Unlocking the Christian Life (Romans 12:1-2)

Kootenai Church

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September 26, 2022

Unlocking the Christian Life (Romans 12:1-2)

00:16: Take the world, but give me Jesus. All its joys are but a name.
00:26: But His love abides forever through eternal years the same.
00:44: Take the world, but give me Jesus. Sweetest comfort of my soul.
00:54: With my Savior watching over me,
00:59: I can see the bills roll. Depth of mercy.
01:12: Oh, the length and breadth of love. Of redemption.
01:21: Let your bendless life roll. Take this world, my
01:29: God, tonight. Take the world, but give me
01:42: Jesus. In His cross, my trust shall be.
02:21: Take this world, and give me
02:37: Jesus. In His cross, my trust shall be.
02:44: Take this world, and give me Jesus. Till that day, my
02:51: Lord, I sing. Take this world, and give me
02:57: Jesus. In His cross, my trust shall be.
04:19: Take this world, my God, tonight. Come, Holy Spirit.
05:10: In my soul, assure me. Leave my fears that I no more may doubt the love of Christ for me.
05:22: That my debt is paid. That I've been made free. Oh, come, burn the tempter's feet.
05:34: Be my faithful guide. Show your promises for me.
05:40: Be secure for the battle. Be my heavenly sword.
05:48: Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine.
06:29: Give the Savior's light to dispel my thoughts. In the blackest night, in darkest hour, to my soul reveal the wounds which all my sorrows heal.
06:46: Impressed, I see His image gleam. And by your power, to His grace
06:54: I'll flee. Until faith be signed and prayer be praised.
07:00: When beholding Jesus face to face.
07:06: Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine.
07:46: This my story. This my song. Born of spirit, washed in blood.
07:56: This my story. This my song. In my
08:02: Savior I belong. This my story.
08:08: This my song. Born of spirit, washed in blood.
08:15: This my story. This my song. In my
08:21: Savior I belong. This my story.
08:26: This my song. Born of spirit, washed in blood.
08:34: This my story. This is my song.
08:43: Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine.
09:13: Spirit in His blood.
09:27: In His blood. The gospel was promised by sages and prophets.
10:02: The scripture spoke of a Son. Descendant of David, yet uncreated.
10:11: Clothed in our flesh He would come. Predestined to seek us,
10:18: He took on our weakness. Indicted our death on the cross.
10:24: But just as was spoken, the grave could not hold
10:30: Him. The glorious Son of God. His name is
10:36: Jesus. His name is Jesus.
10:44: His name is Jesus Christ. To see
11:01: His mercy proclaim. Announcing salvation to every nation.
11:10: All for the sake of His name. We're no longer strangers for Jesus our
11:19: Savior. Has come to make us His own. We're called to be holy.
11:27: And now we live only to make His glory known.
11:33: His name is Jesus. His name is
11:39: Jesus. His name is Jesus Christ our
11:48: Lord. His name is
11:54: Jesus. His name is Jesus.
12:02: His name is Jesus Christ our
12:08: Lord. His name is
12:58: Jesus. His name is Jesus.
13:05: His name is Jesus Christ our
13:11: Lord. His name is
13:19: Jesus. His name is Jesus. His name is
13:27: Jesus Christ our Lord. His name is
13:37: Jesus. His name is
13:42: Jesus. His name is Jesus Christ.
15:59: His name is Jesus. His name is Jesus. His name is Jesus. His name is
16:05: Jesus. His name is
16:14: Jesus. Good morning.
16:36: We welcome you to Kootenai Church today. Would you please stand as we sing Holy, Holy, Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy.
16:57: Lord, our song shall rise to Thee.
17:11: Holy, Holy, Holy. Merciful and great persons,
17:25: Blessed Trinity. Holy, Holy, Holy.
17:35: All the saints adore Thee. Casting down their golden crowns
17:44: Around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim
17:53: Falling down before Thee. The world and our death
18:02: Evermore shall be. Holy, Holy, Holy.
18:12: Though the darkness hide Thee. Though the eye of sin open,
18:21: Thy glory may not see. For Thee, Thou art holy.
18:31: There is none beside Thee. Perfect and power in love and purity.
18:46: Holy, Holy, Holy. Lord God Almighty.
18:56: All Thy works shall praise Thy name In earth and sky and sea.
19:05: Holy, Holy, Holy.
19:12: Merciful and mighty. God in three persons,
19:23: Blessed Trinity. Praise the
19:39: One who breaks the darkness With a liberating light.
19:47: Praise the One who frees the prisoners, Turning blindness into sight.
19:54: The gospel healing every dread disease,
20:03: Calming storms and meeting thousands With the very bread of peace.
20:14: Praise the One who bless the children With a strong and gentle word.
20:23: Praise the One who drove out demons With a piercing, true and sure.
20:30: Praise the One who brings pure water To the deserts burning sad.
20:38: From this well comes living water Quenching thirst in every land.
20:50: Praise the One true love incarnate, Christ who suffered in our place.
20:58: Jesus died and rose for many, That we may know
21:04: God by grace. Let us sing for joy and gladness,
21:11: Seeing what our God has done. Praise the One redeeming glory.
21:18: Praise the One who makes us one. As God's own
21:38: God, engaged is our love. As Christ we know, we're for ourselves.
21:54: Look for your arms that saved us, so we pray,
22:02: Your kingdom come. Your song be heard everywhere on earth,
22:28: Till your sovereign work on earth is done.
