The Key to Living the Christian Life

Opening illustration:

If you are like me, you have a key ring with lots of keys. Some keys I have no idea where they go. I obviously don’t need them. The problem is they resemble keys that I do need. It never fails when I’m trying to unlock a door, I will choose a key I don’t need first.

When it comes to living the Christian life there are all sorts of keys people will offer you. This can be frustrating.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues

Come to this conference

Worship in this church because they have a certain type of music

Come join our group

Paul gives us the ley to living the Christian life as chapter 12 opens.

We see a major shift in the book.

1-11 was deep doctrine

12-16 is practical living

We might say:

1-11 is doctrine (mind)

12-16 is duty (will)

As Paul opens this section on living the Christian life he begins with the most basic step. If this step is skipped, you will be a frustrated believer.

I’m going to draw to major points from this text:

1) There must be a presentation of the Christian’s life to God.

2) There must be an ongoing transformation of the Christian by God.

1. There must be a presentation of the Christian’s life to God (1).

A. The urgency of the hour should encourage us to present ourselves to God.

“I appeal to you brothers”

There is a great need for Christians to live for God.

“therefore”-Paul just gave them 11 chapters of theology. He gave them information. He wants to be sure it doesn’t end there.

Most people who go to church have no intention of learning something they need to practice.

Informed but not transformed

Know but not grow.

Listen folks- God cares how we live. He didn’t reveal Himself to us so we would only know more than the world does. He revealed Himself to us so we would be salt & light.

We need people to live for God!

Why does the preacher plead with the people to live for God?

1) To confirm your salvation- You will wonder if there is no fruit.

2) The gravity of the work- This is the greatest work.

3) To keep you from discipline.

B. The mercies of God should motivate us to present ourselves to God.

Love of God

Forgiveness of God

Righteousness of God

Adoption of God

The faithfulness of God

The promises of God

The Spirit of God

God has given us so much.

Think often of your salvation:

1) How He saved you- the cross.

2) Where He found you- church, rehab center, dirt road. You have a testimony.

3) What He has kept you from- Who you are today.

4) What will happen when you die- God has told you exactly what will happen.

“your bodies”= yourself. Everything about you.

Your mouth

Your hands

Your feet

“A living sacrifice”

Only Christians can present themselves to God. We have been given spiritual life.

Living refers to our time in this world. It will be easy to live for God when we are dead. There is no sacrifice needed. The sacrifice is now, while we live in this world.

The point being we are always on the altar. A dead sacrifice is removed from an altar. This living sacrifice remains there for God.

Now is the time to sacrifice ourselves for God.

You can’t resist the devil in heaven.

You can’t fight the good fight in heaven.

You can’t resist the lure of the world in heaven.

Today is the day of sacrifice.

Illust. Imagine we have a workday at church. We plan to all have a meal together when we’re done. We work hard all day. When the table is set a young man with full strength shows up to eat. We’re all looking at him sideways, aren’t we?

That’s some folks plan for heaven.

C. Simple logic should motivate us to present ourselves to God.

“Spiritual worship” “Spiritual” = logikos

We get our word “logic” from it. KJV translates it as reasonable.

Translated spiritual because a truly spiritual person would recognize how reasonable it is that we offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice to God.

Worship- your life is now an act of worship. Everything you do is to God’s glory.

You live a holy life that is acceptable to God.

Does it make sense to live for God? Is it logical?

Illust. Me sick with covid. Three weeks of pain, sorrow, helplessness. Locked up in a room. Throughout the day the door would open. I would feel Jennifer’s hand on my head. I could sense her concern. I’d never been really sick before. During that time, I realized how much my wife loves me. Only logical to conclude this woman deserves my devotion.

When you read chapters 1-11 it is only logical to conclude that God deserves your devotion.

Listen: You will never have more of God than you have right now. The question is how much of you does God have?

God has your soul.

Does God have your body?

If not, what are you afraid of?

Give yourself wholly to God.

You say, “I did”.

