Are There Two Types of People in this World? - Bonus Sermon!

This is another of my "try out" sermons I gave. This one was from November of 2007, I think.

I have often encountered the belief that some people are just naturally more spiritual. The belief is that some people are just more inclined religiously, and so become Christians easily. And of course, everyone else isn’t really religiously minded, so it’s more difficult for them to be religious. The outcome is that Christians are a different sort of people, a sort of person that makes us similar to all other Christians, in that we easily conform to Christ. We are often pictured in the world as being “goody two shoes,” “all alike,” “boring,” and “unrealistic.”

So I would like to take some time to look at Biblical Christians, look at the differences between different Bible Christians, and see what that means to us today, in our efforts to follow Biblical Christianity.

Apostles

Matthew 10:2-4 -The Twelve Apostles. We often group them all together in our minds, and take little time to consider what we know about them.

Simon, who is named Peter,
Andrew, his brother
Matthew 4:18-20 -Fishermen
Matthew 16:21-23 -Peter leaps before he looks
Compare with his hurry to promise he wouldn’t deny Christ, his quickness to use the sword to protect Christ, and the many other times Peter doesn’t seem to think things through completely before taking action. He seems to be largely driven by impulse, not rational thought.

James, the son of Zebedee
John, his brother
Luke 5:8-11 -Fishermen
Mark 3:17 -Sons of thunder
Luke 9:51-55 -Rebuked for brashness
Apparently fairly loud and explosive. Not timid, but brash and bold

Philip
John 1:43-45 -Philip brings Nathaniel.
Some think the early appearance of Philip indicates that he was first John the Baptist’s apostle. Notice his eagerness to teach others, and where he put the emphasis. Rather than argue with Nathaniel, he goes straight to the source.

Thomas
John 11:16 - Let us die with Him
Thomas appears to be extremely loyal to Christ, at least at this time
John 20:26-29 - “Doubting Thomas”
Thomas appears to be fairly skeptical. He seeks knowledge of, not just accepting the word of others. Compare him with Peter, and Peter’s willingness to dive in before he knows what he’s diving into!

Matthew, the tax collector
Matthew was a publican, a tax collector. His job was, working for the Romans, to go and collect taxes from people. We’ll see who this stands in contrast to in a moment.

James, the son of Alphaeus
Mark 15:40 - James the younger
Apparently younger than the other James. Notice we have a bit of difference in ages, apparently. At least enough to differentiate him in this way.

Simon the Zealot
Simon was a Zealot. Which means he was fanatic in his hatred of Roman rule and the Hellenization of Judea. He would have thought of himself as a true patriot. Contrast this with Matthew the tax collector, one who worked for the Roman government. Can you imagine two such individuals working together? Yet they did, for years!

Judas Iscariot
Christ’s betrayer. Even as one of Christ’s closest followers and friends, he still turned his back on Jesus. If he can do it, then so can we. It is something to be watchful for.

1 Corinthians 12:12-30 -A body has many parts
-Not only do we fulfill different roles, we do so because we are suited to different roles. Each of us is different. As a hand cannot fulfill the function of an eye, so one person cannot always fulfill the role of another. We are each necessary for our own skills, abilities, talents and insights.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 -I have become all things to all men
Although this deals specifically with how Paul worked to convert people to Christ, it also serves as a model for how the church functions. Think about it. We each associate with different sorts of people throughout our day. We each have different mannerisms, we each have different ways of speaking to people and of teaching others.
If nothing else, Paul here notes the differences in people, and the necessity of recognizing that fact.




So, now that we’ve established we’re each different, are we all the same in that we do not struggle with sin?

Hebrews 12:4-16 -Advice given to Christians in struggling against sin
Ephesians 6:12-18 -The whole armor of God
-Equips us individually that we can stand strong
1 Peter 2:11-12 -War against our souls

Remember Judas, who after walking with and talking to Christ for years, betrayed Him! The matter is not a simple one for any of us. Throughout the scriptures we are given help and advice in struggling against sin in our lives. There is not an honest Christian today who will tell you it is easy. It is difficult. Simply because it seems difficult, it does not mean that you are an unlikely candidate for Christ.

Consider Paul:
1 Corinthians 15:9 -Persecutor of the church
Acts 8:1 -Stoning of Stephen
Galatians 1:13-2:14 -Persecuted the church…but became accepted among the apostles, even to the point of rebuking Peter!

Or perhaps consider the church in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 -Such were some of you
Christians have sinned. That is why Christ had to come to earth as our atoning sacrifice. And some of the things Christians have been guilty of are some of the “worst” sins imaginable. Look at this list. Yet they were able to put off these things through Christ.

Or think on what Peter writes:
1 Peter 4:2-4 -In the past…
The way Christians lived was one of sinfulness. A life of serving self, and of gratifying self. The easy way. The way that seemed right, that seemed easiest and most natural.

Christians are not all of the same mould. Much as the apostles were varied, so is the church today. Each of us serves a different function, each of us has a different background, different temptations, and different mannerisms. And each Christian struggles daily in their walk with Christ. They are not some different breed of people. They are not inherently different from everyone else. They have simply put on Christ, and work to live for Him.

Galatians 3:26-28 -Neither bond nor free…

In Christ, we find common ground. In Christ, we are united. In Christ, we can work together. We, who are sinners, are able to follow Christ together.

Have you been baptized into the body of Christ? Have you begun your walk with Him?