Perseverance & Procrastination: Lessons from the Life of Jonathan Edwards
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 26th December 2020
Passage: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
00:00:00 --> 00:00:12 Well, once again, in this season of not being able to sing publicly, I will quote from another
00:00:12 --> 00:00:18 song for us, as I've done in the last couple of days. Monday morning feels so bad, everybody
00:00:18 --> 00:00:27 seems to nag me. Coming Tuesday, I feel better, even my old man looks good. Wednesday, just don't
00:00:27 --> 00:00:34 go. Thursday goes too slow. I've got Friday on my mind. Going to have fun in the city, to
00:00:34 --> 00:00:39 be with my girl. She's so pretty. She looks fine. She's out of sight to me. Tonight I spend
00:00:39 --> 00:00:45 my bread. Tonight I lose my head. Tonight I've got to get to bed. On Monday, I've got Friday
00:00:45 --> 00:00:52 on my mind. Now, for those history buffs amongst us, those musical history buffs amongst us,
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 you will know that that is the most popular song, voted the most popular song in Australia
00:00:58 --> 00:01:07 for all time. Friday on my mind by the Easy Beats. Easy Beats. Easy Beats. Easy Beats. It
00:01:07 --> 00:01:13 catches the song. The reason why they reckon it is so popular in our country or has been
00:01:13 --> 00:01:20 so popular in our country is that it catches something of the Aussie psychic. From the day
00:01:20 --> 00:01:27 I start working on Monday, I'm looking forward to the day I finish working on Friday. I just
00:01:27 --> 00:01:35 want this whole work thing to be over and done with. Many years ago in London, they did a survey
00:01:35 --> 00:01:44 of why the show Home and Away was so popular in England. And to everyone's surprise, it wasn't
00:01:44 --> 00:01:58 the acting. Number one rank was because no one appears to be working. Early retirement is
00:01:58 --> 00:02:09 a goal in our country. And yet, very few of us would say that we are lazy. Very few of us
00:02:09 --> 00:02:18 would say that we are in fact lazy. We're busy. Up early, up late, even those who are retired
00:02:18 --> 00:02:25 often talk about life is just as busy now. The schedule is filled from beginning to end.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:37 And so we would naturally react to any accusations at all of being lazy. We're busy. That is until
00:02:37 --> 00:02:53 it's possible we see that our busyness is an expression of our laziness. And not diligence. That is,
00:02:53 --> 00:03:07 there's a difference between busyness and fruitfulness. We can be simultaneously busy and lazy.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:13 at the same time. That is, it's quite possible to be a hectic slug.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:23 Busyness does not mean I am diligent or faithful or fruitful. And it seems that that passage that
00:03:23 --> 00:03:30 Kel just read out to us from Thessalonians, that there were some there who were genuinely lazy.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:38 2 Corinthians, sorry, 2 Thessalonians 3.11, we hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:45 They are busy bodies. That is, there are some in the church who are sitting back, taking it easy,
00:03:45 --> 00:03:51 simply cruising through. It's not that they can't work. It's just that they refuse to work. And in the
00:03:51 --> 00:03:59 context of 2 Thessalonians, it's not necessarily that they refuse just to work in the sense of getting a
00:03:59 --> 00:04:03 job and earning their keep. That's part of what's happening there. But it's also they refuse
00:04:03 --> 00:04:07 to pay their part in the body of believers and make a contribution to the life of the believers.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 And Paul commands the Thessalonians to keep away from such people in verse 6.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 That's how serious he sees this matter.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:22 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is
00:04:22 --> 00:04:30 idle and does not live according to the teaching that you receive from us. They are not busy. They
00:04:30 --> 00:04:40 are busy bodies, using their time to poke into other people's business. They are vultures, not just
00:04:40 --> 00:04:48 feeding on their brother's food, but in fact on their lives as well. In the end, Paul's perspective
00:04:48 --> 00:04:57 on laziness is about having a Christian perspective on life. This is not about having a strong Protestant
00:04:57 --> 00:05:05 work ethic. That's not what this passage is about. It's about living daily with a kingdom of God mindset.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:13 This is a spiritual issue. And I think that's why in verse 13, Paul goes on to say,
00:05:13 --> 00:05:20 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 What he's saying there is, it's not just about, you know, get out of bed and get a job.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:36 He's actually saying, get busy with what is right. Get busy in pursuing the kingdom of God.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:43 So it's not just a simply a call to be busy. It's be busy doing the kingdom.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:50 What is right. What he's saying here is, it's quite possible for you to be
00:05:50 --> 00:05:57 the busiest person in the world. You know, you're working seven days a week. You're a workaholic.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:06 And yet to be a lazy procrastinator in the kingdom of God at the same time.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 It is a hectic kingdom slug.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:21 Procrastination means I can be busy neglecting the most important work and busy knocking out
00:06:21 --> 00:06:29 to-do list after to-do list, filled with tasks of secondary importance.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:38 So what I want to do this morning is something a little bit different.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 I want to get some inspiration for us from the past.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:53 The New Testament letter to the Hebrews is written to a bunch of Christians who are losing sight of what it means to follow Jesus in all of their life.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:01 And the most famous section of the letter is the bit from chapter 11, 1 through to 12, verse 3.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:11 It's the section about the great examples of faith, the great cloud of witnesses that the writer of the Hebrews points these people to,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:18 the recipients of this letter, to look to as people who have run the race of perseverance.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 They have endured.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:30 He's hoping to inspire the Hebrews with examples of those who have gone before them to be faithful, focused disciples of the Lord Jesus,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 despite the distractions and the persecutions and the difficulties.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:42 And chapter 12, verse 1 in Hebrews is the main application of the section.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:51 In fact, it's one word is the main application of that whole section.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:59 It's a three-letter command in chapter 12, verse 1 that says,
