As Plain as the . . .

There was an older gentleman who was having problems with his memory and his doctor prescribed some medicine for him and a few weeks later a good friend of his met up with him. You said hey, I heard that your doctor prescribed some medicine for you for your memory problem. How's that working? And he said it's working. Excellent and his friend said, well, I think I might need some of that to what's the name of it. They said well, it's well, what's the name of that flower that that sometimes you like? It dances with a girl and he said a carnation and he said no no, it's the other when you give a bunch of me said roses and the guy said that's right and they turned around and said Rose. What's the name of that medicine? I've been taken.

Sometimes we don't remember that we don't remember until what I want to talk about this morning and stuff that in some ways is playing and get my clicker working here is as plain as what the nose on your face, but that expression comes from the fact that sometimes we don't see something that's obvious or we just don't remember that. We don't remember and we're in a series on the wisdom of one another the way God teaches and commands and commands in Scripture that we care for one another that we gather together with one another that we encourage one another and we're teaching through a series on that wisdom. And I want to continue that Series this morning in Romans. 12:5. Paul says in the same way, even though we are many individuals Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other now, that's the nature of the kingdom of God. That's the Nature of Christianity that's the theme repeated throughout the New Testament even though at times we we kind of forget that we've forgotten that and we think in terms of individuality that's kind of the ultimate identity, especially in a culture that so rooted in the idea of individuality, but Christianity is built on and teaches and commands and command that we are connected to one another so part of the application of this vs. That following Christ is a team sport. We are all connected to one another and we tend to not think in those terms we tend to think of individuality but we end up hurting the ways in which God wants to empower us and equip us and help us if we tried an isolated spiritual life and we don't buy into the biblical truth that following Christ is a team sport part of the reason we struggle is cuz we are not naturally team players again. The reason this sermon is called as playing as though nothing I'm saying here is revolutionary Lee shocking 21, right? We know that we're not naturally team players that's just part of our human nature to kind of Disconnect more easily than we connect the number one enemy of connection or relationships both with others. And with God is selfishness. Does that sound like some sort of rocket science Revolution there? That's my point that what I'm saying here is something that's obvious and plain, but we kind of forget that we have forgotten the store. And so the number one enemy that kind of jeopardizes practicing the one another's for the New Testament and encouraging one another building one. Another up is selfishness Universal. That's that's that's the reality that we see in our marriage as we see in parenting we see in the workplace. It's just Universal human nature and it's exactly what James is talking about and James chapter 4 he says what is causing the Corrals in the fights among you don't they come from the evil desires at War within you is point you have conflict with conflict everywhere. Don't we globally the conflict in our marriage is with conflict all the time in friendships. What causes that James says what the reality is within every human? Is this battle of selfishness versus unselfishness? And that's why we have struggles in a relationship James continue you want what you don't have so you scheme and you kill to get it you are jealous of others have but you can't get it. So you fight and wage war to take it away from them.

The number one if a number one enemy of connection or relationships is selfishness than the number one friend of connection or relationships is selflessness. Now again, aren't you guys impressed that I'm just unloading these amazingly insightful nuggets of wisdom. I bet no one has ever thought that selfishness hurts my relationship has anybody ever acknowledge that reality or perhaps that unselfishness for selflessness is a gift to relationships. Those are obvious truth but scripture kind of Lay's em out for us and sometimes again, we forget that we forgotten those basic truth, maybe a little more interesting question that we want to look at scripture inside then then how do we walk against our selfish desires? If we all kind of say you out that's obvious Truth revelatory by saying that selfishness hurts relationships and selflessness encourages and helps relationships. That's not controversial we all agree, but how do we walk against? Selfish desires, how do we work against our natural Fallen human nature that makes us look out for ourselves first and there's a great verse in Galatians 6 where Paul says don't be misled. No one makes a fool of God what a person plants he will harvest the person who plants selfishness ignoring the needs of others ignoring God.

