Running with Jonathan Edwards
Series: St Paul's in January
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 7th January 2024
00:00:00 --> 00:00:18 Good morning everyone and happy new year to you all as we begin 2024. It was about this time last year when I stood up here that I said that one of my new year's resolutions was to run a marathon.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:38 Last year that is. And my second resolution was to do it in a personal best time. Given that it was my first ever marathon, it was if I achieved the first one I would achieve the second one automatically, which I did in July last year.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:51 Having run that marathon, by the end of July, in fact, before I'd even finished the marathon, I resolved never to run another one again.
00:00:51 --> 00:01:09 However, I do want to encourage you today to run. That's my goal today, is to encourage you to take up running if you have not yet taken up running and to particularly run in 2024.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:19 Not a marathon, I wouldn't necessarily encourage us all to do that at all, but in fact to run the race of faith in Jesus Christ.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:28 So if you're someone who takes notes, I've really got four points. If you've got the translator version in front of you right now, you'll see three points there.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:34 That's because I gave it to John yesterday and I woke up early this morning in order to add a fourth point.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:46 So my four points is to run. Secondly, to run with Jonathan Edwards. Thirdly, to plan your run. And fourthly, lastly, how to run.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 That's the four points for the direction we're going to take this morning.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 So first of all, run. New Testament letter to the Hebrews. Ash has mentioned it, just read out a section of it just then.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:02 It was written to a bunch of Christians who were losing sight of what it meant to be disciples and to follow Jesus.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:12 The most famous section of this letter is chapter 11, verse 1, through to chapter 12, verse 3.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:18 It's the section about the great examples of faith from the past.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:31 Chapter 12 refers to it as the great cloud of witnesses who were there, if you like, as in the stadium, watching us compete in the race of faith.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:44 The writer is hoping to inspire the Hebrews, the recipients of this letter, with examples of those who had gone before them as faithful disciples of Jesus.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:50 And chapter 12, verse 1, is the main application of the section.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 So open your Bibles, it'd be great if you followed along with me here.
00:02:53 --> 00:03:23 It's the main application.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 The word can mean race.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 It can also mean a struggle.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 It can mean a fight.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 It can mean a contest.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:42 As difficult as a marathon is to run, I think those of us who have lived long enough realise that life is fundamentally harder than just running a marathon.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 It's a contest.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 It's a struggle.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 It's a fight.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 And the life of faith is, in fact, a fight.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:55 In fact, this whole section in chapter 12, if you continue to read on, talks about enduring.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 It talks about shedding blood.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:02 It's all within the imagery of the Olympics.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 It's all within the imagery of fighting, struggling.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:14 Endure is what Hebrews 12 is telling us to do.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 Fight the good fight.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:16 Be disciplined.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 Train hard.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Run the race set before you.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:28 Of course, we know that that operates in a physical sphere as well for us, not just in the spiritual sphere.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:39 Doctors will tell you that you are not going to live a good life, a healthy life, or even a long life, unless you are willing to exert yourself and sweat.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:59 But our bodies get to a point where they will not be able to perform normal daily exertions, unless there are times of extraordinary exertions called exercise.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:18 So what a command to a church here that was getting old, was settling into the world, losing its wartime mentality, starting to drift through life without focus, without vigilance, without energy.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 Their hands were growing weak.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 Their knees were feeble, according to verse 12 of chapter 12.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:29 It was just easier to meander in the crowd of life than to run the race of faith.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 Or to treasure Jesus and pursue their joy.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:47 And so against this mentality, having spent chapters after chapters of elevating the majesty and the splendor of Jesus Christ,
00:05:48 --> 00:05:55 he then calls the church to endure, to persevere, to run, to fight, to be alert, to be strengthened.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:55 Don't drift.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 Don't neglect.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 Don't be sluggish.
00:05:58 --> 00:05:58 Don't stroll.
