WEBVTT 00:00:00.804 --> 00:00:09.129 Well, let's pray. 00:00:09.129 --> 00:00:11.284 Heavenly Father, 00:00:11.284 --> 00:00:14.129 how good it is 00:00:14.129 --> 00:00:17.254 to be gathered with the saints 00:00:17.254 --> 00:00:20.423 on the Lord's day. 00:00:20.423 --> 00:00:23.028 To be able to look around the room 00:00:23.028 --> 00:00:27.734 and even though I don't know a lot of people here, 00:00:27.734 --> 00:00:31.554 to know that I belong 00:00:31.554 --> 00:00:34.616 among the saints; 00:00:34.616 --> 00:00:37.410 that I'm part of Your people. 00:00:37.410 --> 00:00:42.215 Lord, we're glad to be gathered 00:00:42.215 --> 00:00:45.420 among the precious saints of God. 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:50.337 We're glad to worship the Lord Jesus Christ today. 00:00:50.337 --> 00:00:54.300 We're glad to lift up His name. 00:00:54.300 --> 00:00:55.946 We're glad to exult 00:00:55.946 --> 00:00:59.936 in the gospel of our salvation. 00:00:59.936 --> 00:01:01.919 We thank You for the blood 00:01:01.919 --> 00:01:05.169 and righteousness of the Lord Jesus 00:01:05.169 --> 00:01:07.786 in which we place our only hope 00:01:07.786 --> 00:01:12.116 for time and eternity. 00:01:12.116 --> 00:01:19.905 Lord, we thank You for Your Word that You've given us. 00:01:19.905 --> 00:01:24.024 And we thank You for the Holy Spirit. 00:01:24.024 --> 00:01:27.038 And we pray for the help of the Spirit today 00:01:27.038 --> 00:01:30.986 that the Spirit may apply the Word; 00:01:30.986 --> 00:01:33.752 that He might give us understanding; 00:01:33.752 --> 00:01:36.758 that He might open our eyes 00:01:36.758 --> 00:01:40.158 to spiritual reality in some way. 00:01:40.158 --> 00:01:44.736 Lord, for each one, that You'd have something for us 00:01:44.736 --> 00:01:48.259 from this particular hour. 00:01:48.259 --> 00:01:54.915 Oh Father, 00:01:54.915 --> 00:01:57.776 our eyes are upon You, 00:01:57.776 --> 00:02:01.219 and our confidence is in You today. 00:02:01.219 --> 00:02:05.447 Glorify Thyself, we ask. 00:02:05.447 --> 00:02:07.580 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:02:07.580 --> 00:02:17.101 Amen. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:17.101 --> 00:02:23.852 Well, I remember back, I guess a few months ago 00:02:23.852 --> 00:02:26.034 when things started brewing 00:02:26.034 --> 00:02:29.184 between Evan and Charity. 00:02:29.184 --> 00:02:31.168 I did have the thought: 00:02:31.168 --> 00:02:33.686 "Well, maybe this will be the year 00:02:33.686 --> 00:02:38.479 we'll finally make it down and visit San Antonio." 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:42.354 And sure enough, in the providence of God, here we are. 00:02:42.354 --> 00:02:46.805 So glad to be able to be here today. 00:02:46.805 --> 00:02:52.910 To be among you precious brothers and sisters 00:02:52.910 --> 00:02:56.998 to worship the Lord Jesus. 00:02:56.998 --> 00:03:01.352 I suspect most of us here would say that we're Christians. 00:03:01.352 --> 00:03:04.107 And so, I'd ask you that are Christians 00:03:04.107 --> 00:03:07.107 to participate in a little exercise 00:03:07.107 --> 00:03:11.117 with me this morning, right at the beginning. 00:03:11.117 --> 00:03:14.860 Over here, I know you all have a screen used for songs. 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:20.495 Imagine that projected on that screen 00:03:20.495 --> 00:03:25.407 was a chart of your Christian life. 00:03:25.407 --> 00:03:29.068 On the left side, beginning when you were converted 00:03:29.068 --> 00:03:32.760 all the way over to the right side being today. 00:03:32.760 --> 00:03:35.082 And there's a squiggly line on there 00:03:35.082 --> 00:03:38.842 representing your sanctification. 00:03:38.842 --> 00:03:40.474 Your growth in grace. 00:03:40.474 --> 00:03:45.560 Your relationship with the Lord Jesus over time. 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:48.227 I'm asking you to imagine that for yourself. 00:03:48.227 --> 00:03:50.971 Everybody's got a different chart, right? 00:03:50.971 --> 00:03:53.096 Our lives have been unique - 00:03:53.096 --> 00:03:55.716 our walk with the Lord. 00:03:55.716 --> 00:04:00.003 What does your chart look like this morning? 00:04:00.003 --> 00:04:01.991 What does your chart look like? 00:04:01.991 --> 00:04:04.860 Now some of you are going to have a line 00:04:04.860 --> 00:04:07.860 that just kind of steadily goes up over time. 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:09.185 That's really great! 00:04:09.185 --> 00:04:11.808 Praise the Lord if that's the case. 00:04:11.808 --> 00:04:16.448 Some of you might have a chart where the line starts upward 00:04:16.448 --> 00:04:17.893 for a little ways, 00:04:17.893 --> 00:04:21.343 and then just falls off the table and disappears. 00:04:21.343 --> 00:04:22.873 That's really bad. 00:04:22.873 --> 00:04:26.705 You're probably not even a Christian in that case. 00:04:26.705 --> 00:04:29.966 But then I suspect a bunch of us have a chart 00:04:29.966 --> 00:04:32.502 where the line is really jagged. 00:04:32.502 --> 00:04:35.291 It's up and down, and up and down, up and down. 00:04:35.291 --> 00:04:38.264 Peaks and valleys, hit and miss, 00:04:38.264 --> 00:04:40.064 herky-jerky. 00:04:40.064 --> 00:04:42.831 Wild, volatile swings. 00:04:42.831 --> 00:04:47.589 At times, you're a blazing fireball of zeal for Jesus, 00:04:47.589 --> 00:04:49.623 and other times 00:04:49.623 --> 00:04:51.915 you're down in the dumps of depression 00:04:51.915 --> 00:04:57.289 and disobedience and unbelief. 00:04:57.289 --> 00:05:01.059 Or just think about, more recently in your Christian life. 00:05:01.059 --> 00:05:02.965 Just think the last year or two. 00:05:02.965 --> 00:05:10.888 How consistent has your walk with the Lord been recently? NOTE Paragraph 00:05:10.888 --> 00:05:16.628 I want to speak to you this morning on the subject of spiritual stability. 00:05:16.628 --> 00:05:18.529 Or the long title would be: 00:05:18.529 --> 00:05:24.869 "The Underappreciated Virtue of Spiritual Stability." 00:05:24.869 --> 00:05:28.221 Stability in the Christian life. 00:05:28.221 --> 00:05:32.089 I mean we usually appreciate steadiness, 00:05:32.089 --> 00:05:34.945 consistency, stability, 00:05:34.945 --> 00:05:38.595 in other areas of life, don't we? 00:05:38.595 --> 00:05:40.397 We like to have a spouse 00:05:40.397 --> 00:05:43.397 that's really stable and loyal 00:05:43.397 --> 00:05:44.682 from day to day. 00:05:44.682 --> 00:05:48.178 We like to have co-workers at our jobs that are that way. 00:05:48.178 --> 00:05:54.353 That are consistent, steady, reliable, stable. 00:05:54.353 --> 00:05:57.826 We even appreciate this in ball-players, don't we? 00:05:57.826 --> 00:06:00.035 That they're stable and consistent. 00:06:00.035 --> 00:06:02.701 You know, just a few years ago we lauding 00:06:02.701 --> 00:06:06.248 Cal Ripken Jr. and then Brett Favre 00:06:06.248 --> 00:06:09.697 for their steaks of consecutive games played. 00:06:09.697 --> 00:06:12.573 Just the fact they played so many games in a row. 00:06:12.573 --> 00:06:14.639 That was a big deal. 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:18.310 We appreciate it in those fields. 00:06:18.310 --> 00:06:20.913 This message is about how we should strive 00:06:20.913 --> 00:06:22.763 for those same qualities 00:06:22.763 --> 00:06:26.163 in our Christian walk. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:26.163 --> 00:06:30.949 Let me describe a certain type of brother, 00:06:30.949 --> 00:06:33.647 I imagine you have many in the church 00:06:33.647 --> 00:06:36.161 here in San Antonio. 00:06:36.161 --> 00:06:41.829 He's a brother that seems like a pretty ordinary man. 00:06:41.829 --> 00:06:44.703 An ordinary sort of job. 00:06:44.703 --> 00:06:47.844 Ordinary sort of family. 00:06:47.844 --> 00:06:51.796 He's a guy who does not do open-air preaching. 00:06:51.796 --> 00:06:56.290 He is not a foreign missionary. 00:06:56.290 --> 00:06:58.770 He's not a theology expert. 00:06:58.770 --> 00:07:01.126 He maybe doesn't say a whole lot 00:07:01.126 --> 00:07:04.216 in your church meetings even. 00:07:04.216 --> 00:07:05.557 But listen. 