Chasing Sticks - Romans 1:8

Lovers of self really does describe many people does men and women tend to pursue whatever brings them pleasure in the last days men will be lovers of themselves and of the 18 things that Paul goes on to describe that one sort of serves as a categorical heading they will love themselves.

And it is no surprise then that they are. Secondly, lovers of money, they are concerned only of the valves and that they are concerned only of the things that they could purchase so they give their lives to making money for many people. Their ambitions are far more selfish if were not supposed to be lovers of ourselves, what should we love what should our affection be focused on. This is wisdom for the hearts today.

Stephen David begins a series from Romans one. It's called affections of a godly man but these are affections of a godly woman as well. Organelle look at what God says regarding where are affections shoreline Stevens calling this lesson she seen sticks get started. Stephen Lawson wrote these provocative words in his book entitled the legacy every man leaves a lasting influence that will affect future generations for centuries to come. But let's face it, not all legacies of the same. Some are productive, others are destructive. What kind of legacy will you leave behind a spiritual legacy is one that money cannot buy in taxes cannot take away is passing down to the next generation. What matters most other interesting words, where he began by saying every man leaves a lasting influence. Is that true, but we do know the very nature of the transmitting of doctrinal truth is the responsibility of one godly man to another is the passing, as it were, the legacy Paul told Timothy the things Timothy, would you have learned from me the same things teach the godly men who will be able to teach others also. In first Timothy 22. I find it interesting that the truth of Scripture is treated as if it were a priceless heirloom to be passed from one generation to the next. Is it any surprise that the vast majority of people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ accepted him as Savior while they were still children under the influence of those who handed them a godly legacy. There is a rather well-known a research project that has been around for some time now. J. Oswald Sanders repeated it in his book, a spiritual clinic. I've seen it in several books that I have read. It's the famous study of two families who live during the same era in the state of New York and their generations were traced coming down from the beginning of when they begin the research on one family and the name of a man named Max Jukes and his descendents, and another family was research that live during the same time, a man by the name of Jonathan Edwards, who also lived in New York that many of you know of Jonathan Edwards. He was a godly man who married a woman who also love the Lord and over the next 150 years. Among their descendents were the following 14 presidents of universities one vice president of the United States, three congressmen, 30 judges 60 physicians 60 authors 100 attorneys and 300 theological professors, missionaries and pastors during the same era, the descendents of Max Jukes, an unbeliever who also married an unbeliever were traced in an over 150 years. Among their descendents were more than 100 alcoholics 190 prostitutes 300 wondering vagrants 130 felons who served an average of 13 years each. Seven of them sentence for murder. The interesting thing about this research as they tracked through 1200 descendents of this unbelieving man and found that out of 1200 only 20 of them ever learned an honest trade, and 10 of those 20 learned their trade while serving in the state prison. The family of Max Jukes cost the state of New York. An estimated $1.5 million to care for them and attempt to rehabilitate them.

Certainly that research is extreme chooses one very well-known family pitted against. Perhaps one of the more infamous families of New York, but the principle remains in some form a godly man can influence godly influence can impact generation after generation.

And what would the evidence of our own generation indicate as to the model that we seem to be following. Paul said that men who were self-serving and men who were violent and men who cared nothing but for themselves would not be the exception. They would be the rule in the latter days and we are living and have now lived in the end times for some 2000 years. But Paul wrote this to his son of the faith. He said Timothy realize that in the last days men will be lovers of themselves and of the 18 things that Paul goes on to describe that one sort of serves as a categorical heading they will love themselves. And it is no surprise then that they are. Secondly, lovers of money, they are concerned only of themselves and that they are concerned only of the things that they could purchase so they give their lives to making money. They are boastful because on their arrogant there were violators. They are dishonoring to their heritage or disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Second Timothy 314.

Could there be any more fitting description of the contemporary man in our culture than that description in love with themselves in love with what they can earn to the expense of everyone else. Now it it would be comfortable for me to give you statistics and illustrations as I have done to tell us how bad it is outside the church and we could all sit in the auditorium and talk.

