Cardboard Christians

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Proverbs 21:22-28The great hunger of every human heart is to know Jesus in a real way. The world is tired of hypocrisy and games; the only way we will reach people with the Gospel is if we are real, not cardboard, Christians.Proverbs 21:28 says, “A false witness shall perish, but the man who hears him will speak endlessly.” This passage reveals the fatality of a false witness; it is dangerous to be a phony.In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus gives a grave warning to those who merely appear to be saved. He warns us of their false praying, false teaching, and false power. Though they seem to have done a lot of good for the Kingdom of God, they have done it in vain, because they are not truly born again.Yet, this passage also addresses the reality of a faithful witness. There are three marks of a true Christian that signify that his worship is real.First, he has a listening worship.No one is prepared to serve the Lord until he has first heard the Lord. In John 10:27, Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” We hear God through prayer and through the power of Scripture. The Bible has the power to convert, to conquer, to counsel, and to commune.Second, he has a faithful witness.Because the faithful witness listens to God, he speaks of what God has done in him.Adrian Rogers says, “We dare not speak for God until we’ve heard God. But if we’ve heard God, we dare not be silent.” We are all called to be witnesses. Yet we cannot speak of what we haven’t seen or heard. The mark of a Christian is the burden for souls and the burning desire to share Jesus with others.Finally, he has a lasting walk.1 John 2:19 explains how cardboard Christians do not last: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us…”True, solid faith lasts; we have the joy to know that those who are truly in Christ Jesus can never be separated from Him.Apply it to your lifeAre you a faithful witness—having heard from God, now with a desire to share Him with others? Consider your walk with Christ today; be sure you are rooted in real faith.