Stay Don't Stray

Let's read from Colossians chapter 2, verses 1-7.

Colossians 2:1–7

This is Paul's letter to the Colossians, verses 1-7.

!

This is Paul's letter to the Colossians, verses 1-7.

And we read this,

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you,

and for those at Laodicea,

and for all who have not seen me face to face,

that their hearts may be encouraged,

being knit together in love,

to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding

and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,

in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments,

for though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit,

rejoicing to see your good order

and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Therefore, as you received Christ,

Christ Jesus the Lord,

so walk in Him,

rooted and built up in Him,

and established in the faith,

just as you were taught,

abounding in thanksgiving.

This is God's holy word.

We turn this evening to Colossians chapter 2

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

and the first seven verses,

that passage that Corey read for us.

Stay, don't stray.

It's actually the name of a stay-put primer

for concealers and eyeshadows.

The advertising blurb says,

this dual action power primer

works 360 degrees around the eyes

to make concealers and eyeshadows stay put.

Concealers don't crease,

eyeshadows stay vibrant and true.

Well, my knowledge of female cosmetic products

is, I am sure you will be glad to know,

fairly limited.

In fact, it's practically non-existent.

But what I can gather from stay, don't stray

is that it's something applied to the skin

to make sure that what is put on next

stays put.

I imagine it to be some kind of cream or glue

that keeps your eyeliner in the right place

and stops it running and spoiling the effect.

I'm glad I've shared that with you this evening.

Well, by now you are wondering

if I've lost my mind.

What on earth am I doing

speaking about a particular type of makeup?

But it's this idea of stay, don't stray

that I think helpfully sums up

the message of Paul's letter to the Colossians.

Paul is writing to remind these Christian believers

that all they need to grow and mature

as Christians is to be found

in the Lord Jesus Christ.

They don't need to look elsewhere.

They need to keep their focus on Jesus.

He needs to be at the center.

They need to stay and stick with Him.

And in many ways, this was the burden

of Paul's work as an apostle

and as a servant of Christ.

He longed to see men and women

come into a relationship with Jesus

and find in Him their rest

and their salvation.

And even though in one sense

the Colossian believers

and those at Laodicea

were strangers to him,

nonetheless, Paul struggled

or agonized in prayer for them.

He longed to see them grow and mature.

And as we noted last week,

this is the great aim,

really, of pastoral ministry,

to present everyone mature in Christ.

Paul writes here,

I want you to know the struggle

I have for you

and those at Laodicea

and for all who have not seen me

face to face,

that their hearts may be encouraged,

being knit together in love

to reach all the riches

of full assurance of understanding

and the knowledge of God's mystery,

which is Christ,

in whom are hidden

all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge.

Of course, as we know,

there were those

in and around the Colossian church

that had a very different message

to the Apostle Paul.

Paul says in verse 4,

I say this in order

that no one may delude you

with plausible arguments.

For though I am absent in body,

I am with you in spirit,

rejoicing to see your good order

and the firmness of your faith

in Christ.

These other teachers

promoted a wisdom

and a knowledge

apart from

or supplemental

to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their arguments

were indeed plausible.

They had a lot of fine words,

a lot of high-sounding phrases

rolled off their tongues.

They spoke of spiritual fullness

and abundance.

They pandered to people's pride

and sense of insecurity.

They offered secret knowledge

and enlightenment.

But Paul wanted the Colossians

to stay with Christ

and not move away from Him.

He wanted them to remain secure

in the apostolic gospel.

He wanted them to keep Jesus

firmly at the center.

Because Christ is all

that His people need.

He is enough.

In Him are all the treasures

of wisdom and knowledge.

And so, what we have

in the verses that follow

is Paul's exhortation

to the Colossians.

And one writer calls it

a concise summary

of the whole letter.

How are they going to move forward

in faith and grow to maturity?

How are they going to stay,

not stray?

Well, we have it in verses 6 and 7.

Therefore, as you received

Christ Jesus the Lord,

so walk in Him,

rooted and built up in Him,

and established in the faith,

just as you were taught,

abounding in thanksgiving.

And it's really upon these verses

that I want to land for a moment

this evening.

Because as I've said,

these verses kind of sum up,

encapsulate the message

of the whole letter.

Build your life on Jesus Christ.

Here is Paul revealing to us

the way of growth and maturity

in the Christian life.

How can we remain close to Jesus,

even in a world where there are

so many different voices

clamoring for our attention?

Here is how we too

can stay, not stray.

