11/1/26 | Will DuVal | Philippians: The Joy of Gospel Living
Thad Yessa [0:04]:
Welcome to the After the Sermon podcast where Pastor Will answers follow up questions and shares your personal applications from sermon for the benefit of the church. I’m Thad, I’m your host, and I’m here with Pastor Will.
Will DuVal [0:15]:
Hey, y’all.
Thad Yessa [0:16]:
And with this podcast, we want to remind you that sermons are not just a Sunday thing. So, Pastor Will, would you mind sharing the context for where we were this last Sunday in the sermon?
Will DuVal [0:27]:
Yeah, we just covered two verses, two very dense, rich, jam-packed verses: verses 8 and 9 of Philippians chapter 4, where Paul is continuing his application of the gospel to every part of our life. Of course, last week, when I was gone, Thad, you preached on verses 1 through 7 of chapter 4. Some some of that very practical with Euodia and Syntyche and and how the gospel heals divisions within the body of Christ, and then how the gospel ought to practically heal internal strife and anxiety that we have. Those famous verses 6 and 7 about, you know, “Don’t be anxious about anything. In everything, through prayer and supplication, pray, and God’s going to give you a peace that surpasses understanding.” Verse 4, how the gospel ought to cause us to rejoice in in all circumstances.
[1:36]
Well, anyway, in verses 8 and 9, now, Paul almost kind of zooms out, I think. It’s like he takes a breath and he zooms out and he and he says, “Therefore, brothers,” and then he goes right to our thought life. And I think, you know, I made the case in the sermon and that for how important our thoughts are. That, you know, our thoughts even Jesus says in in Mark 7, you know, that it’s it’s the things that come out of us that say something about what’s inside us. About, you know, he he says the that we are behavior isn’t what it should be because we think evil thoughts and covetousness and wickedness and impurity and all that. Now, on the flip side, you know, if you make a tree good, then it’s going to produce good fruit, Jesus says.
[2:41]
And so, the title of the sermon was The Joy of Gospel Living, but Paul really zooms in on the living in verse 9, which is a shorter verse, where he says, “Hey, you know, what you have learned and received, and what you’ve heard and seen in me and from me, Paul, go and do likewise. Practice such things.” And it’s a, you know, a very concise kind of framing of I mean, you think about all the other places, and I mentioned some of them where you get this this this kind of flow of thought in Paul’s letters from gospel doctrine in to then gospel practice. And, you know, some of them some of those letters, I mean, there’s just chapters and chapters about you think of Romans, chapters 12 through 16 is all, you know, all about like I mean Romans 12 is just so densely packed with, “Here’s how what it looks like to live as a Christian.” You know, “Outdo one another in showing honor. Be hospitable. Think about others. Don’t be divisive. Don’t quarrel. Don’t.” You know, “Love and and” on and on and on he goes. And then Romans 13, “Oh, and by the way, here’s what it looks like to live as a Christian in a non-Christian world.” Romans 13, “Be a good citizen. Honor the emperor. Obey the authorities that are over you.” Romans 14, “Oh, and while you’re living as a Christian in the context of the church community, don’t eat meat sacrificed to idols if that’s going to be a stumbling block for people.” Anyway, you go on and on, and and very just a long list, practical. And but here, it’s just this one verse where Paul just says, “Live like me. And and follow my example.”
[4:43]
And so, that’s that’s his gospel living. But it flows from the gospel thinking. So, we spent most of our time our our three-point outline yesterday or Sunday, on gospel thinking, godly thinking, which then drives godly response and living and action. But, you know, Paul says, “Whatever is whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable, if there’s anything excellent, anything worthy of praise,” I think I forgot one adjective, anyway, you get the point, they’re all kind of synonyms, just like, “Good! If it’s good, like whatever is is noble, good, praiseworthy,” you know, that’s what you want to let not just consume your mind and your thoughts and in your reflections and meditations, but actually I pointed out that the word that Paul uses doesn’t isn’t the one that we might expect him to use about meditate on these things, like really like chew on these. It’s like consider. Like in other words, if it’s not good, if it’s not pure, if it’s not true, don’t even consider it. You know, don’t even give it headspace in your in your in your mind if it’s not noble and true and good and right and pure.