Keep doing it. A living sacrifice will crawl off the altar. We must place ourselves back on the altar each morning.

Are you living your life or God’s life?

2. There must be an ongoing transformation of the Christian by God (2).

A. Transformation requires resistance.

“Do not be conformed”

Implies there is an attempt to confirm you.

“to this world” the goal is to get you to think, act and look like the world.

“world” = a system opposed to God.

The world is constantly pressuring you to conform to its standards.

How do you shape something? You put pressure on it. The world puts pressure on you primarily to think the wrong way.

It’s never been easier for the world. We have a steady stream of worldly ideas pumped to us via the internet. Our minds are so filled with garbage we are of little use to the kingdom of God.

Illust. I used to have a boat that leaked. It leaked badly. I would spend my time dipping water out of the boat. This would interfere with my fishing.

As Christians we are to be in the world but not of the world. That means the boat is in the water, but the water is not in the boat. If water is in the boat, we are in trouble. We spend our time keeping ourselves from sinking rather than being fishers of men.

When the worlds ideas assault us, we are to resist them.

“I’m not going to believe that. I’m going to believe the Word of God.”

I’m afraid that too many Christians resist the Word rather than resisting the world.

Hours in silence on an app or binge watching a series on Netflix.

Struggle to sit thirty minutes beneath the teaching of God’s Word.

What do you resist more, friend? The Word or the world?

Illust. I’ve shared before that I had a problem with talk radio. I listened to it too much. It was conforming me. I was too political. I was mad. I got convicted and had to remove it from my life. It was not easy, but it sure got easier!

Illust. If you are a person who uses social media a lot here is a test for you.

Most apps use an algorithm. Not a math problem. An algorithm is a program that recognizes your behavior online. The things you look at, share, like. It will then pump more content like that to you. This keeps you online longer.

Before you know it you have watched hours of content around a subject matter. It consumes you. It shapes the way you think. We must resist these things. Moderation in all things.

B. Transformation is through the renewal of the mind.

Transformed at salvation.

Transformation is an ongoing process (sanctification).

Sanctification requires a renewal of the mind.

2 Cor. 4:16

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Your mind will try and revert to the old way. It must be renewed. It is renewed by the Word of God. This requires daily bread.

You can resist the world but if you don’t renew the mind transformation won’t occur.

Illust. People going to Haiti. There was no internet. We had times of devotion daily, Scripture memorization, journaling, etc. Almost always people would grow tremendously in only 4 or 5 days.

Sensitive to the Spirit

Thankful to the Lord

Friendly

Insightful

Imagine if we did this here!

Out of the world!

Into the Word!

Try it for a week, friend. You’ll be a new person.

The instrument of conformity is the world.

The instrument of transformation is the Word.

Which is impacting us more?

C. Transformation results in knowing and doing the will of God.

“testing” discovering the worth of something.

You resist the world

You are renewed by the Word

You know how to live for God.

When you put the Word of God into practice you discover life is much better.

The will of God is good, acceptable and perfect.

Listen: A transformed mind will result in a transformed will. A transformed will chooses to live in obedience to God.

What is the key to the Christian life?

Give yourself fully to God.

Resist the advances of the world.

Immerse yourself in God’s Word so you can be daily transformed into the image of Jesus.

A living sacrifice.

Illust. If a person were to get saved, begin preaching an immediately suffer martyrdom we would rightly say he had given the ultimate sacrifice.

That’s not normally how it is. Many of you would probably die for your faith it you were put on the spot.

The question is will you be a living sacrifice?

We think of sacrifice like giving $100,000 to the Lord all at one time.

A living sacrifice is more like this. We take that $100,000 to the bank and exchange it for one’s. Each day use a dollar here and five dollars there for the glory of God. It takes much longer to give that &100,000 to the Lord.

That’s what it’s like to be a living sacrifice. Each day we sacrifice ourselves for the Lord. It’s not a one-time thing. It is each day we live. That is much more difficult, and it is the key to living for Christ.