Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
And our memory refresher verses for today are …
John 14:6-7
“Jesus said, ‘I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’”
Please open your Bibles to Romans 8:1-16
Does anyone remember a TV show that ran in the 1980’s called The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?
In this show they would introduce a rich and famous person or family and then they would describe how and where they lived, what they ate, what made them so rich and famous, where they vacationed, how many homes they had, what their family was like, how much money they had, whether they had yachts and airplanes and on and on.
That was their life. Was it a lifestyle? What is a lifestyle?
Have you noticed that the word lifestyle has slipped into our vocabulary quietly over the past few years?
Is a lifestyle kind of like picking a hairstyle for those of you who have hair?
Is a lifestyle like picking out a clothing style?
Or is a lifestyle something you try to be that you really aren’t?
Being a Christian is a way of life. Being a Christian is a life you live with Christ in the way the Bible defines as being a disciple of Jesus.
Or … are you really being a Christian when you wrap a “lifestyle” around a life that is minimally committed to Jesus.
Can someone who is living a life of sin put on a Christian “lifestyle” in order to look like a Christian?
One way leads to joy and peace, the other leads to sorrow and anxiety.
Let’s go ahead and read Romans 8:1-16 and see what it says …
Romans 8:6 NIV
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
In the church we talk a lot about the joy and peace that comes through knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Just listen to these memory Scriptures …
Isaiah 53:5-6
“He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.
“All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Galatians 5:22-23
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
James 1:2-4
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
If Jesus received a punishment that brought us peace why are so many Christians agitated?
If the fruit of the Spirit includes joy and peace why are so many Christians sad and anxious?
If Christians are supposed to have, “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus why are so many Christians’ hearts and minds so easily afflicted with anxiety?
If Christians are to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds why do we get all twisted up in knots when someone says something as trivial as, “Happy Holidays” instead of, “Merry Christmas?”
Is it because we are living a life that is committed to Christ only on the surface and our Christianity is only a “lifestyle” instead of a reality?
Jesus used marriage as a metaphor of what our relationship with the Lord should be like.
(Start of example)
Let’s look at what a Christian marriage should be like …
1) Christian man who is totally devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ marries Christian woman who is totally devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and both believe that it is the Lord’s will for them to marry
2) The husband and wife commit to marriage as for as long as they both shall live
3) The husband loves his wife sacrificially in the same way that Christ loved the Church and gave His life for her
4) The wife submits to her husband, who loves her sacrificially, in the same way as the church submits to Christ
5) Both should submit to each other out of reverence for Christ
In such a marriage there would be peace and joy in abundance in spite of the circumstances in the society surrounding the marriage.
That would be a Christ centered married life.
Now, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum …
“Let’s move in together …”
1) Non-Christian man and non-Christian woman move into a relationship that is sinful and out of God’s will for them. God’s will is never even considered.
2) There may be words of commitment but never any certainty given
3) The man wants to get the benefits of marriage; sex, cleaning, cooking, laundry and help with the rent
4) The woman hopes for an engagement ring and a wedding somewhere in the foggy future
5) After enough time has passed and enough fighting has ensued perhaps an engagement ring is given but no date is set
6) After more than enough time it all blows up
In such an arrangement there is no peace and no joy only sorrow and anxiety.
There is no marriage, just a “lifestyle” that will soon wear thin and be destroyed when the “lifestyle” breaks down and the grittiness of the sinful life causes the death of the relationship.
Now, that is a great contrast between the marriage of a couple dedicated to following Jesus Christ as their Lord and master and another couple who are living a married “lifestyle” but have no real commitment other than what they can get out of it.
(end of example)
Now, you might be asking, “What on earth does that have to do with joy and peace in the life of a Christian?”
Just as in a Christian marriage, your devotion and commitment to Christ and His kingdom on earth is to be absolute and complete.
What is the greatest commandment?
Matthew 22:37-38 NIV
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
All your heart, all your soul, all your mind; no reservations, no other object of worship, only complete and absolute commitment …
Your back is turned to the world and your face is turned to Christ …
His will is your will, His desire is your desire, His goal is your goal …
“The world behind me, the cross before me … no turning back, no turning back …”
That is the place of joy and peace! That is the ONLY place of true joy and peace.
On the other hand some people make commitments to Christ that are more like the, “Hey, let’s move in together” cohabitation type of thing.
Somebody is trying to get something from someone else without making a full commitment.
Somebody is trying to get eternal life with and still be in love with a life of sin.
They may say, “I’ve said the sinner’s prayer! I come to church once in a while. I put in a few dollars when the offering plate comes around. When they pray in church I bow my head but I mostly daydream about what I’d rather be doing until it’s over and I don’t need that much prayer anyway. When they sing in church I sing along with the ones I like; I just try not to think about the words. I come in late and try to leave early because I really don’t know anyone there. I have a Bible but I don’t really know what’s in it. I’m living the Christian “lifestyle” … I think. Isn’t that good enough to get me into heaven? After all, there are a lot of people worse than me!”
