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Romans 12:2 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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We have been preaching verse by verse,
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expositionally through the gospel according to Mark,
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! But this morning we're going to take a small break from that.
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And I'll ask you, I invite you to turn to Romans chapter 12 with me.
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We're going to do this for two reasons.
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Firstly, I often fail at teaching very practically.
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Giving you, spelling out for you the next steps that our text presents to us.
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And I've recognized this for some time as a bit of a failing in my preaching,
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and I'm working on it.
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Because I know altogether a theoretical Christianity is really of little value.
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Just knowing the doctrine isn't quite enough.
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The application of the doctrine is of massive importance.
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And so I kind of had that rolling around inside my heart.
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And sat down to work a little bit on announcements.
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There are some things that came to my mind that I think need to be addressed
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that would be fitting at this end of the year.
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Second reason is that as I did this and prayed about what ought to be done,
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having sitting before me completed notes for Mark chapter 14 verses 12 through 25.
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Done.
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Completely done.
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Ready to go.
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And having to start over and create notes altogether for this morning.
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In fact, my prayer was that that's not be what God would have me do.
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So I didn't have to create the notes,
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but I'm convinced that this is exactly what he would have me do this morning.
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So for those two reasons, we're going to begin in Romans 12, the first part of verse 2.
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And then we'll have some topic beyond that as well, which I'll tell you about in just a moment.
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So let me read that to you.
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It says,
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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
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Let's pray together.
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Father, we do thank you for your word that we have opened before us.
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It is a great gift to your church, and we have it in abundance.
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Copies upon copies and tools used to understand it.
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All of the application of these things is possible ultimately and finally by your spirit,
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who illuminates our minds to understand, to rightly understand what your text has to say to us.
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I pray today that that will be the case, that you will work a miracle amongst us in my speaking and in the hearing,
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that we will be changed by your word.
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You will get at the very core of who we are and that our hearts will be transformed.
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And we pray this in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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So Paul exhorts in chapter 12, after his beautiful systematic theology through the first 11 chapters of the book,
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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
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So there's a process by which we are transformed as Christians.
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Putting off the world itself, not being conformed to it, and being changed.
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And the prescription he gives here is by the renewal of our minds.
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Right here at the end of the year, we've entered into a season where many people make New Year's resolutions.
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They resolve to do something or another better, or to start doing something good, or to stop doing something harmful to them.
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Always with this positive idea in mind, positive resolves, bent on improvement and moving forward,
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putting aside the failures of the previous year and looking forward to the year ahead.
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I've always found resolutions to be a little bit trite, because most people keep their resolutions for a very brief amount of time.
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This effort to get in shape is one that's often thrown out there.
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In fact, the survival of gyms depend on New Year's resolutions.
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If you happen to know a gym owner, and if you talk to them about what they must charge to keep the place running,
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the people who actually show up and work out at the rate they pay could never keep a place like that open.
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What they depend upon is all the memberships they sell at the beginning of the year,
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and all the people who never come as a result.
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They drop their resolution.
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I've always said to myself, why not make resolutions at any other time of the year?
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Why must we wait until January 1st of the year?
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Why can we not start at the moment we realize we should be doing something differently to move forward?
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However, a lot of people do think in these terms around this time of year.
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Fresh starts.
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And as I know that some of this may be rolling around in your mind,
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I think it's appropriate that we make some suggested resolutions to you.
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And this was going to be part of my announcements,
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and it suddenly turned into two and three and four and now almost five pages of notes.
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So I just thought, let's do a sermon on it instead.
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Let's start by talking to you a little bit about the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.
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In Jonathan Edwards' biography, he wrote 70 resolutions,
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excuse me, in his diary.
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In 1723, when he was just 20-year-old, 20s-year-old,
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70 things that he was committing his life to,
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these resolves, so to speak.
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To give you an example, the first and longest one, he says,
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Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory
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and my own good, profit, and pleasure in the whole of my duration
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without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence.
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Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good
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and advantage of mankind in general.
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Resolved to do this whatever difficulties I meet,
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how many and how great whatsoever.
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So he set forth these 70 things by which he would live his life.
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And in much simpler format today, I want to give you seven suggested resolutions.
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I will say to you that these are things for me that I am still working in,
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that I am still growing in,
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that I am still not being conformed to the world,
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and I'm still being transformed by the renewal of my mind.
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Paul's writing in Romans chapter 7 resonates with me so much,
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beginning in verse 21,
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So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right,
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evil lies close at hand.
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For I delight in the law of God in my inner being,
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but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind
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and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
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Wretched man that I am,
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who will deliver me from this body of death?
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Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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So that I myself serve the law of God with my mind,
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but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
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Chapter 8, verse 1,
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There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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So as we devote ourselves to new things or improvement of things,
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in the new year we can celebrate that we are found righteous before God,
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that we've begun by grace and that we continue by grace.
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So seven suggested resolutions.
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Firstly, pray more.
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Pray more.
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I know that this is a church that prays, that values prayer,
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but we can certainly pray more.
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As those who hold the sovereignty of God so high
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and seem to understand it so well,
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I fear that we often set prayer aside as if it doesn't matter at all
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because we know that God is ultimately and finally in control.
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But God uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His will.
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I think we often have the attitude of Job in Job 21.15
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where he says,
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What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?
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And what profit do we get if we pray to Him?
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Paul's exhortation is much different than Job's attitude in chapter 21.
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1 Thessalonians 5.17
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He exhorts the Thessalonian believers to pray without ceasing.
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And in Philippians 4.6-7, he says,
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Do not be anxious about anything,
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but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
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let your requests be made known to God.
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And then a promise comes with that.
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And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
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will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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I consider myself a praying person.
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I lift lots of things up to God.
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But I have recently been convicted of my faithless prayer.
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But I often ask things of God,
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not really expecting that He'll answer my prayers.
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An example of a story that happened not too recently,
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I serve as the chairman of the board of directors
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for the Dahlonega Care Center here in town.
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And after our last board meeting,
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there were some issues that were particularly vexing to me.
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And after our meeting,
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Wes and I talked about them at length.
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A couple of days later,
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in fact, this was Monday on Wednesday morning,
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I gave him a call with the very same issue on my mind.
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It had been bothering me all of that time.
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The thing that was constantly running in the background of my mind.
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And I realized as I was talking with him
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that I was having the exact same conversation.
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Like nothing had changed from Monday evening to Wednesday morning.
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Nothing had been resolved.
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There was really no new thing to address concerning it.
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And I realized that I had yet to really pray about it.
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Mentioned it, sure.
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But yet to really say to God,
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God, ultimately,
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you are fully and finally in control of this thing.
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There's nothing I can do about it apart from you.
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And I'm giving it to you.
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I'm not going to be anxious about it.
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I desire the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
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And so when I got off the phone with Wes,
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I was driving the boys up to my mom and dad's house to spend the day.
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And I mean, a 10-second prayer.
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Lord, I don't know how to work this thing out.
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I don't know what's going to become of this circumstance.
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But I know that you have to do it.
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And I set it aside.
