Leverage Your Life

Introduction

I think it’s probably safe to say that everyone in this room

at one point or another has questioned whether something was wrong or not.

As Christians, we often struggle with whether questions of what is or isn’t sin.

I know I have!

And because sin is deceptive, and it feels good,

we tend to make allowances where we shouldn’t…

Opening Illustration — Cousins and “Looking”

I remember when I was around 10 years old.

Having a conversation with some cousins who were older… married.

They were talking about some women they thought were “hot”.

As a kid I remember that didn’t seem right, so I said,

“You can’t say that, you’re married!”

They said, “It’s okay to look, you just can’t touch.”

But Jesus said,

“If you look at a woman with lustful intent, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart.”

Intro Cont.

Because of our sinful nature, we wrestle with our desires,

and what is sin or not sin.

Common Questions Among Christians

“Is it a sin to watch this show?”

“Is it a sin to drink? How much can I drink before it’s a sin?”

“When dating, how far is too far?”

“Is it a sin to be rich/own nice things/upgrade my house/car?”

“Is it a sin to swear so long as I don’t use the REALLY bad words?”

We all have questions about what is and what isn’t sin,

but the heart behind these questions is all wrong:

How close can I get to the line without sinning?

When you and I ask those types of questions,

who are you most concerned about???

YOURSELF!

You’re making the decision from a selfish perspective!

Relate to Corinthians

That’s exactly what the Corinthians were like!

Paul was a missionary, who gave his life to spreading the Good News of Jesus.

He spent a year and a half in the city of Corinth.

Big city;

Maybe 600,000 people;

Popular trade route (land and sea);

for that reason, very diverse, hot bed for culture/false religions.

Through Paul’s preaching people became Christians,

and a church was started.

After he left, they struggled to be in their culture as Christians,

and not give in to the sinful world around them.

There were a lot of “grey areas”

Didn’t know where to draw the line.

So they wrote a letter to Paul asking him questions.

We don’t have their letter,

but in his letter to them (1 Corinthians),

he is answering questions they had sent him.

Questions about:

Marriage/divorce/whether to get married;

Food sacrificed to idols;

Spiritual gifts…

And the Corinthians were struggling with the same thing we do…

They were selfish!

They wanted to get as close to the line as they could…

but still be okay.

They are making decisions about how to live their lives,

and their greatest concern is satisfying their own desires.

TRANSITION TO SERMON

But Paul gives them a new perspective from which to make decisions…

Look at what Paul says in…

1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Our default perspective is…

FCF:

We are selfish.

We live for ourselves.

We use our whatever for what benefits me.

I am my own highest good.

I look out for myself.

But Paul calls disciples of Jesus to…

Leverage Your Life:

To Glorify God

To Benefit Others

To Imitate Jesus

And when we do…

BENEFITS:

God is glorified.

Others are helped/benefited/saved.

Jesus is honoured.

Prayer for Illumination

Lord…

TRANSITION

Let’s look more closely at the first perspective Paul gives…

1. Leverage Your Life… To Glorify God

As Paul instructs the Corinthians about how to live,

he shifts their focus from that of a selfish perspective,

to that of one that desires to glorify God.

He says in…

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

EXPLAIN

Paul says that we should leverage EVERYTHING to the glory of God!

“Whatever you do...”

Does he actually mean everything?

Aren’t there areas of life that are neutral?

Neither good nor bad… just ordinary, mundane life?

No! Paul means everything!

Just look at the example he gives…

“whether you eat or drink…”

What could be more basic than eating or drinking?

I’m sure you don’t often think about whether you’re glorifying God when you eat or drink!

You are called to leverage EVERY area of your life to the glory of God!

The problem is, we think there areas of life that are neutral.

Neither good nor bad… just ordinary, mundane life.

They don’t matter!

Jeff Christopherson, in his book “Kingdom Matrix”, says…

“There are only two spiritual realms—the Kingdom of God and the Dominion of Darkness. There isn’t a third Kingdom. Every decision we make is inspired by, and advances the agenda of one of those two Kingdoms. There is no neutral territory.”

We tend to think there’s three Kingdoms:

Can think of times we know we’ve been a part of advancing God’s Kingdom…

Can think of times we know we’ve been a part of advancing Domain of Darkness…

Then there’s this third Kingdom… neutral territory… doesn’t matter/not important.

But that’s not true!

There is no third kingdom!

With every though, every word, every action:

We are either for God, or against God!

We either advance God’s Kingdom, or work against it!

