RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

The Personal Life of the Evangelist: A Clean Life
Now today, we’re going to talk about a clean life – living a clean life. You see, if you’re going to be a witness for Christ and you’re going to share Christ, there must be a growing relationship with God and as you grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, then that means he’s going to be continually cleansing you from things that are impure – it doesn’t mean that you’re perfect .. But he’s going to be cleansing you – He’s going to be conforming you.
And if you remember we talked about this thing of holiness being made more and more like Jesus. What people are looking for .. non-Christians are looking for .. is they are looking for authenticity .. They’re looking for someone who is real.
I shared with you yesterday about my mother and how I prayed for 25 years for my mother. One of the things when I first shared Christ with my mother .. one of the things that she said was this: She said, “I’ve never met a real Christian.”
And I said to her, “Mom, you’ll never again be able to make that statement.” And it wasn’t that I became perfect – I failed the Lord .. she saw me fail .. but she saw authenticity in me over the years. She saw a genuineness ..she saw me growing in Christ’s grace and knowledge. She saw me becoming more and more like Jesus – And of course, I still have a long way to go. But she saw that authenticity .. people are looking for authenticity and the life that God uses is one that is authentic.
I first met an authentic Christian in Leo Humphrey .. I told you about meeting him and how God used him in my life and he was just so on fire for the Lord and he loved people that nobody ever loved.
And one day we were together .. in fact, it was in Alabama – in Gulf Shores, Alabama and I was speaking at this large evangelistic outreach among young people back in the early 70s and Leo and I were together. After the meetings I told Leo .. I said, Leo I’ve got something to confess to you. I said, you know, here I am .. I’m a young preacher .. I’m doing youth evangelism and all of these things. But I just don’t have that passion that you have .. I look at you and I see something real – I see something genuine and authentic in you .. and I just don’t have that.
And we went down to the beach and we prayed. I thought we had prayed for just about 20 minutes but actually, we prayed the entire night.
And that night God dealt with two things in my life. The first thing He dealt with was – He showed me sin. Things that I said – oh, that’s a weakness I have .. or oh, that’s a problem that I have. God said, no, it’s sin. And I confessed my sin – the Bible says if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And God did a great cleansing in my life of things that were not pleasing to Him.
But there was a second thing that happened, probably even more important. Not only did I see my sin, but I saw myself .. and that that was the root of my sin problem. And that night I took my wife and I placed my wife in a casket .. in a grave. I took my automobile and I placed my automobile in that
casket in the grave. I took my furniture, my clothes and all of my material possessions and I placed in that casket .. I took my ambition to be some Billy Graham – some well-known preacher and I placed in that casket. And then, I crawled in and Sammy Tippit died. I died to myself.
You say, whoa, Sammy – what are you talking about? Did you really do that? No, I didn’t do it physically .. yes, I did do it spiritually.
You see, the apostle Paul said, I have been crucified with Christ – never-the-less I live yet it’s not I but it’s Christ who lives in me. Now, he had not physically been crucified but he had died to his old self – to that old nature – to that old ego – that old pride – that old self-life. He had died to that.
And actually in the Greek language, it reads like this .. I have been crucified and am continually being crucified with Christ. You see, every day we have to learn to die to ourselves and allow Christ to live in us. And this is what I’ve discovered, that when I do that .. when I get up in the morning and say Lord it’s not I but it’s Christ today .. I want to take my position as a dead man and let you live your life in me. On those days I find victory. On the days that I don’t do that, I blow it .. I mess up.
So, authenticity really begins with allowing Christ to live in you. Not you – not what you can do .. but dying to yourself and allowing Christ to fill you and live His life in and through you.
That’s what people need to see .. the authentic Christian life is the life of Christ being manifest in and through us.