Harvest a crop of weeds all he'll have to show for his life is weeds but the one who plants in response to God letting God Spirit do the Growth work in him Harvest a crop of real life eternal life. I think in this verse Paul is giving us one way in which we can walk against the natural Tennessee that all of us have every human has as Fallen Humanity the natural tendency. We have to be selfish Paul's giving us a clue about how we turn against that tide how we walk in a way that fights are selfish desires we walk or we live in response to God. Now think about that Dynamic if we're not careful, we fall into the habit of living our lives in response to everything else. But God in response to others if someone cuts us off in traffic do we suddenly respond to that and we're full of tension and we decide will nobody else is going to cut me off and we ride the guy in front of us is bumper get over 18 more blocks to nobody if I go to the game last night if I sit in traffic or you're tempted to let other people their decisions their reactions their temperaments, whatever they do suddenly that's how you're living your life in response. And then we'll of course. I I told this person at work that because they did this and I'm not going to do that and not have me tell them. It's so easy to live in response to others to live in response to our circumstance to live in response to our bank account or our emotions or how we feel wake up physically some days and we feel good and we're more gracious and kind to everyone around us. Wake up extra. Other days and we're grouchy. I mean, maybe I'm not stating the obvious truths Meto. Is anyone here ever been grouchy. Have you ever said to your spouse honey? Would you please have a cup of coffee? Have you have you ever had that that's not just a natural human Dynamic and that's at least as Fallen people part of what pollen is brought into human nature is it moved us away for the image of God that we were created in into an image that tomorrow by selfishness. And so we struggle with that and pulse is one way to work against selfishness is to live in response to God not in response to every other stimuli that comes into our life and this is where how do we do that? This is where I think we're right back where we been the past few weeks the wisdom of one. Another is one of the ways we strive to walk in to live in response to God as opposed to living life in response to all of our circumstances or our emotions excetra. We meet together with a Christ resembling agenda. This is what we've been talking about these past few weeks. We talked about getting together part of what scripture commands is that we get together in order to be with one another in Jesus frequently. Say I am with you in that a christ-like characteristic and throughout the New Testament were told to gather together in order to be with one. Another that address is loneliness that we struggle with the time we're encouraged to help one another in the same chapter in Galatians 6 and that helps with fatigue when we're struggling we're encouraged to encourage one another when were discouraged and last week we talked about joining one another in the mission seeking and saving the lost because our lost friends family loved ones going to be a burden that sometimes we don't speak about and scripture says you're not alone in the attempt to witness for Christ gather together with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Pray for those Folks by name. We talked about an allergy having a party as matter fact, I'll insert an announcement hear what Nick announced in the dinosaur costume little bit earlier. At the beginning of the service is a great opportunity. It's a built-in party. You could bring your friends your family your neighbors. And the whole agenda is to have a good time free hot dogs drink, they'll be candy and it's a great chance to get to know somebody a little bit better to reach out to them to pray for them as a team to be on Mission with God can be as simple and as fun as a trunk or treat event in the parking lot the end of commercial but that's an opportunity to practice that sort of one another wisdom. And we want to continue talking about that and add this we build one another up toward christlikeness as matter fact, that's what a Fusions for says the purpose of the church. The church exists to build one another up toward christlikeness. It's important that christlikeness never be removed from the purpose of the church. If we're not careful, it can just become the purpose of the church is to build me up and I Define how you build me up. I tell you what, my needs are and you meet them and if that's a successful then we've got an exchange you get my attendance you get my offering and if you don't meet the needs as I to find them that I pull back my attendance, I pull back my offering if we do that we become just another secular Institution. That's made some sort of arrangement with everybody who comes it's a deal like AT&T make us your phone provider. We will give you these sorts of things. Scripture says the purpose of the church is to equip one another toward christlikeness. God defines the agenda of the church. He calls us to encourage one another to build one another up toward the specific goal of resembling Christ. Now. Am I saying anything controversial my say anything that that is repeated throughout scripture again again, again, it's it's as plain as the