1 00:00:04,700 --> 00:00:09,300 Good morning everybody. Let you guys get settled in and 2 00:00:09,300 --> 00:00:11,700 find your seat. We will get started. 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,900 As as Alan and Steve have both said, I just want to welcome 4 00:00:17,900 --> 00:00:22,300 everyone this morning and say, a very Happy New Year to you all. 5 00:00:22,300 --> 00:00:24,100 Want to just Echo that sentiment. 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:26,300 Yeah, the weather has been crazy. 7 00:00:26,300 --> 00:00:28,100 So, welcome to welcome to Winter. 8 00:00:28,100 --> 00:00:31,800 It's here. Finally, so we had a very hot 9 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,500 and humid Christmas and New Year's. 10 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:38,400 And now, here we are jumping into snow, so that's, that's the 11 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,600 way it is. It do be that way sometimes, 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,100 right. So, all right, All right, so my 13 00:00:44,100 --> 00:00:47,200 name is Jasper. I'm the executive Pastor here at 14 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,400 New Life Community Church. Again just want to say welcome, 15 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,400 thank you for being here this morning. 16 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:57,600 Today, we are going to be moving through a topic and some some 17 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,000 things that I love to talk about. 18 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 It's a new year. And so it's good to talk about 19 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,000 these things. I do want to kind of give you a 20 00:01:04,007 --> 00:01:06,000 bit of a warning, I'm going to move fast. 21 00:01:06,100 --> 00:01:09,300 Are you guys have some stuff in your bulletin today? 22 00:01:09,300 --> 00:01:11,700 Some fill-in-the-blank stuff, it's a little different than 23 00:01:11,700 --> 00:01:14,200 normal. So I encourage you to take notes 24 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,500 write things down as we go and we're going to move a little 25 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:21,100 quick. Okay, so that being said, let me 26 00:01:21,100 --> 00:01:23,400 pray for us. One more time before we jump in 27 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,100 and we will get started. Okay, let's pray. 28 00:01:27,500 --> 00:01:32,400 Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning, God, and we bow 29 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:34,700 before you. Lord. 30 00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:38,300 We acknowledge now that we are nothing without you. 31 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:43,300 And so God, we ask that you be with us in this place that you 32 00:01:43,300 --> 00:01:45,500 pour out your presence on us here today. 33 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,300 We pray that you would speak to us through your word, we pray 34 00:01:50,300 --> 00:01:53,100 that as we talk through and look through some of these things, 35 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:56,900 God that you just open our minds and our hearts that you 36 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,800 encourage us that you fill us with your presence. 37 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,600 We pray that as we do these things, we give you honor and 38 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,600 Glory. We pray that as we talk through 39 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,200 these things, Lord that we grow in our love and Devotion to you 40 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,300 and that they help us to walk closer to you every day. 41 00:02:14,900 --> 00:02:17,100 So Lord, please be with us in this place. 42 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:19,900 Speak to us now. We ask it in Jesus name. 43 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:22,700 Amen. Amen. 44 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,000 So as we've talked about, it's a new year. 45 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:29,200 New Year. Just like Steve just talked 46 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,000 about comes with what resolutions, right? 47 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,900 New Year's resolutions everybody makes goals and things that they 48 00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:38,500 want to change for the upcoming year or things that they want to 49 00:02:38,500 --> 00:02:42,500 improve on or whatever. It's just a, it's a natural time 50 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,200 to look back on the previous year. 51 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,400 To kind of do a recap to say, okay, how did this last year, 52 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,200 go? What were the highs and the lows 53 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,700 of the year? And then we look forward and we 54 00:02:52,700 --> 00:02:55,300 say, what are some things I want to do different in the upcoming 55 00:02:55,300 --> 00:02:56,900 year? What are some Goals or some 56 00:02:56,900 --> 00:02:59,600 resolutions. It's just a natural time to 57 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,400 reflect on these things. There are different things in 58 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,400 life that that come up and happen like this, that make us 59 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:10,600 do this, you know, going to a funeral having to deal with, 60 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,400 that makes us reflect on life. And so this is just one of those 61 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,500 natural times when it's okay to think on these things. 62 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:20,000 And so I want to talk about that a bit today. 63 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,900 Now, when we begin to think through the upcoming year and 64 00:03:24,900 --> 00:03:27,900 look back, we always have Tendency to focus on the 65 00:03:27,900 --> 00:03:31,300 physical right? That the external Earthly things 66 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:34,600 we think about as far as resolutions go want to, Let's 67 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,000 the number one New Year's resolution lose weight. 68 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,500 I want to lose weight. I want to get the new job. 69 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:43,300 I want to get a raise, maybe want to buy the house or finish 70 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:45,500 that project. I've been working on at the 71 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:47,200 house. There's all these things. 72 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,300 These goals that we set, but we very rarely take the time to 73 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:55,400 stop and evaluate our spiritual well-being and our spiritual 74 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,200 health, we Rarely set goals for ourself as far as that's 75 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,900 concerned. If we do it usually looks like, 76 00:04:01,900 --> 00:04:03,800 well, you know what, I'm finally going to read my Bible this 77 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:05,600 year. And then like Steve said, we get 78 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,000 about into January February, when we start getting into, as 79 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,000 Kyle mentioned, like numbers and some of that and then it just 80 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,600 tanks. You know, that's about as far as 81 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,200 we get. But I want you to listen to what 82 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:20,600 scripture says about this in Colossians 3, 1 through 2. 83 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,400 It says, so if you have been raised with Christ, seek the 84 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,100 things above where Christ, Iced is seated at the right hand of 85 00:04:28,100 --> 00:04:32,100 God, set your minds on the things above, not on Earthly 86 00:04:32,100 --> 00:04:35,100 things. Then again, listen to what 87 00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:39,100 Matthew 6:33 says, seek first, the kingdom of God and his 88 00:04:39,100 --> 00:04:42,100 righteousness and all these other things will be provided to 89 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:43,300 you. And he had been talking about 90 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:46,400 food and clothing in that text. So he's saying, don't worry 91 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:49,000 about that stuff. Seek God seek the kingdom of 92 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,200 God, first, all that stuff will take care of itself and then 93 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,900 once again in 1st Timothy chapter 4, we read train. 94 00:04:56,100 --> 00:05:00,900 Yourself in godliness for the training of the body has limited 95 00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:05,200 benefit, but the but godliness is beneficial in every way since 96 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,900 it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to 97 00:05:08,900 --> 00:05:13,600 come. You see the reality is life is 98 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:15,400 short. Amen. 99 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:18,600 Life is short. We have been reminded of that 100 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,900 recently and our community, we never know when life is going to 101 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:25,800 end. Psalm 90 says the years of our 102 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,200 life 70 or even by reason of strength. 