I Corinthians 9:23-27
--Imagine a person is on a trip and they are late for their connecting flight. They have landed and they check the flight board and take off running across the airport. They get to their gate sweaty and exhausted. But they made their gate on time to be able to get on their flight. But then the agent at the counter tells them that they were at the wrong gate. And to make things worse, he tells them that they have had a glitch in their flight board and it gave them the wrong info! Here is what happened. That person thought they were at the right gate but they were actually at the wrong gate because of bad information.
--That person ran hard! He ran fast. He thought he made it…only to find that he totally missed it!
--Now, imagine a runner entering a race. The problem is that he wasn’t paying attention when he was told what kind of race it would be. And he really didn’t care. And since he doesn’t really know what kind of race he will be in…since he doesn’t know what he should be training for….his training regiment would be erratic and without purpose. He wouldn’t know what to train for because he wouldn’t know what kind of race he was in!
Now, in the first scenario, the person had bad info that led to him to the wrong destination. In the second scenario, because of his indifference, the runner simply wasn’t paying attention and therefore didn’t know what his purpose was.
--Knowing our destination is important. We can run the race of life as fast and as hard as we like, but if we exert all of our energy and passion only to arrive at the wrong place, then it really doesn’t matter.
--I believe that sometimes Christians can be like that. Maybe we are focusing on and running toward the wrong goals in life. Or maybe we simply don’t really understand the race that we are in or what is at stake. As a result, some are not disciplined. And some are not focused.
--My goal today is to help us understand the race of life that we should be running. I want to help us identify some components of the race we are in. And I want to help us identify the goal of this race.
--Now the track that we run this race of life on varies from person to person. We all have different roles and responsibilities and jobs in life. But the ultimate goal should be the same for all of us who have trusted in Christ. There are certain common goals that we all have as believers. For example, we are all called to:
·Love God first and foremost (Matt 22:37 (GC), Colossians 1:18 that Christ might become preeminent in our lives. Or Romans 8, that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
·We also know that we should have as a common Christian goal to serve others out of an overflow of our love for God (not legalism, not religious box checking, not trying to earn God’s love or salvation).
·Glorify God in all we do
·And there are many other common callings we have as believers
·But those goals are all going to be manifested or lived out differently in the different roles God has given each of us in life. And sometimes we can lose focus of these goals in the chaos and storms of life.
--Rocky, hit the one in the middle.
--We don’t have to go through life trying to spiritually “hit the one in the middle.” No, God has given His people purpose and He has placed before us a destination in this race of life.
So, as we are close to starting school back and getting into a normal routine in the next month or so, let’s take some time today to simply refocus. Refocus means focus again or to change the emphasis or direction of.
--In other words, if you are at a point in life where you don’t really have strong focus…you are just keeping the wheels spinning. Maybe you feel directionless, then you need to refocus.
--No one likes going through life like the blindfolded kid trying to bust the piñata. Swinging hard in life, but never seeming to hit it.
--And at that point many times, rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus, we begin to focus our heart’s attention on the wrong thing or things.
--This has been a long summer. Some of us have been so busy that we are just tired. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. We need to rest and refocus.
--So, today, as a family of faith, let’s slow down and refocus on what really matters.
I Corinthians 9:23-27:
--In these verses we find 5 markers of a focused life….or 5 characterizations of a focused life.
--Throughout chapter 9 Paul is defending his ministry. He is reminding the church at Corinth that he has sacrificed a lot to do what he does. In fact, he writes about many of the rights that he has laid down in order that others might hear the message of Christ. In other words, he laid down his rights….he deferred to others….with purpose….to make Christ known among those he encountered. Life wasn’t all about him. Read verses 19-22.
--Now, why would Paul give up all those rights? Why would he sacrifice like that? Why would he live outside of what was comfortable to him? What motivates that kind of sacrifice? Read verse 23.
Now, before I go any farther let me say this. It’s all about the gospel! From Genesis to Revelation. This book is all about the message of Christ. And Paul says here, I’ll do whatever it takes for the sake of the gospel. He loved the Lord Jesus who had saved him and he was willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary so that the gospel would go forth.
And so, he says here in verse 23: I do all things for the sake of the gospel.
Verse 23:
1. The Christian’s life should be characterized by intentionality:
--The gospel that is truly believed will transform our lives. Over time it will transform the way we view others, ourselves, our resources, our friends, our spouses, our kids…..the world!