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And in the hour I was visiting with my father,
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I got an email which needed a phone call in response
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about an entirely different thing.
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And the thing I was concerned about came up in that conversation
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and was totally resolved.
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Like fixed.
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Set.
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Forever.
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This issue was.
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Incredible.
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And the thing that popped into my head as I'm having this conversation
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is the words,
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you do not have because you do not ask.
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One of Edwards' resolutions,
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Resolution 29,
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he says,
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So in plain English for you,
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he says,
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never to count it as a prayer unless I know that God can answer it.
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And if it's a confession,
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that God will accept that confession.
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And I find this to be true of myself sometimes.
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And I think the same would be true of you.
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We ought to pray more than we do.
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And we ought to be very intentional about the way in which we pray.
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I think we're all guilty of saying to somebody,
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somebody's sharing with you,
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something going on in their life,
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and you say to them,
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I'll pray for you.
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We've all done this.
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And then we never do.
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Why not stop in the moment and pray?
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It doesn't have to be a lengthy prayer.
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Say to somebody,
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I'll pray for you.
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In fact,
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why don't we pray now?
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Or,
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set some specific time aside.
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Write down the prayer.
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Be sure to pray for that person.
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Think about the people in your life and make lists.
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We have wonderful things.
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Writing utensils and digital ways that we can record things.
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Why not set specific time aside
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and pray through the concerns of our life
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and those who are around us?
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Set specific time aside.
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Closet time.
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Quiet time.
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Where you get alone with the Lord
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and offer up to Him
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those things that concern you.
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In addition to that,
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utter prayers throughout the day.
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Spend time in prayer.
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Pray continually,
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without ceasing,
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as Paul exhorts,
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as you're encountering the little things of the day,
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to stay connected to the source of all good things
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and offer those things up to Him.
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Journal.
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Is anybody in here journal?
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Prayer journal?
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I don't.
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It's something I'd really like to do.
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Good for you,
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the two that do it,
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I think I saw.
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Right?
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What a wonderful way to keep an account
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of the things that you've been praying
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and the way in which God answers those prayers.
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There are wonderful biographies that you can read
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that are essentially people's prayer journals.
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The accounts of the way in which they petitioned God
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and the way in which He answered.
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Use these as tools.
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I think that most people these days have smartphones.
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I'm an iPhone user,
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so speaking to those of you who have iPhones,
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there's this really, really great app
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that comes with it called Reminders,
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and you can set reminders for yourself
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to pray about things specifically.
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Our church leadership doesn't know this,
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but I have reminders programmed into my phone
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throughout the week to be praying for them,
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and it pops up a reminder,
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and I'm prompted then to pray
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for our church leadership.
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There's wonderful tools at our disposal.
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Reminders will remind you at a location.
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It locates you by GPS
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and tells you to pray
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when you get to a place
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or when you're leaving a place.
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We have such wonderful things
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at our disposal
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to pray more in 2015.
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So let me encourage you
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to make that a resolution this next year.
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Secondly,
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be resolved to read the Bible more.
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To read the Bible more.
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Beloved,
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our God has given to us
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a book that He wrote
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under the inspiration of the Spirit
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by various authors,
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but a book nonetheless that He wrote.
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It was breathed out by Him,
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and we neglect it.
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We do not know the Bible
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the way that we ought to.
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Resolve 28 of Edwards,
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resolved to study the Scripture
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so steadily,
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constantly,
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and frequently
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as that I may find
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and plainly perceive myself
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to grow in the knowledge
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of the same.
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He wanted to be able
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to mark out and measure
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that He understood
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and He knew it
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from day to day,
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week to week,
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month to month,
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that He was coming
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to a growing knowledge
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of the very Word of God.
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There's a promise
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that comes with this.
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Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.
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Trust in the Lord
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with all your heart,
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and do not lean
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on your own understanding,
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in all your ways acknowledge Him,
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and He will make straight
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your paths.
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I want my paths to be straight.
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I hope you do too.
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There's a joy that comes
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from studying and knowing
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and keeping the Word of God.
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Psalm 119, 9-16.
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How can a young man
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keep his way pure?
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By guarding it
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according to Your Word.
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With my whole heart I seek You.
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Let me not wander
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from Your commandments.
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I have stored up Your Word
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in my heart
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that I might not sin against You.
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Blessed are You, O Lord.
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Teach me Your statutes.
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With my lips I declare
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all the rules of Your mouth.
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In the way of Your testimonies
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I delight as much
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as in all riches.
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I will meditate on Your precepts
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and fix my eyes on Your ways.
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I will delight in Your statutes.
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I will not forget Your Word.
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The very essence of Christian living
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is that we are fueled
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by the very words of God.
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There's a sanctification
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and there's an equipping
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that comes by it.
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2 Timothy 3, 16-17.
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Paul writes,
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All Scripture is breathed out by God
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and is profitable for teaching,
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for reproof,
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for correction,
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and for training in righteousness.
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That the man of God
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or woman of God
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may be complete
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and equipped
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for every good work.
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It's the way in which
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our minds are transformed
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and we're no longer conformed then
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to the world.
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It's by the Word of God.
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So practically,
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you need to make a plan
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for how it is
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you will study
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the Word of God.
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Beloved, Sunday morning
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is not enough.
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The 30-45 to an hour
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that I give you
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is not enough.
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You must be saturating yourself
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with the Word of God.
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It is the very bread of life
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for you.
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So here's a couple of suggestions
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for you.
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A new one for me,
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the first one.
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Choose a book of the Bible.
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Start with a short one.
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It's good to build habits
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with achievable goals.
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Start with a short one
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like an epistle.
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Let me suggest to you
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the book of Ephesians.
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Read that book
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in its entirety.
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Whether you do that
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in one sitting
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or you do it over
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chapters at a time
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or a couple of verses
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at a time,
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read that book
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in its entirety.
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Then repeat step two
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20 times.
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Repeat step two
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20 times.
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Read it in its entirety
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in whatever format you do it
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20 times
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and repeat the whole process
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for every book of the Bible.
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You can have a great deal
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of understanding
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of the Scriptures
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if you'll do something
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like this.
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You could plan to
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read the Bible through
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in a year.
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There's lots of
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Bible reading plans
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for yearly Bible reading.
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It's a great way to do it.
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There's nothing
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particularly holy about it.
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It doesn't make you
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a better Christian
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because you cram it in
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into a year.
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You've got to keep up
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and you've got to struggle
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through some things
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like Numbers
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and Leviticus.
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But many Christians
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have never read
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all of the Scriptures.
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Have no idea
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what it says
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in some places.
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And for those of us
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who have
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you go back sometimes
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and you read and you go
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what?
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Like nutty stories
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that happen
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and we just totally
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forget them.
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That they even exist.
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So let me encourage you
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at some point in your life
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to do this
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and maybe to do it
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periodically.
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To set yourself
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on a schedule.
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To plan on reading it
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through in a year.
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We have a really
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really fantastic
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chronological Bible
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reading plan
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that helps you
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lay out the Scriptures
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in the way in which
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they happened
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in history
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versus the way
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they're organized
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in our Bibles.