22:34: Let your kingdom come. Give us your strength,
22:45: O God, and courage to speak. Perform your wondrous deeds through those who are weak.
22:56: Lord, use us as you want, whatever the test.
23:04: By grace we'll preach your gospel till our dying breath.
23:13: Let your kingdom come, let your will be done,
23:20: So that everyone might know your name.
23:26: Let your song be heard everywhere on earth,
23:34: Till your sovereign work on earth is done.
23:39: Let your kingdom come. Let your kingdom come, let your will be done,
23:54: So that everyone might know your name.
24:00: Let your song be heard everywhere on earth,
24:08: Till your sovereign work on earth is done.
24:14: Let your kingdom come. You may be seated.
24:23: Just a couple of announcements.
24:33: First, we have two conferences coming up. And please consult your bulletin for information on all the events happening in the next couple of months, because there are a lot of them.
24:42: We have two conferences coming up. Our one at the end of October is our Reformation Conference with Don Kistler.
24:48: He's going to be our speaker here for that weekend. And if you would like help registering for that, then there is a table set up in the foyer with a computer there.
24:56: And you can stop by there and they will help get you registered for that conference. Then three weeks later, we have the
25:01: Cessationist Conference with a bunch of special speakers coming for that. And the registration for that will go live later sometime this week.
25:10: No, Josh? Oh, it's already live. Don't confuse those two conferences. I don't know if the second one is going to have a cost associated with it yet or not, but that made you panic, didn't it?
25:23: It was live. You'll be taking it down during the prayer. So if you would like to help out with either of those two conferences or both of those conferences,
25:35: Shelly will need help with kitchen details as well as set up and tear down and some of the planning.
25:41: If you would like help with that, please talk to Shelly Cowell. And then yesterday, since I married off my third daughter, answering the question,
25:50: What is behind door number three? Door number four. Since I married off my third, not third daughter, my third child, my second daughter.
25:57: I get them so confused. There's so many of them now. I'm exhausted from this last week, so I'm not preaching today.
26:04: David Forsyth is going to be preaching. And it's our joy to turn the pulpit over to him and allow him to minister the word of God to us.
26:11: Several weeks ago now, we had David Beger come up and give us a little presentation on a missions jaunt that he was going on over into Europe to give aid and assistance to those affected by the war over there.
26:25: And so he's going to give us now an update on what he did over there with the funds that we had to send with him. So David, please do.
26:47: Hello. Well, good morning to all of you. In early
26:52: August, as most of you know, I believe, I flew to Poland, the
26:58: Czech Republic, and Romania. A lot of that had to do with the
27:03: Ukrainians that were escaping the war there and running into these countries. And a lot of the churches and even a lot of the locals are housing and feeding and that sort of thing in those countries and other countries as well.
27:16: And I happen to know people working in these three countries, pastors, people with congregations.
27:22: And so that was one of the main reasons that I went over there was to help them deal with this situation.
27:29: And we took an offering. And I'll tell you now that it was slightly over $6 ,000.
27:37: So they thank you and I thank you. And so that money went to—I'll tell you who some of these people are.
27:44: So I flew to Prague, Czech. Then right away
27:49: I was ushered into a car where we had to drive another nine miles to get to Poland near Warsaw. This is—in the middle there, this is
27:55: Pastor Tomek. And to your right is Pastor Radek.
28:02: Both of them have graduated from the Master's Academy International. And Tomek also went on to Master's Seminary.
28:09: And so these are guys I've known for decades, right? A really long time.
28:14: And so they were a part of this trip. This is another pastor in the
28:20: Czech Republic I spent a few days with. He's in the northern part of the Czech Republic. This is Roman.
28:26: He also graduated from the Master's Academy International. Actually, he's attending right now. I got to spend a few days with him.
28:33: This is an older picture of him because I didn't get a picture of him and I together. And then after Poland and the
28:42: Czech Republic for a while, then I went down to or over to Romania. This is an
28:47: American missionary on the far right. This is Doug. And so both the
28:53: Czech, the Polish, and the Romanian pastors and workers there, they actually have—
29:00: Not only are they housing and feeding Ukrainians, but they are also sending teams back and forth.
29:09: Sometimes they have to take the wives back to go see their husbands for a while. Their husbands are still in the war.
29:14: I'll show you a picture or two in a moment where he has a wife and her mom. A lot of the men aren't with their families right now, right?
29:22: So a lot of the women and the children are in these countries and their husbands are still back in Ukraine.
29:28: This is a— Sorry, I didn't take this picture. This is a family or a couple of families, possibly, of Ukrainians at Pastor Radek's house.
29:40: He and his wife were feeding them. They usually feed them at their house and they house them for a bit.
29:46: And then they try to find a little bit more permanent location. Also, in all three of these countries, the church is there.
29:57: What they're trying to do, other than feed them and house them, they're also feeding them spiritually, right?
30:02: Ukrainian and Polish and Romanian and Czech, those are not the same languages, right?
30:09: And so oftentimes they'll have a translator translating from, say, Polish to Czech for these
30:14: Czechs. Sorry, for these Ukrainians. Some of them who are believers, some of them who are not.
30:22: And so they're also involved in that. This is a Ukrainian girl who's there without her dad.
30:28: This is in Romania, by the way. This is her off to the far right as well. So these are three Ukrainian girls there without their dad.
