Please take out your copy of God's Word and turn to 1 John chapter 3.
1 John chapter 3.
Before we settle into it, I want to share with you this morning an emotion that I'm feeling.
And I feel a mix of emotions on every Sunday morning.
There's always an excitement.
We've been preparing for six days and it's here and God's people are together and I'm
expecting that God will work.
I feel the emotion of just sheer exhaustion because of the six days leading up to and
it's here and suddenly the service is rushed along to this point.
I always feel a manner of timidity, a weightiness to coming and opening up God's Word and doing
by grace my very best to teach it to you with accuracy.
This morning, I'm also angry.
And I believe that my anger is a righteous anger, which is a rarity for me.
Very few times I could say that that would be the case, but I believe that it is a righteous
anger and it's not an anger aimed at you.
It is an anger aimed at a local prominent pastor that I often speak of in a great deal of ambiguity.
I speak in generalizations, hoping for your sake that you'll hear the truth and you'll be
discerning as you hear things coming from this particular pastor.
I believe that this pastor is a brother.
I think he's in the faith.
Therefore, I love him.
He's part of our family.
I am concerned for him.
I am praying for him.
I hope you'll do the same.
But this morning, I'm angry at him.
I think he's crossed a line.
And as such, I think it's appropriate to begin to call him by name.
You need to be aware of what's in our backyard.
Some of you may have come out of the ministry of this particular pastor.
And I don't mean any offense to you in the process of speaking about him.
Most of us, I would presume, know people who are currently part of the ministry of this pastor.
I know many people who are many phone calls I need to make in the coming weeks as a result of what's happening in the life of this ministry.
The pastor I'm speaking of is Andy Stanley.
And the ministry I'm speaking of is North Point Ministries.
Six churches, I think.
Massive mega church in our backyard.
The reason I think it's important to call it by name and to talk about it is because I love you.
And I love the people under his leadership.
And I think it would be irresponsible to not talk about it by name.
Now, most of you who have been around for a while know that I'm not a big fan of their ministry model.
The idea of attractional church and building the church for the lost.
I believe that the Bible teaches us that the church gathering is primarily for the believer.
Certainly, we want to minister to the lost as they come in amongst us.
But it's primarily for the believer to be equipped in order to go and to serve the lost.
We are gathered to go.
This is not the way they've arranged themselves.
Not a fan of the ministry model.
But I wouldn't want to harp on them by name for that reason.
In practice, they have functionally denied the sufficiency of Scripture.
But now, Andy Stanley is drawing into question the inerrancy and quite possibly the inspiration of Scripture.
In an interview with Russell Moore, who's the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention,
Russell asked him a very strange question, but asked him,
If he were the Pope of Evangelicalism, what would he do?
What would he change?
The first thing that crossed my mind was that first I'd do away with having a Pope of Evangelicalism.
Not what he said.
But he said instead,
I would ask that pastors get the spotlight off the Bible and back on the resurrection of Jesus.
A couple of weeks later, in a sermon entitled,
The Bible Told Me So,
he addresses what he calls deconversion.
And just the idea of deconversion,
that someone could have been converted at one point,
regenerated,
and then deregenerated,
is in and of itself a dangerous idea,
an entirely unbiblical idea.
But I think he's referring to those who grow up in the church and then leave the church.
There are dramatic statistics,
particularly about college students,
as high as 85% of college students who profess faith in Jesus Christ through high school,
when they leave and go in their freshman year,
85% no longer claim to follow Christ.
I think that's what he means by deconversion,
but it's certainly a scary way to talk about it.
He says that it's not ample to say,
Jesus loves me,
this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
And he apologizes to people who were sent to college with a frail,
I quote,
frail version of our faith.
He says,
if the Bible is the foundation of our faith,
as the Bible goes,
so goes our faith.
And then he gives examples that he states as fact of scientific evidence that contradicts the Scripture.
Things like,
there is no scientific evidence for a worldwide flood.