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I don't know if you
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know this or not
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but the Old Testament
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is organized
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by types of books.
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So it can get
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a little confusing
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as to when these things
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actually happened.
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A chronological Bible
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reading plan
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is a great way
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to see the Scriptures
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unfold before you.
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There are many other
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fantastic ways
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to do that.
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Lastly,
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let me suggest to you
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which has been
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my typical habit
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in studying the Scriptures
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and that is to choose
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a book of the Bible.
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Again,
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pick a short one.
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Ephesians is a fantastic
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one to work through.
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And in day one,
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the first time you sit down,
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read the entire book.
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Remember that
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the book was written
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as a book.
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In this case of Ephesians,
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it's a letter.
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So it's addressed
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to a particular people.
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Read the whole thing.
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That's the way
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they would have heard it.
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Not given to them
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a verse at a time
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but they would have
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heard the entire thing.
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So read the entire book
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and get the context
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set properly for you.
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And then in the following days,
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read carefully the text.
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Read it carefully
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until God arrests
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your attention.
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So read it until
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something sticks out to you
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and you go,
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that is an interesting word
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and I never noticed it before.
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What does it mean?
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Does something
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arrest your attention
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and your heart
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is turned towards God?
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Right?
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The sleepiness of the morning,
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right,
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or the troubles of the day
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suddenly are far and distant
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in your mind
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and all you want to know
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is God revealed to you
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in the text.
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What you're reading
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right there before you,
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right?
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Your heart is saying,
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oh,
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what is this new thing
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that I'm now seeing
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and I want to understand
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in a greater degree?
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And then take that thing
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and meditate on it
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throughout your day.
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Right?
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Do this
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until you get to the end
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of the book
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and then pick a different book
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and keep moving on.
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Right?
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A fantastic way
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to study the scriptures.
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There are many other ways
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to do the same
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but those are three
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that I think are useful
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in your study
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of the Bible.
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So,
20:42
think about,
20:43
consider making that
20:44
a resolution
20:44
in 2015.
20:47
Thirdly,
20:49
read more books.
20:51
Just in general,
20:52
read more books.
20:55
I'll say Christian
20:56
or otherwise,
20:56
although I would strongly
20:57
encourage Christian writing
20:59
upon you.
21:00
And I say read more books,
21:02
not just read more
21:03
because there's lots
21:04
of reading to be done
21:05
these days on the internet.
21:06
There are lots of articles.
21:08
We call them blogs
21:09
so readily
21:10
and they have value
21:11
but it's very,
21:12
very difficult
21:13
to totally divulge
21:15
all that there is
21:15
to say about a particular topic
21:17
in an article.
21:18
Right?
21:18
There's lots of holes
21:19
that are left
21:19
in that type of thing
21:20
but books tend
21:22
not to do that.
21:23
Good books
21:23
tend not to do that.
21:25
There are plenty
21:26
of poor books
21:27
out there.
21:29
Christian books
21:29
are fantastic.
21:30
If they're well written,
21:31
they expose to us
21:33
the Scriptures themselves.
21:34
A great way
21:35
to test this
21:36
is to look at the back
21:37
of the book
21:37
and see if it has
21:38
a Scripture index.
21:40
And if there's many,
21:40
many pages
21:41
of references,
21:42
probably a good book.
21:45
Many books
21:45
claim to be Christian books
21:47
and barely use
21:48
the Scriptures at all
21:48
or they use them
21:49
very, very poorly.
21:51
But we can come
21:52
to a better understanding.
21:53
Beloved,
21:53
we have access
21:55
to theologians
21:56
throughout history
21:57
through books.
21:58
They have written down
21:59
what they believe
22:00
to be true
22:00
on a particular topic
22:01
and we can sit down
22:02
with that person
22:03
and understand
22:04
what they would have to say.
22:06
I hope,
22:07
and this may not be true
22:08
of all of you,
22:09
but I hope
22:09
that if suddenly
22:10
Jonathan Edwards
22:11
were here,
22:13
they could sit down
22:13
with us
22:14
and we might ask
22:15
him a question
22:16
like,
22:17
what do you think
22:18
about the freedom
22:19
of the will?
22:21
And that we would
22:22
sit there
22:22
and eagerly listen
22:23
to the answer
22:24
that he would give us.
22:25
I hope that you would
22:26
jot down many,
22:27
many notes.
22:28
Guess what?
22:29
He wrote them down
22:29
for you.
22:30
He did it.
22:31
He organized it
22:32
in a way
22:32
that you can sit down
22:33
and approach
22:34
and wrestle with
22:35
and come to understand
22:36
in a greater degree.
22:38
It's a blessing.
22:39
There's too many books
22:40
out there.
22:40
I will say,
22:41
we could get rid
22:41
of probably 90%
22:42
of them
22:43
because they're junk,
22:44
but there's a lot
22:44
of really good books
22:46
to be read.
22:48
The average person
22:49
reads 300 words
22:50
per minute.
22:50
The average page
22:52
of a book
22:53
contains 300 words.
22:55
The average book length
22:56
is,
22:57
it's actually 350 pages,
22:59
but let's go with 300
22:59
so we can remember easily
23:00
across the board.
23:02
So which means
23:03
if you read
23:03
for 30 minutes a day,
23:05
five days a week,
23:06
for 50 weeks,
23:08
so we're going to give you
23:09
two weeks off
23:10
in the year
23:11
and two days a week off,
23:12
you can read 25 books
23:14
in a year.
23:15
It's pretty incredible,
23:19
right?
23:19
And it's not okay
23:20
to be a Christian
23:22
who just doesn't like
23:23
to read.
23:23
Oh, I just don't like
23:24
to read.
23:25
Well, guess what?
23:26
The way that communication
23:26
is translated
23:28
is through words.
23:31
And Sunday morning
23:32
is not enough,
23:32
so where's it going
23:33
to come from?
23:34
Got to get into books.
23:35
The book
23:35
and books that talk
23:37
about the book.
23:38
Right?
23:39
So let me challenge
23:40
you to something.
23:41
I'm not going to challenge
23:41
you to read 25 books
23:42
this year.
23:44
I wipe some sweat
23:45
off your forehead.
23:48
Let me challenge you
23:49
to read five.
23:52
Five books.
23:52
Read five books.
23:54
And let me challenge
23:54
you to specifically
23:55
read some Christian books.
23:57
Five Christian books
23:58
in this next year.
24:00
They're bountiful.
24:02
You can get PDFs
24:03
of books, right?
24:04
Free.
24:05
All over the place.
24:06
I'm going to suggest
24:07
a few to you.
24:08
So here's my short list.
24:09
Really difficult to do
24:10
for my study
24:11
to pick five books.
24:12
There are many other
24:13
really fantastic books,
24:14
but I'm going to suggest
24:15
five to you.
24:15
So if you have no idea
24:16
where to start,
24:17
here's five really
24:17
fantastic books.
24:19
The Pursuit of God
24:20
by A.W. Tozer.
24:21
I'm going to jot this down.
24:22
I'll leave them up here
24:22
after the service.