80 yet their span is 103 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,800 but toil and trouble. They are soon gone, and we fly 104 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,000 away. James 4:14 says, yet, you do not 105 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,200 know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? 106 00:05:41,700 --> 00:05:45,400 You are a Mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes 107 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:50,400 and not only are our days here on this Earth short. 108 00:05:50,700 --> 00:05:56,200 But we live in evil Wicked times, Ephesians, 5:15 Through 109 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,900 16 says, look carefully, then how you walk not as unwise, but 110 00:06:00,900 --> 00:06:04,600 as wise making the best use of the time because the days are 111 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:09,100 evil and so life is short. The days are evil. 112 00:06:09,100 --> 00:06:12,400 We're supposed to be focused on the spiritual things, not just 113 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,500 Earthly things. So when considering passages, 114 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:20,300 like Ephesians 5, that says to look carefully, how you walk? 115 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,900 When we're looking at this, we're thinking about how we walk 116 00:06:23,900 --> 00:06:27,200 and how we live our lives and we're considering how to make 117 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,100 the best use of the time. We have to remember that we have 118 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:35,700 a purpose, we have a mission as born-again Believers on this 119 00:06:35,700 --> 00:06:38,800 Earth. We have to ask. 120 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:44,700 Am I fulfilling that purpose? Am I pursuing that mission? 121 00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:46,800 What am I doing to work toward that? 122 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,400 We can't know if we're doing this. 123 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,200 Well, if we don't even know what that Person, that mission is 124 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,900 right. We need to know what our purpose 125 00:06:54,900 --> 00:06:59,100 in life is what our mission is on this Earth while we're here. 126 00:06:59,700 --> 00:07:02,800 So what is our purpose? What is our mission? 127 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,700 What is the meaning of life on this Earth? 128 00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:10,500 Well, theologians pastors the early church, fathers of all 129 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:14,400 tried to put the answer in, two words, in different, various 130 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:16,200 forms, and I want to read a few of those to you. 131 00:07:16,207 --> 00:07:19,900 Now, the Westminster Shorter Catechism the very first 132 00:07:19,900 --> 00:07:22,300 question, a cat. Schism, many of, you know, this 133 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:25,600 from our kids classes, a catechism was a classic way to 134 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,200 teach children the basic tenets of the faith. 135 00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:32,400 All right, so this is the almost like nursery rhymes but it was 136 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,400 question and answer. So they would ask a basic 137 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,400 question and answer it according to scripture. 138 00:07:36,700 --> 00:07:40,900 And in this catechism, the very first question is, what is the 139 00:07:40,900 --> 00:07:44,700 chief end of man or what is the chief purpose of man? 140 00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:48,500 And the answer is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 141 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,400 That is the, the purpose of Kind. 142 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:57,200 That's the meaning of life. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says to fear 143 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,800 God and keep his Commandments. For this is the whole duty of 144 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:06,400 man. Micah 6:8 says, he has told you 145 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:09,400 o, man, what is good? And what does the Lord require 146 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,200 of you? But to do justice or to do the 147 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,900 right thing to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. 148 00:08:17,900 --> 00:08:20,700 And then in Matthew 28, of course we have the Great 149 00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:23,800 Commission that Jesus himself gave us to go and make disciples 150 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,500 of all Nations. Jonathan Edwards, who was a 151 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:33,000 great, Pastor, Theologian in the 1700s, he helped spark the Great 152 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,000 Awakening. Arguably, the greatest 153 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:41,100 Theologian ever to live in America wrote what he called his 154 00:08:41,100 --> 00:08:47,300 resolutions from 1722 to 1723. Now, this was 70 different 155 00:08:47,300 --> 00:08:50,700 resolutions, different things that he resolved to do in his 156 00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:53,700 life and he was only 18 when he wrote this. 157 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:57,500 Now this is if you can look this up online, you can print it out 158 00:08:57,500 --> 00:09:00,600 in a PDF format, a highly encourage you to do that and 159 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,700 read through those this year. These are great things for all 160 00:09:03,700 --> 00:09:06,700 of us to be working toward as Christians but I want to read 161 00:09:06,700 --> 00:09:10,500 you how he opens this up in his resolutions just the preface 162 00:09:10,500 --> 00:09:13,500 before he ever even begins with his first resolution. 163 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:17,400 He says, this being sensible that I am unable to do anything 164 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,400 without God's help. I do humbly entreat him by his 165 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,200 grace to enable me to keep these resolutions as far as they are 166 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,400 agreeable to. His will for Christ's sake. 167 00:09:28,300 --> 00:09:30,400 So Jonathan Edwards, acknowledged that right out of 168 00:09:30,408 --> 00:09:34,200 the gate, I cannot do this apart from God enabling me to, I can't 169 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:36,400 do this apart from the help of the Holy Spirit. 170 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:40,100 And I only want to do it if it's going to align with God's Will 171 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:42,500 and bring glory and honor to Christ. 172 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,500 That's what he said, right before he ever even started his 173 00:09:45,500 --> 00:09:48,100 resolutions. And then once he jumped in on a 174 00:09:48,108 --> 00:09:49,700 read you, the first two that he wrote? 175 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:53,200 Now, I don't know if any of you guys remember this from from pop 176 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,000 culture back in the early 2000s, there was has a movie that came 177 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,400 out called Fight Club. Awful movie, don't watch it. 178 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,300 But there was a line in that movie that everybody knows. 179 00:10:01,300 --> 00:10:04,000 The first rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club. 180 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:05,300 The second rule of Fight Club is. 181 00:10:06,100 --> 00:10:08,300 Don't talk about Fight Club. They stole that from Jonathan 182 00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:09,500 Edwards. All right, I'm gonna, I'm gonna 183 00:10:09,500 --> 00:10:13,000 prove it Jonathan Edwards and his first resolution says this 184 00:10:13,300 --> 00:10:17,400 first resolution that I will do that, which I think to be most 185 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,300 for God's glory and my own spiritual profit, all of my days 186 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,900 to do, whatever I think to be my spiritual. 187 00:10:25,100 --> 00:10:28,100 Ability and most for the good of humanity. 188 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,900 I will do this regardless of whatever difficulties might 189 00:10:31,900 --> 00:10:35,000 arise. In other words, I'm going to do 190 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,300 whatever I can to bring God glory to grow spiritually and to 191 00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:42,200 love people and help people no matter how difficult and 192 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,100 inconvenient it might be. Now listen to his second 193 00:10:45,100 --> 00:10:48,400 resolution. I also resolve to Endeavor 194 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,000 continually to discover things that will help me promote the 195 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,900 first resolution. So he's saying, this is my goal 196 00:10:54,900 --> 00:10:58,700 in life, glorify God grow. Spiritually, love others. 