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Heat. Okay, guess we're going to get started a couple minutes early. So, uh, don't judge anybody for the next three minutes as they walk through these doors.

Well, it's good to be here in the house of the Lord this morning. And we've come to to worship our God. We thank you everybody for being here with us.

If you're visiting with us here at Ebenezer, we would love a record of your visit. So, if you want to grab one of the uh pew pads on the end of the pews and fill out your information, we can reach out to you, let you know that what's all going on here at the church. We do have a few quick announcements.

Uh but before we get to that, again, I thank y'all for the prayers. I was gone this past week. Um I think Matt has done this as well.

Whenever I went out of town, I did go worship somewhere and they were a kind congregation, but nothing quite like you guys. I can't tell you how many times you guys go up and say hello and ask questions of visitors. Everybody was nice there, but I didn't get any of that.

So, again, thank y'all for for doing what you're supposed to do as the church. But, as we come to the the announcements, we have blood drive tomorrow here at the church from 2 to 6 and we are 6:30 and we are still in need of quite a few folks. There's a lot of folks are not able to to give blood, but if you are able to, please consider it.

And then you can sign up. There's a QR code in the bulletin. You can go online.

You can reach out to Liz Goodman. But if you are able, please consider doing that. Again, donating blood.

It goes does a lot of good to those that are in need of it. Also, just as a quick reminder, Wednesday nights are going to start back on the 12th. So, continue to be preparing for that.

Also, this week, this coming week on Tuesday from 2 to 4, the youth are going to be hosting a bingo night here at the church. Well, more so bingo afternoon, but you get the gist of it. Uh, from 2:00 to 4:00.

So, if you are able to to come to that, please do. It's a great wonderful time of fellowship and fun. Also, if you are in need of a ride, please reach out to someone here at the church, uh whether it be Will, myself, Jamie Hair, and we can find a way to get you here for that.

Other than that, that's all the announcements that I personally have, but uh Elder Michael White has an announcement to share. >> Well, good morning. Um, if we've not had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Michael White and I am one of the elders here at Ebenezer Presbyterian Church and I just want to give you a quick update on the Capitol campaign that has been going on for the last number of years.

Um, we've been, if you look in your bulletin, you'll see how we are uh, tracking and our giving toward that. Uh, but it's been a while since we've updated you. And so I want to give you just a quick look what's going on because if you've gone to the restroom this morning, uh you may have thought that maybe uh we've been robbed and that's not the truth.

Okay. Um there are three phases to this Capitol campaign. Um the first phase was the um the area right outside this door, the hallways and the missions room and and getting the the first uh view that people get into our church um rehabilitated a little bit, spruced up and cleaned up.

And we've started that. We actually started that this past week. Um if you have not gone beyond this door, you'll notice uh when you do that, you'll see no ceiling.

Um the ceiling's gone. Uh the furniture is missing and um and it's going to be a little little more pretty next week when we have a ceiling back with new light fixtures. Uh paint will start going on the wall.

And then later on this month, um we are actually going to be refinishing all the hardwood floors on the main level. Um and we'll send out more information on that. uh because that process is a a fiveday process.

Uh so we'll be asking you not to visit the church uh during those five days because we don't want you walking on the floor. Um but we'll give you a good heads up. We are currently on the schedule for July 27th for that.

So look out in your email and look out for things in the bulletin as we get that date nailed down. Uh the second step in our capital campaign uh is the covered walkway between the two buildings. Um we are currently in the uh city review section of that process.

Um and so as we continue to work down that process, we will we will be moving ahead. So um hopefully one day you'll come to church and say, "Wow, look at all the sunlight between the buildings." Uh and that'll be your cue to know that things are happening. And and the third part of this capital campaign is the uh is the playground space uh where where our kids play.