So Paul instructs the Corinthians to stop deciding how to live based on their selfish desires,

and instead leverage their lives for the glory of God!

What does it mean to glorify God?

Andrew Naselli is helpful…

Andrew D. Naselli (On 1 Corinthians 10:31)

“The glory of God is God’s displaying his holiness (i.e. his God-ness or unique excellence). To do something to the glory of God is to glorify God. We glorify God when we feel and think and act in a way that makes much of God—that shows he is supremely great and good and all-satisfying.”

When we are making decisions from a selfish perspective,

we’re only thinking about how it

affects me

benefits me

makes me look.

We are at the center.

But when we make decisions from a perspective of seeking God’s glory,

we’re thinking about how it

helps me trust God and His ways

shows His wisdom

gives room for His provision.

God is at the center.

SUMMARY

Their is no neutral territory…

You need to understand that every thought/word/action is bringing glory to God,

or taking away from His glory.

Strive to:

Leverage Your Life to Glorify God!

There’s a specific instance in the OT where the Israelites failed to do this.

ILLUSTRATE — Israelites & Achan’s Sin

After putting Joshua as the leader of the Israelites,

God commanded him to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.

Through Joshua, God:

parted the Jordan River so the people could cross over; and

defeated Jericho.

This was a great victory over a great enemy!

Which makes the next part so confusing…

The Israelites are feeling pretty good,

send men to spy out the next town, Ai.

It’s small, so they’re confident they can beat it with 3,000 men.

But they’re defeated! What’s going on?

Why did God give them victory in one battle and not the other?

There was sin in the camp!

God had commanded them to destroy everything (except Rahab and her family).

But Achan didn’t listen. He took some of the things devoted for destruction for himself.

He was more concerned about himself than the glory of God!

After being confronted, Achan said:

Joshua 7:20–21 ESV

20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Rather than seeking the glory of God,

Achan was consumed with seeking his own glory.

Because of the trouble Achan brought on the entire nation of Israel,

Achan and all his family and possessions were destroyed.

TRANSITION

APPLY

This is the same temptation you and I face.

We know

that Jesus has died for us;

that He has saved us from our sin;

and made us new creations.

Because of His Spirit now living in us,

we have the desire to live in obedience to Him,

and so bring glory to God.

BUT…

when we see the bright, shiny new things in the world around us,

we want those too!

This is not a guilt trip sermon where I try to make you feel bad for having/wanting nice stuff!

There is nothing inherently wrong with it.

God is not concerned with outward obedience,

but what’s going on in your heart!

But what you need to recognize is what’s going on in your heart when those desires arise.

You see, our flesh craves things,

and Satan uses the world to turn our attention from God,

to the things of the world.

And we can’t trust our hearts!

Your first instinct when you desire something should be to

STOP!!! And weigh what’s going on in your heart.

Are you trying to find joy and satisfaction in stuff?

Are you trying to make yourself look good?

Are you stealing God’s glory by your desire?

We need to learn to change our perspective from:

being selfish/self-centered (the only thing I consider is myself)

to:

seeking to glorify God!

It should be our desire through the way we live our lives,

to show how much greater God is than all the things of this world!

Following God doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things, or do fun things, or enjoy life…

but it does mean that you’re willing to seek God’s glory above your own.

So when you speak,

don’t just blurt out the thing you WANT to say…

Think about what to say, and how to say it so that it glorifies God.

When you think,

don’t let your mind wander into sinful/lustful/covetous thoughts…

Take every thought captive so that they glorify God.

When you act,

don’t just give in to your fleshly, selfish impulses…

STOP!!! Hold off, and seek to glorify God.

In all these areas, before you make a bad/selfish choice,

the best thing you can do is:

STOP AND PRAY!

Ask God to help you say/think/do what glorifies Him!

SUMMARY

All day, every day, you are making decisions/living your life.

Your actions are either advancing God’s Kingdom OR the Kingdom of Darkness.

Seek to Leverage Your Life To Glorify God!

TRANSITION

Now, sometimes that’s easier than others.

So Paul gives us another lense through which to make these decisions…

2. Leverage Your Life… To Benefit Others

As we’re living our lives,

we need to turn our focus away from ourselves, what we want/makes us happy…

and toward what benefits others.

That’s exactly what Paul says next.

Look at…

1 Corinthians 10:32–33 ESV

32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

EXPLAIN

Paul commands the Corinthians to live in a way not to offend others,

but to seek the benefit of others, rather than their own.