197 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,600 My second resolution, figure out ways to be doing that. 198 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:06,100 And so even Jonathan Edwards, recognized the need to be 199 00:11:06,100 --> 00:11:11,700 growing spiritually glorifying God in all that we do our whole 200 00:11:11,700 --> 00:11:16,200 purpose in life is to glorify God in everything. 201 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:22,000 We do the way that we love our spouse, the way our marriage 202 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:26,100 goes, can glorify God the way we raise. 203 00:11:26,100 --> 00:11:30,400 Our children can be done in a way that glorifies God, the way 204 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,800 we conduct ourselves. I work in the way we work, how 205 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:39,000 we work can glorify God even down to the way we eat and drink 206 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:44,000 can glorify God. Now, just like anything, God 207 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,800 creates for good man, can take these things and twist them and 208 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,800 abuse them and do them in a way that doesn't glorify God. 209 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,600 That's the very definition of abuse is to take something that 210 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:59,000 was intended for one purpose and use it for another purpose. 211 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,800 So just like, food and drink that can be used. 212 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,700 In a way that does not glorify God, but we are called, as 213 00:12:06,700 --> 00:12:10,700 Believers to bring honor and glory to God in everything. 214 00:12:10,700 --> 00:12:15,600 Everything we do every corner of our life is meant to glorify 215 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,300 God. So, how do we do this? 216 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:20,300 Well, at New Life Community Church. 217 00:12:20,300 --> 00:12:24,300 We've tried to Define it this way in our mission statement. 218 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:26,800 It's the first thing you see. When you walk in the door, it's 219 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:28,600 painted on the wall. Real big. 220 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:33,500 So that we all know why we're here, what we exist, For this is 221 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,900 in your worship guides and I invite you to fill in the blanks 222 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:38,800 as we go through. Also, invite you all to learn 223 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:43,600 this by heart and to live by it. We exist to glorify. 224 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,900 God let's just stop right there. So far, so good, right? 225 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,100 We exist as a church to glorify God. 226 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,200 That's the chief goal. That's the ultimate purpose. 227 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:55,900 Now, how do we do that? How do we glorify God as a 228 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:59,600 church by making disciples. Great. 229 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:01,800 Okay, line up with the Great Commission. 230 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,100 Everything's going good so far. But what kind of disciples are 231 00:13:05,100 --> 00:13:08,700 we trying to make here? Are we making disciples of Kyle 232 00:13:08,700 --> 00:13:12,300 Jones or Jasper Jack? Are we making disciples of the 233 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,900 Arkansas? Razorbacks or the LSU Tigers or 234 00:13:14,900 --> 00:13:19,000 the mule Riders? Know we're here to make 235 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,600 disciples who are growing in their faith in Jesus their love 236 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:27,000 for one another. That's the kind of disciples we 237 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,900 want to make. That's the kind of people we 238 00:13:29,900 --> 00:13:32,300 want to be here at New Life Community Church. 239 00:13:32,300 --> 00:13:36,600 These are the distinguishing marks of who we want to be 240 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,000 people growing in our love, for the Lord, and growing in our 241 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,000 love. For one another. 242 00:13:41,100 --> 00:13:44,900 And I say growing because we recognize that we will never be 243 00:13:44,900 --> 00:13:48,100 perfect at this. This is an ongoing process that 244 00:13:48,100 --> 00:13:50,300 we are growing in. It's called sanctification, 245 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,100 okay? So over the next two weeks, we 246 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:58,900 are going to do a two-part miniseries on how we can do this 247 00:13:58,900 --> 00:14:02,200 as a people and as a church, how can we be growing in our faith 248 00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:05,300 in Jesus and our love for one another? 249 00:14:06,100 --> 00:14:10,200 So that as we go into a new year, we can do it with a 250 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,200 renewed purpose or renewed vision of what we're trying to 251 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,700 do as a church and as a people and with a revived passion for 252 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:19,500 the Lord. Okay, so that's what we're going 253 00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:21,600 to be doing the next two weeks are going to be looking I'm 254 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,200 through this today. We are going to look at and 255 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:28,400 focus on how we can be growing in our faith in Jesus. 256 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,300 What are two primary ways we can be growing in our faith in 257 00:14:32,300 --> 00:14:34,900 Jesus. So, as we get ready to jump into 258 00:14:34,900 --> 00:14:37,300 this, I want to give you a little disclaimer, the things 259 00:14:37,300 --> 00:14:39,500 we're going to talk about over the next couple of weeks have a 260 00:14:39,508 --> 00:14:41,700 name. These are also known as 261 00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:44,700 spiritual disciplines, okay? You can write that down if you 262 00:14:44,700 --> 00:14:49,200 want to spiritual disciplines or means of Grace, is another way 263 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,000 to put it habits of Grace. Spiritual habits guy last week 264 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,900 in his sermon mentioned streams of Grace, channels, of Grace, 265 00:14:57,900 --> 00:14:59,900 whatever you want to, however, you want to word it. 266 00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:03,000 They are called this because there's called spiritual 267 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,300 disciplines because they require discipline these things. 268 00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:10,000 Don't just come naturally, they're not easy. 269 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,000 They take work and dedication. We have to commit to do these 270 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,100 things. They're called the means or 271 00:15:17,100 --> 00:15:21,400 streams of Grace, because they are God's chosen means by which, 272 00:15:21,500 --> 00:15:24,400 Which he sanctifies us as a people. 273 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:29,000 These are the ways that God pours out his grace upon us in 274 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:32,300 our lives through these means. So that's what we're going to be 275 00:15:32,300 --> 00:15:36,500 talking about over the next couple of weeks now, apart from 276 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:39,500 these very basic, fundamental things that we are going to talk 277 00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:42,300 about. We cannot grow as Christians. 278 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:47,900 We cannot grow in our faith or in our love for people if we 279 00:15:47,900 --> 00:15:51,700 aren't practicing these things. So they're that important. 280 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,000 These are beginner Christian things. 281 00:15:55,100 --> 00:15:58,900 Very, very Basics that we should all be doing as Believers. 282 00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:04,800 These are not optional. So how can we grow in our faith? 283 00:16:05,100 --> 00:16:07,000 What are these spiritual disciplines? 284 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,300 Okay, let's Jump Right In the very first way that we can grow 285 00:16:10,300 --> 00:16:13,500 in our faith in Jesus is through, Through the word 286 00:16:14,100 --> 00:16:20,200 through the word, the holy scriptures, the Bible, God's 287 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:25,700 word, the traditional Orthodox Christian view, throughout 288 00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:31,900 history has been that God's word is inspired inerrant and 289 00:16:31,900 --> 00:16:35,900 infallible, it's inspired because God wrote it through 290 00:16:35,900 --> 00:16:39,500 men. He used men to pin the words, 291 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:41,900 but they were his words. He inspired it. 292 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,300 It's inerrant because it is without mistake, and it is 293 00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:49,600 infallible because it is incapable of failing. 