Or,
what if the ruins of Jericho are excavated and we never see evidence that the walls fell down?
This is called evidential apologetics,
and I would suggest to you that it's not the way that we approach the Bible.
If the Bible is the foundation of our faith,
as the Bible goes,
so goes our faith.
He questions the infallibility,
and therefore,
the very inspiration of the Scriptures.
If God is true,
and if God wrote the Bible,
then the Bible is true.
And I would suggest to you that it is the foundation of our faith,
that faith comes from hearing,
and hearing from the Word of God.
He says that in the first century,
believers didn't copy down the Scripture because they believed that it was inspired,
but because they believed that it was true,
that they took it simply as historical record,
and they knew that the apostles penned it,
so they took it as simply a true historical account,
and it had not yet been canonized,
and so they didn't believe that it was a Word from God,
but just simply an account of Jesus and His resurrection.
He concludes to say,
we should rather think,
Jesus loves me,
this I know because Matthew,
Mark,
Luke,
and John
tells me so.
which seems like circular logic to me.
But I believe what he's saying is that
let's not be too concerned about whether or not the Bible is inspired.
Let's not be too concerned if it's actually the Word of God,
if it actually has authority,
but rather,
let's look at what men who knew Jesus had to say,
which is part of what we do
as we look at the Scripture.
But he neglects altogether
that one of the apostles saw
what we now see as our canon as Scripture.
2 Peter 3,
verses 15 and 16,
Peter writes,
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation,
just as our beloved brother Paul
also wrote to you
according to the wisdom given him,
as he does in all his letters
when he speaks in them of these matters.
So Paul,
in all of his letters,
speaks with wisdom
about the patience of God toward us
and the salvation that's found in Christ.
That's me reversing the logic of Peter's writing.
Then he says,
verse 16,
of all Paul's letters,
there are some things in them
that are hard to understand,
which the ignorant
and unstable
twist to their own destruction
as they do,
if you're looking at it,
the other Scriptures.
So apparently the early church,
at very least,
Peter was already viewing
the writing of Paul as Scripture,
understood it to be inspired,
as Paul says,
breathed out by God.
I apologize
if you were sent to college
without an unshakable confidence
in the inspiration
and therefore the infallibility
and authority of our Bible,
which is indeed the foundation
of our faith.
it's my hope,
if you're a college student here
and you have any misgiving
about the value of it,
I'm going to assume that
because you're here,
you probably don't,
but if you do,
that we so show you Christ
in the Scripture
that it becomes extremely
precious to you,
that you would be a person
of the Word,
that you would put theology
above all of your other studies
and would have a confidence
in who Christ is
because God has spoken to us
about Him
by His Word.
Romans 10, 17 again,
so faith comes from hearing
and hearing
through the Word of Christ.
Ephesians 2, verse 13,
Paul says,
but now in Christ Jesus,
you who were once far off
have been brought near
by the blood of Christ.
And then he goes down
into verse 19 and 20,
so then you were no longer
strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens
with the saints
and members of the household of God
built on the foundation,
hang on for it,
built on the foundation
of the apostles and prophets.
He is talking about
the revelation of God
through the apostles
and the prophets.
Christ Jesus Himself
being the cornerstone.
Many attractional churches
teach a neutered gospel.
Many preachers these days
teach a subversive prosperity gospel.
Jesus died on a cross
that you might glory in Him
and He in you forever.
Not so that you can pick up
weekly life lessons
to live a more fulfilled life now.
That is not what the Christian faith
is about.
Not about andeisms.
It's about God revealed
in the scripture.
There is no crown without the cross.
There is no glory without suffering.
You cannot follow Christ
without giving Him your all.
He expects nothing less.
With all that in mind,
we ask that you pray for Andy Stanley.
Join me in that.
Pray for those under his leadership.
Pray for those across this nation
that look to Him for their cues
on how they ought to lead successful ministry.
I don't doubt his motivation
in what he's trying to do.
I believe he's a Christian.