--Here is one of my challenges for you today…..if the bible is true and I believe it to be….if what the bible reveals about the afterlife is true and I believe it to be….if we believe that there are people around us who are lost and separated from Christ….then we cannot ignore it! We can’t just sit back and act like lostness doesn’t exist! We must be intentional to reach out to our community and world! We must be intentional and strategic in the way we live our lives and use what God has given us.
To live in gospel intentionality means that we do what we do in life not simply to serve ourselves and our own needs, but others.
--One person said, if you want me to tell you where your priorities are in life: “Show me your checkbook and your calendar and I’ll show you what’s most important to you.”
--A Christ honoring life requires intentionality in the way we spend our time, our money, our words, and our actions. (Our words and actions are like currency. What are we spending them on or what are we investing them in?).
--Paul is saying that I will become uncomfortable if I have to in order to minister to others. I’ll become like a Jew to reach Jews. I’ll become like a Gentile to reach Gentiles. I’ll become like the weak and poor to reach the weak and the poor. That is gospel intentionality!
The first marker of a focused, Christian life is intentionality.
Verse 24:
2. The Christian’s life should be characterized by excellence:
--And by excellence I simply mean giving it your wholehearted effort for God’s glory. Be diligent.
--Col 3:17: And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
--To do things with excellence for the glory of God often requires hard work. Nothing excellent usually comes easily.
--But what drives excellence in a person’s life? The end goal. For the runner, Paul writes, it is the prize.
--The Westminster catechism states that man’s “chief aim in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” That is it! That is our goal.
--Is God worthy of our lives? Yes! Is He the greatest way to satisfaction and joy in life? Yes! We have a Lord who is worthy of us living excellent lives for Him!
--“So run in such a way that you may win.” Now, some here today may be saying….I’m just trying to be adequate in life! I don’t have much energy to be honest! Excellence in the Christian life seems unattainable! Well, here is the thing about the Christian life that we need to remember….the strength to live our lives in excellence for the glory of God doesn’t come from within us. The power to live the life God wants us to live comes from Him!
--Jerry Bridges: “He works as we work, and we are able to work because He is at work in us.
--Flip to Colossians 1:9-11
How are we “strengthened,” according to verse 11?
1. The power we possess as Christians is a result of “His glorious might,” not ours.
3. Power is manifested in the life of a believer through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 3:16; Romans 15:13).
4. Power is seen most clearly in weakness (II Cor. 12:9). I heard one pastor make this statement, “If dependence is the objective, then weakness becomes an advantage.”
So, if you feel weak and unable to live your life in excellence, then take courage, you are in a great place for God’s power to manifest itself in your life if you will commit to seek Him. In fact, when we feel adequate to live our Christian lives in excellence that is when we try to do it on our own! But when we feel weak is when we often cry out to God and say, “Lord, help me! I am weak! I can’t do this on my own!”
And notice that this leads to endurance and patience and joy.
What it all goes back to: verse 9
Strength comes from knowledge of God, and joyous endurance comes from being strengthened by God. It all goes back to having a deep, vibrant, growing relationship with the living God! It always goes back to….the gospel.
Continually living in the reality of who God is and what He has done for His people.
--If you want to live the excellent, God honoring life that God wants His people to live, then love Him, be dependent on Him, walk with Him, and obey Him. We grow in our Christian excellence as we become like Him and we become like Him as we spend time with Him.
Verse 25:
3. The Christian’s life should be characterized by self-control:
--If you want to read something incredible, look up what an average Olympian’s training regime is. Many of them will have multiple workouts throughout each day around 6 days a week. They have a meticulous nutrition plan. Their sleep patterns are consistent and disciplined…..and they do all of these things for years in training for the Olympics. Why would a person do that to themselves? To obtain the prize! They have a goal!
Christians have the greatest goal there is! Our goal is to please our Lord and to hear Him someday say, “well done, my good and faithful servant.” To have God someday bestow on us the crown of righteousness.
Now, let me say this so you don’t misinterpret what I’m saying: Christian discipline isn't the way to earn God's love. Instead, Christian discipline is how we respond to the love we've already received in Christ. We work hard for the Lord to please Him because we love Him.
Paul writes here that those who compete in the games do so in order to win a perishable wreath, but we (Christians) have a much greater motivation, an imperishable wreath. Now, historically what was Paul talking about here?
In the Isthmian games the prize was a pine wreath. The contestants competed for more than that, of course. The wreath represented fame, acclaim, and the life of a hero. Winners were immortalized, much as they are today. But that “immortality” was just as mortal as the wreath itself, and lasted little longer. Both were perishable.
