Instructions for the Christian life

Dr Thorpe looks at the basic instructions for the Christian walk in Romans 8.

By Dr Sam Thorpe

The Bible gives us instructions so we can know which are the good ways and which are not.

Have any of you ever done anything wrong? Have you ever felt that someone has done something wrong to you? Often we feel guilty not only for what we’ve done wrong, but because someone has done something to us which perhaps we feel we deserved. Well. Look at this ...

Romans 8:1

We are not condemned. That last phrase is not conditional. I want to talk about flesh and spirit. Hebrew writers had a habit of making parallels and contrasts. And Paul is a Hebrew. The way it actually reads is “The ones walking not according to flesh, but spiritually.” The contrast is between fleshly and spiritually. We are not condemned because we are in Christ – since those who do not walk fleshly walk spiritually. We’re there already. It’s not something to which we have to attain. It’s not a separate realm to which we have to get. Walking spiritually doesn’t mean that.

Romans 8:2

The actual wording here is “freed me”. You know how the law of sin and death operates. It’s a downward, destructive thing. People bound by the law of sin and death are bound. They have no choice. It’s a living death. But now we’re freed from that. We’re completely free from that destructive pattern of existence.

Romans 8:3

What’s the purpose of law? Several things. It reveals some aspects of the nature of God – things He likes, things He doesn’t like; things which are good for us and things which are not. Sin is an evil thing. We don’t tend to think of it that way until the law shows us – and then that should generate in us a tremendous amount of gratitude, because we have been freed from the law.

Romans 8:4

“Fulfilled” means to come true. The righteousness of the law comes true in all of our lives as we walk spiritually.

Romans 8:5

On the underground you hear “Mind the gap.” I’ve seen places where there is a sign saying, “Mind your head.” “Mind” here is like that – “pay close attention to; note; keep in your thoughts the things which are spiritual.”

The spiritual things are not in some other realm. The spiritual things are just the things God is interested in – His directions. So we’re not necessarily trying to have some kind of dramatic feeling about things. We’re just supposed to pay attention to the things of God.

Romans 8:6

So as we notice the ways of God, the things He wants, we should have a peaceful life. Holding the hand of God, we are peaceful. It’s recognising the life He has given us and living that way.

If you don’t pay attention to God and His ways, what will you pay attention to?

Romans 8:7

Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Faith is not wish or hope. It’s not unknown, but what is known. Faith is assurance of the things we hope for, certainty of the things we don’t see. It’s not a leap in the dark. It’s assurance that everything God said will happen, certainty that all we know about God is true even thought we don’t see Him. Faith isn’t a lack of knowledge – it’s a kind of knowledge. “I know you are trustworthy and that you are there.”

God wants that kind of faith relationship of us.

Romans 8:9

Don’t determine to go out to become more spiritual. We’re just supposed to be minding the things of God. We are already spiritual. You are not fleshly. For us to think in a fleshly way is to think contrary to the way we are. We are spiritual, because the spirit of God dwells in us. If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives in you – fact.

Romans 8:12-13

“Mortify” ... “make of no power, of no effect.” Make of no effect the fleshly practices. The naturally responses we might have to temptations – make them of no effect. Sometimes being a Christian requires mental discipline – here comes a temptation, but we’re not going there. “I’m going the way God wants.”

Young people – you realise why you have parents, beside the fact you can’t cook? We have parents to discipline us. Every human being needs discipline. If a person is not disciplined by parents, then even as Christians they will have difficulties. Without discipline from parents, schools, institutions, younger people are running chaotically.

Do any of you have a strategy for temptations? Has anyone been in the military? Anyone seen a military movie? Once people are inducted and headed off to boot camp, they give them uniforms, they call them soldiers. But they don’t know anything about soldiering, so they send them to learn discipline and how to take orders. You have to learn ahead of time because you don’t have time to look for the manual when you’re under fire. You have to know how to respond – it needs to be a reflex. I had a friend during the Vietnam War who had a friend in the Navy Seals. He had been released from his service, and the two of them were in a restaurant. A waiter came by and dropped some glasses. In those three seconds, the friend had pulled out a weapon and was on the waiter. He didn’t think about it.

