How the Gospel Changes Relationships

Good morning. Good morning. My name is Chris. I'm one of the pastors here at Watermark.

It's just really exciting to be here with you. I have a white shirt because it's the

World Cup and England are going to be playing soon. So I will probably not wear it afterwards

because I'll be too embarrassed. But at least before the World Cup, I can wear it with pride.

Let me pray for us before we start. Father, just thank you. Thank you that your word is living

and active and powerful. Thank you that you want to speak to us. I pray, Lord, that you would take

my feeble words and you would fill them with your power and your spirit so that you would just touch

our hearts. Would we have hearts that want to hear from you, that don't just want to listen and turn

away, but want to hear what you say and do what you call us to? I pray this in your name. Amen.

Just lower this slightly. Great. One of the amazing things about being a pastor in the church is I get

to do premarital counseling with some couples who are just so excited about spending the rest of their

lives together. And then I get to spend time with couples who've been married for a number of years

and they're sometimes saying, I don't know quite why I ever married this person. And then I get times

to spend with people who are just ecstatic about they've just landed their dream job. They're leaving

one job. They're just coming to their new job. And then I see them a few months later and they're

six months in and they're like, I wish I'd never changed from my previous job. And it doesn't matter

where you are in life. Work, family, relationships matter to us. They're significant. But even in the best

of these things, the best relationships, there's always something that's missing. There's something

that we were made for, which is more than what these things offer us. And today we're continuing

in our series in Colossians and we're going to see that Paul says, don't look to your marriage or to

family or to work to be what only Christ can be for you. Okay, that's where we're going. Don't look to

these things to be anything that only Christ can be for you. And so what we've looked at so far,

and I hope you have your passage open with you because we'll just kind of go through a little

bit together. We've looked in Colossians and Paul has said, when you become a Christian,

you don't just get a kind of get out of jail free card. It's you actually gain Christ. You become

united like in a marriage relationship with God, the creator of the universe himself. And Jesus' story

of his death and resurrection becomes your story. So your old life where you used to live for yourself,

a slave to your own desires, like a prisoner of war, as Kevin preached a couple of weeks ago,

that's died when Christ died. And you now have, when Jesus was raised from the dead, you have a new

life. Your life is hidden in him and you're liberated to live for him. And so we saw last

week how this new identity in Jesus, it changes everything, even within the church. We saw outside

people are valued according to their race, socioeconomic status, if they've double eyelids or

drive a Maserati. But inside the church, your value comes from your identity as a child of God,

regardless of any of those other things. That's why Paul says, there's no Greek, Jew, circumcised,

uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. In Christ, you now have value.

But today, what Paul is going to say is what you truly believe is not just seen on Sunday,

where we kind of sing nice songs together and we say, yeah, Jesus, we love you. But then if you want

to see how the gospel is working in your life, go through the keyhole into your home. Go into the

workplace because the gospel is not just for Sunday. The gospel is to come not just into your living room,

it's to come into your kitchen, into your bedroom, into your office. The gospel is to shape everything.

Okay. So that's what we're going to look at today. And I want to say just a couple of things before we

dive into this passage, because there's a few things in this passage which we as 21st century

people have got to get through to really understand what Paul is saying. So this part of the passage

that we're looking at is what's called a household code. And that was very common in those days. It's a

form of writing where people often used to say, okay, this is how you guys should deal with

relationships in marriage, family, and work. And actually, all of these things in their culture

would take place in the home. Slightly different for us, but it would all be in the home. So writers

came up with things that they thought would keep order for how to make sure things didn't get out of

control. And so you have things which in our culture we struggle with. You have things like

submission of wives. You've got slavery. And we look at these kind of things and we go,

ooh, that's a bit backward and repressive. But the thing is, when Paul was writing,

people would have heard what Paul was writing and said, oh, what you're writing is a little bit

offensive, but not for the reasons that we think it's offensive, for other things. So we mentioned

last week, Josephus, a Jewish historian, he says, the woman, says the law, is in all things inferior to

the man. Let her accordingly be submissive. That's what first century people around thought.