Christians do not run for a short–lived pine wreath or for short–lived fame. They already have true immortality. They run in order to receive a “crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award … on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8), “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). That prize is imperishable.
But the imperishable requires self–control just as the perishable. No Christian will be successful in witnessing, or in anything else worthwhile, without discipline. Every good thing we accomplish—whether in learning, business, artistic skill, marriage, spiritual living, witnessing, or whatever—is accomplished through discipline and self–control.
If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily, and often severely, restricts his liberty. His sleep, his diet, and his exercise, are not determined by his rights or by his feelings but by the requirements of his training. .
The athlete’s disciplined self–control is a rebuke of half–hearted, out–of–shape Christians who do almost nothing to prepare themselves spiritually—and consequently seldom do.
--Paul put it this way in I Tim 4:7: “discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness.”
To be who God has called us to be sometimes requires the laying aside of our own agendas in order to discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness.
The third marker of a focused life is self-control.
Verse 26:
4. The Christian’s life should be characterized by purpose:
--Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by all of the different responsibilities that we have in life. The different hats that we wear in life, so to speak.
--For example, I am a:
1. Husband, father, son, pastor, friend, counselor, teacher….
--Now, all of those roles have been bestowed on me by our Lord.
--I am so grateful for these roles. I love being a husband. I love being a father. I love being a pastor. I love it!
--But how should we view all of our roles in life? How should we view these roles appropriately? How should we view them so they don’t become our gods? It is easy to allow our kids to become gods to us, or our spouse, or anything else that is important to us.
--Here’s how we keep them in the proper view. When we focus or maybe refocus on what our overarching purpose is, we will begin to see those roles in light of our main goal. We will begin to have focus and clarity in defining those roles.
--Your specific purpose in the roles God has given you has to flow out this: Love God more than anyone or anything else and glorify Him in all we do.
--And when we understand that, we then, for example, begin to ask:
1. How can I glorify God as a husband?
2. How can I love and serve my kids better as a dad? How can I point them to the Lord?
3. How can I make Christ known to others in my workplace? How can I serve my co-workers in the name of Jesus?
When all of life is seen through the lens of the gospel, then life comes into focus!
The Christian’s life should be characterized by purpose! Friends, we have one life….one life to live! Don’t waste it! You have purpose in life through Christ in all the various areas of your life! Live it for Him in the different roles He has bestowed on you.
Verse 27:
5. The Christian’s life should be characterized by purity:
--Our morality and purity matters!
--Paul, using this analogy of an athlete, it making it clear that an athlete doesn’t obey his body! An elite athlete’s body tells him to stop running and yet he keep running. It tells him to eat bad food and eat a lot because it tastes good but he eats an appropriate portion of healthy food! An athlete’s body tells him to stop training and sit down, but he pushes through!
--Paul’s point is that our passions and lusts cannot control us….too much is at stake!
--Immorality or indifference can derail the Christian life.
--And so, we either make our bodies our slaves or we become enslaved by our bodies and our fleshly lusts!
--So, what do we do? How can we master these things rather than them mastering us?
1. Know Christ:
--Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
2. Choose to daily let Christ live through you. Daily surrender to Him.
--Later in Galatians 5:24 he wrote: And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
3. Be wise: Sometimes having victory is as simple as making choices to avoid certain places or things.
--I heard one pastor say this recently and it is so true. He said, “it is easier to avoid temptation than to resist temptation.”
--In other words, if you have a problem with alcohol, don’t go to a bar. If you have a problem with materialism, avoid the mall.
--Purity is important because the gospel is important. Purity is important because our Lord desires that for His people. And purity comes through intimacy. When we are walking with God and loving Him, then the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Because our Lord has given us a clear destination, we should run the Christian life with focused purpose.
A focused Christian life is intentional.
A focused Christian life is wholehearted.
A focused Christian life is disciplined.
A focused Christian life is purposeful.
A focused Christian life is pure.
Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes.
1.Are you seeking practical ways to intentionally live out your faith? If not, then I challenge you to go home today and calendar in 3 things you can do to grow in your relationship with Christ and calendar in 3 things you can do to minister to others.
2.Has spiritual excellence characterized your life lately?
3.Are you living a disciplined life?
4.Are you living in light of God’s purpose for your life?
5.Are you living a morally pure life through the power of the Holy Spirit?
