Podcasts about madame guyon

These excerpts for meditation/contemplation have been taken from Madame Guyon's text, 'A Short and Easy Method of Prayer'. Published by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (Commonly known as Madame Guyon - 13 April 1648 – 9 June 1717) is Christianity's best-known and most influential woman in church history. She was a celebrated French Mystic, and one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time. She was accused of advocating Quietism, which was considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Madame Guyon was imprisoned from 1695 to 1703 after publishing the book A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer. The foundation of her Quietism was laid in her study of St. Francis de Sales, Madame de Chantal, and Thomas a Kempis. At age 16, she married Jacques Guyon, a wealthy man of weak health, 22 years her senior. Her public career as an evangelist of Quietism began soon after her widowhood.

Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (Commonly known as Madame Guyon - 13 April 1648 – 9 June 1717) is Christianity's best-known and most influential woman in church history. She was a celebrated French Mystic, and one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time. She was accused of advocating Quietism, which was considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Madame Guyon was imprisoned from 1695 to 1703 after publishing the book A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer. The foundation of her Quietism was laid in her study of St. Francis de Sales, Madame de Chantal, and Thomas a Kempis. At age 16, she married Jacques Guyon, a wealthy man of weak health, 22 years her senior. Her public career as an evangelist of Quietism began soon after her widowhood. These excerpts for meditation/contemplation have been taken from Madame Guyon's autobiography. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MADAME GUYON - Translated in full from French to English by Thomas Taylor Allen in 1898.

There is a solitary, humble, wooden structure on a windswept hill in rural New England. To open the door is to engage our minds, our hearts, and our imaginations. In this place, preachers and professors, past and present, come alive as they walk the aisle, ascend the pulpit stairs, and teach…from theology, from history, and from the Word of God. Welcome to the Saybrook Meetinghouse, an audio production of Saybrook Ministries.Saybrook's Vision:Inspiring and invigorating Christians with imaginative and intellectual content.Saybrook's Mission:To provide didactic and devotional content from the Christian faith delivered to the saints; recovered and refined by the Protestant Reformation.With God's blessing, our prayer is that Saybrook's content will be…(1) to Christians convinced of Reformation truths: Encouraging & Powerful(2) to Christians unconvinced of Reformation truths: Educational & Persuasive(3) to Non-Christians: Engaging & Prophetic

The Autobiography of Madame Guyon

Even in the darkest of circumstances, God is with you and he loves to hear your song. You are never abandoned. He has not forgotten you.

Welcome to Day 1951 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Death of Self – Daily Wisdom Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps. We are on Day 1951 of our Trek, and it's time to explore another nugget of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote and some wise words from Gramps for today's trek. Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. So we are on a daily trek to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on today's trek as we increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2016%3A16&version=NLT (Proverbs 16:16)  How much better to get wisdom than gold, and sound judgment than silver!    If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become more healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let's jump right in with today's nugget: Today's quote is from Madame Guyon, and it is: All the graces of a Christian spring from the death of self. Death Of Self The core premise of our Christian faith is that Jesus Christ was willing to become our atoning sacrifice and die on the cross so that we would be acceptable to be in God's presence. As Christ-followers, we are to have the same attitude. Therefore, we must die to ourselves to take on the same attitude that Jesus had and show Jesus Christ to everyone we come in contact with. Furthermore, we must be willing to love others in such a manner that we are eager to figuratively take up the cross of Christ and sacrifice ourselves for the goodwill of others. In this manner, we will display the grace that has been poured out on us and become willing to pour the same grace on others. Others will see our love and mercy for them when we do this. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A23-27&version=NLT (Luke 9:23-27)  Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.” As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.' If you would like to listen to any of our past 1950Death treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. In addition, I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player to download each day's trek automatically. Finally, if you would like to receive our weekly newsletter,' Wisdom Notes,' please email me at guthrie@wisdom-trek.com. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always: Live Abundantly (Fully) Love Unconditionally Listen Intentionally Learn Continuously Lend to others Generously Lead with Integrity Leave a Living Legacy Each Day I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to 'Keep Moving Forward,' ‘Enjoy your Journey,' and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday'! See you next time for more daily wisdom!

Jonathan puts a bookend on Drew's word, reminding us that a garment of PRAISE replaces a heavy spirit (Isaiah 61). He reads an excerpt from Madame Guyon warning us against indulging dark, despairing thoughts - which she describes as "a dangerous and refined" temptation from the enemy. When the attack is the fiercest, the victory is often nearest!