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 Don't meander.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 Don't wander aimlessly.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:10 Run as in a race with a finish line, with everything in life hanging on that finish line.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:19 Fight the fight of faith on the basis of Christ's spectacular death and resurrection.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 Now, we need help here.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:34 We need help in the modern world because we are convinced in the modern world that the chief aim of life is our happiness and our comfort.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:54 On the most part, we are busy, incredibly busy, with secondary to-do lists and neglecting the importance of working hard to grow in treasuring Jesus.
00:06:54 --> 00:07:00 Growing in God's faith and growing in God's faith and the gospel joy.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 And the gospel joy that comes as a result of that.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:06 So I want to do something here this morning, which I've done before in the past.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:20 I want to turn to someone who, if Hebrews 11 was taken right through into the 18th century, this man would be included in this list of those who have run the race as part of the cloud of witnesses.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:25 And I want to encourage us to run with Jonathan Edwards.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:32 Jonathan Edwards was born on the 5th of October, 1703.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 He died March 22, 1758.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:43 He was a preacher, a theologian, a philosopher, a missionary to First Nations people in America.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:48 And he was the first president of Princeton University.
00:07:48 --> 00:08:00 Edwards is considered now by both secular and Christian historians alike to be the greatest Protestant thinker America has ever produced.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:12 He was a small-town pastor for 23 years in a church of about 600 people, because back in those days, everyone went to church.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 He was a missionary to First Nation peoples for seven years.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:24 First president of Princeton for a few months before he died.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:32 He reared 11 faithful children, giving credit to his wife on that one as well.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:37 And the more you understand his life, you give even more credit to his wife on that one as well.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 He reared 11 faithful children.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:53 He worked without the help of electricity, without emails, word processors, computers, or even sufficient paper to write on.
00:08:54 --> 00:09:00 He lived only till he was 54, which I'm turning in a few months myself.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:11 Yet this man, in such a short life, led one of the greatest spiritual awakenings of modern times.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:20 He wrote theological books that administered to people for more than 250 years.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:32 And did more for the modern missionary movement, the global advancement of Christianity, than any single person of his generation.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 A remarkable individual.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:44 Now, as a teenager, Edwards wrote down, a teenager mind you, right?
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 This is before social media and gaming.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:55 And he wrote down 70 resolutions to govern his life.
00:09:56 --> 00:10:01 And to help cultivate growth as a disciple of Jesus.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 70 resolutions.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:11 He went on to reread this list at least once a week to keep his mind focused and renewed.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:20 These resolutions sustained his vision for God and drove him to persevere and grow as a disciple of Jesus.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:26 I've printed out maybe 10, 15 copies of those resolutions.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 They're not hard to access online.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:36 You can grab them online and you'll see the remarkable focus of this man.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:47 And my prayer for us this morning is that we will see something here that will give us a new sense of zeal and commitment to the most important things of life.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:57 And there are four broad exhortations, if you like, from the life of Edwards that I want to focus on this morning.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 I'm not going to go through all 70 resolutions.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 You'll be grateful to know that.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:11 The first thing I want to say is Edwards exhorts us to radical single-mindedness in our occupation of spiritual things.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:17 Two of his resolutions that he made in 1723.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 He was almost 20 when he wrote these.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 Resolution number 44.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 Resolved.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 That no other end but religion.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 Now when he uses the word religion, what he means by that is the Christian faith.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 Resolved.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:39 No other end but religion shall have any influence at all in any of my actions.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:48 And that no action shall be in the least circumstance any otherwise than the religious end will carry it.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 Number 61.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:50 Resolved.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:50 Resolved.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 Resolved.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 Resolved.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 Resolved.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 Resolved.
00:11:51 --> 00:12:06 That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:13 I think that's the application of the Apostle Paul's principle in 2 Timothy 2 verses 4 to 6.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:17 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 He wants to please his commanding officer.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:27 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:31 The hardworking farmer shall be the first to receive share of the crops.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:49 What happens for many of us in the busyness and the difficulty of life is we start to give way to amusements and diversions and hobbies just to survive emotionally.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 They don't just become helpful things.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 They become our way to survive emotionally.