--Imagine a person is on a trip and they are late for their connecting flight. They have landed and they check the flight board and take off running across the airport. They get to their gate sweaty and exhausted. But they made their gate on time to be able to get on their flight. But then the agent at the counter tells them that they were at the wrong gate. And to make things worse, he tells them that they have had a glitch in their flight board and it gave them the wrong info! Here is what happened. That person thought they were at the right gate but they were actually at the wrong gate because of bad information.
--That person ran hard! He ran fast. He thought he made it…only to find that he totally missed it!
--Now, imagine a runner entering a race. The problem is that he wasn’t paying attention when he was told what kind of race it would be. And he really didn’t care. And since he doesn’t really know what kind of race he will be in…since he doesn’t know what he should be training for….his training regiment would be erratic and without purpose. He wouldn’t know what to train for because he wouldn’t know what kind of race he was in!
Now, in the first scenario, the person had bad info that led to him to the wrong destination. In the second scenario, because of his indifference, the runner simply wasn’t paying attention and therefore didn’t know what his purpose was.
--Knowing our destination is important. We can run the race of life as fast and as hard as we like, but if we exert all of our energy and passion only to arrive at the wrong place, then it really doesn’t matter.
--I believe that sometimes Christians can be like that. Maybe we are focusing on and running toward the wrong goals in life. Or maybe we simply don’t really understand the race that we are in or what is at stake. As a result, some are not disciplined. And some are not focused.
--My goal today is to help us understand the race of life that we should be running. I want to help us identify some components of the race we are in. And I want to help us identify the goal of this race.
--Now the track that we run this race of life on varies from person to person. We all have different roles and responsibilities and jobs in life. But the ultimate goal should be the same for all of us who have trusted in Christ. There are certain common goals that we all have as believers. For example, we are all called to:
·Love God first and foremost (Matt 22:37 (GC), Colossians 1:18 that Christ might become preeminent in our lives. Or Romans 8, that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
·We also know that we should have as a common Christian goal to serve others out of an overflow of our love for God (not legalism, not religious box checking, not trying to earn God’s love or salvation).
·Glorify God in all we do
·And there are many other common callings we have as believers
·But those goals are all going to be manifested or lived out differently in the different roles God has given each of us in life. And sometimes we can lose focus of these goals in the chaos and storms of life.
--Rocky, hit the one in the middle.
--We don’t have to go through life trying to spiritually “hit the one in the middle.” No, God has given His people purpose and He has placed before us a destination in this race of life.
So, as we are close to starting school back and getting into a normal routine in the next month or so, let’s take some time today to simply refocus. Refocus means focus again or to change the emphasis or direction of.
--In other words, if you are at a point in life where you don’t really have strong focus…you are just keeping the wheels spinning. Maybe you feel directionless, then you need to refocus.
--No one likes going through life like the blindfolded kid trying to bust the piñata. Swinging hard in life, but never seeming to hit it.
--And at that point many times, rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus, we begin to focus our heart’s attention on the wrong thing or things.
--This has been a long summer. Some of us have been so busy that we are just tired. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. We need to rest and refocus.
--So, today, as a family of faith, let’s slow down and refocus on what really matters.
I Corinthians 9:23-27:
--In these verses we find 5 markers of a focused life….or 5 characterizations of a focused life.
--Throughout chapter 9 Paul is defending his ministry. He is reminding the church at Corinth that he has sacrificed a lot to do what he does. In fact, he writes about many of the rights that he has laid down in order that others might hear the message of Christ. In other words, he laid down his rights….he deferred to others….with purpose….to make Christ known among those he encountered. Life wasn’t all about him. Read verses 19-22.
--Now, why would Paul give up all those rights? Why would he sacrifice like that? Why would he live outside of what was comfortable to him? What motivates that kind of sacrifice? Read verse 23.
Now, before I go any farther let me say this. It’s all about the gospel! From Genesis to Revelation. This book is all about the message of Christ. And Paul says here, I’ll do whatever it takes for the sake of the gospel. He loved the Lord Jesus who had saved him and he was willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary so that the gospel would go forth.
And so, he says here in verse 23: I do all things for the sake of the gospel.
Verse 23:
1. The Christian’s life should be characterized by intentionality:
--The gospel that is truly believed will transform our lives. Over time it will transform the way we view others, ourselves, our resources, our friends, our spouses, our kids…..the world!