Another guy called Plutarch in the first century, he said, a virtuous woman ought to be most visible

in her husband's company and to stay in the house and hide herself when he's away.

That's what people were teaching at those times. In other words, for them, submission meant a woman

is inferior, her identity and value only comes from her husband. And actually, when most of us hear

that, that's often historically what people have meant by submission. And then with slaves,

Aristotle, who really influenced first century, he said a slave is a living tool and some people are

just born to be slaves. It's the same idea. Your worth and your value is found in your position in

society. You're inferior. And Paul, as we've said, has said, no, no, no, no, no. That is not where your

value is found. Your value is found in Christ. You know, and from what I've just shared before about

what he says, there's no slave or free. In Galatians 3, 28, he also says in Jesus, there's no male or

female. There's no inferiority or superiority. In fact, if in the church you start doing that, you've

missed what Christ is all about. No one has any right to look down on anyone else. And in the first

century culture, that would have been radical. But then you've got to ask, well, why does Paul

still call wives to submit and slaves still to obey? Is he affirming these institutions?

So let's just start with slavery. Because many people think, how can the Bible justify slavery?

And they look at these kind of passages. And what we've got to understand is, Paul is speaking to

people in this church who are slaves, many of them. And do you know how you became a slave?

Many of the times, you were actually kidnapped by pirates, or you were a prisoner of war, or your

family had been so poor that they'd had to sell you into slavery. And some slaves were actually highly

educated. Some even attained some top jobs. Some even owned their own slaves. But the point was this,

that if you were a slave, if you started a revolution to kind of rise up against slavery,

slavery, you would almost certainly, and we know from the first century people tried to do it,

you would be killed, or you'd be thrown out on the street with no support.

Basically, Paul, when he's writing to slaves, he's not trying to overturn the institution of slavery,

because what he's trying to do, he's facing the reality of where these Christians were.

And he's saying, the gospel is to reshape you where you are.

Now, in 1 Corinthians 7, he actually says, if you can get free, get free.

But if you can't, many of you are so trapped in these situations, here's how the gospel is going to reshape you.

So that's the context of the slavery, context of marriage and family.

And here is a biblical context, where in verse 9 and 10, which we didn't read today,

Paul talks about us being renewed in the image of our creator.

And the Bible story has this narrative where it says,

God has set up certain institutions of government and of marriage and of parenting,

and there is to be order in those.

Just as it reflects order within the way that God himself works.

Because God is both equal and a Trinitarian God,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but there's diversity of roles.

And so, what you see is, when you see Jesus,

because as Christians, Jesus shapes who we're being made into.

He is both equal to the Father, but when he goes into the Garden of Gethsemane,

do you know what he says?

He says, it's not my will, but yours be done.

He submits to his Father, though he's equal to him.

He's not repressed, he's not inferior,

but he's offering a gift of love to honor his Father.

And in Ephesians 5, Paul then says,

just as Jesus submits to his Father,

he also leads the church by laying down his life sacrificially for her,

to love her.

And Paul says, in marriage,

God has set up the same way to reflect

how Jesus and the Trinity work together.

So, the husband is called to lead,

as Jesus does,

laying down his life for her,

serving her for her good,

not for his interest.

Wives are called to submit,

not as repressed or inferior,

but as a voluntary gift of love to your husband.

The wife is called to put his will before hers,

the husband is called to put her interest before his.

Because that's what images,

Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit working together.

So, we've got to kind of get through some of that.

That's what Paul's talking about.

But let's kind of come and get into the text a little bit more.

Because it doesn't matter if you're single,

or if you're married,

if you're a parent,

or if you're a worker in the marketplace,

there's principles here that Paul's going to say

they apply to every single one of you,

wherever you're up to.

But we're going to spend more time focusing on marriage

and on parenting

with just a short time at the end on work.

Okay?

You with us so far?

Good.

Oscar is.

Okay.

So,

G.K. Chesterton,

he's a fun guy,

he once said,

marriage is an adventure

like going to war.

And he's right.

Marriage is war.