This podcast focuses on some individual reflections on waiting worship as practiced by Conservative Friends. We are reminded that the best source on waiting worship is Barclay's Apology.            The English word “worship” is a combination of two words: “worth” and “ship”: giving back something to God in understanding of what He is worth. True worship recognizes Who He is, and gives respect and awe back to Him for it. It is not what Paul calls in the King James Version 17th century rendition “will worship” (Col 2:23), i.e., “Do what you want religious practice and worship". Friends' worship is drawn from John 4 where Jesus says that God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth. In waiting worship, two traditional Quaker meanings are mentioned: 1.) We wait for the Lord, wait to feel His presence and 2.) We wait on the Lord, as a servant or waiter waits upon some one, to listen to him and do what he asks us to do;           As Quakers we believe we must experience a total true repentance of who we were, resulting in a complete transformation of the way we think and act, becoming a living sacrifice for the Lord. (Rom 12:1,2) A quotation from Francis Howgill underscores the total change early Quakers experienced and practiced, along with an understanding  of the biblical Greek words for slave (δοῦλος (doulos)) and servant (διάκονος (diakonos)): we are to exemplify those attributes as believers in Jesus.          There is a brief discussion of two contemplative Catholic Quietists: Miguel de Molinos, and Madame Guyon. Molinos A Guide to True Peace presents many similarities to Quaker worship.            An (uncited) quote from John Wilbur's letters is read describing the complete change of heart, mind and spirit of those who follow Christ. Quakers are a religion of the Spirit, like the first generations of Christianity.          Four sentences (from Letter XVI) of the early Quaker Isaac Penington on the essentiality of depending on the [Holy] Spirit to interpret the words of the Holy Scripture are read.The roles of minister and elders among Conservative Friends, and how ministry and teaching are accomplished are briefly mentioned.   ResourcesAn Apology for the True Christian Divinity by Robert Barclay.  See Worship  in the index.Francis Howgill quotationA Guide to True Peace (1815 edition)  Isaac Pennington. “Letter XVI” excerptThe Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations, Known as The Didache Credits: The words to the music are from Margaret Fell's Letter to the King on Persecution in 1660.  The music was composed and sung by Paulette Meier.  Her work can be found at paulettemeier.com

Continuing with our recent series of Books that Matter, cohost Scott Williams shares one of his personal favorites, A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Jeanne Guyon. A longtime favorite author, Madame Guyon gained great notariety in the late 1600's with her passionate life of prayer and deep connection with God. Her work finally found her thrown into the Bastille for, as she stated, the crime of loving God too much. Her short work on prayer directs those hungry for greater intimacy with God to practical yet profound concepts of attainable and abiding prayer. Give it a read and you will be awfully glad that you did: A Short and Easy Method of Prayer.

Hey everyone!It's so good to be back. There were so many things that have happened since the last time I uploaded my last podcast. Let me just say, God is good.Today I share about a surrendered life unto the Lord. "It is not by total death to self can we be lost in God." Madame Guyon is one of my favorite quotes when I think of a surrendered life unto God.I Do NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THIS SONG

Madame Guyon (1647-1717): Jasmine and Kathy are back for the second part of the remarkable story of Madame Guyon! Utterly transformed by the Word of God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, this dynamic, spiritually sensitive woman began to travel around France simply sharing and writing about what God had shown her. In the process, she sparked a revival that spread throughout the nation and across Europe. Although loyal to the Catholic faith, Madame Guyon's message of justification by faith made her sound like a Protestant Reformer, for which she faced harsh interrogation and imprisonment. This is a truly amazing story of a godly, uncompromising woman worth knowing! Madame Jeanne Guyon: Child of Another World by Dorothy Gawne Coslet Autobiography of Madame Guyon by Madame Guyon Experiencing God through Prayer by Madame Guyon A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Guyon

Madame Guyon (1647-1717): Today Jasmine is joined by one of our favorite friends of the podcast, Kathy Gilbert! They are excited to share with you a woman they both love--the French mystic, Madame Jeanne Guyon! Born into an affluent Catholic family during the decadent reign of the “Sun King,” Louis XIV, Jeanne faced many struggles in her early years as she attempted not only to resist the materialism and decadence of her culture, but to prove her devotion to God through as many extreme practices as possible. It wasn't until after she was forced into a miserable arranged marriage that the Lord drew Jeanne into a genuine relationship with Himself. Her transformation would influence an entire nation! Madame Jeanne Guyon: Child of Another World by Dorothy Gawne Coslet Autobiography of Madame Guyon by Madame Guyon Experiencing God through Prayer by Madame Guyon A Short and Easy Method of Prayer by Madame Guyon