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 run, run.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:10 Everything else supports it, explains it, give motivation for it.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 Run the race set before you.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:20 Now, what a command to a church that was getting old, was settling into the world, losing its wartime mentality,
00:08:20 --> 00:08:25 starting to drift through life without focus, without vigilance, without energy.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 Their hands were growing weak, we are told in chapter 12, verse 12.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 Their knees were feeble.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:39 It was just easier to meander through the crowd in life rather than run the race of perseverance, of faith in Jesus Christ.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:50 And so against this mentality, the writer to Hebrews calls the church to endure, to persevere, to run, to fight, to be alert, to be strengthened.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 Don't drift.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 Don't neglect.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 Don't be sluggish.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:53 Don't stroll.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 Don't meander.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 Don't wander aimlessly.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 Don't take your eternal security for granted.
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 Run.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 Run.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:01 Run.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:09 Run as in a race with a finish line, with everything hanging on that finish line.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 Run.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:15 Fight the fight of faith on the basis of Christ's spectacular death and resurrection.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:17 Run.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 Now, we need help here.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:29 We are so easily distracted in our modern world.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:44 And so I want to turn to someone who would have been included in Hebrews 11 list of faithful had the list extended into the 18th century.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 That's my task for us today.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 I want to look.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 I love biography.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:56 I love getting close to mostly dead people.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:03 And to look at their life and how they ran the race of endurance right to the end.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:08 And so I want to take us to Jonathan Edwards.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 A life on the run.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:20 Jonathan Edwards was born October 5, 1703.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 He died on March 22, 1758.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 He was a preacher, theologian, a missionary to Native Americans.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:36 Edwards is considered now by both secular and evangelical historians alike
00:10:36 --> 00:10:43 as the greatest Protestant thinker that America has ever produced.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:49 That's an astounding claim from both secular and evangelical scholars.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:54 He was a small town pastor for 23 years in a church of about 600 people.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:59 He was a missionary to Native Americans for about seven years.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:05 And the president of Princeton University for a few months just before he died.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 He reared 11 faithful children.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:14 I'm contributing his wife to part of that as well at least.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:23 He worked without the help of electricity, without word processors, without emails, without iPhones,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:27 and even without sufficient paper to write on.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 And he lived only until he was 54.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 I'm 51 now, so three more years longer than me.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 That's all he had.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:49 And yet this man was used by God to lead one of the greatest spiritual awakenings of modern times.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:57 He wrote theological books that had ministered for more than 200 years across cultures
00:11:57 --> 00:12:05 and did more for the modern missionary movement than any person of his generation.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:19 Now, as a teenager, Edwards, mark that, as a teenager, Edwards wrote down 70 resolutions
00:12:19 --> 00:12:26 that would govern his life and to help cultivate growth in grace.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 As a teenager.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:33 You can go online, Google it, Edwards resolutions, and you get a whole 70 of them there in front of you.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:44 And he went on to re-read that list of resolutions at least once a week for the rest of his life
00:12:44 --> 00:12:51 to keep his mind focused and his heart renewed week in and week out.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:56 Now, these resolutions sustained him.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:06 Sustained his vision of God and drove him to persevere and to grow as a disciple of Jesus.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:11 That he would not become spiritually lazy.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:15 Now, there are four of them that I want to...