Family is war.

The workplace is war.

But the enemy is not supposed to be the other person.

Did you get that?

You see,

what often happens is

all of these things do become war.

But the way that we work is

we want control.

We want our desires to be met.

We want our way.

And when we don't get it,

we go into verbal or mental,

like passive-aggressive

kind of war with each other.

But Paul is going to say

with all of these relationships,

in these areas,

these are arenas

where God supplies them

not primarily to make yourself happy,

to get what you want

and be fulfilled in a self-centered way.

It's provide you with opportunities

to put to death

the areas of your life

where you're still living for yourself.

Did you get that?

And it's not just to provide you

with opportunities

to put yourself to death.

It's also to provide you

with opportunities,

like he's talked about in the passage,

to grow in compassion,

to grow in patience,

to grow in meekness,

to grow in humility and forgiveness

in every area of your life.

That's what your work is about.

That's what your family is about.

That's what your marriage is about.

So here's how the gospel shapes us

in these things.

The gospel shapes us

because it turns us

from ourself to others.

Verse 18.

Wives,

submit to your husbands

as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands,

love your wives

and don't be harsh with them.

Paul is saying,

since you've died with Christ,

you're no longer a prisoner to yourself.

Your orientation of your marriage

is going to shift

from you

to the other person.

So the wife,

as I've said,

puts his will before hers.

Husband puts her interest

before his

and they're flourishing

in together

in a lifelong process

of growing more and more

like Jesus,

glorifying him

in your relationship.

So for the husband,

it looks like this.

Love your wives.

Do you know,

love is not a passive action.

It's not active.

Active love,

because love is always active,

is not sitting on the sofa

just thinking about work.

Active love is not meditating

on all the things

that are wrong on your spouse.

Active love

is initiating,

thinking of,

and proactively doing

what will enable

the other person to flourish.

And to do that,

you have to get to know them.

Right?

You have to spend time with them.

You have to listen to them.

Because I've read books

which tell me

how to love my wife

and they say things like

take her out for meals

and buy her flowers.

But my wife

is not that into

just always going out for meals.

She likes to eat at home.

And actually,

she's not really into flowers either.

So,

to lovingly lead her

as God calls me to,

I've got to spend time

getting to know her.

So that's why

you can't just take

a principle

from whatever anyone says

and just slap it

on your own marriage.

You've got to know each other.

It's relationship.

relationship.

But,

you know in Genesis,

God calls Adam

to be the leader

in the relationship

and he gives a command

to Adam.

He says,

don't eat from the tree

of knowledge of good and evil

or you'll die.

Okay?

It's pretty clear.

Now,

who eats from the tree?

First.

Eve does.

What was Adam doing?

Do you know what it says?

It says he was right there

with her.

You think,

I think if he'd had an iPhone,

he would have been

on his iPhone

just watching YouTube videos.

Watching to see,

okay,

what's going to happen to her?

God said,

we're going to die

if we eat this,

but let's see.

Because if she doesn't eat,

then maybe

I'll have some afterwards.

But,

is Adam

taking leadership?

Is he loving his wife?

No,

because you know what happens?

God comes straight to him afterwards

and says to him,

okay,

Adam,

why did you eat from the tree?

And he goes,

it was her,

not me.

And you see,

when God has called Adam

to take leadership,

he's not doing that

because he's not loving his wife.

He's only being passive

and thinking of himself.

And actually,

I was talking with my wife this week

and just convicted

I'm so much more like Adam

sometimes

in my life.

But,

you know,

Pastor John Piper,

he says something like,

he says something

that actually has convicted me.

He says,

do you want to know

who's leading

out of love

in your marriage?

He says this,

who says let's more?

Who says let's more?

Let's go out to eat tonight.

Let's get our finances in order.

Let's get to CG together.

Let's pray together.

Let's work on our marriage together.

And it's not just,

let's watch football every night

because that's what I want to do.

Right?

And he says,

as a generalization

and there's exceptions,

but if the wife is saying

let's far more than the guy,

that's both a burden on the wife

and it's a problem with the guy

because he's not doing

what God has called him to do,

which is to lay down his life

and lead her,

flourishing her.

