Living the Christian life to win the prize

If you would please take your Bibles and turn them to Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

What's known as the first missionary discourse in the Gospel of Matthew.

And Pastor James has walked through this chapter with you so far.

And we are this evening at the end of this chapter.

And we look forward to what God has to say to us this evening through his word.

Let me read these verses before we pray and ask for God's help.

This is God's word. Matthew chapter 10 verses 32 onwards.

Matthew 10:32

Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

For I have come to turn a man against his father.

A daughter against a mother.

A daughter-in-law against a mother-in-law.

A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds their life will lose it.

Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me.

And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward.

And whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple,

truly I tell you that person will certainly not lose their reward.

The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God lasts forever.

Let us pray.

Amen.

Dear God, we ask for your help this evening.

We ask that the same Holy Spirit who inspired these words centuries ago would speak to us from his word.

We pray, O God, that he would teach us what it means to be a disciple.

That he would teach us to put our faith into action.

Amen.

We ask, O God, that he would take these truths and plant them deep in our hearts.

Even the hard truths that we are sometimes reluctant to hear, would you soften our hearts to receive them.

We pray and ask all of these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

In these few verses, in these 12 verses, Jesus has a few things in mind.

He wants us to profess him before the world.

He wants us to prize him before every earthly bond.

He wants us to live a life of paradox.

And he wants us to live it to win the prize.

So if I could summarize what we just read, I would say what I said just now again.

Jesus calls his disciples to profess him before the world.

Prize him before every earthly bond.

Live a life of paradox.

And live that life to win the prize.

Those will be our four points this evening.

Profess Christ.

Prize Christ.

Live a life of paradox.

And fourthly, live that life to win the prize.

Profess him.

Prize him.

Live a life of paradox.

Live that life to win the prize.

In verses 32 and 33, Jesus reminds us that we need to profess him.

You remember that Jesus is calling his disciples, his 12 disciples.

In the beginning of the chapter, we read that Jesus called his 12 disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness.

Have you ever asked yourself the question?

Have you ever asked yourself the question, why 12?

Why 12 disciples?

I think Jesus is calling 12 disciples particularly because he is remaking Israel.

Israel had 12 tribes.

So, here Jesus is reconstituting, remaking Israel in his image.

And he is calling 12 apostles, 12 disciples to carry that message forward from Jerusalem, from within the Jews first and then to the rest of the earth.

So, you may read these verses, these 12 verses and say, maybe that message, that call to profess Christ, to prize him, to live a life of paradox and to live it to win the prize is for those 12 people.

But I think, by extension, those principles apply to us, even this very evening.

And so, he reminds us in verses 32 and 33 that we ought to profess Christ.

So, Jesus says this in verse 32, whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge me, acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

In the ESV, right before this verse starts, there is a so, there is a therefore.

And that is actually hinting at what has come before this text.

And you remember that in the verses prior, in verses 29 and 31, for example, Jesus is reminding the disciples of his providential care of every single detail in the universe.

So, in verse 29, we read this.

Verse 30,

And even the very hairs of your heads are all numbered.

So, do not be afraid.

You are worth more than many sparrows.

Jesus is reminding his disciples, his 12 disciples, of the providential overruling of his universe.

God rules the universe.

There is no maverick molecule in the universe.

Everything happens according to God's plan.

There is nothing out of order in God's economy.

And God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is reminding us this evening to actually think of that providential care of God's people.

And out of that security, profess him.

What is provident, you may ask?

And in our Westminster Confession of Faith, in chapter 5, paragraph 1, we are told this.

This is how it reads.

God, the creator of all things, does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence,

according to his infallible knowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his will, to the praise of the glory of his own wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

And in paragraph 7, we are told that this providence of God takes care of all creation, but especially God has a care for his church.

So we read there that God's providence takes care of all creation, but he cares for his church in a very special way, and works everything for her good.

So the soul there that is missing in your NIVs, which is present in the Greek and in the ESV, is actually pointing to God's providential care.

And as you are reminded of God's providential care, now you are motivated to profess Christ.

You have a security from which to confess Christ, to acknowledge him before all men.

Do you know Christ?

You have to know Christ in order to proclaim Christ.

Just in the Gospel of Matthew, we are told many things about the Lord Jesus Christ.

