The Casual Believer

Matthew 6:24 NASB

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

In todays text we are going to see Paul reiterate Jesus teaching in Matthew. I specifily used the NASB for this verse because I believe it is the more correct translation of Jesus words. Most new translations say you cannot serve God and money.

While this is true, translating it this way removes some of the weight and strips the supernatural worldview from the text.

Mammon in the ancient near east was the chaldean god of wealth or earthly pursuits. He was also one the god of the underworld or death. Notice the connection between those two ideas. The seeking after the wealth of this world or personal happiness and death. Those who put more emphasis on achieving earthly goals or pursuits measured by time and effort than on God’s kingdom are acting as agents of mammon instead of Agents of God kingdom

Mark 8:36 CSB

36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life?

Now in our text today we are going to see this same idea, choosing your master will either lead to sin and death or righteousness and life.

Does the pattern of your life look more like you worship Mammon or Yahweh. Are you seeking your will or His?

So today Paul gives us some questions to help us be honest about who or what we are serving.

The first question is one of attitude

I. Am I casual toward sin?

Romans 6:14–15 CSB

14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace. 15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not!

Do you find yourself not taking holiness seriously because of the grace of God?

Do you live your life as if obedience is optional?

Do you make excuses or justify your lack of obedience?

Now when the scriptures talk about obedience they are not just talking about the negative aspect of it. In other words the “thou shalt nots”. Obedience to Christ will produce not only a removal of sin but a humble response to the mission of Christ with your life. One cannot be a mature follower of Christ if he/she is not not adding to thier lives greater and greater obedience. Greater and Greater sacrifice of oneself.

In fact those that claim Christ as their savior but live in active disobedience to his mission cannot claim to love him.

If you love me, keep my commandments..

If a person does not love Christ as evidenced by thier obedience, then they must have an ungrateful heart. But Pastor Brett what about Grace? Listen to this quote by Derek Kidner

No amount of emphasis on grace can justify taking liberties with God, for the very concept of grace demands gratitude; and gratitude cannot be casual.

Derek Kidner

It is impossible to rebel against the kingdom mission and then claim gratitude for ones salvation. Show me a person that is truly grateful for thier salvation and I will show you a person that is using thier time, gifts, and talents to serve the Lord.

Over the years I have noticed that thier is a grave misunderstanding about the calling of God on our lives to serve. An attitude that permeates the modern American church is that if I am meant to serve in an area then I will want to do it and always enjoy it.

Can I prove to you in one verse why this is not true?

Matthew 26:39 CSB

39 Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

As some of you have already recognized these are the anguished words, of our Savior in the garden of Gethsemane right before his crucificixion.

If your attidue in life isn’t not “Yet not as I will, but as you will” then you will live your life outside of the mission. You will live your life in rebellion.

But let’s be clear on something there is Joy in serving God.

Hebrews 12:2 CSB

2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The joy isn’t aways in the action but to the grateful believer the joy comes from being a part of the work of God. It comes from bringing glory to God. This is how a believer can do something they would rather not do but do it with Joy.

Application: In what way are you actively pursueing obedient service to your king?

Not its time to get a little more personal. It is my hearts desire for everyone of you to experience the joy of serving Christ. but here is the truth of where we are as a church. There is a relatively small group of people fully employing thier gifts and talents to serve here. This is not me being angry or mean but as your pastor I must tell you truth of the matter..… Our greatest servants in this church has been many of our senior adults.

Many of them have served faithfully for many many years. I can see in their eyes the earnest desire to keep going but for some of them thier bodies simply will not let them. Senior saints (don’t you dare feel guilty about that) But some as they have run this race are now coming to the end of thier relays leg. They are now looking behind them with the baton outstretched to hand it off to the next runner and they are finding that no one is there. The next runners don’t seem to be coming.

We hear time an time again these two reasons. I do not have time, yet statistically adults are spending an average of 2.5 h hrs a day on social media and many more playing games and watching tv.

