How then should we live-Morality
Notes
Transcript
Church family, we’ve been walking through a series that I believe is not only timely—but absolutely essential for the day we’re living in.
We are asking what every worldview must answer. These four core questions of life:
Origin — Where did we come from?
Meaning — Why are we here?
Morality — How then should we live?
Destiny — Where are we going?
And this morning we come to question number three:
How then should we live?
And I want to title today’s message that exact phrase in honor of Francis Schaeffer’s classic work:
“How Then Should We Live?”
Because if you’ve been paying attention to the direction of our culture,
The morality question is no longer a “side issue.” It is the battlefield.
It’s not just that people disagree about what’s right and wrong.
It’s that people now reject the idea that right and wrong even exist at all.
What I want to show you today is simple:
Morality is not a behavioral issue—
Rather, it is a heart issue.
Meaning, good morals don’t come from good behavior,
It comes from good spiritual roots
And so, moral fruit comes from spiritual roots.
43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
I want to begin with something that sounds funny at first—but has something dark underneath it.
(Tommy story)
(Tommy story)
I remember a cousin one time, trying to be funny
While entertaining an associate of his at my expense
He said something like:
“Lupe, is the preacher in the family… and I’m the devil!”
And the way he said it made everyone laugh.
And honestly, it probably was funny to them at the time.
But if we’re honest… the joke only worked because it reflects something we see everywhere today:
Sin is no longer confessed to, as a shame.
Sin is now worn as a badge of honor.
People act like being immoral is not only acceptable, but rather the cool, or in thing.
It’s like the world is saying:
“Yeah, I’m messed up — what about it?”
“Yeah, I’m toxic — deal with it!”
“Yeah, I don’t care — that’s my personality!”
We see this all over social media.
People joke about:
“Heaven doesn’t want me.”
“Hell will be a party.”
“The devil is scared I’ll take over.”
Hollywood has trained people to cheer for the villain instead of the damsel in distress.
We now live in a world where:
the criminal is protected more than the law-abiding citizen,
right is called wrong,
wrong is called right,
and if you stand for truth you are labeled as hateful.
There is an ongoing debate over whether or not a baby is truly a baby before birth—
something that would have sounded insane a generation ago.
I saw someone waving a sign online that said:
“If Jesus comes back, we’d kill him again.”
Can you imagine the hardness of heart it takes to say something like that?
I even heard a preacher tell me about a recent trip he took to Israel where he recounted he,
himself -nearly got into a fist fight with locals over bumping the line or something like that.
Church—this is the world we live in.
So the question isn’t academic anymore. It’s urgent.
How then should we live?
And let me tell you something from the heart today.
I have spent ten years or more of my life trying to figure this out.
Because being a preacher is not easy.
And being a preacher’s wife? Not easy.
And being a preacher’s kid? Not easy.
Some of y’all know it’s hard enough to live a godly life without ministry pressure.
But then add expectations, criticism, spiritual warfare, church hurt, betrayal and the constant temptation to either give up or get proud.
I can’t tell you how many fights and arguments would have been avoided in my own family if we weren’t trying to live “right.”
Because the truth is:
When you try to live holy in an unholy world, you are constantly swimming upstream.
And because of that struggle, sometimes believers fall into one of two dangerous extremes:
Not caring at all — compromise
Overdoing it — legalism
And both of them miss the heart of Christ.
Let’s talk about that second danger: overdoing it.
I remember a story from childhood: the “Gym with Mr. Smith” story.
I won’t retell every detail, but I remember missing out on righteous fun.
Not sinful fun.
Not wickedness.
Just… normal fun.
But there was this atmosphere sometimes in the church world where everything enjoyable was suspicious.
Everything fun was worldly.
Everything lighthearted was “of the devil.”
And I think this is one reason many churches today are not being filled.
Not because people don’t want God.
But because people saw the overzealous requirements of yesterday’s church—and they wanted no part of that.
I remember churches in the 1980s:
boys’ hair had to be cut above the ear
women couldn’t wear pants
and the list went on and on
All of this was considered “worldly.”
And this generation is paying for it.
Because the world saw that and said:
“If that’s what Christianity is… no thanks.”
But can I tell you something?
The church today has bigger problems.
We are not dealing with the same moral issues we were dealing with 40 years ago.
The waters have shifted.
Look at the world we live in now.
Years ago the biggest fear with teenagers was getting pregnant.
Then came our generation, and the fear became disease—AIDS and other things.
Now this generation has to worry whether or not their partners are even the sex they claim to be.
We live in a world where children are getting sex changes.
We live in a world where babies are being killed by the millions in the womb.
And now people are trying to justify killing them at birth.
Church, we are watching the moral foundation of a society collapse.
