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In week 3 of Life’s Big Questions, we consider the question of morality. It’s the question we ponder when we’re faced with a difficult decision or we’re in a tough situation. What question is that? How should I live? What is right and wrong? How can I live a good life?
Taking Sides
Happy Mother’s Day moms. Today, we’re continuing on in our series, Life’s Big Questions. Throughout the last couple weeks, we’ve been considering a couple of life’s biggest questions. Those questions that we ask when we are deep in thought. Those questions that we are beckoned to ask when we are outside on a clear night, staring at the stars. Those questions that we ask when we are reminded of our mortality.
We started out by asking the question where did I come from? And then last week we asked the question why am I here? So we’ve covered the big questions of origin and meaning so if you weren’t with us in the last couple weeks, you can go to fccfamily.com and catch up by clicking the sermons tab.
Messages are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube so you can connect with it in those places as well.
But today, we’re asking the question, how should I live? Which is really the question of morality.
And moms, you know this to be true: a big part of our kid’s journey of morality is dictated by who they choose to surround themselves with. We were all in school at one time. At recess, in gym class, in class projects, we would take sides. We would choose to go with this crowd or that crowd. And depending on what side we take would depend on the kind of behavior we would engage in.
Taking sides. It’s an important thing.
Examples of Taking Sides
For instance, with today being Mother’s Day, I know that we could have some fun. Moms, what would you rather receive for Mother’s Day? Flowers or chocolate?
Well moms, you’re welcome because I don’t want you to have to choose. When you walk out of the sanctuary today, you get to have both. And the moms said, amen!
But let’s include everyone on this taking sides thing.
You have to choose, okay?
Coke or Pepsi?
Dogs or cats?
iPhone or Android?
Morning person or night owl?
Phone call or text?
Cake or pie?
Big party or small gathering?
What’s worse: laundry or dishes?
Couch or recliner?
You get some extra money: save it or spend it?
How should I live? Comes down to taking sides…
As you can see, taking sides impacts how you live.
But what if I told you that this truth goes far beyond a fun list of this or that? What if this principle of taking sides was the key to living the way God wants you to live?
Let’s look at what God’s word has to say.
Introduce Galatians
If you have a Bible, go ahead and turn to the book of Galatians, chapter 5.
The book of Galatians is a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to Christians living in the region of Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey. These Christians had become susceptible to a group of people called the Judaizers. This was a group of people that in answering the question how should I live? taught that in order to live a faithful life to God, Christians had to observe the Mosaic Law. Which essentially meant that non-Jews had to become Jews before they could follow Jesus.
But Paul combats that idea very strongly, in fact, I’d encourage you to read the entire book of Galatians in one sitting later today or this week. It’s not a long book and it will be eye opening to see just how quickly people can try to replace Jesus with Jesus and something else.
Here’s the challenge for us today. In discussing the question how should I live? we can easily jump to the idea that us being favored by God, us being saved by God, us being rescued by God may initially be through God’s grace through Jesus but then our ongoing status of remaining in His grace is through us keeping up with religious rule keeping.
In other words, we can easily go from believing in amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me to I better be perfect or else.
And that’s what a group of people were trying to convince these Christians in Galatia of.
And all of us are susceptible to it. Because many of us want control. And keeping religious rituals and rules is something we can get immediate feedback on. Not to mention that’s how many of us were raised: do good, you’ll get a reward; do bad, you’ll get punished.
But the crazy thing about God’s grace is that the only One who actually did do good, He got punished and those who are bad? They were the ones who get the reward.
So let’s dive in.
Galatians 5:13-15
13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
Jesus Changes Us — Makes Us Free — Gives Us Ability to Love
Here’s what Jesus does: He changes us, makes us free, and gives us the ability to love.
The Bible says, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” and “for freedom Christ has set us free.”
In other words, without Jesus, we are in bondage to sin and death. Without Jesus interceding on our behalf and rescuing us, we are under the rule and rein of sin and death. We are in shackles to sin. We will not escape death. We will not be victorious over the things that plague us. We will continue to be broken.
But what Jesus did on the cross is He took all of our sin and put it on Himself. He paid for that sin by living a perfect life and being the perfect, eternal, infinite sacrifice to pay the infinite, eternal penalty of sin. And when He rose from the dead on the third day, He defeated death so that now, through Jesus, we enjoy a relationship with God as if we had never sinned. We are set free from the bondage of sin. It no longer reins over us. It still will hinder us because we are still on this sin-stained world, but God also gave us a gift—a gift of freedom—His Spirit. And because of that, we have the ability to love. We have the ability to, out of freedom, to choose God, to choose to walk in His ways. How? In Jesus Christ the power of the Holy Spirit.