nose on her face, but it's just so easy to kind of forget this basic truth. So how does this work on a practical level? We remind ourselves on a regular basis. We remind ourselves of what God has done is doing for and in and Among Us in order to live more in response to God and walk against our selfish desires. Best Christian Fellowship. That's what we've been talking about for the beginning to gather around you and have regular time with good Christian friends who build you up and they build you up in christlikeness. Your Gathering agenda is to resemble Christ when you gather together at so you build each other up. That's the way we help each other live in response to God is we remind each other when we gather and we worship we remind each other in the singing of the hymns. We remind each other in the reading of the scriptures. We remind each other what God has done for us. And we were mined each other what God is still doing for us and in us as we share with Brothers and Sisters in Christ in a more intimate way and among us as we testify and see the work of God in the body of Christ. And when we keep putting those thoughts to the front of our mind again, when we keep reminding ourselves that enables us to live in response to God as opposed to in response to everything else that sometimes becomes the Ultimate Reality right in front of us. We need each other to encourage each other and remind each other of these truce because the reality is our fallen as crops are very reasoning itself that one of my favorite authors write this he says look if the following of creation extends far and wide Which biblically it does and that's his assumption in this discussion. It does then it extends into our thinking processes themselves. For example, we tend to resist unpalatable truth. We resist the idea that we belong to God and not to ourselves. We resist the idea that our lives themselves have come from God and that we therefore oh God our loyalty and our gratitude we resist these things by such devices as willed ignorance and self-deception, but that's Cornelius plantinga jr. And what's funny is that you get through Cornelius and play Antigua and there's a Juniors here that we we we really can't always trust even our own reasoning. Because I'll nature is is fallen and it's affected by the following us and so we can subtly slip into reasoning that's not biblical. So we need to constantly encourage each other and call one another back toward biblical thinking I think Paul said this in Romans 12. He says I heard you than Brothers remembering the mercies of God to offer your bodies as living sacrifices dedicated and acceptable to God that is the kind of worship for you as sensible people and Sir Paul says use your minds think about what God has done. Remember the mercies of God remind each other who hymns and songs and scriptures encourage one another think about what God has done for you and thinking about that will help you offer yourself to God to live in response to God's as opposed to all the other stimuli that come to us 24/7 we pull aside. We Gather Together We Sing worship songs we open the word of God we break bread all as a way of reminding ourselves about truth truth that really super seeds are on emotions or are on thinking at times when it's affected by our fallen is Papa 10 years do not model your behavior on the Contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you so that you may discern for yourselves. What is the will of God what is good and acceptable and mature and some Paul caused us to remember what God has done an offer ourselves to him and then renew our mind based on the truth of God makes based on the word of God. Another favorite author says this he says our life takes a Godly and good direction when our mind is conscientiously occupied with God's written words those words than increasingly eliminate the conscious mental content. That would surely lead us away from God now. It's it's not the most pithy quote, but it's a awesome truth. By default as falling people in a culture that is enamored with self and not with God if we don't replace all the stimuli that comes to us constantly that kind of normal conscious mental feedback is feedback that walks us away from God and toward selfishness. And what we need to do is make sure we're putting God's written word into our mind and into a heart on a regular basis not as an act of discipline to score points with God but doesn't act of study to actually shape our reasoning to renew very mind so that we think biblically about the purpose of life. We don't just want enough of God to keep us out of trouble. We don't just want like the old illustration give me $3 of God's how you know, I don't want so much that I'm going to move to Africa and serve the poor but I want enough to keep me on out of there rest section of the newspaper. We have that sort of dynamic sometime when we say we want just this much and it's Foolish, it is Beth Jesus pronounce it again. And again those who seek to save their own life to find their own life to treasure and hold on to their own life will lose it and those who give it up give it to me will find it and have it returned a hundred fold. Answer the challenges to be in the word of God in such a way that it shapes are very thinking it shapes our minds so that we can stand against all those impulses and all those Temptations to keep drawing back into a selfish sort of thinking.

