1940. New Year's Resolve

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. His intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services. Today, that tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University Chapel platform. Today's message will be preached by Dr. Alan Benson.

So turn with me to the book of Colossians and chapter one. I'm an avid sports fan. One of the things that greatly bothers me about professional sports is if you watch any at all you realize that there are times they play and it matters and there's times they play and it doesn't and it's very obvious which is which. So you come to the playoffs and all of a sudden it matters and everybody plays. It's one of the things that I think I love the difference between watching college sports and professional sports. It feels like in college sports every game matters.

But there are times that even there in college sports there are times that it really matters for a particular athlete and you can just tell they play differently. And I want to use that as analogy this morning because I believe for us culturally. I believe for us globally. I believe for us as God's church. If you will it's crass but forgive me it's the playoffs.

It's time to be all in. We tend at the beginning of the year to talk about things that we refer to as New Year's resolutions. Resolutions are kind of promises if you will you kind of make into yourself something you're setting your goals toward read more study more exercise more eat less you know whatever whatever it may be.

And I'm not downplaying any of those those things I think I think setting goals is a wonderful thing. But today at the beginning of this new year I don't want to challenge you to make resolutions. Instead I want to challenge you to live a life of greater resolve.

Instead of making resolutions I want to challenge you to actually become a person that is more resolute. We find this throughout the scriptures don't we Old Testament Daniel purposed in his heart. Paul could say this I know whom I have believed in and persuaded that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day.

He said I press toward the mark. So follow along as I read Colossians chapter 1 I'm going to begin not in verse 9 where he says for this cause we also but I want to start in verse 10. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 10 Paul writing says that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

How do I do that? Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness. Giving thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who have delivered us from the power of darkness and have translated us into the kingdom of his dear son in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins.

