Please remain standing now for the reading of
God's word.
We're This is Romans chapter 8
verses
5 to 8. Again, Romans chapter 8 verses
5 to 8.
Please listen to the reading of God's word.
For those who live according to the flesh,
set their minds on the things of the
flesh.
But those who live according to the spirit,
set their minds on the things of the
spirit.
For to set the mind on the flesh
is death,
but to set the mind on the spirit
is life
and peace.
For the mind that is set on the
flesh is hostile to God for it does
not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the flesh
cannot
please God. This is the word of the
Lord.
Thanks to God. Please be seated.
One of the most beautiful sights in the
Galilee
in Northern Israel is known as Mount Beatitudes.
It's called Mount Beatitudes because it is believed
that that was the side where Jesus delivered
his most famous
sermon, the Sermon on the Mount.
And,
that Sermon on the Mount, you may recall
begins
with blessings,
which are the beatitudes,
that that they're known as beatitudes because that's
the the Latin term for blessing,
is is based on that.
That's where it gets the name Mount Beatitudes.
The Mount itself
provides a breathtaking
panoramic view
of the Sea of Galilee
adorned with its lush
vegetation and rich biodiversity
that the Sea of Galilee's fresh water,
sustains and nurtures.
Today,
a lovely Roman Catholic church sits amidst beautifully,
manicured
lawns
and offers a serene atmosphere
that are conducive to reflection,
to prayer,
and to a sense of peace.
Now even though the setting is absolutely marvelous,
it's picturesque
landscape is not the reason
why Mount Beatitudes is one of the most
visited sites in Israel.
What makes Mount Beatitudes
attractive,
it's that it's biblical and historical significance.
After all, the Sermon on the Mount is
one of the most well known and influential
passages
in the whole bible.
It's found in chapters 5 to 7 of
the gospel according to Matthew
and it contains things like
the beatitudes, such as blessed are the poor
in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
It contains Jesus teaching on the ethics of
the kingdom of God,
where Jesus for example,
calls Christians to love our enemies and to
pray for those who persecute us.
It contains the Lord's prayer, perhaps the best
known prayer world worldwide. I remember the first
time that I went to Israel,
we were in the northern most part of
of Israel,
and,
we visited a a Christian church.
And the
the pastor there,
he he said who was,
an Israeli citizen, but in but, from,
he's a Syrian. He he said, pastor, would
you come up here
and lead everyone here in the Lord's prayer?
Right? And and so the assumption was made,
of course, that surely I know the Lord's
prayer, and surely the people will be able
to follow, and then he was gonna say
it
in in, in Aramaic.
So it is just such a well known
prayer that you just can just assume. If
you're a Christian, you're gonna know the Lord's
prayer. Well, that happens in the Sermon on
the Mount and is given to us. It
also contains the golden rule, Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you,
underscoring the importance
of valuing and respecting
others.
But for all of the wisdom,
of the sermons teaching
and for all the beauty and tranquility of
the landscape
where it was the sermon was delivered,
it is the terror of the sermons conclusion
that I want to bring to your attention
right now.
Consider what Jesus says in Matthew 7 verses
21 to 23.
He says,
not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord
will enter the kingdom of heaven,
But the one who does the will of
my father who is in heaven.
On that day, many will say to me,
Lord Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name
and cast out demons in your name
and do many right works
in your name.
And then I will declare to them,
I never knew you.
Depart from me you workers
of lawlessness.
Jesus then concludes the sermon by imploring people
to obey his teachings,
building their house on the rock of God's
word,
which will withstand the storm whenever it comes.
Unlike the house that is built on the
sand of man's own ideas,
which is doomed to collapse,
and with it, everyone
dwelling therein.
On what foundation
are you building
your house?
That's the question before us this morning.
What are the things that you value?
What are the things that you aspire
to attain?
Most importantly,
what are the things
you love?
Because the main point that I want you
to remember today,
is that you are what you love.
And our text will guide our thinking this
morning, as we consider 3 headings.
1st, our worldview.
Secondly, our will.