294 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,900 Isaiah 55 says that his word will not return void, it 295 00:16:53,900 --> 00:16:56,900 accomplishes, what he seeks for it to accomplish. 296 00:16:57,300 --> 00:17:03,300 So we have here, the very words of God, this is God's word to 297 00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:07,099 us. This is God's way of talking to 298 00:17:07,099 --> 00:17:13,000 us, it is alive and active. According to Hebrews 4:12, we do 299 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,700 not need a new sign or a new revelation or new prophecy. 300 00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:21,700 We have everything we need right here in the Canon of scripture 301 00:17:21,700 --> 00:17:25,700 that God has spoken to us once and for all this book. 302 00:17:25,900 --> 00:17:29,200 And what's contained in? It is all sufficient, for all of 303 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,600 life, we don't need anything new. 304 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:36,000 We have what we need. Right here, one My very favorite 305 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,700 illustrations of this. I don't know if any of you have 306 00:17:38,700 --> 00:17:41,000 ever seen it. There's a cartoon, just like a 307 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,600 comic strip. It's just two little frames and 308 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,600 it's a man down on his knees praying saying, God, please 309 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,900 speak to me and then the very next frame, it's God's arm 310 00:17:49,900 --> 00:17:51,700 sticking down through there. Handing him a Bible. 311 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,500 And it just puts it into perspective for me that for so 312 00:17:56,500 --> 00:17:59,100 long. I used to just pray to God to 313 00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:03,400 speak to me or make me feel something or something. 314 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,000 And I think what I was trying to do is just say that I want to 315 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,800 experience more of the Holy Spirit. 316 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:13,400 What I didn't realize is that I wasn't spending time in God's 317 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:17,500 word, say he has spoke to me and I wasn't listening, I wasn't in 318 00:18:17,500 --> 00:18:19,600 this. I wasn't seeking to hear what he 319 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:21,500 had to say. I wanted him to do it some other 320 00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,600 way. Spurgeon. 321 00:18:24,100 --> 00:18:27,300 Said it very well when he said visit many good books but live 322 00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:32,000 in the Bible, Because this is God's word. 323 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,500 It is our ultimate Authority in all of life. 324 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:40,400 Commentaries study notes and study Bibles podcasts. 325 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,100 Other books are great. They are great ways to grow in 326 00:18:44,100 --> 00:18:47,200 our knowledge of what scripture teaches, but they do not take 327 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:51,400 the place of the scriptures. They are only beneficial to us 328 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:55,100 so far as they help us better understand what this book says. 329 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,100 And if they aren't pointing us back to scripture, they're 330 00:18:58,100 --> 00:19:01,800 useless. They cannot and should not take 331 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:03,500 the place of God's. Holy word. 332 00:19:03,900 --> 00:19:07,300 So, because the Bible is the actual words of God. 333 00:19:07,300 --> 00:19:11,900 It is the primary means by which we are Sanctified. 334 00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:15,700 It is the main way. God grows us is through hearing 335 00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:18,200 is word. Preached studying his word 336 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,300 hearing it. Teach this right here is the 337 00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:23,600 primary way we grow as Christians. 338 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:29,000 John 17:17 says sanctify them in your in the truth, your word. 339 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,000 Is truth. So we are Sanctified by the 340 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:35,600 truth. God's word is the truth. 341 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:38,200 So we are Sanctified through God's word. 342 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,300 It is through the regular intake of scripture that we grow and we 343 00:19:42,300 --> 00:19:45,600 are Sanctified as a people Through it. 344 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:49,900 We are made complete. We are equipped as Christians 345 00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:52,900 2nd. Timothy 3:16 through 17, says, 346 00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:57,800 all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching 347 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,900 for reproof correction, and for training in righteousness. 348 00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:05,900 That the man of God, may be complete equipped for every good 349 00:20:05,900 --> 00:20:09,700 work. David Mathes in his book habits 350 00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:13,200 of Grace, which is on this, very topics of fantastic book. 351 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,200 I highly recommended he says this, the fundamental means of 352 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,900 God's ongoing grace through his spirit in the life of the 353 00:20:19,900 --> 00:20:24,500 Christian and in the life of the church is God's self expression. 354 00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:30,000 In his word, in the gospel, by his word, he reveals himself and 355 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:36,900 expresses his heart to us. So because the Bible is God's 356 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:41,500 words written to us. It is the primary way we grow 357 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:45,300 and it goes without saying that we should be in this thing as 358 00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:49,600 much as we possibly can. We can't read it too much. 359 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,600 This is our food, our spiritual food as Christians. 360 00:20:54,100 --> 00:20:59,500 Matthew 4:4 talks about this. Donald Whitney in his book 361 00:20:59,500 --> 00:21:02,300 spiritual disciplines of the Christian Life says, there's no 362 00:21:02,300 --> 00:21:07,200 such thing as a healthy Christian apart, from the steady 363 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,700 diet of the milk and the meat of scripture. 364 00:21:12,500 --> 00:21:16,800 So we have to be have to be feeding ourselves of God's word, 365 00:21:16,900 --> 00:21:19,500 daily constantly as much as we can. 366 00:21:19,700 --> 00:21:22,000 So let's talk about some practical application here. 367 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,800 How can we, what are some tools we can use in our tool belt to 368 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:31,500 help us in this. Firstly the Blindfolded point is 369 00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:33,200 not the best way to study your Bible. 370 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:38,000 You don't do that, that's not the way to study your Bible 371 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,800 because what will happen is you will find the text and you will 372 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,400 read It out of context, okay, it's better to work your way 373 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,900 through books, work your way through sections, where you're 374 00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:52,500 getting the full context. Secondly, as mentioned do not 375 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,500 just read, all the supplemental helps. 376 00:21:55,600 --> 00:22:00,100 So, daily devotionals are great. That shouldn't be the only means 377 00:22:00,300 --> 00:22:02,700 of Bible intake, because what you're going to get is one 378 00:22:02,700 --> 00:22:05,500 passage and then a man's thoughts on that passage. 379 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:07,600 That's great. But that doesn't need to be the 380 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,900 only way you read your Bible commentaries and other books. 381 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,000 Need to be the only exposure to scripture, you get need to be in 382 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,900 this word and letting it speak for itself. 383 00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:22,100 So, let's talk about the right way to study our Bibles. 384 00:22:22,100 --> 00:22:24,700 What's some good practice in Bible? 