Who is the image of the invisible God the first person of every creature for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him and he's before all things and by him all things consist and he is the head of the body the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence. This passage moves us in great detail from pleasing to preeminence. We can't even come close to touching all that Paul says in this passage of scripture but I want to hopefully touch it with us this morning in a way that impacts our thinking and thus then impacts our living. The hymn writer Palmer Hartzell, I believe that's how you say his name, wrote these simple words, I am resolved no longer to linger charmed by the world's delight things that are higher things that are nobler these have allured my sight I'm resolved to go to the savior leaving my sin and strife he's the true one he is the just one he has the words of life I am resolved and who will go with me come friends without delay taught by the bible led by the spirit we'll walk the heavenly way I will hasten to him hasten so glad and free Jesus greatest highest I will come today I can't help but think that this is the passage of scripture in which this hymn writer got these words I don't often do this but there's guys over here you're looking at something on your phone and you're laughing and it's distracting me and those around you please put it away that's not being resolved so we look at this passage of scripture together young people I believe that we are facing colossal times where living a life of faith is actually going to cost you it will cost you job opportunities it'll cost you social opportunities we're actually choosing to live the priorities you sit here and claim to believe actually is going to be a values-based decision that actually has a cost we live in the comfort of the west and so we tend not to think this way and even when we hear it we kind of say oh wow but do you realize that in this century there have been more martyrs for Jesus Christ who who have laid down their life for their faith and there's ever been in any other century we are working on the numbers that actually this decade may be the bloodiest decade for Christians ever in history and if you look at the ideology around the world that has led to actual bloodshed here's the thing we need to realize that ideology is pulsing through the place that you now live and to think that when it comes here it somehow is going to get moderated it'll get perfumed it'll get dressed up these people are nicer they're more reasonable they're more rational so that when it comes here it'll get adjusted that it actually isn't going to have the same cost is foolhardy thinking so it's time for us to be resolved are you going to live your faith are you going to stand up stand up for Jesus she's soldiers of the cross are you doing it now so I want to look at this passage of scripture and I really want it to be an encouragement to us this isn't a fearful message because you know what this passage of scripture ends with reminding us that the one we're called to live for is preeminent the one who bought you the one who calls you to live for him he is preeminent over everything he made all things and all things exist by him and all things exist for him including you so will you live for him so I want us to look really at two simple things that I hope will encourage our resolve if you look at this passage of scripture the first is this rightly aligning my life with God's priorities rightly aligning my life with God's priorities I believe Paul in the context of a prayer saying I don't I won't stop praying for you here's what he is praying for them beginning in verse 10 he's praying that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing that is a massive statement how in the world do I ever live a life that actually is worthy of the one who is preeminent and died for me like how could I ever do that could I ever do that there's an obvious answer that no my life isn't worth it if I gave him absolutely everything every single minute every every thought it's still not worthy of that so what is he saying he's calling them here to an accounting process in light of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done to look at what what were Jesus's goals what was it Jesus was after and to live a life that aligns with them that's why I say rightly aligning my life with God's priorities for my life and what are those well I believe that he gives us for excuse the language Greek participle if you will modifiers here that give us in a sense the pieces that can make up a life that's lived in alignment with God's priorities for me and so I want to look at them they're they're bearing fruit verse 10 they're growing verse 10 they're being strengthened verse 11 and they're giving thanks in verse 12 they all modify if you will this idea of live a life it's a word that you'll see translated other ways to walk Paul talks about walking a life the idea of the underlying Greek word is a walk your actual life not what you think in your mind not loving Jesus in your hearts but your actual life it's it's a life that is lived that aligns with these priorities this is where resolve lies and so he actually talks here about bearing fruit but notice it's an unusual statement being fruitful in every good work so there's something tangible to this it's something I do it's a way I live its choices that I make so the idea here is the alignment is found around spiritual productivity I'm going to resolve to be spiritually productive the word here that he uses for this idea of fruit is a Christian life that exhibits something every good work or if you will active goodness of every kind that's the idea you know I think we make little of it but the little expression do good do good young people if we're gonna be a people of faith in a harsh world in a casualty creating world we cannot live with this world's ethic we have to look at this world and say because of who Jesus is because of what Jesus did in my life even if this world never does good I'm going to do good sometimes that doing good carries the idea of righteousness I'm gonna do the thing that is right do you know when we struggle in life sometimes we make it so complex and so difficult that we put ourselves in a place of almost shutting down I don't know what to do I'm not sure what to do so I know what I'll do I'll do nothing do you know the the simplest mantra for living out my faith is this always do the next right thing no matter how many wrong things you've done always do the next right thing no matter how many good things you've done always do the next right thing it is the only pathway to spiritual productivity when was the last time that you could actually stop and say you know what I had a moment of decision and I thought through it and I on purpose with purpose because of my faith made a decision to do the right thing can you think of one of those you see this is how people of faith live this is how they must live you know you said that I could tell you off you did that I could mistreat you you acted that way I could mock you I could get in the comfort zone with my peers and ostracize you these are all realities of life for us aren't they you know what Paul's calling us to in a life of resolve around our faith that we in moments like that don't look and take the pragmatic way we stop and say but you know what I'm gonna do the next right thing is this a theme throughout scripture Ephesians 2 10 where his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Titus 2 7 in all things demonstrating yourself a pattern of good works talking about Christ who gave himself for us why that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people who are what zealous of good works so we need this mindset that says you know what it's not gonna happen by chance it's gonna happen on purpose I'm gonna live with intensity I'm gonna live intentionally it's gonna start by a mind that says you know what I want to think through what is right and I want to do it and you know what friends you will find miraculously that the God of heaven to whom all