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 Or four challenges.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 I'll look at a few of the resolutions.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 But four challenges from the life of Edwards that are designed to deal with
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 spiritual laziness and procrastination.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:38 Firstly, Edwards challenges us to a radical, single-mindedness in our occupation with spiritual things.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:45 Two of his resolutions that he made in 1723 when he wasn't yet 20 years old.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 Resolution number 44.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 Resolved.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 That no other end but religion.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:56 Now, when he says religion, what he means by that in his day and age,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 what he means by that is Christianity, the Christian faith.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 Resolved.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 Resolved.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:07 That no other end but religion shall have any influence at all in any of my actions.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:16 And that no action shall be in the least circumstance any otherwise than the religious end will carry it.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 Resolution 61.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:19 Resolved.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:28 That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 In his day, he would call it technology possibly.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 TV.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:46 Will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 whatever excuse I may have for it.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:54 I think that's the application of Paul's principle of 2 Timothy 2, 4 to 6 where he says,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 no one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 He wants to please his commanding officer.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:07 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:12 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:30 What happens, I think, for many of us in the busyness and the difficulty of life is we start to give way to amusements and diversions and hobbies.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:34 Just to survive emotionally.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:39 I'm not saying TV is evil.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 Don't go through on brick through.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 I'm not saying that at all.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 Or hobbies are really bad.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 I actually think you should have a balance in life.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 What I'm saying is they become dominant.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 They become escapes for us.
00:15:50 --> 00:16:01 The evenings and the days off are filled with harmless, enjoyable diversions and then they take over and the whole focus changes for us.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:07 The radical urgency of kingdom priorities fade.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 The wartime mentality shifts to a peacetime mentality.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 The lifestyle starts to get cushy.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:19 The all-consuming singleness of vision starts to evaporate.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:25 I mean, and this is a genuine question here.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:32 How many Christians do you know that are laboring to know God?
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 I'm not asking how many do you know who are reading the Bible.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:44 I'm asking how many Christians do you know who are actually laboring, striving to know God?
00:16:44 --> 00:16:51 Who are striving earnestly in study and prayer to enlarge their vision of God?
00:16:51 --> 00:17:00 So the first exaltation from Edwards is to be radically single-minded in our occupation of spiritual things.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:08 Edwards' second challenge to labor earnestly to know the Bible itself, to know the scriptures.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:13 That is, don't get your vision of God secondhand.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:19 You know, don't even let Jonathan Edwards be your vision of God.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:27 Don't let J.I. Packer or Tim Keller or even week in and week out preaching here at St. Paul's to be your vision of God.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:31 This was an example that Edwards himself sets.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:39 An early biographer of Edwards said this about him, that when he first came into his pastoral role in Northampton,
00:17:39 --> 00:17:48 he said he had studied theology, not chiefly in systems or commentaries, but in the Bible.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 Edwards himself once said in a sermon,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:58 Be assiduous, that is, showing great care and perseverance.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:07 In reading the holy scriptures, this is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:12 Therefore, let not this treasure lie by you neglected.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:20 He set an incredible example of this in his own diligence in studying the Bible himself.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:27 What he did was, he took a Bible, he got a Bible, he took it apart, unbound the whole thing,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:33 separated every page and put a separate blank page in between every other page,
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 and then bound the whole thing back up again.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:46 He then drew a line down the center of each bank page, two columns for notes,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:54 and on every single page he wrote extensive notes, extensive notes.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:58 In fact, he wrote extensive notes this way,
00:18:58 --> 00:19:02 and when he ran out of paper, he then wrote extensive notes the other way,
00:19:02 --> 00:19:05 in a different color.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:17 And I think there's a genuine reason to believe that Edwards really did follow through on his 28th resolution,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:25 resolved to study the scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently,
00:19:25 --> 00:19:35 as that I may find and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 I find that resolution to be a rebuke.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:50 How many of us actually have a plan to grow in our grasp of the whole terrain of the Bible?