385 00:22:24,700 --> 00:22:28,200 Study will first do it daily? Okay, if you're taking notes, 386 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:33,100 write this down, do it daily. Secondly, do pick a time and a 387 00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:37,800 place that is as distraction-free as it can 388 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:41,000 possibly be and this is going to be different for everybody. 389 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,600 For me, it is early in the morning. 390 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,000 I like to get up early set, my alarm, 30 minutes, early, get up 391 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,800 and read my Bible. Then now, I don't roll out of 392 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:54,100 bed with pajamas on, and go sit down and try to read it. 393 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:56,300 I don't do that. I get up, take a shower, get 394 00:22:56,300 --> 00:22:59,600 dressed, get some coffee in me. I sit down and I study before I 395 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,600 ever do anything else for some of you this is impossible. 396 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,300 And I understand that. Some of you it's going to be 397 00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:08,000 late at night for some of you it might have to be on a lunch 398 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,200 break, some of you, it might be in the car on your way to Take 399 00:23:11,208 --> 00:23:13,600 the kids to school, you're listening to an audio Bible. 400 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:18,400 Maybe the point is find a time and a place that you can get the 401 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:23,100 word in your ears and be as distraction-free as possible. 402 00:23:23,100 --> 00:23:25,700 Now again, I know seasons of Life are going to vary for 403 00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:29,000 people. But so some good ways number 404 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,600 three is some good ways to read scripture, you do want to be 405 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:35,200 reading scripture. Again, not just books and 406 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,100 supplemental stuff. Some good sources are a Bible 407 00:23:38,100 --> 00:23:40,900 reading plan. We just put a new one on the 408 00:23:40,900 --> 00:23:42,200 way. Website, if you need a good 409 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,000 Bible reading plan, check out our website. 410 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,400 We have one there. You can also pick up the 411 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,600 one-year Bibles that work your way through the entire Bible in 412 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:51,900 a year. You can pick up a chronological 413 00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:55,700 Bible and then also in biblical manhood and Womanhood, we've 414 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,500 utilized what are called scripture Germans before. 415 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:02,000 These are just little booklets that have scripture on one side 416 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,100 and its blank on the other. This is a great tool to write 417 00:24:05,100 --> 00:24:07,900 down notes as you work your way through, to be able to ask 418 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:09,900 questions and go back and look at that later. 419 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:13,300 And I come in really handy for using this. 420 00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:16,100 Next Point. Number four is using a method to 421 00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:18,900 study your Bible. So again, we don't want to just 422 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,700 open and point and just read and that just be it. 423 00:24:21,900 --> 00:24:24,500 We need some basic tools on. How do I read this? 424 00:24:24,500 --> 00:24:26,500 What am I supposed to be doing as I read this? 425 00:24:27,300 --> 00:24:28,700 Well, there are several different kinds. 426 00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:32,300 Most of them are all utilizing, what's called Observation, 427 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,700 interpretation and application. You're going to observe what the 428 00:24:35,708 --> 00:24:37,800 text says. Look at the grammar. 429 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,200 What are words? You don't understand what a 430 00:24:40,300 --> 00:24:43,300 Heated words, things like that, you're going to interpret it, 431 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,000 what's being said here and then you're going to apply it. 432 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,500 So some different ones. There's one called Ransom 433 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:54,500 stands. For read asked, note, summarize 434 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:57,400 obey, and meditate. These are pretty 435 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,400 self-explanatory but it's just different things to be thinking 436 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,200 through as you're studying that scripture and you can write that 437 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,900 out on the blank piece of paper as you do it. 438 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,600 A second one, is the ABCD method we've used this Biblical, 439 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:15,800 manhood and Womanhood, it stands for analysis, basic commitment, 440 00:25:15,900 --> 00:25:19,500 and difficulties, you're going to analyze the text, get the 441 00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:23,100 basic Point, commit to how you can do it and write down 442 00:25:23,100 --> 00:25:24,600 difficulties. You might have or things, you 443 00:25:24,608 --> 00:25:28,900 don't understand, really basic stuff but good things to do as 444 00:25:28,900 --> 00:25:31,200 we think through a passage of scripture. 445 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,800 Now I know I can hear, I can just hear the thoughts. 446 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:38,200 I know a lot of people say, I just do not have the time to 447 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,100 study my Bible. It's impossible. 448 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,500 This season of life is just too crazy, there's no way that's 449 00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,200 going to happen. Well, if we're being real with 450 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,100 ourselves our phones, have a thing called screen time, you 451 00:25:50,100 --> 00:25:52,900 can go in there and click that and see exactly how much free 452 00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:56,600 time you have. In a day, you can get in there 453 00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:00,600 and see how much time you spend on various things, okay? 454 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,600 Whether it be social media, or checking, emails, or whatever. 455 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,600 And look, I'm not even going to say, I'm not guilt tripping, you 456 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:08,200 here like I get it. Some of that is just 457 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,300 entertainment and it's fun, but Go in there and figure out your 458 00:26:11,300 --> 00:26:13,900 top two or three that you spend the most time on and just take 459 00:26:13,900 --> 00:26:16,700 five minutes away from each. Even if you don't completely 460 00:26:16,700 --> 00:26:20,900 give up Facebook, just take an extra 10 minutes away from it 461 00:26:20,900 --> 00:26:23,500 and the cool thing is you can set limits. 462 00:26:23,508 --> 00:26:27,500 Now you can go in and set limits on those apps to where you will 463 00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:30,900 not be able to access it more than 20 minutes a day, 30 464 00:26:30,900 --> 00:26:35,300 minutes, a day, or whatever. I was at a restaurant this past 465 00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:39,300 week and I was overheard a conversation at the table beside 466 00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:41,400 me it was a Roop. And I will say it was a group of 467 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,000 teenagers, so I get it, you know, it's a little different 468 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,500 but they were talking about their screen time. 469 00:26:47,500 --> 00:26:51,600 And I heard them one girl said, I'm I'm right now at nine hours 470 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,700 a day on my phone and the other one said, six hours a day. 471 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,400 Now I get it. I know, you know, it's they're 472 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:04,500 not adults yet and I get that but even us adults spend too 473 00:27:04,500 --> 00:27:07,600 much time on our phones. All right, and so the point I'm 474 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,100 trying to make, I don't want to be pharisaic all about Facebook 475 00:27:10,100 --> 00:27:13,400 or phones or any of that. I'm just saying, we make time 476 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:17,100 for the things that matter. Okay, we make time for it and so 477 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,500 Make some sacrifices, maybe it is going to be a little 478 00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:24,100 difficult at first but make the time and carve out time for it. 479 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:30,100 If you read your Bible, 12 minutes a day. 12 minutes a day, 480 00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:31,700 you can read the whole Bible in a year. 481 00:27:32,300 --> 00:27:33,900 That's a bathroom break for most of us. 482 00:27:33,900 --> 00:27:36,900 Okay. If you read your Bible, 25 483 00:27:36,900 --> 00:27:40,300 minutes a day you can read the whole thing in six months that 484 00:27:40,300 --> 00:27:43,300 doesn't take that long. I think we can carve out that 485 00:27:43,300 --> 00:27:47,400 much time in a day for the Lord. Amen, let's study the word. 486 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,200 Let's get in it. There's no excuse again, not 487 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:54,800 trying to be pharisaic well, but as Kyle talked about last year, 488 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,900 our last year last week, sorry it was last year actually. 