I believe he desperately wants people
to come to faith in Christ,
but he's doing it wrongly.
Preach the truth
to your friends
and your family.
Pray that he would come
to an understanding of the truth,
what an influence he could have
if he would open the scripture
to his people.
And with all that,
I'll remind you that, beloved,
this is God's word to us.
It was written for His glory
and our good.
We would all do well
to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
1 John 3,
verses 1-10
is our text for today.
See what kind of love
the Father has given to us
that we should be called
children of God.
And so we are.
The reason why the world
does not know us
is that it did not know Him.
Beloved,
we are God's children now.
And what will be
has not yet appeared,
but we know
that when He appears,
we shall be like Him
because we shall see Him
as He is.
And everyone who thus hopes in Him
purifies himself
as He is pure.
Everyone who makes
a practice of sinning
also practices lawlessness.
Sin is lawlessness.
You know that He appeared
in order to take away sins,
and in Him
there is no sin.
No one who abides in Him
keeps on sinning.
No one who keeps on sinning
has either seen Him
or known Him.
Little children,
let no one deceive you.
Whoever practices righteousness
is righteous
as He is righteous.
Whoever makes a practice
of sinning
is of the devil,
for the devil has been sinning
from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God
appeared
was to destroy
the works of the devil.
No one born of God
makes a practice of sinning,
for God's seed
abides in Him,
and He cannot keep on sinning
because He has been born
of God.
By this it is evident,
who are the children of God
and who are the children
of the devil?
Whoever does not practice
righteousness
is not of God,
nor is the one
who does not love
his brother.
Now, over the past three weeks,
we've been considering
the Christian life,
and we've been framing it up
beginning with
our gospel identity,
and you're seeing that
as the new logo
for our church,
the single tree
in a circle.
And the summary statement
that we've been using
for gospel identity
is simply this,
by grace alone
through faith alone,
and the personal work
of Jesus Christ alone,
we are justified before God,
forgiven and adopted by Him.
So that's who we are
in Christ.
And then we said
this gospel identity
is our great motivation
for worship.
So we're accepted by God
in Christ,
so we live how He wants us to
in all things.
This is worship.
Have experienced the mercies
of God to us
in Christ.
We live for Him,
and we're using
the biblical metaphor.
Being good trees,
we bear good fruit.
And I've been suggesting
to you all along the way
that the bearing
of good fruit
requires activity
on our part.
It requires effort
on our part.
And so we're talking
about four areas
of Christian living,
and they are as follows.
First,
our gospel conviction.
Right?
Knowing God
through His word
and prayer.
Two weeks ago,
we talked about that.
Last week,
we talked about gospel community.
Loving the church
in varying means
of fellowship
and service.
This week,
we'll talk about
gospel character.
And then finally,
next week,
gospel commission.
And Lord willing,
we'll be back
in our verse-by-verse
exposition of Acts
following that.
The summary statement
for this morning is
being justified
before God,
forgiven and adopted
by Him.
We worship Him
through gospel character,
conforming to Christ
both in private
and in public.
Now,
John starts out
chapter 3
making the point
we've been making
all along
that who we are
is a work of God.
God has established it.
So being justified
before God,
we're forgiven
and adopted
by Him.
And you can see that
running through
the first three verses
of 1 John chapter 3.
But draw your attention
specifically to
verse 3.
Everyone who thus
hopes in Him.
And he's referring back
to what he has said
that as God's children,
we do not yet look
like Christ
being perfect,
but we will one day
look like Christ
because we shall see Him
as He is.
When He returns,
we'll be glorified
and perfected
at that time.
But,
he says in verse 3,
and everyone
who thus hopes
in Him,
so in the future
perfection,
which we call
glorification,
purifies himself
as He,
Christ,
is pure.
So by faith
that we're justified
before God
and the debt
of our sin
is canceled
before Him.
And we are granted
the righteousness
of Christ.
We are both forgiven
and adopted.