Uh that is the the the third step in this. Um, as you continue to look at at what's happening, know that our our goal is to make our church um, have more longevity, making sure that we address the things that are that are needing repair and that things that are are are maybe not as good-looking as others as as we need to fix, but also to make our space more fun, more enjoyable for families to get connected here at Ebenezer. Um, so as you continue to pray about uh these projects and you continue to give toward these projects, uh, understand that things are moving and uh, we are really excited about it.

We are so very thankful for your support and for your um, continued prayers as we go through these. Um, if you ever have any questions, please feel free to speak with your undersheperd uh, or if you want to grab me or or Matt or Jordan um, and and we'll we'll help answer questions and uh, and and see what other thoughts we have going on. Thank you and uh I appreciate it the update.

Let's prepare our hearts to worship the Lord. Let's stand together as our God calls us to worship this morning responsively from Psalm 117. Praise the Lord, all nations.

Extol him, all peoples, for great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. Let's pray.

A gracious and merciful God, we've gathered together today to worship you and you alone. For it is you alone that is worthy of our praise. For you indeed are the perfect and holy God who has made all things, who upholds all things, who redeems sinners like us.

The Almighty God, whose steadfast love toward us is great, whose faithfulness endures forever. Oh God, you give us every reason to praise you today. And Lord, in this time, may it not simply be routine, but Lord, may you help us with our whole hearts to give you the honor and you and glory you deserve.

And we pray that by your spirit moving among each and every one of us that you would equip us this day to go out and honor and glorify you all the more in our lives. And so, oh God, may you accept our worship as pleasing in your sight. We pray in Jesus name.

Amen. Our first hymn this morning is found in your bulletin, the insert from All That Dwell Below the Skies. And just notice in that first verse why we're singing this praise.

God is our creator. God is our redeemer. And so all that dwell below the skies ought to honor God as he deserves.

Let us sing together. Hallelu. Hallelu.

Hallelujah. Hallelu Hallelu Hallelujah. Hallelu Hallelujah.

Hallelu Hallelu. Hallelu. Hallelu.

Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelu.

Hallelu Halleluah. In the world that we live in, there are many that claim to know who God is. There are many that worship false gods.

But when it comes to the one true God is the scriptures that show us who he truly is. Is the scriptures that we see here as found as the Scott's confession of 1560 article one that takes from the scriptures highlighting to us just who our amazing awesome God is. This is our God and we are his people.

And so I ask you people of God, what do you believe about him? We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom only we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust. He is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible.

one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. By him we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrable providence. For such in as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed, and to the manifestation of his glory.

May be seated. This is the reality of who our God is. And we as his people fail him time after time.

as those that he has made. He deserves all of our praise, all of our obedience. And yet we are those that are unfaithful, that are wicked servants, those that have disobeyed his instructions, neglected his work, and sought our glory above his.

We are those that sin continuously. And as such, our God deserves to punish us. And yet, he is a gracious and merciful God to sinners like us who have been unfaithful.

But he is only such as if we would call upon him in repentance, confessing our sin, turning from it and turning to him not only as our creator, but as our savior, as our great king who guides and rules our lives. And so now in this time may we go before our God confessing our sins first as individuals and then together as a body. Let's pray.

Would you join me in prayer? Our Father in heaven, we confess that we have failed to live as faithful servants before you. We have often disobeyed your instructions, neglected your work, and sought our glory above yours.

We have willingly cooperated with the remnant of our sinful nature in desiring to serve ourselves rather than you who made us in your image. Please forgive us for these and all our sin in the name of him who was the perfect servant in our place, Jesus Christ. Grant that through new life in him, we would serve your holy purposes, filled with joy and fruitfulness for your glory.

For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. And for those that would confess their sin and turn to Christ, be assured of your forgiveness is found in Hebrews 8:12.

The Lord says, "I will be merciful towards their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more." And what a joyful truth that is. So joyful that we now stand together and singing praise to our God in response with Oh, speak, oh my Lord. Speak as we come to you to receive the fruit of your holy word.

Take your truth. Let it deepen us. shape and usord and fill in for your glory.

to humility. Test our thoughts and our attitudes in the radian of your cause to see your love and words of love that can truth over. Speak Lord and renew our minds.

