they go out in the world they look like them but then when they come back on Sunday they look all pre-proper again they might have half pop Christians don't quite hit the mark just enough to look the part but still ain good enough to enjoy what God has for them right And then there's the third type of Christian, and that's the fully pop Christian. There you go. There it is. You were wondering. There it is. The fully pop Christian. That's the one that has been completely on fire for God. Completely on fire. Warned up inside, ready to go Blessed inside and out All around And they know beyond a shadow of a doubt When you see that person You know they're a Christian You know beyond a shadow of a doubt Because they're fully God The joy of the Lord is all over them It's just permeating their being What kind of Christian are we today? Are we that hard, eternal Christian? Are we that medium-pop Christian that kind of lives one foot in the world and one foot in the church? Or are we the fully-pop Christian? All buttered up with the Lord. Hallelujah. I'm going to tell you, that's what I want to be. I want to be fully buttered up With the word of God And the Lord loving all over me And me loving all over the Lord And I'm fully popping And people know That's what I want to be And I will say this If we're going to survive But not just survive But thrive in 2021 With the blessing of God In our lives in 2021 We must be a fully pop Christian. On fire, in love with God. And then I say it again. What are you today? What kind of Christian are you today? You know that. I don't need to know that. But you do. What do you want to be? You can be fully popped. but you've got to let the joy of the Lord the wantonness of His love fully pop in your heart to make you that fully pop Christian where do you want to be? let's bow our hands before the Lord as we bow for just a moment as we just focus on God I want you to think about your life right now I want you to think about your experience with God. Would you say that you're a fully pop Christian? That you're completely sold out, that you're warmed inside, and you're that fluffy good, you know? You're whiter than snow, like a good piece of pop, pop white. Or would you say, maybe sometimes I'm a little half, halfway. I hope nobody is that hard for a student. But maybe there would be someone that would be honest today to God, not to me, but today to God. And would say, Lord, maybe I'm not fully popped right now, but I want to be. I want you to help me. Put the warmness of your love In my soul God And help me to pop all the way It's not too late Help me to pop all the way Father That I will be A fully popped Christian Anybody want to be honest to God and say Lord help me to pop today To be a fully popped Christian Anybody be honest and raise up the hand Hands going up, that's beautiful I appreciate it, all over the house That's beautiful, that's beautiful today maybe there's someone that's watching this video this sometime as you're watching this and you're saying today I'm not a fully pop Christian but I want to be I want you to raise your hand right there where you're at wherever you are if you're in a room with a bunch of people that's okay raise your hand and say I want to be a fully pop Christian Father God you saw the hands going up today all around the world all over this place all over this church all around, Father, people saying, I want to be totally sold out in love with you, Father. I pray for those ones right now. Father God, I pray that you will put the warmness of your love deep down in their soul, just like a little kernel of popcorn, Father God, as the heat gets hot and it begins to get warm and sizzle and then it pops and it becomes that delicious piece of popcorn. Father God, may we pop and may we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts and our lives. And when we go out in this world, may people see it and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we're yours. That we're part of the family of God. And that, Father God, we will be blessed to be able to share with them how they can have the same kind of joy. I pray for your people right now. I pray for those ones. Father God, give them the joy of the Lord. Let them take it with them wherever they go. All week long. All month long. All year long. And Father God, may we never lose the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. And Father God, may we carry this love. May we carry this all through 2021. And may we have a blessed year knowing that you love us. and Father may we work on that relationship and love you every single day and may our love grow for you every single day and pray that right now in Jesus name now Father God as we dismiss us Father God not to dismiss us Father God to go with us Father keep us safe and then Father bring us back safe into your house and Father for all that you are and for all that you do we praise you and thank you we love you today and we thank you in Jesus mighty and matchless name we say amen and amen Thank you. Thank you.