00:19:51 --> 00:19:59 Do we labor over God's word in such a way that we can plainly see today
00:19:59 --> 00:20:08 that we understand something in God's word about God that we did not understand yesterday?
00:20:08 --> 00:20:14 Many of us might, maybe that's an overstatement,
00:20:14 --> 00:20:19 some of us might work at reading books on theology and church life with a view to growing,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:26 but have no plan and no sustained effort to move steadily and constantly forward
00:20:27 --> 00:20:31 in our understanding of God's word because it enlarges our vision of God.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:41 Study the Bible so steadily and constantly and frequently that you can clearly perceive yourself to grow in them.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:47 So here's a bit of a challenge as we're looking forward to New Year's resolutions.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:54 Even by the end of the day, write down something, at least one thing, if not several things,
00:20:54 --> 00:21:00 of things that you'll grapple with in the Christian faith that I want this resolved when I get back here
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 and I reflected this in 12 months.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05 I want to move forward on that issue.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:16 Resolution 11 is one of the reasons he made such amazing progress in the understanding of God.
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 It says, resolved.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:21 When I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 immediately to do what I can towards solving it,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 if circumstances do not hinder.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:34 That is, Edwards was not a passive reader.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:39 He read with a view of solving problems.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:47 Most of us, I think, are cursed with a bent towards passive reading.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:52 We read the way we watch a TV.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 We don't ask questions as we read.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59 We don't ask, why does this sentence follow that sentence?
00:22:00 --> 00:22:04 How does this paragraph relate to the one, three pages earlier?
00:22:04 --> 00:22:07 We don't, we're passive.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:13 We don't ferret out the order of thought or ponder the meaning of terms.
00:22:14 --> 00:22:20 And if we see a problem, we habitually leave the problems to the experts.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:36 Challenge number three, Edwards challenges to redeem the time
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 and to do what our hand finds to do with all of our might.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:44 His sixth resolution for life was very simple and quite powerful.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:50 Resolved to live with all my might while I do live.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 That's pretty simple.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 Resolution five was similar.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 Resolved never to lose one moment of time,
00:22:56 --> 00:23:02 but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:09 He was a great believer in doing what you could in the time you have
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 rather than putting things off to a more convenient time.
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 I'll get to that job tomorrow, that kind of thing.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 He just focused on doing it now.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:21 He was disciplined in mind, in body, and in every aspect.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 He's habits and everything in life.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:28 Edwards could spend up to 13 hours a day in his study,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:32 which is why I attribute his wife to the raising of 11 faithful children.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:38 He rose early, even for non-electrical days.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:45 In fact, he was probably entirely serious, probably,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:49 when he wrote in his diary in 1728,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:54 I think Christ has recommended rising early in the morning
00:23:54 --> 00:23:57 by his rising from the grave very early in the morning.
00:23:57 --> 00:24:06 I commend for your consideration whether such care to maximize time and effectiveness
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 in devotion to the pursuit of God in the word
00:24:09 --> 00:24:14 was what the preacher meant when he says in Ecclesiastes 9, verse 10,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:28 Work with all of your might.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:44 Fourthly, the theological labor of Edwards challenges us to study for the sake of heartfelt worship
00:24:44 --> 00:24:47 and for practical obedience.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:52 That is, the sweet marriage of reason and affection,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:57 of thought and feeling, of head and heart,
00:24:57 --> 00:25:03 of study and worship that took place in the life of Jonathan Edwards
00:25:03 --> 00:25:06 has been very rare since that day.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:16 The final exhortation is to recover what the Puritans called logic on fire.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:22 That is, the fire of joy and obedience.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:29 Edwards did not pursue a passion of God
00:25:29 --> 00:25:32 because it was icing on the cake of faith.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:36 For him, faith was grounded in a sense of God
00:25:36 --> 00:25:40 which was more than what reason alone could ever deliver.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:43 In other words, there is no avail merely
00:25:43 --> 00:25:46 to believe that God is holy and merciful.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 For Edwards, that was not enough.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:55 For that belief to be of any saving value,
00:25:56 --> 00:26:01 we must have a true delight in it for what it is in itself.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:06 Otherwise, he says, as the Bible says,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:11 knowledge of God that does not overflow into worship of God,
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 that's just what the devil has.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 It's no different.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:23 Does that mean all of his studying was in vain?