489 00:28:00,300 --> 00:28:01,700 Didn't mean to do that, but there we go. 490 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:07,700 Our Union with God and was Christ is not dependent on our 491 00:28:07,700 --> 00:28:11,500 communion with him. We are Justified once and for 492 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:14,000 all upon placing our faith in Christ. 493 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,400 But guess what? Our sanctification does depend 494 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,900 on these things. We need to be growing in our 495 00:28:20,900 --> 00:28:22,800 faith. This is a progressive thing that 496 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,800 happens throughout our lives. We need to commit to be in the 497 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,800 word of God to study it and to Make it a love of ours. 498 00:28:31,100 --> 00:28:34,400 And once you do like Steve talked about, once you begin to 499 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,500 carve out this time study, God's word regularly, it becomes a 500 00:28:37,508 --> 00:28:40,100 part of your day that you just don't feel whole if you don't do 501 00:28:40,100 --> 00:28:42,800 it. So, spend time in God's word, 502 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,900 the second way that we grow in our faith is through prayer. 503 00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:52,000 Through prayer. So if the Bible is God's way of 504 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,900 speaking to us prayer is our way of speaking to God. 505 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,800 Now, it wasn't always this way in the Old Testament, we read 506 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,800 about the temple, and the way it was constructed, they have the 507 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:08,400 Ark of the Covenant, which God's presence was there all the time. 508 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:10,400 So, when they built the temple, they built these different 509 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:14,600 levels and and rooms in it. And there was this place in 510 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,300 there called the holy of holies. Where the ark dwell? 511 00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:19,200 That's where the presence of God stage. 512 00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:23,400 And it was divided by these big, huge, thick curtains. 513 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,600 Now only the high priest could go into the holy of holies. 514 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,600 They would go in once a year and make atonement for the people's 515 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,000 sins. They would offer sacrifices, but 516 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,000 the common people had to stay out in the outer Courtyard and 517 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:42,300 things like that when Christ was crucified that Veil that curtain 518 00:29:42,300 --> 00:29:45,000 was torn. And for the longest time, I 519 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:46,600 didn't understand the significance of that. 520 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:51,700 But what that means is that There is no longer any divider 521 00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:55,900 or barrier between us and the presence of God as New Testament 522 00:29:55,900 --> 00:29:57,400 Born Again. Believers, we have God's 523 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,700 presence living here. Now, we have the helper, the 524 00:29:59,700 --> 00:30:03,800 Holy Spirit living inside us. And we have open communion with 525 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:05,800 God through his word and through prayer. 526 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:10,700 Jesus is now the once and for all ultimate high priest who 527 00:30:10,700 --> 00:30:13,800 sits at the right hand of the father making intercession for 528 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,000 us, we can now take our petitions directly to God, we 529 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,100 don't have to go through High priest. 530 00:30:20,100 --> 00:30:21,800 Who's going to go behind a curtain? 531 00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:24,600 Into the holy of holies and offer a sacrifice. 532 00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:28,500 That's been taken care of Jesus. Handled that he is now the 533 00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:33,500 ultimate high priest. So this has huge implications 534 00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:37,900 for us as far as prayer and talking to God, this is the way 535 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,100 that we now can. Daily can every hour every 536 00:30:42,100 --> 00:30:46,200 minute, be confessing and repenting and communicating with 537 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:50,000 the Lord with God himself with Jesus as our high priest. 538 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,800 So this being the case, it prayer is a great treasure for 539 00:30:55,800 --> 00:31:01,300 us as Believers. It is a phenomenal tool that has 540 00:31:01,300 --> 00:31:05,200 not always been available in the way it is now So our 541 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:10,600 relationship with God is just that it is a relationship, okay? 542 00:31:10,700 --> 00:31:14,800 He talks to us, we talk to him, we grow in that relationship. 543 00:31:15,100 --> 00:31:18,600 If the only time I ever talked to, my wife, Sherry was on 544 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:20,300 Sunday mornings. It's okay. 545 00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:22,200 I'm going to get dressed up in my best Duds. 546 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,300 I'm going to drive to this building across town and then 547 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:27,600 I'll listen to what you have to say for a few minutes. 548 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,400 And I'll talk maybe for a minute or two, maybe 30 seconds to you 549 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:36,200 and that's it. One day a week for like one hour 550 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:38,800 on Sunday mornings that is not going to be much of a 551 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,400 relationship, right? It's not going to last long at 552 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:45,800 all, likewise our relationship with God, needs to be ongoing 553 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:48,800 prayer. Needs to be an attitude and a 554 00:31:48,900 --> 00:31:51,900 lifestyle. It's not just a checklist thing 555 00:31:51,900 --> 00:31:53,300 that we pray, before we go to bed. 556 00:31:53,300 --> 00:31:56,600 And before we eat a meal, like this is our way of talking to 557 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,400 the creator of the universe. We need to be listening to him 558 00:32:00,700 --> 00:32:02,600 soaking this in as much as we can. 559 00:32:02,700 --> 00:32:05,300 Trying to understand the riches of it in the depths of it. 560 00:32:05,300 --> 00:32:06,700 And we need to be talking to God. 561 00:32:06,700 --> 00:32:10,200 We need to be bearing, our hearts to him, crying out to 562 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,700 him. This isn't just a Sunday morning 563 00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:17,300 thing, and it's not just a public formal thing that has to 564 00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:22,000 sound a certain way. Scripture is full of commands to 565 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:26,600 continued steadfastly in prayer to pray, without ceasing to 566 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,000 Rejoice. Always pray constantly. 567 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:33,400 Give thanks in everything for this is God's will for you in 568 00:32:33,500 --> 00:32:36,400 Christ Jesus. This is God's will for us that 569 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:42,500 we be constantly praying to God. So again, I can I can hear the 570 00:32:42,500 --> 00:32:44,800 thoughts, like I'm not good at praying, I've heard that before. 