The Corinthians were asking about all these areas of Christian freedom,

but their heart was motivated by their selfishness/personal advantage.

Paul tells them to: Leverage Your Life to Benefit Others!

Notice that he includes all people.

Jews (Israelites)

Greeks (non-Jewish, aka everyone else)

The Church of God (believers)

No matter who it is,

you should act in such a way that benefits them.

Continuing Andrew Naselli’s quote from before,

he goes on to say…

Andrew D. Naselli (On 1 Corinthians 10:32-33)

In this context the specific way to make much of God is to seek our neighbours good above our own. The choice is not between pleasing others and pleasing God but between pleasing others and pleasing ourselves.

The way Paul tried to strategically please others (and thus glorify God) was to seek an advantage not for himself but for many others for the sake of the gospel.

Like Paul, Christians must do all for God’s glory as they interact with Christians (i.e. Give up one’s rights to build up others) and non-Christians (give up one’s rights so that God may save other others).

What Paul understands is that God wants people to be saved…

this brings God glory!

Therefore, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to be willing to surrender their rights,

so that others will be saved and God will be glorified!

SUMMARY

He’s calling them to Leverage Their Lives for the Benefit of Others!

ILLUSTRATE — Food Sacrificed to Idols (1 Cor 8)

One of the issues Paul addresses in this letter is:

Eating food sacrificed to idols.

Paul says there is nothing wrong with eating food sacrificed to idols.

They would offer sacrifices to false god,

sell the meat at discount.

Paul says there’s nothing wrong with that because an idol is nothing.

There is no such thing as other “gods”.

There is only one God!

But what if there’s someone who now follows Jesus,

who was involved in that false sacrifice/worship?

They walk on the other side of the street when they walk by there…

They don’t even go to that part of town…

They want to stay far away from it.

Now if they see you eating that meat,

they may be tempted to do it, but think it’s sin,

or they may be tempted to go back to idol worship.

You shouldn’t go ahead with eating it because you don’t see anything wrong with it…

You should seek the good of your brother.

SUMMARY

We don’t just make decisions for our own benefit,

but for the benefit of one another as believers!

Transition

But not just believers,

also for non-believers.

ILLUSTRATE — Paul Has Timothy Circumcised (Acts 16)

And we have a real example of how Paul modelled this.

Timothy was a young man that Paul brought along him.

He mentored Timothy,

and he became a great man of God,

helping serve the churches Paul planted.

Timothy’s mother was Jewish, but his father was not.

This was a problem for Paul,

because he had a heart for the Jewish people.

Many Jewish people had rejected Jesus, the Messiah,

but Paul desperately longed for them to believe and be saved.

Paul saw the potential of Timothy,

but knew the Jews wouldn’t even listen to him if Timothy wasn’t circumcised…

Acts 16:3 ESV

3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Paul did not believe circumcision was necessary,

but the Jews did!

And he wanted to reach them with the gospel.

This kept the door open in hopes that they would be saved!

SUMMARY

Paul was a great example of:

Leveraging His Life To Benefit Others!

APPLY

These are great examples to us!

Through our faith in Jesus, we have been saved.

Saved to walk in obedience to Jesus’s commands.

Within those commands we have a lot of freedom because

God has created all things for us to enjoy

as we give Him the glory for those things!

But those freedoms should never come at the cost of someone else’s benefit.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

God is calling us to have a different perspective

than merely to please and satisfy ourselves.

You need to Leverage Your Life for something beyond yourself…

the Benefit of Others!

So it’s not just about whether or not you have the freedom to do something,

it’s about whether it will glorify God… and

it’s also about how that will impact others.

As you’re thinking through specific decisions in your life,

a helpful question to ask yourself might be…

Will it cause others to draw closer to Jesus, or push them farther away?

This takes a lot of intentionality to be aware of the people around you.

You should seek to know and understand the people in your life:

Your friends/family/coworkers…

How do they think?

What do they believe?

Where are they in terms of their relationship or openness to God?

(Far away/Open to talk/Seeking)

And when you know those things,

you should make it your aim to live in such a way

that you would never intentionally push them farther from Jesus!

You want your words, your life, your example,

to help them see the goodness and glory of God,

and that your life would draw them closer to Jesus!

SUMMARY

As believers we must not be fixated on ourselves,

but instead:

Leverage Your Life to Benefit Others!

Transition

Our greatest example of this is Jesus.