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 Not at all.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 He said this,
00:26:25 --> 00:26:30 the more you have a rational knowledge of divine things,
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 the more opportunity will there be
00:26:33 --> 00:26:37 when the spirit shall be breathed into your heart
00:26:37 --> 00:26:40 to see the excellency of these things
00:26:40 --> 00:26:43 and to taste the sweetness of these things.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:48 that is the goal for Edwards is not just to know God
00:26:48 --> 00:26:51 but to delight in him
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 to savour him
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 to relish him
00:26:55 --> 00:26:59 for all of his intellectual might
00:26:59 --> 00:27:02 and he had an incredible might intellectually
00:27:02 --> 00:27:06 Edwards was the furthest thing you could imagine
00:27:06 --> 00:27:09 from a cool, detached, neutral
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 disinterested academic
00:27:11 --> 00:27:18 he was as intent on cultivating passion for God
00:27:18 --> 00:27:22 as he was cultivating knowledge of God
00:27:22 --> 00:27:25 and the two went together for him
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 he said
00:27:27 --> 00:27:31 seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause
00:27:31 --> 00:27:34 and to enable you to dispute with others
00:27:34 --> 00:27:39 but seek it for the benefit of your souls
00:27:39 --> 00:27:44 and in order to practice according to what knowledge you have
00:27:44 --> 00:27:47 this will be the way in fact to know more
00:27:47 --> 00:27:50 he says the moment
00:27:50 --> 00:27:53 the moment you study something
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 and you do
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 and you grasp something
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 a knowledge of God
00:27:56 --> 00:27:59 and you do not put that knowledge of God
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 into immediate effect in practice
00:28:01 --> 00:28:04 he said that is when you cut yourself off
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 from discovering anything more from God
00:28:06 --> 00:28:14 the greatest thing I think we can ever learn from Edwards
00:28:14 --> 00:28:19 is that God is glorified
00:28:19 --> 00:28:22 not mostly by being known
00:28:22 --> 00:28:26 nor by being dutifully obeyed
00:28:26 --> 00:28:28 he is glorified most
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 by being enjoyed
00:28:30 --> 00:28:34 he wrote this
00:28:34 --> 00:28:36 God is glorified
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38 not only by his glory being seen
00:28:38 --> 00:28:42 but by its being rejoiced in
00:28:42 --> 00:28:45 when those who see it
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 delight in it
00:28:47 --> 00:28:50 God is more glorified
00:28:50 --> 00:28:52 than if they just see it
00:28:52 --> 00:28:55 that is
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 the worship of God
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 joy and delight
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 is the goal of a disciplined life
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 do you get that in Edwards
00:29:03 --> 00:29:06 up until this point
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 you could go
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 well this guy is just nuts
00:29:08 --> 00:29:11 you're taking away all of my joy
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 and my happiness
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 and Edwards says
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 no no no
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 you labor
00:29:13 --> 00:29:16 you strive for joy
00:29:16 --> 00:29:22 he says laziness
00:29:22 --> 00:29:24 procrastination
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 meandering
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 wandering
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 not running
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 robs you of delight in life
00:29:29 --> 00:29:32 delight in God
00:29:32 --> 00:29:39 and so as we
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 come to the end
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 of another year
00:29:42 --> 00:29:45 and as we look forward
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 to the year
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 that is to be
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 and as
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 just around the corner
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 are things like
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 new year's resolutions
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 if you are someone
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 who's not in the habit
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 of doing new year's resolutions
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 can I ask you to change it
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 this year
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 just for this one thing
00:29:58 --> 00:30:01 step into a new year
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 with a plan
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 to run
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 run
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 run
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 run with Jesus
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 in 2021
00:30:07 --> 00:30:10 develop a plan
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 to deal with
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12 the procrastination
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 and grow
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 in grace
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 and knowledge
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 and joy
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 this year
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 this next year
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 friends
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 news of a terminal
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 illness
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 or attending
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 a funeral
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 often times
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 when we start
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 to focus on life
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 and what it really
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 matters
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 in life
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 the beginning
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 of a new year
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 is in fact
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 a close third
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 number three
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 we must labor
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 to ensure
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 that the most
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 important things
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 stay
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 the most important
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 things
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 be inspired
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 get some plans
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 in place
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 to grow
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 in the important
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 don't coast
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 don't meander
00:30:46 --> 00:30:48 redeem the time
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 the big focus
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 for us as a church
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 for the next five years
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 is
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 for people
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 the majority
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 of us as a church
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 to be able
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 to self-identify
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 that we have
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 grown much
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 in the faith
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 in the Lord Jesus
00:31:02 --> 00:31:07 and
00:31:07 --> 00:31:10 personal
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 relationship
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 with him
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 in the Bible
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 and in prayer
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 is
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 the most
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 significant
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 first step
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 you will
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 not
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 grow
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 in knowledge
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 of God
00:31:24 --> 00:31:26 in delight
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 in God
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 in joy
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 without engagement
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 with him
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 in his word
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 and prayer
00:31:30 --> 00:31:36 and so
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 I've got a free book
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 for someone
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 who wants to
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 start that journey
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 free book
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 from anyone
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 now if you're
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 online
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 you're going
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 oh man
00:31:44 --> 00:31:48 I've got one
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 reserved
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 for someone
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 online as well
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 so you just
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 send me an email
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 drop a note
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 into St. Paul's
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 and I will post it
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 to you with great
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 delight
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 this one here
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 this one
00:31:57 --> 00:31:59 is
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 this one
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 if you follow
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 it to its fullness
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 it will take you
00:32:02 --> 00:32:04 through the entire
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 Bible
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 in one year
00:32:05 --> 00:32:07 keep doing that
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 for the next
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 five years
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 and you will
00:32:09 --> 00:32:11 start to get
00:32:11 --> 00:32:13 the scope
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 of God's word
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 you will start
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 to see the landscape
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 you will start