--Here is one of my challenges for you today…..if the bible is true and I believe it to be….if what the bible reveals about the afterlife is true and I believe it to be….if we believe that there are people around us who are lost and separated from Christ….then we cannot ignore it! We can’t just sit back and act like lostness doesn’t exist! We must be intentional to reach out to our community and world! We must be intentional and strategic in the way we live our lives and use what God has given us.
To live in gospel intentionality means that we do what we do in life not simply to serve ourselves and our own needs, but others.
--One person said, if you want me to tell you where your priorities are in life: “Show me your checkbook and your calendar and I’ll show you what’s most important to you.”
--A Christ honoring life requires intentionality in the way we spend our time, our money, our words, and our actions. (Our words and actions are like currency. What are we spending them on or what are we investing them in?).
--Paul is saying that I will become uncomfortable if I have to in order to minister to others. I’ll become like a Jew to reach Jews. I’ll become like a Gentile to reach Gentiles. I’ll become like the weak and poor to reach the weak and the poor. That is gospel intentionality!
The first marker of a focused, Christian life is intentionality.
Verse 24:
2. The Christian’s life should be characterized by excellence:
--And by excellence I simply mean giving it your wholehearted effort for God’s glory. Be diligent.
--Col 3:17: And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
--To do things with excellence for the glory of God often requires hard work. Nothing excellent usually comes easily.
--But what drives excellence in a person’s life? The end goal. For the runner, Paul writes, it is the prize.
--The Westminster catechism states that man’s “chief aim in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” That is it! That is our goal.
--Is God worthy of our lives? Yes! Is He the greatest way to satisfaction and joy in life? Yes! We have a Lord who is worthy of us living excellent lives for Him!
--“So run in such a way that you may win.” Now, some here today may be saying….I’m just trying to be adequate in life! I don’t have much energy to be honest! Excellence in the Christian life seems unattainable! Well, here is the thing about the Christian life that we need to remember….the strength to live our lives in excellence for the glory of God doesn’t come from within us. The power to live the life God wants us to live comes from Him!
--Jerry Bridges: “He works as we work, and we are able to work because He is at work in us.
--Flip to Colossians 1:9-11
How are we “strengthened,” according to verse 11?
1. The power we possess as Christians is a result of “His glorious might,” not ours.
3. Power is manifested in the life of a believer through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Ephesians 3:16; Romans 15:13).
4. Power is seen most clearly in weakness (II Cor. 12:9). I heard one pastor make this statement, “If dependence is the objective, then weakness becomes an advantage.”
So, if you feel weak and unable to live your life in excellence, then take courage, you are in a great place for God’s power to manifest itself in your life if you will commit to seek Him. In fact, when we feel adequate to live our Christian lives in excellence that is when we try to do it on our own! But when we feel weak is when we often cry out to God and say, “Lord, help me! I am weak! I can’t do this on my own!”
And notice that this leads to endurance and patience and joy.
What it all goes back to: verse 9
Strength comes from knowledge of God, and joyous endurance comes from being strengthened by God. It all goes back to having a deep, vibrant, growing relationship with the living God! It always goes back to….the gospel.
Continually living in the reality of who God is and what He has done for His people.
--If you want to live the excellent, God honoring life that God wants His people to live, then love Him, be dependent on Him, walk with Him, and obey Him. We grow in our Christian excellence as we become like Him and we become like Him as we spend time with Him.
Verse 25:
3. The Christian’s life should be characterized by self-control:
--If you want to read something incredible, look up what an average Olympian’s training regime is. Many of them will have multiple workouts throughout each day around 6 days a week. They have a meticulous nutrition plan. Their sleep patterns are consistent and disciplined…..and they do all of these things for years in training for the Olympics. Why would a person do that to themselves? To obtain the prize! They have a goal!
Christians have the greatest goal there is! Our goal is to please our Lord and to hear Him someday say, “well done, my good and faithful servant.” To have God someday bestow on us the crown of righteousness.
Now, let me say this so you don’t misinterpret what I’m saying: Christian discipline isn't the way to earn God's love. Instead, Christian discipline is how we respond to the love we've already received in Christ. We work hard for the Lord to please Him because we love Him.
Paul writes here that those who compete in the games do so in order to win a perishable wreath, but we (Christians) have a much greater motivation, an imperishable wreath. Now, historically what was Paul talking about here?
In the Isthmian games the prize was a pine wreath. The contestants competed for more than that, of course. The wreath represented fame, acclaim, and the life of a hero. Winners were immortalized, much as they are today. But that “immortality” was just as mortal as the wreath itself, and lasted little longer. Both were perishable.