And what we are seeing is exactly what the Bible warned us about:
When God is rejected, morality does not improve—it deteriorates.
So again we ask:
How then should we live?
How do believers fit into a world such as this?
The Bible gives us the answer.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And 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. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
That is morality.
It is not about winning arguments.
It is not about controlling society.
It is about presenting our bodies as living sacrifices.
And notice: Paul doesn’t say, “Be transformed by the renewing of your politics.”
He says: renew your mind.
Because Christianity doesn’t just change behavior.
Christianity changes the heart.
And when the heart changes, fruit changes.
That’s why Jesus talks about the tree.
A tree doesn’t struggle to bear fruit.
Fruit grows naturally from what the tree is.
So the question is not:
“Are you trying harder?”
The question is:
What kind of tree are you?
Luke 6 is powerful because Jesus makes this point crystal clear:
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Church, morality flows from the heart like water flows from a spring.
You don’t fix the water by painting the river.
You fix the water by healing the source.
That’s why moral debates often go nowhere.
Because the world wants fruit without roots.
They want:
goodness without God
righteousness without repentance
morality without authority
love without truth
identity without design
But a bramble bush can’t produce grapes.
A thorn bush can’t produce figs.
And an unregenerate heart cannot produce truly righteous living.
Paul doesn’t leave morality vague.
He defines it.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor what is evil.
Cling to what is good.
Be kindly affectionate…
Not lagging in diligence…
Fervent in spirit…
Serving the Lord…
Bless those who persecute you…
Repay no one evil for evil…
If possible, live peaceably with all men…
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Church, that is what morality looks like in the kingdom of God.
It is not weak.
It is not passive.
It is not cowardly.
It is holy love.
It is truth with grace.
It is conviction without hate.
And it is the only moral vision strong enough to survive the darkness of our age.
Now I want to pastor you for a moment.
There are many people out there who need Jesus.
And we are not going to get there by getting caught up in useless debates.
The lost world loves to drag Christians down into endless arguments:
social media wars
comment section chaos
rabbit trails of words
gotcha questions
They want to make you look bad.
They want to embarrass you.
They want to slander you.
Then they call you uncompassionate.
Don’t let them twist your understanding.
Because you are not called to win debates.
You are called to bear fruit.
When you see an opportunity to share the gospel—the good news—always rely on the apostolic strategy.
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
That is it.
Not politics.
Not culture wars.
Not arguments.
Just - Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Because morality without the cross is impossible.
The cross tells us:
God is holy
sin is real
judgment is coming
mercy is available
and salvation is offered
Church, the Bible tells us we are not going to solve all the world’s problems.
We know how the story ends.
But we can try to save as many people as possible before it’s over.
We are called to plant seeds.
We are called to live the gospel in a way that makes people hunger for Christ.
Jesus said you will know them by their fruit.
So no matter what shape we find this world in, we are called to bear fruit that stands out.
Because in the world we just described…
believers who bear good fruit will stick out like a sore thumb.
And the lost are hungry for it—even if they pretend they hate it.
They are hungry for:
integrity
faithfulness
purity
stability
forgiveness
compassion
courage
truth
So let us always be bearers of good fruit.
And I want to end with a sober image already referenced.
Remember when Jesus came to a tree expecting fruit and found none?
He cursed it—and it never produced fruit again.
That should shake us.
Not because Christians should live in fear.
But because Christians should live with seriousness.
We don’t want to be people who have:
church words
religious language
Christian vocabulary
…but no fruit.
Or as the Bible puts it, “Clouds with no water”
That’s why Jesus ends Luke 6 with this haunting question in verse 46
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
That is the morality question.
How then should we live?
Not by pretending.
Not by performing.
But by obeying Christ from a transformed heart.
When Jesus comes to you…
Let Him find fruit.
When Jesus comes to your home…
Let Him find fruit.
When Jesus comes to your marriage…
Let Him find fruit.
When Jesus comes to your mind…
Let Him find fruit.
When Jesus comes to your phone…
Let Him find fruit.
When Jesus comes to your speech…
Let Him find fruit.
Because in the end, morality is not first about public behavior.
It’s about private lordship.
So today, if you know you’ve drifted…
If you know your heart has hardened…
If you know you’ve been wearing sin like a badge…
Come back to Jesus.
Let Him change the root so the fruit can change.
Let Him cleanse the treasure of the heart so goodness pours out again.
And church, if we live like that…
In a dark world…
We will shine like a city on a hill.
Not because we’re better.
But because the Holy One lives in us.
So I ask again:
How then should we live?
We live as fruit-bearing trees.
Planted by the Living God.
Nourished by His Spirit.
Guided by His Word.
And rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Invitation
Communion