A couple of truce and we will move toward the close on this that that I want to share that I think are examples of the kind of things that we need to remind ourselves with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Some of the troops that we need to encourage one another with Proverbs. 27:17 says as iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpens another part of what we're called to do as we gather as Brothers and Sisters in Christ is to worship and to open up the word of God and to let that word shape who we are and shape the way we think have you ever thought about this that God expects more from us than we expect from ourselves.

Is it possible? But non biblical or secular thinking shapes our self-image at times or seasons in our life more than biblical thinking about self image. Is it possible that the culture around us sometimes wins that battle that Paul talking about in Romans 12 1 and 2 and it renews our mind more than we have our mind renewed by scripture itself. And one example might be that we think you know what I can do this and I need to be faithful to God and I can do it. I can work hard enough. I can pull myself up by my own bootstraps. I can do this and when we fell then we constantly kick ourselves and say I cannot believe that I failed. I cannot believe that I send I cannot believe that I repeated that send that I promised God, I would never repeat again and we get ourselves head shapes the way we look at others, right? Cuz if we think we can do it then we think why are you doing it? Right and it shakes it with he could do it if he applied himself if he just and we slip into that sort of thinking. and that's not the Biblical teaching about Who We Are

The before we know it we kind of forget that we forgotten to think biblically about life and the way we live. We asked a question. For example, why is there evil? Why is there evil in the world always such a grand question? Where did it come from flies there anymore. Think about that for just a moment look in the mirror?

Do you know where you going to come from in the world?

We know the truth don't we we forget that we've forgotten. There is no mystery to why there's evil in the world. There's no mystery to where it comes from. We all know don't we anybody in the room ever sinned? If you're brave, just raise your hand. Have you ever done anything in your entire life? That was selfish? Have you ever done anything that was selfish and knowingly? It wasn't good for somebody else. How about in the past 12 hours?

My daughter texted me this week and said dad. Did you take my la? 1 L 8 in the fridge and it wasn't mine. But it was mine. disappeared in a million ways our fallen nature leads us down that path and God knows it. Look at what scripture says. It looks like it isn't really why is there evil the question is? Why is there good? Why is there good? And don't be hunting for evil thing poem. I'm so shocked that give me a break look in the mirror. We know that we live in a fallen Universe. What's amazing is when we see good when we see somebody selflessly give away for the sake of another one sees somebody serve somebody else. Let me see somebody give away their resources are there time or the energy and the answer is God God is the source of that good in our own hearts and our own life in this world when we see it rise, he knows what we're like look at what the scripture say Psalm 103 bless y'all way my soul from the depths of my being His holy name bless. Y'all way my soul. Never forget all his acts of kindness. Do you see if they came here Romans 12 Apostles. You need to remember the mercies of God and let that remembering draw you into living in response to God you give your life to him and you have your mind renewed again again by that remembering and that renewing again? The song is continues Yahweh is tenderness and pity slow to anger and Rich and faithful of his indignation does not last forever nor his resentment remain for all time. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Or nor repairs as befits our offenses. Can I get an amen? Now, that's God. That's right out of his written word. Now the adversary and the culture around us wants to whisper other things and get us thinking differently as if God is going to be shocked by my sin and see if he's going to go. I cannot believe that you did that is if I'm going to surprise him or catch him off guard at the height of Heaven above Earth so strong Is his faithful love for those who fear Him? As the distance of east from the West so far from us, does he put our faults or sends as tenderly as a father treats his children. So y'all way treats those who fear Him He knows what we are made of he remembers that we are dust. God remembers he is not some. Old man who has to say Rose? What's the name of that? He remembers why do you think he remembers that? So well, he was there he made us and he knows what he made us a he remembers that were weak. He remembers that we're falling and so he forgives our sins and removes them as far as the East is from the West now, do you think that biblical thinking about our very selves would impact the way we strive and walk away from selfishness and send it would if we understand that are following us makes us frail and that God knows that and supplies Grace. Then we would understand a couple of things one. I'm frail. I need help. I need to quit imagining that I can somehow follow God on my own that I'm the one exception to all of eternity and that Paul and God and the Holy Spirit and Jesus and every verse that commands me to have relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. That's part of my walk with Christ. They all got it wrong. I'm the one exception. I'm John Wayne baby. I can walk alone in my relationship of God. Look we are frail and falling and that is the adversaries light. We need one another to follow Christ. We need that truth to be ground in a heart based on the truth of scripture that we are falling and Trail and the fact that God is gracious and knows that we are falling in trail that empowers us to go to him you ever stay away from God when you send big time. 03 ever get a victory a foothold in your life. That way you ever do something quit preaching and got in the middle and right. Let's just be honest. We've all sinned here, right? right And if you ever done this and that you knew you should not do. Well knowingly send I mean just defiantly Holy Spirit sweet Dishonored God's do you ever want to just hide and not go into his presence never slip into that? I'm no good. I'm staying. I'm dirty. I need to I need to just to lay down. I pick myself over and over for a few times and then maybe after a week is passed and I have an open my bible for prayed. I punished myself. Then I can go back to God's presence give her slip into that lie in scripture says that's a lie. Here's the truth. Knows what we're made of he knows that we are dust and so when we send turn and come to Him Father, I've send write them on the spot, you know in the moment app impatient. You can call out to God in that moment when there's a battle going on in your mind and the adversaries think through this thing. You should not do do it. This desirable do it in that moment when you feel so far Because of the Temptation gripping you in that very moment. You can say God.