So guys,

how are we doing?

How are we doing

with leading

and flourishing our wives

so that they spiritually

grow in Christ

so that our marriage

is wanting to be centered on him?

Are you saying let's?

And notice,

he doesn't say

love your wives

when they're giving you sex.

He doesn't say

love your wives

when they're prioritizing you

above their kids.

He doesn't say

love your wives

when you feel respected by them.

He says,

love your wives

and don't be harsh with them.

Do you know what that means?

That means literally

don't be embittered by them.

You see,

precisely when you feel

they're not meeting

your needs for

and desires

for sex

and respect

and time,

that's precisely

the time

where God has called you

to still keep loving.

It's tough.

You know,

there's a book called

His Needs,

Her Needs.

Has anyone read that?

It's a good book.

I recommend it.

And what it says is

men have needs

and women have needs

and it's like a love tank.

You know,

you kind of fill each other up

and you,

you know,

men have needs for sex

and respect

and women have needs

for like to be listened to

and to be cherished

and for conversation.

So,

wives,

give him what he needs.

Men,

give them what your wife needs

and it will be great.

And there's a lot of wisdom in it.

There's just one problem.

If you look back

in verse 13,

Paul tells us,

everyone,

but in the context of marriage,

he's applying it here,

bear with one another in love.

Forgive each other.

If you have a complaint,

and this includes your spouse,

if you're having a complaint,

forgive and walk with each other in this.

Why does he say this?

He says it,

when you get married,

who do you marry?

And if you're not single,

if you're single,

listen carefully.

Who do you marry?

You marry a sinner.

Right?

Every time.

And who did they marry?

They married a sinner too,

and that's you.

Now,

through sin

or through circumstances,

there will be times

where your spouse

will not fill your love tank,

will not meet all your needs.

And as guys,

and actually in both senses,

for men and women,

we can end up looking elsewhere

into work,

into other women,

into pornography,

even if it's just in your mind,

and we get resentful and bitter

because we're not getting what we want,

and we're not getting what we want

at that moment

because we've failed also

to see that Jesus says,

you've died,

and your life is hidden with Christ.

He's your life,

not your wife.

Your wife cannot justify you,

only Jesus can.

Your wife cannot fulfill you,

only Jesus can.

That can free you

if you realize

that in a relationship,

each other is at some point or other

going to disappoint you,

and the only place

for your salvation

is not in each other,

it's in Jesus.

That frees you to be thankful.

That frees you to be patient,

and it frees you to say,

let's talk about this,

but without demands,

without accusations,

but with patience,

compassion,

and gentleness.

husbands,

love your wives.

I've spent more time on that,

but that is every single guy here.

Whether you're married or not,

God has called you

to be active in love.

How are we doing?

But wives,

submit to your husbands.

Notice he says,

not to all men,

just to your husband.

He doesn't say,

husbands,

make your wives submit.

He doesn't say that.

He says,

submit in the Lord.

In other words,

you're submitting with Jesus

as your highest authority.

Your husband is not

your highest authority.

Jesus is.

So you submit only

in matters of preference,

not in matters of sin.

And submission doesn't mean

wives be a doormat.

It doesn't mean

be a punch bag.

It doesn't mean

give up your own opinions.

It doesn't mean

give up the ways to influence.

It's not about

who earns more money.

It's not about

who washes the dishes.

It's none of those things.

Because God wants

strong and godly women

who know and think

and influence

for the cause of Christ.

Jesus and Paul's ministry

is filled with women

who are playing key roles

advancing the gospel

in a male-dominated society.

But here's what submission is.

Again, I'm using John Piper.

Submission is the defined calling

of a wife to honor

and affirm her husband's leadership

and so help to carry it through

according to her gifts.

It's to honor and affirm

her husband's leadership.

It's a voluntary gift of love

you give to your husband.

It's being willing to yield to him

the casting vote

when after discussion

you still can't agree.