00:12:55 --> 00:13:09 The evenings and the days off are filled up with harmless, enjoyable diversions and what happens is before too much longer the whole focus shifts.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:15 The radical urgency of the kingdom priorities fade.
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 The wartime mentality shifts to a peacetime mentality.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 The lifestyle starts to get cushy.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:27 The all-consuming singleness of vision of life evaporates.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:52 I want to ask you, in all seriousness, how many Christians do you know, how many Christians do you spend time with, who are laboring, and I use that word intentionally, laboring to know God.
00:13:52 --> 00:14:02 Who are striving earnestly to study of the scriptures and prayer to enlarge their vision of God.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:12 So the first exhortation from Edwards is to be radically single-minded in our occupation of spiritual things.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:19 Secondly, Edwards exhorts us to labor earnestly to know the scriptures in particular, to know the Bible in particular.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:27 Don't get your vision of God secondhand.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 This is Edwards' example himself.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:41 An early biographer of Edwards said that he came to his pastorate, his church in Northampton.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:51 He says he had studied theology, not chiefly in systems or commentaries, but from the Bible.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 Edwards once said in a sermon,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 Be assiduous.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 That is, I had to look that up.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 Showing great care and perseverance.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 Be assiduous in reading the holy scriptures.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:15 This is the fountain whence all knowledge and divinity must be derived.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:21 Therefore, let not this treasure lie by you neglected.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:31 He was an amazing example in his own diligence in studying the Bible himself.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 One example.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:40 I think you can see this Bible from memory in a museum in Germany, if I'm correct.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 He grabbed a Bible.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:50 He took the binding off the Bible, separated every page of the Bible,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:55 put a blank sheet in between each page and bound the whole thing back up again
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 and drew a line down the middle of every blank page.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:07 And the blank page, the two columns were just filled with notes, page after page after page,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 notes of the scriptures as he studied them.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 And then when they were filled, he turned it sideways
00:16:13 --> 00:16:17 and wrote over the top of his notes the other direction.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:29 I think there is reason to believe that Edwards really did follow on his 28th resolution.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 Resolved.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:38 To study the scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently
00:16:38 --> 00:16:45 as that I may find and painfully perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 I find this resolution to be a rebuke.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:59 How many of us have a plan of growing in the grasp of the whole terrain of scriptures?
00:17:00 --> 00:17:06 I don't mean the terrain of just the Bible verses to prop up my theological preferences.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:10 I mean the whole terrain of scripture.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 How many of us have a plan of growing in that way?
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 Do we labor over the scriptures in such a way that we can plainly see
00:17:20 --> 00:17:25 that today we understand something that we did not understand yesterday?
00:17:27 --> 00:17:34 Some of us work at reading books on the Christian life with a view of growing,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:42 but have no plan and no sustained effort to move steadily and constantly forward
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 in our understanding of the Bible.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:53 Study the Bible so steadily and constantly and frequently
00:17:53 --> 00:17:57 that you can clearly perceive yourself to grow in them.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:05 Resolution 11 is one of the reasons why he made such amazing progress
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 in his theological understanding.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 It says,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 Resolved.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:14 When I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 immediately do what I can towards solving it,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 if circumstances do not hinder.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:28 What he's saying there is his resolution was not to be a passive reader.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:34 He read with a view to solving problems.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:45 Most of us in the modern world are cursed with a bent towards passive reading.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:53 We read, if we do, in the same way that we watch TV.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 We don't ask questions as we read.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 We don't ask,
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 Why does that sentence follow that sentence?
00:19:02 --> 00:19:06 How does this paragraph relate to the one that was there three pages earlier?
