26-0719p - Detailed Summary

Preacher John thanks Mike and connects the evening message titled “What To Do?” to the morning sermon about the evil neighbor and the temptation of Satan. He rereads Genesis 4:7 from the New King James Version, emphasizing that Cain was being asked to conduct himself in accordance with God’s will both outwardly and inwardly. John acknowledges that some might view this as Old Testament preaching but points out the same situation exists today, citing Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Before addressing “what to do,” John makes several assumptions: the Bible is God’s perfect word in all respects; we live in the New Testament age where Jesus has fulfilled the law of sin and death; the hearers want to live in accordance with God’s word and follow His intent for their lives. With these in mind, he separates the message into three distinct parts.

The first part defines what it means to do what is right and well, stressing that defining terms is critical. He references Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary to distinguish between ethics and morality. Ethics concerns the doctrines of morality, the science of moral philosophy teaching duty and its reasons—what should be, the foundation for right and wrong that is outside ourselves and aligned with the Lord.

Morality, per Webster, is the quality of an action rendering it good, the conformity of an act to divine law or principles of rectitude (righteousness), performed by a free agent from a motive of obedience to the divine will. Webster notes that the word is often applied to actions according with justice and human laws without reference to motives, showing how definitions morph over time.

John summarizes that ethics is what should be according to our Creator, while morality has come to mean what is, or what we think should be, leading us to act based on our beliefs. He illustrates this with professional ethics courses where instructors admit limited expertise, contrasting it with God’s word as the true standard. Referencing Romans 12:2, he explains that to do what is right in God’s eyes requires thinking correctly and carrying it out correctly, as God asked of Cain.

To think correctly, we must conform our morality to God’s ethics by aligning our beliefs with God’s word. Genesis 4:6-7 states, “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is,” highlighting how thoughts steer life like a map. Wrong beliefs lead to misguided actions.

Ephesians 5:12-15 urges thinking before speaking and walking circumspectly as wise, not fools, considering circumstances and consequences. 1 Corinthians 1:18 notes that the message of the cross seems foolish to those perishing but is the power of God to those being saved. John warns that contrary thoughts would prevent listening to preaching about sin, redemption, and eternal destiny, leading people to reject the gospel. Thus, correct thinking is vital to our eternal destination.

Having correct thoughts, how do we carry out God’s ethic? John reads 1 Peter 2:15-17, which states that by doing good we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, living as free yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God—honoring all people, loving the brotherhood, fearing God, and honoring the king.

We use the pattern of conduct in Scripture, as in Philippians 3:17: “Brethren, join in following my example…​ and note those who so walk, as you have us as a pattern.” Paul contrasts this with enemies of the cross whose end is destruction, who set their minds on earthly things, while our citizenship is in heaven. We should surround ourselves with like-minded Bible-believing Christians who exemplify godly character. John shares a personal example from his workplace where his actions, including a visible cross, speak louder than words. He references 1 Timothy 4:9-12, urging Timothy to be an example to believers in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity despite his youth.

John acknowledges the difficulty of living out these instructions despite knowing God’s word, drawing from Romans 7:14-15 and 21-25. Paul describes the internal war: wanting to do good yet doing evil, delighting in God’s law in the inner being yet seeing another law waging war, making one a prisoner of sin. Paul cries out for rescue and finds it through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Like Paul, who once persecuted the church based on his own morality, we make bad decisions but can rely on Christ to blot out sins through baptism into His death and resurrection, wiping the slate clean. John concludes that after believing in Jesus and being baptized, we must think clearly by aligning thoughts with God’s word and carry them out by following the scriptural pattern and surrounding ourselves with faithful examples. As we leave, we should pray for strength to do what is good in God’s eyes, conforming our thoughts to His perfect ethic rather than our own morality.