Help us for us. True unchanged from the dawn of time that will through eternity and by grace will stand and faith will walk as you walk with us. Speakord is filled with your glory.

Amen. Be seated. Our Old Testament reading this morning comes to us from Psalm 78:es 1-8 which can be found in your pew Bibles on page 488.

Hear now the word of God of Asaf. Give ear, oh my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old things that we have heard and known that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done.

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. The word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God. Hallelujah. Let's go to our great God in prayer.

Gracious and merciful God, we come yet again to your throne of grace. And Lord, we trust that no matter where we are, no matter what we are going through, you are near to us. Help us to see this.

Help us to draw nearer to you more and more. And help us to continue to rest in you. Lord, in you we find a perfect rest, a peace that can be found nowhere else in this life.

For all the things of this world are fleeting. They will fail us time and time again. And yet you will not.

And because you will not, we can trust your promises even in the midst of the deepest and darkest valleys. That you are with us. That you will not forsake us.

And that you will lead us all the way to the end when we are with you forever. And oh God, with that as our hope, we know we can turn to you with the things of today, of the problems and the trials and the temptations and know that you are able to help us even when these things seem overwhelming can know the hope that is found because you have overcome the world. And that's why, oh God, we can come to you with all manners of things.

Lord, there are many of us here today that are struggling, that are suffering in different ways, shapes, and forms. For some of us, it is financial struggles, unable to pay the bills, worrying about when the next meal will come. We pray, oh God, that you would provide for those of us in these situations and that you would enable us to trust in your provision.

We pray for those that are suffering with stress, with anxiety, their jobs, with their families. Oh God, may you give them your perfect peace, calming their spirit, trusting that just as you take care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, you will take care of us. And oh God, we pray for those that are suffering with with illness and life-threatening situations.

One in particular, we pray for the Jackman family and all that is going on right now. And for the rest of those here that are facing difficult circumstances. Oh God, may you bind them up.

May you hold them fast. May you encourage. And Lord, we know you are the great physician.

And if it be your will, we pray for healing. And Lord, we trust in your grand plan. whatever your will would be at the end of the day.

You know, God, with this trust, you help us then to go forth and to live for you. Lord, help us to live for you all the more. And one of the ways we can do this is through service.

Lord, help us to be your hands and your feet as we share your gospel, not only in our words, but in how we live our lives. For you indeed were the great servant who came down out of heaven to suffer for sinners like us to die on that cross. Lord, may we seek to serve others by following your example.

Lord, in particular, we pray for our students this week as they have this backyard missions week. We pray that you would be with them as they are the hands and feet of Christ seeking to help others in need. Lord, give them a spirit of humility that no task would be below them, but Lord, that they would serve with joyfulness and gladness.

Give them a heart not only for the work of serving, but for the people that they are serving. Lord, give them eyes that see others in the light of Christ. they will be willing to do the tasks that might not be so pleasant.

And Lord, we pray that through this work this week, not only would you build them up, but Lord, may you enable them a chance to share the gospel through their service. That Lord, when people would ask them, why are you doing these things? They'll be able to point them to Christ who was the ultimate servant.

And oh God, may you continue to help us serve in our own lives. May we not be above certain tasks, but Lord, may we be those that stoop low just as you stoop down to wash the disciples feet, just as you came out of heaven to die on a cross. Lord, may we stoop low in our lives.

Whether it be taking time out of our day, whether it be by doing a not so gracious task, whether it be by stopping and having a conversation with someone who's lonely, and so much more. Oh God, may you give us the spirit of servantthood as we follow our savior who gave all, including his very life for sinners like us. And oh God, we have many other things upon our hearts, many other things going on in our lives, but we lay them all at your feet, trusting in your sovereign care.

We pray all these things in the mighty name of Christ Jesus our savior. Amen. At this time, any children four years old or in kindergarten that would like or dismiss the children's church.