30:36: The woman in the middle is not Ukrainian. She's from the United States, actually. She's American.
30:41: But the three women around her in the background, the two on either side of her and the one in the background, those are all
30:47: Ukrainians. They're there without their husbands. And then
30:54: I thought I would throw in, so I did not go to Ukraine, but this picture is from Ukraine.
31:00: This is from the, let's see, who gave this to me? This would be the Czech. This is from the
31:05: Czech pastor, Radek and Roman. They're both pastors there. They have teams that go back and forth, as I mentioned, quite a bit.
31:13: And this is one of their teams going into Ukraine. And so I'll show you a couple of these just so you can see what's there actually from the team's perspective.
31:26: So this is what they're faced with. And this is the church that is no longer able to be used.
31:37: That's the last one there. So keep them in prayer. Specifically, these pastors who are over these congregations who are dealing with this, but also for their ongoing ministry to their own people.
31:48: This takes up a lot of time. This takes a lot of their time and money. And so keep them in prayer.
31:55: And also, I thank you for prayers for me for this trip. And you can, since we're talking about prayer requests, I'll be in Egypt in November, so you can pray for that trip coming up.
32:04: And Nicole and I just got back from a trip. We were on a trip to some strange place called, what was it,
32:11: Washington? Washington State? We were there finishing up some training, and since we finished that up now,
32:18: I might be spending a lot of time in Africa now. So keep those sorts of decisions in prayer for us.
32:25: But really, pray for them, and pray for them today if you would. Anything else? Okay, that's it.
32:32: Thank you. David's next mission trip is to Washington and then
32:43: California. After the devastation has been fully wrought there, then we can bring in supplies and help those folks.
32:51: We're going to switch up the order of service here just for a moment, worship team and pianist who's following this.
32:57: I'm going to pray now, and then we will read Scripture together, and then you'll come up.
33:03: Let's bow our heads. Our Father, we are grateful for the work that you do continually around the world.
33:08: We only get to see a glimpse of it here in our place, in our position. We get to see reports that have come back.
33:15: We get to rejoice in our small part in giving much -needed relief and funds and supplies to people, our brothers and sisters around the world.
33:24: We will not see these people or meet them in this life, but in the life that is to come, in the kingdom that is to come, we will gather around tables together, and we will fellowship, and we will tell stories, and we will get to know them, and we will be able to rejoice together for your good work in their lives and in our lives.
33:40: And so we pray for a continued spiritual fruit there for those pastors who have labored so faithfully and continue to do so in bringing resources and teaching the word and evangelizing.
33:51: We pray that all the raging of the nations that has taken place and is going to continue to do so in the years to come would only serve to build your church, that people would be strengthened, that ministries would go forward.
34:03: And we thank you that our hope is not in buildings and cities in this world, but in the world that is to come.
34:09: And so we pray that you would use all of the suffering and affliction that you have appointed for your people in this life to fix their hope and their attention and their desires and affections upon the life that is to come.
34:21: Teach us these lessons as well, we pray. We ask that you would continue to provide for the needs of those who are yours and strengthen those ministries and those pastors to be faithful to those that they serve, faithful to your word, faithful to their families.
34:35: And we pray that through all of this, you would continue to call in your elect, your people from around the world into your church so that you might build it and that you would strengthen it.
34:47: And that we would see that last one gathered in and then be able to hail the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.
34:54: Will you please turn to Psalm 19. Psalm 19.
35:06: I'm going to read together the entire Psalm. The prescript says it's for the choir director,
35:12: Psalm of David. Psalm 19.
35:21: And when you've found your place, will you please stand with me as we read. The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands.
35:33: Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words.
35:40: Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.
35:47: In them he has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
35:56: Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them. And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
36:03: The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
36:08: The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
36:16: The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether.
36:22: They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
36:30: Moreover by them your servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors?
36:37: Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me.
36:44: Then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
36:52: O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. And God will bless the reading of his word. You may be seated. God Moves in a
41:29: Mysterious Way Would you please stand, and we'll sing God Moves in a Mysterious Way. God moves in a mysterious way
41:53: His wonders to perform He plants his footsteps in the sea
42:06: And rides upon the storm
42:12: Deep in unfathomable depths of heaven still
42:25: He treasures all his bright designs
42:32: And works his sovereign way
42:38: Mercy, God of grace,
42:46: Give us eyes to see Eyes to see your smiling face
42:57: Within the mystery Within the mystery
43:10: Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take
43:17: The cloud ye so much dread
43:23: For faith with mercy men shall bring
43:29: With blessings on your head
43:35: Judge not the blind by feeble sense
43:42: But trust him for his grace
43:48: Behind a frowning providence
43:54: He hides a smiling face
44:00: God of mercy, God of grace,
44:06: Give us eyes to see Eyes to see your smiling face
44:18: Within the mystery Within the mystery
44:29: His purposes will ripen fast
44:36: Unfolding every hour
44:42: The bud may have a bitter taste
44:48: But sweet will be the flower
44:54: Why not believe his sure to err
45:00: And stand his word in vain
45:06: God is his own interpreter
45:12: And he will make it plain
45:18: God of mercy, God of grace,
45:25: Give us eyes to see Eyes to see your smiling face
45:35: Within the mystery Within the mystery
45:46: God of mercy, God of grace,
45:54: Give us eyes to see
45:59: Eyes to see your smiling face
46:06: Within the mystery Within the mystery
46:19: In Psalm 119, verses 33 to 40, it says, Instruct me,
46:25: O Yahweh, in the way of your statutes That I may observe it to the end. Cause me to understand that I may observe your law
46:32: And keep it with all my heart. Cause me to walk in the path of your commandments For I delight in it.