These words are applicable

to us as individuals.

I think they're also applicable

to us as a church.

As God's people,

we must continue to press on

towards growth and maturity

in Christ.

So let me summarize these verses

under three brief headings,

three key elements

of Christian life and growth.

Three words, as it were.

The first word is the word,

it is actually a word,

I haven't actually made it up,

relentlessness.

There's a relentlessness

about Christian life and growth.

Therefore, as you received

Christ Jesus the Lord,

so walk in Him.

Sometimes we say, don't we,

start as you mean to go on.

Here Paul says,

go on as you started.

Keep going in the same way

that you began the Christian life.

So how did the Christian life

begin for the Colossians?

Paul puts it very simply,

very clearly.

They received Christ Jesus the Lord.

The word that Paul uses here

for receiving Christ

is a Greek word,

paralambano.

And it sounds like something

that might be performed

on Strictly Come Dancing.

But no, it is not

an exotic Latin American dance.

The word is related

to this idea of receiving

a tradition from others.

So what Paul is writing about here

is more than just

a subjective experience

of receiving Christ

into one's heart

by the power of the Spirit.

It's also about receiving

the tradition

or the teaching

of the gospel.

And you might recall

that Paul writes

about that gospel tradition,

famously,

1 Corinthians 15.

I deliver to you

as of first importance

what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins

in accordance with the Scriptures,

that He was buried,

that He was raised

on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

So receiving Christ Jesus,

the Lord,

involves both receiving

the apostolic teaching

about Jesus,

that is the gospel,

and believing it,

as well as this heart submission

to Jesus Christ as Lord.

We receive the teaching

about Him,

who He is,

what He has done

in His life,

death, and resurrection,

as well as a personal union

with Christ.

Christ in us,

the hope of glory.

These two things

really go together.

Receiving Christ

into our lives

involves both doctrine

and experience.

The gospel

that is preached

and proclaimed

is all about

the Lord Jesus Christ.

The one that we receive

into our lives

is none other

than that self-same Jesus,

the very Son of God.

So becoming a Christian

involves us believing

certain things about Jesus,

but more than that,

it involves Him

coming to live within us

by His Spirit.

The gospel,

we've said this before,

is not just about

receiving kind of happiness,

nice feelings,

joy, and peace.

It's all about

receiving the Lord Jesus Christ.

When people receive

the gospel,

they receive Him.

To become a Christian

is to receive Jesus Christ

into your life.

It is for Christ

to come and live within you.

That's how the New Testament

speaks, isn't it?

It's no longer I that live,

says Paul,

but Christ that lives

within me.

And this Jesus

that we receive

is not one of our own making.

It's not a fantasy

of our own thinking.

He is Christ Jesus,

the Lord.

We receive Him.

not just the parts

that we like

or we're drawn to.

We don't get to pick and choose.

Sometimes,

when I was younger,

I used to hear people

say things like,

oh,

I accepted Jesus

as my Savior,

but not as Lord.

And what they often

believed by that

was that they could have

all their sins forgiven

and then,

you know,

could just live

any way we please.

as if Jesus

could be divided

or separated.

But Jesus Christ

is always Savior and Lord.

Christ and all His benefits

come together.

Calvin writes,

the whole gospel

is contained

in Christ.

It's all wrapped up in Him.

He's at the center

of it all.

The Christian faith

is not centered,

really,

on ethics

or morality

or philosophy.

It's centered

on the person

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So,

what Paul is saying here

is that

in the same way

as you receive Jesus,

so you are to continue

in the Christian life.

Walk in Him.

Live in union

with Jesus

through faith

in the gospel.

You've been brought

into a relationship

with Jesus Christ.

You have received Him,

so don't deviate

from that path.

Don't change direction

or switch to some other

pattern or way of living.

Don't be listening

to other voices.

The Christian life

begins and continues

with faith and trust

in Jesus.

It's all rooted in Him.

Press on with Jesus.

Keep on with Him.

There is, you see,

this relentlessness

to Christian growth

and maturity.

It's a long obedience

in the same direction.

It's traveling

with Jesus every day.

As you receive Him,

so go on with Him.

Stick with Jesus.

Be relentless

in your fellowship

with Him.

And that's something

that Jesus Himself

spoke about

with His disciples.

Corrie read

those verses

as our invitation

to worship.

Abide in Me

and I in you.

As the branch

cannot bear fruit

by itself

unless it abides

in the vine,

neither can you

unless you abide

in Me.

I am the vine,

you are the branches.