And as we return our tithes and our offerings to our great God who has blessed us, may we now sing number 701, Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It. We are powerful. for forever.

of my soul. Would you please take out your copy of God's word? Let's turn to 1 Timothy chapter 4.

And as we continue in our series in 1 Timothy, we're going to look today at verses 6-10. If you are using one of the Pew Bibles, that's going to be on page 992. 1 Timothy 4:es 6-10.

Let me begin by praying for us. Come Holy Spirit of God and grant us light and heat. As we open now your word, let us not be as those who see a reflection of themselves in the mirror, but then turn away and forget what they saw.

As you bring these scriptures to bear upon us, make us not just hearers of your word, but doers of it. And as with the disciples on the road to Emmas, cause our hearts to burn within us as the scriptures are read and preached. And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be pleasing and acceptable to you.

You are our rock and our redeemer. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

As Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit, he writes, "If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with the irreverent, silly myths. Rather, train yourself for godliness.

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive because we have our hope set on the living God who is the savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Amen. In my devotion time, I've been reading a book by Sinclair Ferguson titled Things Unseen.

And in it, he was reflecting on his time as the senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Colombia. And as he looked back on his departure from that church in retirement and the beginning of Derek Thomas's tenure as the senior pastor, he wrote this, "A pastor is part of a spiritual relay race and team. He enters into the labors of others and his task in a way is to serve his people well so that he can help prepare them for the next ministry.

I thought about those words this week as I prepared my sermon. When I came to Ebenezer 11 years ago, I entered into the labors of Boyce Wilson before me, just as he had entered into the labors of Doug Jones before him. And one way that I can serve you well is by preparing you for that day when I will pass the baton to the next man who is called to this office.

That day is not today. But part of preparing for that day is by reminding you even now before that day comes what to look for in that man. Well, the Apostle Paul paints for us a picture of that man in our text this week and next.

In his instructions to Timothy regarding Timothy's ministry and personal walk with the Lord, Paul helps us to see those things that make for a good servant of Christ Jesus. But lest you think that the sermon this week and next is only going to be about pastors, not so. As we'll see this morning of the five points of instruction for Timothy and his pastoral ministry, four of them have direct application to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ.

Now the first point is found in verse six. A good servant of Christ will be diligent in providing instruction. Diligent in providing instruction.

And this is the one point that is limited to pastors or ministers. According to the New King James Version, Paul writes to Timothy, "If you instruct the brethren in these things," this speaks to the minister's preaching and teaching ministry. In the ESV we read, if you put these things before the brothers that is instructing you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus.

And what are these things? Well, the antecedent would be what Paul has just written in verses 1-5. what we saw last week.

This is Paul's warning about the false teachers in Ephesus and their warped view of sanctification through aseticism and his counterpoint of the freedom that we have in Christ to receive all of God's good gifts and especially such as marriage and as food with thanksgiving. But it also possibly is referring these things to uh all that Paul broadly has been teaching Timothy thus far in this letter. That would include the power of the gospel demonstrated in Paul's own life.

It would include the will of God and the salvation of all kinds of people. It would include aspects of corporate worship that relate to men and women. That would include the qualifications for church officers, overseers, or elders and deacons.

And it would most certainly include that glorious picture of the Lord Jesus Christ in chapter 3:E1 15 from incarnation to exaltation which is the heart of the truth that the church is called to uphold to lift up to the world to see and also to defend and support against those who would tear it down. And this is the ministry of the church as a pillar and a buttress of the truth. And these things Paul is to put before the people.

John Sto writes, "He is to put these instructions before the brothers and sisters like a waiter serving guests at a table, like a merchant displaying merchandise to a customer." One of my favorite images of a preacher is that of a minor who during the week goes digging down into the deep recesses of God's word. And there he finds all sorts of precious stones and he takes them in his hand and with dirt on his face and these precious stones he comes to the congregation excitedly on Sunday morning and he says, "Look at these wonderful jewels that I have found in God's word. Here they are yours.