You remember the very first verse, chapter 1 of Matthew, says Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

He is truly man.

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

He was born of a virgin.

He will save his people from their sins.

He will be called Emmanuel, God with us.

Or you go to chapter 5 and you hear about Jesus Christ as the new Moses who goes up on a mountain to give a clearer, clearer exposition of God's law.

I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets.

I have come to fulfill them, Jesus says.

And he says, if you harbor hate against your brother, you have committed murder in your heart.

Do you know that Jesus who proclaimed that and gave that exposition of God's law?

Or you could go to chapters 8 through 10 and you can read the nine miracle stories.

The story of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.

And he says, take care, daughter.

And Jesus demonstrates his power to show that the miracles he is performing are a picture of the kingdom to come.

Where in that kingdom the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the mute will speak, the lame will leap for joy.

You could go to chapter 11, the next chapter, and you could read Jesus' own invitation.

Where he says, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Or you could go to chapter 13 and read the parables, the stories about the coming kingdom.

Where we are told that Jesus is the sower who sows the seeds.

And he is the king who has brought his kingdom.

You could go on and on.

That's just half of the book of Matthew.

You can know Christ by going to his word.

Do you know Christ?

You must know him as these things and more in order to confess him.

Do you know about his two natures?

He is truly God, truly man.

Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior?

Do you know him as King?

Do you know that he came to seek and save the lost?

Do you know him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords?

Do you know Jesus Christ in his suffering?

He was a man of sorrows.

He was acquainted with grief.

Do you know Jesus Christ in his glory?

As risen from the grave.

Do you know him as seated in the heavenly places advocating for you?

Do you know him as your high priest?

Do you know him as your living and reigning and returning king?

Do you know him as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all history and all creation?

Do you see him in the scriptures?

Do you see him in the Old Testament?

Do you see him as the center of all the scriptures?

When you know Jesus Christ in these ways, you begin to know the outskirts of who he is.

And as you know him in these ways, you learn that as you know him, you are indeed known by him.

As you are known by him, you realize that he is closer to you than you are to yourself.

And in that knowledge, though adversity comes, though there is oppression and there is persecution,

you learn to confess him.

You learn to confess him.

You claim him as your savior.

And you share the gospel with those who are lost.

You remember the story of Polycop from the second century, the bishop of Smyrna.

He was a disciple of the apostle John.

He had served the church for a long, long time.

And at the end of his ministry, he was dragged into a Roman festival before the Roman proconsul.

And they urged him to swear by Caesar and curse Christ.

He is 86 years old.

Do you remember how he replied?

Do you?

This is what he said.

He says, 86 years have I served Christ.

And he has done me no wrong.

How then can I blaspheme my king and my savior?

You may not be dragged in front of the Roman high courts today.

Maybe you'd be dragged to the parliaments, to the police stations here in Scotland for proclaiming the message of the gospel of repentance.

But do you profess Christ?

Do you confess him by words?

Nobody becomes a believer by you bringing them a bowl of soup.

Although that is wonderful.

Although we should adorn the gospel with good deeds.

But you have to speak up.

You have to use words.

Jesus who created the gospel of Jesus.

Jesus who created the world.

Who is in charge of every molecule in all creation.

Who is in charge of your life.

The parts of your body.

He is working all things for good.

So that not one of your hair can fall on the ground without his permission.

He cares for you.

He knows every detail about you.

And he asks you to be bold.

He asks you to be bold.

But if you deny him before men, Jesus says,

who at worst can only kill the body,

he will deny you before his father in heaven.

A bold call.

A hard word.

But here is the call to profess Christ.

The call to profess Christ.

Do you profess Christ in all the spheres that you are involved in?

The next call is to prize Christ.

If you think this is a hard word,

the next call is a harder word.

So profess Christ in verses 32 and 33.

That's our first point.

Our second point is prize Christ.

34 through 37.

Verses 34 through 36.

This is what he says.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

For I have come to turn a man against his father.

A daughter against a mother.

A daughter-in-law against a mother-in-law.

A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

Does it seem contradictory to you?

Does it sound contradictory to you?

That Jesus would say that he has not come to bring peace?

If you just do a survey of what the Old Testament has said,

you remember the prophecy of Isaiah who says,

he shall be named the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9.6.

