Our reading today from God's word is in the book of Hebrews, chapter 12. We will be starting at verse 1, going through verse 11. Hebrews 12, verse 1. Let us listen to the words of our great God and great Father. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who correct us and we paid them respect, shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them. But he, for your profit, that you may be partakers of his holiness, Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Amen. You may be seated. Let's pray together once again. Righteous Father, as we have read this portion of Scripture, we look to you, O Lord, that we may walk in the light as Jesus is the light. And the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ, cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us. But, O Lord, we bow before you knowing that All righteousness is wrapped up in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are united to Him by faith. And that righteousness, that it would be placed to our account by faith, what an amazing thing. And so we bow before you knowing that the sorrow, according to the will of God, produces repentance leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world leads to death. And so we cast ourselves upon you now, O Lord, knowing that it is by repentance and faith that we come to you the God who is the God of justice and the God of grace. We praise you and thank you now. As the word is to be preached, may we open our ears, hearts, and minds and understand better than we did before. In Jesus' name, amen. The title of the sermon this morning, Divine Training in Righteousness. Many of you are familiar with, in Reformed circles we speak of things like means of grace. In other words, in the ways in which God works in our lives and causes his salvation to occur and or growth in grace to occur. And we talk about the primary means of grace obviously being the Holy Scriptures. God and his spirit working through the word of God, to cause us to be brought from death into life, to be transformed into the image of Christ, et cetera. We think also of prayer. What Christian does not know that God, by his grace, enters into this marvelous, or we into this marvelous time with him as well, of communion with him in prayer, and how we are changed And we are built up in the faith, and we are strengthened and encouraged, etc., in prayer. We think of the Lord's Supper and baptism, both of these things, the Lord's Supper. Here we have this supper that is for everyone who has received this faith in Christ. We're baptized into the body of Christ, and how each one, as we partake of the supper, it's a time of repentance, fresh over sin. A time of strengthening of the faith, a time of remembrance of Christ and his finished work, etc. And we think, of course, baptism, as we shall soon observe again. Here in this sign and seal we see that what occurs by God the Holy Spirit is bringing us into union with Christ so identified with his death, burial, and resurrection. That in this water baptism we see that reenacted but also strengthened in our consciousness and in our faith to recognize. That the totality of our identity is with Him. But there's one other means of grace we talk about, two others really. We talk about the fellowship of the saints, how God strengthens us and the faith encourages us, mutual exhortation. But then there's that other thing, God's providence. God is sovereign. God is the one who governs all things and rules over all things in this world according, working all things according to the counsel of His will. And when we talk about growth in grace, God brings all these things together, but you see, he does it sovereignly in our lives. When we face hardships, it's not random. When we face the challenges to the faith, maybe we're caught up short when we're trying to witness to someone else and they hit us back with all of this information and we're overloaded and we find ourselves, we don't know the answers. We cower in fear and shame. God uses that in our lives to strengthen us and reveal to us the needs that are out there to declare and so forth as we go on. And so when we think of God training us in righteousness that here sovereignly working all things in our lives to bring the word to bear, to bring all that we have in prayer and in the identity with Christ and union with Christ and the fact that we're strengthened and recognize that his blood and his flesh is what was poured out for us and he we declare to others, et cetera. And so today we would like to look, however briefly, at the concept of how God works in our lives to knit all those things together for our good and His glory. And so to begin with, I would like for us to consider in verses 1 and 2, running The race of the redeemed. The wording here is the wording of a race, running a race. And we looked at this a little bit last week, but not in the race aspect. And also the concept of what's being described that says, therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight of sin, which clings so closely. This is ESV, the best translation of this text I found. which clings so closely, let us run with endurance the race set before us. Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, you and I are familiar with a stadium. Every large city, especially those in mountainous areas had in Rome, would have their own little coliseum, you might call it. And they would have their theater. And so usually they would build it into the side of a mountain or a hill, and they would use the natural incline, and they would cut into it to either cut the seats in if it was tufa or stone or whatever, or bring in more stone to lay the seats. And so you had this arc, a semicircular stadium around you. And they would have before them the games, they would have the competitions, the races that would occur. And it describes here that you and I are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. What witnesses? As we saw in chapter 11, all of those who have gone before, who are in Christ, have finished the race. They've lived their lives. And so here, as we look at this race, it's faith's race in the arena of life. Our lives are here running this race at this time. And so when it talks about sin that so easily clings to us, the wording there in the original is the idea of surrounding tight around us, the sin that encloses upon us. And we are those who must repent of these sins, and as it says, put to death the deeds of the flesh, like in Colossians 3. And so when we consider the repentance of sin, remember repentance, begins, it is fundamentally in the original language, it is the idea. Two different words, metamelemai, and never mind. Anyway, one of them is the idea of changing the affections, the emotions, and all of that sort of thing internally. The other is changing the mind, metanoeo is the word. And so as the mind has changed, the outlook has changed, and all of the value systems changed, the affections of what we desire, what we hate, and that kind of thing, all of this has changed in repentance. And as the sin so easily surrounds us, we are to repent, turn from, to put to death, to repent of, in affections and in heart and mind. And then the fruit of that is a change of behavior. works of repentance. But it says to lay it aside, to deal with it in a way that's effectual, to run with endurance the race that is set before us. You ever read Psalm 139? I know you have. Do you recall the part that says there, where the Lord says, He's written in the book all our days that are determined for us. When we think of God in his infinity and in his eternality, and we think of him as the one who is transcendent, he is far beyond our comprehension ultimately. And here, when we think of our finite lives, according to God's decrees and that which is set before us, We think of the race that is set before us. In our lives, at this time, you and me, we are on the field. We're not in the bleachers. We're not observers. We're not those who are shaking the flags, or waving the flags, or blowing the horns, or eating the hot dog in the stands. We're the ones on the field. And by the way, We're following in the footsteps of the founder and finisher of the faith, it says here. Looking unto Jesus, the founder and fulfiller or completer or finisher of the faith. So Jesus Christ is the one in whom we find our identity. And so, not as spectators, but as those active participants. Now, you might be tempted to think, well, then that's like the athletic heroes that we're talking about. Those that really are talented and really are way beyond the norm. This is not speaking in those terms at all. In fact, it means all of us, every believer in Christ. Whether you're a teenager here this morning or a child who's in Christ. Whether you're a man or a woman, a housewife. Whether you're a professional, or you're in the trades, or whatever the case may be, everyone who's in Jesus Christ, you know, we are in the race that God has set before us to run. This life matters. And it is to be lived for Him. That's what it says. And looking unto Christ, as it describes it here, In verse 2, looking to Jesus, the founder, perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. I was reading a quote from Chrysostom. Some of you might be familiar with that early church father. And here in translation, of course, out of Greek, He says, His determination, Christ in other words, His determination to endure the cross meant despising the shame since nothing more disgraceful could happen to any man than to suffer public crucifixion, a fate designed for the basis of criminals and lowest of social outcasts. There was no lower depth of ignominy or humiliation. It was indeed a punishment so degrading that no Roman citizen was ever subjected to it." The shame that Adam and Eve knew when they sinned against the Father in the garden. Immediately eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened and they realized they were filled with sin. When God came into the garden, they fled. Rather than coming to Him as loving children to a loving Father, instead they ran and hid. shame. You and I don't know the depths of the corruption of sin and the darkness of the shame that was our sin. And that's what Christ bore as our sin substitute. That's what he atoned for, propitiates for, and intercedes because he is the one who can in our behalf. Looking unto him, following in the footsteps of the founder and finisher of the faith. Think of this, beloved. All disciples are to follow him. You know what a disciple is, right? You remember what Jesus said in the Great Commission? Go, he said, all authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Heaven and earth, all authority, it's mine. Therefore, based upon this, because of this, you go and make disciples. He didn't just say converts. He said disciples. Conversion is the entrance into that. But a disciple is someone who is a learner, someone who is, you could say, an apprentice. It's someone who's a follower. It follows the master wherever he goes. And this is what it's getting at. Christ is the one who came and he bore our sin, but he also lived a righteous life. We saw in chapter two that Jesus Christ is the one who was perfected through suffering. We saw in chapter three of Hebrews how in his flesh that Jesus Christ learned obedience in his life, active obedience. That he even came to the point of where he cried, Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me before the cross, despising it. Nevertheless, and here's the key, not my will, but