And finally,
our worship.
Our worldview,
our will and our worship. So let's consider
first
our worldview.
Look at verse 5 again with me.
For those who live according to the flesh
set their minds on the things of the
flesh.
But those who live according to the spirit
set their minds on the things
of the spirit.
Notice that Paul divides humanity here into 2
camps.
Those who set their minds on the things
of the flesh
and those who set their minds on the
things of the spirit. These two groups have
different mindsets,
which are shaped and guided by the way
that they live.
1 group lives according to the flesh.
The other group lives according to the spirit.
We'll consider how their wills are governed by
different rulers when we look at our second
heading. But for now, I want us to
consider
the different mindsets of these 2
different groups.
When Paul writes that they set their minds
on something,
he's not merely describing
the content or the focus of their thoughts.
It is that,
but it is more than that.
Paul has in view not only what one
thinks about,
but rather
how one understands
or evaluates reality.
In other words,
a mind that is set on the flesh
for example,
a fleshly mind
is a mind that interprets reality
according to the fleshly principles
or values of this world.
It's a mind that undergirds a worldview
that is shaped and governed
by the flesh.
Remember as we discussed in Romans 7, the
flesh is not a reference to the human
body. It's not talking Paul's not talking literally
about our flesh. It's not that the body
is a bad thing and the spirit is
a good thing. That's not the dichotomy
that he is doing here. That's a Greek
idea. That's not the biblical
idea.
Rather,
the flesh refers to
a to the fallen state of existence
where individuals
operate according to
their sinful nature, in total bondage
to the tyranny
of sin.
That's what the flesh refers to.
How that person
perceives life,
what that person
appreciates,
why that person gets up in the morning.
All of these are governed by fleshly,
worldly
principles.
It's a whole mindset. It's a posture toward
life. It's a worldview.
Now if someone is involved in a life
of debauchery
or of crime
or someone has given his life very clearly
just to pursue
his own selfish ambition,
It is easy to recognize that such a
person
has set his mind on fleshly things.
Since we are what we love,
we can safely assume that that person is
not a Christian.
Since that person loves the world as it
were more than he loves Jesus. Whatever Jesus
calls us to do, that's not interesting for
that person. He has other loves.
So if that's not you this morning, you
might say, okay. Well, that doesn't describe me.
I don't have to worry about Jesus telling
me someday, I never knew you.
But you can be sure
that hell's membership roles
will include people who
are just nice people.
People who don't drink, people who don't smoke,
that not that you're not a nice person
if you drink or smoke, but you know
what I mean. People who don't curse,
people who attend church faithfully,
people who receive the
sacraments,
people who affirm the creeds of the church
like we just did,
and even those who are given the responsibility
of of preaching,
of shepherding,
and of ruling the church.
There will be people that are described
by like that
on hell's
membership roles.
You see a Christian is not defined by
directives,
but by devotion.
A Christian is not defined by commands,
but by conviction.
A Christian is not defined by laws,
but by love.
Christianity
is a matter of the heart. Paul has
told us that already in this letter.
And this means that mere religiosity
won't save you.
Man looks at the outside,
but God looks at the heart. So we
might be able to fool one another,
but we will not be able to fool
God.
But here's the question,
are you fooling yourself?
Are you fooling yourself?
Under the cover of regular church attendance for
example,
might you be hiding a heart that is
hostile to God?
That's a scary question, isn't it?
The way to get at this question is
to consider
the things that you love.
What is your mind set upon?
What are the affections
of your heart?
What kinds of things captivate your attention?
What do you desire so much
that you believe that you cannot live without
it?
What do you want so much
that you are angry
and bitter
because such a thing isn't yours?
How you answer these questions determines
your walk in life.
It sets your daily pursuits.
It shapes the way that you look at
reality.
It defines what matters most to you.
According to the worldview of our fallen fleshly
society, you should devote yourself to the pursuit
of wealth for example.
You should purchase the latest
technological gadget so you can truly find happiness.
You should dress in the most expensive clothing
brands
so you can show people that you're worth
something.
