“ALONE WITH GOD #1-RIGHT THINKING LEADS TO RIGHT DOING”
ROMANS 8:4-9
INTRO: Scotsman Eric Liddell was an athlete whose exclusive aim was to
please God. In the movie “Chariots of Fire,” he explains to his sister,
Jenny, why he feels compelled to run in the Olympics; “I believe God
made me for a purpose, but HE also made me fast. And when I run
I feel His pleasure.” After winning the men’s 400-meter race at the
1924 Olympic Games held in Paris, he surrendered fame and fortune
to serve God by becoming a missionary to China. Eric Liddell knew
what would please God. (Robb Thompson. Solitary Refinement. p. 43). Friends, as
believers, our greatest desire should be to please God!
Friends, if God wanted us to exchange our thoughts for His thoughts
would we be willing to do that? If we accept every random thought
that passes through our minds, do you think God is pleased with
that? Many times the things we see are not necessarily the things
which are true. Multitudes of men and women say they love God and
live like victorious Christians before others while at the same time
privately they are living in mental, physical, and spiritual torment.
Friends, life will leave us empty and dissatisfied unless we learn the
necessity of spending time alone with God. There is no way you and I
can earn God’s love, but we must earn God’s pleasure. If we want to
please God we must learn to think about things from God’s
perspective not from our perspective. We must think on the right
things. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8—“Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there
be any praise, think on these things.” I want to speak this evening on
RIGHT THINKING LEADS TO RIGHT DOING.
In our text we read in Romans 8:5—“For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit.” Friend, let me ask you this evening, “What
occupies your thoughts? Where does your mind gravitate when it is
not occupied with something else?” If our minds are filled with things
of the flesh we cannot please the Lord. Romans 8:8 tells us—“So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” The remedy for this
is spending time alone with God so He can fill us with His thoughts
and transform our thinking. Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2—“I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” As we
consider RIGHT THINKING LEADS TO RIGHT DOING let us see three
things…
(1) OUR ULTIMATE PURPOSE
ROMANS 8:12-14—“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh,
to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if
ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God.”
A. OUR ALLEGIANCE. The Scripture here says—“brethren, we are debtors,
not to the flesh…” . Friends, we don’t owe the flesh anything, but we owe
Jesus everything! OUR ULTIMATE PURPOSE is to please God! Have you
ever wondered why so many believers need to hear so often that God loves
them? It is because “they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” They
cater to their appetites and impulses of the flesh. Friends, there is no way
I can please God as long as I am compromising my morals or faith. People
often believe they can have anything they desire without giving God what
He desires. There are basically two types of believers:
· THOSE WHO WANT GOD TO BE HAPPY WITH WHAT THEY DO.
· THOSE WHO WANT TO DO WHAT MAKES GOD HAPPY.
The question tonight is, “Which group are you in? Where is your
allegiance?” Jesus said in John 8:29—“And he that sent me is with me: the
Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”
When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, our Lord told him that His
baptism would—“fulfil all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15). After his
baptism, a voice from Heaven declared—“…This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). Friends, can that be said of you? Do
you “do always those things that please him”? Is Heaven pleased with you?
B. OUR ACCEPTANCE. Romans 8:13-14 tells us—“For if ye live after the
flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
sons of God.” We have all seen people who tried to avoid the truth. Many
people try to dodge the issues and pass the buck. Choosing to live in
compromise rather than in victory. Many wonder why their lives are such
a shambles but they continue to live in the gray world of compromise
waiting for God in mercy to pick up the pieces of their bad choices.
Friends, what Jesus did for us on the Cross goes far beyond merely saving
our souls. Salvation is about transforming our lives. God through grace
wants to change our plans, perspectives, and prospects. God wants to make
us a NEW PERSON. 2 Corinthians 5:17 assures us—“Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new.”
OUR ULTIMATE PURPOSE is to please God but I want you to also see…
(2) OUR UNALTERABLE PROGRAM
ROMANS 8:14—“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
sons of God.”
GALATIANS 5:24-25—“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk
in the Spirit.”
A. OUR COMMITMENT. Friends, we must not only desire to please the Lord
but we must also believe we can and then commit ourselves to doing so.