He loves us. That distance that's in that Gap has been overcome through the blood of Christ Hebrews. 4:16 says because of Christ we can approach God's Throne. How does it say who knows that verse in Hebrews? 4:16? What's the word that uses? That's right boldly totally. Do not let the other Siri and the culture of this world convince us that God is something that he's not that somebody we've got to be afraid of her problem to his present. We were to approach his phone Throne boldly because of the work of Christ Hebrews 4:16 says knowing that we're going to receive the help and the grace we need. We need to gather together. the Brothers and Sisters in Christ regularly and remind ourselves of this don't we because as soon as we go out of the world, we live in a culture that constantly challenges those truths and pulls us back a different way. That's why we have to be something that self-fulfillment is the essence of life. So even the idea of denying yourself or giving away your money to charity or those in need or or serving a lot of you in the world be like why why why why would you You know you need to do that. You need to say that for you. That's all about you. You're the one that made it sound so reasonable at times and so we need to remind ourselves again and again in Scripture that were taught the liberating truth that we can give ourselves to Christ and that we can trust him and that we can be in a relationship with one another in such a way that we encourage each other and build eachother up. That's not only good. It's necessary. necessary if we're going to do anything more than just kind of slide through scraping are fingernails across the dirt hoping we don't fall off the cliff ever feel like some some weeks. That's you're just saying, you know, I just don't want to drown. Okay, that's my whole goal. I'm overwhelmed and I just don't want to cease to exist from being overwhelmed. I feel like I'm about this far from being snuffed out. I don't have any energy. I don't have any enthusiasm. I just think you know, why bother I understand those old jokes that the comedians made that my dad went out 30 years ago for milk and bread never came back. There's times in which life is overwhelming. And we are frail people and we need to live our lives from a Biblical worldview. We need to live in response to God not in response to those things that overwhelm us. So we need to remind and gather remind each other that Christ has died for us that our sins are forgiven because sometimes were feeling overwhelmed and it's all our own doing there's nobody to blame but the person in the mirror that's even worse admit. It's so much nicer when you find the enemy, you know, it's this political party, whatever we can always find it's so nice when you can find an enemy in identifying them, but it's heartbreaking when you realize that the enemy is the person you see in the mirror. And what do you do with that? You get together with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. You open the word of God and you remind yourself of the truth of the Gospel? I feeling really discouraged. I don't know 3-4 months ago just physically tired and and just down and I was wanting to a good friend who's a brother in Christ on the phone sitting in the car my drive when I may have told this to you and I'm going to tell you a second one to but I just said, you know, it's hard sometimes just to Keep On Keepin On you know, again, I'm just being transparent and those of you who never have these moments of struggle, please can we have lunch and you can help me? but I suspect that which is most personal is most universal and that all of us can relate to those sorts of moments when you just feel like I you know, and I said, I don't I don't know how to Keep On Keepin On and he said well One reason is because you made a commitment.