Take them for yourself. This is the ministering minister shephering work of feeding the flock which he does through careful exposition of God's word. Such a ministry requires precision and skill.

Which is why Paul tells Timothy in his second letter, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling handling the word of truth. Just as the Levites in Nehemiah chapter 8 assisted the people by giving them the sense of God's law that Ezra had read and helping the people to understand it. So the minister's chief calling is to exposit the Bible for God's people, interpreting its meaning and carefully applying it.

From the pulpit, the minister disciples the church. He provides pastoral care. He evangelizes and more.

But to do this, something must be true of the minister. That is our second point. He must himself be growing in both word and doctrine.

He must be growing in word and doctrine. Look at the remainder of verse six. If you put these things, instruct, if you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

The Greek word translated as trained in verse 6 is not the same word translated as training in verse 7. Here the word often carries the idea of being nourished. According to chapter or second Timothy rather chapter 1 verse5 this spiritual nourishment was first provided to Timothy by his mother Ununice and his grandmother Lois and later provided to Timothy by Paul himself.

And in a similar way, if a minister is to be a good servant of Christ, he too must continually be nourished by both word and good doctrine. Being trained and being nurtured is in the present tense. It is a perpetual part of his ministry.

A minister who is not committed to regular study of God's word and good doctrine will end up having very little to offer to the people he serves. After all, he cannot give away what he does not possess. Behind the ministry of the pulpit and the public preaching and teaching lies the essential discipline of private study.

Such a minister will only teach well if he continually is learning well. And blessed be the congregation that not only demands this of their ministers but also provides the time for it. Of course, being trained and nurtured is true for you as well.

More will be said about that in a moment. But here, let me make the point of the importance of the Lord's day worship. You will never be so nourished as you are in the worship of God's people.

Other things can feed your faith, but none in the same way that corporate worship does. Hebrews 10:24 and 25 says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love in good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Friends, when you miss corporate worship, you miss a lot. If you miss corporate worship on the Lord's day, unless you visit another congregation, it is a minimum of two weeks that will pass between the times you gather with God's people.

And during that time, you forego the spiritual nourishment and refreshment God imparts to the soul by drawing near to him in praise and partaking of his means of grace. I realize that some cannot be here because they are providentially hindered by various things. That is not what I'm speaking to.

I'm speaking to those of us who are certainly able to be here and to you I would say let us commit that we will make every effort to be here in the Lord's house on the Lord's day first and foremost to honor him and to praise his name and second for the blessing and the nourishment that we derive from this third a good servant of Christ Jesus will not allow himself to be distracted. Will not allow himself to be distracted. Look at verse 7.

Have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths. We know from chapter 1 verse4 that an interest in these myths was characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus. The word irreverent is also translated as profane.

It speaks to that which is unholy, that which is ungodly, that which uh is of no spiritual benefit. A faithful minister and good servant of Christ will guard himself against such things as crass humor and conversations as well as an exposure to these things in various forms of media and entertainment. Not only do they have no spiritual value, but they are in fact harmful to one's growth in Christ.

But for the minister, irreverent and silly myths can broadly represent anything of less value or no value that absorbs a minister's attention, causing him to neglect his pastoral responsibilities as well as his own private times. in the word and prayer. But let me ask, isn't Paul's warning to Timothy true again for all believers?

There's an old saying from the world of commuting that computing that goes garbage in, garbage out. If we fill our minds with irreverent and profane things, should we be all that surprised when the irreverent and the profane begin to occupy our minds and fill our speech? I think I have mentioned before when I was a young man and a rather immature Christian, I worked in an auto parts store with a group of men whose language could be quite foul.

And with a steady stream of that going into my ears, it was not long before it m before it made its way out of my mouth, and I was as foul as they were. Such is the antithesis of godliness. no less than the minister.

We must guard ourselves against the irreverent and the profane, as well as the worthless and whatever takes us away from that which actually edifies our faith and builds up Christlike character. Reminds me of one of my favorite accounts in the scriptures, that of Jesus visit to the home of Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. You remember that Martha playing the beautiful host was distracted by things such as clearing plates and filling cups.