00:07:05.557 --> 00:07:07.645 Listen, this brother, 00:07:07.645 --> 00:07:12.845 he reads his well-marked Bible through every year. 00:07:12.845 --> 00:07:17.386 Every morning, you can find him alone with God 00:07:17.386 --> 00:07:20.582 pouring out his heart in prayer. 00:07:20.582 --> 00:07:24.518 He shows up at just about every single church meeting 00:07:24.518 --> 00:07:26.170 he can possibly be at. 00:07:26.170 --> 00:07:28.038 He wants to be there! 00:07:28.038 --> 00:07:31.899 He wants to be an encouragement to the brethren 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:33.929 without causing trouble. 00:07:33.929 --> 00:07:36.009 He's generous, he's helpful 00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:37.792 in every way he can be. 00:07:37.792 --> 00:07:43.357 His family is a joy to be around! 00:07:43.357 --> 00:07:47.504 He walks with God with a clear conscience 00:07:47.504 --> 00:07:49.971 from day to day. 00:07:49.971 --> 00:07:52.521 I tell you there is glory 00:07:52.521 --> 00:07:55.446 in that ordinary brother's life. 00:07:55.446 --> 00:07:59.251 There is great grace from God in his life. 00:07:59.251 --> 00:08:01.276 What is it? He's stable. 00:08:01.276 --> 00:08:02.956 He's consistent. 00:08:02.956 --> 00:08:06.855 He's pressing on! He's enduring. 00:08:06.855 --> 00:08:08.463 He's running the race 00:08:08.463 --> 00:08:11.193 with endurance to the end. 00:08:11.193 --> 00:08:13.258 That's what we're talking about today. 00:08:13.258 --> 00:08:14.907 Praise God for that grace! NOTE Paragraph 00:08:14.907 --> 00:08:16.045 Some of you here 00:08:16.045 --> 00:08:17.943 are maybe like that brother. 00:08:17.943 --> 00:08:20.534 Maybe some of you are actually discouraged; 00:08:20.534 --> 00:08:21.812 actually thinking, 00:08:21.812 --> 00:08:24.562 "Well, this year looks an awful lot like last year. 00:08:24.562 --> 00:08:27.164 There's not a lot of big things changing here!" 00:08:27.164 --> 00:08:29.593 Well, maybe this message can encourage you. 00:08:29.593 --> 00:08:31.817 It's a good thing to be stable 00:08:31.817 --> 00:08:34.863 in your walk with Jesus. 00:08:34.863 --> 00:08:36.568 Or maybe the other hand, 00:08:36.568 --> 00:08:40.968 some of you here are unstable unbelievers. 00:08:40.968 --> 00:08:43.451 Maybe everything spiritual for you 00:08:43.451 --> 00:08:46.451 is all hit and miss, herky-jerky. 00:08:46.451 --> 00:08:50.260 Up and down, hot and cold, inconsistent. 00:08:50.260 --> 00:08:54.518 And you realize, "Yeah, that's a need in my life!" 00:08:54.518 --> 00:08:58.492 Well, we're going to talk about some ways to get better at that - 00:08:58.492 --> 00:09:01.858 to become a more stable Christian, 00:09:01.858 --> 00:09:04.268 in you're walk with the Lord. 00:09:04.268 --> 00:09:06.316 So, there's just so much Scripture on this 00:09:06.316 --> 00:09:09.583 and you start looking for it, it's like, there's all these different 00:09:09.583 --> 00:09:12.103 Bible verses really pointing at this basic thought. 00:09:12.103 --> 00:09:15.968 But, I'm just going to look today with you at a few Scriptures 00:09:15.968 --> 00:09:17.837 and along the way I want to point out 00:09:17.837 --> 00:09:23.857 seven characteristics of stable Christians. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:23.857 --> 00:09:26.587 So let's start by turning to Psalm 1. 00:09:26.587 --> 00:09:32.179 The first psalm. Psalm 1:1. 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:34.797 "How blessed is the man 00:09:34.797 --> 00:09:37.237 who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, 00:09:37.237 --> 00:09:39.569 nor stand in the path of sinners, 00:09:39.569 --> 00:09:42.049 nor sit in the seat of scoffers; 00:09:42.049 --> 00:09:44.848 but his delight is in the law of the Lord. 00:09:44.848 --> 00:09:48.819 and in His law, he meditates day and night. 00:09:48.819 --> 00:09:50.129 He will be like a tree, 00:09:50.129 --> 00:09:52.450 firmly planted by streams of water 00:09:52.450 --> 00:09:54.882 which yields its fruit in its season, 00:09:54.882 --> 00:09:57.032 and its leaf does not wither. 00:09:57.032 --> 00:10:00.908 And in whatever he does, he prospers. 00:10:00.908 --> 00:10:03.417 The wicked are not so. 00:10:03.417 --> 00:10:06.838 But they are like chaff, which the wind drives away. 00:10:06.838 --> 00:10:10.104 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 00:10:10.104 --> 00:10:13.162 nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, 00:10:13.162 --> 00:10:15.762 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, 00:10:15.762 --> 00:10:18.879 but the path of the wicked will perish." NOTE Paragraph 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:22.658 So the righteous man here is described in verse 3 as what? 00:10:22.658 --> 00:10:24.895 He's described as a tree - 00:10:24.895 --> 00:10:28.455 a tree planted by streams of water. 00:10:28.455 --> 00:10:30.765 A tree with roots that go down 00:10:30.765 --> 00:10:33.845 into that perpetually moist soil 00:10:33.845 --> 00:10:35.405 around that stream. 00:10:35.405 --> 00:10:39.541 He's always nourished from that water 00:10:39.541 --> 00:10:41.431 that's coming past all the time. 00:10:41.431 --> 00:10:46.268 He is stable and he's thriving there! 00:10:46.268 --> 00:10:48.887 By contrast, we have the wicked in verse 4. 00:10:48.887 --> 00:10:51.736 It says, "They're like the chaff 00:10:51.736 --> 00:10:53.606 that the wind drives away." 00:10:53.606 --> 00:10:57.222 What a picture. Just little dry husks. 00:10:57.222 --> 00:10:59.172 The wind just drives it away. 00:10:59.172 --> 00:11:00.895 It's a contrast, isn't it? 00:11:00.895 --> 00:11:04.438 Between the stability of the righteous man, like the tree, 00:11:04.438 --> 00:11:06.736 and the chaos of the lost man. 00:11:06.736 --> 00:11:12.002 If you are not a Christian today, this is how God pictures your life! 00:11:12.002 --> 00:11:13.874 This is reality for you! 00:11:13.874 --> 00:11:17.154 You're like chaff that the wind drives away. 00:11:17.154 --> 00:11:20.218 There is no stability outside of Jesus Christ. 00:11:20.218 --> 00:11:22.808 That's the big problem in your life! 00:11:22.808 --> 00:11:24.138 You need to know Jesus! 00:11:24.138 --> 00:11:26.151 You need to become a Christian. 00:11:26.151 --> 00:11:28.561 And turn from your sin, 00:11:28.561 --> 00:11:32.511 put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:11:32.511 --> 00:11:35.218 You can be like this tree. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:35.218 --> 00:11:37.311 Well, what can we learn from this picture 00:11:37.311 --> 00:11:40.445 then about spiritual stability? 00:11:40.445 --> 00:11:42.130 Well, the first thing to point out 00:11:42.130 --> 00:11:46.552 is that stable Christians are fruitful. 00:11:46.552 --> 00:11:49.248 Stable Christians are fruitful. 00:11:49.248 --> 00:11:51.779 This tree isn't just there, 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:54.431 but it's a fruitful tree, right? 00:11:54.431 --> 00:11:57.503 Verse 3 says, 00:11:57.503 --> 00:12:01.888 "It yields its fruit in its season." 00:12:01.888 --> 00:12:05.712 And then it says, "In whatever he does, 00:12:05.712 --> 00:12:08.255 he prospers." 00:12:08.255 --> 00:12:11.126 So, there's life. There's growth. 00:12:11.126 --> 00:12:12.816 There's fruitfulness. 00:12:12.816 --> 00:12:15.297 There's progress happening 00:12:15.297 --> 00:12:18.868 in the life of this saint. 00:12:18.868 --> 00:12:21.217 Fruitfulness. What does fruitfulness 00:12:21.217 --> 00:12:24.019 look like in our lives as believers? 00:12:24.019 --> 00:12:27.379 I assume the first text we think of in that regard 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:28.979 is Galatians 5. 00:12:28.979 --> 00:12:31.260 The fruit of the Spirit, right? 00:12:31.260 --> 00:12:33.150 These character qualities 00:12:33.150 --> 00:12:36.798 that the Spirit produces within believers. 00:12:36.798 --> 00:12:38.844 The fruit of the Spirit is love, 00:12:38.844 --> 00:12:41.368 joy, peace, patience, kindness, 00:12:41.368 --> 00:12:44.087 goodness, faithfulness, 00:12:44.087 --> 00:12:45.890 gentleness, self-control. 