Whoever abides in Me

and I in him,

He it is

that bears much fruit.

For apart from Me,

you can do nothing.

How do we grow

and become

productive as Christians?

We abide

or remain

in the vine.

We remain

in a relationship

with Jesus.

We need to rest

in

and depend

upon

the Lord Jesus Christ

at all times.

There's an old

Anglican prayer

that says,

Without thee,

we are not able

to please thee.

We need to be

relentless

in this regard.

We mustn't wander off.

We need to stay,

not stray.

We must continue

in Him,

walking

in Him,

staying with Him

and holding

onto Him

by faith

alone.

There's a relentlessness

here

about

Christian

growth.

And that brings me

to the second word here,

steadfastness.

There is a

steadfastness

about

Christian

life

and growth.

Look at

what Paul says here,

Rooted

and built

up in Him

and established

in the faith

just

as you were

taught.

So,

Paul uses

three

separate metaphors

to make this point.

Rooted,

built up,

established,

all related

to this concept

of stability.

To grow,

there must be

stability.

Without it,

any growth

may prove

temporary

or short-lived.

And the metaphors

he uses

are drawn

from the worlds

of agriculture

and architecture.

He speaks

of being rooted

like a plant

in the rich

soil

of Jesus Christ.

A tree

or plant

does not flourish

without being

properly rooted

and grounded

in the soil.

He then speaks

of being built

up in Christ

and established

in the faith.

Here is something

that is growing

and being added

to,

and yet in order

for that to happen

effectively,

foundations

need to be

established.

In order for the

plant to grow up,

it needs roots

to be put down.

In order for the

structure to be

built up,

the foundations

have to be

dug down.

How true it is

that in the

Christian life,

the only way up

is down.

to grow up,

you have to dig

down.

Down into Christ,

down into the

grace of God,

down into the

fertile soil

of the gospel,

down into the

bedrock

of God's

unchanging

character.

Proper roots

and foundations

are vital

because it's

these that give

our lives

stability and

growth.

If we are to

grow and be

built up,

we need to be

established

in the

faith.

And when Paul

mentions faith

here, he's not

referring to our

action of trust

and dependence

on Christ.

Crowley was

speaking about

that this

morning.

He's talking

about the

faith.

That is the

apostolic

teaching.

Jude in his

letter speaks

of the faith

once and for

all delivered

to the saints.

According to

the New Testament,

there is a

body of truth

that we can

call the

Christian faith.

Luke,

Acts 6,

Acts 6:7

verse 7,

And the

word of God

continued to

increase,

and the

number of

the disciples

multiplied

greatly in

Jerusalem,

and a

great many

of the

priests

became

obedient

to

the

faith.

Paul

writes,

Galatians

1.23,

They only

were hearing

it said,

He who

used to

persecute us

is now

preaching

the faith.

He once

tried to

destroy.

From the

outset of

the Christian

church,

there has

always been

a recognizable,

defensible

gospel.

There are

things that

are true

and false

about

Christianity.

There is

only one

Lord,

one faith,

one baptism,

one God

and Father

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

There is

only one

gospel.

There is

only one

Christ.

There is

only one

Savior.

And

stability and

growth only

come as

we are

established

in Him

and in

this

faith.

And that's

why we

prize

teaching

highly in

the church.

Paul says,

just as

you were

taught,

the faith

must be

taught.

I remember

many years

ago being

at a

conference

where Dr.

Jim

Packer,

Anglican

theologian,

was the

speaker.

And at the

end there

was an

opportunity

for

questions.

I was

very young

and so I

plucked up

the courage

to ask

him a

question.

And usually

he asks

some kind

of really

difficult

question.

So I

said,

I asked

him what

he thought

the greatest

need of the

church was

in our

day and

generation.

That was

my question

to him.

And without

hesitating,

he said

this,

to teach

the gospel.

That was

his response.

Teach

the gospel.

For God's

people to

grow,

there must

be the

teaching

of the

gospel.

All the

treasures of

knowledge and

wisdom hidden

in Christ are

to be

unpacked.

We need to

know the

faith,

or we

will become

prey to

those who

peddle

falsehood and

error.

Mark

Johnston,

in his

banner of

truth commentary,

shares the

story of a

friend who

saw in his

congregation,

many in his

congregation,

delivered from

a false

gospel without

actually having

to directly

criticize those

who had taught

it, their

previous minister

and others in

the congregation.

And when he

asked his

friend how he

had managed

to do this,

his friend

simply said

this,

if you want

to show a

line as

crooked,

just draw a

straight line

beside it.

