Jonathan Edwards: “RESOLVED!”
(Pastor Terry L. Reese; Valley GBC, Armagh,
PA, 1/29/24)
Jonathan
Edwards (1703-1758), colonial Congregationalist minister, was a great preacher
and revivalist in Colonial America, noted for his leadership role in the First
Great Awakening and the great sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God" (1741).
He
also served as a missionary to the American Indian and as an early President of
Princeton University. Not only a powerful preacher, Edwards was also a voluminous
writer and is to this day widely regarded by many Christians as the greatest
theological mind that North America has ever produced, defending Calvinist
orthodoxy.
Despite
all of this, his own Northampton church, with the encouragement of his own
kinsmen, the Williams Family, voted him out of the pulpit (without any
arrangement for financial support) for opposing the Half-Way Covenant and
insisting that communicants have a profession of saving faith (Mark 6:4)! He
resettled at a smaller church (Stockbridge) on the edge of the wilderness—where
he enjoyed a lively ministry to the American Indian (despite continuing
agitation from the Williams family).
Around
New Year’s, many commit themselves to making resolutions—many of which fall by
the wayside by the end of January! During his youth, Jonathan Edwards committed
himself to a series of resolutions. Here is a brief sampling, for our
reflection:
UNTO THE GOD… The First and Greatest
Commandment
6 “Resolution One:
I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”
God is FIRST! And if that makes
us non-conformists, so be it!
Matt.
22:36-38: “Teacher, which is the
great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD
YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
“This is the great and foremost commandment.
Rom
12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
» “Resolved, that
I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit
and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the
time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence.
Eph. 1:3-14: “…unto the praise of his glory.” [vv. 6, 12, 14—with ref. to the Trinity]
Westminster Shorter Catechism (1646-47): Question 1. What is the chief end
of man? Answer. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him
forever.
½ “Resolved, to
be continually endeavouring to find out some new contrivance and invention to
promote the aforementioned things.”
Use all you have unto God’s glory! Your mind,
and your time, natural talents, money, resources (Luke 16:9-11—using
unrighteous mammon for HIM; Matt. 25:14-30—the Parable of the Talents).
1Pet.
4:10: As each one has received a gift, employ it
in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God…
Prov.
3:9-10: Honor the LORD from your wealth and
from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and
your vats will overflow with new wine.”
2Cor.
9:6-8: Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. God is able to make all grace
abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may
have an abundance for every good deed…
A
Disciplined & Prioritized Life
¹ “Resolved,
never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I
possibly can.”
Eph 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as
unwise but as wise, making the best use
of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the will of the Lord is.
¹ “Resolved, to live with all my
might, while I do live.”
Eccl. 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with
your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to
which you are going.
John 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me
while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
À “Resolved, to
inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I
possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking.”
The body is a temple; honor God with it
(health & testimony)! In all things, glorify Him!
1Cor
6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
(20) For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God
in your body.
1Cor
10:23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable.
All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
1Cor
10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God.
COUNTING THE DAYS…
 “Resolved,
to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances
which attend death.” (Eccl.
7:1-4)
Ps 103:15-16 As for man, his days are like grass; he
flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no
more.
Ps. 39:5 “Behold,
You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You…
Ps. 90:10 The
years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their
span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Ps. 90:12 So
teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
 “Resolved,
never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour
of my life.”
Tomorrow is not guaranteed us (cf., the Rich Fool—Luke
12:20)—do not boast in it!
Jas.
4:13-15: Come now, you who say, "Today or
tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage
in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be
like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then
vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live
and also do this or that."
 “I frequently
hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their
lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall
wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.”
À “Resolved, that
I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.”
That we could all be like Abraham & Job—who
died “full” (Gen. 25:8, Job 42:17); satisfied, and in a state of shalom…
À “Resolved, I will act so as I think
I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the
future world.”
The sanctifying import of eschatology!
Rom 14:10-12:
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, TO ME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, AND
EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS TO GOD.” So then each one of us will give an account
of himself to God.
[The Judgment Seat of Christ: cf., 2Cor.
5:10; 1Cor. 3:12-15; Parables of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27) & the Talents (Matt.
25:14-30)]
2Cor. 5:9-10: Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at
home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
1John 3:2-3: Beloved, now we are children of God, and it
has not been manifested as yet what we will be. We know that when He is
manifested, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies
himself, just
as He is pure.
2Pet. 3:11-14: 11Since all these things are thus
to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to
be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming
of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and
dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But
according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in
which righteousness dwells. 14Therefore, beloved, since you are
waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without
spot or blemish, and at peace.