00:12:45.890 --> 00:12:48.247 The stable Christian 00:12:48.247 --> 00:12:51.009 will be producing more love, 00:12:51.009 --> 00:12:55.273 more joy, more peace, and so on. 00:12:55.273 --> 00:12:57.903 Will be producing these character qualities 00:12:57.903 --> 00:12:59.647 in their life. NOTE Paragraph 00:12:59.647 --> 00:13:01.257 But you know, it's also biblical 00:13:01.257 --> 00:13:03.034 to think of our fruitfulness 00:13:03.034 --> 00:13:04.801 in terms of what we do; 00:13:04.801 --> 00:13:08.552 in terms of our service to the Lord - 00:13:08.552 --> 00:13:11.008 what we do for Him. 00:13:11.008 --> 00:13:15.311 The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 - 00:13:15.311 --> 00:13:17.583 that last verse in that long chapter - 00:13:17.583 --> 00:13:19.997 he says, "Therefore, my brothers, 00:13:19.997 --> 00:13:22.701 be steadfast, immovable, 00:13:22.701 --> 00:13:26.749 always abounding in the work of the Lord." 00:13:26.749 --> 00:13:28.792 You see how he combines the two thoughts 00:13:28.792 --> 00:13:30.934 of stability on the one hand 00:13:30.934 --> 00:13:32.939 and fruitfulness on the other. 00:13:32.939 --> 00:13:35.064 Be steadfast and immovable 00:13:35.064 --> 00:13:36.994 that you might be abounding 00:13:36.994 --> 00:13:42.153 in the work of the Lord. 00:13:42.153 --> 00:13:44.023 You see at times ministry, 00:13:44.023 --> 00:13:46.161 at times service to the Lord, 00:13:46.161 --> 00:13:48.246 there's times it's not as fun 00:13:48.246 --> 00:13:50.110 as other times. 00:13:50.110 --> 00:13:52.607 There's times where you're discouraged, right? 00:13:52.607 --> 00:13:54.301 And you think, what's the use? 00:13:54.301 --> 00:13:56.477 Why are we messing around with this? 00:13:56.477 --> 00:13:58.694 And you start casting your eyes about 00:13:58.694 --> 00:14:01.842 at different greener pastures perhaps. 00:14:01.842 --> 00:14:05.341 Well, very often, the right answer is just be stable. 00:14:05.341 --> 00:14:07.282 Just be where you're at. 00:14:07.282 --> 00:14:10.052 Just be fruitful right there 00:14:10.052 --> 00:14:14.137 where God has you in that place. NOTE Paragraph 00:14:14.137 --> 00:14:15.966 I thought too of this application. 00:14:15.966 --> 00:14:19.526 And I don't know how it is here in your church, 00:14:19.526 --> 00:14:21.109 but I know in many churches, 00:14:21.109 --> 00:14:22.859 there's some young men 00:14:22.859 --> 00:14:24.242 that have thoughts - 00:14:24.242 --> 00:14:25.942 I was in this spot once - 00:14:25.942 --> 00:14:27.309 have these thoughts about, 00:14:27.309 --> 00:14:30.882 maybe I'm going to be a preacher someday. 00:14:30.882 --> 00:14:33.538 Maybe the Lord is calling me 00:14:33.538 --> 00:14:35.713 to some kind of ministry work 00:14:35.713 --> 00:14:37.599 in the future. 00:14:37.599 --> 00:14:39.431 If you're in that spot; 00:14:39.431 --> 00:14:41.414 if anybody's here in that spot, 00:14:41.414 --> 00:14:45.553 my question to you, brother, 00:14:45.553 --> 00:14:48.743 is how stable is your Christian life? 00:14:48.743 --> 00:14:51.714 How stable is your basic walk 00:14:51.714 --> 00:14:53.788 with the Lord Jesus? 00:14:53.788 --> 00:14:57.551 If it's all up and down; 00:14:57.551 --> 00:14:59.255 if it's unstable, 00:14:59.255 --> 00:15:03.076 you're not going to be producing much fruit. 00:15:03.076 --> 00:15:05.473 And that instability of your life 00:15:05.473 --> 00:15:07.024 is going to hold you back 00:15:07.024 --> 00:15:09.806 from doing all this stuff for the Lord 00:15:09.806 --> 00:15:11.820 that you imagine yourself doing. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:13.688 It's going to hold you back way more 00:15:13.688 --> 00:15:16.239 than your Greek skills will hold you back 00:15:16.239 --> 00:15:18.739 or your ability to cobble together a sermon 00:15:18.739 --> 00:15:21.383 will hold you back. 00:15:21.383 --> 00:15:24.048 Is your walk with the Lord stable? 00:15:24.048 --> 00:15:25.187 Is it consistent? 00:15:25.187 --> 00:15:28.003 Is it solid like this fruitful tree here? NOTE Paragraph 00:15:28.003 --> 00:15:30.083 Well, the second thing we see here 00:15:30.083 --> 00:15:31.453 about stable Christians 00:15:31.453 --> 00:15:35.480 is that they avoid bad influences. 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:36.949 You see that in verse 1. 00:15:36.949 --> 00:15:38.672 It says, "How blessed is the man 00:15:38.672 --> 00:15:41.018 who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, 00:15:41.018 --> 00:15:43.032 or stand in the path of sinners, 00:15:43.032 --> 00:15:47.355 or sit in the seat of scoffers." 00:15:47.355 --> 00:15:49.586 You see, if you want to be a stable, 00:15:49.586 --> 00:15:51.564 fruitful Christian, 00:15:51.564 --> 00:15:53.018 you've got to be careful 00:15:53.018 --> 00:15:55.539 about who is influencing you. 00:15:55.539 --> 00:16:00.774 We are all affected by the people around us, 00:16:00.774 --> 00:16:02.624 the friends we have, 00:16:02.624 --> 00:16:04.410 the things we're listening to, 00:16:04.410 --> 00:16:06.887 the things we're taking in from the media, 00:16:06.887 --> 00:16:08.414 the entertainment stuff 00:16:08.414 --> 00:16:11.102 that we're into, 00:16:11.102 --> 00:16:13.403 the websites we read. 00:16:13.403 --> 00:16:16.136 We're affected by all these things. 00:16:16.136 --> 00:16:18.813 The Bible talks about it a bunch of places 00:16:18.813 --> 00:16:21.471 and it can affect the stability 00:16:21.471 --> 00:16:22.960 of your walk with the Lord. 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:25.972 If you've got bad influences, 00:16:25.972 --> 00:16:28.622 it can cause you to doubt God. 00:16:28.622 --> 00:16:31.336 It can cause you to become discontent. 00:16:31.336 --> 00:16:37.418 It can defile your conscience with foul stuff. 00:16:37.418 --> 00:16:41.466 It can cause a worldly way of thinking 00:16:41.466 --> 00:16:43.342 to begin to influence you 00:16:43.342 --> 00:16:45.314 and change how you think 00:16:45.314 --> 00:16:47.491 about spiritual things. 00:16:47.491 --> 00:16:49.913 It makes a difference for us. 00:16:49.913 --> 00:16:53.317 You start to lose touch with spiritual reality 00:16:53.317 --> 00:16:54.636 and before long, 00:16:54.636 --> 00:16:57.918 the chart over there kind of takes a nosedive. 00:16:57.918 --> 00:17:01.110 Why? You're hanging out with scoffers too much. 00:17:01.118 --> 00:17:03.151 It's affecting you. 00:17:03.151 --> 00:17:06.036 And so in order to become more spiritually stable, 00:17:06.036 --> 00:17:08.497 you might have to cut off certain things - 00:17:08.497 --> 00:17:09.959 certain habits where you say 00:17:09.959 --> 00:17:12.469 this is not good for my soul. 00:17:12.469 --> 00:17:14.518 I need to change this. 00:17:14.518 --> 00:17:16.573 And so you maybe lay aside - 00:17:16.573 --> 00:17:19.048 maybe you have to lay aside some friends 00:17:19.048 --> 00:17:23.857 or some of the media you consume. 00:17:23.857 --> 00:17:26.324 Of course, we want to be evangelizing lost people. 00:17:26.324 --> 00:17:27.458 That's what people say. 00:17:27.458 --> 00:17:29.296 I want to witness to my lost friends. 00:17:29.296 --> 00:17:31.280 And of course, we want to be doing that. 00:17:31.280 --> 00:17:33.738 Jesus hung out with sinners 00:17:33.738 --> 00:17:35.662 that He might witness to them. 00:17:35.662 --> 00:17:40.691 The crucial thing is who is influencing who in this deal. 00:17:40.691 --> 00:17:42.317 Be careful. 00:17:42.317 --> 00:17:45.371 Maybe scoffers are influencing you too much 00:17:45.371 --> 00:17:48.044 rather than vice versa. NOTE Paragraph 00:17:48.044 --> 00:17:50.219 There's actually a similar thought to this 00:17:50.219 --> 00:17:53.525 over in Proverbs 24:21. 00:17:53.525 --> 00:17:56.755 It says, "My son, fear the Lord and the king. 00:17:56.755 --> 00:17:59.383 Do not associate with those 00:17:59.383 --> 00:18:02.144 who are given to change." 00:18:02.144 --> 00:18:03.222 Interesting verse. 00:18:03.222 --> 00:18:04.659 Do not associate with those 00:18:04.659 --> 00:18:07.207 given to change. 00:18:07.207 --> 00:18:09.195 Who are these people given to change? 00:18:09.195 --> 00:18:11.159 Well, it's unstable people. 00:18:11.159 --> 00:18:12.823 It's up and down people. 00:18:12.823 --> 00:18:15.143 Have you noticed this often? 00:18:15.143 --> 00:18:17.758 That unstable people tend to gravitate 00:18:17.758 --> 00:18:20.293 towards other unstable people? 