It's making space for him to lead

so he can flourish in that.

It's making space to honor

and affirm his leadership.

So how do you do that?

How do you do that well

so there's a healthiness?

Well, here's how you don't do it.

Okay?

You don't affirm someone's leadership

when you focus on all the things

he doesn't do

rather than all the thinking

of all the things he does do.

Okay?

You know, he agreed to go shopping for you.

And he comes back

having forgotten

seven of the ten items

you asked him

and having bought a drone

on the way

for himself.

Now,

women who are not affirming

their husband's

leadership

say things like,

you never remember

things I want.

You always think of yourself.

Now, that may be 90% true.

But,

it doesn't work

in a relationship.

But those who are looking

to affirm

their husband's leadership,

do you know what they do?

They say they point out

what he's doing well.

So they build this culture

of gospel affirmation.

They say,

thank you for serving me

by shopping for our family.

I really appreciate you

taking the time to do that.

Is there any way

I can help you remember

the other items next time?

And you know what?

When you try that,

you see what happens.

When my wife does that to me,

I kind of go,

I was quite selfish,

wasn't I?

It doesn't work

when you're actually

so focused

on trying to undermine

whether Christ calls us

to affirm and honor.

That's what it means,

submit leadership.

And you know,

how do we do that?

Because he says,

we died with Christ

we're putting to death anger.

We're putting on compassion,

putting on patience,

putting on meekness.

That's a strength

that is gentle.

And the only way

that husbands can love,

the only way that wives

can submit

is if you realize

that Christ is your life,

not your spouse.

Only Christ is your life,

not your spouse.

That's the first thing.

The gospel changes us.

And if you're dating

or single,

by the way,

don't settle

for someone

who is not

seeking to lead you

towards Christ

if you're a woman.

And if you're a guy,

don't settle

for someone

who is not

wanting you

to lead them

towards Christ

because your marriage

will not picture

what Christ

has called you to be.

God

is not

so that's

from self

to others.

That's what the gospel does.

The second thing

the gospel does,

it takes us

from provocation

to hopeful confidence.

And again,

I'm going to spend

less time

on the next two points

just in case

you were kind of wondering.

Children,

obey your parents

for this pleases

the Lord.

Fathers,

don't provoke

your children

lest they be discouraged.

Notice Paul,

he values children

by speaking to them.

That was unusual.

That didn't happen

in their culture.

And he speaks to them

as those who can know

and please Jesus.

As those who can have

a relationship

with Jesus

even when they're young.

But I'm going to focus

on the parents here.

And notice

that in this

first part of the verse

he focuses

and mentions

both parents,

mothers and fathers.

But then in the second

he says

to fathers

specifically

because they were called

to be the spiritual heads

of the household.

And he says

don't provoke

your children.

And that literally

provoke means

to stir up,

to irritate them

lest they be discouraged.

And you can see

from what he calls

the children to be

to obey parents

so that it pleases God

that actually

he's saying

don't act

in such a way

that they're going

to be irritated

to the point

of losing

courage

and motivation

to please Christ

and to obey you.

Okay?

Don't act in a way

that does that.

Now you cannot

make your children

love Jesus

but you can provide

a gospel soil

for them to experience

the goodness

and love

of Jesus

through your parenting.

So I want to take

this particular angle

here today.

There's so many things

we can say.

Simon has said

most of the things

already.

But I want to just

talk about

it's alright

Simon can preach

next week.

But I want to talk

about a couple of things.

What is the opposite

of discouragement?

What's the opposite?

it's being filled

with confidence

and hope.

Gospel parenting

builds a household

filled with confidence

and hope.

And he's saying

don't undermine that

by bringing

discouragement.

Now here's the difference

between secular thinking

and Christian thinking.

Secular thinking

the world says

build your child's

self-confidence.

confidence.

The gospel says

build your child's

God confidence.

The world says

build your child's

hope in their

school achievements

in their career

in their ability

to have a secure

financial future.

The gospel says

build your hope

your child's hope

in Jesus

in whom your life

is hidden.

