Modified from before.
 
Theme: recognizing and adopting responsibilities of Christian life.
 
Talk about responsibility: personally struggle with, especially when younger. As a kid on the farm, I had one job. IN the morning I was supposed to let the chickens out and at night, put back away. Poor chickens would spend many a day in the coup.
 
Became more responsible in this task: became more mature. Later, I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking I had forgotten the chickens!
 
Becoming more responsible brings maturity. Same of a Christian? What are the responsibilities of a Christian.
 
1. What has Christ done for us: Suffered punished of our sins, of the whole world
    
    1. 1 John - not only our sins, but the whole world
    2. Do we understand what this means?
    3. More to the cross than a man hanging there
    4. Endured wrath of man and God
    5. Luke 22: sweat great drops of blood, symptom of someone under extreme stress
    6. Why did He sweat like this? Knowledge of the massive weight? Knowing what the Lord would do, pouring His wrath on Him?
    7. Is 53:5 - wounded for our transgressions
    8. Taken our punishment, and taken our damnation that we rightly deserve
2. What has Christ not done for us?
    
    1. Not forcing us to read
    2. Not forcing us to find direction for our lives
    3. Not forcing us to do anything
    4. So, these are decisions we all make--these are the responsibilities that Christ has entrusted us with
3. Adopting these responsibilities
    
    1. If we even have a small understanding of Christ on the cross, we would have a debt of gratitude
        
        1. Appreciation that someone has for another
        2. A life lived in appreciation to Christ
        3. If we respond in a flippant way: it indicates our attitude to Christ
        4. Should we adopt them? Yes! Most of these responsibilities are commands
    2. What they are
        
        1. Seek God: Matt 6:33, seek ye first the Kingdom; 1 Chron 16:11, seek the Lord, His face, His strength
        2. Study the Word: 2 Tim 2, study to show yourself approved
        3. Obey the word: James 1:21-22, lay apart all filthiness, doers of the word
        4. Prayer: Col. 4:2 - continue in prayer, watch with thanksgiving
        5. Follow Holy Spirit: Gal 5:16 - walk in the Spirit
        6. So many more: witnessing, etc
        7. So many, can't do them all! A huge load! Thankfully have this verse: john 14:16, the Father will give you a Helper, that He may abide with you forever! We have His help in all these things.
    3. Intentional in taking on these responsibilities
4. Closing
    
    1. Fear: get to heaven and understand all things and think back and say, "wow", what was I doing on earth?
    2. Who was I serving? Pursuing? Suffering for? My focus? My time?
    3. Perspective
        
        1. For unbeliever: when they look at this life: this the very best, makes sense that they would make this the very best--most enjoyment, wealth, whatever.
        2. For Christian: totally different--best life yet to come, this the worst time we have. It gets a lot better in times to come. Let's not have the perspective of the unbeliever. Wouldn't it wisest to spend time and energy to make the most impact for the Lord, for the next life