Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20041226.htm

APPLYING OUR CHURCH'S STATEMENT OF BIBLICAL FAITH
Article III, Part VIII Of The Nepaug Bible Church Bylaws: The Believer's Walk
(1 John 2:4-9; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 6:10-17; Deuteronomy 6:5)
  1. Introduction
    1. Many books exist for the Christian community on how to please God and enjoy victorious, rewarding fellowship with Him: a few works on the market that appeared a Christian book catalogue this fall were Come Thirsty by Max Lucado, Getting Through The Tough Stuff by Charles R. Swindoll, Total Forgiveness by R. T. Kendall and Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God.
    2. However, regardless of the many books and even seminars and sermons that abound on the subject, vast numbers of Christians function in a spiritual wasteland, for " . . . research efforts of Gallup, Barna and Hunter all indicate that evangelicals are, for the most part, as secular in their orientation as non-Christians," John H. Armstrong, The Coming Evangelical Crisis, p. 61.
    3. Our Statement of faith at Article III, Part VIII reflects God's means for living godly lives that overcomes secularism as follows: "We believe that a Christian should live in obedience to the Word of God, through dependence on the Holy Spirit to produce Jesus Christ's quality of obedience to the Father and love to God and man." We view Scripture to discern the key to such blessed, effective holy living as follows:
  2. The Believer's Walk, 1 John 2:4-9; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 6:10-17; Deuteronomy 6:5.
    1. John defined true godly living was a style of life that is dramatically distinct from secularism as follows:
      1. According to 1 John 2:4-9, fellowship with God comes only by heeding God's [Biblical] commands.
      2. Thus obedience to Scripture will produce characteristics in one's life that mimic the life of Christ, a life that was completely different from contemporary secularism, 1 John 2:6 in light of 1 John 1:1-3.
      3. This obedience will be marked by a love for other believers, not a love for the world, 2:7-11; 2:15-17.
    2. Then, in contrast to the self-help or legalistic methods that are so often upheld as to HOW such obedience is to be ACHIEVED , Romans 8:14 reveals the believer is led by the Holy Spirit; that also leads us to Romans 8:3-4 and Galatians 5:16-23 where we read he must rely upon that Holy Spirit for effective living as the only means successfully to heed God's commands:
      1. All believers are led by the Holy Spirit, indicating they should heed His leading, Romans 8:14.
      2. Well, the believer needs to rely upon the Holy Spirit to live out God's righteousness in his life, for only in doing so can he achieve such a godly life according to Romans 8:3-4 in view of Romans 7:15-24.
      3. Indeed, Galatians 5:17 indicates the believer's sin nature (the "flesh") is in constant conflict with the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit with the sin nature so the believer is deeply influenced by their conflict!
      4. Thus, the believer must depend on the Holy Spirit not to fulfill the lusts of his sinful nature, Gal. 5:16.
      5. In case he is confused as to whether he is living by his sin nature versus living by the Holy Spirit's power, Paul itemizes the opposing characteristics for the believer's insight as follows:
        1. The believer's sin nature produces immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, substance abuse, orgies and the like, cf. Galatians 5:19-21 NIV.
        2. Conversely, the Holy Spirit controlled believer produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, Galatians 5:22-23 NIV.
    3. Then, as the believer is confronted with the pressures of the angelic conflict, pressures too great for him in his humanity to handle, the believer is to rely on God's gracious provisions in the Spirit's power to speak the truth, to rely on God's forgiveness and positional truth, to be ready to share the Gospel at any time, to trust and use Scripture and to pray always for offsetting Satanic attacks, Ephesians 6:10-20.
    4. In it all, the believer's life lived in the Spirit's power this way should reflect his love for God with all his heart, soul and might and a love for his neighbor as himself, Deuteronomy 6:5 with Matthew 22:35-40.
Lesson: Truly godly living comes ONLY as the believer HEEDS God's Word to live as Christ did, and THAT happens ONLY if he relies on the Holy Spirit and God's gracious provisions for life and service.

Application: To overcome where so many believers fail today, may we (1) heed Scripture -- NOT the secular world's view -- to please God and (2) SUCCEED in this by relying on the Holy Spirit's power and God's gracious provisions -- NOT by relying on self-help or legalistic disciplines to that end.