00:18:20.293 --> 00:18:23.409 And they don't help each other very much. 00:18:23.409 --> 00:18:24.949 It's so much better; 00:18:24.949 --> 00:18:27.020 so much better if the shaky person 00:18:27.020 --> 00:18:29.929 would seek out the solid, mature saints, 00:18:29.929 --> 00:18:32.258 like that brother I described at the beginning. 00:18:32.258 --> 00:18:35.885 Maybe he's not the coolest guy in the church, 00:18:35.885 --> 00:18:37.499 but if you'd seek him out; 00:18:37.499 --> 00:18:38.879 if you'd hang out with him, 00:18:38.879 --> 00:18:40.136 you could learn a lot. 00:18:40.136 --> 00:18:42.492 He'd be really good for your soul 00:18:42.492 --> 00:18:45.141 in a lot of ways. NOTE Paragraph 00:18:45.141 --> 00:18:47.829 A third thing about stable Christians 00:18:47.829 --> 00:18:49.499 is that they are consistent 00:18:49.499 --> 00:18:52.880 in spiritual disciplines. 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:54.256 Look at verse 2. 00:18:54.256 --> 00:18:57.385 It says of this stable saint, 00:18:57.385 --> 00:19:01.177 it says, "his delight is in the law of the Lord 00:19:01.177 --> 00:19:05.957 and in His law, he meditates day and night." 00:19:05.957 --> 00:19:08.576 This guy's in the Bible, isn't he? 00:19:08.576 --> 00:19:09.740 He's in the Bible. 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:11.505 I mean, we're happy to get somebody 00:19:11.505 --> 00:19:12.926 reading the Bible once a day. 00:19:12.926 --> 00:19:15.042 This guy's in it day and night. 00:19:15.042 --> 00:19:17.100 I mean, his life is saturated 00:19:17.100 --> 00:19:20.575 with the Scriptures. 00:19:20.575 --> 00:19:22.876 Now, there are Christians - 00:19:22.876 --> 00:19:26.303 maybe there's some even here - 00:19:26.303 --> 00:19:30.908 who if you had to give a report publicly 00:19:30.908 --> 00:19:34.783 of your Bible reading over the last year, 00:19:34.783 --> 00:19:36.069 you'd be ashamed. 00:19:36.069 --> 00:19:38.636 You'd be ashamed for others to know 00:19:38.636 --> 00:19:41.102 your own Bible reading. 00:19:41.102 --> 00:19:42.950 Maybe you go days at a time 00:19:42.950 --> 00:19:44.903 and don't read anything at all. 00:19:44.903 --> 00:19:48.193 And maybe it's just kind of this haphazard, 00:19:48.193 --> 00:19:53.724 just sort of jump around here and there in the Word. 00:19:53.724 --> 00:19:57.282 I was that way for awhile in my life. 00:19:57.282 --> 00:19:59.119 I know there were seasons like that. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.592 And you know what was going on during those seasons? 00:20:01.592 --> 00:20:03.365 The chart was looking real bad. 00:20:03.365 --> 00:20:04.341 It was going down. 00:20:04.341 --> 00:20:07.233 When you're inconsistent in the Word, 00:20:07.233 --> 00:20:10.423 it's like everything else suffers. 00:20:10.423 --> 00:20:12.699 Brethren, there's some of you 00:20:12.699 --> 00:20:16.301 that haven't read certain wonderful books 00:20:16.301 --> 00:20:17.767 of the Old Testament 00:20:17.767 --> 00:20:20.949 since the Bush Administration or something. 00:20:20.949 --> 00:20:23.415 There's wonderful things in that Bible. 00:20:23.415 --> 00:20:25.397 If we don't see them regularly, 00:20:25.397 --> 00:20:26.871 we forget they're there. 00:20:26.871 --> 00:20:29.760 There's just riches in God's Word. NOTE Paragraph 00:20:29.760 --> 00:20:31.621 But look at this guy in Psalm 1. 00:20:31.621 --> 00:20:34.466 It's not just that he's disciplined, 00:20:34.466 --> 00:20:36.679 but he's also delighting, right? 00:20:36.679 --> 00:20:39.546 Those are the two things you have to hold on to, right? 00:20:39.546 --> 00:20:41.745 Both discipline and delight. 00:20:41.745 --> 00:20:43.360 Verse 2, "his delight 00:20:43.360 --> 00:20:45.767 is in the law of the Lord." 00:20:45.767 --> 00:20:49.184 How is it that he's able to enjoy the Bible? 00:20:49.184 --> 00:20:53.094 It says, "in His law, he meditates day and night." 00:20:53.094 --> 00:20:54.588 I think that's the key to it. 00:20:54.588 --> 00:20:56.926 He's meditating on the Word. 00:20:56.926 --> 00:20:58.767 He's not just grinding along. 00:20:58.767 --> 00:21:01.323 "I'm going to read my two chapters today." 00:21:01.323 --> 00:21:04.836 Not just reading across the tops of the words, 00:21:04.836 --> 00:21:06.249 like we often do, 00:21:06.249 --> 00:21:08.094 but he's meditating on the Word. 00:21:08.094 --> 00:21:10.104 He's stopping. He's praying over it. 00:21:10.104 --> 00:21:12.632 He's seeking to apply it to himself. 00:21:12.632 --> 00:21:16.053 He's seeking to obey the Word of God. 00:21:16.053 --> 00:21:17.745 He's meditating on it, 00:21:17.745 --> 00:21:19.898 and it's become his delight now. 00:21:19.898 --> 00:21:21.757 And now he can't get enough of it. 00:21:21.757 --> 00:21:25.505 He's soaking in the Word day and night. 00:21:25.505 --> 00:21:28.978 It's a wonderful picture here. 00:21:28.978 --> 00:21:31.109 The daily feeding on Scripture. 00:21:31.109 --> 00:21:33.436 It's like the streams of water 00:21:33.436 --> 00:21:36.896 that keep supplying this tree 00:21:36.896 --> 00:21:39.666 that's planted by the stream. NOTE Paragraph 00:21:39.666 --> 00:21:41.170 Now, I know Psalm 1 here - 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:43.748 it's just talking about consistency in the Bible, 00:21:43.748 --> 00:21:46.577 but could we broaden the application a little bit 00:21:46.577 --> 00:21:50.628 and just include spiritual disciplines generally? 00:21:50.628 --> 00:21:52.507 I assume you guys are familiar 00:21:52.507 --> 00:21:55.231 with Don Whitney's book on spiritual disciplines? 00:21:55.231 --> 00:21:57.190 Really, a fine, helpful work. 00:21:57.190 --> 00:22:00.001 I think he covers like a dozen things in there. 00:22:00.001 --> 00:22:02.753 I mean, who's going to keep track of a dozen things? 00:22:02.753 --> 00:22:04.890 I tend to talk about three things 00:22:04.890 --> 00:22:06.449 with the guys in our church, 00:22:06.449 --> 00:22:08.022 if you'll do these three things, 00:22:08.022 --> 00:22:10.165 you're probably going to be pretty solid: 00:22:10.165 --> 00:22:12.774 Bible, prayer, and church. Bible, prayer, and church. 00:22:12.774 --> 00:22:16.508 If you're in the Bible every day, 00:22:16.508 --> 00:22:19.542 if you have a time of private prayer - 00:22:19.542 --> 00:22:20.651 real private prayer, 00:22:20.651 --> 00:22:23.178 not just saying a couple sentences in the car, 00:22:23.178 --> 00:22:25.729 but real private prayer with God - 00:22:25.729 --> 00:22:28.654 and then thirdly, if you're involved 00:22:28.654 --> 00:22:31.330 in church life an a thorough, 00:22:31.330 --> 00:22:32.690 healthy way, 00:22:32.690 --> 00:22:34.734 if you do those three things consistently, 00:22:34.734 --> 00:22:36.725 you'll probably grow like crazy. 00:22:36.725 --> 00:22:38.580 There's great grace that comes 00:22:38.580 --> 00:22:42.389 through just doing the basic means of grace 00:22:42.389 --> 00:22:45.408 that God has given to us. 00:22:45.408 --> 00:22:49.005 So, anyway, this fellow in Psalm 1, 00:22:49.005 --> 00:22:51.839 he's consistent in the spiritual disciplines. NOTE Paragraph 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:54.483 A fourth thing about stable Christians 00:22:54.483 --> 00:22:59.496 is that they can handle the trials of life. 00:22:59.496 --> 00:23:01.477 And I get that from verse 3 00:23:01.477 --> 00:23:03.861 where it says that, 00:23:03.861 --> 00:23:06.719 "its leaf does not wither." 00:23:06.719 --> 00:23:08.400 Its leaf does not wither. 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:11.019 So picture this time of terrible drought 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:12.898 in the land, 00:23:12.898 --> 00:23:14.530 and all around this tree, 00:23:14.530 --> 00:23:16.604 there are plants that are withering. 00:23:16.604 --> 00:23:19.468 There are even trees that are dropping their leaves 00:23:19.468 --> 00:23:21.500 and about to die. 00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:24.141 It's a bad scene out there. 00:23:24.141 --> 00:23:25.943 And then you look over at this tree 00:23:25.943 --> 00:23:27.120 by the water, 00:23:27.120 --> 00:23:28.760 and he's still doing just fine. 00:23:28.760 --> 00:23:30.304 His leaves aren't dropping. 00:23:30.304 --> 00:23:32.132 His leaves aren't even withering. 00:23:32.132 --> 00:23:33.957 He's continuing to thrive 00:23:33.957 --> 00:23:37.377 in the midst of the drought. 