HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN AND STILL ENJOY LIFE
LIVING ON PURPOSE
Sunday April 13, 2008
Scripture Reference: Philippians 1:21
Intro.
A. How do you think you are living your life today, on purpose or by default? If you had to give me an answer I am pretty sure all of would say that we are living our lives on purpose, but what is the evidence to support our position? What is there in our lives that shows we have a specific aim for our lives rather than us just allowing life to happen to us? Now the fact that you have a job to go to and are earning an income to have a house and are saving money to be able to retire comfortably does not necessarily mean you are living your life on purpose. A life “routine” does not mean we are living life on purpose. It certainly doesn’t mean we are living our lives for the right purposes.
B. If there was ever a person who understood what it really means to live life on purpose I think Paul was that person. Consider with me for a moment the context of this verse we are studying today, these 13 short words. Remember that Paul writes these words from prison. Now I have never been imprison before but I know this, prison in Paul’s day was far different from prison in our day. Think about those who are arrested and then incarcerated while awaiting trial. They have the hope that a good lawyer will argue their case and maybe get them released or at least a shortened sentence. In Paul’s day even though a trial was possible it was just as possible that someone in authority would simply make the decision to pronounce you guilty and sentence you or have you killed.
1. I don’t have time to do so this morning but if you will read Paul’s words here in V.12-24 you get the very distinct impression that Paul knew full well that his future was insecure. That at any moment the plug could be pulled and he could be executed. What is so amazing and inspiring about this is Paul’s focus through out all this. He is facing the pressures of those who are trying to make his imprisonment even more difficult and the reality of death with a singleness of mind. As we saw a few weeks ago in V.18 Paul said, “...so I rejoince And I will continue to rejoice…”
2. Now how could Paul live like this? How could he rejoice when for all intents and purposes life was caving in all around him? I would suggest the answer is found in that Paul knew why he was living. He was living his life on purpose not by default. I think that if we would like to gain a fair understanding of whether or not we are living on purpose we will need to be like Paul and see how closely our lives connected to these two things Paul mentioned, Life and Death. Allow me to quote one of this world’s greatest preachers C.H. Spurgeon who living back in the mid 1800’s. “Call no man happy until he is dead; because the life that is to come, if that be miserable, shall far outweigh the highest life of happiness that hath been enjoyed on earth. To estimate a man’s condition we must take it in all its length. We must not measure that one thread which reacheth from the cradle to the coffin. We must go further; we must go from the coffin to the resurrection, and from the resurrection on throughout eternity. To know whether acts are profitable, I must not estimate their effects on me for the hour in which I live, but for the eternity in which I am to exist. I must not weigh matters in the scales of time; I must not calculate by the hours, minutes and seconds of the clock, but I must count and value things by the ages of eternity.” Paul was just this kind of man, a man who understood that what goes on in life now matters not just for this moment but for all of eternity.
Trans. Form these words of Paul I want to share with you two things we must do if we are to live life on purpose. The first is:
I. TO LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE WE MUST LIVE FOR CHRIST.
Now I feel it is important to remind you of something right here because we have a tendency to look at Paul through rose colored glasses if you will. To live for Christ was not always the way it was for Paul.
A. It Was Not Always This Way For Paul.
1. Let’s look back at Romans 7:14-17 (read). Paul was a sinner just like the rest of us. He too was born with the sin nature just as King David said in Psalms 51:5 For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. As Paul himself said in Romans 3:23 We have all sinned and come short of God’s plan and purpose for our lives. In fact I think many of us would agree with Paul’s own words in 1 Timothy 1:15 when he said This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. Paul stood there and held the jackets of the people who stoned Stephen to death in Acts 7. He even said later that he stood there approving of what they did. Paul did not always know what this meant to live life on purpose, to live for Christ. He was like the rest of us, living life for himself and his own desires.
2. Now how did Paul come to make such a dramatic change in his life? Was it enlightenment? After all it was on the road to Damascus that he had that revelation of Christ and heard Christ’s voice. Did Paul begin to live for Christ because he now understood who Jesus really was? While I would agree that the Damascus road experience was instrumental in Paul’s transformation it wasn’t simply that Jesus revealed himself to Paul that changed Paul that caused him to go from a self-centered life to a Christ centered life. I believe the answer to Paul’s transformation is found in Galatians 2:20 which says, My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
3. This is a paradox but what the bible teaches us is that for us to really live we have to begin by dying. We cannot live for ourselves and for Christ at the same time. Jesus clearly told us that we cannot serve two masters.