Because jobs

will come

jobs will go

but only in Christ

will they have

confidence

regardless of

any circumstance.

It's the greatest

thing you can give

your children.

And so how can we

provoke our children

to lose

or not have

that kind of confidence?

Well I want to

just give you one

specifically.

It's when your own

confidence and hope

is in your performance

it's in other things

other than Jesus.

It's in when you

as parents

it's in things

other than Jesus.

You know

you can give

your children

moral principles.

Christian moral

principles.

You can discipline

them with the law

to make them

good people

on the outside

but if you

yourself

are not

delighting

in the grace

and the love

and the forgiveness

of Jesus

it will provoke

and discourage

them.

You know

when I was

when I was

at school

we had a

Christian assembly.

I hated

Christian assembly.

There was in my

school there were

two Christians

out of 1500

people

and so

but we had to do

we had Christian

moral teaching

the teachers

would give us

Christian moral

teaching

and I knew

that none of the

teachers believed it

and then we were

made to sing

these hymns

and

I knew

none of the

teachers

really delighted

in what they

were singing.

it was words

to them

and even

now

I just

despise it

it made me

just irritated

and angry

because the

hypocrisy

that I saw

and actually

if I hadn't

had a great

example

from my

parents

of the

gospel

I would have

despised

Christianity.

John Piper

again says

this

some parents

fail to be

happy and

hopeful and

confident in

God.

Mothers and

fathers

what you

are in

relation to

God is

far more

important than

any particular

parenting technique

you try and

employ.

Will your

children hope

in God

if you hope

in money?

Will your

children be

happy in

God if

they see

that your

phone or

your work

is a

happier

experience

for you

than worship?

Will your

children be

confident in

God if

your whole

demeanor

communicates

the desire

to be seen

as self

confident?

God

this is the

challenge of

the gospel

for all of

us.

You know

you can come

to church

and then you

get that

dreaded call

from kids

ministry

that your

kids are

the one

who are

causing

all the

trouble.

What goes

through your

minds?

Are we

confident in

the love of

Jesus to

say okay

this is not

about me

what an

amazing

teachable

moment to

help my

child understand

the gospel

better?

Or are

we so

worried about

what everyone

else is going

to think that

we come down

harder on our

kids than we

normally would?

Our kids

know your

relationship with

God is the

most important

gift you will

ever give to

your children.

So are you

investing in

that gift?

Are you

investing in

that gift?

Paul Tripp

says this,

I have

never seen

a particular

sin,

weakness,

or fear

in my

child that

I couldn't

identify or

see its

effects in

my own

heart.

No parent

gives mercy

better than

one who is

convinced that

he desperately

needs it

himself.

You see

there's so

much pressure,

there's so

much expectation

in Hong

Kong on

parents,

on kids,

but if you

as a

parent know

that your

confidence

rests not

in how

great you've

been as

a parent,

not in

whether you've

done everything

correctly,

but in the

grace and

mercy,

the compassion,

the patience,

the kindness

that Paul

talks about

that is all

characteristic of

God's love

for us.

Then when we

discipline,

we discipline

out of firmness

but out of

patience and

grace,

and your

kids will

experience a

goodness of

God,

not just

moral teaching

but delighting

in who

Jesus is.

The gospel

changes you

from self

to others.

The gospel

changes you

from provoking

to hopeful

confidence for

yourself and

for your

kids.

Last thing,

and this is

going to be

short,

and this

actually,

all of these

things apply

in every

relationship in

different ways.

And this

one, the

last thing I'm

going to say

is the gospel

changes us

from present

reward to

worship of

Christ.

And Paul

applies this

to work,

and we'll

spend more

time looking

at work

and things

later on,

but I just

want to talk

about two

things.

Paul goes

on to say,

slaves,

obey your

earthly masters,

not out of

eye service,

not just when

they're looking,

not just when

they're there

in front of

you, and

then when

they're not

there, you

go on

Facebook,

but with

sincerity of

heart, fearing

the Lord.

And then he

says, you

know, knowing

that from the

Lord, you're

going to

receive the

inheritance as

a reward.