00:23:37.377 --> 00:23:39.211 There in Jeremiah, 00:23:39.211 --> 00:23:42.568 the prophet uses a really similar picture to this. 00:23:42.568 --> 00:23:45.324 I'll just read it - Jeremiah 17:7. 00:23:45.324 --> 00:23:47.473 He says, "Blessed is the man 00:23:47.473 --> 00:23:49.361 who trusts in the Lord, 00:23:49.361 --> 00:23:52.555 for he will be like a tree planted by the water 00:23:52.555 --> 00:23:55.567 that extends its roots by a stream 00:23:55.567 --> 00:23:58.449 and will not fear when the heat comes, 00:23:58.449 --> 00:24:00.775 but its leaves will be green; 00:24:00.775 --> 00:24:03.524 it will not be anxious in a year of drought 00:24:03.524 --> 00:24:06.849 nor cease to yield fruit." 00:24:06.849 --> 00:24:08.470 That's it exactly. 00:24:08.470 --> 00:24:09.965 The tree that's stable 00:24:09.965 --> 00:24:11.875 can handle the drought; 00:24:11.875 --> 00:24:13.905 can handle the hard times, 00:24:13.905 --> 00:24:16.127 the trials of life. 00:24:16.127 --> 00:24:19.516 See, spiritual stability is not the idea 00:24:19.516 --> 00:24:22.407 of, well, I'm doing okay now, 00:24:22.407 --> 00:24:25.591 and I'll do okay as long as nothing bad happens. 00:24:25.591 --> 00:24:27.185 See, that won't get you very far 00:24:27.185 --> 00:24:29.449 because bad stuff is going to happen. 00:24:29.449 --> 00:24:30.895 It's promised to us. 00:24:30.895 --> 00:24:32.315 There will be tribulation. 00:24:32.315 --> 00:24:35.239 There will be hard trials. 00:24:35.239 --> 00:24:38.489 A verse on that - 1 Thessalonians 3:3. 00:24:38.489 --> 00:24:40.866 Paul says, "that no man may be 00:24:40.866 --> 00:24:43.068 disturbed by these afflictions, 00:24:43.068 --> 00:24:44.987 for you yourselves know 00:24:44.987 --> 00:24:47.473 we've been destined for this." 00:24:47.473 --> 00:24:49.911 He says you've been destined - for what? 00:24:49.911 --> 00:24:52.017 Destined for afflictions. 00:24:52.017 --> 00:24:53.786 He says I'm telling you this so that 00:24:53.786 --> 00:24:55.788 you'll not be disturbed by them; 00:24:55.788 --> 00:24:57.829 you'll not be destabilized 00:24:57.829 --> 00:25:00.111 by the afflictions when they come. 00:25:00.111 --> 00:25:01.904 I'm telling you in advance, 00:25:01.904 --> 00:25:03.756 you're destined for this 00:25:03.756 --> 00:25:07.239 that the Lord might sustain you 00:25:07.239 --> 00:25:08.727 when it arises. NOTE Paragraph 00:25:08.727 --> 00:25:10.205 You see this sometimes though. 00:25:10.205 --> 00:25:12.367 Somebody seems to be a Christian; 00:25:12.367 --> 00:25:14.010 they seem to be doing okay, 00:25:14.010 --> 00:25:15.795 but some crisis happens. 00:25:15.795 --> 00:25:17.751 Something happens in their family. 00:25:17.751 --> 00:25:19.796 Something happens with their kids 00:25:19.796 --> 00:25:21.624 or their job or something, 00:25:21.624 --> 00:25:24.078 and it's like they just fall apart. 00:25:24.078 --> 00:25:25.915 You know, they start missing meetings, 00:25:25.915 --> 00:25:27.631 stop communicating, become distant 00:25:27.631 --> 00:25:32.798 and disappear. 00:25:32.798 --> 00:25:34.789 It doesn't have to be that way. 00:25:34.789 --> 00:25:39.473 Psalm 55:22 is such a wonderful promise. 00:25:39.473 --> 00:25:41.068 Do you know this promise? 00:25:41.068 --> 00:25:44.563 It says, "Cast your burden upon the Lord 00:25:44.563 --> 00:25:46.703 and He will sustain you. 00:25:46.703 --> 00:25:49.227 He will never allow the righteous 00:25:49.227 --> 00:25:52.416 to be shaken." 00:25:52.416 --> 00:25:54.500 So here's this burden, right? 00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:55.969 Here's this problem 00:25:55.969 --> 00:25:59.125 that is weighing down on you. 00:25:59.125 --> 00:26:00.567 What does it say to do? 00:26:00.567 --> 00:26:02.998 It says cast your burden upon the Lord. 00:26:02.998 --> 00:26:04.677 Put it upon Him. 00:26:04.677 --> 00:26:06.406 Lord, You take it. 00:26:06.406 --> 00:26:08.996 I can't handle this, Lord. I'm putting it on You. 00:26:08.996 --> 00:26:11.486 I'm trusting You with this. 00:26:11.486 --> 00:26:13.481 And then the promise 00:26:13.481 --> 00:26:16.535 that He'll not allow you to be shaken by it; 00:26:16.535 --> 00:26:19.370 the promise that He will sustain you 00:26:19.370 --> 00:26:21.262 in that trial. 00:26:21.262 --> 00:26:25.112 Stability, consistency, fruitfulness 00:26:25.112 --> 00:26:28.233 can continue right through the trial. 00:26:28.233 --> 00:26:30.488 And you know how it is with many Christians. 00:26:30.488 --> 00:26:32.178 Their life becomes sweeter 00:26:32.178 --> 00:26:33.690 and more fruitful 00:26:33.690 --> 00:26:35.872 as they go through hard things. 00:26:35.872 --> 00:26:37.689 There's more glory to God 00:26:37.689 --> 00:26:39.825 coming from those times. 00:26:39.825 --> 00:26:41.075 God is sustaining them. 00:26:41.075 --> 00:26:43.381 Similar verse - Psalm 112:6 00:26:43.381 --> 00:26:46.392 says, "For he will never be shaken; 00:26:46.392 --> 00:26:48.918 the righteous will be remembered forever. 00:26:48.918 --> 00:26:51.304 He will not fear evil tidings. 00:26:51.304 --> 00:26:54.608 His heart is steadfast trusting in the Lord. 00:26:54.608 --> 00:26:56.864 His heart is upheld. 00:26:56.864 --> 00:27:00.043 He will not fear." 00:27:00.043 --> 00:27:01.729 Just saying it again and again, 00:27:01.729 --> 00:27:03.163 God will sustain you. 00:27:03.163 --> 00:27:05.457 You don't have to be shaken by this. 00:27:05.457 --> 00:27:07.988 You can be steadfast and stable 00:27:07.988 --> 00:27:09.091 through the trial 00:27:09.091 --> 00:27:12.976 because God is sustaining you in it. 00:27:12.976 --> 00:27:15.479 That's spiritual stability. 00:27:15.479 --> 00:27:17.939 That's encouraging, isn't it. 00:27:17.939 --> 00:27:20.008 So that's four things from this psalm, 00:27:20.008 --> 00:27:22.141 but I'd like to add a few more thoughts 00:27:22.141 --> 00:27:23.952 if I could from the New Testament 00:27:23.952 --> 00:27:27.008 and kind of build this out a little further. NOTE Paragraph 00:27:27.008 --> 00:27:29.168 A fifth thing that we see - 00:27:29.168 --> 00:27:33.046 a fifth characteristic of stable Christians 00:27:33.046 --> 00:27:37.606 is that they embrace sound doctrine. 00:27:37.606 --> 00:27:40.965 Stable Christians embrace sound doctrine. 00:27:40.965 --> 00:27:42.807 Truth is a big deal. 00:27:42.807 --> 00:27:44.915 Maybe we could turn in the New Testament 00:27:44.915 --> 00:27:52.268 to Ephesians 4. 00:27:52.268 --> 00:27:54.525 Ephesians 4 is talking about 00:27:54.525 --> 00:27:56.118 at the beginning of the chapter 00:27:56.118 --> 00:27:59.874 about how Christ has given gifts 00:27:59.874 --> 00:28:01.471 to all these preachers 00:28:01.471 --> 00:28:04.811 for the building up of the body of Christ 00:28:04.811 --> 00:28:08.213 that we might become a mature man, 00:28:08.213 --> 00:28:10.008 it says in verse 13. 00:28:10.008 --> 00:28:12.641 And then the next verse, verse 14, 00:28:12.641 --> 00:28:15.508 he says, "As a result..." 00:28:15.508 --> 00:28:18.531 So, as a result of these ministries 00:28:18.531 --> 00:28:22.353 of teaching and proclaiming truth to us, 00:28:22.353 --> 00:28:24.965 enabling us to become mature - 00:28:24.965 --> 00:28:26.780 as a result of that, 00:28:26.780 --> 00:28:29.005 Ephesians 4:14, 00:28:29.005 --> 00:28:32.421 "We are no longer to be children 00:28:32.421 --> 00:28:35.501 tossed here and there by waves 00:28:35.501 --> 00:28:37.017 and carried about 00:28:37.017 --> 00:28:39.791 by every wind of doctrine, 00:28:39.791 --> 00:28:42.495 by the trickery of men, 00:28:42.495 --> 00:28:48.076 by craftiness in deceitful scheming. 00:28:48.076 --> 00:28:50.021 But speaking the truth in love, 00:28:50.021 --> 00:28:52.247 we are to grow up in all aspects 00:28:52.247 --> 00:28:54.871 into Him who is the Head, 00:28:54.871 --> 00:28:57.573 even Christ." 00:28:57.573 --> 00:29:00.995 What imagery this is in verse 14! 00:29:00.995 --> 00:29:04.968 Children, tossed here and there by waves; 00:29:04.968 --> 00:29:07.808 carried about by every wind of doctrine. 00:29:07.808 --> 00:29:10.606 I picture little kids in a rubber raft 00:29:10.606 --> 00:29:13.109 out in some storm at sea or something. 00:29:13.109 --> 00:29:15.619 It just is this horrible, scary position. 