Paul writes in Romans 8.1,
there is therefore
now no condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ
Jesus.
So,
because we're
beloved,
because we're
children of God,
we're going to live
a certain way.
So don't mistake me
saying that we live
a certain way
and therefore
we're children of God.
We're children of God,
therefore,
we live a certain way.
We give evidence
to who we are
by the way
we live.
And John goes on
to say this
in no uncertain terms.
I hope that it was
a little scathing
for you, right,
to read
from the authoritative
Word
of God.
How it is
that the person
who claims
to be a follower
of Christ
looks.
Verse 4
and down through
verse 10.
If we are
justified before God,
forgiven and adopted
by Him,
we worship Him
through our
character.
We are being
conformed
to Christ.
We have not
arrived there yet
perfectly,
which I will
show you in a moment,
but we are
pressing on
in holiness
toward
Christ's
likeness.
If you are
of God,
it's the point
that John is making,
you will
not
make a
practice
of sinning.
If you are
a child
of God,
you will
practice
righteousness.
You will be
on
God's
highway.
The Greek
word for
practice
simply means
to do
or make.
You hope
it would be
kind of complex
and we could
unravel it
and go,
oh,
now we
understand
what
practicing
means.
John's
not pulling
any punches
here.
He's simply
saying that
you will
not be
characterized
by sin.
You will
rather be
characterized
by
righteousness.
And beloved,
the beautiful
precious
doctrine
of regeneration
is so
being lost
in the life
of our
churches.
If you
are in
Christ,
you have
been
made
new.
You are
no longer
your old
self.
You carry
that baggage
of yourself
around,
but you
have been
made
new.
And so
many of
us act
as if
we've
not been
set free
from the
bondage
of sin.
We are
free from
it.
We've
been given
power to
live to
God.
And not
to
ourselves.
You can
think of
gospel
character
as
obedience
in all
things.
And we
talk about
these areas
of Christian
living.
I get
that this
one kind
of becomes
a catch
all.
We intend
for it to
be a catch
all,
but I
think so
often,
I'm seeing
particularly
with young
people who
have a
high view
of God
and of
God's
sovereignty.
Praise the
Lord for
that.
Recognizing
that God
works in
us to
accomplish
His
goodwill.
Also
being lazy.
Just
expecting that
at some
point that
there will
be enough
compulsion
in you
that you're
going to
begin to
do the
things that
God wants
you to
do.
And it's
so often
framed up
as feeling.
You don't
feel like
doing certain
things.
I teach
my kids
to be
obedient.
I train
them.
I show
them how
it is
they're
to be
obedient.
I discipline
them when
they're not
obedient.
If all
you caught
Judah down
here talking
about the
rod,
it's like
a spanking.
A lot
like a
spanking.
Showing
them the
way that
they should
go.
And it
is never
an excuse
for one
of my
sons to
say to
me,
I don't
really feel
like being
obedient.
There's not
a compulsion
in me
to be
obedient.
How do
I help
my children
to walk
in the
ways they
should go?
I tell
them what
they should
do or
shouldn't
do,
and I
bring
correction
when they
need it.
The Lord
deals with
us in
the exact
same
way.
You've
been given
command,
right and
good for
you,
command.
You have
a heavenly
Father that's
perfect in
all of His
command,
who loves
you immensely
and wants
the very
best
for you.
You should
listen,
and you
should do
the things
that He's
asked you
to do or
not asked
you to
do.
Many people
misunderstand
that sin
has two
sides to
it,
both sins
of omission
and sins
of commission.
Omission are
the things
that we're
not doing
what God
has commanded
us to do.
We're sinning
because we're
not doing
what God
has commanded
us to do,
and sins
of commission
are doing
what God
has commanded
us not
to do.
Many of
you probably
grew up
in churches
where the
pastor liked
to rattle
off the
top three
drinking,
smoking,
cursing,
which in
their proper
context may
or may not
be sinful.