Because of these addictions to entertainment many people are drowning in thier responsibilites. Many feel like they are so far behind in life all the time and they don’t even realize the amount of time they are wasting. So there for they conclude the next statment.

it is not my calling...

Who’s calling is it?

If calling is always paired with desire than Jesus shouldn’t have died. If calling is always paired with desire then why do we need to say “not my will but yours be done”

If God has lead us all to be here together in this church, then woudn’t it make since that carrying out the mission of Christ in this local body would be all of our callings? Sometimes the calling is simply the need.

Truly , I just want you to know the joy of serving Christ. The Joy that comes from denying self (sin) and serving Christ.

your missing out on so much more than just a good time with the people around you. Your missing out on opportunities to experience both blessing and joy. Your missing out an opportunitites to be part of a greater movement of God, Your missing out on opportunities to be an example to your kids to serve when its hard or not desired.

When I first came here as your pastor, we quickly came to a crossroads of what is the purpose and mission of the church? Church we are once again at a crossroads… Except this time is not about the purpose of the church but rather you are going to be obedient to the mission.

Are you going to be loyal your busy way of life, entertainment addictions, or are you willing to sacrifice some activity for the sake of loyalty to Christ and his church?

This brings us to the next question. A question of loyalty...

The next question is own of loyalty.

II. Am I Casual in my loyalty to Christ?

Over the last sever weeks we discussed Paul’s argument for how everything is gained through Christ because of His sacrifice on the cross. Because of this we owe Christ our obedience and fidelity.

We should not be casual about our commitment to Christ.

Romans 6:16–21 CSB

16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over, 18 and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. 21 So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death.

the word “offer” here is an interesting one. It doesn’t suggest a change in ownership, but rather a lending out.

In other words, if your car breaks down and I offer to let you use mine. There is no change in ownership, but rather a temporary change in the driver.

Paul is not suggesting that when we disobey Christ that we are no longer his. That somehow ownership has been transferred back to the enemy but rather we have loaned ourselves out to be under the temporary service of the evil one. In other words You are offering to obey a master that no longer has a claim on you and you are doing it for free. Christ will reward you for your service the enemy will only attempt to destroy you.

Instead of your life being used as a weapon for God you loan yourself out to be used as a weapon for evil.

You see Paul is giving us this illustration of weaponry to drive further the point of number one. A loyal citizen of the kingdom of heaven will be obedient.

Sin both not obeying the mission and disobeying his commands.

It should horrify the blood bought Christian to think that he could be offering himself as a weapon against Christ. Loyalty is proven through a longterm obedience to the commands and mission of the King.

Application: So are you loyal to Christ or are you still producing the fruit of death?

So then what is the alternative. Well Paul gives us another question to consider.

III. Am I casual in my daily commitment to Christ?

Romans 6:17 “17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over,”

Notice the language here… You used to be slaves to sin.

Romans 6:18 CSB

18 and having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

Romans 6:19–22 CSB

19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. 21 So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. 22 But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life!

Again the past tense “and having been set free from sin”

Why does Paul use this imagery of slavery to illustrate our relationship with God?

The answer is more simple than you think....because we were purchased with the blood of Christ.

We were purchased from a dark master who’s goal was to see all those who are created in the image of God languish away in the agony of sin and death. When we think of earthly slave maseters those who forced thier salves to live in deplorable conditions of filth and sickness we feel ill that anyone could force another human being to live in conditions like this.

So in a very real since the master of all the universe looked down upon humanities plight of filth and death. With great love and compassion He purchased us with his own blood. So that we no longer have an evil master but a righteous king. To be enslaved to a righteous loving king is not one of misery and death but one of life and love. Our service to this master should bring us great joy.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 CSB

19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

So this moring I asked you 3 questions

What is your attitude toward sin?

Are you loyal to Christ?

Are you offering yourself fully to Christ?