00:29:15.619 --> 00:29:18.219 I mean, they're just being blown everywhere. 00:29:18.219 --> 00:29:19.907 They can't do anything about it. 00:29:19.907 --> 00:29:22.307 They're up and down and all over the place. 00:29:22.307 --> 00:29:25.401 And there's people whose lives are that way 00:29:25.401 --> 00:29:28.153 because they're not grounded in truth. 00:29:28.153 --> 00:29:30.016 See, the issue here is truth. 00:29:30.016 --> 00:29:32.628 It's sound teaching. 00:29:32.628 --> 00:29:35.886 It's truth that will settle us down 00:29:35.886 --> 00:29:37.779 and make us stable. 00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:40.300 Hebrews 13:9 says, 00:29:40.300 --> 00:29:42.740 "Do not be carried away 00:29:42.740 --> 00:29:46.815 by varied and strange teachings." 00:29:46.815 --> 00:29:48.714 Carried away. 00:29:48.714 --> 00:29:50.927 Drawn off course by varied 00:29:50.927 --> 00:29:53.316 and strange teachings. 00:29:53.316 --> 00:29:55.767 Have you met a Christian before 00:29:55.767 --> 00:29:57.637 that seems pretty solid, 00:29:57.637 --> 00:30:00.371 seems to love the Lord a lot, 00:30:00.371 --> 00:30:03.214 but they have this strange teaching? 00:30:03.214 --> 00:30:06.087 It's like there's this one thing that's just weird 00:30:06.087 --> 00:30:07.579 that they're into. 00:30:07.579 --> 00:30:10.859 And that one thing never helps them, does it? 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:12.185 They think it's a big deal, 00:30:12.185 --> 00:30:13.433 but it's not helping them. 00:30:13.433 --> 00:30:15.837 It's drawing them off course. 00:30:15.837 --> 00:30:18.801 It's getting them away from the things that matter - 00:30:18.801 --> 00:30:21.263 Christ and Him crucified, 00:30:21.263 --> 00:30:23.501 the gospel essentials. 00:30:23.501 --> 00:30:25.469 Varied and strange teaching. 00:30:25.469 --> 00:30:27.049 When the Apostle Peter warns 00:30:27.049 --> 00:30:29.420 about false teachers, he says 00:30:29.420 --> 00:30:32.912 in 2 Peter 2 - he says that they entice 00:30:32.912 --> 00:30:35.338 unstable souls. 00:30:35.338 --> 00:30:37.139 He says false teachers are actually 00:30:37.139 --> 00:30:39.717 looking for unstable people 00:30:39.717 --> 00:30:41.805 and they prey upon them. 00:30:41.805 --> 00:30:45.018 So the person that's unstable 00:30:45.018 --> 00:30:47.503 because they don't have truth, 00:30:47.503 --> 00:30:50.177 now the false teacher comes after you 00:30:50.177 --> 00:30:51.669 and now you get worse. 00:30:51.669 --> 00:30:56.718 It's like this downward spiral into error. 00:30:56.718 --> 00:30:58.925 Fearful picture. NOTE Paragraph 00:30:58.925 --> 00:31:01.428 Peter says something similar in the next chapter. 00:31:01.428 --> 00:31:03.302 We probably ought to turn over to this. 00:31:03.302 --> 00:31:11.688 This is 2 Peter 3:15. 00:31:11.688 --> 00:31:20.321 2 Peter 3:15. 00:31:20.321 --> 00:31:21.945 So here Peter is talking about 00:31:21.945 --> 00:31:27.270 these letters from our beloved brother Paul. 00:31:27.270 --> 00:31:29.787 And he mentions in verse 16 00:31:29.787 --> 00:31:34.051 that in his letters are some things 00:31:34.051 --> 00:31:36.294 hard to understand, 00:31:36.294 --> 00:31:38.504 and we know what he's talking about there. 00:31:38.504 --> 00:31:40.327 We've encountered some of those things 00:31:40.327 --> 00:31:45.119 in Paul's letters that are hard to understand. 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:47.825 But what he has to say is really very serious. 00:31:47.825 --> 00:31:51.001 It says, "Which the untaught 00:31:51.001 --> 00:31:54.550 and unstable distort." 00:31:54.550 --> 00:31:56.252 Untaught and unstable. 00:31:56.252 --> 00:31:58.038 That always goes together - 00:31:58.038 --> 00:32:00.366 just about always goes together, doesn't it? 00:32:00.366 --> 00:32:03.949 Untaught people tend to be unstable people. 00:32:03.949 --> 00:32:06.972 And what do they do? 00:32:06.972 --> 00:32:08.877 Well, the verb is distort. 00:32:08.877 --> 00:32:12.135 They distort those difficult things 00:32:12.135 --> 00:32:16.728 as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 00:32:16.728 --> 00:32:19.976 So, they're distorting Scripture. 00:32:19.976 --> 00:32:21.384 The untaught person; 00:32:21.384 --> 00:32:23.611 the spiritually unstable person; 00:32:23.611 --> 00:32:25.647 the person not grounded in truth, 00:32:25.647 --> 00:32:28.697 they're distorting the Bible. 00:32:28.697 --> 00:32:31.930 They're taking it out of its proper proportion, right? 00:32:31.930 --> 00:32:35.151 They're majoring on minor stuff often. 00:32:35.151 --> 00:32:37.572 And it's like why do you think that's a big deal? 00:32:37.572 --> 00:32:40.668 Can't you see the big picture looks like this? 00:32:40.668 --> 00:32:44.648 It's distorted. It's twisted. 00:32:44.648 --> 00:32:47.810 But the consequence of this is big, isn't it? 00:32:47.810 --> 00:32:51.178 It says, "to their own destruction," 00:32:51.178 --> 00:32:52.581 at the end of verse 16. 00:32:52.581 --> 00:32:55.230 It's not just their theology's a little wrong, 00:32:55.230 --> 00:32:57.581 but no, they can be destroyed 00:32:57.581 --> 00:32:59.881 for distorting the Scripture, 00:32:59.881 --> 00:33:02.832 not understanding truth. 00:33:02.832 --> 00:33:04.591 And then he goes on in verse 17, 00:33:04.591 --> 00:33:06.223 "you therefore, beloved, 00:33:06.223 --> 00:33:07.951 knowing this beforehand, 00:33:07.951 --> 00:33:10.331 be on your guard." 00:33:10.331 --> 00:33:13.070 He says we need to be careful about this. 00:33:13.070 --> 00:33:15.975 "Being carried away by the error 00:33:15.975 --> 00:33:17.878 of unprincipled men, 00:33:17.878 --> 00:33:20.903 you fall from your own steadfastness." 00:33:20.903 --> 00:33:23.034 It's like you think you're solid. 00:33:23.034 --> 00:33:24.891 You think you're doing well now. 00:33:24.891 --> 00:33:26.236 Well, just be careful, 00:33:26.236 --> 00:33:27.811 you don't get enticed 00:33:27.811 --> 00:33:30.402 by some of this false teaching out here 00:33:30.402 --> 00:33:33.530 and you lose your own steadfastness. 00:33:33.530 --> 00:33:35.957 You can be steadfast and then lose it 00:33:35.957 --> 00:33:37.944 when you get into error. 00:33:37.944 --> 00:33:39.590 That's what he's warning against. 00:33:39.590 --> 00:33:41.012 So truth matters, right, 00:33:41.012 --> 00:33:44.373 you cannot separate good doctrine 00:33:44.373 --> 00:33:47.336 from right living. 00:33:47.336 --> 00:33:49.419 The more grounded in truth you are 00:33:49.419 --> 00:33:51.546 the more stable and consistent 00:33:51.546 --> 00:33:54.852 your Christian life ought to be. NOTE Paragraph 00:33:54.852 --> 00:33:56.844 Well, that leads us to a sixth thing 00:33:56.844 --> 00:33:58.905 about stable Christians, 00:33:58.905 --> 00:34:01.170 and that is that stable Christians 00:34:01.170 --> 00:34:04.475 resist the devil 00:34:04.475 --> 00:34:06.673 with the whole armor of God. 00:34:06.673 --> 00:34:09.229 Stable Christians will resist the devil 00:34:09.229 --> 00:34:10.988 through the whole armor of God. 00:34:10.988 --> 00:34:12.792 See, there's things that come at us 00:34:12.792 --> 00:34:14.230 to try to destabilize us. 00:34:14.230 --> 00:34:16.466 So false teaching tries to do that. 00:34:16.466 --> 00:34:18.864 Trials seek to do that. 00:34:18.864 --> 00:34:20.918 Well, here's one more. Here's the devil. 00:34:20.918 --> 00:34:22.209 The devil's coming at us 00:34:22.209 --> 00:34:25.310 to try to destabilize us; to knock us down; 00:34:25.310 --> 00:34:29.124 to make the chart go crazy. 00:34:29.124 --> 00:34:32.657 Ephesians 6. Let's just read that paragraph 00:34:32.657 --> 00:34:35.383 about the armor. 00:34:35.383 --> 00:34:37.928 Ephesians 6, and as we read this, 00:34:37.928 --> 00:34:40.157 I want you to look for all the references 00:34:40.157 --> 00:34:44.686 to stability in these familiar verses. NOTE Paragraph 00:34:44.686 --> 00:34:47.510 Ephesians 6:10, he says, 00:34:47.510 --> 00:34:52.695 "Finally, be strong in the Lord..." 00:34:52.695 --> 00:34:54.073 Be strong. 00:34:54.073 --> 00:34:56.519 "...And in the strength of His might. 