Introduction

It’s been said, “When you stop growing you start dying.” Usually, that line is applied to business. When a company stagnates, and starts losing its market share, it’s on the path of Radio Shack, Blockbuster, K-Mart, and many other businesses that eventually dried up. It makes me feel old that it’s interesting to start listing off those businesses. I’m sure that you can think of plenty others that you used to enjoy but are gone forever.

No business wants to end up there, so a good company is never content with where they are. They’re always looking for the slightest inefficiency, the newest market, and the biggest innovation. They obsessively grasp for the next step because, “When you stop growing you start dying.”

That’s also true in the Christian life. “When Christians stop growing they start dying.” It happens so easily. Life gets busy or you get distracted or you become content with the progress you have made. Sprinting turns into jogging, jogging turns into walking, walking turns into sitting, and sitting turns into death. Maybe it is happening to you. Wake up! Keep growing. But how can all of us prevent this dreadful slide?

One helpful tool God has provided is practical and specific challenges like we find in today’s text (read). Two weeks ago, we considered God’s command in v. 1 to, “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.” God’s not content with whatever sacrifice you want to give. It must be “holy” and “acceptable.” What does that look like?

Verses 9–21 answer with a series of practical commands. Today’s passage has 13 of them. That’s a lot of commands! My hyper-organized brain about exploded this week trying to outline them. I’ll be okay. But these commands are convicting. But you don’t want to die! You want to keep growing. So, my central challenge is to use these commands to take your walk to another level. Evaluate your heart and to push it to the next level. God especially calls you to keep growing in 4 targeted areas. The first is…

I.   Godly Affections (v. 9)

God especially commands you to work on 2 godly affections. The first is…

Genuine Love: Greek word for hypocrite was originally used of an actor who wore a mask during a play. He could put on mask with a smiley face and then another with a frowny face. But neither genuinely reflected his heart. That’s a great illustration of a hypocrite. He hides behind a deceptive mask.

Sadly, we’ve all seen people hide wicked hearts behind plastic love. This person is overwhelmingly friendly. There’s big hugs and huge smiles. But then you find out that she is slandering you to others. All those smiles were just a mask that covered a hateful spirit. God demands more. He demands “Love without hypocrisy.”

Maybe you are right now rehearsing all the hypocritical love others have shown you. Our capacity to spot hypocrisy in others is amazing. We can see it from miles away. It’s like we have the gift of prophecy or something.

But conveniently that prophetic gift goes poof the moment the attention turns to you. Suddenly you can’t see hypocrisy anywhere. But it is there.

You are super friendly at church, but the moment the car door shuts you become a jerk. Your family watches you at church and thinks, “Who is this person?” Maybe you play the friendly game well, but you have no interest in going beyond that and loving people sacrificially. Teens, and frankly all of us, maybe you are so caring when your image is at stake with the cool kids, but your siblings know there’s a very different person under the mask.

Know that God sees behind the mask. He commands you to take your love to the next level. Confess your hypocrisy to him. Ask for grace to change. Replace hypocrisy with genuine, sacrificial, Christ-like love. The second affection is…

Godly Taste (v. 9b). Abhor is a great word, and it perfectly reflects the meaning of the Greek term. It means, “to despise, to hate bitterly. It expresses a strong feeling of horror.” Here, God command you to abhor evil.

Do you abhor evil? Or do you find a lot of pleasure in it? Consider your entertainment. If you have a great time watching evil on the TV or listening to it on the radio, you do not abhor evil. Don’t sit there and laugh at people who are openly mocking God’s law. Evil should make you angry.

Consider your conversation. If you relish a thick slice of gossip or you feel so good griping about this thing and that thing or to listening to others spew rotten words, your taste needs work. Foul language and especially using the Lord’s name in vain should anger your soul. Do not let the world numb you to the horror of sin. Abhor what is evil.

Then “cling to what is good.” This is another vivid word. It means “to glue or cement together.” Thirst for goodness, holiness and truth, and cling to it when you find it. “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess 5:21–22).

We need this challenge because goodness is often not as interesting as evil. Evil is naturally juicy, provocative, and compelling. Change your taste. Love goodness. Love conversation that edifies. Find joy in holiness. Take your walk to another level by loving and clinging to goodness and beauty that honors the Lord.

So, v. 9 targets godly affections—genuine love and godly taste. This is the foundation of genuine godliness. It always begins in the heart. Don’t be content conforming on the outside while your heart is full of decay. By God’s grace cultivate a godly heart and godly affections. The 2^nd target is…

II.  Loving Service (vv. 10, 13)

Verses 10 and 13 highlight 4 aspects of how Christians must love each other. And this love dominates the rest of the chapter. That’s no surprise because love for one another is the axis of the Christian ethic. “The whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Gal 5:14). You cannot grow spiritually while neglecting love. So, Paul first challenges us to develop…

Brotherly Love (v. 10a): The church is family. We are brothers and sisters. God placed you and everyone else in this church. He gave you a family, and he gave you to them.