Matt. 25:21: "His master said to him, 'Well done,
good and faithful slave.’”
Trust in God
and in His Sovereignty
¼ “Resolved, when I feel pain, to
think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.”
We receive infinitely better than we deserve
(Dave Ramsey’s life-motto)! God reminded a self-pitying Jeremiah of this (Jer.
15:19).
Rom. 5:8: “…while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
1Tim.
1:15: It is a trustworthy statement, deserving
full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among
whom I am foremost of all.
Further, the thorn in the flesh (2Cor.
12:1-10) serves a holy purpose…
Job 37:13: "Whether for correction, or for His world, Or for
lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.”
¼ “Resolved, to examine carefully, and
constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt
of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.”
Like Job, we place God in the dock…
Job 40:8: "Will
you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
¼ “Resolved, to cast away such things,
as I find do abate my assurance.”
Many things serve to do this: backsliding,
false doctrine, lack of trust…
Rom
8:31-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
(32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us
all, how will He not also
with Him freely give us all things? (33) Who will bring a charge against
God's elect? God is the one who justifies;
(34) who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes,
rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for
us. (35) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
(36) Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO
DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
(37) But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him
who loved us. (38) For I am convinced that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
1John
5:11-13:
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is
in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Inward Motivation;
Self-Glorification & Pride
º “Resolved, if I
take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such
account, immediately to throw it by.”
PRIDE: Characteristic of Satan…
Isa
14:12-15 "How
you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have
been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! (13)
"But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my
throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the
recesses of the north. (14) 'I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' (15)
"Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the
pit.
Eze 28:17 "Your
heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason
of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they
may see you.
Characteristic of Eve…
Gen 3:5-6 "For
God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you
will be like God, knowing good and evil." (6) When the woman
saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and
that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate;
and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Characteristic of the Children of the Serpent…
2Tim.
3:1-2a: But realize this, that in the last days
difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self…”
Prov.
16:18: Pride goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall.
Prov.
16:5: Everyone who is proud in heart is an
abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
In contrast, HUMILITY is characteristic of Christ…
Php.
2:3-11: (3) Do nothing from selfish ambition or
conceit, but in humility count others more significant than
yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others. (5) Have this mind among yourselves, which
is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did
not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied
himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of
men. (8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (9) Therefore God
has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
(10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Characteristic of the His regenerate People …
Matt. 5:3: "Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Characteristic of those with whom His favor
rests…
Isa. 66:2:
"But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit,
and who trembles at My word.”
Isa 57:15
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of
spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of
the contrite.”
1Pet. 5:5: 5You
younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe
yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD,
BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 6Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the
proper time, 7casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares
for you.
À “Resolved, to act, in all respects,
both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had
committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and
that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in
myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to
God.”
1Tim.
1:15: It is a trustworthy statement, deserving
full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among
whom I am foremost of all.
[cf., Luke18:9-14; Phar. & Pub.]
Rom. 3:23: “…for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
James
2:10-11: For whoever keeps the whole law and
yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said,
"DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT
MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have
become a transgressor of the law.
Matt.
5:27-28: "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU
SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman
with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [cf., vv. 21-22]
Love for
our Neighbors (The Second Great Law); Benevolence, Self-Control…
“Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and
advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I
meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.”
Matt.
22:39: "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF.”
[Lev. 19:18]
James 2:8: If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according
to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are
doing well.
In connection with partiality; the “Royal
Law.” It is the KING’S Law; it is PRIMARY in governing human
relationships; it is high, princely conduct WORTHY of a King!
Rom.
13:8-10 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he
who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT
COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT
COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this
saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no
wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Gal. 5:13-14: For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not
turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one
another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement,
"YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Ž “Resolved,
never to do anything out of revenge.”
The Tarantino Way vs. the Jesus Way…
The talented but neo-pagan filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is spiritually attuned to REVENGE as a major component of his works (Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, Death Proof, etc.)... Whatever "gods" he serves, it would seem that they demand BLOOD. But what does God's Word say, concerning personal vengeance?
Lev 19:18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge
against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself;
I am the LORD.
Rom
12:17-21 17Never paying back evil for evil
to anyone, respecting what is good in the sight of all men, 18if
possible, so far as it depends on you, being at peace with all men, 19never
taking your own revenge, beloved—instead leave room for the wrath of God. For
it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. 20“BUT
IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR
IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” 21Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. [Deut. 32:35, Prov.