Here’s a statement that might surprise some folks … “If you are in love with the idea of eternal life and you’re not in love with Jesus you’re not going to get either!”
Being a real Christian is a life, not a lifestyle. Actually, being “in Christ” is life, itself.
A person who is not sold out to Jesus but just trying to live a Christian “lifestyle” will not have joy or peace. Actually, this is a TERRIBLE place to be, especially if you are in a church that preaches the Word of God.
A person who is not sold out to Jesus but just trying to live a Christian “lifestyle” is what is referred to in the book of Revelation as a “lukewarm” Christian.
What is a lukewarm Christian like?
Jesus defines a “lukewarm” church in Revelation 3:14-17 LEB when He says,
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘This is what the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation, says: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! Thus, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you out of my mouth!” Because you are saying, “I am rich, and have become rich, and I have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked …’”
A lukewarm, half-hearted, Christian who is not totally devoted to Jesus is spiritually wretched and spiritually pitiable and spiritually poor and spiritually blind and spiritually naked. Does that sound like joy and peace or sorrow and anxiety?
So, how is it that being totally devoted to the Lord and His Word brings joy and peace to us? Won’t that person also go through times of trial when they don’t know which way to turn?
Won’t a person who is totally dedicated to the Lord ever think, “This is crazy! The Lord is telling me to do this but it makes no sense! Why would the Lord let me go through this?”
Perhaps this example will help us to understand …
Ever since I was a young teenager I have wanted to be a pilot. And, even if I had been able afford the training, the fee to rent an aircraft is huge let alone owning a private plane.
So, instead I read about it and watched videos and sometimes when I was younger I would go to a small airfield where I could walk among the little Cessnas and Pipers and would dream about it but I would have had to shortchange the Lord or my family or both in order to satisfy my own desires.
Anyway, when a pilot is flying VFR or Visual Flight Rules you can see the horizon and so the flying is easier than flying IFR or Instrument Flight Rules.
Sometimes when a pilot is flying IFR, or “on instruments” they cannot see anything but clouds. When that happens the pilot must trust the instruments and not their feelings and perceptions.
Let me just read this little excerpt from a pastor who is also a pilot when he was learning to fly on instruments.
“As part of the training for my private pilot's license, I had to do some "blind" flying: practice maneuvers aloft using only the instruments.
The first time I got ready to take off to do some instrument flying, the instructor going with me warned me not to rely on my physical sensations aboard the aircraft. The instruments -- artificial horizon, turn and bank indicator, altimeter, tachometer, airspeed indicator, gyroscopic compass, and radio beam receivers -- were all reliable. They could be trusted. But, he said, my physical sensations during the flight could not be trusted.
After we took off from the airport the instructor had me put on a hood. For the next half hour or so my vision would be restricted by that hood to the instrument panel. I immediately began to understand my instructor's warnings. The vibrations of the plane, the engine noise, and the unevenness of the outside air all combined to tell my senses that the little Cessna 150 was doing things that the instruments denied.
For that half hour or so I forced myself to trust those instruments. Even then, at times, my physical instincts would temporarily catch me off guard. It was a reassuring feeling to take that hood off and fly that plane with an eye on the horizon and the ground below.
Instrument flying is an art. It takes intense concentration and complete trust in that panel of instruments. Unfortunately, pilots are like most human beings: inclined to trust themselves first of all. There are stories of inexperienced pilots who unexpectedly found themselves in clouds, forced to fly by the instruments. They began to trust their physical sensations more than those instruments, and they came out of the clouds upside down, all the while convinced that they were right side up until they saw the ground.”
Now, we are not pilots who cannot trust their physical instincts when they are in the clouds but we are people who cannot trust our own judgment in spiritual matters apart from the Lord’s leading.
All of the pilot’s physical sensations may be telling them to turn right or left or climb or descend and if they do so without consulting their instruments it will bring anxiety and possibly sorrow or death.
If however the pilot trusts the instruments and make their decisions based on that information the result will be peace and joy of a successfully completed flight.
In the same way a person who is fully devoted to the Lord and His Word and who trust in the Lord with all their heart and who does not lean on their own understanding will have an inner joy and peace in spite of being blinded by surrounding circumstances.
But a person who only says that they trust the Lord but who actually makes all of their decisions on what they “feel” is right will only end up with sorrow and anxiety or fear, now and in eternity.
What are you experiencing now?
Are you “in the clouds” wondering what is going to happen?
Do you feel like you should turn left and the Lord is saying turn right?
Do you feel like life is crumbling around you and there may be no hope?
Are you trusting in the Lord and His Word completely just as a pilot must trust in the instruments when he cannot see the way?
Is your life filled with joy and peace or sorrow and anxiety?
Romans 8:6 NIV
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
“‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus”
(Final thought and invitation if the Lord leads)