[6:10]
So, yeah, when we’re in Christ, we pursue godly thinking. When we’re in Christ, we pursue godly living. And then, lastly, all of that flows out of being in Christ, which was point number three, in the very end of verse 9, Paul ends by saying, you know, “Think like this, live like this, practice this.” And then he says, “And the God of peace will be with you.” And and I just ended with a very quick point about that that last phrase, which is I think we could read that, and and a lot of people would read that and and assume that what Paul means is to the extent that you think godly thoughts, and to the extent that you live in a godly way, that is, you know, that that is the extent to which God will be with you, and and the God of peace will come and But if you don’t think godly thoughts, and if you’re not living in a godly way, then then somehow God is not with you, which, of course, we know is not true because Jesus promised in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Jesus promised in Matthew 28:19 and 20, “Behold, I am with you always to the end.” So, God doesn’t leave us, even in our sin.
[7:52]
And and so, my point there at the end was that we shouldn’t understand, “and God will be with, the God of peace will be with you” as, “and then subsequently the God of peace will be with you if you if you obey and think good thoughts and live the right way.” But, rather, “and also remember,” like, “and don’t forget.” Like the In other words, the only way, what the thing that empowers you to think godly thoughts, and the thing that certainly empowers you to live in a Christ-like way is the remembering, and the and the recognition, and the the abiding in, as the way Jesus puts it, in John 15:5, you know, where he says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” I think that’s what Paul’s getting at in Philippians 4:9 when he reminds them, “and the God of peace is going to be with you.” It’s like, “Yeah, you have no chance of thinking godly thoughts without him. You have no chance of of pursuing godly action and and living apart from him. But don’t forget, he’s with you. He’s with you always. You have the God of peace.”
[9:11]
And I just made the the point like, you know, verse 7 had already promised, “The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus if you if you pray with thanksgiving and let your requests be made known to God.” But what we need even more than the peace of God is the God of peace. And he promises to be with us. So, anyway, really rich stuff. Yeah. Probably more of a recap than you needed, but hopefully, you listened to the whole sermon.
Thad Yessa [9:47]:
No, but but very helpful and and even answering some some of these questions and and going into them. Our first question is from Victoria. She asks, “Is it still the same format of the first half of the books of the New Testament meaning gospel doctrine, and then second half, practices, with other writers like Peter, James, et cetera?”
Will DuVal [10:13]:
Not always. So, certainly not if you look at I think she asked about the whole New Testament, so certainly the, you know, the four Gospels, for instance, you’re not going to have that same kind of flow of, “Like here, let me share the gospel with you, and then I’ll tell you about how it ought to work into every aspect of your life.” You don’t get that. You don’t get that obviously in the book of Acts.
[10:44]
But as far as, yeah, I mentioned a couple books and and it’s not always even in the books that I mentioned, like Ephesians, Colossians, Romans are kind of and Philippians, kind of some of them that kind of fit that mold, that pattern the most, even there, you’re going to get some practical stuff in the first couple chapters, and you’re going to get some really just really theologically rich doctrinal stuff in the second half of of each of those letters. But, it’s it is a general kind of framework for for outlining some of those books.
[11:22]
But, yeah, as we broaden that, even in I was thinking about that, thanks, Victoria, but, you know, even as we look at some of Paul’s other letters, for instance, like 1 Corinthians, you know, Paul actually gets very practical very early in 1 Corinthians, you know, where he’s saying, you know, “I I I’m hearing that you guys are divided, and, you know, how can you be divided?” Now, he he he does make the case that the reason you’re not divided is because Christ isn’t divided. You know, but you that’s a lot of the emphasis there in the early part.