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 8 Numbers 8 has two different stories. The first story is about Jehovah instructing Moses and Aaron how to place the lamps in the golden lampstand.  Numbers 8:2 (ESV) records: "Speak to Aaron and say to him, when you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand." We keyed in on the phrase, "the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand."  The lamps must light in front of the lampstand.  The second story is about Jehovah telling Moses how Aaron should offer the Levites as a wave offering.  The main verse we discussed at this meeting was verse 11 (ESV), "Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord."  The phrase that stood out was Aaron offering the Levites as a wave offering. Why were the Levites presented as a wave offering?  The wave offering could be unleavened bread (ESV, Exodus 29:23) and the breast of the ram (ESV, Exodus 29:26).  Unleavened bread was to be burned on the altar on top of the burnt offering before the Lord (ESV, Exodus 29:25).  After the breast of the ram was waved, it could be returned to Aaron and his sons.  Here it said that Aaron would offer the Levites as a wave offering. We understand that this is a spiritual representation. So, are the Levites like the unleavened bread, or the breasts of the ram, or both?  Maybe both.  But why would they be offered as a wave offering from the Israelites?  Why not let other animals from the herd or the flock be offered as a wave offering instead of the Levites? Numbers 8 mentions that when the Levites were offered as a wave offering, they needed to be sprinkled with the water of purification, to shave, and wash their clothes (Numbers 8:7, ESV). They shall take a bull from the herd and its grain offering, and another bull from the herd for a sin-offering (Numbers 8:8, ESV).  They shall use one for a sin offering to the LORD and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites (Numbers 8:12, ESV). The Levites shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord (Numbers 8:13, ESV). The reason the Levites were treated as a wave offering was that "the Levites shall be mine" (Numbers 8:14, ESV) and "in place of the firstborn of all the people of Israel" (Numbers 8:16, ESV).  Because "On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself" (Numbers 8:17, ESV), "I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel." (Numbers 8:18, ESV).  Then the Levites could do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and make atonement for the people of Israel, so that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary (Numbers 8:19, ESV). A man in our study asked, "What is the practical spiritual significance of the Levites' story of being wave offering to Christians today?  Christians can now approach God's throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16, NIV), and we don't need an intermediary as the Levites did." To answer this question, we need to take a closer look at Numbers 8:11 (NIV), "Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord." Aaron's work is to serve God in the Holy of Holies, which represents our spiritual life living before God to serve God Himself.  There are very few such people around.  I saw a conversation between our Heavenly Father and Anna Rountree. He asked her to eat the food in His hands and even told her that there were very few people serving Him in the Holy of Holies. An English Christian named Margaret E. Barber greatly influenced Watchman Nee. When she read Ezekiel 44:9-26, it talked about some Levites wandering away from God; thus, they could only serve in the temple.  But the sons of Zadok never left God's sanctuary, so God allowed them to serve Him.  When Margaret read this story, she knelt and prayed that she was willing to be a person serving God forever and not serving only in the temple.  Watchman Nee told this story with the hope that fellow believers would grow in their spiritual lives, have a deeper relationship with God, and serve Him in the Holy of Holies. It's in the Holy of Holies that one serves God.  There is no natural light in the Holy of Holies. No one can see what you've done. It's just like when you pray behind closed doors at home, seeking to serve God every day. No one would know how much work you have done for God. You also can't see how much you have achieved. But God knows because you are serving God Himself. Serving Him in the Holy of Holies is mainly to become a friend of God, have fellowship with Him and intercede for people. Serving God in the Holy of Holies represents the highest spiritual life. The ministry in the sanctuary is divided into several layers. The descendants of the Levites, the Kohathites, were responsible for carrying the things in the sanctuary, including the ark, etc.  Although they served in the sanctuary, they directly helped the priests (Aaron and his sons)  in serving God. The Gershonites and Merarites were closer to the outer courtyard. They were responsible for carrying the things in the outer courtyard of the tabernacle. Aaron and Zadok were also Levites. But not all Levites could serve God in the Holy of Holies. Many Levites, such as the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites, served in the temple of God and the chosen people of God on different stages. Aaron and the high priest, who served God in the Holy of Holies, represent our closeness and fellowship with God in the spirit.  The Levites, who served in the sanctuary,  lit the lamps, replaced the bread of the Presence, and burned the incense. The work at this stage represents the cleansing work in the soul.  The Levites who served the Israelites in the outer courtyard were mainly preparing the sacrifices such as the herds and the flocks,  which represents the cleansing of sin in our flesh. Therefore, the different services in the Holy of Holies, sanctuary, and the outer courtyard represent the spiritual life and spiritual service of Christians in three different stages. Most people's spiritual life and spiritual service are in the outer courtyard.  The service in the outer courtyard isn't bad, because many people are needed to preach the gospel and testify of the redemption of Jesus Christ. Outer courtyard people will also help unbelievers prepare sacrifices, which include a repentant heart and a broken spirit (Psalm 51), dedicated to God so that they can be cleansed from their sins and please God. But this does not mean that preaching the gospel or serving in the outer courtyard is enough. In addition to allowing Christians to preach the gospel and bring people to salvation, God also calls us to enter His holiness and glory, and participate in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV).  So, in addition to dealing with sins, we also have to undergo changes in the soul. For example, Romans 12:1 (NIV) Let us offer our bodies as a living sacrifice and pleasing to God, which is our reasonable service.  Verse 2 goes on to say, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will." "Renewing of your mind" is specially mentioned here. It is a change and sanctification of the soul. The Local Church Movement, where I was saved, focuses on pursuing holiness through teaching the renewal of the mind.  