24:24
The Pursuit of God
24:24
by A.W. Tozer.
24:26
A really, really fantastic read.
24:29
Finally Alive
24:30
by John Piper.
24:33
Finally Alive
24:34
by John Piper.
24:36
The Trellis and the Vine
24:37
by Colin Marshall
24:39
and Tony Payne.
24:41
Sorry, Tony Payne.
24:42
Right?
24:44
Wonderful book.
24:46
Worship,
24:47
The Ultimate Priority
24:48
by John MacArthur.
24:49
It's not about music.
24:54
And then Good Biography
24:55
is always fantastic.
24:56
So George Mueller
24:57
of Bristol,
24:58
this particular copy,
25:00
not this particular printing.
25:02
George Mueller of Bristol
25:03
by A.T. Pearson.
25:06
Right?
25:06
Good Biography
25:06
will encourage
25:08
your Christian living.
25:10
Right?
25:10
All about
25:11
350 pages.
25:13
Okay?
25:14
Can be done
25:14
in a year.
25:15
Let me encourage you
25:16
to set yourself to that.
25:17
And you may be saying,
25:18
well, Nathan,
25:19
but you're a pastor.
25:20
Like, you've been given time.
25:21
Like, we pay you
25:22
to study
25:23
and to understand things
25:24
and to know things.
25:25
It's easier for you.
25:27
I agree.
25:29
For me to read
25:29
five books in this year
25:30
is not a difficult task.
25:33
Right?
25:33
Not a difficult task at all.
25:35
Well, let me tell you
25:35
what I'm doing
25:35
in this next year.
25:36
I'm reading 50 books
25:37
in this year.
25:39
Right?
25:39
So I've got to
25:40
chew through one a week
25:41
to be able to accomplish
25:43
this goal.
25:43
If you step down
25:44
into my study,
25:45
you'll see the big stack
25:46
on my desk,
25:46
which is that.
25:47
Those are the books
25:48
that I'm intending
25:49
on reading
25:50
in this year.
25:51
So if I can do this
25:52
by the grace of God,
25:55
the last couple of months
25:56
I've been practicing
25:57
getting to that pace
25:58
of reading a book a week.
26:00
If I can accomplish this,
26:01
you can certainly
26:01
do five.
26:03
Pick good books
26:04
that point you to
26:05
the Word of God.
26:07
So make it a resolution
26:08
to read more books
26:10
in 2015.
26:12
Fourthly,
26:13
I think I'm on the right count.
26:15
Fourthly,
26:17
eat better.
26:21
Yes,
26:22
eat better.
26:25
And most people
26:25
don't know this
26:26
by coming here
26:27
and first glance,
26:29
but we are a
26:30
Southern Baptist church
26:31
and Southern Baptists
26:32
are notoriously good
26:34
at observing some things,
26:36
some things that aren't
26:36
even law,
26:38
and really great
26:39
at neglecting others.
26:42
Proverbs 23,
26:44
1-4 says,
26:45
When you sit down
26:46
to eat with a ruler,
26:47
observe carefully
26:48
what is before you
26:49
and put a knife
26:50
to your throat
26:51
if you are given
26:52
to appetite.
26:54
Do not desire
26:55
his delicacies
26:56
for they are
26:56
deceptive food.
26:59
And to understand
27:00
a little bit more
27:00
what's being written here,
27:02
do not toil
27:03
to acquire wealth,
27:05
be discerning enough
27:06
to desist,
27:08
to stop,
27:10
to recognize
27:10
that there is
27:12
an abundance
27:13
in our consumption,
27:14
that we go above
27:15
and beyond
27:16
what we ought
27:17
to consume.
27:20
Paul says
27:21
in 1 Corinthians 10-31,
27:22
So whether you eat
27:22
or drink
27:23
or whatever you do,
27:25
do all
27:26
to the glory of God.
27:28
And the major point
27:30
that I would make
27:30
to you
27:31
is that
27:32
we as a people,
27:34
as an American people,
27:35
are relatively unhealthy
27:38
in the way
27:39
we eat.
27:41
And it seems to me
27:43
that if I want to
27:43
fit myself for service,
27:45
if I want to be active
27:46
in kingdom building,
27:48
that the less
27:49
I struggle
27:50
with physical ailment,
27:51
the better off
27:52
I am
27:53
to serve the Lord
27:54
in the things
27:54
I'm doing.
27:55
Now certainly
27:56
sin exists in this world,
27:57
just eating well
27:58
and exercising
27:59
does not accomplish
28:00
that in its entirety.
28:01
Sin still runs rampant.
28:03
There are going to be
28:04
people who eat
28:04
the strictest of diets
28:05
and avoid everything
28:07
that everybody says
28:08
causes cancer.
28:09
They're going to stay
28:09
completely away
28:10
from all of that
28:10
and they're still
28:11
going to get cancer
28:11
and die.
28:12
It's going to happen.
28:13
But,
28:15
the knowledge
28:15
is at our fingertips.
28:17
We know what is
28:18
and isn't good
28:18
for the most part
28:19
for us.
28:21
It seems to be changing
28:21
kind of from week
28:22
to week too,
28:23
doesn't it?
28:24
But we ought
28:25
to strive,
28:26
we ought to endeavor
28:27
to be as healthy
28:29
as we can be
28:30
for the sake
28:31
of serving
28:32
the kingdom.
28:34
Again,
28:34
listen to Edwards.
28:36
Resolve 20,
28:36
resolved to maintain
28:38
the strictest temperance
28:40
in eating
28:41
and drinking.
28:43
Resolve 40,
28:44
resolved to inquire
28:45
every night
28:46
before I go to bed
28:47
whether I have acted
28:48
in the best way
28:49
I possibly could
28:50
with respect
28:51
to eating
28:53
and drinking.
28:54
And elsewhere
28:55
in his diary
28:56
he wrote,
28:57
By a sparingness
28:58
in diet
28:59
and eating
29:00
as much as may be
29:01
what is light
29:02
and easy
29:03
of digestion,
29:05
I shall doubtless
29:06
be able to think
29:06
more clearly
29:07
and shall gain time,
29:10
number one,
29:11
by lengthening
29:12
out my life,
29:13
number two,
29:14
shall need less time
29:16
for digestion
29:17
after meals,
29:18
number three,
29:20
shall be able
29:20
to study more closely
29:22
without injury
29:23
to my health,
29:24
number four,
29:26
shall need less time
29:27
for sleep,
29:28
and number five,
29:29
shall more seldom
29:30
be troubled
29:31
with the headache.
29:34
Edwards had actually
29:35
systematically
29:36
really paid attention
29:37
to what he ate
29:38
and how it affected
29:38
his ability
29:39
to serve
29:40
in the kingdom.
29:41
Edwards,
29:42
on most days,
29:43
studied for 16 hours.
29:47
A phenomenal application
29:49
of his mind,
29:50
and he tailored
29:51
his diet
29:51
in such a way
29:52
that he could achieve
29:53
that very thing,
29:54
like an athlete,
29:55
training his body
29:57
so that he could
29:57
understand the word
29:58
of God
29:58
and then rightly
29:59
tell it
30:00
to his people.
