Balanced Living
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
Over the past month or so, we've been in a season of transition, focusing on topics related to current events… Based on the feedback we've received, it seems this has been a meaningful opportunity for many to gain valuable insights and a biblical perspective on the events shaping our world over the past several years, and more specifically,… in recent months.
We’ve looked at “Lessons from Israel” and contrasted their challenges and failures as a nation, with our own challenges and failures as a nation.... We’ve looked at a Biblical response to the LGBTQ movement… and even last week, with our Missionary speaker, we were reminded of the downward spiral that our nation is in and our responsibility as individuals, to be actively serving God, in whatever capacity that we are capable, in order to get the gospel out to as many people as we can, starting with our next door neighbors.
And so, as we look at the wicked world around us, we can't help but recognize the increasing darkness and moral decay that seem to pervade every corner of society. From the headlines in the news to the struggles we see in our own communities, it's evident that the world is moving further away from God's truth.
Yet, as believers, this shouldn't lead us to despair, but rather to action. The brokenness we witness is a reminder of the urgent need for the gospel. It's a call for us to shine brighter, to live with greater intentionality, and to be unwavering in our commitment to stand for righteousness.
In the face of such wickedness, we must remember that we are not powerless… we carry the hope of Christ, the only true solution for the sin and suffering in the world. This is our moment to respond with faith, love, and boldness, knowing that even in the midst of a wicked world, God is still at work, and He has called us to be a part of His redemptive plan.
The question is; How do we live in a world that increases in it’s wickedness on a daily basis?… … How do we, as followers of Christ, stay separate from the wickedness without locking ourselves in our houses until the day Jesus calls us home?… … How do we become like the ones who Christ was praying for in John 17:16 where He said “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” … … How do we follow the instructions of the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2 “… do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” … … How do we follow that?… How do we achieve that status of “Proving what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”??…
The answer… as the sermon title suggests is … “Balanced Living” … “Navigating the World Without Losing Your Soul” …
Our main Scripture this morning is found in 1 John chapter 2… Turn there in your Bibles, if you haven’t already… our main verses are 15-17, but I will start in v.12…
(Read vv. 12-17)
Meat:
I want to share four principles of balanced living with you this morning… … my hope in sharing these is that you will be better equipped to Navigate through this World, without losing your soul… As we talked about a couple of weeks ago in our Sunday evening discipleship class… While we as believers are forgiven and redeemed through Jesus Christ, ongoing sin (a worldly lifestyle) can have serious consequences, including the potential for an early physical death (the loss of your soul)… This does not mean that you lose your salvation, but your soul is removed from your physical body, and your life here on Earth will be done. This can occur through natural consequences of sinful actions, divine discipline, or a gradual spiritual decline leading to harmful decisions.
Scripture is full of warnings that underscore the importance of repentance, holy living, and reliance on the Holy Spirit to resist sin (to resist the lust of the world) and pursue righteousness.
With that in mind… Lets look at the…
Principles of Balanced Living:
First of all… we are to
1. Be IN not OF the World
1. Be IN not OF the World
God wants us to live in the world, but not like the world. We are to be involved in the same things as the world… working, building relationships, interacting with society… However, the way we do these things should exemplify God and not the world. To be in the world and not of the world means that our identity, values, and purposes are shaped by God’s Word, not by the shifting morals and pressures of society.
Being in the world, but not of it, also means recognizing that we are here on mission…
Turn in your Bibles to John 17… … Here we find Jesus praying for His disciples and for every other believer that would come after them.... that’s us…
Read vv. 13-18 … add in 19-20… v.20 - That’s us!…
In reference to His disciples, Jesus mentioned (more than once) that “they are not of the world”… and then in v.15 Jesus specifically says this “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world...”
Jesus is affirming the importance of believers remaining in the world for a specific purpose… and what is that purpose??… To share the Gospel… If Jesus would’ve taken His followers home to Heaven at the same time that He ascended from the Mount, then there wouldn’t have been anyone to share the gospel with the rest of the world.
And that’s the same reason that we are not automatically taken to Heaven as soon as we put our faith in Christ… because we have the same mission… God wants us to be in the world as messengers. We are not to live in fear of the world, nor are we to be overwhelmed by its brokenness. Instead, we are to recognize that we are here for a purpose, and that God will strengthen us and protect us as we carry out His will.
The world, with all its challenges, is the place where our faith is tested, refined, and ultimately displayed. Jesus does not ask for our escape from it but prays for our endurance in it, trusting that through our witness, more people will come to know Him.
Hebrews 11, speaking of Abraham, says...
9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
We as believers, like Abraham, are called to live faithfully and obediently in the world, even while we wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises. This also shows the importance of balancing the world’s challenges and opportunities while maintaining a heavenly perspective and trust in God's ultimate plan.