You remember the angels foretelling Jesus' birth,

and they say glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace and goodwill to men.

Jesus himself in John 14 would say,

peace I leave with you.

My peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives.

Or after the resurrection,

in John 20, he says,

peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me,

so I am sending you.

And he calls us to be peacemakers, doesn't he?

He says, blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called the sons of God.

Or in Romans 12.18,

live peaceably among all men,

as far as it depends on you.

And the apostles called Jesus peace.

In Ephesians 2.14 and 17,

we are told that he is our peace.

He came and preached peace to those who are far off.

In 1 Thessalonians, he says,

now may the Lord of peace sanctify you completely.

2 Thessalonians 3,

now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times.

Is Jesus contradicting himself?

I don't think so.

I think the answer to that question is in verse 37.

In verse 37,

he gives us that answer.

He says,

anyone who loves their father or mother,

is father or mother more than me,

is not worthy of me.

Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me,

is not worthy of me.

In other words,

Jesus did not come to bring disruption to your family.

Jesus did come to rightly order your loves.

He wants you to prize him above all earthly bonds.

Do you prize Jesus Christ?

It means that as you profess Christ,

there will be a position in your families.

And more than not,

it actually comes from people who are closest to you,

people who know you.

It means to prize Christ,

there will be a position.

As you love him,

and as you love his law,

you will have to make decisions

between choosing him

or choosing to compromise.

It may look different in different families,

but the crux is this.

Your loves have to be rightly ordered.

You have to love the Lord your God,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

with your heart, soul, strength, and mind.

And there's also another truth.

There is a dividing line

that runs through human history

from the very beginning,

from the beginning of the Bible.

We are told that

there are two lines of humanity

that are characterized by two loves.

One line is characterized by love for God,

and the other line is characterized by love for self.

You see this division from the very beginning.

You remember the division

between the seed of the serpent

and the seed of the woman

in Genesis 3.

Or you remember the distinction

between the seed of Cain

and the seed of Abel

and then Seth in Genesis 4 and Genesis 5.

That line runs through

every period of history,

every empire,

and sadly in every family.

Jesus here wants our utmost loyalty.

He wants us to prize him

above all earthly bonds.

Do not make idols

of your family relationships

at the expense of worshipping the true God,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is a jealous God, you see.

He is a jealous God.

In the words of the Scottish Puritan,

Samuel Rutherford,

set not your hearts

on the flowers of this world.

They shall fade and die.

Prize the rose of Sharon

and the lily of the valley,

for he changes not.

Prize Christ.

Prize the rose of Sharon.

Prize Christ the maker,

the redeemer,

the friend,

the high priest.

He changes not.

Or in the words of the psalmist

in Psalm 45,

Jesus is the most handsome

of all the sons of men.

O beloved church of God,

he is your betrothed.

You are bound to marry him.

You are his bride.

He loved you

before the stars were made.

He emptied himself

by becoming like you.

He gave himself to pursue you.

He ransomed your soul

on the day that he died.

He demands your love.

Of 10,000 strong,

he is the fairest in heaven

and on earth.

Cherish him,

treasure him,

and prize him.

Psalm 45, verse 10.

Psalms 45:10

Listen, O daughter,

and pay careful attention.

Forget your people

and your father's house.

Let the king be enthralled

by your beauty.

Honor him.

For he is your Lord.

Profess him,

prize him.

And thirdly,

live by paradox.

How do you prize Christ?

One of the ways you can do

is to live by paradox.

That is our third point this evening.

Live by paradox.

Verses 38 and 39.

In verse 38 and 39,

Jesus says this,

whoever does not take up their cross

and follow me

is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds their life

will lose it.

And whoever loses their life

for my sake

will find it.

You see the parallels

in verses

where he says,

anyone who loves their son

or daughter

more than me

is not worthy of me.

And he repeats the same

in verse 38.

Whoever does not take up their cross

and follow me

is not worthy of me.

What does that mean?

It means

that we are called

to imitate

the Lord Jesus Christ.

One theologian said,

imitation of Christ

is the heart

of the spiritual life.

imitation of Christ

is the heart

of the spiritual life.

For some

from some

for some disciples

who are called

in this very passage,

imitating Christ

actually meant

dying

as Jesus did.