30:03
As a side note,
30:05
Edwards primarily
30:06
ate vegetables
30:06
with little bits
30:08
of meat,
30:09
so just a little note
30:11
for you there.
30:12
We have,
30:13
again,
30:14
resourced,
30:14
our church
30:15
has a lot
30:16
of families in it
30:17
that eat
30:17
very,
30:18
very healthy,
30:19
so if you're
30:19
interested
30:20
in changing
30:21
the way you eat,
30:22
please do.
30:23
I will tell you again
30:23
a little personal story.
30:25
I have for over a decade,
30:27
since I was about 21,
30:28
I'm now 34,
30:29
about to be 35,
30:31
experienced lots
30:33
of muscle
30:33
and tendon pain,
30:34
been in quite a lot
30:36
of pain.
30:36
Like most days,
30:37
I just didn't want
30:38
to get up
30:39
and get going.
30:40
And this last year,
30:42
through a massive change
30:43
of diet,
30:44
which is how I discovered
30:46
I'm allergic to couscous
30:47
because I never would
30:48
have eaten couscous
30:48
previously,
30:50
have found that
30:52
much of my pain
30:54
and discomfort
30:55
is tied to diet.
30:57
I feel phenomenally better.
30:59
Still experience it,
31:00
still struggling with it,
31:01
I think I'm still
31:02
in a bit of a healing process,
31:03
but feel way better.
31:06
Sugar,
31:07
being the primary thing
31:08
that seems to cause me
31:10
to ache.
31:11
In fact,
31:12
when I stopped
31:13
consuming sugar altogether,
31:14
started drinking
31:15
primarily water,
31:18
I felt like
31:19
I had been kind of
31:19
living in a fog.
31:20
It was really hard
31:21
to keep focus.
31:22
And it's like
31:23
the fog lifted
31:24
and I could think
31:25
more clearly.
31:25
I could apply my mind
31:27
more readily.
31:28
And I have,
31:29
in the meantime,
31:30
cheated a few times
31:31
and immediately,
31:32
I mean immediately,
31:34
I feel like I'm back
31:35
in that fog again.
31:36
Difficult to think,
31:37
just want to go to sleep.
31:38
Right?
31:39
It's killing us.
31:41
All this refined sugar
31:42
and corn syrup
31:43
and things
31:43
that we're eating.
31:45
Right?
31:45
Some people process it better.
31:47
We all know people
31:47
who are going to live
31:48
really, really
31:48
to old ages
31:49
and eat horribly.
31:51
Right?
31:51
But let me encourage,
31:52
generally,
31:53
for you to do some research,
31:55
ask some folks
31:56
in our church,
31:57
and eat more healthy
31:59
in 2015.
32:02
All right.
32:03
Fifthly,
32:05
lead your family
32:06
better.
32:08
Lead your family
32:09
better.
32:10
And I mean,
32:10
specifically,
32:11
by leading in
32:12
family worship.
32:14
There are a lot of things
32:15
that we need to be doing,
32:17
men,
32:18
women as well,
32:19
in the leading
32:19
of our family better.
32:20
But specifically,
32:20
let me think about,
32:21
talk to you about,
32:22
by leading in family worship
32:24
this next year.
32:25
And I will tell you up front
32:26
that I struggle
32:27
with this one.
32:29
The schedule of our house,
32:31
trying to deal with
32:31
a four-year-old
32:32
and a two-year-old,
32:33
trying to get them
32:34
to sit still
32:35
in our home.
32:36
It's a little bit easier
32:37
here, in fact,
32:37
but trying to get them
32:38
to sit still
32:39
and try to pay attention.
32:40
Speaking to them
32:41
at their different levels
32:42
is really challenging.
32:44
Sam and I ebb and flow
32:46
out of success
32:46
in leading family worship
32:49
well.
32:50
But the Scripture says to us,
32:52
Deuteronomy 6,
32:52
6 and 7,
32:54
And these words
32:54
that I command you today
32:55
shall be on your heart.
32:56
You shall teach them
32:57
diligently to your children
32:59
and shall talk of them
33:00
when you sit in your house
33:01
and when you walk by the way
33:03
and when you lie down
33:05
and when you rise.
33:07
Many Christian homes
33:09
are altogether devoid
33:11
of the Word of God.
33:13
We spend lots of time
33:14
doing lots of other things,
33:16
lots of energy,
33:17
but yet we don't teach
33:19
our children
33:19
the most important thing,
33:21
the only thing
33:22
that's going to have
33:22
eternal significance
33:24
for them.
33:26
If Christians would spend
33:27
even half the time
33:29
teaching their children
33:30
the Word of God
33:31
that they do,
33:32
running around
33:34
teaching them
33:34
to be good ballerinas
33:37
and football players
33:38
and baseball players,
33:40
etc.,
33:40
our children would be
33:42
so much better off.
33:45
God has a multi-generational
33:48
idea in mind
33:49
in the presentation
33:50
of the Gospel.
33:51
Psalm 78, 5-7 says,
33:54
God established
33:54
a testimony in Jacob
33:56
and appointed a law
33:57
in Israel
33:57
which He commanded
33:58
to our fathers
33:59
to teach their children
34:00
that the next generation
34:01
might know them,
34:02
the children yet unborn,
34:04
and arise
34:04
and tell them
34:05
to their children
34:06
so they should set
34:07
their hope in God
34:08
and not forget
34:09
the works of God
34:10
but keep His commandments.
34:14
I don't know for sure
34:14
but I think Paul
34:15
has this in mind
34:16
in Ephesians 6-4
34:17
when he says,
34:17
Fathers,
34:17
do not provoke
34:18
your children to anger
34:19
but bring them up
34:20
in the discipline
34:21
and instruction
34:22
of the Lord.
34:24
We need to be
34:26
leading our families.
34:28
Fathers in this room,
34:29
you are the pastors
34:30
of your families.
34:32
I'm your pastor,
34:33
you pastor,
34:33
your family.
34:36
And the things
34:37
that I think are necessary
34:38
in family worship,
34:39
it's going to vary
34:39
dramatically from age to age
34:42
but we need to be reading
34:44
the Scriptures
34:44
to our children
34:45
or something that speaks
34:47
of the Scriptures
34:47
to the little ones,
34:49
discussing it,
34:50
asking them questions,
34:51
making sure they understand,
34:53
praying with them,
34:54
singing with them,
34:56
and memorizing with them,
34:57
memorizing Scripture
34:59
or working them
35:00
through a catechism.
35:02
The reason Aletheia Way
35:03
is so simple
35:04
is that it's not my job
35:06
to teach your kids.
35:07
I'm hoping to give them
35:08
something that will get
35:09
some energy out of them
35:10
that gives you some support.
35:12
So you can go home
35:12
and sing the songs
35:13
that we sing on Sunday mornings.
35:14
We've got a Scripture
35:15
memory verse
35:16
that we're doing
35:16
approximately one per month.
35:19
You can pick up
35:19
your favorite version
35:20
of a catechism
35:21
and work on that with them
35:23
that we build the truth
35:24
into our children.
