I. INTRODUCTION
A. Americans are busy with many things.
1. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, on an average day in 2003, a person in the United States who was fifteen years of age or older spent 8.6 hours sleeping, 5.1 hours doing leisure and sports activities, 3.7 hours working, and 1.8 hours doing household activities. The remaining 4.8 hours were divided among eating, drinking, going to school, and/or shopping.
2. These are the activities that consume the lives of Americans today. Considering these numbers, it appears that the average American has a fairly comfortable life.
B. However, only one thing is really necessary to the life of man.
1. This is the lesson of Luke 10:38-42.
a. When Jesus came into the home of Martha and Mary, Martha was consumed with preparations for Him, but Mary sat at His feet, listening to His word.
b. When Martha complained to the Lord, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (vv. 41-42).
2. That one necessary thing is the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him we find all that we will ever need.
II. TO LIVE IS CHRIST
A. The focus of our lives must be Christ.
1. The apostle Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
a. After his conversion to Christ, every activity of Paul’s life had the purpose of exalting Christ. Notice that he said, “…Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil. 1:20). See also Galatians 2:20.
b. Therefore, Paul spent all of his time and effort spreading the gospel of Christ everywhere he went and strengthening the Lord’s church throughout the world.
2. In a similar manner, we must also make our lives about Christ.
a. It is not possible for all of us to commit all of our time to spreading the gospel and edifying the churches as Paul did. Most of us have families that require much of our time and effort (1Cor. 7:32-34; 1Tim. 5:8).
b. However, we should be just as committed to Christ as Paul was.
i. A Christian must understand that whatever good thing he does, it is done in the service of Christ. Even the mundane things of life that everyone must do (work, household chores, etc.) have a deeper meaning for a Christian because he serves Christ. Notice these passages:
1. “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom. 14:7-8)
2. In Ephesians 6:5-8, Christians are instructed to obey their masters (employers) on earth, not “as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ.” A Christian may do the same job as a non-Christian, but the Christian views his job as part of his service to Christ because he is always serving Christ in all that he does.
3. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Col. 3:17)
ii. When a person obeys the gospel, he is not only saved from the punishment for sin, but his life is also sanctified for serving Christ (2Tim. 2:21). Christ becomes his purpose and motivation in everything.
B. Therefore, if Christ is to be the focus of our lives, we need to understand what Christ is about.
1. When we consider the life of Christ, certain traits stand out:
a. His selfless sacrifice for others – He came to atone for the sins of all people, even though we are undeserving (John 3:16; Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:6-8; 1John 2:1-2).
b. His teaching – The records of Christ’s life show that he was constantly engaged with others, teaching the truth of God to the masses, to individuals, and to His disciples.
c. His love for the church – While Jesus was on earth, He had no church. Yet the Scriptures tell us that He gave His life to purchase, build, save, and sanctify His church (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:23-27).
2. The driving principle behind all of these aspects of the Lord’s life is stated in His own words in John 6:38 – “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” Christ’s life on earth was about doing the will of His Father in heaven.
C. If our lives are about Christ, then our lives should be about the same things as His life was.
1. If Christ’s life was about sacrificing for others, then our lives should also be sacrificial.
a. Paul commends a Christ-like sacrificial mindset in Philippians 2:3-8.
b. Whereas Christ died as a sacrifice, Christians are exhorted to live as sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). This is the essential meaning of “to live is Christ.”
2. If Christ’s life was consumed with teaching the truth of God, then our lives should be consumed in learning that same truth, living by it, and teaching it to others.
a. By studying the word of God, the Bible, we may know the truth that Christ taught (John 8:31-32; 1Cor. 2:6-13; Eph. 3:3-4; 2Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17).
b. When we learn the truth, we must become doers of the word and not hearers only (Jas. 1:22; Matt. 7:24-27).
c. We may also teach the word of God to others just as Christ did by both declaring what is true and exposing what is false (2Tim. 2:2; 4:1-5).
3. If Christ gave His life for His church, then we should dedicate ourselves to building up the church.
a. One cannot rightly say that his life is about Christ if he has no regard for the church that Christ bought with His own blood.
b. Christ has equipped His church with talented Christians who are to speak the truth in love, helping one another to grow and to be Christ’s church as He desires (Eph. 4:11-16).
4. Like Christ, we too must seek to do the will of our Father in heaven in all things.
a. Again, we find this necessity filled in Christ, for He is the revelation of God and His will (Matt. 17:5; John 1:18; Acts 3:22; Heb. 1:1-3).
b. Therefore, to do the will of God, we must do the will of Christ, which is only revealed through His word, the Bible.
III. TO DIE IS GAIN
A. Because Paul’s life was fully given to Christ, he was confident that Christ would reward him in death.
1. This is why he said, “To die is gain.” He truly believed that death would be beneficial to him (Phil. 1:21-24).
2. As Paul anticipated his death, he wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness…” (2Tim. 4:6-8; see also 2Cor. 5:6-10).
B. Do you have the same confidence as Paul?
1. Ask yourself a few questions:
a. What is your life about today? Can you honestly say that to you, to live is Christ?
b. Do you believe that the things that occupy your life today will give you confidence when you lie on your death bed or when you stand before the judgment seat of Christ?
2. If the way you live now gives you no hope and no confidence, then change your life today.
C. As Jesus told Martha, there is only one thing that is really necessary for us, and that one thing is Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins.
1. Therefore, every soul needs to heed Christ’s gospel plan for salvation, which commands us to believe in Him, confess our belief, repent of our sins, and be baptized into Him (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:35-39; Rom. 6:3-4; 10:8-10; Gal. 3:27).
2. Then every soul needs to live for Christ, imitating Christ’s life…
a. Sacrificing one’s own will in favor of God’s will and the good of others (Matt. 16:24-26);
b. Learning, doing, and teaching the word of God (Ezra 7:10);
c. Serving in His church, which is His body, the assembly of all the saved (Acts 2:47; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4; 5:23).
3. Finally, a Christian must finish what he has begun, continuing in the faith for the rest of his life (Col. 1:23). As the Lord told the church at Smyrna, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).