And that's

what Paul is

telling us

here.

The gospel

is our

straight line.

And the

word of

Christ,

the gospel,

is vital to

the health

and well-being

of churches

and Christians

because Jesus

Christ himself

is the very

source of

spiritual life

and vitality.

The problems

and anxieties

and difficulties

we all experience

in this life

have,

at the end

of the day,

their answer

in him.

Our great

need is to

know him

better,

to come

to love

him more.

And so

tonight you

may be weighed

down with

the burden

of your sins.

Well,

Jesus is

the great

burden-bearer.

Maybe you're

facing death.

He's the

firstborn

from the

dead.

Are you

weak?

Christ is

strong.

Are we

foolish?

He is the

wisdom of

God.

Are we

in the

dark?

He's the

very light

of the

world.

Are we

lost?

He is the

way.

Are we

tired and

exhausted and

weary?

He is our

rest.

Are our lives

stained with

guilt?

His blood

makes the

foulest clean.

Of course,

you do

sometimes hear

people say

that Christianity

is better

caught than

taught.

Or as we

say here in

Scotland,

better felt

than

telt.

But it is a

very dangerous

thing to pit

doctrine and

experience against

one another,

because Christianity

is both felt

and telt.

It's both

caught and

taught.

Christianity

that is all

feelings,

emotions,

and experience

will not

long survive

in this

harsh and

sometimes

difficult world.

And likewise,

a Christianity

that is purely

cerebral,

dominated only

by head

knowledge,

will become

dry and

arid and

stale.

Martin Lloyd

Jones wrote

these words,

to be a

Christian is

not only to

believe the

teaching of

Christ and to

practice it,

it's not only to

try to follow the

pattern and

example of

Christ,

Christ.

It is to be so

vitally related

to Christ

that His

life and

His power

are working

in us.

It is to be

in Christ.

It is for

Christ to

be in

us.

So,

Christian

stability needs

both doctrine

and experience.

They go

together.

a long time

ago when I

was in the

Boys'

Brigade,

that is a

uniformed

Christian

organization

established in

1883 by

Sir William

Alexander

Smith in

Glasgow.

That's for

those of you

who are not

in Scotland

or Northern

Ireland or

England.

England,

and in

the Boys'

Brigade,

the badge

is an

anchor.

And we

would sometimes

sing a

song based

on the

brigade

motto drawn

from Hebrews

619,

sure and

steadfast.

I won't

sing it to

you.

You'll be

glad to

know.

Sure and

steadfast,

the brigade

boys'

motto,

clear.

That's our

watchword when

trouble and

trials are

near.

Friends,

that's the

idea.

The Christian

believer is

to be sure

and steadfast.

Stability.

So that even

when trouble

and trials

arise,

come near,

faith will

not be

uprooted or

destroyed.

Through our

union with

Christ and

by the

Holy Spirit,

Jesus

communicates

His life

and strength

to His

people.

through the

teaching of

the gospel,

we are

strengthened

and established

in this

faith.

Our

understanding

of the

person and

work of

Jesus grows,

deepens,

and expands,

and we are

built up

in Him

to become

more like

Him.

What will

keep you

steady?

What will

make you

steadfast?

Christ,

the way

of progress

in the

Christian

life,

is not

by leaving

or abandoning

the gospel

of Christ

or by

looking

somewhere

else or

to some

other

teachings.

It is

by more

firmly

rooting and

establishing

ourselves

in Jesus

Christ and

in His

gospel.

The life

of Jesus

in our

hearts,

the truth

of Jesus

in our

minds.

As we

were singing

this morning,

He is

our sure

and steady

anchor

in a

world of

unbelief

and lies.

So,

there is a

relentlessness

here about

Christian

growth,

and there is

a steadfastness

about Christian

growth,

and then

thirdly here,

there is a

thankfulness

about Christian

life and

growth,

abounding

in

thanksgiving

to Him.

The word

for abounding

here literally

means

overflowing.

Commentators

speculate that

this may have

been one of

the catchwords

used by the

false teachers

in Colossae.

And so,

Paul may be

repeating it

here to

underline his

point that the

authentic Christian

life flows

out of union

with Jesus

Christ,

and indeed

it overflows

with thanksgiving

to Him.

again,

if I can

quote a song

from my

childhood

Sunday school,

running over,

running over,

my cup's

full and

running over.

There are

actions,

but I'm not

going to do

them.