That’s good news. You don’t have to face the pressures and hostilities of the world alone. God gave you a spiritual family that can help you and encourage you. It is a precious gift. I can’t imagine life without this family.

So, God commands you, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” We are family. Families have conflicts, but they stick together. They work through them. So, refuse to get stuck in petty fights, to form clicks, and to ignore problems. Purse people. Be quick to forgive. Always think the best.

In general, devote the time and attention that is necessary for a healthy family. What’s happens to your marriage when you don’t give it time and attention? It dies. The family of God also demands your time, attention, and openness. So, think specifically. How do you need to love this family better? Where does God want you to be more devoted? Take brotherly love to the next level. The 2^nd aspect of love is…

Eager Honor (v. 10b): This would have been shocking to the Roman world. Jerry Toner, who is an expert on Roman culture says, “Most (common Romans) saw their neighbors as competitors not comrades in the harsh struggle for scarce resources. To have nothing was to be nothing in the Roman world. Theirs was a culture where people strove to look down on their neighbors with something of the same disdain that the elite looked down on them.”

It’s like a JH girls’ sleepover. They get goofy, and one starts to talk. Another girl talks over her. Another talks over her, and before long, it’s ear-piercing. Adults generally know better than to act that way, but we still have our ways of demanding attention, pushing my agenda, and seeking my glory.

But God says, “Give preference…” The more precise translation is “outdo one another in showing honor.” God is commanding you not to grasp after your own glory or frankly any selfish concern. Don’t grasp for attention. Don’t lobby to have things just the way you want them.

Instead, find your joy in honoring others and fading to the background. Be happy to praise others even in a public setting. It would be great to have some testimonies this evening of what you appreciate about someone in the church. Enjoy honoring others.

That demands real love. You’ll never enjoy honoring others as long as your heart is full of pride and self. Make a choice by the grace of God to purify your love, to lift others up, and to enjoy doing so. Do the same at home, at school, on your sports team, or at work. You’ll find much more joy than you’ll ever find grasping selfishly. And we’ll all be blessed. It’s miserable to be around petty competition. It’s a joy to be around genuine love that honor others. So, take it to another level. The 3^rd aspect of love is…

Generous Care (v. 13a): The word translated “contributing” is koinōneō. It means to share or to partner. So, the idea is not that when a fellow believer is in need that you merely throw a few dollars at the situation and forget about it. Rather, God commands you to “share in the needs of the saints.” Their need becomes yours. You partner with them in bearing the load. You are generous with your money, your time, and your affection.

For example, a couple weeks ago, my car broke down on the way to men’s Bible study. I was so blessed by how several men jumped in. Joel picked me up on the side of the road. When I mentioned what happened, several guys offered to let me use their AAA membership. Daniel Batchman gave of his time to help me get it towed. Then Daniel Clark helped me fix in. All those guys shared in my need. They generously got under the load.

Be that person. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Find ways to be generous. Even if you don’t have extra money laying around, you can pray, you can speak encouraging words, you can be a good friend. I’m thankful that we have a culture of generous care, but we must never take it for granted. Push your generosity to the next level. The 4^th aspect of love is…

Openness at Home (v. 13b): The Greek term for hospitality is another vivid one. It is philoxenía. Philos means love and xenia means stranger. So, hospitality is not fundamentally about having a massive home and being an incredible entertainer. No, hospitality is an attribute of the heart. It is to love strangers; therefore, you are eager to serve them.

Paul was primarily thinking of providing housing for traveling Christians. Hotels were few and far between. And those that did exist were raunchy, horrible places. So, as Christianity spread, it quickly prioritized providing housing for traveling Christians.

Of course, that’s not as great of a need today. But you still must be a lover of strangers. For example, don’t hide out with your friends at church. When you see someone you don’t know, go after them. If a visitor sits in your spot, don’t you dare tell them. Greet them, get to know them, and be excited to potentially build friendship with another believer.

And get people into your home. I can’t think of any greater way you can express openness to people than to invite them into your most personal space. It demonstrates great love, and it builds strong bonds.

I know that hospitality is demanding. Food is expensive, and entertaining is demanding. But hospitality is not about being Martha Stewart. It’s about loving God’s people. And you know from experience that the best part of visiting someone’s home great is not the food they serve or the condition of their home; it’s the love of Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit flowing through them.

So, be hospitable. The literal idea is pursue hospitality. Be aggressive. Some of you have never had another church family into your home. For others, it’s been a long time, longer than you care to admit. Change that. Make hospitality a priority. There are few greater ways you can grow the health of our church than regularly practicing hospitality. Hospitality has been vital to the health of Life Point over the years. Don’t let us ever lose it. Make a choice right now to take your hospitality to another level. The 2^nd major target area of our text is loving service. The 3^rd major target is…

III.  Diligent Effort (v. 11)

If your response to the last target was to start thinking of all the reasons you can’t love people like that, this verse is for you. It also challenges every aspect of our participation in the church and ministry.

First, God commands you to “not lag behind in diligence.” Do you remember running your first mile in PE? There are two kinds of kids in every class. Some are fired up. They want to beat everyone and get the best time possible. Others couldn’t care less. They’d walk the whole mile if they could.

And churches are the same way. We’ve all heard how 20% of the people do 80% of the work. There’s generally a lot of people “lagging behind in diligence.” Some wish they could do more, but in the providence of God they can’t. But others are quite content taking it slow and letting others pick up the slack.

God commands you not to lag behind. Verse 8 commands you to use your spiritual gift eagerly for the health of the body. Do not be content letting others pick up your slack when you know you could do more. You can’t control your abilities, but you do control your effort. Serve God diligently.

You’ll only do so as you strive to obey the next challenge to be “fervent in spirit.” That’s talking about your attitude. The Greek term means to “be on fire.” Don’t just go through the motions. Don’t walk when you can run. Be on fire to serve God.

I recognize that’s not always natural. Most people don’t jump out of bed every morning eager to do everything God expects. Some of it is really hard and really painful. Your flesh resists constantly. But if you are going to serve diligently, you must work on your passion. And you can change it by the grace of God.

The primary way is to obey the 3^rd challenge in v. 11. Don’t ever just fulfil a task in the church. “Serve the Lord.” “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Col 3:23).

Some weeks your Awana table will be filled with squirrely kids, and you will want to punch them. You may call a church member and get a grouchy response. Sometimes the task you are given seems dumb. Sometimes you feel disillusioned, and it kills your drive. But no matter what is going on around you or inside you, the Lord is always good. He is always worthy of a fervent spirit and diligent effort.

It’s a privilege to serve the Lord! Jesus said, “To the extent that you (serve) one of the these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” (Matt 25:40). Remember that when people are jerks, or you feel tired. Picture Jesus across the table from you, get fired up, and serve diligently.

Many of you work so hard to serve the Lord. Keep it up. God sees even if no one else does. Others really need to step up your game. You may have a list of excuses a mile long, but you know there’s more you can do. We need more workers. We need more disciple makers. Take your effort to another level. The 4^th target area is…

IV.  Grace-Empowered Perseverance (v. 12)

This is a great verse to end with. God first commands you to “rejoice in hope.” Specifically, rejoice in the hope of eternity. Life in this world is hard, and ministry in the church is hard. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:8 that his suffering in Asia caused him to be “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.”

How do you press through those times? Remember that heaven is coming. It doesn’t matter how much you sacrifice here because you have all eternity to enjoy the unimaginable blessings of God!

Some of you are carrying tremendous burdens. They feel overwhelming and unending. But only heaven is eternal. See the wonderful glory that awaits. Get excited. Be encouraged.

And in that hope obey the next challenge to “persevere in tribulation.” The Greek word for persevere is one of my favorites. It literally means “remain under.” Very often we want to bail on our burdens, but always remember that your tribulation is no accident. God is sovereign over your suffering. He has a good purpose, and his grace is enough.

Again, don’t forget that heaven is coming. Your burden is very short compared to infinity. So, persevere. Stay under your God-ordained burden and carry it as long as God demands with joy in the hope of God.

But be sure not to carry it alone. The final challenge of v. 12 is to remain “devoted to prayer.” That’s so simple and so important, but it is amazing how often I forget to pray. I’m so focused on fixing a situation that I forget how helpless I am. I need God, and so do you. You need God’s help.

We are in the business of seeing the dead raised to life and of seeing sinners transformed into the divine image. You can’t do that, and neither can I. One of the best ways you can love our church, love your friends, and care for your own soul is to pray and pray a lot.

Maybe, this sermon has been hard to hear because you have physical limitations, and you don’t feel like there’s any ministry for you to do. Pray! God’s hand will do more for our church than youthful energy ever will.

We need grace-empowered perseverance. It must be said that grace must drive your obedience to all 13 challenges. This passage can appear impossible. How could I ever love unhypocritically? How can I hate evil and love goodness? How can I serve fervently?

You should confess very specific sins, and you should make very specific commitments. But only the grace of God can produce genuine change. Loving people, loving goodness, and serving passionately always begins in the presence of the Lord. You must walk in the grace of God by hearing his Word, staying devoted to prayer, worshipping with is people, and obeying his will. Don’t forget that the fruit of the Spirit are the fruit of the Spirit, and they only come as you walk in the Spirit.

Conclusion

By God’s grace, you can obey these 13 challenges. Think very specifically. What does God want you to change? Right now commit by his grace to keep growing, to take the next step.