Our tongues and wag our heads and think all my those unholy ungodly men out there. The trouble is, ladies and gentlemen, the church today is crying out for that kind of leadership within zone boundaries. She is asking is it were, where have all the godly men gone, the typical church. I have read has about 60% women in 40% males attending married women who attend church with other husband out number 41 men who attend church with other wives. One major denomination recently released the fact that 85% of its subscribers to its premier devotional booklet were women. The same statistic is proven throughout his major resources and books purchased from Christian bookstores are purchased by women. The majority of ministry in the church and parachurch organizations of the world are organized and prayed over and moved forward by women, the cry of the church today, more than perhaps any recent generation would be where have all the godly men gone, I have discovered that the more godly a woman the more desires, she is to have a godly man lead. What I have discovered about women who walk with Christ is that the closer they walk with Christ. The more agonize. They are over the fact that men in their lives.

Do not walk with Christ.

Where have all the godly men gone, maybe it's time to stop and evaluate where we stand and what kind of legacy we are leaving will I will ask and answer the question. Over the next few weeks the affections of a godly man. What does he chase after what does he long for, well, the answer begins in the second sentence of Romans chapter 1 for the first time as Paul begins to answer what are the affections of a godly man. He begins to talk with intimate terms and very warm and personal language.

Thus far it's been somewhat formal as he introduces himself as the apostle God and the nature of the gospel, but here he within a minute hard revealing language speaks on a personal note, by the way, as I read this letter about a year ago in preparation for this coming exposition just carefully, but yet reading it through. I wrote in the margin of my Bible by verse eight. The word affection is just read through several verses and I think you'll pick up on the same thought. First, he writes.

I think my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world for God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of his son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers. Making request if perhaps now, at last, by the will of God. I may succeed in coming to you for I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the others. Faith, both yours and mine.

The first affection of a godly man. Back in verse eight, is affection for God. When Paul reveals his investment of prayer on behalf of the believers living in Rome, he reveals his close relationship with God. In fact, his prayer here. Here is based upon intimacy with God and the intercession through Jesus Christ. He says I am thinking my God through Christ. He did not say I am thinking my wife's God is a member of the Sanhedrin he would have by law been required to be married never hear of his wife. Perhaps she's not living at this point, but he didn't say I follow the God of my wife. Children. I'm thinking my children's God to bring in a dark vernacular. I am thinking my coworkers got her my close friends.

God no, I am thinking my God you want to circle the word my Martin Luther, the reformer said that Christianity was the religion of possessive pronoun. Anyone can say God, but only the believer can say my God, and he talks about it in a possessive way doesn't say on the man upstairs are the big guy, none of that he did. He talks as Amanda was an intimate active personal possessive relationship with God and he says I thank my God is first and foremost affection is for his God, that is the very reason Paul can precede these two words.

The most astounding two words I think you would have to be kidding. This is the man it was stoned and beaten and jailed and mistreated and cheered and left for dead and imprisoned and in Rome he will be imprisoned again and die. Acts chapter 20 verse 23 the spirit of God prophesied or came to him and gave him the prophecy that would be proven true over and over again, he said, in effect, Paul, wherever you go bonds and affliction. Wait for you. How many of us would sign up to serve God. If we were told that as you serve me in every city there will be bonds and affliction. As Amanda said, I thank my God, he will live out the remainder of his days in the member team prison in Rome prison that had the city's sewer running by the gate of the present and anybody that was put in that prison never walk out alive. They were either strangled by the guards or starve to death. And when they died. They simply open the gate and flooded the cell and washed the corpse out into the sewer system.

How can you ever say I thank can only say it if you can say my God. When you have an affection for your God. You can say I think Paul began by saying I'm thinking my God for you. In other words I'm investing my life in praying for you. This investment requires spiritual vigilance. It will require saying no to certain things so that you can put into your calendar of events, prayer for people Ken Hughes in his excellent book the disciplines of a godly man said that godliness requires the habit of refusal. What is it you said no to lately so that you could be involved in something like he is involved in here you'll never get out of this kind of investment, all that God intended. If all we do is chase after sticks to the question is who's praying for your wife. This praying for your children.

News praying for your churches praying for your country. Here's a man who said first of all I thank my God for you and can you imagine for a moment what it meant to be a Roman Christian getting a letter from Paul and finding out that the apostle was praying for you ever had anybody say in praying for you always warms your heart and give you hope and encouragement. A couple of men that I look at their lives in their schedules.