The whole law is fulfilled in one statement—to love your neighbor as yourself. And we CAN do that now because Jesus did it and the Holy Spirit now lives in us compelling us and leading us toward living the life of Jesus.
I: Eats, Sleeps, Breathes, Bleeds — Sport/Love
For those of you who are football fans, you know the name Tom Brady. And for most of us, because we’re not Patriots fans, and especially if you’re Colts fans, you don’t like Tom Brady.
In fact, when Jesus says to love your enemy, some of you may picture Tom Brady.
But regardless of if you like him or not (and let’s be honest, the reason those of you who don’t like him don’t like him is because he’s really, really good), he is someone who eats, sleeps, breathes, and bleeds football.
There was a documentary done on him and it outlined just how dedicated he is to the game of football.
And I remember watching one of the episodes that talked about his offseason routine. He takes football so seriously that he has used his resources to surround himself with people who will optimize his body in every way to be able to continue to perform at the top of the sport even while he is aging. He continues to break records. He is the oldest player to win a Super Bowl MVP (39) and the Regular Season MVP (40). And even though he is 41, he continues to be one of the best in the business.
Why? Because for him, football is life.
Can you imagine if we were people who, when others looked at us, they would say wow, they just seem to eat, sleep, breathe, and bleed the love of Jesus?
I think that’s what Scripture repeatedly shows us.
That because we have been changed by God, because we have been given a new heart, because we are people who get to walk with God, we get to be people who elevate love above everything else.
How should I live? It begins and ends with living the love of Jesus.
Galatians 5:16-18
16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
I: Taking sides — Piper
Taking sides impacts how you live.
Parents, we see this with our kids all the time, don’t we?
Moms, you know this story line well. Your kids start doing something they shouldn’t do after you’ve told them not to time and time again, you repeat to them what is best for them, and they keep doing what they’re not supposed to do, and then they end up hurting themselves.
This happened in very apparent ways this week with my daughter, Piper.
She is a vivacious little girl. She is full of energy and she often uses that energy to jump around, dance, and act silly. But sometimes that comes back to bite her.
The first time this week was on Tuesday. We’re sitting at the dinner table, enjoying our meal. And then Piper stands up on her chair and starts dancing. I tell her to sit down and eat because (a) we’re eating dinner and (b) she could fall and hurt herself. No more than two seconds later, I look at one of the boys who I was helping feed and then I hear a loud thud followed by a terror-filled, pain-filled cry.
That girl kept dancing and fell off the chair and hit her head on the floor as she fell.
Then, not to be outdone by herself, on Wednesday night, I was in the kitchen after I got home from the office and she was acting silly and hanging on the oven door handle. Sara and I have warned her many times that that’s not a good idea and we don’t want her doing it. Well, this particular time, she decided to get a little more air under her feet and as she hung on to the oven door handle, the door opened and she smacked her head on the floor again. Same cry. Same pain.
In every moment, our kids have an opportunity to take our side and listen or to take their own side and do what they want to do. And oftentimes, it doesn’t end very well because they take their own side.
But we see that in ourselves too…
But the thing is, we don’t just see that dynamic at work in our kids, do we? How many of us see that dynamic at work in ourselves?
I certainly do. And what Scripture is saying is that there is a decision we get to make every moment of every day. We will either walk by the Spirit or we will walk by the flesh.
What the Holy Spirit Does
And when we walk by the Holy Spirit, we get to enjoy the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives and through our lives.
When we walk by the Spirit, He magnifies Jesus to us. He leads us in walking in the way of Jesus. He gives us strength to fight against sin and to choose to walk in the good things God has prepared for us to do. He is our advocate, bringing our deepest longings and desires to the throne room of God. He leads us to love difficult people.
When we take the side of the Holy Spirit, we live out the life of Jesus.
And again: How should I live? It begins and ends with living the love of Jesus.
Galatians 5:19-26
As we read this, I want you to pay attention to the way the things of the flesh contrast the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is what the Spirit is going to grow in us as we allow our hearts to remain tilled and ready to receive God’s leading.
But again, we have a battle raging inside of us and around us to take the side of our flesh.
Read Galatians 5:19-26
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
This is how The Message Bible, a paraphrase puts it (vv.19-21):
Sexual Immorality, Moral Impurity, Promiscuity — LOVE
“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex;”
Here’s the thing: God knows that we’re tired of always trying to reach a point of pleasure that lasts and satisfies our desire to be loved.
And then compare that picture of living with the love of Christ which is the foundational flavor the Holy Spirit will grow in our lives as we walk with Him and He walks with us and is in us.