[11:57]
And then you think about the end of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 in particular is perhaps the most gospel rich chapter in in in one of them in all of Paul’s letters, is 1 Corinthians 15 toward the very end, where, you know, I I where he brings it back after he’s done all this practical stuff about, “You’re eating the Lord’s Supper the wrong way, and you’re sleeping with your stepmoms, and don’t you know how terrible this is? And and eating meat sacrificed to idols, and women wearing head coverings,” and all this practical stuff, and then at the very end in chapter 15, he brings it back to, “But but look, I I delivered to you the thing the things that are of first importance: Christ died, and was buried, and was resurrected.” And, you know, “Then how can some say there’s no resurrection?” And then he’s got a whole chapter about the importance of Christ’s resurrection. But again, that is just gospel doctrine.
[12:50]
Now, I think we could say it’s also probably practical. Like, clearly the the reason Paul’s saying that is because there were some even in the church, even insiders in the church in Corinth who apparently had gotten tripped up on some heretical strand of thinking saying that there’s no literal resurrection. It’s just spiritual, metaphorical, or something. So, the point is, you can’t you can’t always necessarily evenly divide it into doctrine and practice, anyway. There there’s an intentional There should always be that blending of the two, anyway.
[13:23]
But, I mean, we could just go through the the letters. 2 Corinthians, similar kind of where it’s very practical all the way through, and then also, though, some really rich gospel doctrine stuff all the way through, as well. Galatians, again, kind of similar. There’s a there’s a blending. Right out of the gate, you know, he’s he’s yelling at them about accepting a different gospel. So, you you’re On the one hand, you’re he’s taking it right to gospel and the core of what is gospel doctrine, but then on the other hand, you know, the way in which he’s doing it is a very practical, lived out He’s he’s giving them exhortations as he goes through and unpacks the gospel for them.
[14:14]
And so, anyway, but, yeah, James, I’m just thinking. You know, James is sometimes called like the Proverbs of the New Testament. A lot of wisdom. In some ways In some ways, James is, in terms of the balance of gospel doctrine to gospel kind of practice, I think you could say that James is maybe the most unbalanced in the direction of gospel practice, and there’s just a lot of practical exhortations about where James even says in his opening chapter, “You want to know what true religion is? Like real religion is visiting visiting widows and orphans.” That’s You know, like, “I I can I can open up in chapter 1 with like here’s here’s what the true religion is, and let me like Paul, you know, preach for you. Here’s the gospel,” and just lay out chapter after chapter of doctrine, but instead, James, pretty quickly, like chapter 2, is talking about, “Look, your faith in in the the the true doctrines means nothing unless you live it out.” And so, very heavy on gospel practice and living. So, it’s Yeah, there’s definitely not
[15:21]
And then Peter, actually, I think you could make the case that Peter is the opposite, like where, you know, you read like 1 Peter, 2 Peter, there’s a a It’s very heavy and rich on what the gospel is, and you’ve got some really Some of the like most glorious articulations of the gospel are in 1 Peter chapter 1 and chapter 2. But then, yeah, now that I’m thinking about it, chapter 3, you get to, you know, “Honor the emperor.” You get to, you know, “Let your Be ready to evangelize, but do it in a gentle and respectful way.” And and so, then he does kind of still make that turn to the practical and like how you live it out and, you know, “Sometimes God doesn’t hear your prayers cuz you’re not treating your wives right.” And and so, like there’s there’s still, yeah, there is still a lot of really good practical stuff there, too, come to think of it. And and even 2 Peter right out of the gate, he’s in chapter 1 is where Peter’s talking about, you know, “God has granted to us all, you know, everything as it pertains to living a life of godliness.” And so, you know, he’s he’s very quickly, verse 3 of chapter 1 in that second letter, is going into living out godliness practically.