35:25
Some people call it
35:26
brainwashing.
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I don't care.
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I want their brains
35:29
to have access
35:30
to really, really good,
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solid information
35:33
so that their hearts
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will be changed.
35:35
Pump the information
35:36
into them.
35:38
We'll say to you
35:39
that when you do this
35:40
isn't all that important.
35:42
The Puritans,
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which value family worship
35:44
very highly,
35:45
did it both in the morning
35:46
and in the evening
35:47
of every single day.
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There is no way
35:49
I could pull that off
35:50
in my home.
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I have really seriously
35:52
considered getting it done.
35:53
There's just no way
35:54
that we could pull it off.
35:55
We typically do really well
35:56
doing it once a week
35:57
at dinner time.
35:59
We pick a dinner time,
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a day of the week
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that we're going to do it.
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Consistency, I think,
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is the most important thing
36:03
that we're spending
36:04
a very consistent amount
36:05
of time with our kids.
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There are wonderful resources
36:07
for the young ones.
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The Jesus Storybook Bible,
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many of you are familiar with.
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I have this read with me
36:13
which actually is not
36:14
really great theologically,
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but this same guy,
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Dennis Jones,
36:17
has a see with me Bible
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that's just pictures
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and they're awesome.
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This is Sam's favorite
36:22
illustrator.
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So just to give you
36:24
an example,
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there's John the Baptist.
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You guys can see
36:27
from far away.
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Really good, right?
36:31
Like, totally shifted
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the way I thought
36:33
of John the Baptist,
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but pretty awesome.
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He's got a big split
36:39
between his front teeth.
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It's cool.
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So really,
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but the see with me
36:42
is really, really fantastic
36:43
if you want to just tell
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your children the story.
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I read this morning,
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intentionally,
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read this morning from you
36:47
from the Big Picture
36:48
Storybook Bible.
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Very Christocentric
36:50
as well as the
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Jesus Storybook Bible.
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fantastic ones
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for the little ones
36:54
to tell the stories
36:55
to them.
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If any of you are
36:57
friends with us on Facebook,
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you'll note the one thing
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I asked for for Christmas
37:00
was a felt board set,
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which I found out
37:04
to my great pleasure
37:05
that it was copyrighted
37:07
in 1966,
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which means it's the exact
37:09
same felt board set
37:09
that I would have seen
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as a child.
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Unfortunately,
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I have to cut out
37:14
every one of the pieces
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myself,
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which I'm not looking
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forward to,
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but I'm going to start
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doing some storyboarding
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at home with the kids
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to help them engage
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in the story.
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So,
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set aside a time,
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make it a resolve
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for you for 2015
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to lead your family
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better in the act
37:30
of family worship.
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Number six,
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resolve in 2015
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to give
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more
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generously.
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To give more generously.
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Luke 12,
37:43
turn to Luke 12
37:44
with me.
37:44
Get a drink of water.
37:45
Get a drink of water.
37:51
Luke 12,
37:51
it's one of my favorite
38:06
parables that Jesus told.
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Luke 12,
38:07
beginning in verse 13.
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Someone in the crowd
38:09
said to him,
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Teacher,
38:10
tell my brothers
38:11
to divide the inheritance
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with me.
38:13
But he said to him,
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Man,
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who made me a judge
38:15
or arbitrator over you?
38:16
And he said to them,
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Take care
38:18
and be on your guard
38:19
against all covetousness
38:21
for one's life
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does not consist
38:23
in the abundance
38:24
of his possessions.
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Now,
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let me stop for a minute
38:26
and note there,
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he says,
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be on guard
38:28
against all covetousness.
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Not just having stuff
38:30
and coveting it,
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but also wanting things,
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right,
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that you don't have,
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thinking that the abundance
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of possessions
38:36
will bring you joy.
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Verse 16,
38:39
And he told them
38:40
a parable saying,
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The land of a rich man
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produced plentifully.
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And he thought to himself,
38:44
What shall I do?
38:45
For I have nowhere
38:45
to store my crops.
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And he said,
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I will do this.
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I will tear down my barns
38:49
and build larger ones.
38:50
And there I will store
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all my grain and my goods.
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And I will say to my soul,
38:55
Soul,
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you have ample goods
38:56
laid up for many years.
38:57
Relax,
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eat,
38:58
drink,
38:59
be merry.
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But God said to him,
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Fool,
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this night your soul
39:05
is required of you.
39:06
In the things you have prepared,
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whose will they be?
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So is the one
39:10
who lays up treasure
39:11
for himself
39:11
and is not rich
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towards God.
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Right?
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Let that sink
39:18
for a moment.
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Now,
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this parable is not
39:21
a warning against
39:22
saving.
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It's a warning against
39:26
storing up for yourself
39:27
to the degree
39:28
that that is
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the consistency
39:31
of your life.
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Like we said before
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in verse 15,
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life does not consist
39:35
in the abundance
39:36
of possessions.
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The Proverbs tell us
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to observe the ant
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who stores up
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for the time
39:42
when there is no food.
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It is okay
39:44
that we do these types
39:44
of preparatory things.
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In fact,
39:47
year before last,
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Sam and I were very
39:49
carefully saving,
39:50
getting ahead.
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We had gotten ourselves
39:52
a month ahead
39:53
in our savings.
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We had money
39:55
sitting aside
39:55
in the savings.
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If we somehow
39:57
didn't have an income,
39:59
the guys decided
39:59
to get rid of me,
40:00
we would have had a month
40:01
stored up.
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It was really fantastic
40:03
and I felt so very good
40:04
about that,
40:05
but I wasn't really sure
40:05
exactly why
40:07
we were being led
40:08
to save
40:08
in this way.
40:10
And then,
40:10
we got our taxes
40:12
all taken care of
40:13
and discovered
40:14
that the accountant
40:15
that was taking care
40:16
of our deductions
40:16
here for the church
40:17
had done it wrong
40:18
and I owed
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quite a bit more
40:21
than I thought
40:23
that I had anticipated
40:24
owing.
40:24
And in fact,
40:25
it came up within,
40:27
once I paid the accountant
40:28
the fees to sort it all out,
40:30
within about $20
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of what we had saved
40:32
in that year previous.
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So,
40:35
as Sam and I
40:36
kind of lamented
40:37
that our savings
40:38
was gone,
40:38
I said,
40:39
well,
40:39
at least we know now
40:40
what God was having us
40:41
save it for,
40:41
right?
40:42
He was very aware
40:43
of what was going
40:44
to happen.
40:46
But we ought to give
40:47
generously to the kingdom
40:48
of all of our resources,
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our money,
40:50
our time,
40:51
and our talents.
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I know many people
40:54
in this room are young
40:55
and they don't really
40:56
have money,
40:57
but you have time
40:58
and you have talents
41:00
and we must
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prioritize giving
41:04
to the kingdom of God.
41:06
The example
41:07
in the Old Testament
41:07
of giving
41:07
is the tithe
41:09
that it was meant
41:09
to be done
41:10
off the top,
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the very first,
41:12
the first fruits,
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right?