B. To Live For Christ Means We Derive Our Identity From Christ.
1. Think of this as you would they way you inherit things from your parents. We all have certain characteristics about us that are the result of our parents and our upbringing. My dad loved to fish, got any clues as to where my live for fishing came from? [] A little over 30 years ago I bought my first new car on my own. I bought a 1977 Ford Granada from McCoy Mills Ford in Fullerton. After battling with the salesman and then the sales manager who happened to know my dad he finished the deal by saying, “You are just like your dad.” Just a littler over a month ago Sherry bought her first new car. I was there but as I watched her deal with the salesman and then the sales manager I also realized, “She is just like here dad.”
2. Those who know me and then meet my daughter might say, “She is a chip off the old block.” To live for Christ means that we should be deriving our identity from Christ. People ought to be able to look at us to know what Christ is like. Now we all know that we will never be the perfect likeness, but to quote Paul again there ought to be an ever growing Christ likeness in us. 2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
3. In us people should be able to see true compassion. They ought to be able to see in us mercy. They should be able to see in us forgiveness. They should be able to see in us humility. They should be able to see in us selflessness. Our desire should be that we live in such a way that before people see the likeness of our parents in us that they see the likeness of Christ in us.
C. To live For Christ Means That He Sustains Me.
1. We all understand the need for earthly sustenance. We know that to survive in this life we need food, water. The fact that few of us are anxious for the opportunity to fast shows how important these things are to us. I don’t believe I have ever met someone that said, “Oh yah I forgot to eat today but no big deal. Eating is not all that important to me.”
2. To live for Christ does not mean I no longer have an interest in food, but it does mean that I also have a great need for the things of God on a daily basis. To live for Christ does not mean that I can say on Monday, “I don’t need any devotions today.” “I spent several hours yesterday in Sunday school and church so I am good for a few days.” What does the bible say about this? Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 “..‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ In Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, And in John 4:34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
3. Does Christ really sustain me or am I really sustained by my work, my sports, my relationships, or my money? Now please understand that this doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy these other things but are they the additions to my life or are they the essentials of my life? It is the essentials that sustain me.
4. In my opinion I think that a lot of what is considered as “Living For Christ” today is little more than “Believing In Christ” and let me assure you that there is a world if difference! [] I am reminded of the movie Braveheart where the lead character William Wallace says, “Every man dies, but not every man really lives.” I think we could easily rephrase that today to say, “Every man believes in Jesus, but not every man really lives for Jesus.” My whole theme of this series is that we can actually enjoy life as followers of Christ, as people who are living for Christ, but I honestly believe that there are a lot of people who think that having this purpose for living is not really living at all. I am afraid that even within the church there are more than a few that look at Paul’s words as some sort of religious fanaticism rather than religious normalcy.
5. Look with me at these words of Paul again from Galatians My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. What I hear in Paul’s words here is that his very inspiration for living come from Christ and the reason this is so is because as he said, “Christ lives in me.” You could almost put it this way, “Paul was the puppet of Christ.” Paul tells us that he lives the way he does because Christ lives in him and he directs the words, the thoughts and the deeds! Now is this the way it is supposed to be or is Paul just plain WEIRD? I suggest that we are so upside down in our thinking that even in the church world what is actually normal is seen as strange or even fanatical. But then what I am to do with these words, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. It sure seems to me that what the bible is telling me that there is no statute of limitations on the scripture. That what Paul was instructing Timothy to say to the people back then is what God is still saying to us today.
Trans. To live for Christ also means that we are to pattern our lives after him.
D. To Live For Christ Is To Pattern Our Life After Him.
1. We have talked about this several times already and even though it can become just a neat phrase I still believe there is a lot of truth and power in the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” When I ask myself that question about my life and the things I either am doing or considering doing. What I am in effect doing is endeavoring to pattern my life after Christ. If I am doing this correctly I am not asking the question for information purposes I am asking the question for Transformation purposes.
2. Let’s put this in a relevant context, let’s consider this from a scenario I would face as a pastor. Let’s say I get a call from another church and they want me to come and be their pastor. Let’s say the church is twice the size of Cornerstone, the pastor’s salary is twice as much, and the church is a leading church on that district. Now if I am patterning my life after this world then we would almost immediately say, “That is s good career move; you need to snatch that opportunity.” But if for me to live is Christ then I am compelled to ask “What would Jesus do?” Do I honestly believe that Jesus would say, “This is a great career move, I better jump on it.” * Now folks this not only applies to me but it applies to you as well. If for you to live is Christ then what do you do when a good job offer comes along that offers more money and greater prestige? Do you jump on it or do you ask, “What would Jesus do?” Shouldn’t we also be considering the effect of this decision on our spiritual life and the life of our family? Shouldn’t we also consider the effect of this decision on our church family? Oh yes I know this sounds really radical but isn’t this only because we are patterning our lives after this world and its values rather than Christ and his values?