571 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,300 I'm not too good at prayer. Will you might not be good at 572 00:32:48,300 --> 00:32:52,900 public prayer, but the only way to be bad at prayer is to 573 00:32:52,900 --> 00:32:56,600 neglect it. You're literally just talking, 574 00:32:56,700 --> 00:33:00,100 you're just talking to God and public prayers different, I get 575 00:33:00,100 --> 00:33:02,600 it, some people have stage fright, and that's a thing and, 576 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,400 you know, all that. But, but just praying to God is 577 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:11,400 not something you can be bad at. Romans 8:26 says because we 578 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,100 don't know what to pray for as we should the spirit himself 579 00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:19,800 intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 580 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:24,200 So even when you don't know what to say, or maybe you can't think 581 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,600 of the words to express what you're feeling and here you 582 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:33,900 don't have to, you can just you can you just talk to God? 583 00:33:34,300 --> 00:33:36,600 He knows your thoughts, he knows your heart. 584 00:33:36,900 --> 00:33:39,300 The point is to be in communion with him and fell. 585 00:33:39,500 --> 00:33:42,800 Ship with him. As Kyle talked about last year. 586 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:48,400 We will never feel comfortable praying if we don't start 587 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:52,500 somewhere and practice and make this a part of our daily lives. 588 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,300 So we have to start. So, some basic application for 589 00:33:55,300 --> 00:33:58,600 prayer, what are some things we can do ways we can grow in this? 590 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:03,400 Okay, a great tool for prayer is to pray. 591 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,800 The acronym acts a CTS. Okay. 592 00:34:07,100 --> 00:34:12,100 Adoration Which is just us. Adoring God, we're praising God, 593 00:34:12,100 --> 00:34:14,100 Heavenly Father Hallowed be thy name. 594 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,900 We're praising. The Lord confession is the see 595 00:34:17,900 --> 00:34:20,000 in that we're going to confess our sins to the Lord. 596 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,900 We're going to Bare our souls to him. 597 00:34:22,100 --> 00:34:25,199 The tea is Thanksgiving. That's pretty obvious. 598 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,900 And then the S is supplication, supplication is just us 599 00:34:29,900 --> 00:34:32,900 petitioning, the Lord or asking the Lord for something. 600 00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:35,600 Now, I want to make, I want to make a side note on this. 601 00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,600 We've talked about this multiple times, we know that the gospel 602 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,199 Is not a genie, okay? This is not the part of the 603 00:34:42,199 --> 00:34:45,600 prayer where you start asking for a new Ferrari and all of 604 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:47,900 those things. This is the part of your prayer 605 00:34:47,900 --> 00:34:51,600 life where you can go to the Lord and cry out for the souls 606 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,900 of your co-workers and your family members, you can ask God 607 00:34:54,900 --> 00:34:57,900 to grow me in my faith, helped me to understand your word. 608 00:34:57,900 --> 00:35:00,700 Better can pray scripture to God. 609 00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:06,700 This is a place where we come and we humbly ask the Lord to 610 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,600 provide daily. What we need James 4:3 says you 611 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:14,300 ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend 612 00:35:14,300 --> 00:35:17,600 it on your passions. So again this is not the place 613 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,200 to share our Christmas list. This is the place to go and 614 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,400 petition. The Lord for The Souls of our 615 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:27,100 brothers and sisters around us and to ask him to grow us in our 616 00:35:27,100 --> 00:35:29,300 faith. Now, some good helps in this 617 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,500 ways and tools, we can utilize to help us Our prayer life. 618 00:35:32,900 --> 00:35:36,600 There are some really great apps out there, one that I know I've 619 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:38,400 used a know. Kyle uses is called prayer, 620 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:40,700 mate. It's a great app that you can go 621 00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:43,300 in and have categories for different things. 622 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:46,400 You can even bring in different little Bible readings and stuff 623 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:48,100 into that. It's just a great way to 624 00:35:48,100 --> 00:35:51,300 compartmentalize your prayer. Life if you want to do that, 625 00:35:52,100 --> 00:35:55,700 another great resource, an old resource is a book called The 626 00:35:55,707 --> 00:35:58,900 Valley of Vision. This is a book of different 627 00:35:58,900 --> 00:36:03,000 prayers written by the Puritans and it It is beautiful the way 628 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:06,100 they word, some of this, and it's broken into different 629 00:36:06,100 --> 00:36:08,200 categories, for different things in life. 630 00:36:08,300 --> 00:36:11,100 Nothing wrong with incorporating some of that into your prayer 631 00:36:11,100 --> 00:36:13,400 life. And then, the best thing for me 632 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:18,300 is just to set reminders on my phone three times a day 9:00 633 00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:22,000 12:00 and 3:00, I'm going to get a reminder to pray and that 634 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,300 doesn't have to to look a specific way that can be driving 635 00:36:25,300 --> 00:36:27,600 down the road. I just pray, it can be super 636 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,200 short. Sometimes I might get down on my 637 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:33,400 knees and my office and pray. And that can look like a lot of 638 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:38,400 different things, but the point is to pray be in prayer, a 639 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:44,400 people marked by it. So, all the things we've talked 640 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:51,000 about today, Bible study prayer, it's all meant to be ways that 641 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:56,100 we are fellowshipping with God. That's the whole point is time 642 00:36:56,100 --> 00:36:59,700 with the Lord, to grow in our faith, in the Lord, to grow in 643 00:36:59,700 --> 00:37:02,700 our love and our affection. For the Lord, to be a people 644 00:37:02,700 --> 00:37:06,100 marked by that. The point is not just to do 645 00:37:06,100 --> 00:37:08,300 these things. These things are just a means to 646 00:37:08,300 --> 00:37:11,500 an end, they're not the end. So, yes, they're good. 647 00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:14,400 And we need to utilize them. We can't be Sanctified apart 648 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:18,300 from these things, but let's not become too legalistic and 649 00:37:18,300 --> 00:37:19,600 pharisaic. All about it. 650 00:37:20,700 --> 00:37:26,300 I'll say this to any of you, you ever feel distant from God at 651 00:37:26,300 --> 00:37:30,600 times, my God just feels far off, maybe you pray, and you 652 00:37:30,607 --> 00:37:33,100 feel like it just hits the ceiling like you just you're not 653 00:37:33,100 --> 00:37:35,700 feeling it. I know I have felt that way 654 00:37:35,700 --> 00:37:39,700 before and usually when I feel this way when I feel distant 655 00:37:39,700 --> 00:37:44,200 from God or feel like God is silent for some reason it's 656 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,900 because I'm not listening to God. 657 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,300 I'm not in the word, not reading the way I should. 658 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:54,600 And I'm not talking to God, I'm not praying, nine times out of 659 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:56,000 ten. That's the case. 660 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,900 I'm not communing with God, the way I need to be. 661 00:38:00,500 --> 00:38:04,400 And that's why these things are so important for us, this is how 662 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,700 we grow in our faith, in the Lord. 663 00:38:06,700 --> 00:38:10,600 So, I want to encourage you. In that I want to encourage you 664 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:14,600 that these are just tools for us to grow in our love for the 665 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:17,800 Lord, to grow closer to God, there is no fellow Ship with 666 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:22,200 God, apart from being in his word and praying. 667 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,200 Now we are going to we're going to stop here next week. 668 00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:28,400 We're going to pick up and talk about some more of these 669 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:31,500 spiritual disciplines and how we can be growing in our love for 670 00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:33,400 others. So, we're going to stop there 671 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,100 for now but I do have a couple of things. 