They professed Christ,

they prized Christ,

and they were

crucified for it.

You remember

the story

of Peter

gathered from

tradition,

early Christian tradition

that he was

crucified upside down

in Rome.

And he requested

to be

crucified upside down

because he felt

unworthy to die

in the same way

that Jesus died,

the right side up.

Oh, Andrew,

Peter's brother,

who was crucified

on an X-shaped

cross

in Greece.

He was

bound to the cross

and the legend

goes

that he preached

for two days

before dying.

Crucifixion

was a slow death,

you remember.

Oh, Philip.

They say that

they crucified

his head first

in modern day

Turkey.

So, Nathaniel

was flayed

alive

and then crucified

in Armenia.

For those disciples,

that's what it meant,

but what does it mean

for us now?

Does it mean

that we carry

physical

wooden crosses

and start

mimicking

the historical

actions of Jesus?

Does it mean

that we put

on a shore?

If you look

at church history,

you'll find

that certain

monastic traditions

and mystical

traditions,

they actually

attempted

to replicate

and reenact

the crucifixion.

And they

found it

to be meritorious.

They found it

to bring

the merit

before God.

But

carrying the cross,

taking on the cross

and following Jesus

is not really

a costume

to wear,

is it?

It is a way

of life.

It means

sharing

in the suffering

of Christ.

It means

a life

of self-denial

and a life

of self-forgetfulness.

It means

active obedience

to God,

doing God's will

within

specific circumstances,

the modern

callings

that He

has called

us to.

It means

that if you're

working in

government,

you follow

Jesus Christ

and His law

to the very end.

If you work

in industry,

business,

wherever you

work,

you live

with a

willingness

to forfeit

everything,

wealth,

worldly pleasures,

family ties,

even your own

life for the

sake of Christ.

But it also

involves

a tearing

down.

You have to

say no

to yourself.

There's self-denial,

isn't it?

You have to say

no to

your sinful

self

and you have

to be willing

to endure

hardship.

And more

often than not,

it means

being okay.

with being

called a

bigot

or an

unloving

person

for your

views on

Christian

teachings,

on sexuality

and marriage.

It means

professing

Christ

and prizing

Christ

and not

giving in

to self-protecting

fear.

It means

learning

to live

by

paradox.

Verse 39,

whoever

finds

their

life

will

lose

it.

And whoever

loses

their

life

for my

sake

will

find

it.

If you

try to

grasp

onto

life,

you try

to hold

on to

life and

your possessions,

you will

lose it.

It's paradoxical.

But if you

lose your

life for

my sake,

for Jesus'

sake,

and the

gospel,

you will

find it.

it means

looking at

your world

through the

lens of

the cross,

looking at

the world

the right

side up,

which is

the upside

down way

of how

people usually

look at the

world.

It means

to

see everything

through the

lens of the

cross.

as the

first prayer

in the

book called

The Valley

of Vision.

It is to

realize that

the way

down is

the way

up.

It is to

realize that

the way

to be low

is to be

high.

It is to

know that

the broken

heart is

the healed

heart.

It is to

know that

the contrite

spirit is

the rejoicing

spirit.

That the

repenting

spirit is

the victorious

soul.

It is to

know that

to have

nothing

is to

possess

everything.

It is to

know that

to bear

the cross

is to

wear the

crown.

It is

to realize

that when

the night

is the

darkest,

that's

when

stars

shine

the

brightest.

Do you

live

by the

way of

the cross?

Does your

life take

the way

of the

cross?

Do you

see your

life through

the lens

of the

cross?

Maybe when

you were

young,

when you

were first

converted,

you heard

the scandalous

message of the

gospel and

you were

moved.

But over

time,

you've

kind of

lost that.

But

have you

lost the

edge of

your Christian

life?

Christian

life is

a life

that is

marked by

paradox.

Profess

Christ,

price

Christ,

and live

by paradox.

And

fourthly,

and lastly,

live it

to win

the prize.

Live it

to win

the prize

in verses

40 and

42.

Anyone

who

welcomes

you,

Jesus

says,

welcomes

me.

And

anyone

who

welcomes

me,

welcomes

the one

who sent

me.

Whoever

welcomes

a prophet

as a

prophet

will

receive a

prophet's

reward.