I am currently a Doctor of Ministry student at the United Theological Seminary. I have come into contact with many believers of the United Methodist Church. Many teachers and classmates have a United Methodist background. They told me that John Wesley also focused on teaching holiness.  The Pentecostal Movement was also born from the "Holiness Movement," which was influenced by John Wesley.  But the modern-day Pentecostal Movement is not known for pursuing holiness.  It isn't limited to the Pentecostal Movement, but it seems like as a whole, Western Christianity does not pay enough attention to holiness. I am very grateful to the Local Church Movement for teaching us the pursuit of spiritual growth, especially the change of soul-life. I also want to thank my friends in the United Methodist Church for sharing John Wesley's teaching about holiness. From my observation, in the United States, there are many Christians who are saved yet cannot overcome sin.  Even fewer live a holy life, never entering into the Holy of Holies to serve God. God isn't pleased with this situation. If Hebrews 4:16 says that we can boldly enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus Christ, why is it that many Christians have not entered the Holy of Holies in experience? Jesus Christ has re-opened our way to the tree of life or opened our way of entering the Holy of Holies to meet God. But it doesn't mean that you will automatically enter into the Holy of Holies. Madame Guyon said that coming near to God is as natural as balloons flying in the air. But if the balloon is tied to a stone, it can't fly up into the sky. The sins in our lives and the uncleanness in our souls are just like these stones. They will prevent us from entering the Holy of Holies.  Therefore, we need to confess our sins and experience the renewal of our minds to remove our sins and uncleanness. This is a pathway to enter the Holy of Holies and draw near to God. So with this understanding, we can say that the role of the Levites here as a wave offering from the Israelites is like "renewing the mind" or purifying the soul.  First of all, this is not merely an offering to make atonement in the outer courtyard. Those offerings in the outer courtyard are usually sin offerings and guilt offerings, but it is clearly stated that the Levites were offered as a wave offering by the Israelites.  The meaning of this wave offering is like what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:12 (NIV), "Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." The Levites were offered as a wave offering to replace the firstborn of Israel.  When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, the firstborn of Israel were considered dead.  The firstborn of Israel were saved because of the lamb, which is a type of Jesus Christ. Therefore, they were redeemed by the blood of His Son, the Lamb of God. Similarly, the Levites were redeemed by the blood of His Son, the Lamb of God. Here, the Levites were offered by Aaron as a wave offering from the Israelites. We, too, should experience more of being dead in the soul life.  As the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." (NIV, Matthew 16:24-25). Our church and Christians (represented by the Levites) must experience more of the lessons of the cross to have more power to become the sacrifice for more sinners (represented by the Israelites), allowing them to be forgiven from sins and be born again. The real sacrifice is Jesus Christ, the flawless lamb and high priest, which is what Aaron represents. But we are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, helping Him to serve God. It's just like the mission of the Levites was to help Aaron to serve God.  So, when we are willing to experience a change in our soul and the renewal of our minds, not conforming to the pattern of this world, we will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NIV). Talking about the experience of the cross is not a very popular topic in American Christianity today. But it is an indispensable way for our spiritual life to be deeply rooted and enter the Holy of Holies to serve God.  Therefore, Numbers 8:11 described this picture.  Aaron (who represents our spirit or Christ) needs to offer the Levites (who represent our soul) as a wave offering, which is both a burnt offering (completely burned to ashes, absolutely for God). as well as a sin offering (removing our sins).  This lesson of the cross was so that the Levites could help the Israelites be free from sin.Today, the church is the light and salt of the world.  If we won't be the light, how can the world see the light? The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV): "You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.   Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." This is the same as what Numbers 8:2-3 (ESV) says: "Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand." And Aaron did so; he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses." Here the Lord commanded Moses to tell Aaron that the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand, to let the light shine on those who come to the sanctuary.  Actually, the work of the Levites was to shine and let the light of God shine before others.  The service of the priest in the sanctuary includes tending the lamps, repairing the channels to the lamps, and refilling the lamps.  The purpose was to light the lamp.  We are the lamp of God.  As the Bible says, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts." (ESV, Proverbs 20:27). This verse is a better illustration of the work of our spirit (represented by Aaron), which is to search all our innermost parts (the soul is represented by the Levites).  When we are willing to let Aaron tend this light, illuminate our inner being (which is our soul), and experience the renewal and change of our soul-life, darkness is removeed in the soul and prevents obstruction for the light of God to shine in our spirit.  Our light can then shine before others (Matthew 5:16), and people can be freed from darkness and sins and enter God's salvation. Today, the Spirit of God has lit the lamp through Aaron's work, but we, who are the Levites, need to experience the death of soul-life, the renewal, and change of mind so that His light shines through us to those we come in contact with.  They can then be convicted of sin, repent, accept God's salvation, and come into the light. This is the spiritual significance of the two stories in Numbers 8.  These two stories are closely linked. Only when the light of Aaron's lamp faces outside will it gradually illuminate the Levites, treating them as a wave offering. Then the Israelites in the outer courtyard will experience atonement. This is also true in our spiritual experience today.  When God is alive in our spirit, and His light penetrates our soul, renewing our minds, we will know His good, pleasing, and perfect will allowing our bodies to be redeemed. Many unbelievers will be freed from sin and become members of the body of Christ.  Believers will be cleansed from sin, which is the complete salvation of our spirit, soul and body, and a picture of the growth of the church, which is Christ's body.