thy will be done. A disciple, you see, follows the master, and especially here, following his will. And so here in verse 2, it says to run with endurance. If you look in this text, you find endurance is mentioned numerous times. And so the idea here of endurance is the concept of the reality of the cross, first of all. Endure, even though you know Jesus, did not say, come after me upon your beds of ease and follow me in banquet and in joy. unceasing, and in prosperity and healing and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. He didn't say that. He said, take up your cross and follow me. And so the reality of the cross, endurance in sight of the cross, looking to Christ, the cross must come into the picture when we look to him. And so the idea by faith. And so by faith it is for us joy. It says, for the joy that was set before him. Why could we say that? Because of the triumph of Jesus Christ in the resurrection. Triumphing over death. The triumph of Jesus Christ as he is the one in whom the sacrifices are complete. And he is the one who has all authority. And he is the one who's at the right hand of the father as our representative that Jesus Christ is the one who has will set us free and redemption. That's what redemption is setting the slaves free. And Christ is the one who has sealed all eternity for all his redeemed of all time to be with him. And so in union with Christ, and in faith in his promises. Over a month ago now, John preached for us out of Romans 8. Do you remember the theme that recurred all through there? Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And he goes through all of these things like starvation and peril and sword height or depth or any created thing, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And it went on to say this, we are more than conquerors in Christ. Oh, that means I'm powerful. Far from it. It means that by faith in union with Christ, His victory is ours. He is the one who has trampled underfoot the enemy of our soul, the one it talks about, and we saw it in chapter two, didn't we? who had the power of death. He is the one who's disarmed the principalities and powers. He is the one who has triumphed forevermore. And so the joy that's his, that by faith is our joy. So as we go through the times of difficulty or discipline, it is with his joy being ours, and we look beyond the cross, because that's what he did. His kingship, his lordship, he's mediator for us. Think of this. The one who has all authority in heaven and earth. The one, as it says in Revelation 1, he is king over the kings of the earth. He's the one who has the keys to death and hell. He's the one who is our king. We saw it in chapter 1 where he's the one the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. When does that happen? When he sends Jesus Christ to triumph, this time not a savior except to rescue his bride, but his warrior to trample the winepress of the wrath of God and to judge. And so eternal glory and blessing, it says he's seated at the right hand of the Father on high. That's not just thrown in there for window dressing. That is key, the fact that he's at the right hand of the Father. Who is at the right hand of the Father? In him, remember chapter 10, we come into the holiest of all by a new and living way, into the holy of holies, into the throne room of God in heaven. In Christ we come. And so, beloved, We're running the race of the redeemed. With joy set before us as we look to Him, His joy becomes ours. His triumph becomes ours. And so as we run this race, it's not downhearted, a defeatist mindset, but quite the contrary. It is knowing nothing can separate us from His love, the Father's love. which we shall return to now in our second point. In verses 3 through 6, be strong in the struggle against sin. Be strong in the struggle against sin. In verse 3, you'll notice, first of all, faith focused on Christ, as we've already pointed out. It says there, the hostility of sinners against Him, the darkness of the kingdom of darkness was arrayed against him. Yet he is our substitutionary atonement, our representative high priest. We find that we are anchored as disciples in him. And so furthermore in three, what is the concept? What's the problem? Well, as we look at this, consider him, he endured There's a point to get across. Goes through all the hostility of sinners, et cetera, against him, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. So his endurance, he did that, that we may not grow weary or faint-hearted. Think of that. All that he went through. How is it that we grow weary or faint-hearted? Be honest. I'm not asking for a show of hands, but just you and me. Thinking together, do you ever grow weary? Do you ever grow faint hearted? Well, this is for us then, isn't it? It is, in other words, to be strong instead, to be strong in the Lord and be strong in faith. All of you know these verses, but let's turn there anyway. Ephesians 6, 10 through 12. You know them by heart, I know that. But you'll forgive me reading them word for word just in case, won't you? Especially ESV, I don't know it by heart. Ephesians 6, 10. Finally, be strong, notice the wording, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Notice three things. Strong in the Lord, it's His who's strong in Him. So union with Christ, there's our strength, in His strength and that of His might. And so all of it is looking outward from ourselves, and so our strength that we're gaining is not of ourselves. It's not something that I rev myself up to psych myself up to do this on my own. But this is that looking by faith in the strength of the Lord. And he goes on to say, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authority, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. And