00:19:08 --> 00:19:12 We don't ferret out the order of thought or ponder the meaning of terms.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:15 And if we see a problem,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:20 I think we habitually just leave them to the experts.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:28 Thirdly, Edwards exhorts us to redeem the time
00:19:28 --> 00:19:32 and to do what our hand finds to do with all of our might.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 His sixth resolution was pretty simple and powerful.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:40 Resolved to live with all my might while I do live.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:44 Resolution five was pretty similar.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:47 Resolved never to lose one moment of time,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:54 but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
00:19:55 --> 00:20:02 He was a great believer in doing what you could in the time that you have,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 rather than putting things off to a more convenient time.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:14 He was clearly a person who was disciplined in mind and body and spirit.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:22 He would spend up to 13 hours a day in his study.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 He rose early,
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29 even for non-electricity and alarm days.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:32 In fact,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:36 he was probably entirely serious.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 I read it as a joke,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 but he was probably entirely serious
00:20:39 --> 00:20:43 when he wrote in his diary in 1728,
00:20:44 --> 00:20:49 I think Christ has recommended rising early in the morning
00:20:49 --> 00:20:53 by his rising from the grave very early on the Sunday.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:59 I commend for your consideration
00:20:59 --> 00:21:03 whether such care to maximize time and effectiveness
00:21:03 --> 00:21:06 in devotion to the pursuit of God and his word
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 is what the preacher meant
00:21:07 --> 00:21:10 when he says in Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 whatever your hand finds to do,
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 do it with all your might,
00:21:14 --> 00:21:17 for in the grave where you are going,
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 there is neither working nor planning
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 nor knowledge nor wisdom.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:27 Fourthly,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 the theological,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 the biblical labor of Edwards
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 exhorts us to study
00:21:35 --> 00:21:40 for the sake of hearts of worship
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 and for practical obedience.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:47 What you see in Jonathan Edwards
00:21:47 --> 00:21:53 is the sweet marriage of reason and affection,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 of thought and feeling,
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 of head and heart,
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 of study and worship
00:22:02 --> 00:22:06 that took place in the life of Edwards
00:22:06 --> 00:22:10 that I think is rare today.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:18 So the final exhortation from Edwards
00:22:18 --> 00:22:24 is to recover what the old-time Puritans
00:22:24 --> 00:22:27 used to call logic on fire
00:22:27 --> 00:22:31 or fire with joy and obedience.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:36 Edwards did not pursue a passion for God
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 because it was an icing on the cake of his faith.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:42 He wanted to be smarter than everyone else
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 in terms of the Bible.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 For him,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 faith was grounded in a sense of God
00:22:49 --> 00:22:53 which was more than what reason alone could deliver.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 In other words,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:59 it is to no avail whatsoever
00:22:59 --> 00:23:03 merely to believe that God is holy
00:23:03 --> 00:23:06 and that God is merciful.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:12 For that belief to be of any saving value at all,
00:23:13 --> 00:23:16 we must have true delight in it
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 of what it is in and of itself.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:21 We must delight in that truth
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 for it to have saving power.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 Otherwise,
00:23:25 --> 00:23:28 the knowledge of God
00:23:28 --> 00:23:31 is no different than what Satan has.
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 Satan knows that he's merciful.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 Satan knows that he's all-powerful.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 But Satan does not delight
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 in that knowledge of God.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:46 Does that mean that all of his study
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 was in vain?