Since the

Lord saved

me,

I'm as

happy as

can be,

my cup's

full and

running over.

And that's

what Paul

is referring

to here.

Lives so

brimful of

thanksgiving to

God that they

are running

over.

And this

note of

thanksgiving is

a great feature

in so many

of Paul's

writings.

It tells the

Thessalonians,

1 Thessalonians 5,

18,

give thanks in

all circumstances.

In the very

next chapter,

chapter 3,

that we'll look

at next month,

verses 15 through

17, this is what

he says.

Let the peace

of Christ rule

in your hearts,

to which indeed

you were called

on one body,

and be thankful.

Let the Word of

Christ dwell in

you richly,

teaching,

admonishing one

another in all

wisdom,

singing psalms,

hymns,

and spiritual songs

with thankfulness

in your hearts

to God.

And whatever you

do in word or

deed, do

everything in

the name of

the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to

God the Father

through Him.

thankfulness is

a key ingredient

for Christian

growth.

An attitude of

gratitude is

vital.

So, as the

Lord's people,

we're not to be

consumed with

resentment and

bitterness.

We're not to be

known as

grumblers and

complainers.

We're not to be

a bunch of

moaning minis.

Our lives are to

be running over

with thankfulness.

Now, that's not

always easy or

natural for us to

do, is it?

And you may be

saying or you may

be thinking,

yeah, but how can

I be thankful

after what's

happened to me,

what's happened in

my life?

Friends, there are

always things we

can be thankful

for, always.

there's a story

in the book,

The Hiding

Place,

that says

Corrie

Ten Boom's

account of

her and her

sister Betsy.

And part of that

account is the

time they spent

in a concentration

camp in

Ravensbrook for

helping Jews

escape the

Nazis.

and they

were placed

in a cramped,

what you would

call flea-ridden

accommodation with

hundreds of other

women.

I could paraphrase

it, but I'll just

read the part of

the story.

Corrie started

up, striking

her head on the

cross slats

above.

Something had

bitten her leg.

Fleas, she

cried.

Betsy, the

place is

swarming with

them, descending

from the

platform,

edging down a

narrow aisle.

They made their

way to a patch

of light.

Hear another

one, Corrie

wailed.

Betsy, how can

we live in

such a place?

Show us, show

us how, Betsy

said matter-of-factly.

It took Corrie

for a moment to

realize that her

sister was

praying.

Corrie, Betsy

then exclaimed

excitedly, he's

given us the

answer.

Before we asked

as he always

does, in the

Bible this

morning, where

was it?

Read that part

again.

Corrie checked

to see that

there were no

guards nearby,

drew from a

pouch a small

Bible that

she'd managed to

smuggle into the

concentration camp.

It was in

1 Thessalonians,

she said, finding

the passage in

the feeble

light.

Here it is.

Comfort the

frightened, help

the weak, be

patient with

everyone.

See that none

of you repays

evil for evil,

but always seek

to do good to

one another and

to all.

Rejoice

always, pray

constantly, give

thanks in all

circumstances for

this is the

will of God in

Christ Jesus.

That's it, Betsy

interrupted.

That's his

answer.

Give thanks in

all circumstances.

That's what we

can do.

We can start

right now to

thank God for

every single

thing about this

barracks.

Corrie stared

at her

incredulously.

Then around the

dark, foul-smelling

room, such as,

she inquired.

Such as being

assigned here

together.

Corrie bit her

lip.

Oh yes, Lord

Jesus, such as

what you're holding

in your hands.

Corrie looked

down at the

Bible.

Yes, thank you,

dear Lord, that

there was no

inspection when we

entered here.

Thank you for

all the women

here in this

room who will

come to meet

you and its

pages.

Yes, agreed

Betsy.

Thank you for

the crowding

here.

Since we're

packed so close,

many more will

hear.

She looked at

her sister

expectantly and

prodded.

Corrie,

all right,

thank you for

the jammed,

crammed,

stuffed,

packed,

suffocating

crowds.

Thank you,

Betsy continued

on, for the

fleas and

for, that was

too much for

Corrie.

She cut in

on her

sister.

Betsy,

there's no

way even

God can

make me

grateful for

a flea.

Give

thanks in

all circumstances,

Betsy

corrected.

Doesn't say

in pleasant

circumstances.

Fleas are

part of this

place where

God has put

us.

And so

they stood

between the

stacks of

bunks and

gave thanks

for fleas.

Though on

that occasion,

Corrie thought

Betsy was

surely wrong.