00:34:56.519 --> 00:34:58.295 Put on the full armor of God 00:34:58.295 --> 00:35:01.053 that you may be able to stand firm..." 00:35:01.053 --> 00:35:02.885 There's the stability term. 00:35:02.885 --> 00:35:05.700 "...Stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 00:35:05.700 --> 00:35:08.139 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:10.257 but against the rulers, against the powers, 00:35:10.257 --> 00:35:12.412 against the world forces of this darkness, 00:35:12.412 --> 00:35:14.886 against spiritual forces of wickedness 00:35:14.886 --> 00:35:16.141 in the heavenly places. 00:35:16.141 --> 00:35:19.176 Therefore take up the full armor of God 00:35:19.176 --> 00:35:21.904 that you may be able to resist in the evil day 00:35:21.904 --> 00:35:27.594 having done everything to stand firm. 00:35:27.594 --> 00:35:29.795 Stand firm therefore, 00:35:29.795 --> 00:35:31.968 having girded your loins with truth; 00:35:31.968 --> 00:35:34.848 having put on the breastplate of righteousness; 00:35:34.848 --> 00:35:37.172 having shod your feet with the preparation 00:35:37.172 --> 00:35:38.552 of the gospel of peace, 00:35:38.552 --> 00:35:39.905 in addition to all, 00:35:39.905 --> 00:35:41.826 taking up the shield of faith 00:35:41.826 --> 00:35:44.300 with which you'll be able to extinguish 00:35:44.300 --> 00:35:48.319 all the flaming missiles of the evil one. 00:35:48.319 --> 00:35:50.419 And take the helmet of salvation 00:35:50.419 --> 00:35:51.938 and the sword of the Spirit 00:35:51.938 --> 00:35:55.748 which is the Word of God." 00:35:55.748 --> 00:35:58.054 So the devil is constantly attacking us. 00:35:58.054 --> 00:36:03.060 He's trying to destabilize us with lies, 00:36:03.060 --> 00:36:05.337 with slanders, with temptations, 00:36:05.337 --> 00:36:10.238 with all sorts of unbelieving thoughts and ideas. 00:36:10.238 --> 00:36:13.452 However he can get those into our heads. 00:36:13.452 --> 00:36:16.619 Ultimately, he's trying to make us casualties. 00:36:16.619 --> 00:36:19.724 He's trying to get you off the battlefield. 00:36:19.724 --> 00:36:24.230 He's trying to destroy your soul. 00:36:24.230 --> 00:36:25.683 Christ on the other hand, 00:36:25.683 --> 00:36:27.899 He wants us to stand firm 00:36:27.899 --> 00:36:29.442 against the devil's schemes. 00:36:29.442 --> 00:36:32.045 To resist. Resist him. 00:36:32.045 --> 00:36:33.937 Resist the doubts and temptations. 00:36:33.937 --> 00:36:35.529 How are we going to do that? 00:36:35.529 --> 00:36:40.039 Verse 13, "Take up the full armor of God." 00:36:40.039 --> 00:36:41.307 The full armor. 00:36:41.307 --> 00:36:42.964 I emphasize that "full" part. 00:36:42.964 --> 00:36:44.490 We're not going to go through, 00:36:44.490 --> 00:36:46.143 we don't have time to go through 00:36:46.143 --> 00:36:48.701 each of the parts of the armor that he mentions here. 00:36:48.701 --> 00:36:52.715 The point is that God has given us the equipment. 00:36:52.715 --> 00:36:55.821 God has given us sufficient means 00:36:55.821 --> 00:36:59.860 whereby we don't have to be exposed to him. 00:36:59.860 --> 00:37:02.244 When somebody keeps being attacked 00:37:02.244 --> 00:37:03.863 by the devil and brought down, 00:37:03.863 --> 00:37:06.712 it's often the case that they're just not 00:37:06.712 --> 00:37:09.481 applying the spiritual armor. 00:37:09.481 --> 00:37:12.395 They're leaving themselves exposed somehow 00:37:12.395 --> 00:37:14.575 and the devil's going right after that thing 00:37:14.575 --> 00:37:17.039 again and again. 00:37:17.039 --> 00:37:19.459 They're in trouble. 00:37:19.459 --> 00:37:23.778 Their life is unstable as a result. 00:37:23.778 --> 00:37:27.191 God's armor is sufficient to protect us; 00:37:27.191 --> 00:37:30.539 to enable us to stand firm. 00:37:30.539 --> 00:37:33.448 He's provided all the means necessary, 00:37:33.448 --> 00:37:35.361 but it's up to us to put on the armor. 00:37:35.361 --> 00:37:37.958 That's what it says. You've got to do something here. 00:37:37.958 --> 00:37:39.545 You've got to apply this. 00:37:39.545 --> 00:37:41.258 You've got to put it on yourself. 00:37:41.258 --> 00:37:43.766 You've got to walk in this reality. 00:37:43.766 --> 00:37:46.774 And if we do, we'll stand firm. 00:37:46.774 --> 00:37:48.916 We can stand firm against him. 00:37:48.916 --> 00:37:50.545 We can resist the devil 00:37:50.545 --> 00:37:52.939 and he'll flee from us, it says. 00:37:52.939 --> 00:37:55.487 Very encouraging words. 00:37:55.487 --> 00:37:58.105 We can resist him 00:37:58.105 --> 00:38:00.200 through the armor that He's given us. NOTE Paragraph 00:38:00.200 --> 00:38:04.643 So six things so far about stable Christians. 00:38:04.643 --> 00:38:06.330 We'll see if I can remember them. 00:38:06.330 --> 00:38:11.149 The first is that stable Christians are fruitful. 00:38:11.149 --> 00:38:13.392 They're fruitful. 00:38:13.392 --> 00:38:15.130 You might think of stability 00:38:15.130 --> 00:38:17.030 as being something kind of boring. 00:38:17.030 --> 00:38:18.906 You think a person that's real stable, 00:38:18.906 --> 00:38:21.396 I bet they're not really accomplishing much for God. 00:38:21.396 --> 00:38:22.811 No, just the opposite. 00:38:22.811 --> 00:38:24.660 The stable Christian is going to be 00:38:24.660 --> 00:38:26.733 the one abounding in fruitfulness. 00:38:26.733 --> 00:38:28.745 He's going to be the productive Christian. 00:38:28.745 --> 00:38:31.621 So fruitfulness is first off. 00:38:31.621 --> 00:38:34.063 Secondly, stable Christians avoid 00:38:34.063 --> 00:38:35.563 bad influences. 00:38:35.563 --> 00:38:38.144 They're not hanging out with scoffers all the time 00:38:38.144 --> 00:38:40.626 and being brought down by that. 00:38:40.626 --> 00:38:43.898 Thirdly, stable Christians are consistent 00:38:43.898 --> 00:38:46.030 in their spiritual disciplines. 00:38:46.030 --> 00:38:48.528 Just read your Bible and pray every day. 00:38:48.528 --> 00:38:50.195 Just that kind of stuff. 00:38:50.195 --> 00:38:53.617 Fourthly, stable Christians can handle 00:38:53.617 --> 00:38:59.164 the trials of life without being destroyed by it; 00:38:59.164 --> 00:39:01.226 without being brought down by it. 00:39:01.226 --> 00:39:04.918 Fifthly, stable Christians embrace 00:39:04.918 --> 00:39:06.949 sound doctrine. 00:39:06.949 --> 00:39:09.095 You've got to have truth 00:39:09.095 --> 00:39:11.585 if you're going to stand firm. 00:39:11.585 --> 00:39:14.241 Then sixthly here, stable Christians 00:39:14.241 --> 00:39:18.172 resist the devil through the whole armor of God 00:39:18.172 --> 00:39:20.418 that He's provided. NOTE Paragraph 00:39:20.418 --> 00:39:22.133 And that leaves us with one more. 00:39:22.133 --> 00:39:26.896 Stable Christians make it to heaven. 00:39:26.896 --> 00:39:33.901 Stable Christians will make it to heaven. 00:39:33.901 --> 00:39:35.284 I want you to be clear. 00:39:35.284 --> 00:39:38.714 I'm not preaching about these things 00:39:38.714 --> 00:39:42.428 just so your pastors will have an easier time 00:39:42.428 --> 00:39:44.803 counseling you in your life. 00:39:44.803 --> 00:39:48.054 Though it may have that effect. 00:39:48.054 --> 00:39:49.670 But I'm talking about these things 00:39:49.670 --> 00:39:51.938 because they're essential 00:39:51.938 --> 00:39:57.277 for you making it to heaven at all. 00:39:57.277 --> 00:39:59.876 Without this stability, 00:39:59.876 --> 00:40:04.259 I doubt whether we can make it. 00:40:04.259 --> 00:40:06.696 If the chart is just volatile, 00:40:06.696 --> 00:40:08.820 if it's just up and down and up and down, 00:40:08.820 --> 00:40:10.982 maybe at some point, it just crashes, 00:40:10.982 --> 00:40:14.219 and you're never heard from again. 00:40:14.219 --> 00:40:15.933 You see, a true Christian 00:40:15.933 --> 00:40:19.846 doesn't just make a profession of faith, 00:40:19.846 --> 00:40:23.354 but he also steadily perseveres 00:40:23.354 --> 00:40:25.326 in that profession. 00:40:25.326 --> 00:40:29.223 He perseveres. How long? How far? 00:40:29.223 --> 00:40:31.176 All the way to the end. 00:40:31.176 --> 00:40:33.130 Jesus talked about it again and again. 00:40:33.130 --> 00:40:35.514 Jesus made a big emphasis 00:40:35.514 --> 00:40:38.833 that it's not in how exciting; 00:40:38.833 --> 00:40:41.287 it's not in how much drama there is 00:40:41.287 --> 00:40:43.055 when you become a Christian, 00:40:43.055 --> 00:40:46.346 but it's continuing on steadily 00:40:46.346 --> 00:40:48.040 in that walk with the Lord 00:40:48.040 --> 00:40:49.431 that gets you there; 00:40:49.431 --> 00:40:51.185 that gets you to heaven in the end. 00:40:51.185 --> 00:40:54.504 Jesus says repeatedly really, 00:40:54.504 --> 00:40:57.459 but here's Matthew 10:22, 00:40:57.459 --> 00:41:00.527 "It's the one who endures to the end who'll be saved." 