They are busier than I can ever dream of being in the lid outside of this geographical area.

Every once in a while we get a little note you are on my heart. I prayed for you.

He says I am praying for you.

Now he says more than that in this first phrase in verse eight. Paul revealed another affection of a godly man. It was affection for God's people.

If praying requires spiritual vigilance, then this affection requires spiritual vision.

Paul said, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you with the network. All go to circle that startling word.

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.

Wait a second.

Not everybody in the church at Rome ought to have equal commendation.

Surely there were some fence sitters and some benchwarmers. There were a get to them later on in the latter lack any activity say I thank my God for you all. We know that Paul was writing to a church that was struggling with the vision between Gentile and Jew, and yet here he wonderfully encouraged unity by praising them in effect what he is saying to them is I love everyone of you equally. How that must've encourage them.

I thank my God for you all. He knew there were some that needed to grow up. He knew that he would get the point where they needed to correct their their living.

He knew the leaders who were in fact needed to step forward and he knew the ones that needed to be commended. But he mentions and in this broad sweeping statement of encouragement. He graciously commended them all. I'm thinking my God for every one of you and he takes the opportunity to praise the Lord for the ball. That's why required vision as he knew about stories and scenes there, but he was trusting God to do with them what he could see trusting God to do in their hearts and lives in bringing them into an intimate relationship with the Lord. He could see that so we can praise them all. Barclay wrote it this way. Listen to these interesting words. He says there are some people, by the way, Paul is one of these are some people whose tongues are tuned to praise and others whose tongues are tuned to criticize. There are some people whose eyes are focused to find faults and others whose eyes are focused to discover virtues. Now I don't believe that Paul was blindly flattering, these people is affection for God's people here was simply because he had focused on their potential and not at the moment. The problem, so he was investing in them and he was giving them in this investment. This encouragement I'm praying for every one of you, no matter who you are.

In his recent book anchorman Steve or are told of the process of vision that is required in Malaysia for the growing of bamboo an interesting illustration talks about a rare and very expensive form of bamboo that takes a lot of energy and he adds a lot of vision to ever do. He gives the process he says in the first year. Here's how they do it. They plant the seed water and fertilize nothing visible happens in the second year they continue to carefully water and fertilize nothing visible happened in the third year water and fertilizer are even more necessary. Nothing visible happens. There is absolutely hero no visible indication that your three years of work are even close to being successful. The fourth-year comes around and water and fertilizer must still be applied in the right amounts and at the right time.

Nothing visible happens in the fifth year and I insert my own thinking I'd plan something else.

But in the fifth year you again diligently water and fertilize and the bamboo grows 90 feet in 30 days. Not he writes 9 inches in 30 days not 9 feet, 90 feet in 30 days.

Now, I would have to admit that the fifth-year would be very exciting but I don't know about the first four laying the groundwork working watering, fertilizing, I'd probably be interested in planting something else.

Maybe that's why chasing sticks is so attractive. There's an immediate result is immediate accomplishment.

Maybe that's why there are more men chasing sticks and becoming godly Paul would say that the Ephesian elders and congregation.

I told you for three years, day and night with tears accepted 20 or 30. I poured my life into you. He said three years, day and night and I days. My teaching with tears. What an incredible investment and what incredible vision had in his affections as a godly man. I read an interesting and yet thought-provoking, very convicting illustration by a Christian psychologist who wanted this to send send understand a little better the investment that fathers were making in the lives of their children and so we interviewed many of them and he said how much time you think your spending a day in interacting with her children. The average response was about 15 to 20 minutes and with their permission, he hooked up little microphones and Walkman's and recorded the course of those days over several weeks and then he edited those tapes down to personal interaction between father and child came to the astonishing discovery that I have read in several reports now and works that I have researched the average father spent an average of 37 seconds. Now he edited out the impersonal pass the butter and go to bed, but he left only the personal questions and conversation when I read that I said back and I said okay how my doing. And you know when I whittle down the lever sister Alana don't drive your mother crazy and do your homework and finish that there are times when they don't get 37 seconds, you cannot pass along the spiritual legacy in 32nd blocks of time. Thirdly, the affection of a godly man includes affection for God's purposes so we have spiritual vigilance. We have spiritual vision and here we have spiritual values.