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 to get deeper
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 and deeper
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 and knowledge
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 of him
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 yeah
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 did I say
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 five years
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 yes
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 that's exactly
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 what I said
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 five years
00:32:23 --> 00:32:26 who wants it
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28 I mean seriously
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 it's for free
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 thank you
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 Nolene
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 wonderful
00:32:33 --> 00:32:39 can I just say
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 one last
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 but very
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 significant point
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 this is
00:32:42 --> 00:32:45 reading
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 from the
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 beginning
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 of
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 Edward's
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 resolutions
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 very important
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52 being sensible
00:32:52 --> 00:32:54 that I am
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 unable to do
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 anything
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 without God's
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 help
00:32:56 --> 00:32:58 I do
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 humbly
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 entreat him
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 by his
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 grace
00:33:00 --> 00:33:02 to enable
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 me to
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 keep
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 these
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 resolutions
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 so far
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 as they
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 are agreeable
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 to his
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 will
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 all
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 for the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 sake
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 of Christ
00:33:11 --> 00:33:14 Edwards
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 knew
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16 that
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 even
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 with all
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 his
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 intellectual
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 might
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21 he
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 was
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 just
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 as
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 human
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 as
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 we
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 are
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 and
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 that
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 he
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 was
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 just
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 as
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 likely
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 to be
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 distracted
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 as
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 anyone
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 else
00:33:29 --> 00:33:31 that
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 is
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 he
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 knew
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 his
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 effort
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 alone
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 would
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 not
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 be
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 enough
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 to
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 carry
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 him
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 his
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 personality
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 alone
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 would
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 not
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 be
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 enough
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 to
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 carry
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 him
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 his
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 giftedness
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 from
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 God
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 alone
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 would
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 not
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 be
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 enough
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 to
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 carry
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 him
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 it
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 is
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 only
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 by
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 God's
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 enabling
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 that
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 he
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 would
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 be
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 able
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 to stay
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 focused
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 on
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 what
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 was
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 the
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 important
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 and
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 so
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 he
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 prayed
00:33:52 --> 00:33:54 prayed
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 prayed
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 prayed
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 and
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 looked
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 to
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 God
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 for
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 enabling
00:33:57 --> 00:33:59 for
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 that
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 giftedness
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 day in
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 and day
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 out
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 to stay
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 focused
00:34:02 --> 00:34:04 he
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 prayed
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 for
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 God
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 to
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 enable
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 him
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 to
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 stay
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 the
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 course
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 and
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 not
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 deviate
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 his
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 life
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 into
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 trivia
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 and
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 irrelevancies
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 let's
00:34:13 --> 00:34:13 pray
00:34:13 --> 00:34:15 our
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 gracious
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 and most
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 merciful
00:34:17 --> 00:34:17 heavenly
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 father
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 you
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 tell us
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 in your
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 word
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 in
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 Romans
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 15
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 verse
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 4
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 that
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 whatever
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 was
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 written
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 in
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 former
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 days
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 was
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 written
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 for
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 our
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 instruction
00:34:28 --> 00:34:30 that
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 through
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 endurance
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 and
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 through
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 the
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 encouragement
00:34:33 --> 00:34:33 of the
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 scriptures
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 we
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 might
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 have
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 hope
00:34:36 --> 00:34:38 you
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 promised
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 that
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 everything
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 written
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 in
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 your
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 word
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 was
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 put