3. I think that it is here where what Paul said in V.9-10 come into play as well. Paul prayed that we would have knowledge and understand and that we would know what really matters. Not that we would know what will put more money in our pockets and what would give us more recognition. I don’t need a whole lot of smarts to figure any of that out, but I need insight to realize what really matters and what really matters is not always the bottom line of you get my drift.
Trans. I just need to share with you one more thing about what it means to live for Christ.
E. To Live For Christ Is To Make Christ The Result.
1. This goes along with what I was just talking about. What are the results I am after in my life if I am really living for Christ? As a pastor are the results I want from my living for Christ to be greater church attendance? While church attendance is a good thing that cannot be the end result I live for. The result I am looking for in living for Christ is not that I will do more work in the church as important as ministry is. The result I am looking for is Christ likeness. The result according to what Paul told us in Romans 12:2 is not conformity to this world but transformation into Christ likeness. To know what God’s will is not my will or the will of this world. Not even the will of the pastor or church.
Trans. Now let’s transition to the last part of this verse. We have spent a lot of time considering what it means to live on purpose. In the last part of this verse Paul shows us that living on purpose also means having the right attitude towards death.
II. TO LIVE ON PURPOSE WE MUST HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS DEATH.
Paul said in the end of V.21 “to die is gain.” Now let me remind you that to live for Christ we need to have the attitude of Christ not the attitude of this world and what is the attitude of this world towards death?
A. For Most People Death Is A Loss.
1. Let’s think for a minute about the things most people would say we lose at death. One is certainly our money after all we know that you can’t take it with you when you go right? No matter how much money is in the bank when you die you lose it all. Then there are our possessions. Do you get to take your house with you when you die? No, so that is another lose you incur at death. Power is one; some people live for power and prestige. They want people to come to them because of the power they have to make decision that influence the lives of others but what power do you have when your dead? How about knowledge, hopefully we spend most of our years gaining knowledge, but what happens to all that learning when you’re dead? Relationships, isn’t one of the greatest heartaches of death the lose of that loved one or friend? Even if they have been very ill we hate for death to come because it means they are gone forever. Then of course there is the lose of health. That’s sort of obvious isn’t it? Health is very important to us, even for most people it ranks higher than money, but we count it as a lose at death as well.
Trans. So we have all these things we count as lose at death. Money, possessions, power, health, knowledge, friends and I am sure we could list more if we wanted to. So how can Paul say that “to die is gain” when we just listed all these things we lose? The answer is found in part one, death is now gain because we have chosen to live for Christ. Let me show you what I mean.
B. For A Christian Death Is Gain.
1. Wealth, we said it was all gone, but for the child of God for those who have chosen to live for Christ we leave this world to enter into the riches of heaven. Paul told us in 4:19 that we would be supplied from Christ’s glorious riches. Remember as well that the book of Revelation tells us that in heaven we will be walking on streets of gold. Now what about possessions for those who have chosen to live for themselves they lost all they had worked so hard for at death, but the bible tells me that as followers of Christ we have a mansion waiting for us. What about power does death take away our power? NO, the bible declares that for those who live for Christ death actually holds no power over us! What about knowledge? Look what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. For followers of Christ we gain knowledge at death rather than losing it. Now how about that all important thing that most people lose, relationships? Sadly it is true that there are some relationships we will lose at death. We will lose the relationships of those who chose not to follow Christ and how at death find that their reward is the eternal absence of God. But for us who have chosen to live for Christ think of all the relationships we gain? I get my dad back! I get to see my wonderful grandmother again. I get to see people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and even Paul! What incredible gain there is for those who live for Christ? Of course health is no longer an issue because where we are going death cannot enter. Cancer is not in the dictionary!
2. You know I fully understand the emotions we feel at the point of death. Even as I pastor I have a great deal of difficulty containing my emotions when I perform a funeral, but really why do we weep for those who die in Christ? Why weep for those who now wear the crown of life? Why weep for those who are walking on streets of gold? Why weep for those who never have to visit another doctor’s office. Who never need another physical exam? Who now are sitting at the feet of Jesus? Oh if we weep we ought to weeping that we are left behind at least for now to endure this old world of ours!
OUR NEXT STEP
A. Friends I can think of no other way to conclude this message but to ask you plainly, “Are you living for Christ?” I am not asking you if you go to church or if you give your tithe or if you work in the church. Those may well be effects or results of living for Christ but they also can be done without living for Christ. I have seen this over and over again in my years as a pastor.
1. Do you derive your identity from Christ or does your identity come from your family or your job, or even your church? Does Christ sustain you or is he merely a side order, a nice addition but not really necessary? Is Christ the pattern for your life or are you patterning your life after the attitude of this world?
2. Friends, you have so much to lose or you have so much to gain. I don’t know why this is but God has left the decision totally up to us. What is your choice?