Paul writes go back to the last phrase of Romans 18 and in this I think is perhaps the most telling phrase of his godly character. He says I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all. Why because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world: effect is communicating here. I am so proud of you. Why because you have become famous for your faith, he is saying the vibrancy of your trust in God. The commitment of your walk for Jesus Christ is on everybody's tongue. Can you imagine how significant it would be for for the church at large to hear that the believers in Rome who lived where Nero sat enthroned, and that evil metropolis sort of plugged away in its vile lessons that there were some there who would not doubt their need is Caesar they had not gone along with a culture that was popular in their day. They instead were following after God in their life of faith would certainly be news me saying I I'm so proud of you. Why, because your faith is being spread abroad to the rest of the world. One author provoke my thinking when he said in a some churches are famous for their architecture.

Some churches are famous for their organ. Some are famous for their program. Some churches are famous for their pastor's are famous for their history, some are famous because of who attends or who has attended in the past but can you imagine being famous faith. One of the things you can mishear this phrase is the fact that Paul is quietly encouraging their priority by virtue of what he praises. We do the same. These unconscious messages that we communicate by what we consider praiseworthy.

What is it that you praise in the lives of those around you.

What is it that you complement what is it that impresses you about others, you find yourself praising them for is it their job or their looks, their car, their title, their connections, their house, their grades, the godly man whose affections are driven toward God and toward God's people and toward God's purposes is most excited about the evidence of the spirit of God living and breathing through a person around them and they commend them for their activity for God I'm so proud of you.

Why, because your faith in God is so obvious.

The one who is excited about those things is on his way to becoming a godly person picked up this little volume in the bookstore some time ago. All it says on the cover was thanks that I've got my attention. It's a compendium of of the authors who write brief stories of their fathers, who passed along to them a spiritual legacy. I can hear by the way, if you want to get it.

This particular author wrote. My father grew up on Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia in the early 1900s with a family of six.

He lived in a second-story apartment above the Germantown gospel hall where they all worshiped in 1917 when my dad was only five. His father wired the gospel hall with electricity as a volunteer determined to have the job completed in time for Sunday morning worship grandpa work steadily on the project from Monday after dinner until Wednesday night when he pause for the weekly prayer time. He continued his work the next day and pressed forward on into the weekend.

The last two nights he worked. He had a high fever, buddy kept going by wrapping coal cloths around his head.

Sunday morning the lights were on the grant. I could go to the service to see them because he was in bed with the flu. He stayed in bed all the next week to in spite of the doctors coming to care for him. He grew worse by now.

Grandpa was delirious with fever tossing and turning his bedclothes wet with perspiration in a moment of lucidity.

Grandpa looked at my then five-year-old father, and with tenderness in his eyes, put his arm around him and ordered words I should God is in it. A few moments later he died. Fast forward to a Sunday morning when I was now five about 50 people have gathered in a circle around the table to partake of the Lord's supper in the middle of the table covered with a white cloth were the elements and Isa. Five-year-old was lying there on the floor, oblivious to the event or the elements as my dad stood to pray. I remember looking up at him and as I listen to him pray. I thought whoever he is talking to means more to him than anyone else. The greatest gift my parents and grandparents gave me was the realization that I was not the most important person in their lives. Neither was my brother. Neither were they to each other. No one was more important to them than God. I learned that everyone's life is a story whose point is discovered only when that story is lifted up into the larger story of God. We are not the point. None of us, God is in until we see our story as a subplot in his eternal drama, we will never see the meaning of life. I learned that lesson from my father as he taught me the value of God.

He is in the process of passing on a spiritual legacy whether he can see visible evidence not to him like the apostle Paul. The matter what happens say with confidence, God is this lesson has been a good reminder that a godly legacy begins with godly affections, a deep and growing affection for God, I'm so glad you joined us today you been listening to wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi during February were featuring one of Stephen's devotional books called the winter wisdom retreat and if you'd like to launch this year in God's word. This resource will help you.

Call us today at 86 648 Bible and join us tomorrow for more wisdom