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 there
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 by
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 you
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 for
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 the
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 sake
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 of
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 our
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 endurance
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 that
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 we
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 might
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 run
00:34:45 --> 00:34:47 no
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 matter
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 what
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 the
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 sufferings
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 the
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 trials
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 the
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 afflictions
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 the
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 distractions
00:34:51 --> 00:34:53 you
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 have
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 given
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 us
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 all
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 that
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 we
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 need
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 in
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 life
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 in
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 order
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 to
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 not
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 lose
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 hope
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 but
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 in
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 fact
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 to be
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 encouraged
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 to press
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 on
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 in
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 faith
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 and
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 experience
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 delight
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 and
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 joy
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 in
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 you
00:35:06 --> 00:35:09 and
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 yet
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 how
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 finite
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 and
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 limited
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 and
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 fickle
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 we
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 are
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 as
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 humans
00:35:12 --> 00:35:15 what
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 you've
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 thrown
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 in
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 front
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 of
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 us
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 today
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 Lord
00:35:17 --> 00:35:17 just
00:35:17 --> 00:35:17 really
00:35:17 --> 00:35:17 briefly
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 is
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 a
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 man
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 who
00:35:19 --> 00:35:19 took
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 your
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 word
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 seriously
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 and
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 laboured
00:35:22 --> 00:35:22 to
00:35:22 --> 00:35:22 know
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 you
00:35:23 --> 00:35:25 he
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 overcame
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 and
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 through
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 his
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 work
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 and
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 many
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 others
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 have
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 endured
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 in
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 faith
00:35:30 --> 00:35:33 as
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 we
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 launch
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 into
00:35:34 --> 00:35:34 another
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 year
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 may
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 it
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 be
00:35:36 --> 00:35:38 different
00:35:38 --> 00:35:41 different
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 as
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 previous
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 years
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 may
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 we
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 run
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 with
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 endurance
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 the race
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 that you
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 put
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 before
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 us
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 looking
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 only
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 to
00:35:48 --> 00:35:48 Jesus
00:35:48 --> 00:35:51 may
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 the
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 Lord
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Jesus
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 be
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 the
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 deepest
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 source
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 of
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 all
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 of
00:35:55 --> 00:35:55 our
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 endurance
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 may
00:35:57 --> 00:35:57 we
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 see
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 and
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 saviour
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 him
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 in
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 your
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 word
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 and
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 find
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 in
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 him
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 our
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 strength
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 to
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 keep
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 striving
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 against
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 sin
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 Satan
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 and
00:36:05 --> 00:36:05 sabotage
00:36:05 --> 00:36:08 so we
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 ask
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 you
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 merciful
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 father
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 to
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 send
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 your
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 spirit
00:36:10 --> 00:36:12 as
00:36:12 --> 00:36:12 we
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 engage
00:36:13 --> 00:36:13 your
00:36:13 --> 00:36:13 word
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 we
00:36:14 --> 00:36:14 pray
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 that
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 you
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 would
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 fill
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 our
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 hearts
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 with
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 knowledge
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 of
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18 you
00:36:18 --> 00:36:20 our
00:36:20 --> 00:36:20 hearts
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 with
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 joy
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 in
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 you
00:36:22 --> 00:36:24 give
00:36:24 --> 00:36:24 us
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 that
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 deep
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 sense
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 of
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 delight
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 of
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 seeing
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 you
00:36:27 --> 00:36:29 so
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 may
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 your
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 grace
00:36:30 --> 00:36:32 enable
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 us
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 to
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 work
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 hard
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 to
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 know
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 you
00:36:34 --> 00:36:36 rather
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 than
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 being
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 an
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 excuse
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37 for
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 spiritual
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 laziness
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 this
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 coming
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 year
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 and
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 we
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 ask
00:36:41 --> 00:36:41 that
00:36:41 --> 00:36:41 Christ
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 might
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 be
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 glorified
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 amen