25:21-22]
Shame, remorse of conscience, conviction of sin,
perhaps leading unto repentance.
We are dealing here with matters of personal
vengeance, not the dispensing of criminal justice. Contrast Lamech with
Jesus…
Gen
4:23-24
Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have
killed a man for wounding me; and a boy for striking me; If Cain is avenged
sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."
Matt
18:21-22
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how
often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven
times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven
times, but up to seventy times seven.
Ž “Resolved,
never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings.”
Set aside the “road rage!” The unregenerate
and reprobate are trapped in an animal existence; it is pointless (and
dangerous) to stoop to their level.
Ž “Resolved,
always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and
preserving peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other
respects.
Heb.
12:14: Pursue peace with all men, and the
sanctification without which no one will see the Lord…
A truism: a special blessing unto the godly:
Prov.
16:7: When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
However, sometimes doctrinal error &
sin requires correction (2 Tim. 3:16), organizational division
(Acts 15:36-41), and even discipline (Matt. 18, 1Cor. 5)—but we endeavor to
speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and restore in gentleness (Gal. 6:1-2).
SPEECH
6 “Resolved,
never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or
less, upon no account except for some real good.”
Ž“Let there be
something of benevolence, in all that I speak.”
Our words are the overflow of what’s in the heart!
Even as fruit is indicative of the nature of the tree, so are the words
indicative of the nature of the heart (Matt. 12:33: “…for the tree is known by its fruit”;
cf., Matt. 7:15-20).).
Matt.
12:34: "You brood of vipers,
how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that
which fills the heart.”
Matt.
12:36-37: “But I tell you that
every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in
the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words
you will be condemned.”
Words MURDER reputations—and
hurt worse than sticks and stones.
James
3:2-12: 2For
we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is
a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. 3Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that
they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. 4Look at the
ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still
directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5So also the tongue is a small
part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is
set aflame by such a small fire! 6And
the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set
among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the
course of our existence, and is set on fire by hell. 7For every kind
of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has
been tamed by mankind. 8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a
restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord
and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of
God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,
these things ought not to be so. 11Does a fountain send out from the
same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12Can a fig tree, my
brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce
fresh.
Bits and
rudders control powerful entities; likewise,
control over the tongue is indicative of control over the whole-self (vv.
2-4).
Knowing when and how to
speak requires wisdom and control. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is to
be in control (Eph. 5:18).
Prov.
10:19: “When there are many words,
transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”
Note that an entire
forest is destroyed by one tiny spark (v. 5)! Words are far more destructive
than sticks and stones!
The man who is careless in
speech is “Like a madman who throws
firebrands, arrows, and death” (Prov.
26:18-19).
The tongue’s influence is pervasive
and connected to all manner of evil (v. 6). David likens it to a razor
(Ps. 52:2: “Your tongue devises destruction,
like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.”).
Prov.
10:20a: The tongue of the righteous is
as choice silver
Prov.
16:23-24: The heart
of the wise instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant
words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
It easier to tame or
subdue a wild beast than our tongues (v. 7); in fact, it is impossible
(v. 8)! But with supernatural intervention, God can do what we cannot
do!
Verse 8: full of poison! Words MURDER reputations!
“Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my
reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is
bestial.”—Cassio, in Othello, 2.3.
Verse 9: Destructive of that which is created in the image and likeness of
God (Gen.1:26; Gen. 9:6); contempt for the unique sanctity of human life.
Verses 9 &
10: How absurd and monstrous, that one
and the same instrument should be employed to bless God and curse that
which was created in His image!
Verses 11 &
12 recall Matt. 12.
The Disciplines…
6 “Resolved, to
study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may
find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.”
The Scriptures SHOULD be a DELIGHT!
Ps.
119:103: How sweet are Your words to my
taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Ps. 19:10: They are
more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and
the drippings of the honeycomb.
Ps.
119:14-16 I have rejoiced in the way of Your
testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and
regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your
word.
The Scriptures are to be handled with the
greatest care and reverence…
2Tim.
2:15: Be diligent to present yourself approved to
God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word
of truth.
There’s no substitute for the study of Scriptures, the agent of
sanctification
& knowledge.
2Tim.
3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work.
Eph. 5:26: so that
He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the
word,
John
17:17: "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word
is truth.
6 “Resolved,
never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a
petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer
it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.”
Edwards trusted in the power of prayer,
and in the God who hears our prayers!
Paul continually calls us to prayer…
1Thess. 5:17: Pray without ceasing.