All three
of those,
let's lift
off some of
the other
ones that
are almost
definitely
sinful in
every case.
We feel
like if we
just had the
list and
we're avoiding
certain activity,
then we're
living to God.
Not so,
beloved,
sins of
omission
and sins
of commission.
God's
children
recognize
we have
a loving
Father,
and we
obey
because
He loves
us.
Now,
is John
suggesting
that we
must be
perfectly
righteous?
No.
He is
not.
Back up
a couple
of chapters
to 1 John
chapter 1.
Once again,
strong language,
verses 5
through 10.
Beginning
of verse 5,
this is the
message that
we have
heard from
Him and
proclaimed to
you that
God is
light and
in Him is
no darkness
at all.
God is
perfect,
God is
holy.
If we say
we have
fellowship
with Him
while we
walk in
darkness,
practice
sin,
we lie
and do
not
practice
the
truth.
But if
we walk
in the
light as
He is
in the
light,
we have
fellowship
with one
another,
and the
blood of
Jesus'
Son cleanses
us from
all sin.
Verse 8.
Here we go.
If we say
we have
no sin,
if we say
we're
perfect,
if we say
we've
arrived,
we deceive
ourselves,
and the
truth is
not in
us.
If we
confess
our sins,
He is
faithful and
just to
forgive us
our sins
and to
cleanse us
from all
unrighteousness.
If we
say we
have not
sinned,
we make
Him a
liar,
and His
word is
not in
us.
So very
clearly John
is saying
that there
should be
a practice,
there should
be a
trend,
a trajectory
of our
lives.
Not
perfect,
but pressing
toward
perfection.
Verse 3,
once again,
of chapter 3,
and everyone
who thus
hopes in
Him,
in the
future
glory,
in the
future
perfection,
purifies
Himself
as He
is pure.
John's not
saying we
must be
perfect,
he's saying
pay careful
attention to
the pattern
of your
life.
A biblical
view of
sanctification is
called progressive
sanctification.
It means that
as we're
working,
God is
working in
us and
He's
moving us
bit by
bit,
degree by
degree,
one degree
of glory
to another
degree of
glory,
further up.
And that
doesn't mean
that if you
zoom in on
any moment
of your
life that
you're moving
upward at
that moment.
You could
zoom in on
a single day
of my life
and it
would look
like my
heartbeat.
But as we
back away,
I can say to
you that I
sin.
I sin
grievously
still before
God.
But if I
step back
and I look
at the way
in which
God is
working in
me,
I can see
that I
hate sin
more than
I did
yesterday.
And I
love
righteousness
more than
I did
yesterday.
I desire
to please
my Father.
I am
moved by
His great
love for
me.
I recognize
who I am
in Him
and I
press on.
Grieved
by my sin,
I repent
and I turn
back to
the Lord.
I press
to know
Him in
obedience.
So our
sanctification
is
progressive.
I do
not expect
perfect
obedience
from my
sons.
I hope
for it.
I really
hope for
it.
But I
don't expect
it.
In fact,
I expect
the opposite
to be
true and
I bring
correction
when that
happens.
But never
is it
okay.
I say,
son,
why did
you not
do the
thing I
asked you
to do?
And they
go,
you're
going to
feel like
it.
The
retribution
is
swift.
So John
is saying
pay careful
attention
to the
pattern
of your
life.
Jesus
tells us
how to
recognize
the
regenerate
in Matthew
7,
17 and
18.
So every
healthy tree
bears good
fruit,
but the
diseased
tree bears
bad fruit.
Apples
don't grow
on pear
trees.
A healthy
tree cannot
bear bad
fruit,
nor can
a diseased
tree bear
good fruit.
He's talking
about pattern
of our
life.
Peter
exhorts us
to the
activity of
self-examination
in 2 Peter
chapter 1
verse 10.
He says,
therefore,
brothers,
be all the
more diligent
to confirm
your calling
and election.
For if you
practice these
qualities,
you will
never fail.