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Not what's left over
41:15
at the end.
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Let me take care
41:16
of these obligations
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and then I'll give
41:18
by setting first
41:19
and foremost
41:20
an obligation
41:21
to the Lord
41:21
to say,
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this is ultimately
41:23
and finally His.
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I will give
41:26
to kingdom work.
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And the other,
41:30
and I will say to you
41:31
that if you have a home
41:32
and you have a car,
41:32
which is okay to own,
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you own those things,
41:35
you also need to see
41:35
those things as belonging
41:36
to the Lord
41:37
and use them in ways
41:38
that serve His purposes
41:40
as well.
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You've got to prioritize it.
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Let me encourage upon you
41:45
envelope budgeting.
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Set money aside
41:48
specifically for the expenses
41:49
that you know
41:50
you have coming up.
41:51
I would include
41:52
kingdom giving
41:53
in that.
41:55
Sam and I plan
41:55
every single month
41:57
exactly what we budgeted out
41:58
for the year,
41:59
exactly what we're going to give
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as a standard,
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and then we try to go
42:02
above and beyond that
42:03
at times
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to prayerfully consider
42:05
if we should give more.
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We consider that
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as an overflow
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when God is very,
42:12
very good to us
42:12
in our finances.
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Envelope budgeting
42:15
ensures that you'll have
42:17
what you need
42:17
for your necessities
42:20
as well as being able
42:21
to give.
42:22
The average family
42:23
that uses envelope budgeting,
42:25
some kind of a system,
42:26
saves 10%
42:27
of their household income.
42:28
So,
42:29
you're having difficult time
42:30
giving to the church?
42:31
Well, guess what?
42:32
Start paying attention
42:32
to your budget
42:33
and the statistic holds
42:36
that you're going to have
42:36
10% free up.
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Wouldn't that be
42:38
a wonderful,
42:39
wonderful thing?
42:40
The average evangelical
42:41
only gives 2%
42:42
of their income,
42:43
which means
42:44
a lot of evangelicals
42:46
don't give anything
42:47
at all,
42:48
and a lot give
42:49
much, much more
42:49
than that,
42:50
but 2%
42:50
is a sad,
42:52
sad number.
42:55
Prioritize.
42:56
As far as giving
42:57
your time
42:58
and talents
42:59
young people,
43:00
use a calendar.
43:01
It is a fantastic tool.
43:04
A day planner
43:05
if you would like to.
43:07
Once again,
43:07
technology serves us
43:08
so well in this way.
43:10
You have tools
43:10
at your disposal.
43:12
Plan time
43:13
to study.
43:14
Plan some time
43:15
to hang out
43:16
with your friends.
43:17
And if it's not that time,
43:18
then do something good
43:19
with your time.
43:21
I know you feel
43:22
very busy,
43:23
right?
43:23
I sympathize with you.
43:24
I was there
43:25
once upon a time
43:26
quite a while ago.
43:28
I know you feel
43:28
very, very busy,
43:29
but you have
43:29
so much time.
43:31
Go ahead and start
43:31
being a good planner
43:32
of time
43:33
and using your time well
43:34
because if you don't
43:35
start doing it now,
43:36
you're going to find
43:36
that once you get married
43:37
and have a job
43:38
and a family,
43:39
you're never going
43:40
to make time
43:41
to do things
43:42
for the kingdom.
43:45
Jesus gives this warning
43:46
in Matthew 6,
43:47
verse 19-21,
43:49
Do not lay up for yourselves
43:50
treasures on earth
43:50
where moth and rust
43:51
destroy and where thieves
43:53
break in and steal.
43:54
But lay up for yourselves
43:55
treasures in heaven
43:56
where neither moth
43:57
nor rust destroys
43:58
and where thieves
43:59
do not break in and steal.
44:00
For where your treasure is,
44:02
there your heart
44:02
will be also.
44:04
The way in which
44:04
we spend our resources
44:06
says something
44:07
about what we care about.
44:10
I hope
44:11
that you'll be resolved
44:12
in this next year
44:14
to give more generously.
44:17
2 Corinthians 12-15,
44:18
I want this to be
44:19
something that sticks
44:20
in your mind
44:21
that we could
44:22
repeat these words
44:24
that Paul writes
44:24
to the Corinthians.
44:26
I will most gladly
44:27
spend
44:28
and be spent
44:30
for your souls.
44:35
Seventh,
44:35
and lastly,
44:37
be resolved in 2015
44:38
to make
44:39
more
44:40
disciples.
44:43
Most of us
44:44
are familiar
44:44
with Matthew 28,
44:46
19-20.
44:47
It's called
44:47
the Great Commission.
44:48
Go, therefore,
44:50
and make disciples
44:51
of all nations,
44:52
baptizing in the name
44:53
of the Father
44:53
and of the Son
44:54
and of the Holy Spirit,
44:56
teaching them
44:56
to observe
44:57
all that I have
44:58
commanded you.
44:58
And behold,
44:59
I am with you
45:00
always
45:01
to the end
45:02
of the age.
45:04
Beloved,
45:04
it is our job
45:05
as disciples
45:06
of Jesus Christ
45:06
to make disciples
45:07
of Jesus Christ.
45:09
If we were to follow Him,
45:10
we're to be about
45:10
His work.
45:13
The Great Commission
45:14
is a commission
45:15
to go.
45:16
It's a in your going,
45:18
as you're going.
45:20
The Great Commission
45:20
is not just for
45:21
the foreign missionary,
45:23
but it is for
45:24
all of us
45:25
who claim
45:26
the name
45:27
of Christ.
45:29
And it's go.
45:30
It's not invite
45:31
to come.
45:32
And it's okay
45:33
if you invite people
45:34
to come,
45:34
but it's take
45:35
the gospel
45:36
with you.
45:37
It's not lean on
45:39
a trained professional,
45:40
and I have no training
45:41
by the way.
45:42
But,
45:42
the professional
45:44
to present the gospel,
45:45
but it's you
45:46
going and sharing,
45:48
passionately loving people
45:49
with the truth
45:49
of Jesus Christ.
45:51
There's an old
45:53
nomiker
45:54
that is thrown out
45:55
all the time
45:55
in mission circles.
45:56
You have three options.
45:58
Go,
45:58
send,
45:59
or be disobedient.
46:00
I think that's been
46:00
incredibly damaging
46:01
to us.
46:03
You have two options.
46:04
Go,
46:05
or be disobedient.
46:07
The sending
46:08
can be part of the going.
46:09
Certainly,
46:10
the way in which
46:11
we go and love
46:11
and serve
46:12
can certainly mean
46:12
that we support
46:13
those who are going
46:14
further,
46:15
who are going beyond,
46:16
those who may need
46:18
to make a full-time
46:19
living in the advancement
46:21
of the gospel.
46:22
But rightly,
46:24
we should all
46:25
be going.
46:27
And the question
46:28
always gets asked,
46:29
though,
46:29
but am I equipped
46:29
to do this?
46:30
I don't know.
46:31
I don't know
46:31
that I know how
46:32
to go and make
46:34
disciples.