46:38: Cause my heart to incline to your testimonies And not to dishonest gain.
46:44: Cause my eyes to turn away from looking at worthlessness And revive me in your ways.
46:52: Cause your word to be established for your slave As that which produces fear for you.
46:59: Cause my reproach, which I dread to pass away, For your judgments are good.
47:06: Behold, I long for your precepts. Revive me in your righteousness.
47:27: Speak, O Lord, as we come to you
47:34: To receive the food of your holy word.
47:41: Take your truth, plant it deep in us,
47:48: Shape and fashion us in your likeness
47:54: That the life of Christ might be seen today
48:01: In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
48:08: Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
48:14: All your purposes for your glory.
48:28: Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
48:34: Holy reverence, true humility.
48:42: Test our thoughts and our attitudes
48:47: In the radiance of your purity.
48:55: Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see
49:01: Your majestic love and authority.
49:08: Words of power that will never fail
49:14: Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
49:28: Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds.
49:34: Help us grasp the heights of your plans for us.
49:42: Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
49:47: That will echo down through eternity.
49:54: And by grace we'll stand on your promises
50:00: And by faith we'll walk as you walk with us.
50:08: Speak, O Lord, till your church is built
50:13: And the earth is filled with your glory.
51:07: And so Paul writes to this church to bring to them a full presentation of the gospel of the
51:13: Lord Jesus Christ and to seek their financial support on his further missionary endeavors as he seeks to go west to Spain.
51:23: Let's pray. Father, we are opening the word of God together this morning and as we have just sung together, we pray that your spirit would speak to us through his word.
51:36: Father, incline our hearts to hear what he has for us. Help us to be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive ourselves.
51:45: We pray in Christ's name. Amen. As I was thinking about the sermon this week,
51:53: I was reminded of Paul's words in Colossians chapter 3 and in verse 21 where he writes,
51:59: Fathers, do not exasperate your children that they may not lose heart.
52:07: Do not exasperate your children that they do not lose heart. One of the ways that a father and we'll say a father and a mother can exasperate their children is to require them to change without showing them how to change.
52:21: We should require obedience for sure, but we must help our children learn how to obey, merely requiring it is not enough.
52:33: And that same reality is true of the Christian life. That's in fact the reason, I believe, one of the main reasons why in the
52:40: New Testament that it says an elder's home is a proving ground to qualify him for the public office of elder within the church.
52:49: Can he make disciples in his home? If he can do it in his home, then that is a good reason to believe he could do it within the church.
52:59: Now, the text before us this morning is Romans chapter 12, and we are looking at verses 1 and 2.
53:09: So verses 1 and 2 of Romans chapter 12, and this is the transition point of Paul's letter here to the church at Rome.
53:18: Beginning in verse 3 of chapter 12 and then running through to the end of the book, Paul is going to present a number of ethical imperatives for the
53:28: Christian life. In other words, a series of commands will occupy basically the rest of the letter.
53:35: That is, how to live the Christian life. And the means by which the Holy Spirit motivates and empowers our obedience to those commands is our text this morning, verses 1 and 2.
53:48: So, like a wise father, Paul gives us here four keys that we can and must use to unlock the
53:59: Christian life. Four keys that we can and must use to unlock the
54:05: Christian life. Key number one, remember the gospel.
54:11: Key number one, remember the gospel. Paul writes here, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
54:28: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
54:41: Notice Paul begins here with the word there translated in English, the word therefore.
54:47: When we see the word therefore in the text, we need to ask ourselves, why is it there?
54:52: What is it there for? And it indicates here the transition point of the book.
54:58: This is the place where the book moves into the imperative section, the command section of the letter.
55:05: And so what Paul is doing here is he is summarizing or he's going to build on all that has gone before and he's going to say,
55:12: Therefore, in light of what has preceded me, preceded in this text, therefore, this is how you need to live the
55:20: Christian life. This is how you are to live the Christian life. In other words, Christian ethics are theologically motivated.
55:29: They are theologically driven. Christian obedience is the outworking of what
55:34: God has done for us and in us through Jesus Christ.
55:40: As he says in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17, we are a new creation.
55:46: A new creation. Many, many religions have a lofty set of ethics.
55:55: A code of behavior that is admirable in many ways. But only Christianity, only
56:01: Christianity is rooted in a supernatural act that took place in history.
56:08: And it is that supernatural act taking place in history that carries with it the effectual power to bring about the
56:16: Christian ethic that is required. All the other religions will tell you, Do this, do this in the power of your own strength.
56:24: And of course, that's a recipe for failure. But the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not that.
56:30: There is a theological reality that one must believe and place their faith in. And when that happens, there is a transformation that occurs that provides the internal motivation and spiritual power to live out the
56:44: Christian ethic. Notice Paul says, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God.
56:51: A little expression. By the mercies of God. What mercies of God, Paul, are you talking about? The mercies of God that he has just explained in the first 11 chapters of the book.
57:03: The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's compassionate dealing with them in the person of Christ.
57:13: Paul writes in chapters 1 and 2 and the first half of chapter 3 that all the world lies under condemnation.