And

whoever

welcomes

a person

as a

righteous

person

will

receive

a

righteous

person's

reward.

And

if anyone

gives

even a

cup of

cold water

to one

of these

little

ones,

who is

my

disciple,

truly,

I tell

you,

that person

will

certainly

not

lose

their

reward.

You

remember

the stories

of people

receiving

prophets.

You

remember

the story

of Elijah

who was

received

by the

widow

of

Zarephath

in

1 Kings

17.

And

the story

of Elisha,

Elijah's

disciple,

who was

received

by the

Shunammite

woman

both

women

had

lost

their

sons.

And

they

were

hospitable

to Elijah

and Elisha

and they

received

their

reward.

They

received

their

sons

back.

But

who

else

also

received

their

reward?

It's not

just the

prophet,

but it's

also the

ones who

received

them,

the women.

They

received

their

rewards,

Jesus

says.

Jesus

is making

a distinction

between

the prophets

and the

ones who

received

those

prophets.

In

modern

parlance,

he is

making a

distinction

between

what we

call

goers

and

senders.

Goers

are the

ones who

say

that I'm

going to go

to the

mission field

and I'm

going to

preach the

gospel to

unreached

people

groups.

And

senders

are the

ones who

host

people,

give them

hospitality,

support the

work abroad

with

resources.

So goers

and senders,

and Jesus

says,

regardless of

what you're

called to,

it'll be one of

those two

things.

You are

either a

goer,

someone who

goes to

proclaim

the gospel,

or you're

a sender,

you will

receive the

same reward.

What a

scandalous

message is

that?

It means

that missionaries

are really

not upper

class citizens

in God's

economy.

Pastors are

not upper

class citizens

in God's

economy.

The one

who goes

and plants,

he receives

the reward,

and the one

who shows

hospitality and

supports that

work,

they receive

the same

reward.

Do you

actively

partake in

God's

mission?

Do you

give to

the church?

Ralph

Winter,

an American

missiologist,

he talked

about

wartime

living,

wartime

living,

and you're

probably

familiar with

that.

During the

World War

II,

you probably

know better

than I do.

You come

from Sri

Lanka,

you made

sacrifices

to fight

that war.

You know

the Clydeside

shipbuilders.

You remember

the factories

that pivoted

from manufacturing

civilian luxury

items to

building trains

and tanks

and ships.

You remember

wartime

rationing,

people

voluntarily

giving up

sugar and

meat

and petrol

and other

resources,

all kinds

of resources

so that they

could be

forwarded to

the front

lines.

Maybe you

remember

stories about

the dig

for victory

or maybe you

heard it from

your parents

or your

grandparents.

Campaigns to

grow vegetables

in your backyard,

in your front

garden,

so that

resources can be

allocated to the

front.

wartime

living really

means shifting

priorities.

Do you

live a life

that is

luxurious,

that is

self-centered,

that is

self-loving?

Do you live

for this world

or do you

make your

priorities

centered on

the coming

kingdom?

Do you

view your

money,

your time,

your careers

as a means

for personal

comfort or

peacetime

pursuits?

If you

have the

attitude of

a wartime

living,

then you

would have

simpler budgets,

frugal living,

live more

sacrificially,

live more

driven by the

mission of the

church.

Your lifestyle

would be

reallocated,

your resources,

your time.

You would

focus on the

work of the

church.

Has your

life been

retooled for

God's purposes?

Or are you

still manufacturing

luxuries for

yourself?

The frontiers

of global

mission are

no longer

far, far

away in

the east

or in the

global south.

Some of them

are already

here.

The frontiers

are here,

whether you

like it or

not.

Globalization

has meant

that nations

have come

to our

doorsteps.

In

Edinburgh,

there are

about 24%

of Edinburgh's

population

have come

from 170

different

countries.

170

different

countries.

24% of

Edinburgh.

But how

about the

remaining

British people?

76%

of British

people live

in Edinburgh

and only

about 2%

of them

are church

going

believers,

evangelicals.

So the

frontiers are

here.

How do you

support the

work of your

church?

How do you

support the

work of

Buklu?

How do you

support the

pastor, the

elders, the

deacons, the

musicians, the

volunteers?

Do you

take away

from their

work or do

you add to

it?

Do you

give to your

church so

God's work

can be

supported here

in Edinburgh

or do you

hold

resources for

yourself?