Greek writers used the adverb translated "without
ceasing" to describe a hacking cough.
Rom. 12:12: “…continuing steadfastly in prayer” (one of the
marks of a Christian).
Paul
prayed for others (1Thess. 1:2, 2 Thess. 1:11, Col. 1:3, Rom.
1:9-10), and besought prayer from others (1 Thess. 3:1, 5:25).
Col. 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in
it with an attitude of thanksgiving…”
Dr. Constable: “The most important practice to
perpetuate in relation to God is prayer. That is so because in prayer we call on God to work,
and we express our faith
in Him.
Throughout this epistle [Colossians] Paul's
emphasis has been on the believer's union with Christ and
the complete adequacy that
that union produces. The Christian who does not pray is demonstrating independence from God (cf. John 15:5).
It
is only as we ask God to work that He will accomplish
many things (James 4:2). Consequently Paul urged his readers to devote
themselves to prayer, to give it constant attention and priority.
Perhaps the main problem we face when we do pray is concentration.
Therefore Paul reminded his readers to keep alert in prayer and to express gratitude always
in view of God's goodness and grace to them.” [Php. 4:6: In
nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.]
Utley (on being watchful;
Col.4:2) This is a present active participle functioning as an imperative. Prayer takes planning, persistence,
and vigilance. It needs to become a lifestyle, not an event.
Gill: There is not
only a watchfulness unto it,
previous to a man's entrance on it, as in Eph. 6:18 but a watchfulness in
it, which is opposed both to sleepiness
of body, and to coldness and indifference of mind, to all careless
airs and negligent manner of performing it; and
designs an intenseness of mind, an application of thought, and
fervency of devotion, and affection in it. It
lies in a concern, that the heart be lift up, with the hands to God; in a care,
that what is asked is according to the will of God, and that the whole be
performed in sincerity, faith, and fear.
Persistence in prayer! God works through prayer!
James
4:2-3: You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive,
because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Matt. 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given
to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Note the Parable of the Persistent Widow
(Luke 18:1-8), concerning what believers should be doing in the inter-advent
period.
Luke 18:1: Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all
times they ought to pray and not to lose heart…
Luke 18:7: And will
not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay
long over them?
Likewise, the Parable of the Persistent
Neighbor (Luke 11:5-13), after the Lord’s prayer.
Luke
11:8-13: 8"I
tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is
his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much
as he needs. 9"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to
you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For
everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it
will be opened. 11Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son
for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12Or
if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
The term persistence (v. 8)
suggests impudence and audacity. Our attitude as we approach the throne of
grace is one of confident and persistent boldness as we pursue God, seeking His
mercy and grace.
Heb. 4:16: Therefore
let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
This doesn’t mean an impertinent,
irreverent, or demanding attitude; it simply means that we recognize
that God, through the grace of Adoption, is our own dear Abba
Father (Rom. 8:15) through the blood of Christ, and with the faith
and confidence that we are beloved and that our Father wants the
best for us—and will thus answer in accordance with His own perfect will
(Luke 11:2, 1 John 5:14).
1John
5:14: And this is the confidence
that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears
us.
James
1:5-6: If any of you lacks
wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it
will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who
doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
The Disciples had sought instruction in Luke
11, even as He had given them similar instruction on an earlier occasion in
Matt. 6:5-15, where we find the more familiar version of the Lord’s
Prayer.
The Lord advised against showy ostentation
(Matt. 6:5-6) and mindless, ritualistic repetition in prayer. We should
approach God humbly and reverently…
Matt. 6:7: "And
when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for
they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”
Eccl. 5:2: “For God
is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.”
The Lord’s Prayer is not a magical
incantation; it is a model/exemplar prayer in which we see the priorities
and proper ingredients of prayer…
The primary focus is upon God and His
glory and His work (vv. 9-10), through which His Name is reverenced (“Hallowed
be Thy Name… Thy kingdom come”)—then come our personal petitions
(vv. 11), as we humbly seek Him to provide for our needs. Confession of sin is advised (vv. 12), and petition for protection from the
Evil One (v.
13).
Matt.
6:9-13: 9"Pray,
then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10'Your
kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11'Give
us this day our daily bread. 12'And forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. 13'And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.]'
What is YOUR priority in prayer?
MANY are the benefits of prayer!
Marriage counselors Jan and
David Stoop report similar anecdotal evidence: One couple, who work together in
a marriage ministry involving many couples, shared in their response to our
questionnaire that they had found only one couple in 1500 who pray together on
a regular basis ever gets divorced.