so, beloved, why do we need the strength of the Lord? You and I, as we face Temptations at least face trial. As we look around at the things of this world, we recognize that we are in a spiritual battle, if you will. And so it's his strength. Second Corinthians chapter 10, many of you know. So I won't ask you to turn, but in the verses three and five, it says the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but powerful to the tearing down of strongholds. And so when you think there of our weapons of our warfare, it's not the fact that we go forth just in our own strength, by willpower, as a humanistic approach, psychological tools or something of that nature. But it is with full faith in Him and in His power and the power of the Spirit and that sort of thing. Not fainthearted. You know what it means to be fainthearted? You don't? Well, run up this hill up here after the service. And by the top of it, you might know what it means to be fainthearted. And we start losing energy. We start losing the will to go up. We start saying, why am I doing this again? And why don't I just quit? This doesn't make any sense. Why put myself through the trouble? You know? And then you say, oh, I'll quit. Nobody will care. That's fainthearted. In the race that is set before us that it describes of the redeemed, we are not to be those who are fainthearted, of those who desire to quit. That's the idea. And so it is the idea of strive that's used in verse 4 that doesn't come out too much in a lot of translations. But in your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Here we've gone from the race to the boxing match or wrestling match in the games they would have in that day. That's the analogy. And it's using the word resist. The idea resist here isn't the idea of, you know, I resisted the urge, like last Lord's Day, you know, as we had the pumpkin pie, or we had the pecan pie, or something like that. You say, I resisted the urge, not very well, but I resisted it. It's not the word that's used here. It's the idea of an intense life or death struggle. That kind of a resist. And it says, what is it that we should be fighting against? What should be enemy number one before us? What should be the desire of our heart in contrast? Enemy number one, sin. Desire of our heart, righteousness. You know the Lord and you all know the blessings that the Lord talked about in Matthew chapter five, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount. And he said, blessed is the one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. You know, that's not something we can gin up on our own. That is the work of God. Remember I talked about means of grace. And it is as we flee to his holy scriptures in places like this, for example, where we see that God talks about sin and wrestling and fighting and resisting against sin with all that is available to us. And it says, you have not entered into this combat or struggle with sin unto death yet. Notice the contrast with Christ again. He went to the cross unto death for sin, ours. Yes, legally, but also to enable us to fight. in union with Him. And so the idea here is in this hungering and thirsting after righteousness, we are in faith in Him to be they who are enabled to fight against sin like this and desire to. There is a change of heart. You have in your text, excuse me, in your sermon notes, you have there included in there the Ephesians chapter 4 verses 20 to 24. And it talks about so learning of Christ, how one learns of Christ, the previous verses showing the contrast, why it says so. And it talks about this idea, how are you and I to be righteous? How are we to be contrary to sin? How are we to avoid sin, to oppose sin, to drag down, to pull down sin in our lives? It tells us. What's the key? It says to put off the old man. How? Because we are to look at ourselves by faith and reckon ourselves, we have died to sin. And then it says to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. And then thirdly, to put on Christ, which is being renewed after his image is the idea. But notice the key. Notice our only hope. Notice how we are to be those who are fighting against sin and pursuing righteousness. It is all seen once again through the grid, the paradigm of Jesus Christ. We are in union with him. I am crucified with him, buried with him. The old man, the old woman you see. By faith, that's the reality. And we're raised in Jesus Christ to walk in newness of life in Christ. There again, baptismal language. And so when we think then of what it is that that represents, but what is the reality by the Spirit in Christ, in union with Christ, It is, that's a key of fighting. This is why we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith. You see, in other words, from beginning to end, Alpha and Omega, from all, any perspective, He is the key. There is no hope and no life and no strength apart from Him. Well, that being the case, isn't that what Scripture told us up to this point in Hebrews? It says God spoke in times past in many ways by the prophets, but he's spoken to us in these last days in his Son. And it talks about This son, who is expressed image of the father, he's the one having made propitiation for our sins, sat down at the right hand of the father. But he goes on and talks about what he does, this little thing we need to carry with us, that he upholds all things. Jesus Christ is speaking of. He upholds all things by the word of his power. Guess what part of that upholding By the word of his power includes. His bride. His people, his church, you and me. And so, beloved, as we consider the be strong in the struggle against sin. In verse five. It brings us to our point. The heavenly father speaks to us. I just told you he spoke in many ways. Now he's spoken in a son. But here in verse 5, 12.5, again, read it with me. Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, or if you're a woman, my daughter. My son, my daughter, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. Notice the Lord speaks to you and to me. I've heard so many people misuse that. They say, the Lord told me. The Lord spoke to me. And so many times, you know, they're claiming the Lord gave them direct revelation, or they claim the Lord told them to do something that does not match up the rest of scripture sometimes. Say, the Lord didn't tell you that. I can guarantee you the Lord will speak to you every day. Every day, I guarantee it. You're all way ahead of me. You say, we already know what you're going to say. It's right here in this scripture. Absolutely correct. But here's the point, you see, the Lord is indeed speaking to us. Remember chapter four of Hebrews? We read this together. The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, even to dividing the soul and spirit and joints and marrow, those things that can't be divided. And it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This is not just a book of ink and paper. But the Word of God, the power of God, He speaks to you just as really as though we were there when the prophet or the apostle was speaking. Or God speaking out of a burning bush, just as real then, God speaks through His Word by the Holy Spirit today. And that's what it's getting at. Don't take it lightly. It's this far as we've come, of course, It says, don't take this lightly before us or before God. The Heavenly Father is speaking to us. And in 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, all of you know it by heart. What does it say? All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. Now, four things are mentioned for doctrine, that's teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction. That's our word, training in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect or complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. And so as we're looking at those four categories and you think, this is how God works, this is how the Father trains us in righteousness. First of all, he gives us a teaching, the doctrine, but then he reproves us. You know what reproof is? It is the idea of the Lord confronting us where we fall short, confronting us with the sin, confronting us of where we are lackadaisical in our approach, confronting us of where our hands have fallen by our sides in weariness, confronting us in compromise, confronting us with all these things. This is what's wrong. That's part of his rebuke, part of his chastisement, his exhortation. It uses the word exhortation here. But then it goes on to say for correction. You have to know, okay, what is the right thing? What's the truth then? You give me the error, what's the truth? And so he gives in his word the correction that would put us on the right path, that would show us the truth, that would lead us on the right way, that would cause us to follow as disciples in his footpath. And then finally, training in righteousness. Well, there's our word discipline. I only have a few minutes left, but I'd like to make a point that helps us all understand this text much better. Here in verses five and six, he speaks to us as the children of God. that in 5 and 6, my son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, do not be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the ones he loves and chastises their disciplines every son whom he receives. Notice father and son. Next time, I would like to give you the two words, the right word that's used here throughout the text and the wrong word that some people have in mind. I'll give it to you now. just in case you want to study it on your own. Okay, so Paijuo or Paideia are the words, you know, that are disciplined. And then you say, that's no help to me. I'll give you the word. Discipline. Look up that word. And you find there the discipline, the word, well, you've got to look it up. It helps to have the original language. It is the idea. Let me give you this. The word Paideia is, you hear pediatric? There's a basis of pediatrics there. The word that so many people think of is judgment or the judgment of God, okay? You know what that word is? Crima. You hear the word criminal there as the basis? This is not using the word crima. This is not using the word crimeo, the verb form either. It's not the idea of judgment. The Lord is not bringing down judgment upon us. Judgment upon his people, his children. He deliberately has chosen and used five times in the text the word paideia or paideuo. It means, well, I even have it out of the lexicon in case you think I'm pulling your leg. I'll read what it means. You ready? It's the whole training and education of children. It's the cultivation of mind and morals for children. Whatever would correct mistakes and curb passions. Instructions and aims of increased virtues in children. That's the noun form. The verb form, to train children, to be instructed or taught, to learn, to cause one to learn, to castigate with words or to correct. the molding of the character of others, reproof, and admonition employed by God to cause afflictions or calamities to produce the character of God in His children. You see, the whole point here, beloved, and when it talks about discipline or chastisement, as the New King James uses it, or King James would say that, or a lot of other translations, you have a mixture of these ways they're put. The word that's used here is discipline of His children. God, our Father, is working in our lives to cause us to produce the character of holiness, His holiness, in our lives. And you say, well, is there any way I can be a Christian and not have to put up with that kind of