57:22: That's the bad news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And without the bad news, without an understanding of the bad news, the good news is not so good.
57:31: But Paul systematically, like an attorney building his case, he places each and every human being before the bar of God's justice and he indicts and convicts every single one.
57:46: They suppress the truth of God, he says in verse 1. They know God. It's within them.
57:52: God has placed it in them. And yet they suppress the truth. He moves on to chapter 2 and he says,
57:57: And you, you who have religious affections, you who have the law, you who think you're doing alright, you're just as corrupt.
58:08: You look good on the outside, but inside you are just as corrupt. He summarizes it then in the first part there, chapter 3, and he says,
58:17: For both Jew and Gentile, there is none righteous, no, not one.
58:23: And God is angry about that. In fact, God is furious about that. God's wrath is being stored up for that kind, in response to that kind of flagrant unbelief in the face of the mercy and goodness of God.
58:42: And Paul says, you know what? The only hope is if someone can take God's wrath.
58:48: And the only one who can take God's wrath is God himself. And so God the Son, second person of the
58:54: Trinity, stepped into space and time, took to himself human flesh, and God the Father poured out on him as a propitiation, as a sacrifice to consume the wrath of God Almighty, the sin for his people.
59:10: How do we receive such a gift? Paul says it's by faith. It's by grace through faith in the
59:17: Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work. Well, that sounds like a new concept, and Paul says, no, chapter 4, that's not new at all.
59:25: It's always been by grace through faith. Look at Abraham, he says. Look at David.
59:31: It has always been grace by faith in God himself. Well, how did humanity get into such a predicament?
59:41: How did it come about? Do parents teach their children such wickedness? Chapter 5, no.
59:48: No, you see, for we are all one in Adam. He was our representative head, and when
59:54: Adam fell, the race fell with him. And when the race fell, it fell into corruption, total corruption.
01:00:02: And it has produced the devastating results that we both see around us and sense within our own soul.
01:00:12: Well, then what hope? We need a second Adam. He says Christ is that second
01:00:17: Adam. All of humanity is here in the first Adam, but by faith in the
01:00:22: Lord Jesus Christ, we are moved in union with the second Adam, Christ himself. And it's like a turnstile.
01:00:29: It goes in only one direction. You move into Christ. You don't step in and step out. You are a new creation.
01:00:39: Well, as a new creation, we still need to deal with the residual hangover of sin, don't we?
01:00:48: And so Paul begins to address that in chapters 6, 7, and 8. In chapter 6, he says we need to believe something, and then we need to act accordingly.
01:00:57: And what do we need to believe? We need to believe that we were immersed in the death of Christ. That His death became our death.
01:01:03: And that we are raised to walk in newness of life with Him. Chapter 7, what about the law?
01:01:09: Where does the law fit into all of this? Chapter 7, the law will not sanctify you.
01:01:15: We are not saved by grace and sanctified by struggle. The law will only condemn you.
01:01:23: We need to walk in the Spirit, chapter 8. Those who walk in the Spirit are not in the flesh.
01:01:30: And that brings us at the end of chapter 8 to that great confession that Paul says here, for I am convinced, in verse 38, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
01:01:52: Lord. Wow, that's a high point. But he keeps going, doesn't he?
01:01:58: He goes on for three more chapters. Why? He goes on for three more chapters because there's a question hanging out there that has to be addressed.
01:02:09: And here it is. What about Israel? What about Israel?
01:02:16: They had God's promises. They are in covenant relationship with God. But they have rejected the
01:02:23: Messiah. They have been cast aside. How do you explain it? And if they can fall away, if they can be cast aside, then what about me?
01:02:34: What about me? So chapters 9, 10, and 11. Paul addresses
01:02:40: Israel's unbelief and it's simply this. Israel has refused their
01:02:46: Messiah and has been cast aside from God according to the predetermined counsel and foreknowledge of God.
01:02:55: Chapter 9. God's secret election. But it doesn't end there.
01:03:02: In chapter 10 he says they have been cast aside because not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
01:03:14: Verse 21, chapter 10. But as for Israel, he says, all the day long
01:03:19: I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people. Why was Israel cast aside?
01:03:25: Because of God's secret election. Why was Israel cast aside? Because they refused the gospel of the
01:03:32: Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I say then,
01:03:37: God has not rejected his people, has he? Chapter 11, verse 1. May it never be.
01:03:43: May it never be. Chapter 11, you Gentiles, just remember, just remember
01:03:49: God has brought you into the root of the Abrahamic covenant by faith. Do not be arrogant against his people for he will bring them back again.
01:03:58: Because as he says, verse 29 of chapter 11, the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
01:04:04: The promises made to the fathers are irrevocable. And so it is written, verse 26, all
01:04:12: Israel will be saved. Oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
01:04:24: How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways.
01:04:31: For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever.
01:04:38: Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, by the gospel of the
01:04:47: Lord Jesus Christ, that you present your bodies a living and holy, excuse me, holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.
01:05:02: Brothers and sisters, as we continue to be reminded of the gospel, we need that.
01:05:09: We need it regularly. Because you and I are forgetful people. We are forgetful people.
01:05:18: It's not like that we can't remember what the gospel is. It's that we lose sight of it day by day.
01:05:26: As we move through this world, as we're joshed and jostled and bumped and bruised, we begin to forget it.
01:05:35: It begins to recede from our thinking. We doubt its power, but we cannot forget the gospel.