[16:41]
So, all that to say, yeah, it really just does just kind of depend, I think, letter to letter. And and then, of course, you get, you know, little short letters like Philemon or or Jude or you know, others where where you’re almost hard-pressed to find too much gospel doctrine. And it’s kind of like Paul or Jude, you know, goes straight to like, “Hey, here’s why I’m writing. I want you to receive Onesimus, your your former slave, back.” And then you got to kind of got to read the gospel between the lines. Or like Jude, like, “Watch out for the false teachers.” He’s kind of like goes straight to like He doesn’t spend a lot of time like, “Here’s the real gospel.” He just kind of goes straight to, “Look, there’s some crazy teachers out there. You need to be worried watching out for these guys.” So, anyway, we just did a flyover of most of the New Testament. But, yeah, a lot of them Hebrews kind of follows the structure. I just got done rereading Hebrews with life group and uh D-Group and and I would say the first 11, really, chapters of Hebrews are very are are mostly doctrine, mostly doctrine, and then the last two chapters are very 12 and 13 are very much more so practical than it is doctrine. So, anyway, interesting. Yeah, thanks for the question, Victoria.
Thad Yessa [18:16]:
Uh maybe you know, one just follow up as you were talking, it since not every book follows the pattern, maybe but just a helpful Bible reading tool is thinking through those two categories. As I’m reading, is this speaking to gospel doctrine or is this speaking to gospel practice and gospel living, and just a helpful, again, different category to think through as you’re working your way through hopefully reading the Bible. Victoria has a great application. Not that others are not as good, but, “Write this scripture on a sticky note.” I think that was one of your, “Hey, what would happen if you put this over your your TV, or your computer, or on your keypad, like”
Will DuVal [19:03]:
As a litmus test for what we watch, what we think about: Is it true? Is it honorable? Is it noble, respectable, commendable, excellent, pure? Yeah.
Thad Yessa [19:15]:
Yeah, just just a real great, practical practical thing. We have one from Mike. “How does How does the content of this text fit with Paul’s stated struggles in Romans 7?”
Will DuVal [19:30]:
I think what Eat my pie here. I think what Mike is referring to is the end of Romans 7, where Paul says, you know, “You know, what what shall I say about these things? You know, I I don’t I find it to be a law within my members that, you know, when I want to do good, it’s evil that I keep on doing. You know, it’s the thing that I don’t want to do anymore that I I keep doing even though it’s not me anymore, because I have died.” You know, that’s Galatians 2, “I I’ve been crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I, Paul, who live, but Christ who lives in me.” But then, at the same time, Paul can say, “Yeah, so it’s not me, Paul, doing the sin anymore, I’m with Christ, he’s with me, but rather it’s the sin still in me, waging war on, you know, my members in my body.” And so, anyway, I think Mike’s just that’s that that that’s a great passage for us to think through. And yeah, I you know, and now thinking about it now, I mean this obviously, you can cross-reference and bring so much else from scripture to come to bear on any given topic or sermon, but would have been, yeah, a great passage to bring in from the standpoint of, you know, again, warning the church that, hey, even as Christians, even as those who have a renewed mind and heart, like Romans 12:1 and 2 says, or at least exhorts us, you know, where Paul says, “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And and, you know, God offers that to us in Christ is renewed minds, renewed hearts that have been cleansed, purified, all that, and yet, as Paul also recognizes in Romans 7 and elsewhere, I’m still a work in progress, and there’s still parts of my mind that I I know I have proof, every single day, I have proof that there’s parts of my mind and parts of my heart that have not been renewed, that are are still under construction, as it were, that the Holy Spirit is still working on, and still sanctifying, and still, you know, that I’m a work in progress because I keep sinning. Like Paul says, you know, the the stuff that I Now, I think, you know, part of what we’re supposed to do and like even where, you know, Paul elsewhere exhorts us to examine yourselves and make sure you’re you’re still in the faith, you know. What does that mean? Well, I think part of what it means is like Jesus said, you know, “A good tree can’t make bad fruit. A bad tree isn’t going to make good fruit.” So, look at your fruit and and prayerfully ask the Lord, like David did, you know, “Search me, oh Lord. See if there’s any grievous way in me, so that I can because I don’t want to just go on unconsciously sinning and and grieving the Lord, and grieving the Holy Spirit, and living unto my flesh, and not I I don’t I don’t want it to be the case that there will be parts of my life, whether it’s, you know, by my in my in in in what I watch, like I’m a Christian everywhere else until I turn on the TV, or when I’m online, or, you know, with this particular friend who really brings out the worst in me, or in my dating relationships, or in my, yeah, my sexuality, or in, you know, my my the way I spend my money, or I mean, we could go through the whole list of the the the compartmentalized parts of our lives. When I step on the volleyball court, you know, it’s like all the sanctified stuff goes out the window.” So, Paul’s saying, “You know, I don’t I don’t want that to be the case. I want I want all of me to to to be conformed not to the patterns of this world, but to be conformed to the likeness of Christ.”
