Living for the Lord (Repreach)

Intro:

Good morning. (Mention parents being here).

This morning I’m preaching a requested sermon.

This is actually a repreach sermon - I preached this sermon some months back on a Sunday night (but a lot of our folks were not present), and somebody told me “that should have been a Sunday morning sermon. You need to repreach it on a Sunday morning.”

I’ve always been one to obey orders [ :D ], so that’s what we’re going to do, although I have “rebranded” it somewhat.

The sermon subject is “Living for the Lord,” and I first preached this at a Lectureship a while back and have enjoyed this subject matter very much.

The reason I enjoy this subject is because it really gets to the heart of the matter of Christianity;

Why are we here this morning?

To worship God in Spirit and in truth?

To humble ourselves and prostrate ourselves before a holy God in worship?

To learn more about that God that we worship?

And to encourage and edify one another as we do so?

For all of these reasons, we are here this morning, BUT ...

Make no mistake on this part .... .... .... If the worship that we’ve just described is the ONLY aspect of our Christian lives, and there’s just not much more to it when we leave this building, then we’re failing the battle that is true N.T. Christianity!

Where we really go out into the world and prove our Christianity is outside the four walls of this building:

The workplace,

At school,

At our places of amusement and entertainment,

and at home!

So that’s the heart of the point of the sermon this morning, and we want to begin by …

Asking Ourselves a Question:

And that question is: “What all comes to our minds when we say the words ‘Living for the Lord?’”

What all does that entail?

Well, that’s actually the wrong question!

Because the right question is “What does living for the Lord NOT entail?!”

The answer is that EVERYTHING in our lives should be dictated by the fact that we are … LIVING FOR THE LORD!

Colossians 3:17 - “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Colossians 3:23 - “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men!”

Isn’t it the case that our lives are full of DOING?

Furthermore, isn’t it the case that we are to be DOERS of the Word, and not hearers only, (deceiving ourselves) (James 1:22)?!

So a good followup question, then, we need to be asking ourselves often is — “What am I DOING?”

Specifically, “What am I doing for the Lord?”

Every facet of our lives should be characterized by the fact that we are Christians!

Entertainment choices — “Will my Lord approve of this?” (Would you want to be caught watching this or listening to that when the trumpets sound and the Lord returns?)

Attire - “Will my Lord approve of this?” (Would you want to be caught WEARING that when the trumpet sounds and the Lord returns?)

Speech - “Will my Lord approve of these words I have a habit of saying?”

Actions - “Will my Lord approve of what I’m doing?”

Thoughts - “Will my Lord approve of what I’m thinking?”

And the places I go - “Will my Lord approve of that?”

The blessed man in Psalm 1:

Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly (that’s a place)!

Nor stands in the path of sinners (that’s a place),

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful (that’s a place, too).

And brethren, there are certain places I won’t get into that Christians have no business going around (unless they’re there trying to win sinners to Christ)!

Let’s turn to Romans chapter 12, and let’s discuss the Christian’s metamorphoo (from which we get the English word “metamorphosis!”

The Christian Metamorphosis - Romans 12:

By the way, when is the difficult part over when it comes to converting a Christian?

The initial Bible study that leads to one becoming a Christian? (Sometimes that can be very difficult)

The repentance? (Definitely difficult)

The baptism? (That’s actually the easy part, unless we let our pride get in the way!)

To me though, the most difficult part has to be what comes AFTERWARD — The lifelong process that is Christian growth and discipleship!

Don’t miss that when you read the great commission in Matt. 28:18-20! **(MAKE DISCIPLES)** (which involves DISCIPLINE, same root word!) (Both self-discipline and CHURCH discipline, by the way!)

Matthew 28:18–20 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Back to Romans 12 — This is such an important chapter!

I’ve sometimes heard Acts 2 called “the hub of the Bible” for all of its importance.

I think of other really important chapters like Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount), and many others.

We might call Romans 12 “where the rubber meets the road’ for the Christian.

Romans 6 and Colossians 2 describe the new birth process of a person dying to self, being buried in water, and coming up out of the watery grave of baptism a new creation in Christ!

That’s the starting point!

“The starting line,” we might say!

You’ve got to finish the race though, not just start it!

So let’s look at Romans chapter 12, which I hope will be one of your most visited chapters in your Bible!

(Read and comment as you go).

Verses 1-2:

Beseech - beg!

A living sacrifice - Gal. 2:20.

Holy - “Be ye holy, for I am holy” we’re told repeatedly in Scripture!

Acceptable to God? - What does that imply? (It implies that many [most!] live UNACCEPTABLY before God!)

Do not be conformed to the world - This is hard!

It’s not easy because we are IN the world, and the world doesn’t like us!

In fact, Jesus said that if the world HATES us, know that it hated HIM first (John 15:18)!

When’s the last time you looked at the context of that famous verse John 3:16? (Turn in Bible and read John 3:16-21)!

Transformed - Metamorphoo!

The renewing of your mind - That’s where it all starts!

You’ve got to change your mindset if you are ever going to become a Christian!

And you’ve got to change your mindset if you are ever going to GROW as a Christian and REMAIN a faithful Christian!

Think about this — an “unfaithful Christian” is an oxymoron almost (a term that contradicts itself by its very nature) — Because Christians are SUPPOSED to be faithful!

(Now, we know unfortunately that unfaithful Christians DO exist, and they’re going to be in trouble on the day of judgment! But unfaithful Christians should NOT exist if we were all living the way that God wanted us to live!)

WE know that Christians must continue to grow and not stagnate into unfaithfulness if we want to be with God in heaven one day!

(Read and comment quickly on rest of Romans 12).

A Final Point:

You cannot live for the Lord … and live in continual, unrepentant, willful sin!

Please hear me out as I repeat that — You cannot live for the Lord … and simultaneously live in continual, unrepentant, willful sin!

Grace is not a license to sin (Rom. 6:1-2a)!

We have to continue to walk in the light as He is in the light!

(Remember John 3:16-21?!)

1 John 1:5–10 NKJV

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, 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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

I want to really hone in on Hebrews 10:24-39 (Read in Bible).

Finally, 1 Cor. 6:9-11 and the lesson will be yours.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 NKJV

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

You cannot live for the Lord and refuse to repent of … fornication.

You cannot live for the Lord and refuse to repent of … idolatry.

You cannot live for the Lord and refuse to repent of … adultery. (Just like you cannot live for the Lord and refuse to repent of homosexuality, or anything else on this list, “or SUCH LIKE” [to borrow from Gal. 5:21!])

It’s very important for us as Christians to root out this ugly thing called SIN from our lives!

Will we ever get it perfect?

I don’t know a perfect person around except for Christ! (Do you?!)

But ask yourself, “Do I really and truly know Christ?!”

Because if you do … you’ll LIVE for Him!

(Offer invitation).