Meanwhile, her sister Mary was not helping her, but instead was sitting with the others at Jesus' feet, listening and learning. Martha became so angry, she even rebuked Jesus for not telling Mary to get up and help her. Jesus gently rebuked Martha and said to her,"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.

Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her." Mary would not allow herself to be distracted by trivial things. Likewise, every believer must guard him or herself from being distracted by such things that would rob us of our time spent with Jesus and pursue instead those things that have eternal value for our souls. As the old saying goes, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Fourth, a good servant of Christ is pursuing his sanctification. He's pursuing his sanctification. Look at verse seven.

Rather, train yourself for godliness. This is one way in which a minister can be an example to those that he serves. There is a reason why personal trainers are not overweight guys who are out of shape.

That's hardly an example that's going to inspire anyone to get physically fit. Likewise, a congregation is served best by a man who is pursuing his sanctification by godly means and can give a visible witness to his growth in grace. Now, as we have often pointed out, this Greek word translated as train gives us our word gymnasium or gymnastics.

The gymnasium was an important place in the ancient world for promoting physical health. And as Paul points out in verse eight, bodily training is of some value. After all, we are told that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit indwelling us.

Unlike the false teachers in Ephesus who devalued the physical, the Christian faith recognizes the importance of the body, the importance of the material. It is through our bodies that we serve God. And so, we should want them to be fit.

And it is our present bodies that will one day be raised in glory when Christ returns. And so bodily training is of some value. But the reality is no matter what we do, these bodies of ours do weaken over time.

They will diminish and one day they will succumb to death. But while bodily training has only a limited value, training for godliness, Paul says, is a value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Godliness produces a greater capacity to glorify God and to enjoy him which is our chief end.

and in terms of the life to come, godliness helps to confirm the genuiness of our faith as well as prepare us for heaven. And so Paul reminds Timothy that as the pastor of the church in Ephesus, he must be engaged in the kind of training that promotes selfgodliness, not only for himself though, but also for the congregation he serves. And as I've mentioned before, godliness is a favorite word of Paul in these pastoral letters.

Combines two things. First, godliness describes an inward posture, an inward disposition of reverence toward God. Reverence toward God.

And this reverence combines two things. First, the love of God. And second, the fear of God.

John Sto notes that godliness is that mingled fear and love which together constitute the piety of man toward God. This is not a surviile fear, but one of deep respect for who God is and his transcendent glory and holiness. And it combines with a love for God as our father who has demonstrated his love so abundantly in giving his own son Jesus Christ.

This is the believer's inward posture of godliness, reverence to God that is born of both fear and love. And this produces the second aspect of godliness which is a godly life. a godly life or a life that is becoming everinccreasing an everinccreasing reflection of the Lord himself.

This is a life that intentionally and very consciously lives every moment of every day quormo before the face of God. That brings a sobriety to one's life. It brings a seriousness to one's faith and walk with the Lord.

As Psalm 16:8 says, "I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be shaken." Isn't that the kind of minister you should seek and what you should be praying for with your current pastors? But no less, this must be the aim of every true believer who bears the name of Jesus.

You are equally to be training yourself in this way. But how do you do that? Well, the word train can also be translated as discipline or as exercise.

Just as there are exercises for the body that promote physical health, so there are exercises for the soul that promote godliness in the Christian. What are they? Well, there are the most obvious ones such as Bible intake through reading, through study, through listening to sermons, through meditation, through preaching.

There's also prayer. There's participation in the sacraments. There is the worship on the Lord's day.

Then there are other things that you may be less familiar with. Things such as fasting or silence and solitude or service. In some cases, uh folks find journaling to be helpful.

I don't have time to go through these, but one of the best books that you will find on this subject is by Donald Whitney titled Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. I highly highly recommend it. Except for journaling, these are the means we find in scripture in some places prescribed and other places described that build us up spiritually.