When you choose to obey the Lord, He will reveal Himself to you and teach
you what His desire for you is. The Lord promises in Psalm 32:8—“I will
instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee
with mine eye.” When you walk away from the world and start to walk to
God, He will meet you. He will lead you. As you separate yourself from
ungodliness, He draws closer to you.
B. OUR CRUCIFIXION. We must die to self, take up our cross daily, and
follow the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24—“If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” The defeat
of self only happens when you and I are alone with God and His Word.
Someone has right said, “The Word will keep us from sin or else sin will
keep us from the Word.” We are told in Romans 8:13 we are to “through
the Spirit…mortify the deeds of the body…”. Real change comes when we let
the Word of God transform us. Friend, do you want to think the way God
thinks? It is only as we spend time alone with God and listen to His voice
that we can learn to have the right mindset. Friends, the Scriptures should
be our guide and our guard.
When we spend time alone with God and let him teach us through His Word
then we can confront our enemy and win. When you feel emotionally weak
and discouraged remember what His Word promises in 2 Corinthians 12:9-
10—“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for
when I am weak, then am I strong.” And then you can rest in that promise
and endure for the cause of Christ.
Friends, God’s Word will not profit us until it reaches to our very core. The
Word must dictate our actions, attitudes, and desires. We can have victory
over our fears, doubts, and questions when we bring them directly to God
and confront them through His Word. But to accomplish this we must
make a choice to die to self and live for God. We must allow God to teach
us through His Word so our minds will be transformed. Satan is a liar and
loves to deceive us but the Lord is TRUTH and through time alone with HIM
and by the teaching of His Word we can be the kind of person He wants us
to be—a person who pleases God!
OUR ULTIMATE PURPOSE is to please God. We have an UNALTERABLE PROGRAM to help us achieve this and lastly let us see that we have an…
(3) AN UNSHAKABLE POWER
HEBREWS 4:12—“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
A. FAITH TO TRUST. If we are going to please God we are going to have to
believe that God can transform our minds and way of thinking so that we
can center our thoughts on Him. God accomplishes this as we commune
with Him and meditate on His Word. Let me give you three things that will
help you in your quest:
· YOU MUST REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO STRUGGLES WITH THEIR MIND.
· YOU MUST IDENTIFY THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS THAT BOMBARD YOUR MIND.
· YOU MUST REPLACE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS WITH GOD’S WORD.
The Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we are to be “Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ.” The reason we are to make every thought captive to Jesus Christ
is so we can please HIM! Friends, we need to grow to the point where we
are more interested in what we can give to God more than what we can get
from Him.
In the book of Numbers the ten spies brought back a frightening report
from their scouting of the promised land. Their fear influenced others. As a
result of their fear instead of faith they had to wander in the wilderness for
40 years. Friend, if you do not have the FAITH TO TRUST, if you will not
Obey God’s Word, what do you have to look forward to? WE must always
TRUST. WE must always OBEY. There is no other alternative. We must
never stop moving forward for the Lord!
B. FEAR OR TRUST. Faith grows when we consider the possibilities that
await us in the future but fear grows stronger when we look back to the
past. Friend, are you fearful of failure? If so, then fear becomes your
master. WE must trust in the Lord despite unknown circumstances. The
more time we spend alone with God the more we get to know Him and the
more we know Him the more we will trust HIM! If we fail to spend time with
God our faith will waver and we will begin to fear.
Friend, do you want the Lord to transform your life? Do you want to please
Him? If so, you must be willing to spend alone time with HIM.
CLOSING: Friends, RIGHT THINKING LEADS TO RIGHT DOING. Believers
have an ULTIMATE PURPOSE, UNALTERABLE PROGRAM, and an
UNSHAKABLE POWER.
Friend, will you be alone with God. Open His Word. Allow His
Spirit to be your teacher, guide, and mentor. The Spirit will lead
you into the truth. He will lead you into a closer walk with the
Lord. He will lead you in the Way Everlasting!
PREPARED BY BROTHER BRYAN L. BROWNING, PASTOR OF BEECHMONT BAPTIST CHURCH, BEECHMONT, KY FOR SUNDAY EVENING, JANUARY 18, 2008.