Daniel’s devotional habits prepared him for the
hour of crisis. Long before that hour of crisis, Daniel had regular times of
daily devotion, involving prayer (6:10, 9:3-21) and Bible study (9:2). Don’t
wait for the crisis to jump into your Bible and start praying.
Dan. 6:10: Now when
Daniel knew that the written document was signed, he entered his house (now in
his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued
kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his
God, as he had been doing previously.
Goals &
Purpose; the Holy & Sanctified Life
“Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in
religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.”
Which direction? Are we going forward? Or moving towards cold
indifference and backsliding? There is no standing still nor neutrality
(Matt. 12:30) in the Christian Life.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present
age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.
The goal of Christianity is not only heaven when believers die but
Christlikeness now (cf. Gal_4:19; Eph_1:4; Eph_2:10). God's people are
characterized by an eager desire for good works (cf. James and 1 John).
Eph. 1:4: “…just as
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy
and blameless before Him in love…”
[set apart, different—and without blemish!]
Col. 1:21-22: “And
although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, but
now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to
present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach…”
Eph. 2:10: For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Eph. 5:27
“…that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot
or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.”
“Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with
my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.”
“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” The ethic of the
warrior—what made Trump a political icon!
Teddy Roosevelt, Oct. 1912:
"Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible.
I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot—but it
takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."
Ready to do battle! The Christian is
called to be putting on the full armor of God (Eph. 6)! Standing in
contrast to today’s easy-going, cliff-hugging, entertainment-oriented,
antinomian & autonomian neo-evangelicalism…
Rom. 13:12-13: The night is almost gone, and the day is
near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of
light. 13Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing
and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and
jealousy.
Our open-witness & observable behavior
should be non-conformist; let us live “as in the day.”
Three general classes of wickedness are observed here, each of which is defined
by two terms that the believer should put-off. These are intemperance, impurity, and discord.
1) INTEMPERANCE.
“Carousing” & “drunkenness”—disordered behaviors
involving the lack of self-control that are even disreputable to the pagan
world…
Eph. 5:18: And do not
get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…
2) IMPURITY.
“sexual
immorality”
(all forms of sexual immorality) & “sensuality” (“unbridled lust,
excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness…”); a parade of immorality.
3) DISCORD.
“quarreling,” or “strife.”
(unhealthy competition; a desire to be “#1” at all costs); “jealousy,”
which is another word for envy—anger at the success of others or anger at your
failures when compared with others.
At Corinth, Paul dealt with divisions
born out of doctrinal immaturity and prideful self-exaltation—as
opposed to a mind that was set upon mutual goodwill, and was geared
towards promoting an environment that fostered unity and kindliness
[cf., 1Cor.11:18].
1Cor. 1:10: Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that
you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Question: What percentage of
your conversation is evil? Malicious & destructive?
These filthy rags have to GO! Put on
Jesus, instead (Rom. 13:14)!
Rom. 13:14: But put
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its
lusts.”
Dr. Albert Barnes,
on “putting on” Christ: “The phrase to ‘put on’ a person, which seems a harsh expression in our
language, was one not infrequently used by Greek writers, and means to imbibe
his principles, to imitate his example, to copy his spirit,
to become like him… So the Greek writers speak of putting on Plato,
Socrates, etc. meaning to take them as instructors, to follow them as
disciples. Thus, to put on the Lord Jesus means to take him as a pattern and
guide, to imitate his example, to obey his precepts, to become like him, etc.
In ‘all’ respects the Lord Jesus was unlike what had been specified in the
previous verse. He was temperate, chaste & pure, peaceable,
& meek; and to “put him on” was to imitate him in these
respects…”
1Thess.
5:21-22: But examine everything carefully; hold
fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Personal Testimony& EXAMPLE; Reputation
1Thess.
5:21-22: But examine everything carefully; hold
fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
6 “Resolved, never to do anything, which if I
should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him
for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.”
6 “Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any
person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to
imitate it.”
3John
1:11: Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but
what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not
seen God.
3
John: two sorts of example—Diotrephes (bad), and Gaius & Demetrius (good).
Gaius is commended for
walking in the truth (vv. 3-4), and for his hospitality and support of the
brethren (vv. 5-8).
Diotrephes (vv. 9-10), however, is condemned for
his pride, self-exaltation (“who loves to be first”), refusal of hospitality,
and high-handed attempts to dictate to and expel those who did not
accede to his demands. A man who desired to be an authority unto himself—not even
receiving the counsel of the last living Apostle.