What do we do when a temptation comes? Do we have a strategy? When’s the best time to get up – when the alarm goes off? So many of us don’t know what to do when a temptation comes. We need mental discipline – I’m not going in that direction.

When fears come up, what do you do? What should we do? What does God like? He’s freed us from those things, so don’t go there – go here. I’m not going to the fear but to the faith, the assurance, the certainty. The same with worries or with general temptations to do the wrong things. That’s why we need to keep these things in our minds, so that it allows us to do what’s right, to recall that He takes care of us and takes charge of everything. I’m not going to follow the fear, submit to the temptations.

Romans 8:15

We are literally sons and daughters of God. “Abba” means Father – “Abba” is Hebrew, “Pater” Greek. Hold the hand of Father, jump in the lap of Father. It sounds uncomplicated, but that’s what it is.

Romans 8:17

Romans 8:26

We are never alone. We’re not set in a world to have to take care of ourselves. We’re not objects of affliction, not waiting for the devil to attack. He’s always there.

Romans 8:27-28

And we know that to the ones loving God, God makes all things work together for good, according to His purpose. He makes all things work together – you don’t have to try and do it.

Romans 8:29

He called us. He justified us – because of the sacrifice of Christ, He looks at us as though we never sinned ever.

Romans 8:31

“Sin” isn’t much used in the world any more. It’s always bad choices or stupidity. Because sin implies offence against the person of God. But if He is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:32-35

No one can separate you from Him.

Romans 8:38-39

Any objections? See how grateful we should be, for all He has done to keep us connected and give us this freedom.

He Will Do It

I just want to refer to the groundbreaking time that Paul was involved in as the church extended from Jerusalem to Judea and then worldwide. But we zero in on him arriving at Thessalonica.

Acts 17:1-7

Just note the fact that when Paul came to an area, here he starts at the synagogue and starts talking with people about Jesus Christ, who he is and what he means; who he stands for. He is the Lord, he is the Christ. The accusation in verse 7 that “there was another king apart from Caesar called Jesus.”

So it was that “the world was turned upside down” is so accurate on the strength and power of the gospel.

Acts 17:9

He was only with these people for three weeks and he formed a church, probably in his house. Here we have believers who are meeting in a house and Jason was obviously one of these people And yet in these three weeks that Paul was there, there was a real pulling together of Christ and fellowship.

1 Thessalonians1:2-6

There’s something about the word of God which is in line with his will. God can work through you, by his holy spirit.

There’s no way that there was some weak-knee-ed membership form that they signed up to. They were aware of the power of what they were preaching.

The more we go on, day by day, so it is, that God is revealing what he wants to do in this place, for his glory. The links that we are forming and the way that God is moving in your heart and bringing to your attention that he is faithful. He is being faithful and he will be faithful. To the end that his name with be glorified in his church.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

It’s the word of God, it’s the truth. And as we go forwards we will cherish the word of God. There’s a narrow way and a broad way; there’s good fruit and there’s bad faith; there’s a foundation built on rock and there’s a foundation built on sand.

How do you know if the foundation is right? It’s when the storms and the floods come. They both look the same but when the circumstances hit you, it’s then that you know what the foundation is. And this church in Thessalonica was formed when other people were totally anti-what they believed in. Their lives were changing and the Jews couldn’t stand it because these people weren’t becoming Jews. And the whole world was turned upside down.

And as Paul writes to them, he can’t stop thanking God!

1 Thessalonians 3:9-14

He longed to be there, he’d founded the church and he privately wondered how things were and couldn’t wait for Timothy’s report and it was the truth, God was taking them forwards. And it was the Lord who was causing them to expand.

“Love towards another”.

What is a church? It is a body of people because they have a common goal and purpose to worship him, to lift up His name. It isn’t a place where people are trying to score points off others.

It’s a place where Jesus Christ has the pre-eminence. It’s about who he is.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-19

You notice it’s not “for” everything” it’s “in” everything, give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-25

Who is faithful? Jesus Christ is faithful. God is faithful. If you want to stand there and hurl at him a heart of mistrust or non thanks! Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. There is no way that God gets involved with a life, injects his power and life into a life and then somehow leaves them or forgets about them or leaves them on their own. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. In other words, this faithfulness goes all the way until such time as you see him face to face. All the way through. It isn’t that you’re sort of looked after and then left to work things out for a few years. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Practical Christianity

Pastor Linnecar looks at Paul’s letter to the Romans and draws out some very practical lessons for Christian living.