And these
qualities he's
referred to
previously in
chapter 1,
faith,
virtue,
knowledge,
self-control,
steadfastness,
godliness,
brotherly affection,
and love.
So he's
given us a
list of
qualities,
and he's
saying,
pick these
qualities up
and roll
them around,
meditate on
them.
Are these
characteristic
of your
life?
Faith,
virtue,
knowledge,
self-control,
steadfastness,
godliness,
brotherly affection,
love.
Peter says to
us,
don't flip to
the front of
your Bible and
write down the
date you
walked down
an aisle.
He says be
diligent to
confirm your
calling and
election by
these qualities.
Verse 10,
1 John 3,
by this it
is evident.
By what?
A date?
A particular
activity?
The characteristic
of your life?
By this it is
evident who
are the
children of
God and
who are
the children
of the
devil.
Whoever does
not practice
righteousness is
not from
God,
nor is the
one who
does not
love his
brother.
And I love
as John is
about to launch
into a
wonderful chapter
on love,
he mentions it,
Peter mentions it,
in chapter 1,
love is the
most defining
characteristic of
the Christian
person.
Jesus says in
John 13,
35,
by this all
people will
know that you
are my
disciples if
you have
love for
one another.
God,
I never want
to stand up
here and
cause you to
doubt your
salvation unless
that's the
very thing you
need.
I care about
your souls
deeply.
I know many
of you this
room very well,
some of you I
don't know at
all, I'm seeing
faces I've never
seen before,
but I see you
as eternal and I
care about you
immensely.
Be diligent to
examine yourself,
make sure that
you are in the
faith, and if
you will not
repent and
believe, place
your hope in the
righteousness of
Christ that he
would grant it
to you.
So we are to
measure out
our lives.
Jesus is our
great example.
We are to
conform to
him.
And certainly
as we see love
as the most
defining characteristic
of the Christian
persons, he is
the high example
of love.
As Jesus'
hands and his
feet were pounded
onto a cross,
and as he hung
for our sins,
experiencing so
much more than
we could possibly
imagine the
physical anguish
of hanging on
that cross, he
bore God's
wrath on our
behalf.
Wes and Liz
sang for us
this morning how
deep the
Father's love
for us.
And I love
that they
worked so
hard at
being so
precise, even
at the expense
of changing
lyrics.
There's a line,
I think it's in
the second
verse, it
says, it
was my
sin that
held him
there, Jesus
on the cross.
And I don't
think that's
entirely inaccurate
to say that,
but I like that
they changed the
lyric to it.
It was his
love that
held him
there.
Jesus
restrained
all the
power of
heaven to
come and
pluck him
off that
cross.
He set
them at
bay that
he might
die for
us.
Two quotes
from Charles
Spurgeon for
you, I
think they're
both on
your bulletin.
The Christian
should take
nothing short
of Christ
for his
model.
Beloved, do
not compare
yourself to
one of your
Christian friends
that you look
up to.
Do not
compare
yourself to
a Christian
celebrity.
Please don't
compare yourself
to me.
Hold up
Christ as
your example
and let's
press together
towards him.
Aim at the
highest conceivable
degree of
holiness.
And though you
will not be
perfect, never
excuse yourselves
because you
are not.
So as those
who have been
redeemed by
Christ, we
worship him
through gospel
character, conforming
to him, both
in private and
in public.
If you are in
Christ, you
will desire to
worship him in
all matters of
your life.
Your concern is
not the approval
of man, but the
approval of God.
God.
He wants all of
you because he
loves you and
because he knows
what is good for
you.
That includes the
thoughts in your
mind and the
feelings that you
feel and the
motivations behind
your activity.
Don't merely dress
yourself up and
look righteous on
the outside.
The Pharisees
were condemned
for that, for
being whitewashed
tombs, but
inside dead.
Be introspective.
Know yourself.
Know why you
do what you
do.
Why you think
what you think.
Why you feel
what you feel and
bring all of
that into
conformity with
Christ.