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 Not at all.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 He said,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 the more you have
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 of a rational knowledge
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 of divine things,
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 the more opportunity there will be
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58 when the Spirit
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 shall be breathed into your heart
00:24:00 --> 00:24:02 to see the excellency of these things
00:24:02 --> 00:24:05 and to taste the sweetness of them.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 So the goal for Edwards
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 was not just growing
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 in knowing God,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 but growing in delighting in God,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 in savoring God,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 in relishing in Him.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:21 for all of his intellectual might
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 and frankly,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:26 he was a very,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 he had a very powerful mind.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 But Edwards,
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 for all of that,
00:24:34 --> 00:24:36 Edwards was the furthest thing
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 from a cool,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 detached,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 neutral,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:45 disinterested academic.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 Disinterested academic.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 We often fall on one side or the other
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 for the donkey on this.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 We're either the academics
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 who are coolly detached
00:25:00 --> 00:25:02 or we're people so-called
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 filled with the Spirit,
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 alive in Jesus
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 but don't know the Scriptures.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 Edwards rebukes both.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:20 He was as intent
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 on cultivating
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 his passion for God
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 as he was cultivating
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 his knowledge of God.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 He said,
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 or he wrote,
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 seek not to grow in knowledge
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 chiefly for the sake of applause
00:25:33 --> 00:25:36 and to enable you
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 to dispute with others
00:25:37 --> 00:25:40 but seek it for the benefit
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 of your souls
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 in order to practice
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 according to what knowledge
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 you have.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:48 This will be the way
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50 to know more.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 Edwards is remarkable in this.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:55 He said,
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 the moment
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 in your study
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 of the Scriptures,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 the moment
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 you don't put something
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 into practice
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 from your study
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 is the moment
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 you stop growing
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 in knowledge.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 Knowledge is to be put
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 into practice
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 and the moment
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 you don't put into practice
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 is the moment
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 you stop growing
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 in knowledge.
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 The greatest thing
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 I think
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 that we can learn
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 from Edwards,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 I think,
00:26:23 --> 00:26:26 is that God
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 is glorified
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 not most
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 by being known
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 nor by being
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 dutifully obeyed.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 He is glorified
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 most
00:26:38 --> 00:26:40 by being
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 enjoyed.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 If you've been around
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 St. Paul's
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 a while,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 you will
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 potentially
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 put together
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 my love
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 for Edwards.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 in our vision
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 statement,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 treasuring
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 Jesus
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 together
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 for the joy
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 of all people.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 The joy,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 treasuring Jesus
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 and joy
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 go together.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 Edwards wrote this,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 God is glorified
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 not only
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 by his glory
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 being seen
00:27:11 --> 00:27:13 but by
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 being rejoiced
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 in.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:17 when those
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 who see it
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 delight in it
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 God is
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 more glorified
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 than if
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 they only
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 see it.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 In other words,
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 the disciplined
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 life,
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 the goal
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 of a disciplined
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 life
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 is the joyful
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 worship of God
00:27:34 --> 00:27:36 and the
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 undisciplined
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 life
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 robs us
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 of delighting
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 God,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 our greatest
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 joy.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 So that
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 brings me
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 to my
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 third point
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 that is
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 and I'll
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 briefly run
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 through this
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 stuff,
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 plan your
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 run.
00:27:52 --> 00:27:52 The essence
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 of the
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 challenge
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 for us
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 as we
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 step into
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 a new
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 year
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 is to
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 plan your
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 run
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 with
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 Jesus.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 News
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 of a
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 terminal
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 illness,
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 attending
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 a funeral,
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 they are
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 often times
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 when we
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 focus on
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 what really
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 matters in
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 life.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 The sharp
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 realities of
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 life come
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 to bear
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 on us in
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 that moment.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 And I
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 think the
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 beginning of
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 a new
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 year may
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 be a
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 distant
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 but a
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 relatively
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 close
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 third as
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 well.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 We must
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 labour to
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 ensure that
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 the most
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 important things
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 stay the
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 most important
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 things in
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 life.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 So be
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38 inspired by
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 in
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 Edwards.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 Get
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 some
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 plan in
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 place to
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 grow in
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 the
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 important.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 Don't
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 coast,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 don't
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 meander,
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 redeem the
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 time.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 That's the
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 challenge from
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 Hebrews and
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 Edwards.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 For the
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 past year,
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 we have been
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 constantly saying
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 here at
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 St. Paul's
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 encouraging you
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 to take
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 your next
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 step.
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 We have
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 the good
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 news of
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 the gospel.