You should obsess
about your physical appearance because beauty is everything,
isn't it?
And you should order your life around your
own happiness.
And never mind the fact that at the
end of their pursuit,
the people who actually attain many of these
things,
tend to remain just as devoid of happiness
and peace as when they first began.
Now if you're a Christian,
you must no longer see the world according
to fleshly principles.
Instead, you must heed the words the words
Paul writes in Romans 12:2,
where he says, do not be conformed to
this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind that by testing,
you may discern what is the will of
God.
What is good and acceptable
and perfect.
When the spirit changes our hearts
in from from being hearts of stone into
hearts of flesh,
He transforms us by renewing our minds.
So that we can for the first time,
discern God's will.
Enabling us to pursue what is good and
acceptable
and perfect.
When we become Christians, our priorities and perspectives
and pursuits
change.
Our minds are renewed and set
on the things of the spirit and no
longer on the things of the flesh.
With this new world view,
our thoughts are transformed
and our values are redefined.
You look at life in an entirely
new light.
When Samara was pregnant with Santiago,
our oldest,
I remember that a month before he was
born, I went to the Walmart where we
usually
shop for groceries,
except that this time we weren't I wasn't
shopping for groceries. I went to buy diapers
and baby bottles and other things so that
we could be ready for Santiago's arrival.
To my great joy,
I discovered that there were several aisles dedicated
to baby stuff.
I bought everything that we needed and when
I got home, I told Samara, you're not
gonna believe this, but Walmart
added a whole section in their store
just for babies.
Somebody gave me a puzzled look
after a few seconds asked me, are you
joking?
I told her, no.
I'm serious. Look look at I bought all
these things.
She just kept looking at me And finally
said, one card of those Walmart has always
had aisles dedicated to babies.
And of course, she was right.
The reason I had never seen this section,
a conspicuously large section in that Walmart I
may add, is that my mind had never
been set on baby stuff.
But now,
I had a new love
and my mind was set on caring for
my son.
So things that were hidden before
were now visible
and things that were insignificant to me were
now valuable.
And this new way of looking at the
world,
determine how and where
I walked.
Do you have a new way of looking
at the world?
Does this new way of looking at the
world, this new worldview
determine how and where you are walking?
The things that captivate your mind,
that intensify your passions,
that drive your pursuits.
In short, the things you love
are the things that determine your character,
the things that evidence
who you are.
The Christian must have his affections
more and more calibrated to
and directed toward
the things of the spirit.
It won't be immediate
and it won't come without a struggle,
but as you mature in your faith,
you will find yourself strangely at odds with
the values of this world.
And increasingly at peace and at home,
when your mind is set on things above.
You should expect that.
So having considered our worldview,
the second heading I want us to consider
this morning is our will.
Look at verse 6 with me.
For to set the mind on the flesh
is death,
but to set the mind on the spirit
is life
and peace.
The original Greek is more direct. Paul literally
writes,
for the mind of the flesh is death,
but the mind of the spirit is life
and peace.
Notice that every human being either has the
mind of the flesh
or the mind of the spirit.
The mind is either of the flesh
or is of the spirit because it is
ruled by the flesh or ruled by the
spirit.
That is to say,
either the flesh or the spirit
exercise
authority
over our mind
and they govern
our will.
When the flesh is in control of our
will,
our actions will be characterized
by death.
When the spirit is in control of our
will,
our actions will be characterized by life
and peace.
The contrast,
thankfully,
helpfully
cannot be more stark.
That's because the 2 masters governing the wills
are antithetical,
each to the other.
Precisely in the Sermon on the Mount,
in chapter 6 of Matthew,
Jesus says that no one can serve 2
masters
because one will hate and despise the one
and love and be devoted
to the other.
So which master are you serving?
Which one do you love
and which one do you hate?
Which one are you devoted to and
which one do you despise?
1 of these masters, the flesh
leads to death.
The other master, the spirit leads to life
and peace.
Also, the sermon on the man is helpful
here in chapter 7, where Jesus says that
one can recognize false teachers
by their fruit.