Recently we looked at the verse “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” That’s what it’s all about – it’s about the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is, and your relationship with Him by His Holy Spirit.

God is very clear about the way to live.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

The first commandment. In the Ark Bible Club they’ve been covering the commandments. The first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.

Leviticus 19:18

Two great commandments. Jesus brought these together :-

Mark 12:28-34

In Romans 12, we’ll look at things to do with living as a Christian, living and being in a church. Paul was aware that it’s the love of God and the life of Christ in us which outworks what God wants.

Romans 13:10

It’s the life of Christ inside you. He is the one who has fulfilled the law. And it’s His life working through you by the Holy Spirit which has an impact on the world and on other people.

Romans 12:1-2

There’s a will of God for your life. He doesn’t make you try to work it out. He doesn’t dangle some carrot before you which He then pulls away. His will is for you to fulfil what He has. Don’t get tangled up in the world, in the fashions of this evil age.

Paul has some very practical things to say about living. This isn’t to turn us into some holy huddle, but to turn us outward, with Jesus Christ in everything. And so His name will be lifted up.

Romans 12:3

It isn’t that you’ve got a bit of faith and someone else has a bit more. It’s dealing with the common standard of faith. It’s not that one of us has more faith than another. It’s His faith. I live by the faith of the son of God. I want to be open so God can live His life through me. We’ll see how practical it can be. Big time. But don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to. Everything has to be subservient to Him. We don’t puff ourselves up. He who would be best among you, let him be the servant of all.

Romans 12:4-5

A familiar metaphor – the body of Christ. Elsewhere it talks about the hand, the eye, the ear. But everyone is dependent on one another. We’re linked in with each other. There’s no way we score points off one another.

Romans 12:6-8

Seven things. Whatever God has given you to do, do it well as unto Him. Not to score points, but as unto Him.

Romans 12:9

Don’t pretend to love others. Don’t put on a smile in here which becomes a dagger drawn in the week. For those of you who know what it is to go right and you’re choosing to go wrong, reverse it.

Romans 12:10

This is practical Christianity. It’s God’s will that you need to follow. Where does He want you to be, to accomplish? How does He want to live through you through the abilities He’s given you? The key thing is His plan for your future.

Romans 12:10-11

This isn’t to do with the company you work for. You need to bring the context in. It’s the business of serving the Lord. It’s not me ticking the box for God to bless me in business. It’s a question of me being focussed for what God has for my life.

Romans 12:12-13

When was the last time you invited someone round for a meal who you’d never actually spoken to before? It would be good for us to make a point of being open with one another to that extent. I don’t want it for people to know no one beyond their own family. I’ve heard it said that we’re good at welcoming people but then I don’t know what happens. We don’t want anyone isolated at all. One major thing in my heart is that how ever we work out the structure, we don’t want to impose, but to include and take care of everyone. Big time.

Romans 12:12

I talked about prayer to the members of the senior school. I asked if they were praying for their friends. You can certainly pray that others will fulfil God’s purpose for their lives. I want the best for you.

“That’s all right for you. You have to include everyone.” Yes, but we’re dealing here with practical Christianity, for each one of us.

Romans 12:13-14

In the above verse, Paul moves the focus to those outside.

Romans 12:15-16

Don’t be a snob. Don’t limit yourselves to one group. We all have faith and life because of what He has done. We all have that common denominator. Our pathway is set in Him.

No matter when you find me, it’s His life lived through me. There isn’t a time when I hope you won’t hear what I’m saying, that you won’t see what I’m doing.

Romans 12:17

Do you want to get people back – or is it as in this verse. The word evil comes up a lot in this chapter.

Romans 12:18

You’re not looking for a fight. You don’t compromise truth, but you seek to live peaceably. You don’t sacrifice truth for the sake of peace, but if possible you live peaceably with all men.

Romans 12:19-20

1 Peter 2:15

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

It doesn’t matter what is being said to you. It doesn’t matter if someone is trying to pull you down. I’ll continue in well doing.

1 Peter 2:21-23

We’re not meant to take things into our own hands, or find a way of getting back at someone. That’s not a Christian way of living. Instead we should follow the example of Jesus as set out above.