[23:44]
And so, yeah, that would be Thanks for bringing that up, Mike. I think that’s a great thing, Romans 7. Not caveat, but just a just another layer of explanation to add in when we’re talking about, you know, this whole renewing of your mind and whatever is pure pure and true and noble and all that, is And I did mention, of course, I I did mention that even those of us who are believers, there’s there’s still that indwelling, sinful, fleshly part of us that is still drawn to what is impure. You know, like, I don’t I don’t know if I’ll ever be so sanctified that, you know, an attractive naked woman who’s not my wife will become unattractive to me, you know, because it’s impure. It’s impure for me to look and and think of and and and indulge in any kind of second thought or rubbernecking, like I talk talked about yet on Sunday, that’s impurity, and yet, you know, there’s just, again, that fleshly part of of me and, you know, that and that’s Now, everybody’s going to have their own unique sin struggles, and Paul doesn’t necessarily go into depth in Romans 7 about which ones were his when he talks about this war, you know, that’s at at at work within his his heart, the battle for it for Paul’s heart between his flesh and the spirit. But we all experience that in in different areas of life and in different ways, and so, yeah. Thank you, Mike, for drawing our attention to Romans 7, and just helping us maybe be more aware of, yeah, that that war within each of us as we as we strive for renewed minds that that only think about what’s true and pure and good and commendable. So.
Thad Yessa [25:47]:
Next questions from anonymous congregant: “Why is there such an emphasis on our minds when chapter 4, verse 7 says that the peace of God guards our hearts and our minds? Doesn’t Paul spend as much or more time on our hearts in verses 4 through 7 as he does on our minds in verses 8 through 9?”
Will DuVal [26:11]:
It’s a good question. And I won’t go into too much depth, not because it’s not a good question, but I did mention yesterday, actually in passing, wasn’t even in my notes, but I just kind of made a slip up in quoting a verse or something, and I and I just mentioned, you know, there’s so much even the I think it was Proverbs 26:3 that said, “As a man thinketh in his mind” sorry, “As a man thinketh in his heart,” as the King James, “so is he.” And, I mean, the ESV is, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is so he is,” or something like that. But the point is, there’s a real blurring of the lines, biblically, between where the mind stops and the heart stop starts, and and vice versa. And, I mean, to the extent that some of even the words in Hebrew and Greek for for mind and heart can be used interchangeably. And if you look up in, you know, Logos or, you know, biblehub.com interlinear, Greek translation, all that, you’re you’re going to see this word can mean heart, or mind, or soul, or what And so, there’s And again, I think some of that is intentional, and some of that is really I mean, how how insightful and how wise is that, because now, of course, we know, these days, with science and whatever else, like when we talk about our heart, or, you know, whether it’s being heartbroken, or, you know, like we we talk about you know your heart I mean, literally, all of that, your soul, your heart, your mind, all of it, you know, if you were going to pinpoint where where that in in the human anatomy where that resides, it’s your brain. Okay? I mean, we know that now. It’s your brain. But, you know, when the Bible talks about a mind, or a heart, or your soul, or your spirit, you know, again, it’s not that there’s these they’re they’re these ancient backwards people who, you know, I know historically like, whatever, the the the liver was talked about as the seat of emotions, or, you know, whatever, and you feel it in your gut, and this and that.
[28:28]
But, again, my my point is, I think it’s it’s another one of those cool, beautiful like these authors, even in using the same word interchangeably and like they were attesting to realities that they couldn’t have even really known in their first century worldview and and and understanding of anatomy and science, but that we know now. It’s like we’re just catching up to the Bible. I mean, it’s God’s word speaking through these human authors in in time and space, but God is intentionally having them use words like mind and heart and stuff interchangeably because you can’t so easily separate out and compartmentalize.