Set thanks a lot. Stings a little bit. He said it's a truth in it. Well, yeah. You made a commitment right? You made a commitment to be a husband faithful all of your life. You made a commitment to be a father fate for all of y'all made it to an employer you made commitments to others to be there are friends there is X and which that good fortune friend simply hold us accountable to our own word and around integrity and says you made a commitment. It was not this warm fuzzy feel good little moment between this brother in Christ. It was accountability accountability and there are moments in our life when we simply say, you know what I mean? Not feel like it my emotions may not be on board, but I'm going to do the right thing because it's the right thing. And I don't care what it cost me and I don't care what others think I don't care if my emotions are not on board. Do we ever make the mistake of being led by our emotions? Instead of our convictions instead of the truth of God's word. I don't always come as a strong harsh word, but sometimes it does and I didn't want to start that and I was the victim of that word. It was good for me later. I called him at a week later. And I said that's exactly what I needed to hear and thank you and thank you. I'll talk to him again this weekend or last week and I told him the story of sky was in the car with us guy is our 4 year old adopted baby girl, and we have her little sister Annie who's 3 we've had them since they were 8 months old and 5 days old. The kids are great. The parents are too old is a problem with adopting when you're in your fifties, you know, but she is wonderful and sweet and she was singing in the back of the car and she had no sense that I was watching her sing or listening to her saying she was just it was just for herself and no one else, you know, and she was singing. God loves me. God loves me and Jesus loves me too, but God just a little more.

That's what you were singing. So I was just chatting with him about life in the week. And I told him that story that he's a pastor. And so I said hey do I need to meet with her to work on that? And he said you know what you need to think about in that moment.

He said you need to remember.

But most likely head you're not adopted her. She'd never be singing that song. And I just feel my heart. I knew I needed that. And you're missing out if you don't have a brother or sister in Christ who can speak hard truth to you at times when you need a hard truth. Or you can speak wonderful truths you at times when that's what the spirit leads him to do. And that's what the church is created to be not an institution that provides services but a family that loves one another and cares for one another and build one another up toward christlikeness. That's the goal of what it means to gather together. We need one another to live in response to God. It's as plain as the nose on our faces, but it's easy so easy because we're human just to forget that we have forgotten some of those basic truth. And here it is in the worship team can come forward. This is our closing verse kind of our theme for this series and let us consider the author of Hebrews write and let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Sometimes we do a lot of provoking and they have a Siri gets his hand. Sometimes we broke each other the other direction but scriptures reminding us of this beautiful truth. Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and Good Deeds not neglecting to meet together as that as is a habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.

That's our calling again. We can forget it so easily and we need each other. We need to gather with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We need to pray together. We need to open the word together because we need to renew our minds so that our thinking is shaped by God's word in his truth not by our circumstances not by the world around us. We need to build one another up. It's a beautiful thing that God has called us to to be the body of Christ to be his bride to be the church. And we will screw it up over and over and over because we're falling human people and guess what Jesus knows that he's not like, I can't believe how could you be so he knows exactly how we can be selfish. She knows that we're made of dust. He knows that we are in a state of Fallen us and that his work on the cross is what redeems us not our own effort Our Own Strength. even when we fail we can go to the throne boldly again and again

And as we come alongside each other as we encourage each other as we build each other up. We become more and more people who are walking away from our selfish desires. We become more and more people as we encourage each other and build eachother up and practice that routine of remembering the Forgiveness when we go to the table of encouraging each other with prayer and a word from God's word. We become more and more people who learn how to live our lives in response to God in response to his grace and his goodness not in response to the immediate circumstances in front of us and I'll look it's easy to say all that. It's hard to live. But thank God for his grace and his forgiveness and thank him for the body of Christ and may we strive to be the body that he Longs for us to be let's pray.