46:35
And there are some
46:36
practical things
46:36
to learn and to do
46:38
to gain knowledge
46:40
in,
46:40
to be sure.
46:41
I hope if you're
46:41
sticking with resolution
46:43
number two
46:43
to read your scriptures
46:44
more,
46:44
you're gaining
46:45
all of those things
46:46
that you need.
46:47
But I'll say to you
46:47
very simply,
46:48
if you want to know
46:49
if you're equipped,
46:50
if you're a Christian,
46:51
yes.
46:52
You've responded
46:53
to the gospel
46:53
so you understand it
46:55
enough to share it
46:56
with somebody else
46:56
and you have
46:57
the Spirit
46:58
of God.
47:00
In our study of Mark
47:01
chapter 13,
47:02
remember what Jesus said
47:03
to the apostles?
47:04
He's talking about
47:04
all the things
47:05
that are going to happen
47:05
to them,
47:06
the places that they're
47:07
going to go,
47:07
all the stuff
47:08
that's coming
47:09
their way.
47:10
Ephesians 7,
47:11
verse 11,
47:11
and when they bring
47:12
you to trial
47:13
and deliver you over,
47:14
do not be anxious
47:15
beforehand what you
47:16
are to say,
47:17
but say whatever
47:18
is given you
47:19
in that hour,
47:19
for it is not you
47:20
who speak,
47:21
but the Holy Spirit.
47:22
We have a helper.
47:23
The Great Commission
47:23
says,
47:24
and lo,
47:24
I'm with you
47:25
even to the end
47:26
of the age.
47:27
We have a helper,
47:29
one who even goes
47:30
before us.
47:31
Prepare the hearts
47:31
of people to hear
47:32
the gospel message.
47:34
Once again,
47:37
this is a thing
47:38
in which we need
47:39
to be deliberate.
47:43
I have walked into,
47:45
happened upon,
47:46
gospel conversations,
47:48
but more often than not,
47:49
these things happen
47:50
when I prepare for them,
47:52
I have a person in mind,
47:54
a time I'm going,
47:55
I know so-and-so works
47:56
at such-and-such place
47:57
at such-and-such hour,
47:58
and I've been praying
47:59
toward a chance
48:01
to meet with them
48:01
and to share
48:02
the gospel with them.
48:04
Be deliberate.
48:07
Take some time
48:08
this morning,
48:09
right now,
48:11
to think of three people
48:13
in your life
48:13
that you know
48:14
are not believers,
48:17
and set in your mind
48:19
in 2015
48:19
that you're going
48:20
to look for opportunities
48:21
to share the gospel
48:21
with them,
48:22
that you're going
48:23
to pray for them,
48:23
that it might be a hope
48:24
that they too
48:25
will become disciples
48:26
of Jesus Christ.
48:27
If you love
48:28
and cherish
48:29
the gospel,
48:30
you adore
48:31
the glory
48:32
of our Lord,
48:33
you should want
48:34
people to be
48:35
following you
48:35
in that way.
48:37
Think of three people
48:38
that you could share with.
48:40
Think of more,
48:41
by all means,
48:42
right?
48:43
Three is not really enough.
48:45
Think of those spheres
48:46
that you walk in.
48:47
You may be the only person
48:48
that can share
48:49
the gospel of Jesus Christ
48:50
with an individual
48:51
in those circles
48:52
that you run in.
48:53
Think of three people.
48:53
Do it now,
48:54
right now.
48:54
Think of three people.
49:00
They don't pop
49:02
into your head readily.
49:03
Spend some time
49:04
doing that today.
49:07
This is trite.
49:09
I would never issue this
49:10
as a serious
49:11
and real challenge to you,
49:15
but just as a thought.
49:17
Just a thought.
49:18
What if?
49:19
As a what if circumstance.
49:22
What if we each
49:24
made one disciple
49:26
next year?
49:27
Whether that's somebody
49:29
who's a fairly nominal Christian
49:31
who's maybe responded already
49:32
in faith to Jesus Christ
49:33
but needs to be brought along
49:35
and grown up
49:36
to the place
49:36
where they can then
49:37
share their faith
49:38
and bring people up
49:39
in the same way.
49:41
Or somebody who doesn't
49:42
know the gospel at all
49:43
and you present the gospel
49:44
to them for the first time.
49:45
Your discipleship of them
49:46
begins with your teaching them
49:48
the gospel itself
49:49
and they come to faith
49:50
and you work with them
49:51
to the place
49:52
where you grow them up
49:53
that they can also then
49:54
go share their faith
49:55
and make another disciple.
49:59
Do we believe
50:00
that God desires
50:01
to save people?
50:05
I hope we do
50:06
because He does.
50:09
It's what He is here about
50:10
and He's given us
50:11
this commission
50:12
to be His ambassadors
50:13
in the world
50:14
to be about the ministry
50:16
of reconciliation.
50:20
We're a small crowd
50:21
this morning.
50:22
Not our normal crowd.
50:23
Our after Christmas
50:24
college students
50:25
home.
50:26
A lot of people sick.
50:28
Crowd.
50:28
I think there are about
50:29
70 people in the room.
50:32
So let's just use that
50:33
as a number.
50:34
And if all of us
50:34
in this next year
50:35
were to make a disciple
50:37
that 70 would become 140.
50:41
And the next year
50:41
that 140 would become 280.
50:44
And that following year
50:46
that 280 would become 560.
50:49
And that following year
50:50
that would become 1120.
50:52
I'm going to lose the math here
50:53
in a second.
50:55
We need to begin moving
50:56
away from addition.
50:59
A little here
50:59
and a little here
51:00
and a little here.
51:01
Our church grew by
51:02
10 people this year.
51:04
Praise God for those 10 people.
51:05
But we need to be moving
51:06
beyond that
51:07
from addition
51:08
to multiplication.
51:09
Believing that God
51:10
has plans
51:11
for this place.
51:13
And it includes
51:13
the redemption
51:14
of His people.
51:15
And that's not a small
51:16
little crowd
51:16
but a number
51:18
that will not
51:19
be able to be
51:19
counted one day
51:20
in heaven.
51:23
We need to set ourselves
51:24
to this task.
51:26
These things
51:27
are the things
51:28
that make up
51:28
the Christian life.
51:29
The other stuff
51:30
is the details.
51:31
The jobs that we work,
51:33
the family activities
51:34
that we involve ourselves in,
51:35
those are just the details.
51:36
But the way that we're supposed
51:37
to be driven
51:37
is towards these types
51:39
of things.
51:41
Edwards'
51:42
resolution number six
51:43
resolved
51:44
to live
51:45
with all my might
51:46
while I do live.
51:49
Number seven
51:49
resolved
51:50
never to do anything
51:52
which I should be
51:53
afraid to do
51:54
if it were the last
51:56
hour
51:56
of my life.
51:58
We waste
51:59
far
52:00
too much
52:01
time.
52:04
Let me encourage you
52:05
to make it a
52:06
resolution
52:06
to make
52:09
more disciples
52:10
in 2015.
52:13
Let's pray together
52:14
for the grace
52:14
to do so.