He was not under John’s censure for some formal
doctrinal aberration, but for living a life that was in contradiction to
the principles of the Gospel.
Verse
11: “Imitate:”
i.e., “follow,” or “mimic” (which is derived from mimeomai).
We are called not to imitate that which is
evil, but imitate that which is good.
Mimeomai is employed elsewhere
only in 2Thess. 3:7 & 9, and in Heb. 13:7.
2Thess.
3:7: “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate
us, because we were not idle when we were with you…”
2Thess.
3:9: “It was not because we do not have that
right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.”
A daring thing to say—but it is important
that a leader set such an example for his people, and Paul could say it!
Heb. 13:7: “Remember
your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of
their way of life, and imitate their faith.
The kindred word mimētēs (“imitator”) occurs
in 1Cor. 4:16 & 11:1.
1Cor.
4:16: Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.
1Cor.
11:1: Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
But let us return to 3John 1:11…
3John
1:11: Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but
what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not
seen God.
“Beloved, do not imitate
what is evil, but what is good.”
The admonition is good counsel not to follow
evil in general—which is not in accordance with the Character, Attributes,
and Nature of the Holy God of Grace, Love, Mercy, Righteousness, and Truth, is
thus hateful to Him.
In particular, in this context, we
are admonished not to follow the conduct of the cruel, egotistical, unmerciful,
and disorderly Diotrephes… Rather, we should strive to be merciful,
loving, and kind—imitate that which is GOOD!
“The one who does good is
of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.”
John's little letters have various tests
by which we can identify a Christian.
o The lifestyle/obedience
test…
1John 2:3-4: By this we know that we
have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I
have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and
the truth is not in him…
o
The
doctrinal test…
1John 4:2-3: By this you know the
Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from
God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is
coming, and now it is already in the world.
o
Worldliness: 1John 2:15: Do not love the world
nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.
o Sin: 1John 3:6: “No one who lives in Him
keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.”
o Love: 1John 4:7: “Beloved, let
us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of
God and knows God.”
The unfeeling, unmerciful, unkind, have not
seen God… they have no personal knowledge of Him whose Name is mercy, and whose
Nature is love.
1John
3:10: “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are
obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one
who does not love his brother.”
Let us be imitators of God, in Whose
Image we were Created…
Eph. 5:1: Therefore be imitators
of God, as beloved children…
…And of Christ, the Model for Humanity…
1Pet. 2:21-22: For you have been called
for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example
for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND
IN HIS MOUTH…
Let us walk as disciples (Matt. 28:19)
in the steps of Him who is the Living Personification of the Love Chapter
of 1Cor. 13, and imitate and put on Him (Rom. 13:14) who was temperate,
pure, peaceful, meek, merciful… who went about doing good (Acts 10:38),
and who declared it to be more blessed to give than to receive (Acts
20:35)…
Another example for imitation:
Demetrius—a man of good report.
3John 1:12: Demetrius has received a good
testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony,
and you know that our testimony is true.
Reputation: an essential
for Christian witness and service! NEVER say “I don’t care what people think
of me!” Yes, we are called to non-conformity and can only go so far in
satisfying “societal norms”—but let us not be despised by men for actual
sin!
“Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my
reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is
bestial.”—Cassio, in Othello, 2.3.
Prov.
22:1: A good reputation is more desirable than great wealth,
and favorable acceptance more than silver and gold.
Eccl.
7:1: A good name exceeds the value of fine perfume, and the
day of someone's death exceeds the value of the day of his birth.
1Tim.
3:7: He must be well thought of by outsiders, so he doesn't
fall into disgrace and the trap set for him by the devil. [Pastoral qualifications]
Being mindful of our
reputations even to the point of curtailing our legitimate liberties with
regard to things that may be misunderstood is LOVE for others (Rom. 14:13-20)!
Taking Inventory; Self-Examination
“Resolved, if ever I shall fall & grow dull, so as to
neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember,
when I come to myself again.”
1Cor.
11:31: But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be
judged.
This is a call to self-judgment. But
how am I to judge myself? By bringing my inmost thoughts, my ways, my outward
behavior into the light of the Word of God and asking myself, “Are these
thoughts of mine, is this behavior of mine, in accordance with what is here
written?”—Ironside
“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without
God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these
Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.”
John
15:5: "I am the vine, you are the
branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from
Me you can do nothing.”
“Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.”
We never “arrive” until our
glorification!
1Cor.
10:12: Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed that he does not fall.