Idolatry, Sorcery — JOY
“a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion;”
Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to give us joy. He wants us to be able to live with a satisfaction that goes beyond any thing we can accumulate, any resource we can hoard. He wants us to live with JOY.
Hatreds, Strife, Jealousy, Outbursts of Anger — PEACE
“paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper;”
Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to give us a peace that passes all understanding. A peace that is present in the presence of our enemies, a peace that is present in the presence of other’s success, and a peace that is present in the presence of things not being in our control.
Selfish Ambition, Dissensions, Factions, Envy — PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS
“an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival;”
Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to grow inside of us patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness. He wants us to experience the freedom of not being shackled to achievements, to power, to worthless goals, and to other people’s opinions and standards.
Drunkenness, Carousing, and Anything Similar — SELF-CONTROL
“uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.”
Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to give us the freedom of being able to take the side of Christ and be consumed with Him. He wants us to be able to, in the face of temptation, choose living the love of Jesus.
We Live By the Spirit, So Let’s Keep in Step With the Spirit
Paul is clear: living by the flesh doesn’t lead to inheriting the Kingdom of God.
But make no mistake, Paul is not saying that our behavior saves us. He is saying that those who are saved have crucified the flesh because they belong to Christ Jesus. That when we surrender to Christ, when we are immersed into His life and go down in the waters of baptism, we die to our old selves, we are crucifying our flesh, and then we rise up and join Jesus in the resurrection and receive new life, we are also immersed into the Holy Spirit and He begins to take over our lives, giving us the desire and strength to take the side of Christ and deny the flesh what it wants to do.
In other words, we live differently because God’s Spirit lives in us.
We live out the love of Jesus because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
Different From the World — Attractive Faith
In a world full of sleeping around, taking advantage of people, objectifying women, and cheating, imagine what a people who genuinely love people would look like.
In a world that is looking for happiness in anything and everything but the real thing, imagine what a people who are full of real joy would look like.
In a world that is full of hatred and anger, imagine what a people who have a peace that passes all understanding would look like.
In a world that is full of divisions, envy, and rivalries, imagine what a people who live with patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness would look like.
In a world that is full of addictions and one-night stands and all the rest, imagine what a people who live with self-control would look like.
In a word, that group of people would be attractive.
The world would want what that group of people have.
And that should be our story, church.
Sin still hinders us, but it doesn’t reign over us…
That yes, sin still hinders us, but it doesn’t reign over us. We are becoming the people who God wants us to be, the people we were meant to be, the people who are living out the good things God has prepared for us to do—to be witnesses to a watching world.
My friends, we can start to fight against the flesh. You know, there’s a difference between practicing sin and sometimes sinning.
Some of us in this room have things we’re practicing—things we’re not battling against. But we can choose to take the side of the Spirit and start fighting.
All of us need to ask: where have I gotten out of step with the Spirit?
When you look at the flavors of the fruit of the Spirit, where have you gotten out of step with the Spirit?
Lately, for me, it’s been in joy and peace. I know God wants me to live with joy and live with peace, but oftentimes I try to take matters into my own hands and when the matters of life are in my hands, it never leads to joy or peace.
So what is it for you? Where have you gotten out of step with the Spirit?
A Challenge to Us All
Here’s a challenge for us all.
Just choose one flavor of the fruit of the Spirit to focus on this week and ask God to get you back in step with Him.
And just think:
Moms: imagine having _____ when you’ve struggled to have _____.
Moms, imagine having patience when you’ve struggled to have patience. Imagine having gentleness when you’ve struggled to have gentleness. Imagine having joy when you’ve struggled to have joy.
God will do it. He will do it.
God’s Design: Fruit of the Spirit, Character of Jesus
I love how amazing this promise is because the fruit of the Spirit, what God wants to give us, is the character of Jesus.
Jesus is love, Jesus is joy, Jesus is peace, Jesus is patience, Jesus is kindness, Jesus is goodness, Jesus is faithfulness, Jesus is gentleness, Jesus is self-control.
Take a Side: have you surrendered to Jesus?
Taking sides impacts not only impacts how you live, it impacts every aspect of your life—both here and for eternity.
Next week, we are going to ask the question, where am I headed after this life? But if you noticed, this passage gives us a taste. Taking the side of your flesh and going against Jesus guarantees that you will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Left to ourselves, we have no hope. We have no hope of living well. We have no hope of dying well. Left to ourselves, we are hopeless.
But with Jesus, not only will we live well, we will die well. And not only will we die well, but we will live well for eternity with Him.
Have you surrendered to Jesus?
Have you stepped into God’s embrace and received His love?
Without Jesus, we are enemies of God.
Through Jesus, we are children of God.
I pray that you’ll take a side—the side of Jesus.