01:05:47: And one of the most significant ways that we are reminded of that gospel is this gathering here.
01:05:53: It is to come together on the Lord's day. Hebrews chapter 10, verses 23 and 25, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another in this all the more as you see the day drawing near.
01:06:14: I need you to help me remember the gospel. You need me to help you remember the gospel.
01:06:24: You need to sing to me, and I need to sing to you those great gospel truths.
01:06:33: Because the first key to unlocking the Christian life is to remember the gospel of Jesus Christ.
01:06:42: Second, the second key is to relinquish yourself to God.
01:06:48: First key, remember the gospel. Second key, relinquish yourself to God.
01:06:55: He says, I urge you, verse 1, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God.
01:07:07: Once we remember, once we're reminded through the gospel of what God has done for us and in us, then we recognize that we are not our own.
01:07:22: That we don't have property rights anymore in the same way. Instead, we belong exclusively to God.
01:07:32: Someone once wrote, and I think they're on something here, that said, as Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities.
01:07:40: As Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 6, you are not your own.
01:07:46: You have been bought with a price. Romans 6, you are slaves of righteousness.
01:07:56: Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice. This word, present, translated to present here, the
01:08:04: Greek behind it indicates it's a technical term, actually, that refers to the religious offering of a sacrifice.
01:08:13: You know, in the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was made, the sacrificial victim was presented before God.
01:08:22: And that process of presentation was a relinquishing of ownership. You would bring your sacrifice, and you would present it.
01:08:31: You might wave it, or you would offer it to the Lord. And symbolically, what you were doing was you were relinquishing your ownership over the sacrifice.
01:08:40: It became holy in the sense that it was set apart to God. And even if the worshiper consumed the portion of that sacrifice, it was not that they thought they were eating part of what they brought.
01:08:53: What they understood was, is that God was sharing with them a meal of fellowship.
01:09:02: You can see it very clearly in the burnt offering, right? Where the entire sacrifice is consumed.
01:09:09: And it pictures the reality that this is no longer yours. It has been given to God.
01:09:17: Now, when you came in here this morning, I didn't see anybody with a sheep over their shoulders. That was under the
01:09:24: Old Covenant, wasn't it? We don't offer the animal sacrifice anymore, but notice what we're called to do.
01:09:30: We are still called to sacrifice. We are called here to offer ourselves. Not merely our skin and bones, but the totality of our being.
01:09:42: God does not demand from you a gift. What God demands from you is the giver.
01:09:48: The giver. And again, the holiness here is speaking about being set apart.
01:09:55: Being set apart for God. And there's an ethical component to that, to be sure.
01:10:01: When the lamb was brought as the Old Testament sacrifice, it was to be without obvious blemish.
01:10:09: And when we are to present ourselves to God as a living and holy sacrifice set apart for Him, we are to be without obvious blemish.
01:10:21: Our lives are not to be marked by continual and obvious blemishes of unconfessed sin.
01:10:29: Furthermore, notice Paul says it is to be a living sacrifice. It points to the ongoing and the voluntary nature of this offering.
01:10:41: This is to, we present ourselves to God not once, not twice, not three times, not just Sundays.
01:10:51: It is to be the reality of who we are now in Christ. We are continually a sacrifice of offering to our
01:10:58: God. Paul says, you know, what he's speaking of here is actually kind of a logical thing.
01:11:10: Notice this. He says, which is your spiritual service of worship? Logikos is the
01:11:18: Greek word. We get the English word logic or logical from it. If you have a study Bible, you probably see a marginal note there that it could be translated spiritual or it could be translated reasonable.
01:11:29: I think reasonable actually gets better at the argument of what Paul is making here. It is a reasonable sacrifice to offer yourself continually to the
01:11:39: Lord Jesus Christ. Why? In view of the mercies of God.
01:11:44: That's why. Because you're a new creation in Christ. That's why. Because you're no longer in Adam.
01:11:50: That's why. Because you're now in Christ. That's why. Because Christ is coming again.
01:11:58: That's why. It is consistent.
01:12:04: It is logical. It is reasonable. In view of a proper understanding of the truth of God revealed in Christ Jesus.
01:12:17: The first key to unlocking the Christian life is to remember the gospel. The second key to unlocking the
01:12:25: Christian life is to relinquish yourself to God. Not once, but continually.
01:12:34: Third. The third key to unlocking the Christian life is to resist the world's corruption.
01:12:43: To resist the world's corruption. Verse 2. And do not be conformed to this world.
01:12:53: And do not be conformed to this world. Now the grammatical construction here indicates that this is something that is going on and needs to stop.
01:13:05: He's not saying to them, don't start this. What he is saying to them is, this behavior is happening in your life and it's got to stop.
01:13:15: Stop allowing yourself to be conformed would be a more literal rendering of the
01:13:20: Greek. Stop allowing yourself to be conformed to this world. Brothers, sisters, we spend our lives swimming in the ocean that Paul calls here the world.
01:13:38: Do not be conformed to this world. We're like a fish swimming in the ocean.
01:13:45: We have no idea how wet we are. But here's the deal.
01:13:53: When you're swimming in the ocean, it's inevitable you're going to get some salt water in your mouth. But you're not to swim with your mouth open.
01:14:04: One of the first things we taught all of our children when we taught them to swim was keep your mouth closed.