things belongs will use you in a dark place to let your little light make a difference or your salt retard decay you see it's colossal times but it's never been easier to make a difference for God secondly not just spiritual productivity but what I'm phrasing is a sense of spiritual intensity he uses this word increasing notice increasing in the knowledge of God the idea here is a growing like bearing fruit it's a present tense and it puts the emphasis on the action the type of action it's an ongoing habitual action it is a choice that says I am going to nurture something within myself there is a purposing of heart that I am going to be increasing in what I know about Jesus the knowledge of God some authors have said that this is actually a result growing by the knowledge of God I actually think the text is directing us another way in light of the way these participles work so I think it actually is modifying in a sense this pleasing life or walking in a way that demonstrates God's priorities for my life and those are that there's a source to that and that is that there is this feeding this nurturing this growing this increasing in my knowledge of God do you know what this isn't for the haves and the have-nots this is for everybody it may be that you're sitting here with multiple seminary degrees when was the last time you actively pursued saying here's what I know but I need to know more of who he is and it might be that you're sitting here and you're a brand new believer my heart was thrilled I won't say but there's a student here came up introduced himself and he said you know what I've been an atheist for 18 years I found this place I can't believe exists and I've come here to have somebody teach me the Bible Oh God give me that kind of heart see that's what's at the source of this I don't care if you sat in a Christian school chapel all your life I don't care how many I want a versus you have studied where are you today and where should you be tomorrow do you sit here with a heart that says I must cultivate in my heart a greater passion to know more of God more of his word and how I should live for him it takes resolve do you realize how privileged you are to be in a place where academically academically you will sit in Bible classes with Bible scholars and you will devote 18 credits of a higher ed degree to studying the Word of God how many of you have ever stopped and thought Oh God is that the place that I get to carry this out I can't do that kind of study on my own but you have given me the privilege to sit in a place where someone in a systematic way isn't just going to teach me facts about the Bible but they're going to move me from creation a new creation all the way to apologetics so that I am equipped to live out my faith you see I believe God ought to stir our hearts about opportunities like that if we are going to increase in the knowledge of God with the passion we're supposed to this ought to change our phone usage in chapel by the way because that then leads to another one that spiritual stability verse 11 strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness this actually is taking us right into the context of the moral conflict that we find ourselves in why would he call them what I'm going to rephrase as spiritual stability or to be strengthened if there isn't a conflict or something that threatens it and I believe that the context here says that this little phrase referring to his glorious might is actually the might of his glory there's a source if you will for this strengthening Paul is calling us to if you look at what he says in the outflow of this this idea of strengthening in two ways one of them is this sense of endurance it is the opposite if you will in mindset of cowardness or despondency it is this one author said capacity to see things through he's calling you and me he's calling believers of all ages to have a mindset here's the word of spiritual tenacity I have a dog at home and he loves ropes and in particular he loves to get on the end of a rope and get you on the other end and he doesn't want you to let go all he wants to do is pull and literally I could sit and watch an entire football game with this dog yanking my shoulder out and he's thrilled end of the night it's like that was the greatest day ever like that he there's a tenacity he doesn't want to let go you can tell those times I'm saying okay I'm gonna win tonight there's a hold on and he doesn't want to let go and so you can see in the exhaustion he's just holding on and then then his energy returns he starts to do the pulling thing like like it's come back again there's tenacity that's a stupid illustration it wasn't in my notes but it's a good one do you have spiritual tenacity what makes you let go of Christ is it fear is it shame is it peer pressure is it cultural pressure you need to ask the question what will make me let go of Christ because the other word that he uses here translated long suffering is the word for patience and I believe the two working together are informing our thinking it's one thing to say oh I'm gonna grab on a rope and I'm gonna hold on it's another thing to be daily preparing myself for an enduring spirit so that when I have to hold on I have something to hold on with can you sit here today and say if the time comes and my faith is tried I have something built in my soul to hold on to Christ with and thus the last thing is spiritual vitality giving thanks giving thanks a heart of gratitude that marks my daily walk with him you see if I walk with a heart of gratitude it leads me to constantly thinking about who he is and what he's done for me it instills in me a passion to deepen my roots and be strengthened it drives me towards spiritual stability it procures in my heart a level of intensity that results in me living out good works this is a process and that's why at the end of this passage of scripture we see the last thing and I leave it with you because I challenge you to go study it and that is all of this is sourced in rightly assessing the person of Christ is he worthy is he worthy of all this is he worthy of living a life like this and young people this is a question I think we must over and over and over again rightly answer for ourselves he's worth this and more a friend of mine who came to faith out of a life of Mormonism Michael Wilder characterized his life this way Jesus is enough is he enough for you to live for him no matter what comes live a life of resolve father help us may it be so in Jesus name amen you've been listening to a sermon preached at Bob Jones University by Dr. Alan Benson my name is Wyatt Smith I'm a senior here at Bob Jones University studying multimedia journalism and I want to tell you a little about my experience here at BJU I've been here a little over three years and I truly cannot say enough about the community here at BJU whether it has been in the halls of the dorms in my incredible society or even in the classroom I have always felt a very strong sense of community around me that has aided in my growth as a person and as a Christian BJU's commitment to academic excellence has also pushed me to discover and refine the skills and talents needed to succeed in life after school such as communication critical thinking and problem-solving my time in the classroom has allowed me to gain hands-on experience in my field of study all while giving me the freedom to think creatively and build my skills one aspect of BJU that I've really appreciated is that I've been continuously challenged to develop and grow my faith in Christ through the preaching of God's Word and Chapel and the daily discipleship of those in community around me I have truly loved my time here at BJU and I hope others will be able to share the experience I have had if you or someone you know is interested in an experience such as mine I would encourage you to check us out online at our website bju.edu and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at bju.edu for any further information please feel free to give us a call at 800-252-6363 thank you for listening. 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