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 It's written
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 out there on
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 the board
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 straight behind
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 me here.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 We have
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 the good
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 news of
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 the gospel
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 and on
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 the other
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 board we
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 have what
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 the gospel
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 gives us.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 Embrace the
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 good news of
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 Jesus Christ
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 and you end
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 up with a
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 life of
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 satisfaction and
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 meaning and
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 hope and in
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 other words,
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 joy.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 They are the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 consequences of
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 trusting in
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 Jesus.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 So how do
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 we pursue,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 pursue,
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 pursue the
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 gospel in
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 our life in
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 order that
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 those consequences
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 might grow
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 more and more
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 and more in
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 our hearts
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 and our
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 minds.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 We're going
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 to be talking
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 more about
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 that in our
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 vision series
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 in a few
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 weeks.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 But to get
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Hebrews and
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 to put Edwards
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 together, I
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 just want to
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 say one
00:29:52 --> 00:29:52 thing about
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 planning your
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 joy.
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 Pursue
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 godly habits
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 in life.
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 Pursue
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 spiritual
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 disciplines,
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 spiritual
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 practice,
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 diligently
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 pursue them,
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 train in
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 those things,
00:30:14 --> 00:30:16 sweat in
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 those things.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:23 we're going
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 to emphasize
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 seven things
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 as we move
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 forward.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 Weekly
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 worship,
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 daily
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 devotions,
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 Christian
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 community,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 use of
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 our talents,
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 the service
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 of others,
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 generous
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 giving,
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 witness of
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 the gospel,
00:30:39 --> 00:30:41 and rest.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 Rest.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 something that
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 we do not
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 know how to
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 do in our
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 modern world.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 Now I'm not
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 expecting any
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 of us to
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 be the next
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 Edwards,
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 the next
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 Jonathan
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 Edwards,
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 or to take
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 on all of
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 his disciplines.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 He was a
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 remarkable man
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 who I think
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 we should
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 just frankly
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 admire.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 But I do
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 want you to
00:31:08 --> 00:31:08 take your
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 next step.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 I do want
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 to exhort
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 you to a
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 discipline
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 life.
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 Because life
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 and faith
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 is a race
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 and therefore
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 all of us
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 have at least
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 one next
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 step to
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 take.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 At least
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 one next
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 step to
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 take.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 Lastly,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 how to
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 run.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 As a,
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 someone who's
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 done a bit
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 of running
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 over the
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 years,
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 more recently,
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 and
00:31:39 --> 00:31:41 trained for
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 a marathon,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 marathon,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 I had to
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 Google
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 how to
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 run a
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 marathon.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 How to
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 actually run
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 a marathon
00:31:49 --> 00:31:51 and get
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 advice from
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 a bunch of
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 people,
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 how to
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 train for
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 a marathon,
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 all that
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 sort of
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 thing.
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 So how do
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 you run
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 the race
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 of faith?
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 life?
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 life.
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 life.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 So this is my
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 last point,
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 but let me
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 just say,
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 very significant
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 point.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 How to run
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 the race of
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 life and
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 faith.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 This is the
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 crucial
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 dynamic.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 It is,
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 if you like,
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 the petrol in
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 your engine.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 Reading for the
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 beginning of
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 Edwards'
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 resolutions,
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 and it sets
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 the tone for
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 the entire
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 70 of the
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 resolutions,
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 Edwards wrote
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 this right at
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 the beginning,
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 being sensible
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 that I am
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 unable to do
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 anything without
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 God's help,
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 I do humbly
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 entreat him by
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 his grace to
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 enable me to
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 keep these
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 resolutions so
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 far as they
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 are agreeable to
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 his will for
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 Christ's sake.
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 Hebrews 10
00:32:46 --> 00:32:49 puts Edwards'
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 introduction in
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 these, sorry,
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 Hebrews 11 puts
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 it in these
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 words.
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 Fix your eyes
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 on Jesus,
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 the pioneer
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 and the
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 perfecter of
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 your faith.
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 You might say
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 the pioneer
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 and the
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 perfecter of
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 your race.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 Jesus is
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 not simply
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 the pattern
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 of life and
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 faith, he
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 is the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 completer of
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 it as well.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 He is the
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 only one who
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 has perfectly
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 lived it and
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 he did it for
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 us.