thing? Well, look with me at verses 7 and 8. I'll give you the answer. No. No. It says all of those who would come to him, he says, you treat them like children. If you do not have the discipline of the Lord, if you do not have the training of the Lord, if this is not something that's in your life. Then he says, you're not his. In closing, let me just remind you of something and we'll return to this text next time. and bring out some more practical things to ponder. But in the text that we read in responsive reading, I hope you pay attention to those things because they're meant to be connected to the sermon. In Psalm 32, in case you don't know, David had just gotten caught with a sin with Bathsheba. Remember, Uriah the Hittite, her husband, had been put in the front line and abandoned to die, murder in other words. Bathsheba, that David had taken her into his harem, the child was born and the child died. And here, David wrote Psalm 51, we sang Psalm 51, that was 485 in your hymnal. And then he wrote that about it, and he says, Lord, against you I have sinned. But in 32, remember, he says, blessed is he to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. But as it goes to the end of the psalm, and I love this, where it says, you know, don't be like the horse or the mule. You're saying, oh boy, he's insulting me now. I know I'm explaining a psalm. A horse, what is with a horse? Many of you have ridden horses. You're familiar with horses. Some of you know them better than I. And when you think of a horse, you've got this wild and powerful animal. And they have these instincts that are wild, and they roam free, and they bolt when you don't. Have you ever gotten on any that weren't completely broken? Sadly, I had an uncle that always broke horses halfway. You get on their back, what's the immediate reaction? Run for the mesquite trees. I'm getting this thing off of my back. You see, that's the spirit of a horse. What does a horse need to be? Broken. A horse needs a bit And it's interesting to me, I was reading, I can't know where the text is now, but I was reading it years ago. I was reading about the word that's used there in the second Corinthians chapter five, verse 14. Maybe you know what it says. The love of Christ constrains me. And it used there the word in the original that's the idea of a bit in the horse of a mouth. Like the bit in the reins that guides the head of the horse, and the rest of the horse comes with it, of course. And so, in other words, the control and the movement of the horse, and everything that's involved with this powerful animal, and that it's trained to go with the bit, that the Master is the one using the reins to direct it. And it says there that you and I, as those indwelt by the Spirit and in Christ, The love of Christ constrains us. That's what it means to be in sanctification, the wild spirit of sin, the darkness that once controlled us, the addiction to sin we once had. It's starting to melt away. And the Lord, as a father who loves us with that everlasting love. has us where we're directed by Him. And the love of God motivates us, directs us. But also the mule. All of us know about mules. Even if you've never actually seen one in the flesh, you know about mules. Mules are these beautiful animals that are docile and cooperative and kind. And I just lied four times. You know they're not like that at all. They're famous for being what? Stubborn. You see, that's another thing. It says, don't be like the mule. That's stubborn, obstreperous, contrary, oppositional, defiant. That's what the mule is. Beat it half to death, it still will not move. Don't be wild spirit of sin like the horse, nor the stubbornness and resistance of the mule, but to be they with love and devotion and faith who follow our Lord because of Father's love. He cares enough and loves us enough that he will not leave us as he found us. when He transforms us to be conformed to the image of His Son. May God grant us a desire, not of complacency, but a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, that we may be they who rejoice in the race that is set before us, that we are they following the Master, under the Father's direction. May our hearts and minds dwell upon these things until next Lord's Day. May God grant us the grace for it. Amen. Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we cannot thank you enough for your loving kindness, your faithfulness, We take refuge under your wings. You dwell in unimaginable heights of glory, and yet you condescend to embrace those who are humble and contrite of spirit. You take those with a spirit of a horse, wild and dangerous. And you, Father, engraft us into Jesus Christ and cause us more and more and more in the practical, progressive sanctification of life, the old woman or old man crucified with Christ. And yet the life of Christ lives within us. And so the image of God, the image of Christ, more and more we are conformed unto, so that we hunger and thirst after righteousness. Father, as we realize that the ordeal of discipline can be at times painful, may the peaceable fruit that lies before us cause us to rejoice. And may we rest in absolute faith in knowing the God of infinite wisdom and perfect love and unspeakable glory and holiness is our Father and is shaping us into what would glorify his name and would be for our best. Father, may that reality, may these truths strengthen us in the strength of the Lord and the power of your might to run the race that is set before us with endurance. And Father, may our ever-present help be your truth directing our steps and your Holy Spirit through it. God grant it so we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Now receive the benediction of the Lord. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.