Today's quote: "I can summarize my entire spiritual pilgrimage as an effort to move the operating system from myself to god." -Madam Guyon For more information about The Dreams Course, email Steven at seasmoke@optonline.net

Meditation is by far one of the most helpful practices for staying anchored in the peace of God. In this episode, I dive into the biblical origin of the Divine Name: YHWH. I also talk about how it can be turned into a prayer of meditation, and answer some concerns that often come up around this topic. At the end, I lead a guided meditation session.    For info about Joy Transformation Weekends, and Kainos Koinonia, visit HERE, and HERE.  To support House of Bliss visit my PATREON PAGE "A Short and Easy Method of Prayer" by Madame Guyon can be read for free HERE Music by GLOWING MOSES Additional music sources: www.pond5.com www.archive.com  

Observer, écouter son souffle, sentir... et surtout ne rien faire. La méditation de pleine conscience remporte un franc succès dans de nombreux domaines, de la psychiatrie au développement personnel. Même les chrétiens s'en emparent, puisque que le coach Éric Julien la propose au sein de sa formation "Apaiser le stress, Vivre en confiance", à partir duquel il publie "Devenir Dieu ? Guide pratique pour vivre (et prier) en pleine conscience". (éd. Cerf).   Idées qui paralysent, émotions qui tyrannisent : si on n'y prend pas garde ce sont eux qui nous dirigent   qu'est-ce que la Méditation de pleine conscience ? Version laïque d'un héritage bouddhiste, la méditation de pleine conscience nous apprend à être, comme son nom l'indique, pleinement conscient de ce qui nous arrive. "Au lieu d'être à côté de sa vie", complète Éric Julien, on prend conscience que l'on marche, que l'on conduit, que l'autre nous parle. C'est utile dans les instants du quotidien, mais aussi dans les moments importants, "qu'ils soient agérables ou non" : pour ne pas vivre un événement positif en consommateur ou une épreuve en victime.   Développement personnel et foi chrétienne "Tu le sais, ô mon Dieu, pour t’aimer sur la terre je n’ai rien qu’aujourd’hui !", dit une prière de sainte Thérèse de Lisieux. La tradition chrétienne encourage l'écoute et la qualité de présence à soi et à Dieu. Si la méditation de pleine conscience est une version laïque d'un héritage bouddhiste, on peut trouver dans la pratique de l'oraison une forme de sagesse qui n'en est pas éloignée. Ainsi, Thérèse d'Avila, Madame Guyon, Jeanne d'Arc ou Thomas Merton nous ont-ils transmis un trésor méconnu.   accueillir ses émotions, apprivoiser des idées Pour nous aider à structurer pensées et émotions, Éric Julien compare notre corps à une maison dont la cave serait le lieu où se trouvent les émotions et le grenier celui où s'entassent les idées. C'est au niveau du rez-de-chaussée que l'on prend conscience des unes et des autres et qu'on tente de les identifier. Ruminations, fantasmes, idées qui paralysent ou émotions qui tyrannisent : si on n'y prend pas garde ce sont eux qui nous dirigent. Les idées que rumine notre ego, le Dr Serge Marquis les compare à un hamster, qu'il appelle "Pensouillard le hamster" dans "On est foutu, on pense trop" (éd. La Martinière, 2015). Tout comme les émotions, il s'agit pour Éric Julien de prendre conscience de ces idées et de les observer. Mais tout cela procède d'un "entraînement" et aussi d'un "apprivoisement de nous-mêmes". Mettre de l'espace entre soi et ce qui nous arrive suppose de la persévérance et de la patience. "Heureux les doux" (Mt 5,5) a dit Jésus.   ÉMISSION RÉALISÉE EN AOÛT 2017  

Thérèse de Lisieux, Thérèse d'Avila, Madame Guyon, Jeanne d'Arc et Thomas Merton: ces 5 mystiques chrétiens nous ont transmis un trésor méconnu, l'oraison.