These are some of the exercises that we must commit ourselves to if we want to grow in godliness. Now, let me make two important points. First, spiritual exercises are often no less rigorous than the physical ones.

Spiritual exercises are often no less rigorous than the physical ones. There's a reason why your time at the gym is called a workout. You are not there to sip drinks as you lounge around in the pool.

You are there to press your body into shape. And likewise, training yourself for godliness through spiritual exercise takes effort on your part. We are not passive in our sanctification.

Paul writes in verse 10, "For to this end, that being godliness, we toil and strive." Now you might think, well, if I love God, why do the spiritual disciplines require such effort? Shouldn't they come more easily to me? Well, never forget that even if you are a believer and you have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus, you still have a remaining sin nature.

And although it can never enslave you as it once did, it can still influence you. And you can be certain of this. It will do everything it can to cause you to give up.

Has this ever happened to you? You're trying to study your Bible. It's opened.

You're you're reading along and then the phone next to you dings a text message and you think, I'm not going to look at that. I'm going to read, but then you think, I I really need to look at that. So, you look at it and you realize, okay, this is something I need to respond to.

And so, let me respond to it. You respond to it. You put it down.

You go back and figure out, where was I reading? There I am. And you read a few more sentences.

And what happens? It dings again. And what do you do?

You pick it back up. You read it. You respond to it.

This happens three, four, five times. And before you know it, 15 minutes have passed. And you think to yourself, I I don't even know where I am anymore in my reading and in my study of this.

I've gotten distracted. I'm going to put it aside. And I'm going to pick this back up tonight before I go to bed.

And what happens at night before you go to bed? I am so tired. I'll get to it tomorrow and do it then.

By the way, welcome to my world. This is how I often function and think. This is what happens to us.

This is uh the way that the enemy of our souls often works against us. Sometimes it is a thought that comes into your head during your time of reading and studying and praying. It's a thought that comes in that distracts you.

Maybe it's an upcoming test you have at school. Maybe it is a meeting that you are thinking about at work. Perhaps it's a conversation that you are going to have or one that you already have and you're playing it over again.

Maybe it's a welltimed growl in your stomach. Or maybe it is a yawn with the accompanying thought, you know what? You really should take a nap.

You need a nap. A nap would be good for you because if you nap, it's going to make you so much sharper sharper when you come back to read the scriptures later. Friends, never ever underestimate the deviousness of your flesh to get you to quit and give up.

It knows that the way to train yourself for godliness is through discipline. Undisiplined Christians make very little headway in spiritual growth, but discipline produces greater discipline. And never forget, you have the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit within you, strengthening, empowering, lifting up your efforts.

Growth in godliness is not a matter of sheer grit on your part. Genuine growth must always be fueled by the Holy Spirit and reliance upon him. The second point to make is this.

In your training, you must continually guard against thinking that your efforts give you any value or standing before God. That is the heart of legalism and it is the enemy of the gospel of grace. The only way you and I will ever have standing with God is through our union with Christ by faith.

And anything that we do adds absolutely nothing to that. Christ alone is our righteousness. And in him, God the Father declares us righteous apart from any works on our behalf.

And if you and I forget that, we will begin to think that our training efforts have merit before God. We might even begin to think that we are entitled or that God owes us something. I did my devotions today.

God, you owe me a good day. Now, the benefit of our training isn't salvation, but godliness. a life that is conforming in greater degrees to his.

And while this training requires spiritfueled effort, it also provides exceeding joy. Don't forget that as you and I grow in godliness, we will find what we will find is that these spiritual exercises, far from being for us a duty and far less so a drudgery, are in fact our soul's great delight. You will come to cherish those daily times of fellowship with the Lord when you retreat away with him only.

And there you read his word and you meditate upon it and you prayer and you worship and you serve him. These will be precious to you for they draw us nearer to him even as we anticipate that day when we will see him face to face. Finally, a good servant of Christ Jesus knows where his hope lies.