Jesus says

that there is

a reward.

There is a

reward.

And in one

sense, the

reward is

described to

us in verse

14.

Jesus says

anyone who

welcomes you

welcomes me.

and anyone

who welcomes

me welcomes

the one who

sent me.

So in one

sense, the

reward as you

labor for the

sake of the

church is that

you get the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

And once you

get the Lord

Jesus Christ,

you get God

the Father.

That is a

reward.

That is the

highest reward

anyone can

get.

It's to

receive God

as their

ultimate

price.

But there

is also

reward in

another sense

that we

don't like

hearing about.

And that

is that

implicit in

these texts

is the

idea that

there is a

thing that's

called the

prophet's

reward.

And that's

different from

other rewards.

rewards.

And in

fact, the

Bible talks

much about

rewards.

In 1 Corinthians

3.8, every

man shall

receive his

own reward

according to

his own

labor.

Or in

Luke 19, the

story, and

Jesus says,

you shall have

power over

ten cities, and

you shall have

power over

five cities.

Faithful

servants are

given authority

over different

numbers of

cities.

What does

that mean?

It means that

yes, we do

get our

reward in

God.

We get the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

He is our

treasure.

We get the

Father.

We get the

Spirit.

But our

capacity to

rejoice in

God would

differ in

heaven,

depending on

our labor,

depending on

what we do

with the gift

that we have

been given.

God has

given his

church gifts.

He has

given you

unique gifts.

Do you

put them

to good

use, or

do you

bury them?

Do you

bury your

talents?

In one

sense, I

think the

whole rewards

argument is

given to us

so that we

may actually

work, because

the scandal

of the

gospel is

that you

can never

earn a

place with

God.

And because

that is such

a scandal,

automatically

human beings

think that

everything is

equal.

And we

treat God

as if he

is the

equal

employment

opportunity

officer.

We

flatten the

teachings of

the scriptures.

So yes,

the scandal

of the

gospel is

that if

you put

your trust

in Jesus

Christ,

you will

get God.

God, but

you are

given gifts

in order

that you

may work

them for

the glory

and the

growth of

God's

kingdom.

I

shouldn't

flatten that.

Do you

live your

life to

win the

prize?

Do you

put your

talents to

good work?

God's

It's a

question we

have to

ask ourselves.

Do you

give these

little ones a

cup of

cold water?

Because they

are the

disciples of

the Lord

Jesus

Christ.

Do you

dig for

victory?

Polycarp

certainly

received

his reward.

The

Shunammite

woman who

took

Elisha

in

surely

received

her

reward.

Jesus

calls his

disciples to

profess him

before the

world and

prize him

above every

earthly bond.

He calls

us to live

a life of

paradox.

The way

down is the

way up.

And he

calls us

to live

that life,

that paradoxical

life, that

foolish life

to win

the prize.

May he

find us

faithful as

God does

his work

among us

here in

Bucklew and

Edinburgh.

May we

hear from

the Lord

Jesus Christ,

well done,

good and

faithful servant.

May we

run our

race to

win that

prize.

God's

word and

his

preaching

of it.

May God

add his

blessings to

it.

Let us

pray.

God, we

thank you

for your

words.

We thank

you for

these simple

truths we've

always known.

But we

know,

God, that

we need

fresh

reminders.

others.

So awaken

us to

these

realities,

show us

the state

we're in,

and give

us a sense

of what

you're doing

in the

world,

cause us

to have

that joy

of our

salvation

that we

had 20

years ago,

50 years

ago,

when we

first

beheld

Christ in

his glory.

Help us

to live

our lives

faithfully,

help us

to live

not for

ourselves,

but for

the sake

of Jesus

Christ.

We commit

our weeks

into your

hand.

We ask

that you

would bless

us as

we go.

Would you

give us

safety as

we travel?

Would you

be with

our children?

We pray

for pregnant

mothers in

this room,

and those

who long

to be

pregnant.

We pray

for our

various needs.

We pray

for the

needs of

this church.

Would you

be glorified

in raising

young men

and young

women in

this church

who can

serve you

in the

hard places

and in

the hardest

place that

is our

front doors.

We pray

and ask

all of

these things

in the

name of

Lord Jesus

Christ.

Amen.