Thérèse d’Avila, Jeanne d’Arc, Madame Guyon, Thérèse de Lisieux, Thomas Merton. En lisant les textes de ces grands mystiques chrétiens, Fabrice Midal, le fondateur de l'École occidentale de méditation, a redécouvert l'oraison, non pas comme une technique mais une façon d'être, qui consiste "à se laisser toucher par le fait qu'on est aimé et que l'on aime".  En Occident on a tendance à plébisciter la méditation orientale alors que nous sommes héritiers d'une tradition chrétienne "d'une richesse inouïe" et "malheureusement très peu connue". Pour Fabrice Midal il est essentiel de montrer que "la méditation n'est pas qu'une technique de gestion du stress pour être plus efficace et performant mais qu'elle est une manière de retrouver un sens de présence et d'amour".   Thérèse d'Avila, déconcertante de simplicité ©Wikimédia Commons - Thérèse d'Avila   Inspirée de l'exemple des ermites latins du XIIe siècle, Thérèse d'Avila (1515-1582) a voulu refonder une tradition de contemplation profonde. Où "l'essentiel c'est l'essentiel". La réformatrice du carmel a écrit: "L'oraison n'est qu'un commerce intime d'amitié où l'on s'entretient souvent seul à seul avec Dieu dont on se sent aimé." Voilà qui pour le philosophe est "déconcertant de profondeur et de simplicité". Déconcertante aussi, la gratuité totale dans laquelle se pratique l'oraison à la lueur de sainte Thérèse d'Avila. Si l'on est dans une disposition "de présence, de confiance", l'oraison "donne de la lumière à tout ce que l'on fait". Fabrice Midal dit avoir découvert la gratuité de l'oraison: "Se poser dans l'essentiel, pour rien."   JEANNE D'ARC, LA NUDITÉ EXTRÊME DE L'ÊTRE ©Wikimédia Commons - Jeanne d'Arc   Figure souvent récupérée à des fins politiques, Jeanne d'Arc n'a pas été qu'une meneuse d'hommes. Fabrice Midal, qui a lu la retranscription de son procès - "un document incroyable" - se dit "saisit" par "une telle nudité". Devant tous les intellectuels de son temps, la jeune femme a su être "déconcertante de pureté". A la question qu'on lui posa, "êtes-vous en état de grâce ?", elle a répondu : "Si je n'y suis que Dieu m'y mette et si j'y suis que Dieu m'y garde". Une telle finesse dans la réponse fait dire au philosophe que l'on voit là l'Esprit saint à l'œuvre. Jeanne manifeste ainsi la pureté de l'amour qui l'habite. Entre action et abandon, la vie de Jeanne d'Arc nous enseigne un autre rapport à soi. Elle qui a choisit l'amour du Christ dans un abandon profond, est devenue cheffe de guerre. La vie et la personnalité de Jeanne n'en sont pas à un paradoxe près. Petite paysanne devenue "homme de guerre", elle a de surcroît a revendiqué n'avoir jamais tué personne. Et surtout, alors que l'on a tendance à opposer l'action et la passivité, elle propose cette forme d'action où l'on se laisse agir par quelque chose d'autre que soi-même. "Il y a une présence plus grande au cœur de nous-mêmes."   ÉCOUTER ► Jeanne d'Arc, "le langage même de la poésie"   MADAME GUYON, SPIRITUALITÉ DU PUR AMOUR ©Wikimédia Commons - Madame Guyon   Issue de la petite noblesse, Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte (1748-1717) avait peu d'éducation et tombait souvent gravement malade. Enfant délaissée par sa mère, elle est mariée de force à un homme brutal - Jacques Guyon. A la mort de celui-ci elle se tourne enfin vers ce qui l'appelle au plus profond d'elle, la voix de l'oraison. Elle publie notamment son "Moyen court et très facile de faire oraison que tous peuvent pratiquer très aisément" qui remporte un franc succès auprès des protestants. Sévèrement critiquée par un certain nombre de théologiens catholiques qui l'accusent de quiétisme, elle devient toutefois le maître spirituel de Fénelon et de nombreux autres disciples. "En condamnant Madame Guyon, explique Fabrice Midal, on n'a plus du tout compris ce qu'était l'oraison", assimiliée à de l'égocentrisme et au désintérêt de l'autre. Le message de Madame Guyon a ceci d'intemporel qu'il place le détachement au cœur de l'oraison. Il est à la portée de chacun, y compris ceux qui n'ont pas de compétences intellectuelles élevées, de s'autoriser simplement à être et à être aimé. Pour Fabrice Midal, sa spiritualité du "pur amour" va jusqu'à l'oubli de soi pour faire place à quelque chose d'autre que soi. Elle va même jusqu'à formuler cette "hypothèse absurde" mais qui dit toute la gratuité de l'amour: "Même si je savais que l'allais en enfer, il faudrait que j'aime Dieu." L'ORAISON CHEZ THÉRÈSE DE LISIEUX, LA RIGUEUR DE L'AMOUR ©Wikimédia Commons - Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux   "La grande grâce que je reçus fut de découvrir que Thérèse de Lisieux fut une sainte authentique et non une pieuse petite poupée pour vieille femme sentimentale, a déclaré Thomas Merton. Ce n'est pas seulement une sainte mais une grande, une des plus grandes saintes, une sainte extaordinaire !" Mystérieuse figure de foi que cette jeune fille morte à 24 ans et devenue Docteur de l'Église ! Pour Fabrice Midal, elle nous enseigne une rigueur dans l'amour: "Elle ne cherche pas une expérience doucâtre, confortable." À aucun moment sainte Thérèse n'a recherché de vision ou d'apparition, qui la consolerait. L'oraison pour elle n'est pas un moment de tranquillité mais "un geste d'amour pour l'humanité tout entière".   ÉCOUTER ► Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux, "une destinée absolument magnifique"   THOMAS MERTON, UNE SPIRITUALITÉ EXPLORATRICE ©Wikimédia Commons - Thomas Merton   Thomas Merton (1915-1968) a mené une vie dissolue jusqu'à sa découverte de l'oraison. Thomas Merton a d'abord beaucoup étudié les Pères du désert. Puis il a voulu devenir ermite. entré ches les trappistes, il a raconté son histoire dans ce qui deviendra le best seller "La nuit privée d'étoiles" (1951). Ses prises de position contre le racisme, la guerre au Viet Nam et la course aux armements ont beaucoup choqué et agacé. On lui a reproché une vie inactive depuis son monastère, sa vie d'oraison était pour lui une façon d'être encore plus dans le monde. Il a écrit: "Le moine ne se contente pas de fuir l'horreur d'un monde coupable pour se réfugier dans l'innocence satisfaite et irresponsable du cloître, même s'il semble être lui-même sans pêché actuel il doit prendre sur lui le péché du monde." Sa spiritualité à lui est "exploratrice, et non pas une simple soumission à l'autorité", pour Fabrice Midal. "Un homme à la recherche d'un saut dans l'ouverture inconditionnelle."   Émission enregistrée en juin 2016  