Matthew
chapter 22.
A lawyer, in
order to trick
Jesus, asks him
in verse 36,
Teacher, which
is the greatest
commandment in
the law?
And Jesus
replies, you
shall love the
Lord your God
with all your
heart and with
all your soul and
with all your
mind.
All of you.
Every bit of
you.
Verse 38, this
is the great and
first commandment
and a second is
like it.
You shall love
your neighbor as
yourself.
On these two
commandments
depend or
hang all the
law and the
prophets.
They're all
fulfilled in
these two
commandments.
Give all of
yourself to God
and give all of
yourself to your
neighbors.
Our identity
permeates all
that we are and
therefore all
that we do.
Beloved, I am
not Nathan who
is a husband
and a father.
I used to
use things like
rock climber and
whitewater paddler
but I don't do
those things anymore
because I'm
getting old.
A hunter.
I do some
hunting now.
Oh, and a
Christian.
Oh, and on
Sundays I like to
participate with
the church.
church.
I am a Christian
who is named
Nathan.
Who is a
husband and a
father and a
pastor.
The list goes
on.
And it
permeates every
bit of who I
am.
Includes all of
it.
Thoughts,
feelings,
desires,
motivations,
concerns,
as well as
our activity.
Paul writes a
very curious
thing in 1
Corinthians 10
verse 31.
So whether you
eat or drink
or whatever
you do,
do all to the
glory of God.
Paul here
suggests that we
can work and
recreate and
rest to the
glory of God.
That you can
drive your car,
mow your lawn,
do the dishes,
fold the laundry,
and change diapers
to the glory of
God.
I'm still working
on the last.
How?
How is all of
life aimed at
Him?
I think we
could talk at
length about
this, but in
brief this
morning,
Colossians 3.17,
Paul says,
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.
So I think in
the simplest
way, as we
consider how
is it that we
can bring all
of our life
into conformity
with Christ,
we can worship
God with all
that we do,
even in the
mundane things
of life,
that we have
the proper
attitude.
We have the
right motivation,
and that is
that we are
thankful for
the redemptive
work of
Christ.
We recognize
that we have
our very being
because of
Him,
and it is for
Him that we
exist,
even doing the
mundane things
of life.
When we're called
to follow Christ,
we are not called
to stop brushing
our teeth.
God's
glory.
We've talked
the last couple
of weeks about
the member
health survey
that we sent
out at the
end of the
summer.
I may have
been misreporting
how many
responses we
had of all
the members
of our
church.
We had 64
responses
total.
And there
were two
questions that I
want to share
the responses
to with you.
I keep calling
them questions,
their statements
with agreeance
or disagreeance
answers.
So the first
statement,
number 17,
I have grown
in holiness
over the past
year.
You get the
drive of that
question,
what we're
trying to get
at.
Do you
perceive that
you have
grown in
holiness over
the past
year?
Are you,
in fact,
being
sanctified?
And by
and large,
most people
in our
congregation
said they
agree or
strongly
agree.
Praise the
Lord.
I can
understand
being in
the agree
category.
Strongly
agree is
pretty strong,
right?
Some of you
would never
answer strongly
agree.
But a
good high
percentage
agree or
strongly
agree.
Four members
of our
church said
disagree.
They have
not grown in
holiness over
the past
year.
Fourteen
said,
I'm not
sure.
I don't
know if I
have or
haven't.
So 18
people of
these 64
members of
our church
see no
upper
trajectory.
Does that
mean they're
outside the
faith?
Not
necessarily.
They very
well could
be and
they're just
having a
bad year.
We've got to
zoom to the
right spot
in that
diagram of
their trajectory
toward
holiness.
But they
may also
need to
really
consider,
do they
practice
sin?
Are they
characterized
by
sinfulness?
Or are
they
characterized
by
righteousness?
Maybe a
bit more
telling.
Statement
18,
I do
not
commit
any
particular
sin
habitually.
Let's
cycle back
through the
same thing.