01:14:12: Keep your mouth closed. We need to resist the pressure of being squeezed into the mold of this world, the patterns of behavior and thought that characterize it.
01:14:27: This world lies under the power of the evil one, we're told. And because of that, we cannot, we must not serve or use the world as the model for what it means to live the
01:14:44: Christian life. We've got to reject it. We need to resist it.
01:14:51: It's values are corrupt. It's morality is corrupt. It's goals are corrupt.
01:14:58: It's entertainment is corrupt. It's ethics are corrupt. It's philosophy is corrupt.
01:15:04: It's worship is corrupt. It is selfish and self -serving and antithetical to growth as a
01:15:09: Christian. Do not be conformed.
01:15:16: Stop being conformed. Stop being squeezed into the mold of this world, for this world is headed to destruction.
01:15:34: One of the ways that we are frequently conformed to this world system is by drinking out of its filthy wells.
01:15:47: For many of us, our choices in entertainment could be likened to taking a rancid stew and pouring it through a strainer to take out the big chunks and then drinking the broth.
01:16:07: These things should not be, brothers and sisters. These things should not be.
01:16:14: When you allow yourself to be squeezed into the mold of this world, to be conformed to this world, what takes place is not simply a disguising of your real nature.
01:16:28: It is a corruption of it. It is a corrosion. Years ago, we had a small undetected water leak in our bathroom.
01:16:44: And it went on for a long time. Just dripping water inside the wall.
01:16:51: We had no idea that there was a problem until it began to finally show through on the drywall.
01:16:59: And by the time it was torn open and we got a good look at it, everything had been corrupted.
01:17:05: Everything had been corroded right down to the floor joists. It had pieces cut out of them and new scabbed in.
01:17:16: Listen, Christians don't have blowouts. They have slow leaks that show up flat one day.
01:17:25: You look around you and you wonder, what happened to Pastor So -and -so? Or this person that I knew that seemed like they knew the
01:17:34: Lord. They seemed even at times to be on fire with the Lord and then boom! They go out to their car and the tire is flat.
01:17:43: It's not how it works. It's not how it works. There has been a slow corrosion.
01:17:48: There has been a slow seeping corruption. They have been squeezed into the mold of this world.
01:17:54: They have adopted the values and morality and outlook and goals of this world that is destined for destruction.
01:18:03: And it has changed them. And one day they go out and the tire is flat.
01:18:12: Remember the gospel. Relinquish yourself to God.
01:18:21: Resist the world's corruption. And number four. The fourth key to unlocking the
01:18:30: Christian life is to renew your mind through the scriptures. To renew your mind through the scriptures.
01:18:40: Verse two. Do not be or stop being conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
01:18:51: By the renewing of your mind. Be transformed. Present passive imperative.
01:18:58: Continue to allow yourself to be transformed more literally. It indicates an action that has already begun.
01:19:09: And it is going to continue on indefinitely. This transformation process is not something that happens in an instant.
01:19:19: We don't get a holy hop. It goes on.
01:19:26: Moment by moment. Day by day. Week by week. Month by month. Year by year. As we seek and pursue after Christ.
01:19:37: We still live in this age. Still live in this world. But we're not to be of this world.
01:19:44: We're to recognize because what Christ has done we belong to the age to come.
01:19:49: The world to come. So we can't be content being pressed into that.
01:19:56: When this is who we are. We're no longer the victims of sin.
01:20:03: We're no longer helpless and hopeless before. It's power over us can be resisted.
01:20:11: That's chapter 6. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Christ. And then live accordingly.
01:20:23: We are indwelt, chapter 8, by the spirit of God himself. God has taken up residence within you.
01:20:29: If you're a child of God this morning. And he is jealous for you. We're going to struggle.
01:20:40: It is a struggle for sure. It's a regular and daily fight.
01:20:47: Why? Because the old man still hangs on in a way.
01:20:54: There are still the values of that old world that still kind of hang on to me. There are impulses that I came over with.
01:21:01: There are temptations that I brought over with me. And I need to fight back against them.
01:21:09: And you do too. Sin is always strong.
01:21:15: It's always insidious. We often yield unconsciously to it without a thought.
01:21:21: It's just boom! Where did that come from? It's a battle for the mind.
01:21:29: It's a fight for the mind. Be transformed. Continue to allow yourself to be transformed.
01:21:38: How? Verse 2. By the renewing of your mind. By the renewing of your mind.
01:21:48: We participate in the work of God within us. Philippians 2. And the process by which we are renewed in our mind is through the cleansing of the
01:22:02: Word. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 26. Paul writes in 2
01:22:10: Corinthians 3 .18. Same verb, by the way.
01:22:23: We behold the glory of Christ as we stare and gaze upon the beauty of Christ.
01:22:29: We are conformed into His image. We are transformed into His image. We are made like Christ.
01:22:37: And where can you find Him? Where can you see Him? He's given you everything for life and godliness,
01:22:47: Peter said. Listen. Reprogramming the mind doesn't take place overnight.
01:22:56: It's a long process. It's a long process. And the way in which our thinking is more and more conformed to the way
01:23:08: God wants us to think is by spending time with Him in His Word.
01:23:14: Listen, there is no substitute for significant time spent in the
01:23:19: Word of God. If the Word of God is a Sunday -only occurrence for you, you're fighting this fight with one arm tied behind your back.
01:23:32: You need the Word of God. I need the Word of God. Think of it this way.