So what fruit
is the garden of your will
yielding?
Is it fleshly
or is it spiritual?
In Galatians 5 verses 17 to 21, Paul
describes the fruit
of those whose will is led by the
flesh.
Look at what Paul writes there in Galatians
5.
I'll read beginning in verse 19.
Now the works of the flesh are evident.
Sexual immorality,
impurity,
sensuality,
idolatry,
sorcery,
enmity,
strife,
jealousy,
fits of anger,
rivalries,
dissensions,
divisions,
envy,
drunkenness,
orgies
and things like these. I warn you, writes
Paul, as I warned you before, that those
who do such things
will not inherit the kingdom
of God.
If this list
or even a subset of this list
characterizes
the fruit of your life,
your will
might be governed by the flesh.
Jesus might yet say to you, depart from
me.
I never knew you.
In other words, the things on the list
are not to be taken lightly.
Is sexual immorality
and impurity
and sensuality,
your raging passion,
your relentless pursuit
and even your regular
practice?
Have pornography
and promiscuity
enslave your mind
and your body?
Do you seek pleasure in
overeating
or in over drinking,
in doing these things without any control?
Are you consumed by envy
and by jealousy? Always thinking about what someone
else has
or what someone else is doing.
Are you the kind of person who is
constantly
sowing
strife
and dissension and
division.
Treating others as rivals to dominate
and defeat
and destroy.
The question is not whether you are ever
guilty
of any one of these things.
The question is whether these things
on this list
characterize
the pattern of your life.
Because you see the things on this list
don't merely lead to death,
rather they are indicative of death,
a spiritual
death.
If this is you,
then you could not be in a better
place.
Right now,
this morning.
Because you see, that used to be each
and every one of us in this room.
We were all helpless
and hopeless sinners in bondage to the domain
of death.
And I'm telling you,
there is no enduring joy and fulfillment in
the realm of the flesh.
There's only misery,
regret, and death.
But by grace and because of the great
love of Jesus Christ,
he made us alive,
transforming our hearts and renewing our minds through
his spirit.
Praise the Lord.
And because Christ gives us his spirit,
the Holy Spirit governs our will and enables
us to bear spiritual fruit.
Even though we still sin,
even though we're still in battle,
But these things no longer dominate us because
we have a new master.
Look at what Paul writes in Galatians 5
verses 22 to 24.
But the fruit of the spirit is love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
self control.
Against such things, there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires.
The flesh was used to govern our wills
has been crucified.
Its dominion over us has ended.
We do battle against it and are able
to bear good spiritual fruit.
To enjoy assurance of salvation,
it is not enough to say
that one is a Christian.
It doesn't matter if someone has been coming
to church for 6 weeks or for 6
decades,
nor if he has yet to be baptized
or has pastored a large church for many
years.
If that person is not characterized
by love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self control,
then he or she
might just hear Jesus say,
depart from me.
I never knew you.
In his heart of hearts, that person cannot
have
peace because it is the mind of the
spirit
that is
life and peace.
Do you have peace?
The confessions of Saint Augustine began with the
famous prayer
that states, God, you have made us for
yourself
and our hearts are restless
until they find their rest in you.
Are you still restless?
Won't you find your rest in Christ today?
Let the Holy Spirit take over your will
and rearrange your affections
and redefine
your love.
So having considered our worldview
and our will,
the final header I want us to consider
this morning is our worship.
Look at verses 7 and 8 with me.
For the mind that is set on the
flesh is hostile to God for it does
not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the flesh
cannot
please God.
The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism
asked, what is the chief end of man?
That is to say, what is the purpose
of man?
Why did God create man? What is the
purpose? What is the chief end?
And the answer of course is, man's chief
end
is to glorify God
and to enjoy him forever. That's why we
exist.
Man's chief end is to glorify God and
to enjoy him forever.
And the best way to glorify and enjoy
God is to worship him.