Throughout every

relationship, where

is your reward

from?

Who is your

master?

If you think

you're stuck in

a work situation,

a relationship,

if you think

you're stuck

struggling with

your boss, the

slave had no

choice as to

which workplace

they were going

to be in.

He was stuck.

The only choice

he had or she

had was this.

I can do what

I'm going to do

out of just fear

of my boss or

out of worship

to Jesus.

I can do what

he says just

when his eye

is on me,

and then do my

work holiday

planning when

he's not there.

Or I can see

that my boss

is always

watching me,

and my heart

is that I'm

not just working

for an earthly

master, I have

a heavenly

master, and I

want to please

him more than

anyone else.

And this is

hard, because

the prize we're

often looking for

in our lives is

this.

I want a fully

fulfilling,

satisfying,

meaningful job

where my boss

and my colleagues

appreciate me

and feel like I'm

doing something

purposeful in life.

Isn't that what

we want from

our work?

Actually, work

is made to be

fulfilling and

satisfying.

But just as in

marriage and in

family, it doesn't

always satisfy us

the way it should.

I don't think many

slaves had any of

those things.

But in the

gospel, Paul says,

your workplace,

whether it's

fulfilling or not,

whether you're

appreciated or not,

if you've died and

Jesus has given you

a new life and is

your new boss, you

have a new reward

and your purpose is

to please him.

Tim Keller, I'm

going to finish

with this, tells the

story of Chariots of

Fire, where two

runners, Harold

Abrahams and Eric

Little, were running

in the 1924

Olympics.

Abrahams was

obsessed with

winning.

He loved the sport

and before his

final race, he

says this, he

says, and now in

one hour's time, I

will be out there

again, I will raise

my eyes, I will look

down that corridor

four feet wide with

ten lonely seconds to

justify my whole

existence.

But will I?

But will I?

Little loved running,

but he did it to

worship and please

God.

And he says, I

believe that God made

me for a purpose,

but he also made

me fast.

And when I run, I

feel his pleasure.

Abrahams thought his

ultimate reward was

in the gold medal.

That medal was his

life.

And so he lived

constantly fearful

that he might miss

out, that if he

couldn't get everything

he wanted in his

work, in his time,

then he might not

have life.

Little wanted to

win equally, but he

knew Jesus had

already died to

justify him.

His life was

hidden now in

Christ.

A new identity, he

had nothing to

prove.

Jesus' pleasure was

his reward.

So he could go out

and run hard and

run well, but afterwards

he could rest secure

knowing whether he

won or not, knowing

whether your family

is going well or

not, knowing whether

your marriage is

going well or not.

But when Christ is

your reward, you look

to him as your life.

You look to him as

your hope.

You look to him as

your confidence.

You look to him as

the one who's going to

satisfy you in a way

that no matter how

good your marriage,

your parenting, your

family, your work life

is, whatever any of

those things, Jesus is

everything you need.

So preach it to

yourself.

Preach it to each

other.

Preach it to your CG.

Every day we need

help to remember

my hope is not

found in myself.

My hope is not

found in getting what

I need.

My hope, my

confidence, my life

is in Jesus alone.

Let me pray.

Maybe you just want to

stop and just think

at the moment.

Am I living with my

eyes set on that prize

of the pleasure of

Christ?

Am I living, turning

with the responsibility

that God has given me,

whether it's your

husband or wife,

whether it's your

single, whether it's

you are a parent or

not, whether it's

you're a child of

your father and

mother, whether it's

you're an employee or

an employer?

where is my life?

Because you died, I

died, and our lives

are hidden with

Christ in God.

I pray, Father, this

week you would help us

to see you.

I pray this week you'd

help us to see with

confidence that you are

with us, that you

challenge us, that you're

going to move us

forward.

Lord, your grace and

your compassion and

your mercy is what we

need every single day.

I pray that you would

open our eyes to see

our need of you.

Don't let us be

satisfied with just

living for ourselves,

because we've died,

and our lives are in

you.

Thank you, Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Yes.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.