Living with Direction

Introduction

Our culture has lost the ability to experience shame. Shame is the feeling that comes when one does something disgraceful and dishonorable. It is the feeling of failure that comes when you do not live up to expectations—both your own and those of others. Our news is replete with stories reminding us that few feel the loss of honor.

A person attempts to kill another because of perceived mistreatment and there is no shame for trying to take the life of another. Instead there is pride because the person stands believing that another’s life is little to give for status and prestige even if it is in his own mind. A person lives with another without marriage as if such is no big deal. Politicians speak about the need for change and yet cannot bring their own lustful desires under control. States give permission for same sex couples to engage in the act of marriage as if homosexual union is common and to be supported. There is no longer a discussion about what is moral—only what is political.

Christians are not exempt from this loss of honor. Believers who engage in crude talk with co-workers as if such is common and without reproach. Believers who will praise God in the assembly and curse the server who messes up their order at the restaurant. Believers who are shameless in their pursuit of selfish ways failing to recognize the higher calling from God.

We are going to look at a text today which completes our short series on living life with purpose. We have seen that we are here to bring glory to God. Worry can derail the glory we give to God. Living as light calls for us to take up our cross every day. Our lives do not belong to us; we live for Christ. We live in a Saturday world waiting for God to deliver. But we wait with hope knowing that God will complete and fulfill his promise. Today we are going to see that we live with direction. Let’s surround God’s throne in praise.

Passion

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a minister during the Nazi years in Germany. He was hanged in a concentration camp in 1945 because of his resistance to the Nazi war effort. He wrote a book entitled The Cost of Discipleship. In that book, Bonhoeffer wrote the following: “The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” To take up the cross of Jesus means that we die and that Christ lives through us. This is the single passion of believers—to die to self and to live for Christ.

Paul put it this way in our text: “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Paul said he fully expected with his hope not to be ashamed. His intent is to speak of confidence. Paul speaks of his deliverance or salvation in verse 19 and now in verse 20 he speaks of his certainty and confidence of not being shamed. That is, he is confident of his salvation.

What Paul wants is to be courageous enough to reveal what really matters to him—the exaltation of Jesus. Paul is in chains. There are those who are doing what they can to make life miserable for Paul. Paul only finds joy. Why? His salvation is sure and he has only one passion—to make sure that Christ is exalted whether he lives or dies. In fact, Paul goes on to say in verse 23 that death is far better than life in his case. Death would allow him to be with Christ. But if God wants him to live then he will serve in life so that his readers can be encouraged further in their joy.

For Paul the real challenge was to be courageous for Christ no matter the circumstances. Chains may restrict his freedom but they did not restrict his freedom in the Lord. He may be behind bars in the political world but he was confident that Christ was being seen in his life through his imprisonment.

An employer may dictate our time and how it is to be used, but our employer cannot keep us from exalting Christ while we work. A home life that drains us may leave us exhausted emotionally and physically but no one can take our joy when we want Christ to be seen. Our mate may disrespect us, but we can still exalt Christ in the way we treat our mate. Our political leaders may make it more difficult for us to be comfortable in the faith we hold and like Paul we can pray for the courage to exalt Christ even though we may be persecuted and shunned.

You see what matters most to us is what we work hardest to support. If we value what people think about us, then we will work hard to satisfy others. If we value comfort then we will work hard to preserve our comfort and rail against anything which may detract from our comfort. But if we value Jesus and want to exalt him then with great courage we find joy and hope in the events of life because it gives us an opportunity to exalt Christ in our body.

Direction

The real question is where are you heading in your life? What is it that motivates you? What do you care most about? Can you join with Paul in saying “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” Do we have the courage to allow Christ to be seen? The path which leads to all the things we really want—joy, hope, purpose—is the path that leads to Christ. Everything else is counterfeit.

We are fooled into believing that purpose can be found in other ways. We walk the path that our Savior walked. It is a path filled with challenges but it is a path that reveals the majesty and glory of God. It is a path of service which reveals that the only thing that matters is what people think about our Jesus. It is a path that is often filled with tears, pain, and suffering. It is a path that denies self and exalts Jesus. It is a path that allows us to join with Jesus in the blessing of sharing with him and finding that the real satisfaction in life is knowing that he is exalted in our body through life or death.

We are here for a purpose. Everything else pulls at our attention and captivates us for a time unless we remember why we are here. Tennessee Williams wrote the story “Something from Tolstoi.” We can immerse ourselves in so many things which distract us. May we have the courage to exalt Jesus alone in life and in death.

Follow Jesus

If you’d like to respond to this message or learn more about following Jesus, please reach out.