And it is to worship him
in the presence of God's people as we
are doing right now. That's the best way
that we glorify God. God delights
in receiving the worship of his people. That's
what we're doing today.
On the Lord's day, the first day of
the week.
The problem of course is that the mind
that is set on the flesh is hostile
to God.
In other words,
the fleshly
fallen mind still in bondage
to the sinful nature
is hostile to God which is another way
of saying, it hates God.
Paul writes that this hostility
is a consequence of not submitting to God's
law. The word translated as submit is a
military term, meaning that the hostility against God
is characterized by a persisting
insubordination
against God's orders.
We're in rebellion.
One commentator notes that it is as if
man's mind is marshaled against God under a
hostile banner.
What this means for our purposes,
is that the mind and will
that are governed by the flesh
are in rebellion against God
and do not recognize God's authority
and even hate God.
That's what this means. Therefore, an unregenerate person,
someone who is still in that bondage
cannot worship God.
It's not that that person cannot attend a
worship service, that person cannot worship God.
That person cannot render God the glory and
honor that he is rightly do.
That person, therefore,
as Paul writes in verse 8,
cannot
please God.
It's not that he won't please God.
It's not that he's not inclined to please
God.
It's not that he wouldn't like to please
God. It's that he cannot please God.
It's impossible.
That person in that state cannot
please God.
Now for your sake, I will resist the
temptation to embark at this point in the
sermon
on a defense of the biblical doctrine of
total depravity.
The doctrine that teaches that human beings
are so impacted in our entire constitution
that we are utterly incapable of enjoying communion
with God.
Because even our mind is hostile toward God
and therefore, we want nothing to do with
him.
But that is precisely the implication
of verses 7 and 8.
Fallen human beings cannot glorify God,
cannot enjoy God,
cannot
worship
God, and therefore, cannot
please God.
And since our repentance
of sin
and are turning in faith toward Christ for
salvation,
glorifies
and pleases God,
we are in and of ourselves,
incapable of choosing salvation
as fallen human beings.
In and of ourselves.
Every single fallen human being,
which is the status
that we all share at birth,
is therefore
of the flesh
in hostility against God
neither wanting nor being able to please God.
At least not with the factory settings that
we arrive.
The realm of the flesh
is a realm of spiritual
death.
That is the realm that we are born
into
and cannot get out.
That is the devastating death that permeates
our fleshly existence.
How then can anyone be saved?
Well, the only way to escape the death
of the flesh
is to put the flesh
to death.
And although we cannot do it ourselves, that
is exactly what Christ has done for us.
Remember that in Galatians 524,
Paul writes that through Christ, those who belong
to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with
its passions and desires.
And because Christ gives us the Holy Spirit
by his power, we are able to continue
to the battle against the flesh
knowing that our king has already conquered.
Thus, we can heed the words of Paul
who in Colossians 35 writes, put to death
therefore
what is earthly in you. It's a command.
Put to death what is earthly in you.
The death of the flesh was accomplished on
the cross.
Christ's love did it.
Remember Julio's excellent illustration last week
about the person who wants to determine if
their love interest loves them back.
So they pluck the flower
from the garden and they remove each petal
one at a time,
alternately saying, he loves me
or she loves me.
I'll say, they love me.
They love me not.
They love me.
They love me not. Right? And so on
and so forth. And then whatever last petal
remains, when you plug that one, if that
one
says, they love me and they love you.
But if it says they love you not,
you better start looking elsewhere. Right?
Well, let me remind you
that you don't have to guess about Christ's
love.
Christ is the bridegroom
who has come to take his bride,
and he himself is the rose plucked from
the father's garden.
And he gives that rose, that is he
gives himself
to you.
But he doesn't give you the thorns.
The thorns he keeps for himself.
So that every petal on this rose always
says, I love you.
Even when you love him not.
Let therefore his holy spirit indwell you with
Christ's love.
And let him shape your worldview
so you can perceive the truth.
And let him govern your will so you
can walk in righteousness
and let him lead you in worship
so you can offer God your love.
He is worthy.
He loves you
even
when you love him not. Let's pray.