00:41:00.527 --> 00:41:02.971 Jesus kept saying that. Endure to the end. 00:41:02.971 --> 00:41:05.466 Endure to the end and you'll be saved. 00:41:05.466 --> 00:41:06.991 How about there in Luke 9 00:41:06.991 --> 00:41:08.001 where Jesus says, 00:41:08.001 --> 00:41:11.022 "No one who puts his hand to the plow 00:41:11.022 --> 00:41:13.387 and looks back... 00:41:13.387 --> 00:41:14.913 is fit for the kingdom of God." 00:41:14.913 --> 00:41:16.304 If you become a Christian - 00:41:16.304 --> 00:41:18.023 if you put your hands on the plow, 00:41:18.023 --> 00:41:21.460 you go right straight on across the field. 00:41:21.460 --> 00:41:22.962 Don't keep looking back. 00:41:22.962 --> 00:41:25.085 Don't keep looking back to Egypt. 00:41:25.085 --> 00:41:29.106 You press on with the Lord. NOTE Paragraph 00:41:29.106 --> 00:41:31.725 Jesus' parable about the sower and the soils. 00:41:31.725 --> 00:41:34.221 Really, it's the same thing, right? 00:41:34.221 --> 00:41:38.709 You guys are familiar with the four different types of soil. 00:41:38.709 --> 00:41:40.905 It's not the beginning that matters. 00:41:40.905 --> 00:41:42.395 In three of those cases, 00:41:42.395 --> 00:41:44.747 the seed germinates and grows 00:41:44.747 --> 00:41:46.517 and looks great at first. 00:41:46.517 --> 00:41:48.688 The issue is what's going to be fruitful 00:41:48.688 --> 00:41:49.862 in the end. 00:41:49.862 --> 00:41:52.106 There's only one of those four 00:41:52.106 --> 00:41:54.957 that actually makes it to maturity; 00:41:54.957 --> 00:41:58.241 actually becomes a fruitful plant 00:41:58.241 --> 00:41:59.295 in the end. 00:41:59.295 --> 00:42:01.508 That represents the real Christian. 00:42:01.508 --> 00:42:03.627 The book of Hebrews gives so many warnings 00:42:03.627 --> 00:42:05.936 about the danger of apostasy. 00:42:05.936 --> 00:42:09.336 One thing it says in Hebrews 10:23, 00:42:09.336 --> 00:42:12.138 it says, "Let us hold fast the confession 00:42:12.138 --> 00:42:15.588 of our hope without wavering." 00:42:15.588 --> 00:42:16.904 Without wavering. 00:42:16.904 --> 00:42:20.146 Without this up and down inconsistency. 00:42:20.146 --> 00:42:23.050 Hold it fast without wavering 00:42:23.050 --> 00:42:26.293 all the way to the end. 00:42:26.293 --> 00:42:29.216 You see, this is why spiritual stability 00:42:29.216 --> 00:42:30.795 is so important. 00:42:30.795 --> 00:42:33.639 A lifetime is a really long time. 00:42:33.639 --> 00:42:36.374 A bunch of you younger folks, 00:42:36.374 --> 00:42:38.832 you might need to follow Christ - 00:42:38.832 --> 00:42:40.046 if the Lord tarries, 00:42:40.046 --> 00:42:43.061 you might be following Christ another 50 years. 00:42:43.061 --> 00:42:45.904 A whole lot of stuff's going to happen in those 50 years. 00:42:45.904 --> 00:42:47.537 Things are going to happen to you. 00:42:47.537 --> 00:42:49.444 Things are going to happen in the world. 00:42:49.444 --> 00:42:54.106 We can scarcely imagine I suspect. 00:42:54.106 --> 00:42:56.664 How are you going to continue on with the Lord 00:42:56.664 --> 00:42:58.549 if there's not a settledness; 00:42:58.549 --> 00:43:01.612 if there's not a day to day consistency 00:43:01.612 --> 00:43:02.799 in your walk with Him; 00:43:02.799 --> 00:43:04.917 if you're just up and down and up and down. 00:43:04.917 --> 00:43:06.814 How are you going to make it that far? 00:43:06.814 --> 00:43:08.840 How are you going to make it that far? 00:43:08.840 --> 00:43:11.260 We want you to make it all the way home 00:43:11.260 --> 00:43:13.354 to Heaven. NOTE Paragraph 00:43:13.354 --> 00:43:15.878 There's a race that's set before us 00:43:15.878 --> 00:43:16.876 the Bible says. 00:43:16.876 --> 00:43:19.765 There's a race. And it's not a sprint. 00:43:19.765 --> 00:43:21.015 It's not a sprint, is it. 00:43:21.015 --> 00:43:24.879 It's a long distance marathon. 00:43:24.879 --> 00:43:28.950 It's an ultra-marathon that is set before us. 00:43:28.950 --> 00:43:30.297 Those marathon runners - 00:43:30.297 --> 00:43:31.696 they're not flashy. 00:43:31.696 --> 00:43:34.520 They're not usually very muscular. 00:43:34.520 --> 00:43:36.533 They're almost mechanical. 00:43:36.533 --> 00:43:39.524 They just keep on going. 00:43:39.524 --> 00:43:41.748 They get to the pace 00:43:41.748 --> 00:43:43.645 and they maintain that pace 00:43:43.645 --> 00:43:47.008 until they reach the end. 00:43:47.008 --> 00:43:49.062 That's a picture of the Christian life. 00:43:49.062 --> 00:43:50.107 That's steadiness. 00:43:50.107 --> 00:43:51.607 That's consistency. 00:43:51.607 --> 00:43:53.307 That will get you to heaven. 00:43:53.307 --> 00:43:55.226 Paul could say at the end of his life, 00:43:55.226 --> 00:43:56.829 "I have fought the good fight. 00:43:56.829 --> 00:43:59.246 I have finished the course. 00:43:59.246 --> 00:44:00.865 I've kept the faith." 00:44:00.865 --> 00:44:02.907 He finished the course. 00:44:02.907 --> 00:44:09.055 He was consistent all the way to the end. NOTE Paragraph 00:44:09.055 --> 00:44:11.618 Now, brethren, we know that it's God - 00:44:11.618 --> 00:44:13.576 it's God in His mercy 00:44:13.576 --> 00:44:15.866 that enables us to persevere, right? 00:44:15.866 --> 00:44:18.369 I mean, we're kept by the power of God 00:44:18.369 --> 00:44:20.297 it says in 1 Peter 1. 00:44:20.297 --> 00:44:22.181 We know that. We know it. 00:44:22.181 --> 00:44:24.961 Peter says in chapter 5 that it's God 00:44:24.961 --> 00:44:26.982 who perfects and confirms 00:44:26.982 --> 00:44:29.969 and strengthens and establishes us. 00:44:29.969 --> 00:44:34.834 Our perseverance is a miracle of divine grace. 00:44:34.834 --> 00:44:37.121 But this sermon's not about that. 00:44:37.121 --> 00:44:39.839 It's not about the sovereignty of God side. 00:44:39.839 --> 00:44:43.605 This is about the responsibility of man side. 00:44:43.605 --> 00:44:47.939 That God has given us the means; 00:44:47.939 --> 00:44:49.583 He's put it right in our hands 00:44:49.583 --> 00:44:51.366 right in front of us - 00:44:51.366 --> 00:44:53.926 means we can lay hold of 00:44:53.926 --> 00:44:57.385 to become more spiritually stable 00:44:57.385 --> 00:44:58.988 in our walk with Him, 00:44:58.988 --> 00:45:01.140 and thus more fruitful; 00:45:01.140 --> 00:45:04.406 thus more productive in the kingdom; 00:45:04.406 --> 00:45:07.756 thus have more love and joy and peace; 00:45:07.756 --> 00:45:11.097 thus know Him more, etc., etc. 00:45:11.097 --> 00:45:14.415 God has put the means in our hands 00:45:14.415 --> 00:45:18.428 if we'll be diligent to lay hold of them. 00:45:18.428 --> 00:45:22.038 So that's our exhortation for today. 00:45:22.038 --> 00:45:24.184 And as we do that, 00:45:24.184 --> 00:45:27.499 our chart will start to smooth out. 00:45:27.499 --> 00:45:29.860 Instead of the big ups and downs, 00:45:29.860 --> 00:45:31.850 the ups and downs will get smaller. 00:45:31.850 --> 00:45:34.367 And the line will start going upward. 00:45:34.367 --> 00:45:37.476 There will be growth. There will be progress 00:45:37.476 --> 00:45:38.792 with the Lord. 00:45:38.792 --> 00:45:43.037 Are we all convinced that we can make progress? 00:45:43.037 --> 00:45:45.735 We can grow in grace. 00:45:45.735 --> 00:45:47.936 Are we all convinced 00:45:47.936 --> 00:45:50.574 that we can become more sanctified? 00:45:50.574 --> 00:45:52.986 That there's more of Christ to be known? 00:45:52.986 --> 00:45:55.251 There's more reality to walk in? 00:45:55.251 --> 00:45:57.766 There's more of Canaan to be conquered 00:45:57.766 --> 00:46:00.425 and enjoyed in this life? 00:46:00.425 --> 00:46:03.447 Are we still pressing on the upward way? 00:46:03.447 --> 00:46:07.503 New heights I'm gaining every day? 00:46:07.503 --> 00:46:10.095 Though some may dwell where these abound, 00:46:10.095 --> 00:46:13.418 my constant aim is higher ground. 00:46:13.418 --> 00:46:15.477 Can we say that? Is that a reality for us? 00:46:15.477 --> 00:46:17.021 I hope so. 00:46:17.021 --> 00:46:22.682 Amen.