Weeks

passed and

Betsy told

Corrie,

you know,

we've never

understood why

we had so

much freedom

in the big

room for

Christian

ministry.

Well,

I find out.

This afternoon

there was

confusion in

my knitting

group about

sock sizes,

so we

asked the

supervisor to

come and

settle it,

but she

wouldn't.

She wouldn't

step through

the door,

and neither

would the

guards.

And do you

know why?

Betsy

could not

keep the

triumph from

her voice,

as she

exclaimed,

because of

the fleas.

That's what

she said.

That place

is crawling

with fleas.

Corrie's

mind raced

back to their

first hour in

the barracks.

She remembered

Betsy bowing

her head and

thanking God

for creatures

that Corrie

could see no

use for.

Isn't that an

astonishing

story?

Overflowing

with

thanksgiving.

They were in

a Nazi

concentration

camp.

You see,

thankfulness is

such a crucial

spiritual

discipline.

We need to

constantly be

reminding ourselves

of God's

goodness and

grace towards

us.

We need to

be feeding

our faith

with fresh

memories of

Christ's goodness

and mercy

towards us.

Because in a

way,

thankfulness is

what will keep

us tied to

Jesus Christ.

It's the

super glue

that sticks us

close to Him.

it's part of

the function

as we

celebrated this

morning,

the Lord's

Supper.

We remember

and celebrate

our Lord

Jesus Christ

and all that

He has done

for us,

especially in

His death

on the cross.

We fellowship

with Him

and with one

another in the

power of the

Spirit.

That's why in

some traditions

the Supper is

known as the

Eucharist.

The word

just means

thanksgiving.

It was

Shakespeare's

King Lear

who famously

declared how

sharper than

a serpent's

tooth it is

to have a

thankless

child.

And Corey

told a story

this morning

about a

thankless

son.

There's a

story from

long ago

on the

island of

Mauritius

of a mother

and a daughter

who were

slaves.

And the

mother saved

and worked

tirelessly

over the

years to

get enough

money to

buy their

freedom.

But she

could only

accumulate

enough funds

to obtain

freedom for

one.

She couldn't

do it for

herself.

She could

only purchase

her daughter's

freedom and

she did it

gladly and

willingly.

And then

sometime later

the women

had the

occasion to

enter a

room where

her daughter

was sitting.

And she

went across

and she sat

down beside

her.

And the

daughter became

furious and

angry.

She rebuked

her mother.

How dare you

sit in my

presence.

You're just a

slave.

I am a

free woman.

What appalling

ingratitude.

She'd forgotten

the price that

had been paid

and who had

paid it for

her.

Friends, we

dare not do

the same.

Don't be a

thankless child

of God.

Never forget

the price that

has been paid

for your

freedom or

the one who

paid it for

us.

We need to

ask God to

lead us ever

to Calvary and

to the cross.

because at

the end of

the day,

that will

keep us

drifting away

from Jesus

Christ.

It's looking

to the cross

of Christ

that helps

us to stay

and not

stray.

Jesus paid

it all.

All to

Him I

owe.

Sin had

left a

crimson stain.

He washed

it white

as snow.

I love

that answer

of the

evangelist

Gypsy

Smith at

the end

of his

life.

When he

was asked

the secret

of his

long and

fruitful

ministry,

he replied,

I never

lost the

wonder of

it all.

And what

is that

if it is

not

thankfulness?

We need

to stay,

not stray.

How do

we do it?

Relentlessness.

Keep pressing

on.

Be

relentless

in abiding

in Jesus.

Steadfastness.

Keep digging

down.

Be

steadfastly

anchoring

your faith

in Jesus

Christ.

Thankfulness.

Keep

looking

up.

Be

ever

thankful

for all

that Christ

has done

for you.

By God's

grace,

may these

three hallmarks

be evidenced

in our

Christian lives

and experience

that we

too

will be

a people

who will

stay

and not

stray.

Let's pray

together.

Amen.

God,

our Father,

we thank you

for all that you

have given

to us

in your

Son,

our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Christ,

we thank you

that in him

are all the

treasures

of wisdom

and knowledge.

Lord,

we pray that

by your

Holy Spirit

you would

help us

be

relentless

in our

Christian lives,

walking

with Jesus,

that you

would be,

help us

to be

steadfast

in the

faith,

and that

you would

help us

always

to be

thankful

for all

your

goodness

towards us,

that we

may grow,

that we

may mature,

and that we

may bear

fruit for

your glory.

We pray

this in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.