Many professing Christians today have started to not only live in the world, but have also started to become more like the world. As they start to make little compromises on a regular basis, before they realize it, they are caught up in alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual immorality, homosexuality, filthy language, irregular church attendance… They have forgotten that yes, Jesus sat with the sinners, but He did not sin with sinners…
Paul writing to young Titus gives us the standard…
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Brothers and sisters, we are to be in the world and not of the world.
Secondly… and this is similar to the first principle… but We are to…
2. Be Separated, not Isolated
2. Be Separated, not Isolated
Spiritual separation means - we live by God’s standards, pursuing holiness, and resisting the sinful influences of the world.
We’ve kind of touched on this already… We are here for a reason… and as often as we’d like to lock all of our doors and not deal with the world at all, that is not what God wants us to do…
Though the world is full of sin and spiritual danger, God’s intention is not to isolate His people from the realities of earthly life... Rather, He desires that we live separated (or different) from the world, as agents of change, demonstrating the love, truth, and power of the gospel of Christ.
As the world gets darker, the Light of the Gospel will shine brighter and those who are living separated from the world will start to stand out… but this is a good thing, because it will give us even more of an opportunity to share Christ… Peter says it this way… 1 Peter 3:15-17
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
When others see how we react to different situations (as long as we are reacting in a God honoring way), it serves as a testimony of our faith.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
We are to live separately, but not isolated from the world. We must have regular contact with people of the world so that our words and actions can point them to Christ.
It is this principle right here that made the Pharisees but heads with Jesus on a regular basis… You see, the Pharisees practiced Isolationism so that they wouldn’t have to deal with the filth of the sinners. They were the inventors of the “Holier than thou” attitude.
But that is not the example that we see from Christ…
Look at Luke 5.... … (Read vv.29-32)
We cannot minister to those in need if we isolate ourselves from them… I believe the Pharisees mistook Jesus’ compassion on sinners, as Jesus ignoring their sin. When in reality, it was because of their sin that He spent so much time with them, hoping that they would see their need of the salvation that He was offering.
We need to remember that we were once lost in our sin as well, but by the grace of God and someone willing to live separated but not isolated, sharing the gospel with us, we have been redeemed.
The next principle of balanced living… is that we need to recognize that we are…
3. Fighting a Spiritual Battle, not People
3. Fighting a Spiritual Battle, not People
This battle may be manifested through sinful people, but Ephesians 6 tells us what we are truly fighting against and lays out the power and weapons at our disposal that we are to fight with.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We are not fighting against people, but we are fighting against spiritual forces… … and these spiritual forces assert themselves on believers and unbelievers. The difference is, we as believers have the armor of God to use against these spiritual attacks, whereas the unbelievers are left to fight these attacks on their own…
We all understand how powerful temptation can be, and if we’re not fully relying on the Holy Spirit—if we’re not putting on the full armor of God—it becomes all too easy to give in… … So, is it any wonder how easily Satan can control someone who lacks the Holy Spirit and the protection of God's armor?… …
We need to realize that yes, we are in a battle… but we also need to realize who our opponents are. We battle with the evil, spiritual forces of Satan… and we need to see the people that he uses just as they are… a potential brother or sister in Christ.
Lastly this morning… We need to…
4. Live IN, not BY the Flesh
4. Live IN, not BY the Flesh
Our flesh is the physical body in which we live… and unfortunately, it is tainted by a sin nature. It is this sin nature that makes the world alluring to us. It is because of this sin nature that our flesh desires sinful things…
Paul talks about this in Romans 8… Turn there if you will… … … (Read vv. 5-11)
vv.6 & 7 give us a very dramatic contrast, that I don’t want you to miss… I’ll use the NASB, which says;
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
What Paul is saying is that when your mind is focused on the things of the flesh, you do not want to please God. But when your mind is focused on what the Holy Spirit would have you do… guess what… you will have a desire to please God.
Closing:
Which brings us right back to our main passage this morning…
1 John 2:15–17 “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Living a balanced life as a Christian means walking in the world with purpose… but not being drawn into its sinful patterns.... … It requires vigilance, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and the discipline to live by God’s standards,… not the world’s.
As we close today, let me ask you this… … Is there anything that is drawing your heart away from God today? This could be the lure of worldly success, a sinful pleasure, an issue of pride… this could be anger, hatred, resentment… perhaps it’s grief, fear, or anxiety that’s keeping you from fully trusting in Him.
Whatever it is, recognize that these things can quietly distance us from God, clouding our hearts and minds. Ask yourself: what am I holding onto that is preventing me from fully experiencing the love, peace, and presence of God? Today is the day to surrender those burdens and realign your heart with Christ, allowing Him to fill the space where the world has crept in.
Let’s commit to pursuing a life of balance—separated from sin... engaged with the lost… and empowered by the Spirit—so that we may faithfully fulfill our calling and live for God's glory…
Prayer: