Our predisposition to God ((in the flesh) is one of hostility. Rebellion. Disobedience. Ungodliness. When left to ourselves, our natural inclination is to gravitate away from God. It is our natural inclination to deny the obvious truths of God’s existence such as his eternal power and his divine nature. And it is not enough that we deny God’s existence. The ungodly person must also become antagonistic toward the truth of God in order to justify himself or herself. He or she intentionally preoccupies himself with everything other than worship.
If there is spiritual conversation he or she feels inclined to change the subject, to withdraw from conversation, or belittle what is being discussed. If Christian radio is playing he changes the dial. If a Bible is sitting out he puts it away, way up in the back of the closet. If being convicted of his sin and unrighteousness the ungodly person will arrogantly shrug his shoulders or shift the focus to others worse than himself or he may even wallow in his own self-righteousness. He will do anything to avoid confessing his need for God, for a savior, for forgiveness, and for mercy.
I was reading about the actor Sir Ian McKellen who played Gandalf in the winter blockbuster "Lord of the Rings." One of the first things he does when he stays in a hotel is to look for a Gideon Bible. He finds the passages condemning his sexually immoral lifestyle and then tears the pages out! He brags about having torn up several hundred Bibles! The ungodly person suppresses the truth of God and follows his own path of morality.
Most tragic is how deeply the ungodly person struggles with his powerlessness. He cannot change himself. He cannot get a handle on his thoughts. He struggles to restrain his appetites. His conscience constantly convicts him of wrongdoing. He senses that he is gradually sliding to lower and lower depths. He can’t control himself!
If you are a fan of NASCAR you may be following the story of Tony Stewart. Tony is a phenomenal driver. One of the best around. But he has a short fuse. Recently after crashing out of one race he punched a photographer. At a recent race in Bristol he was accused of shoving a female fan. She has since pressed charges against him. Every week it seems that there is something new reported about him. He is calling a lot of attention to himself!
To Tony’s credit he has acknowledged that he has an anger problem. In a recent interview he acknowledged his inability to change. He said, "I need to do something where I can control my anger better. It’s obvious that after three and a half years, I can’t do it on my own, so I’m going to seek some professional help and get something who can help me learn to control my emotions."
The ungodly struggle in life, without victory.
The ungodly share in Tony’s struggle, but not necessarily in the same area of anger. Some struggle with patience and some with bitterness, but struggle they do, without victory.
But there is more. With each passing day the ungodly person grows increasingly unsettled and dissatisfied. He is plagued by anxious thoughts. What if the market...? What if my job...? What if my home...? What if my health...? What if my spouse...?What if this, if that...? He struggles to find meaning and purpose. As death nears he tries to squeeze out every last ounce of life that he can.
This week I heard about a man who promised his doctor, "If you help me live past one hundred years of age, I’ll send you and your family to Europe." This week the man turned one hundred years old and had to make good on his promise! But despite his attempts to hold on to this life with everything he has, the ungodly person knows that his life is slipping away. His body is aging. His strength is fading. His inclination is to hold on to the only thing he can find security in— this life. So the ungodly person is not at peace, neither with God or with himself.
Jesus Christ is the center of the godly person's life.
In contrast to the ungodly, the Christian finally acknowledges that Jesus Christ is the central fact of his existence. He enjoys his work, but his greatest delight is the work that God is doing in his life. He enjoys his relationships, marriage, and family, but his joy is grounded in his personal relationship with the God of the universe, his savior Jesus Christ. He enjoys the simple pleasures of this life, fine food, apple pie, scenic landscapes, music, sports, exercise, television, relationships, and money, but the Christian never tries to squeeze ultimate satisfaction out of these things.
Most noteworthy is how Jesus Christ begins ordering the Christian’s life. Through his Holy Spirit he helps us control our appetites. He cleanses our consciences. He gradually puts our thoughts back in line. He gives us the assurance of forgiveness and salvation. Through his Holy Spirit God reverses the degenerative effects of sin. He transforms us. As our bodies age and strength fades, he renews us within. He gives us a taste of eternal life with a promise for more. Best of all, God gives the Christian inner peace. The Christian can finally enter into God’s Sabbath rest, knowing that all is well between he and God.
Baptism is the Christian's defining moment.
Last Sunday we demonstrated how baptism is the Christian’s defining moment. Our new life in Christ gets inaugurated in the waters of baptism. In baptism, we transition from ungodliness into godliness. In baptism, we bury the old man and are raised to new life through faith in Jesus Christ. In baptism, we unite ourselves with the lifesaving work of Jesus Christ. We identify with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. In baptism, we offer our lives up to God, as slaves of righteousness.
But I don’t want to promote any misconceptions about baptism. Baptism is just a first step. It is a new beginning. In baptism, ours sins are washed away. We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. We are made perfect and holy in God’s sight. Jesus' blood covers our sin. We are clothed with Christ’s righteousness. Galatians 3:27 (NIV) says, "...all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
But make no mistake about it. Baptism does not mean instant sanctification. Sanctification is the life long process by which God begins ordering our private world. God affects our thoughts, habits, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, mindset, and heart. Sanctification is the life long process whereby God infuses his nature in us and we become just like Jesus in character and essence. In baptism, the life long process of sanctification is just beginning. But wouldn’t it be great if complete sanctification was only a matter of getting baptized? If it were I think we would baptize this entire city. But as it stands, in baptism the work of sanctification is just beginning. In baptism, God is just beginning the slow work of changing us from the inside-out.
What is the Christian to do after baptism?
This brings us to our topic for today. What is the Christian to do after baptism? For most in this room this will be the most personally applicable message in this series. Last year during a morning worship service, you might remember that we asked everyone in this church to complete a spiritual pilgrimage survey. The survey is being used in churches across the nation to gauge where people are at in their spiritual maturity. Are you backsliding? Are you stagnant? Are you growing? Are you praying? Are you reading scripture? Are you doing daily devotions? Are you sharing your faith? Are you being changed? Are you on fire? Are you going hard? Are you going strong in the Lord?
The results of the survey were not surprising. They were consistent with the averages of Christians in churches across America. The overwhelming majority of us have begun a new life in Christ. We have sprouted. We have been baptized. We have accepted Jesus as lord and savior. But most of us have not grown very deeply in our faith since our baptism. We have been stuck in neutral since our baptism. We have changed very little in terms of our habits, behaviors, beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, and heart. This is because baptism doesn’t bring instantaneous sanctification! Baptism simply inaugurates our new life in Christ. Baptism inaugurates sanctification as God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives.
After baptism, every Christian must concern himself with growing deeper in Christ. I introduced the analogy of a seed to you last week. In order to grow, a seed must first die and be buried, just as a Christian must die and be buried in baptism. After the seed dies it receives a new body and sprouts to new life, just as in baptism a Christian discards the old man and is raised to new life. But what happens once the seed has sprouted? If it is an apple seed does it instantaneously become a fruit-bearing tree? Does it grow into an orchard overnight? The answer is absolutely not! It is just a fledgling, frail, seedling. In order to even thrive, a seedling must first deepen its roots. It must reach toward the light, the sun. It must receive nourishment from the soil. To some degree it must be protected from the elements.
Spiritually, most of us are like seedlings. We need to deepen our roots. We need to reach out more for the light of God’s truth. We need to receive greater nourishment from God’s word. We need to carefully guard ourselves against the evil influence of our environment. Praise God that our new life has begun. Pray to God for our new life to deepen.
Continuing from where we left off last week, the first five to six chapters of Romans have focused on getting our new life in Christ inaugurated through faith, repentance, and baptism. But notice that the greatest chunk of Romans focuses on helping us grow deeper in Christ. A few moments ago you were probably discouraged when I said the majority of us have been struck in neutral since being baptized. We are seedlings. The truth is that the majority of the earliest Christians also struggled to deepen their roots after baptism. They were more like us than we’ll ever know. They were seedlings full of potential, but not yet having realized that potential.
Romans 6 through Romans 16 teaches us how to deepen our roots and grow from a seedling into a contagious, fruit-bearing Christian, then into an orchard-like Christian who multiplies new life throughout his or her entire circle of influence. The point is for us to acknowledge that even though being a seedling is better than being a seed, it is not as great as being a fruit-bearing Christian. It is not as great as being an orchard that has multiplied itself a hundred times over. God wants to grow and mature us from a seed into an orchard. Spiritual success is measured not just by new life, but also by deeper life. Romans gives us several principles for growing deeper in Christ.
First, respect your own spiritual struggle.
In Romans 7 the apostle Paul shares his personal spiritual struggle with us. In Romans 7:18-20 (NIV) he expresses frustration. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
Later in Romans 7:21-23 (NIV) he says, "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members."
I think all of us know exactly what Paul is talking about. Our lives are a spiritual battleground where the forces of good and evil wage war. Sometimes it seems as if great advances are being made against the enemy. At other times it seems like we are in spiritual retreat. Sin is advancing. We fail. We sin. Our heart is saying, "Yes, God! More of you! You become greater! Be LORD!" But our body is saying, "Oh, I’d much rather... please, it feels so good… that looks so deliciously tempting… can’t we just this one time…"
A lot of Christians are disheartened when after their baptisms, they still struggle with sin. Don’t be disheartened. At least now you are struggling, whereas before you just raised a white flag of surrender! At least now you are in tune with the conflict, whereas before you ignored it. At least now your heart and mind is set on pleasing God, whereas before your heart and mind was hostile to God! If you are struggling that means you are living. It means you are gradually breaking free from the grip of sin and from your old sinful nature. I’d take that any day over the old life, wouldn’t you? But this brings us to principle number two.
Second, remember that in Christ you already have victory.
Right after Paul laments his own spiritual struggle in Romans 7:21he turns around in Romans 7:24-25 (NIV). "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God— through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
In other words, there is a spiritual battle raging in our bodies, but thanks be to God. Through Jesus Christ the war has already been won. You always hear war veterans tell about skirmishes that continued on long after an enemy was defeated. The skirmishes were dangerous. They had to be squelched. But such skirmishes couldn’t turn victory into defeat. Our victory over sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ cannot be reversed just because we struggle with sin. If we are in Christ, we have the assurance of salvation. We have God’s Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing victory.
Sin and death are powerless if we are in Christ. They are like a snake with its head cut off. They can still clamp down, but they’ve lost their sting. So how do we face the everyday skirmishes with the sinful nature?
Third, rely on the Holy Spirit for strength.
Consider Paul’s teaching in Romans 8:5-8 (NIV).First, he talks about our old method of operation, living according to the sinful nature. "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."
But then Paul talks in Romans 8:9-11 (NIV) about our new nature which is controlled by God’s Holy Spirit. "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
Acts 2:38 (NIV) says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." If you have been baptized you have the gift of the Holy Spirit! You belong to Christ and your spirit is alive in Christ. You have victory!
Listen to Paul describe how the Spirit gives us victory in Christ in Romans 8:12-16 (NIV)."Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation— but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Paul is telling us that God gives us victory as we continue our struggle against sin. His Holy Spirit helps us put the misdeeds of our body to death. He helps us submit to God’s law and please him in every way. He gives us assurance of victory. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the struggling Christian to help him grow from a seedling into a mighty, fruit-producing Christian with ever-deepening roots.
Fourth, reorient your heart and mind to God’s will.
This is the last principle that I will mention this morning. In Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) Paul says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will."
The key to unlocking deeper spiritual growth lies in the heart and mind. Deepening our lives in Christ involves unlearning our old patterns of ungodliness while learning new patterns of righteousness. Paul speaks of offering our lives to God, renewing our minds, and testing God’s will. This is our greatest area of failure as Christians. To fully reorient ourselves to God, we must take three actions.
First, we must have a willingness to submit to God, to obey his will, to live for him, to be a slave of righteousness, and to make sacrifices. Second, we must get God’s will into our minds. This involves Bible reading, consistent prayer and thanksgiving, daily devotions, scripture memorization, worship, singing, and Bible study. These are things that we tend to neglect! Third, we must act on God’s will. We must test his will and step out on faith. We must take his will and put it into concrete action. We can’t just talk about it, study it, learn about it, and get informed. We must put it into practice!
As we submit, learn, and practice, we grow deeper in Christ. We grow from a seedling into a fruit-producing tree. We grow from a fruit-producing tree into an orchard. We multiply new life in others, instead of just enjoying new life in Christ for ourselves.
It isn’t by accident that I am preaching on this very subject this morning. We are organizing ministry to help you grow in Christ. For those who are considering a relationship with Christ, we are developing New Life groups. These groups will help you take the initial steps of faith, repentance, confession, and baptism, so that you can step off the slippery slope of ungodliness and begin a new life in Jesus Christ.
For those who have already begun a new life in Christ, we are developing Deeper Life groups. These groups help you deepen your new life in Jesus Christ by doing the three steps that I’ve just mentioned. Deeper Life groups will help you develop a heart for pleasing Jesus Christ. Deeper Life groups will help you renew your heart and mind by helping you become consistent in prayer, study, Bible reading, devotions, scripture memorization, worship, and witnessing. Deeper Life groups will help you act on God’s will through the use of loving accountability. Through these groups you will be personally challenged to grow and put God’s word into action.
And so you know that these Deeper Life groups aren’t a pipe dream, I want to introduce the leaders we have been training for nearly six months . . . We’ll talk more about this stuff next week.