Which I
would suggest
to you is a
sign that
there's no
real repentance
for that
sin at
least.
A little
more
telling.
Five
people
strongly
disagreed
with that
statement.
18,
disagreed.
12,
weren't
sure.
35 total
people that
responded to
the survey
that are
members of
our church,
54.7%
seem to
be a
particular
sin.
The same
thing over
and over
and over.
If you
find yourself
in that
number as
members of
our church
or if you're
a non-member
and you
find yourself
relating to
that,
you need
to consider
carefully
weigh the
position of
your soul.
If you do
not have a
confidence that
you are in
Christ,
repent and
believe.
In closing,
I want to
read to you
from Colossians
chapter 3,
verse 5 and
14.
And I want
you,
you can turn
there if you
would like,
you can just
close your eyes
and listen to
me as I
read it.
I want you
to consider
what characterizes
your life.
This list by
Paul of
things to
put to
death or
to put
off and
things to
put on.
Where do
you find
yourself moving
toward?
Some of you
might be
brand new
believers.
No one's
expecting
perfection of
you.
We're just
expecting
motion toward
God, away
from sin.
Beginning
in verse 5,
Paul writes,
put to death
therefore what
is earthly
in you.
sexual
immorality,
impurity,
passion,
evil desire,
and covetousness
which is
idolatry.
On account
of these,
the wrath of
God is
coming.
In these,
you too
once walked
when you
were living
in them.
But now
you must
put them
all away.
Anger,
wrath,
malice,
slander,
and obscene
talk from
your mouth.
Do not
lie to one
another,
seeing that
you have put
off the
old self
with its
practices
and have
put on
the new
self
which is
being renewed
in knowledge
after the
image of
its creator.
Here there
is not
Greek or
Jew,
circumcised
and uncircumcised,
barbarian,
Scythian,
slave,
free,
but Christ
is all
and in
all.
Put on
then,
as God's
chosen ones,
holy and
beloved,
compassionate
hearts,
kindness,
humility,
meekness,
and patience,
bearing with
one another,
and if one
has a complaint
against another,
forgiving each
other as the
Lord has
forgiven you,
so you also
must forgive.
And above all
these,
put on
love,
which binds
everything together
in perfect
harmony.
So how do we
put off
and put on?
Start with the
Scripture.
Start with
knowing God's
good commands
for us.
We're not
antinomians,
which means
without the
law.
We recognize
that God's
given us
instruction
and that we
should obey
God's good
instruction.
And we pray.
We turn that
to prayer
in desperation
that God
would move
and work
in us
as we
work.
This is our
gospel conviction.
We're in
fellowship with
other Christians
and accountable
to one another.
Gathering in
settings like
this,
but not just
this.
Sunday morning
sermons are
important,
but they're
not enough.
Gathering with
community groups
that you might
know people
and be known
and even
more centered
to that,
what we're
going to start
calling core
groups.
If you're
meeting with
a couple
of individuals
and you're
getting it
in,
you're
confessing
sin to
one another.
You're
really,
really known
by a couple
of guys
or a couple
of girls.
Fellowship,
gospel,
community.
Obedience.
You just
begin to do
the things
that God
has commanded
you to do.
If you are
His,
I can promise
you,
you will be
empowered for
that activity.
Get up
and start
doing it.
This is your
gospel character.
Next week we'll
talk about
gospel proclamation
which I would
suggest to you
is also a
defining characteristic
of who we
are in Christ
and that is
our gospel
commission.
I hope
this morning
my prayer
and as I'm
about to
pray
is that you
will recognize
that God
has given
to you
as His
child
a path
to walk.
And if you
are not
on that
path,
the answer
is to repent
and believe.
Whether you're
in the faith
or not,
if you are
righteous in
Christ,
you still
need to
repent
of that
sin
and get
back on
that path.
You may
find that
you're going
in the
opposite
direction
altogether.
Repent
and believe
in Christ.
Let's pray.
Thank you.