George Fox was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and war. He rebelled against the religious and political authorities by proposing an unusual, uncompromising approach to the Christian faith. The Quakers have been a facet of the Church that has retained its contemplative and relational dimension, while emphasizing both tradition and experience, justice and mercy, action and contemplation. This non-dual tension of at times conflicting ideas may have its roots in what this groups founder, George Fox, experienced in his divine vision. He was very much influenced by Quietist mystics such as Madame Guyon and Miguel de Molinos, and placed emphasis on the supremacy of interior illumination, or inner light. Listen and try to get a sense of what he was feeling when he wrote these words, and maybe examine if you've felt that too. Feel free to catch up with us on social media @methodspodcast, or if you'd like, you can support us on Patreon. linktr.ee/methodspodcast www.methodspodcast.com www.patreon.com/methods www.instagram.com/methodspodcast www.facebook.com/methodsthepodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/methods/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/methods/support

Another bad dream about Laura My simple faith and joy is still missing and has been for months Another temptation by a beautiful woman on the trail I'm feeling sick of all this temptation that I'm now facing with women Incredibly timed verses and encouragement in the face of temptation Revelations on the temptation of Jesus Incredible confirmation from Madame Guyon's story about why God has felt distant from me for several months A review of my previous journal entries brings such an unexpected joy in my heart as I recall just how far God has brought me over these years I finally feel the sweetness of the Lord return to me on September 21st 2015 A remarkable pray of faith to the Father for the grace to be able to experience fullness in both my relationship with Him and with my wife A very encouraging dream about seeing my children A terrible temptation and fear comes back to me about trying to take matters into my own hands legally in order to get my children back

Another bad dream about Laura My simple faith and joy is still missing and has been for months Another temptation by a beautiful woman on the trail I'm feeling sick of all this temptation that I'm now facing with women Incredibly timed verses and encouragement in the face of temptation Revelations on the temptation of Jesus Incredible confirmation from Madame Guyon's story about why God has felt distant from me for several months A review of my previous journal entries brings such an unexpected joy in my heart as I recall just how far God has brought me over these years I finally feel the sweetness of the Lord return to me on September 21st 2015 A remarkable pray of faith to the Father for the grace to be able to experience fullness in both my relationship with Him and with my wife A very encouraging dream about seeing my children A terrible temptation and fear comes back to me about trying to take matters into my own hands legally in order to get my children back