Therefore you should…

3. Leverage Your Life… To Imitate Jesus

This is the desire of all who are true disciples…

They long to imitate Jesus.

Followers of Jesus are not perfect… they still sin…

but they long to live like Jesus, their Saviour!

This was Paul’s burning passion…

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

EXPLAIN

Paul was so grateful to God for saving him!

He shared his testimony a lot towards the end of his life.

His longing in life was to surrender his life in honour of Jesus,

who surrendered His life.

Jesus is the great example!

He Leveraged His Life to Glorify God...

John 17:4 ESV

4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

He Leveraged His Life to Benefit Others…

John 10:11 ESV

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Paul was so captivated by the surrendered life of Jesus,

that he was willing to:

Leverage His Life to Imitate Jesus…

Acts 20:24 ESV

24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Therefore, Paul tells the Corinthians to follow His example in imitating Jesus.

Paul isn’t being conceited, or claiming he’s perfect…

He’s just saying,

“Insofar as I follow Jesus, follow me!”

SUMMARY

Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to stop being selfish.

Being a Christian is not about only looking out for yourself.

It’s about: “Leveraging Your Life to Imitate Jesus”

ILLUSTRATE

One of the most beautiful pictures of Jesus’s example is found in…

Philippians 2:3–11 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus, though He was God, willingly humbled Himself,

even to the point of being willing to die on a cross,

to bring God glory by paying for the sins of the world!

And now, because of His willing sacrifice, He has been highly exalted!

APPLY

Therefore, as those who claim to be disciples of Jesus

we are called to follow His example…

to Leverage Our Lives to Imitate Jesus!

This is the calling Jesus gave His disciples after rising from the dead…

John 20:21 ESV

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

We are sent then, as imitators of Jesus,

to be Christ to those around us.

This is how Martin Luther encouraged followers of Christ to think of themselves…

"Although I am an unworthy and condemned man, my God has given me in Christ all the riches of righteousness and salvation without any merit on my part, out of pure, free mercy, so that from now on I need nothing except faith which believes that this is true.

Why should I not therefore freely, joyfully, with all my heart, and with an eager will do all things which I know are pleasing and acceptable to such a Father who has overwhelmed me with his inestimable riches?

I will therefore give myself as a Christ to my neighbor, just as Christ offered himself to me; I will do nothing in this life except what I see is necessary, profitable, and salutary to my neighbor, since through faith I have an abundance of all good things in Christ."

This is a high calling, and nobody can do it perfectly.

Yet God has chosen to reveal Himself to the world through us, His people!

YOU are the way God is going to reveal Himself to others!

And that’s the whole point of this series…

We are all called to be Christ to our neighbour/those we see on a daily basis.

Think of the people God has placed you around:

Family members;

Coworkers;

Friends;

Fellow Students;

People you know at kids sporting events…

They all have an opportunity to see Christ when they watch and listen to you!

SUMMARY

God has saved you so that you can:

Leverage Your Life to Imitate Jesus!

Closing

The early church embraced this!

Closing Illustration

After Jesus rose back to heaven,

He commanded His disciples to wait for His Spirit.

The day of Pentecost is when the Spirit came in power,

and Peter took advantage of the crowds that were gathered.

He preached a sermon that God used to save

3,000 SOULS!

But it wasn’t only Peter’s preaching that God used…

Acts 2:42-47 records what happened as the church…

Leveraged Their Lives:

To Glorify God;

To Benefit Others; and

Imitate Jesus…

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

This is the reason the church exists…

To glorify God…

To benefit others… and

Imitate Jesus…

and then God works through His people

to save and transform their city!

Do you believe God could transform:

Leamington?

How could God do that through Good News Church?

We’re only in one small part of the city of Leamington!

But what if we so embraced the mindset of leveraging our lives for God’s kingdom?

We mistakenly think God only changes the world through missionaries,

who give their lives to going somewhere else with the Good News of Jesus.

But God wants to do something through all of us where we:

Live, work, go to school, and play!

This week Jonah began sending a link around,

where we as a church can anonymously add:

where you live, work, and play.

Here is a map of some of the results!

If we only try to reach our community when we come together,

it will be very challenging!

But if we simply imitate Jesus in all these places,

think of all that God could do!

This is the purpose of the church!

C.S. Lewis once wrote…

“The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.”

We, as the Church, are sent to draw others to Jesus,

because God was willing to send Him for us!

And when we do, we are a part of something so much bigger than ourselves!

God will bear the fruit of souls that will be in His presence for all eternity!