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 So I'm not
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 just exhorting
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 you to a
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 life of
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 discipline.
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 I'm exhorting
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 you to a
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 life of
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 discipline that's
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 focused on
00:33:29 --> 00:33:32 Jesus who
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 has run the
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 race before
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 you and
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 completed your
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 race for
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 you.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 There is a
00:33:36 --> 00:33:38 great gulf
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 between the
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 understanding that
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 God accepts us
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 because of our
00:33:42 --> 00:33:44 efforts and the
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 understanding that
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 God accepts us
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 because of what
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 Jesus has done
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 for us.
00:33:48 --> 00:33:52 religion operates
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 on the principle
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 that I obey
00:33:54 --> 00:33:56 and therefore I
00:33:56 --> 00:33:58 am acceptable to
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 God.
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 The operating
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 of the Christian
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 faith, the
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 operating principle
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 of the Christian
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 faith is I'm
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 accepted by God
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 through what
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 Jesus Christ has
00:34:07 --> 00:34:09 already achieved
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 for me and
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 therefore I
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 obey.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 Therefore I
00:34:13 --> 00:34:13 pursue.
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 Therefore I run
00:34:15 --> 00:34:15 the race.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:20 Two people
00:34:20 --> 00:34:22 living by those
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 two very
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 different principles
00:34:24 --> 00:34:26 may in fact
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 look the
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 same.
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 They may
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 even be sitting
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 beside you in
00:34:33 --> 00:34:33 church now.
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 They both
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 pray.
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 They both
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 give generously.
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 They're both
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 loyal and
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 faithful to
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 family and
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 the church and
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 they're good
00:34:44 --> 00:34:46 citizens but
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 they live it
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 out with
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 radically
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 different
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 motives.
00:34:51 --> 00:34:51 Religion
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 tries to
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 live out
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 divine
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 standards out
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 of fear.
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 If we
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 don't live a
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 disciplined
00:34:59 --> 00:35:01 life then we
00:35:01 --> 00:35:01 fear we'll miss
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 out on God's
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 blessing now in
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 this life and
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 in the next
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 life to come
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 every time
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 something bad
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 happens in
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 life.
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 And you
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 go,
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 hang on a
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 bit,
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 what?
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 Oh,
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 I haven't
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 been reading
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 my Bible,
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 I should
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 have gone
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 to church
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 and give
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 a little
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 bit more
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 money.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 That's a
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 life of
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 fear.
00:35:23 --> 00:35:23 Gospel
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 motivation is
00:35:24 --> 00:35:26 gratitude for
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 the blessing
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 we have
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 already received
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 because of
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 Jesus.
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 That's why
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 the writer
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 to the
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 Hebrews
00:35:33 --> 00:35:35 spends 10
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 chapters
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 exhorting the
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 Hebrews about
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 the supremacy
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 and the
00:35:38 --> 00:35:40 magnificence of
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 Jesus Christ
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 before he
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 says run.
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 Run.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 Gospel
00:35:49 --> 00:35:51 motivation is
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 gratitude for
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 the blessing
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 we have
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 already received
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 in Jesus
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 Christ.
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 While the
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 religious person
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 is forced
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 into obedience,
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 the Christian
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 rushes into
00:36:02 --> 00:36:04 it in a
00:36:04 --> 00:36:04 desire to
00:36:04 --> 00:36:06 please and
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 to resemble
00:36:06 --> 00:36:08 the one who
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 endured the
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 cross for
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 them, for
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 their joy
00:36:12 --> 00:36:12 and for
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 his.
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 And so my
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 exhortation for
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 you this
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 morning,
00:36:20 --> 00:36:20 today,
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 beginning of
00:36:21 --> 00:36:23 2024, is
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 rush,
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 rush,
00:36:26 --> 00:36:28 rush into
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 obedience
00:36:29 --> 00:36:31 with joy.
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 Look to
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 Jesus and
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 the gospel,
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 plan your
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 run with
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 him and
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 take your
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 next step
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37 of faith
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 in 2024.