Isaiah 59:18-19

If there is persecution, if there are people who are trying to needle you, the whole sway of the passage in Romans is to leave things with God, and get on with what He has given me to do. I’m not trying to score points, to get my own back. I want to lift His name up. And anyway if the enemy comes in like a flood, God is the one who lifts up a standard against him. We’re following in the train of His triumph.

Romans 12:21

Colossians 1:18-20

In all things ... in your life, that Jesus might have the pre-eminence. In your testimony at work. In all things, that Jesus Christ might have the pre-eminence. If I’m weighing up my future, I have to be honest. What am I living for? In everything let Him have the pre-eminence. He loves you, and His life lived through you will bring glory to His name. Others will ask you about Him. There are others He wants to reach through you. This practical teaching from Romans governs your actions in life.

I think it’s wonderful the way that God is sorting things out – sorting them out so that His name will be glorified. I have no hesitation in saying that God is working His purposes out here.

I’m pleased that this week I shall be meeting with the other pastors in this town. Pray for me. How can we find ways of working together?

We’re part of what He wants to do in this town and beyond. But let’s make it personal. During this coming week He wants to have the pre-eminence in you. And as you let His life be lived through you, outwork these practical things for this chapter. We’re on the same side, and we want His name to be lifted up because others are in desperate need.

He is our Lord. Absolute truth. Rock solid. He is the truth.

It’s exciting what God is going to do in your life.

A Living Sacrifice

God sorts things out totally revolutionary to your thinking. God wants us to link in with each other bearing in mind that the mindset he wants us to have, he will fulfil what he wants to do, in his time, in his way, for his gloronly want to be in what he has for us.

There came a time for Samuel, where he was organising and finding out who God was going to anoint.

1 Samuel 16:6-7

God looks at things possibly differently to how you do. God looks on the heart and his ways of thinking are often different to our own.

Romans 11:33-34

In other words, God knows exactly what he is doing and he is a God of love and a holy God. He knows exactly what he is doing in your life and in the church.

Isaiah 40:25-31

You see it’s totally the opposite with God. You might be at your wit’s end or exhausted, defending the truth. Something else comes along and you need to defend the truth again: “I know my God, and what he starts he’s going to complete.”

“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”

Let this weekend be a time for you to focus your attention on Him. My sole aim is this: to lift up the name of Jesus Christ; to glorify his name in our midst; to point you and me to him and the greatness of his might. Last weekend we looked at how God’s provision never fails and he is sorting everything out miraculously for you.

Romans 11:33-36

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.”

Romans 12:1-2

You tonight, me tonight, setting our hearts, setting our minds to present our bodies a living sacrifice which means that there is no area of my life that I am keeping separate from God. He is involved with all of me: my thinking, my speaking, my doing.

Here as you present your bodies, set apart, acceptable to God I’m conscious each day that I want to orientate my thinking for that day. He works through me. That’s my reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...why?...that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. What does God want me to do in my life, for his will? What am I good at? It’s not building me up, it’s simply in thanks for what he has given me and constantly allowing his life to live through me. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Not for me to live is something which I hope works out; for me to live is Christ. Present your bodies a living sacrifice and the reason is that we might prove what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God.

God My Provider

In the life of Elijah, we see God’s perfect timing in meeting Elijah’s needs at exactly the right moment. We can draw assurance from this – no matter what our circumstances may be, that same God will meet our needs too.

I want to speak about the significance of God’s provision for you, and its reality.

Isaiah 6:1-4

When God speaks to an individual, He communicates who He is. Those verses in Isaiah reflect the glory, power, might and majesty of God. We saw how God brought light in complete darkness. It seemed there was no witness in the whole land.

You can trust God as your provider. You can trust Him to guide you and your family.

Ahab was the worst of the kings since Solomon. And Elijah came to him :-

1 Kings 17:1

It was a reflection of Deut 11, where it says that if you keep worshipping the true God, but if you turn against God there will be drought. Elijah said that no matter the circumstances, the God of Israel lived. It was an incredibly dramatic moment. Ahab was confronted with the reality of the living God.

In your circumstances of life, it doesn’t matter if there seems to be complete darkness around you. It doesn’t matter what the economic climate is. Our God is alive, and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He’s alive.
Elijah left things at that.