Look at verse 10. Because we have our hope set on the living God who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe. Paul does not explicitly say what this hope in the living God is, but I think it's certainly implied.

It is the believer's anticipation of the fullness of salvation and eternal life that God has promised in Jesus. Friends, you want a minister who thinks a lot about heaven and will encourage you to do the same. It is the perspective of heaven and the glory that awaits those redeemed in Christ that strengthens us through the trials and the tribulations of this fallen world.

It is the hope of heaven that puts steel into our spines and strips away our fears, even the fear of death. For we know that Christ has conquered death in his resurrection on behalf of all who trust in him. As Paul reminded the Corinthians, your outer self and mine is in the process of wasting away.

And life in this fallen world is one of affliction for us all. God graciously renews our inner self by day or renews our inner self day by day through his holy spirit and all his promises that are yes and amen in Jesus. And he assures us that our present afflictions are at most light and momentary when they are compared with the eternal weight of glory that awaits us with him in heaven.

And so Paul says, "We look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." That is the believer's hope, but only the believer's hope. Paul concludes in verse 10 by saying that God is the savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Some have wishfully thought that Paul here is teaching universalism that everyone will be saved, but that would clearly contradict all the rest of scripture and God does not speak with a fork tongue. and saying that God is the savior of all people. Paul appears to be speaking of salvation in a temporal sense.

It is not uncommon in the Bible to find the word salvation used to describe God's deliverance of his people in temporary or momentary ways even unbelievers. He does this for instance by rescuing a people when they are under the threat of attack. He does this by providing rain when they are in the midst of a time of drought in whatever ways God may provide for the needs of people, believers and unbelievers alike.

This is how God saves all kinds of people in a temporal sense according to his common grace. But salvation in the eternal sense, salvation that is from the penalty and the punishment of sin, is given only to those who receive the gift of grace by believing in Jesus. And the word that best captures such belief is the word trust.

It's more than simply knowing and understanding the biblical claims about Jesus. And it's even more than agreeing that those claims are true. Saving faith is that which trusts in Christ like one trusts in a bridge to carry them over a deep ravine.

You may understand the laws of physics behind the bridge and you may even believe that it is strong enough to carry people across it. But the real question is will you step out? Will you walk across that bridge yourself?

That's where you show you really trust that bridge. That's the kind of faith that you and I must have in Jesus Christ where we gladly receive, gladly rest upon him alone for our salvation and no other as he is offered to us in the gospel. Friends, we have seen in our text this morning a picture of a faithful minister and a good servant of Jesus Christ instructing the flock, being nurtured in the faith, shunning the irreverent and the wa wasteful, training himself in godliness, and resting his hope in God his savior.

Pray for these to be true of your present ministers. We need those prayers even as you keep them in mind one day for the men that will follow after us. But pursue them no less in your own life.

For a good servant of Christ Jesus should be the aim of all who follow him. Let us pray. Our gracious and our holy God, we give you thanks and praise for your word, a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Let it not pass from us quickly, but rather cause us to meditate and think upon it throughout this day ahead and the week to come. And Lord, as we reflect on that last part, the importance of saving faith in Christ, I do pray that if there is anyone here today who does not know the Lord as their only savior, I pray God bring them to that point of confession. Help them not just to confess who Christ is, but to believe it in such a way that they rest themselves upon that truth for the forgiveness of their sins and for the righteousness that is imputed to them and gives them standing before you, their father in heaven.

Lord, may that be so among any and all here today who do not know Jesus. We pray it in Christ's name. Amen.

Would you please turn in the hymn books again to number 642? Excuse me. We're going to sing Be Thou My Vision verses 1 2 4 and five.

Please stand. Praise My world. might be praise.

My King of church. Thank you for being in the Lord's house in the Lord's day. Hope you can come back and join us again tonight as we close out the day uh giving him the praise he is due.

Let's receive now God's good benediction. May the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace now and forever more. Amen. Hallelujah.