01:23:43: If I had poison, a really powerful poison that will kill you if I put a few drops into a glass of water and handed it to you.
01:23:54: But think if I took those same few drops and were to drop them into a swimming pool with 50 ,000 gallons of water in it.
01:24:02: The poison is still there, but its toxicity has been diluted.
01:24:08: Its effect has been lessened. Why? Why? Because it has been pushed aside by the quantity of the water.
01:24:23: Before Christ, your mind is filled with nothing but corruption. You come to Christ.
01:24:30: You're a new creation. You're united with Him. But that stuff's still there, isn't it?
01:24:38: You need to fight against it. Well, how do I fight against it? You need to dilute it. You can't just say to yourself, I'm just not going to think like that anymore.
01:24:44: Good luck. That's Paul's counsel in Ephesians.
01:24:53: We need to put off and put on. We need to replace. To my illustration, we need to dilute.
01:25:03: The more scripture you take in, the less hold that corruption will have on you.
01:25:09: The less it will occupy your thoughts. The more infrequent it will become.
01:25:18: And as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Paul says we need to be renewed in our mind, right?
01:25:32: Why? End of the verse, chapter 2, or verse 2. So that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
01:25:46: You want to know the will of God for your life? Book of Romans is a great place.
01:25:55: Paul says that as you are renewed in your mind, you will begin to understand and agree.
01:26:03: You may prove. You may understand. You may agree. You will begin to agree with what
01:26:08: God wants from you. You'll be able to begin to discern the will of God.
01:26:15: That Paul describes here with three simple adjectives. This is the will of God. It is good. It is good.
01:26:24: In other words, it is God, the source of that, makes it good.
01:26:30: For no one is good but God alone. Mark 10, 18. It is acceptable to God.
01:26:38: So it is good as defined by God. It is acceptable as measured by God.
01:26:44: And it is perfect or probably mature. Well, that's helpful.
01:26:58: But I need specifics. Don't you? I'd like to know specifically the will of God for me.
01:27:06: And, hey, here it is. The rest of the book.
01:27:14: What are the results of a transformed life? It's simply this. Chapter 12, verses 3 -8.
01:27:20: A transformed life is humbly serving others. A transformed life, chapter 12, verses 9 -21, is loving to both friend and foe.
01:27:34: Chapter 13, 1 -7. A transformed life is submissive to authority.
01:27:43: Chapter 13, verses 8 -14. A transformed life is pure of mind and body.
01:27:51: And chapter 14, verses 1 -15. A transformed life is deferential toward others with regard to matters of personal conviction.
01:28:05: This is God's will for you and I. Brothers and sisters,
01:28:15: Paul has given us keys. Keys to unlock the Christian life.
01:28:24: Remember the gospel. Relinquish yourself to God. Resist the world's corruption.
01:28:31: Renew your mind through the Spirit. Or scriptures, rather. Now may the
01:28:38: Spirit of God grant you and I the power to stick those keys in the lock and turn them.
01:28:47: And let us pray toward that end. Our God and our
01:28:52: Father, you love us with a love that is beyond our comprehension.
01:28:59: Or as Paul says in Romans 8, if you would not withhold your only Son from us, there is no good thing that you would hold back.
01:29:08: And so our Father, we have opened the word here. And we pray that we would be doers of the word.
01:29:17: Father, let us go forth from this place encouraged that the power lies with the
01:29:25: Spirit through His word. Transform us, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name.
01:29:34: Please stand and let's sing, Take My Life and Let It Be. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪
01:29:46: Take my life and let it be, ♪ consecrated
01:29:53: Lord to Thee. ♪ Take my moments and my days, ♪ let them flow in ceaseless praise.
01:30:06: ♪ Let them flow in ceaseless praise. ♪♪ ♪
01:30:16: Take my hands and let them move ♪ at the impulse of Thy love.
01:30:25: ♪ Take my feet and let them be ♪ swift and beautiful for Thee.
01:30:35: ♪ Swift and beautiful for Thee. ♪♪ ♪
01:30:45: Take my voice and let me sing, ♪ always, only for Thy need.
01:30:54: ♪ Take my lips and let them be ♪ filled with messages from Thee, ♪ filled with messages from Thee.
01:31:11: ♪♪ ♪ Take my will and make it
01:31:17: Thine, ♪ it shall be no longer mine.
01:31:23: ♪ Take my heart, it is Thine own, ♪ it shall be
01:31:30: Thy royal throne. ♪ It shall be Thy royal throne.
01:31:38: According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to the obedience of Jesus Christ, and the sprinkling of His blood, may grace and peace be multiplied to you.
01:31:50: Have a great week. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪
01:32:30: But now our faith is frail and weak, ♪
01:32:36: O God of mercy, Healer of the weak. ♪ You comfort our distress, ♪ how long until the promised rest?
01:32:57: ♪ We cry to You from deepest need, ♪
01:33:05: O God of mercy, hear our plea. ♪
01:33:11: Our beloved Redeemer, ♪ in this barren land, ♪ be our hope and strength until glory.
01:33:26: ♪ We will trust and sing ♪ of the
01:33:33: Father, hear our plea. ♪ We join creation's longing growth ♪ to take
01:33:55: Your absent children home. ♪ For then the eyes of all will see, ♪ the
01:34:07: God of mercy hears our plea. ♪
01:34:13: Our beloved Redeemer, ♪ in this barren land.