1 Kings 17:2-5

It wasn’t that Elijah was told to continue in some public office, to remain with Ahab. He said what he had to say, and then he was told to go. Sometimes in your life, it would seem you can’t figure out why God is guiding you in a particular way. Elijah was obedient according to the Word of God. He went. This was particularly peculiar. God was to use ravens. These were unclean, but God was going to use them.

Luke 12:24

Jesus refers to the ravens too.

Here Elijah goes to the brook :-

1 Kings 17:6-7

Here he is by the brook, getting food from the ravens. And then the water provided by God dried up. “Have I missed God’s way? Did I get it wrong? Why has the brook dried up?” When God leads us, He does so step by step. We don’t know ten steps ahead of time. He knows each step. And as we take each step, the next one becomes apparent. If we turn in on ourselves, and blame God for the fact that we haven’t been told the whole way, and we become bitter against Him, we have problems. He’s our provider. “Did God bring me here? Yes, I know He brought me here. I know I’m in the place He wants me to be.”
At exactly the right point in time, the Word of God comes again.

1 Kings 17:8-9

In v9 “sustain thee”; in v4 “feed thee” – same word. God’s commands are real. His provisions are real. If you have lost your job, your God is your provider, and He does provide. There is no recession in heaven, no misfiring of God’s plan for your life.

When the brook dried up, he stayed put, because God had told him to be there. And then the word came. He was to go 100 miles northwest to the coast again. “I’ve commanded a widow to provide for you.”

1 Kings 17:10-11

She was on the way to get the water, and he called out for bread. And it shocked her, because she was down to the last bit.

1 Kings 17:12

God’s timing is perfect. Our attitude to the circumstances of our lives has to be right. God isn’t making a mistake with you. He hasn’t brought you here and is now leaving you to wither. Not at all!

1 Kings 17:13

There’s an interesting thought. Sort things out with God first, and then sort out yourself and your son.

1 Kings 17:14

Jesus referred to this time :-

Luke 4:25

Three years and six months there was drought. The introduction to this woman required her to organise the right priorities in her heart. “Make me a cake first, and then make for you and your son. And if you do that, the barrel of meal and the cruse of oil will not fail.”

1 Kings 17:15-16

Three years and six months is a long time. God’s economy and timing and planning is perfect. And He sees things on a timescale of eternity.

Some of you are weighing up big things. I want to confirm to you that Jesus Christ is your provider, and that according to His word He is guiding you.

At the same time that Elijah went to the brook and was told to move on to the woman ... during that period, there was another prophet in the land – Obadiah.

1 Kings 18:4

Why didn’t God send Elijah to be with these other prophets? It would have been much easier to be with other people of like mind. But God’s pathway for him wasn’t to be with them, but to be elsewhere, knowing and learning God’s provision.

Elsewhere we know there were 7000 other people of like mind – and Elijah didn’t meet one of them. But He met with God, and learnt the provision of God. Are you doing that too? God is organising your circumstances so that you will prove His provision for you.

The widow was so grateful. She knew that drought was across the whole country, and here she was with the man who told her God would provide. But then this happened ...

1 Kings 17:17

And now we see what is in the woman’s heart ...

1 Kings 17:18

In those times, the automatic assumption was that if something went wrong, it was because of sin. Maybe she used to worship Baal and felt that perhaps she hadn’t fully turned.

How’s it going in your life? When you’re looking back over the last three years and six months? He’s our loving heavenly Father.

“How come this has happened, Elijah? Things were going so well. I was anticipating seeing my son grow up.” Elijah doesn’t actually answer her :-

He’d got to know him. He’d seen the boy grow up.

1 Kings 17:21-24

Some of you here are finding things difficult – you’re wondering, “Has God heard my prayer? Does He know the way forward? Will He find that job for me? Will He make provision for my children? How am I going to fulfil the abilities God has given me in His kingdom?”

Psalm 34:9-10

Hebrews 10:23

God is your provider. He is the one who loves you. Let us hold fast to our faith, without getting into conversations which are so contrary to what you know to be true in your heart.

I want to encourage you – with us before God – you can look up into His face and you can know right now that He is faithful who promised. He loves you. And whichever way God is guiding in your life, I want you to know that the Word of God is secure and true.