[29:11]
You know, it’s not like, “Well, when I think a thought, it’s here up in my head, and and when I feel a feeling, it’s down here in my chest, or whatever.” You know, it’s all it’s all we’re we’re holistic. You just can’t easily compartmentalize. So, all that to say, I wouldn’t get too hung up on the emphasis on mind or heart or Now, that said, Paul’s emphasis in verse 8 was on our minds and our thinking. That’s, you know, whatever is pure, good, true, think about these things. He doesn’t say feel these things. He says, “Think about these things.” And I think, again, that is intentional. And I think there is something to be said for the importance of our thought lives and for the degree to which our thought lives really do then translate into and determine our actions.
[30:05]
You know, like, I I I guess there can be a disconnect there, and somebody, I’m just like looking out my window here, like you you don’t you wouldn’t just go jump off that overpass bridge right there without and somebody asks you why you did it, like, “Oh, I guess I just didn’t really think about.” Like, no, we like we do the things that we think about. Like, unless you’re sleepwalking or something. Like, you you’re conscious, you’re thinking, and then, you know, your hands, your your feet, I mean, your your actions are following in line with with your your thinking.
[30:43]
And so, you know, you want to change your actions, you want to change your words, you know, “I don’t like the words that are coming out of my my mouth. Like, I I’m harsh with people. I’m I’m impatient. I’m rude. I’m I’m whatever.” Like, how do you What do you What do you do? Where do you go? You go to your mind. You go to your thinking. Like like Jesus said, Mark 7, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” And so, you know, the reason I’m rude to people is because I think rude thoughts, and I I need a renewed mind that thinks like 1 Corinthians 13, you know, love is patient and kind and and, you know, gives the benefit of the doubt, and and assumes the best, and all the Like, I want a loving If I want my words to be that way and to show love to people, then it’s got to start with loving thoughts, and and and that comes from, again, a renewed, sanctified mind. So, anyway, yeah, we’ll stop there. But thanks for the question.
Thad Yessa [31:45]:
Next question or next two questions are from Brad. First one, “How does gospel living practically look different from a Christian-flavored lifestyle or trying to become a better person?”
Will DuVal [32:00]:
I guess what Brad means by a Christian-flavored lifestyle is like, you know, a lifestyle from the outside looking in that appears to be Christian, but maybe isn’t actually or coming from a regenerated heart, or, yeah, like he said, just someone trying to to work, you know, work toward being a better person.
[32:26]
And I guess, you know, the shortest answer and and maybe to put a fine point on it, I I always go back to Hebrews 11:6, where the author of Hebrews says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” And I think I I did mention that on Sunday, too, that verse and how And I said, “Yeah, at the beginning when I shared the gospel, and I said, ‘Look, notice this this the opening phrase in each of the points of your bulletin is: When we are in Christ, then we pursue gospel thinking. When we are in Christ, we pursue gospel living.'”
[33:06]
Now, you can pursue you can pursue good thinking, you can pursue good good actions without being in Christ. But the point I, you know, try to make was, when you do that, when you’re not really doing it in Christ’s strength, and in step with his spirit, you know, working your heart, and with the, again, the motivation to honor and please him, what are you really doing? Well, it’s really self-righteousness. It’s really, you know, where is that motivation coming from? Well, it’s, you know, I I do think, like Romans 2 says, we all have a conscience. You know, God has wired us all with a conscience. So, you know, even if you’re you don’t belong to Christ, you know, you bully people, or, you know, you you fly off the handle, or and and and mistreat you know, whatever, and eventually you you’re going to later feel bad about that and and want to correct that or whatever. That’s That’s good. That’s fine. That’s part of God’s common grace gift to us to want to be better people.
