Doing the Right Things Many of us have trouble training our desires so that we desire the right things. What does God want us to do so that we live our lives aligned with Him? Our inability to control our desires and lust really puts us in good company. In Romans the 7 th chapter, we read where Paul had the internal conflict between good and evil. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. (Romans 7:19 NASB) Paul lays out his dilemma and then in the 24 th verse he raises a question and supplies the answer: Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:24-25 NASB) The reality is that we reach a point where we wonder about our walk with God. Recently I found a word of encouragement that may help us to put things in perspective: If walking with God were easy, everyone would be doing it. The fact you re even trying means you shouldn t beat yourself up when you don t feel like a perfect Christian. God sees your effort. This morning we will look at doing the right things as we serve God. We have talked about faith and we will continue to speak about faith. We will never be pleasing to God without a faith that allows us to rest securely in Him. In the second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul tells us that in Jesus we are a new creature. 1
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19 NASB) There are at least two points that we see in this passage. First, we are a new creature in Jesus. This is the main point for today s lesson. The second point that we might note is the concept of reconciliation. We hear a lot about reconciliation in the current day. The reconciliation that we find in the Bible is where our sinful self is reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus. We certainly should live in alignment with the teachings of Jesus and treat others as God commands us to treat our neighbors. However, the term reconciliation, as found in the Bible refers to the transformation of our sinful nature into a person of God. In this reconciliation, we receive so much more than we can ever expect. The love of God reaches down to us personally at the cross. We see in Romans 5:6-8 that God has shown His love for us through the death of Jesus. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NASB) 2
This idea is perhaps one of the most powerful phrases found in the entire Bible: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The death of Jesus paid for our sins. Jesus became sin even though He had no sin. Thus, He was able to take our sins away. This is what we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21. He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB) The death of Jesus is not the end of the story. He arose again victorious over death and the grave. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... (1 Peter 1:3 NASB) but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57 NASB) Not only do we have forgiveness of our sins and the hope of eternal life, we have a new heart. Recently, in our Sunday school class, we read from Ezekiel the 36 th chapter the following passage: Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 NASB) 3
In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul shows us that the Spirit of God fulfills this prophecy. Let s read the 14 th through 16 th verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 2. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NASB) In Jesus, we have a package deal. We have forgiveness of sin, we have eternal life, and we have a new heart to guide us in living as a new creature. But we have the mind of Christ. This phrase may be troubling to many of us. If we have the mind of Christ, why do we still think like we do? Why are we still caught up in worldly and evil thoughts and actions? We may do fairly well during normal times, but when we hit a rough patch, or when we face a sudden turn of events, we quickly return to our default setting of revenge, retaliation, or evil behavior. Take heart. God knows what we are facing and is committed to equipping us to be more like Him. Are you sure? Well, if God was so committed that He sent Jesus to die for us, certainly He will help us as we face the rigors of life change. He is there for us. However, we need to do our part. No, I don t mean to imply that we earn our salvation by our actions. I mean that we must be willing to do the things that God expects from us as a result of what He has done for us. Here are some steps that we can take that will help us learn to desire the same things that are pleasing to God. 4
First, we need to repent. Repent is not feeling sorry it is actually changing our behavior. Repentance requires a change. In 1 John the first chapter, we read that we must confess that we have sinned but we also must cease the sinful practices and walk according to the path that Jesus has illuminated. This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:5-9 NASB) Second, we must choose to delight ourselves in God. In doing so, we will be rewarded: as we delight in God, He will give our hearts new desires meant to honor Him. Psalm 37:3-5 tells us: Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. (Psalm 37:3-5 NASB) Finally, if we really want to think and act in the same way that Jesus does, then we must be willing to immerse ourselves in the word of God. We will read it, meditate on it, and obey it. In John the first chapter, we learn that Jesus is the word of God. 5
He became flesh and he tells us that everything that He did was from God. Consider John 8:28 and John 5:19-20. So Jesus said, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. (John 8:28 NASB) Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. (John 5:19-20 NASB) Think about that. Jesus did nothing without God s instructions and approval and we want to be like Him, why do we act without measuring our actions against the word of God? Perhaps our biggest challenge is that we are still formed and shaped by this world. We have not realized that Romans 12:2 is the place where we start moving away from our old self toward the self that is fashioned after the will of God. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NASB) Our commitment to doing the right things will require courage. We will close this morning with the admonition given to Joshua as he took command after Moses. 6
Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (Joshua 1:7-8 NASB) 7