Be a Diligent Christian (Hebrews 6:10-11)

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by

Robert Piña
in

Introduction: to be diligent is to be steady in application, constant in effort, attentive, not idle or negligent. Faithful application to one’s work. Zeal; wholeheartedness.  Exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth. 

A Christian should be Diligent: 

  1. In Teaching Our Children– Deuteronomy 6:7 God wants us parents to teach our children diligently. If we don’t teach them, others will. It’s bad enough with what they learn in school.
    • Part of training up is teaching what you know. Every opportunity is a teaching opportunity for your children. Notice, teach them diligently when you sit, walk, and lie down. Meaning, all the time.  
    • Sit- in my truck. Walk- store, park, playing. Lie down- bible story. 
    • Children will learn the things you commit to teaching them faster than learning from others because they trust you the most. 
    • Teach them from the Bible by Instruction. 
    • Teach them by example, children will pick up what you do, say, see, and go. 
  1. In Self- Examination– Psalm 77:1-6 “I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search”. 
  • In verses 1 -6 we see the psalmist cried vs1, had trouble vs 2, couldn’t be comforted vs 2, was overwhelmed vs 3, couldn’t sleep or speak vs 4, so in vs 6 he makes “diligent search”.  
  • If you’re sick, if you’re troubled, if you’re overwhelmed, if you can’t sleep, if nothing seems to be going right, make diligent search. 
  • Psalm 139:23-24 “search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thought: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.  
  • Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings”. 
  • Find out why things are happening, God knows everything. 
  1. In Keeping our Heart– Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. To keep is to protect or guard. 
  • Spiritually- false teaching, confusion, fear. 
  • Socially- facebook, music, gossip, etc. 
  • Physically- lust, flirting, personal matter with opposite sex. 
  • Emotionally- news, violence, things you cannot unsee. 
  • Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth froth that which is good; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil”. 
  1. In Proclaiming the Things of the Lord– Acts 18:24-28 “spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord”.  
  • Speak Diligently- vs 28 “mightily convinced the Jews”.
    • Open your mouth for Jesus and proclaim the truth. 
    • Acts 4:17-21 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”. 
  • Teach Diligently- vs 28 “showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ”.
    • Acts 17:11 “they received the word”. “searched the scriptures”. 
    • Acts 20:32 “and to the word…which is able to build you up”. 
  1. In Growing Spiritually– I Peter 2:1-2 “desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow. New Christians are like babies and they need to grow by feeding on the simple things of the word rather than the meat. As the Christian grows his diet changes. 
  • Desire- crave, yearn, long for the Word of God. In the morning, in the evening, at night time. 
  • To Grow- nothing else will make you grow like the Word of God.  You cannot expect to grow spiritually apart from the Word of God. 
  1. In our Labour of Love– Hebrews 6:10-11 Ministering to the saints and serving in Love. 
  • God loves and cares for the poor and needy therefore, when we minister to such people, God doesn’t forget it. 
  • The works and labor of love are towards people but they are shown toward God. 
  • Don’t become dull, lazy, sleepy, or cool down on showing your labor of love. 
  • Nursing home- that’s a labor of love. 
  • I Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”. 
  • There’s always you could be doing for those in this church and in this community. 

Conclusion: These things are to be done diligently, that is with zeal in a steady and constant effort. Don’t give up and don’t let off the gas, keep going with diligence.