Christians do not run for a short–lived pine wreath or for short–lived fame. They already have true immortality. They run in order to receive a “crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award … on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8), “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). That prize is imperishable.
But the imperishable requires self–control just as the perishable. No Christian will be successful in witnessing, or in anything else worthwhile, without discipline. Every good thing we accomplish—whether in learning, business, artistic skill, marriage, spiritual living, witnessing, or whatever—is accomplished through discipline and self–control.
If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily, and often severely, restricts his liberty. His sleep, his diet, and his exercise, are not determined by his rights or by his feelings but by the requirements of his training. .
The athlete’s disciplined self–control is a rebuke of half–hearted, out–of–shape Christians who do almost nothing to prepare themselves spiritually—and consequently seldom do.
--Paul put it this way in I Tim 4:7: “discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness.”
To be who God has called us to be sometimes requires the laying aside of our own agendas in order to discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness.
The third marker of a focused life is self-control.
Verse 26:
4. The Christian’s life should be characterized by purpose:
--Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by all of the different responsibilities that we have in life. The different hats that we wear in life, so to speak.
--For example, I am a:
1. Husband, father, son, pastor, friend, counselor, teacher….
--Now, all of those roles have been bestowed on me by our Lord.
--I am so grateful for these roles. I love being a husband. I love being a father. I love being a pastor. I love it!
--But how should we view all of our roles in life? How should we view these roles appropriately? How should we view them so they don’t become our gods? It is easy to allow our kids to become gods to us, or our spouse, or anything else that is important to us.
--Here’s how we keep them in the proper view. When we focus or maybe refocus on what our overarching purpose is, we will begin to see those roles in light of our main goal. We will begin to have focus and clarity in defining those roles.
--Your specific purpose in the roles God has given you has to flow out this: Love God more than anyone or anything else and glorify Him in all we do.
--And when we understand that, we then, for example, begin to ask:
1. How can I glorify God as a husband?
2. How can I love and serve my kids better as a dad? How can I point them to the Lord?
3. How can I make Christ known to others in my workplace? How can I serve my co-workers in the name of Jesus?
When all of life is seen through the lens of the gospel, then life comes into focus!
The Christian’s life should be characterized by purpose! Friends, we have one life….one life to live! Don’t waste it! You have purpose in life through Christ in all the various areas of your life! Live it for Him in the different roles He has bestowed on you.
Verse 27:
5. The Christian’s life should be characterized by purity:
--Our morality and purity matters!
--Paul, using this analogy of an athlete, it making it clear that an athlete doesn’t obey his body! An elite athlete’s body tells him to stop running and yet he keep running. It tells him to eat bad food and eat a lot because it tastes good but he eats an appropriate portion of healthy food! An athlete’s body tells him to stop training and sit down, but he pushes through!
--Paul’s point is that our passions and lusts cannot control us….too much is at stake!
--Immorality or indifference can derail the Christian life.
--And so, we either make our bodies our slaves or we become enslaved by our bodies and our fleshly lusts!
--So, what do we do? How can we master these things rather than them mastering us?
1. Know Christ:
--Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
2. Choose to daily let Christ live through you. Daily surrender to Him.
--Later in Galatians 5:24 he wrote: And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
3. Be wise: Sometimes having victory is as simple as making choices to avoid certain places or things.
--I heard one pastor say this recently and it is so true. He said, “it is easier to avoid temptation than to resist temptation.”
--In other words, if you have a problem with alcohol, don’t go to a bar. If you have a problem with materialism, avoid the mall.
--Purity is important because the gospel is important. Purity is important because our Lord desires that for His people. And purity comes through intimacy. When we are walking with God and loving Him, then the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Because our Lord has given us a clear destination, we should run the Christian life with focused purpose.
A focused Christian life is intentional.
A focused Christian life is wholehearted.
A focused Christian life is disciplined.
A focused Christian life is purposeful.
A focused Christian life is pure.
Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes.
1.Are you seeking practical ways to intentionally live out your faith? If not, then I challenge you to go home today and calendar in 3 things you can do to grow in your relationship with Christ and calendar in 3 things you can do to minister to others.
2.Has spiritual excellence characterized your life lately?
3.Are you living a disciplined life?
4.Are you living in light of God’s purpose for your life?
5.Are you living a morally pure life through the power of the Holy Spirit?