[34:14]
But why? Is it just to appease our own guilt? I mean, that’s Non-Christians do that. Is it just to appear to be a better person to get favor in the workplace? “I want to be someone who gets invited out to happy hour with co-workers. I want people to like me. I want to get invited to parties.” Like, that’s all, again, self-righteousness, self-centered, self-motivated, self-directed attempts at righteousness. And again, we just know, over and over again, what what the Lord thinks about that. Like Isaiah 64:6 says, you know, you’re where God says to his people, Israel, they’re doing some of the right things, and and you’re keeping kosher, and you’re keeping your Sabbaths, and you’re you’re checking your religious boxes, but God says, “All your righteous deeds are filthy rags in my sight.” Because, like Jesus said to the Pharisees, you know, “These people honor with me with my lips. They say all the right things. They can quote They can recite all, you know, they got the whole Torah memorized, but their hearts are far from me.”
[35:24]
And so, I think that’s I think that is What was the question again?
Thad Yessa [35:34]:
“How does gospel living practically look different?”
Will DuVal [35:36]:
“How is it different?” Yeah. It It looks different because of the motivation. I think sometimes it can honestly be indistinguishable. But God, you know, man looks on the outward appearance. Man looks on, “Hey, both those people held a door open for the old lady walking into Panera.” But why the Christian does it and why the non-Christian does it, because they were taught to, or because it makes them feel like a better person, or fill in the blank. Yeah, without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Otherwise, yeah. So, bottom line, Christians do it for Christ. We do it for Christ and because of Christ. Yeah. So.
Thad Yessa [36:20]:
Brad’s second question: “You said, ‘The gospel is a truth we believe, but rightly understood, it necessarily propels us to live differently.’ Where do Christians tend to go wrong here by either emphasizing belief without changed living, or changed living without keeping the gospel at the center?”
Will DuVal [36:39]:
Yeah, those are I mean, Brad’s already laid out for us the two sides of the horse that you can fall off. Sometimes, we’ll talk about uh use the the alliteration of the Ls and licentiousness or or legalism. License, just like giving license to sin. Like, yeah, it’s just just kind of a a looseness, if you want to go another L, looseness about, you know, the living part, and like, you know, what’s important is is the doctrine. Versus legalism, which forgets the gospel in favor of the list of rules of do’s and don’ts that that as long as you keep them. And so, yeah, that’s that’s the constant tension that we live with as gospel people is, you know, clinging to the the the truth and importance of both those things, and never losing uh letting go of of either one. I think the way Tim Keller, I’ll butcher this, but I think the way Keller put it is like is, you know, he talks about truth and love, this maybe another way of thinking about that, and how, you know, truth without love is is just like harsh, you know, or something, and love without truth is, I can’t remember even now his adjective, but, you know, the the point is I mean, the the, again, going back to James, James’ point is really you can’t have one without the other. There’s no such thing as faith without action. It’s not faith. You know, it’s not certainly it’s not faith in any person, Jesus, or in any truth, the gospel, that is is real, or biblical, or saving. You know, the only kind of faith that matters is the kind of faith that motivates you to action.
[38:44]
And and again, going to Brad’s first question there, you know, action that is driven by anything other than faith is is is really actually not pleasing to God anyway. You know, you think you’re pleasing God because you’re holding the door open for an old lady, but you’re really doing it for you, not for her, or for God. And so, yeah. Yeah, the the two go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. Two sides of the same coin.
Thad Yessa [39:15]:
Our next two are more applications and notes. First one from Alec. He says, “This reminds me of Piper’s You Have One Life, Don’t Waste It sermon. My priority must be for God’s glory, not mine or my family’s.”
Will DuVal [39:36]:
That’s good.
Thad Yessa [39:39]:
And then last one is anonymous: “I’ve been struggling to commune and think/meditate with the Lord in this season. My motivation to read and pray is that it’s what Christians are supposed to do. This was encouraging and convicting to change my mindset, to find the motivation to be with the Lord in relationship with him. Thank you.”
Will DuVal [40:04]:
Thank you. That’s encouraging to me to hear. God’s word does not return void.
Thad Yessa [40:10]:
And and we hope that this has been edifying for you as you seek to be changed and to love God more as you apply God’s word after the sermon. So, go and continue to apply the sermon and make disciples, and, Lord willing, we’ll catch you right back here next week.