672 00:38:36,100 --> 00:38:39,200 I want to say as we get ready to close out here. 673 00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:45,500 As we begin a new year and we do this thing where we kind of take 674 00:38:45,500 --> 00:38:49,600 inventory of our lives and we look at the next year and how 675 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:53,500 what we want to become, I want you to please consider the 676 00:38:53,500 --> 00:38:56,700 spiritual as those passages. I read in the beginning talk 677 00:38:56,700 --> 00:39:00,200 about don't just focus on Earthly things, consider the 678 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:05,100 spiritual, okay? Alan, if you guys want to come 679 00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:08,300 back up, you can and to go ahead and close out. 680 00:39:08,300 --> 00:39:13,300 But for anyone in here, as we're thinking through this and 681 00:39:13,300 --> 00:39:19,600 talking through this, if you were in this place, And you are 682 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:23,200 not a Believer. If you have never placed your 683 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:27,700 faith in Jesus Christ, you've never made him the Lord of your 684 00:39:27,700 --> 00:39:29,600 life. You've never submitted your life 685 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,600 to Christ if that's you in here today. 686 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,300 I know that what we've talked about is probably just 687 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,800 pointless, it makes no sense, it's not anything you care about 688 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:43,300 reading your Bible and praying because, you know, so if that's 689 00:39:43,300 --> 00:39:46,400 you, if you've never committed your life to the Lord, if you've 690 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:49,600 never played Sure. Your trust and your hope and 691 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:54,500 your faith in Christ. I want to point out a couple of 692 00:39:54,500 --> 00:39:59,600 passages to you this morning. Romans 3:23 says we have all 693 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:01,500 sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 694 00:40:02,700 --> 00:40:07,900 Romans 6:23 says that the wages for that the wages for our sin 695 00:40:07,900 --> 00:40:11,700 is death. But the free gift of God is 696 00:40:11,700 --> 00:40:16,900 eternal life in Christ in John 3:16 Says that God. 697 00:40:16,900 --> 00:40:19,800 So loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever 698 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:23,800 believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life. 699 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:28,800 And so we're all Sinners, but we can be freed of that sin. 700 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:32,500 We can be saved through placing our faith in Jesus Christ. 701 00:40:33,100 --> 00:40:36,300 So, if you've never done that and you're in this place this 702 00:40:36,300 --> 00:40:40,200 morning, as we go into 2022, I want to encourage you that of 703 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:43,300 all the things you could resolve to do this year of all, the 704 00:40:43,300 --> 00:40:48,700 goals you could set. Placing your faith in Christ is 705 00:40:48,700 --> 00:40:51,500 the best thing you could ever do. 706 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,800 It is the one thing you will do in this life that has Eternal 707 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:58,700 implications. So I want to encourage you in 708 00:40:58,700 --> 00:41:04,900 that, you have nothing to lose. If you feel Christ tugging at 709 00:41:04,900 --> 00:41:07,100 your heart, if you know that you're a sinner and you're 710 00:41:07,100 --> 00:41:10,100 broken over that sin you have you don't know what to do about 711 00:41:10,100 --> 00:41:12,000 it? Turn to Christ place. 712 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,600 Your faith in Christ. It's only by doing that. 713 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:18,600 Can you be forgiven? Philippians 3:8. 714 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:23,000 Says, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth 715 00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:26,700 of knowing Christ. My lord for his sake, I have 716 00:41:26,700 --> 00:41:29,900 suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in 717 00:41:29,900 --> 00:41:34,200 order that I may gain Christ. And that is my hope and prayer. 718 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,400 For all of us is that we would count the things of this world 719 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:41,100 as rubbish compared to knowing Christ that I don't even care 720 00:41:41,100 --> 00:41:44,000 about the Earthly things in the upcoming year. 721 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:48,600 I want to resolve to grow spiritually to know, God more to 722 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:54,200 grow closer to the Lord. So please commit to do that for 723 00:41:54,500 --> 00:41:56,800 believers in this place. My brothers and sisters in 724 00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:00,100 Christ. As Kyle mentioned last week, 725 00:42:00,100 --> 00:42:05,400 Grace is the Ation and the fuel and our relationship with the 726 00:42:05,408 --> 00:42:07,700 lord. It's not only what founds it, 727 00:42:07,900 --> 00:42:10,700 but it's what sustains us and keeps us going throughout our 728 00:42:10,700 --> 00:42:13,900 relationship with the Lord. We will not be perfect at these 729 00:42:13,900 --> 00:42:16,300 things, we will fail. We're going to mess up. 730 00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:19,000 We're going to forget to read. We're going to Wax and Wane in 731 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,200 our excitement about these things. 732 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:27,400 But our union doesn't depend on our communion, we've been saved, 733 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:31,100 we've been Justified and it's because of that that we want to 734 00:42:31,100 --> 00:42:34,600 do these things is the Way to learn and grow in our faith. 735 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,600 Not because we think that following a list of things is 736 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:41,200 going to save us. Our sanctification depends on 737 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:42,600 it. We can't grow without these 738 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,300 things. Mureeds, you one more thing. 739 00:42:45,300 --> 00:42:48,200 And then I'm gonna, I'm gonna let us worship for a minute. 740 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:52,500 Those resolutions from Jonathan Edwards that I read you earlier. 741 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:55,400 There's a man named dr. Tim pressin that made a 742 00:42:55,408 --> 00:42:58,300 devotional out of it. And here's what he says about 743 00:42:58,300 --> 00:43:01,100 those that first and second resolution that I read you he 744 00:43:01,100 --> 00:43:04,900 asks these questions Ends are you growing in your knowledge of 745 00:43:04,900 --> 00:43:08,400 God's word and thus walking more completely in his grace? 746 00:43:09,100 --> 00:43:12,700 Is it your earnest desire to know Christ? 747 00:43:12,700 --> 00:43:15,500 More fully? Do you live as though you've 748 00:43:15,500 --> 00:43:17,800 been raised with Christ to a new life? 749 00:43:18,500 --> 00:43:23,400 Do you consistently and aggressively seek growth in your 750 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:28,800 walk with the Lord? He asks those questions as he 751 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:31,500 jumps into those resolutions and I think we all need to ask 752 00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:35,600 ourselves those questions today. Do I earnestly seek to grow in 753 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:39,700 my faith? If we are going to do this, we 754 00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:43,400 have to be a people known for our love for scripture. 755 00:43:43,700 --> 00:43:46,500 Our Love for prayer. We need to be a Praying people. 756 00:43:46,500 --> 00:43:49,200 We need to be a Bible loving people. 757 00:43:50,700 --> 00:43:55,600 As we do this, we do so out of a desire to fellowship with God. 758 00:43:56,300 --> 00:44:00,500 To seek more of his presence. There is a Latin term for this. 759 00:44:00,500 --> 00:44:04,400 It's called Quorum Deo. Is a Latin phrase that can be 760 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:08,500 translated in the presence of God it summarizes, the idea of 761 00:44:08,500 --> 00:44:12,000 Christians living in the presence of under the authority 762 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,000 of and to the honor and glory of God. 763 00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:20,900 So my petition, to you all this morning is, Let's Be A people. 764 00:44:21,500 --> 00:44:27,000 Let's be a church that lives. Our lives Quorum Deo seeking 765 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,500 God's presence seeking to glorify God in everything that 766 00:44:30,500 --> 00:44:33,000 we do. Let's be a people known for 767 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:35,300 that. Let's seek that in our lives. 768 00:44:35,300 --> 00:44:39,700 This year, let's be marked by a love for the word and a love for 769 00:44:39,700 --> 00:44:42,500 prayer. You please stand, as we prepare 770 00:44:42,500 --> 00:44:43,000 to sing.