Prayer from Charles Spurgeon and Madame Guyon

Thérèse d’Avila, Jeanne d’Arc, Madame Guyon, Thérèse de Lisieux, Thomas Merton. En lisant les textes de ces grands mystiques chrétiens, Fabrice Midal, le fondateur de l'École occidentale de méditation, a redécouvert l'oraison, non pas comme une technique mais une façon d'être, qui consiste "à se laisser toucher par le fait qu'on est aimé et que l'on aime".  En Occident on a tendance à plébisciter la méditation orientale alors que nous sommes héritiers d'une tradition chrétienne "d'une richesse inouïe" et "malheureusement très peu connue". Pour Fabrice Midal il est essentiel de montrer que "la méditation n'est pas qu'une technique de gestion du stress pour être plus efficace et performant mais qu'elle est une manière de retrouver un sens de présence et d'amour".   Thérèse d'Avila, déconcertante de simplicité ©Wikimédia Commons - Thérèse d'Avila   Inspirée de l'exemple des ermites latins du XIIe siècle, Thérèse d'Avila (1515-1582) a voulu refonder une tradition de contemplation profonde. Où "l'essentiel c'est l'essentiel". La réformatrice du carmel a écrit: "L'oraison n'est qu'un commerce intime d'amitié où l'on s'entretient souvent seul à seul avec Dieu dont on se sent aimé." Voilà qui pour le philosophe est "déconcertant de profondeur et de simplicité". Déconcertante aussi, la gratuité totale dans laquelle se pratique l'oraison à la lueur de sainte Thérèse d'Avila. Si l'on est dans une disposition "de présence, de confiance", l'oraison "donne de la lumière à tout ce que l'on fait". Fabrice Midal dit avoir découvert la gratuité de l'oraison: "Se poser dans l'essentiel, pour rien."   JEANNE D'ARC, LA NUDITÉ EXTRÊME DE L'ÊTRE ©Wikimédia Commons - Jeanne d'Arc   Figure souvent récupérée à des fins politiques, Jeanne d'Arc n'a pas été qu'une meneuse d'hommes. Fabrice Midal, qui a lu la retranscription de son procès - "un document incroyable" - se dit "saisit" par "une telle nudité". Devant tous les intellectuels de son temps, la jeune femme a su être "déconcertante de pureté". A la question qu'on lui posa, "êtes-vous en état de grâce ?", elle a répondu : "Si je n'y suis que Dieu m'y mette et si j'y suis que Dieu m'y garde". Une telle finesse dans la réponse fait dire au philosophe que l'on voit là l'Esprit saint à l'œuvre. Jeanne manifeste ainsi la pureté de l'amour qui l'habite. Entre action et abandon, la vie de Jeanne d'Arc nous enseigne un autre rapport à soi. Elle qui a choisit l'amour du Christ dans un abandon profond, est devenue cheffe de guerre. La vie et la personnalité de Jeanne n'en sont pas à un paradoxe près. Petite paysanne devenue "homme de guerre", elle a de surcroît a revendiqué n'avoir jamais tué personne. Et surtout, alors que l'on a tendance à opposer l'action et la passivité, elle propose cette forme d'action où l'on se laisse agir par quelque chose d'autre que soi-même. "Il y a une présence plus grande au cœur de nous-mêmes."   ÉCOUTER ► Jeanne d'Arc, "le langage même de la poésie"   MADAME GUYON, SPIRITUALITÉ DU PUR AMOUR ©Wikimédia Commons - Madame Guyon   Issue de la petite noblesse, Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte (1748-1717) avait peu d'éducation et tombait souvent gravement malade. Enfant délaissée par sa mère, elle est mariée de force à un homme brutal - Jacques Guyon. A la mort de celui-ci elle se tourne enfin vers ce qui l'appelle au plus profond d'elle, la voix de l'oraison. Elle publie notamment son "Moyen court et très facile de faire oraison que tous peuvent pratiquer très aisément" qui remporte un franc succès auprès des protestants. Sévèrement critiquée par un certain nombre de théologiens catholiques qui l'accusent de quiétisme, elle devient toutefois le maître spirituel de Fénelon et de nombreux autres disciples. "En condamnant Madame Guyon, explique Fabrice Midal, on n'a plus du tout compris ce qu'était l'oraison", assimiliée à de l'égocentrisme et au désintérêt de l'autre. Le message de Madame Guyon a ceci d'intemporel qu'il place le détachement au cœur de l'oraison. Il est à la portée de chacun, y compris ceux qui n'ont pas de compétences intellectuelles élevées, de s'autoriser simplement à être et à être aimé. Pour Fabrice Midal, sa spiritualité du "pur amour" va jusqu'à l'oubli de soi pour faire place à quelque chose d'autre que soi. Elle va même jusqu'à formuler cette "hypothèse absurde" mais qui dit toute la gratuité de l'amour: "Même si je savais que l'allais en enfer, il faudrait que j'aime Dieu." L'ORAISON CHEZ THÉRÈSE DE LISIEUX, LA RIGUEUR DE L'AMOUR ©Wikimédia Commons - Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux   "La grande grâce que je reçus fut de découvrir que Thérèse de Lisieux fut une sainte authentique et non une pieuse petite poupée pour vieille femme sentimentale, a déclaré Thomas Merton. Ce n'est pas seulement une sainte mais une grande, une des plus grandes saintes, une sainte extaordinaire !" Mystérieuse figure de foi que cette jeune fille morte à 24 ans et devenue Docteur de l'Église ! Pour Fabrice Midal, elle nous enseigne une rigueur dans l'amour: "Elle ne cherche pas une expérience doucâtre, confortable." À aucun moment sainte Thérèse n'a recherché de vision ou d'apparition, qui la consolerait. L'oraison pour elle n'est pas un moment de tranquillité mais "un geste d'amour pour l'humanité tout entière".   ÉCOUTER ► Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux, "une destinée absolument magnifique"   THOMAS MERTON, UNE SPIRITUALITÉ EXPLORATRICE ©Wikimédia Commons - Thomas Merton   Thomas Merton (1915-1968) a mené une vie dissolue jusqu'à sa découverte de l'oraison. Thomas Merton a d'abord beaucoup étudié les Pères du désert. Puis il a voulu devenir ermite. entré ches les trappistes, il a raconté son histoire dans ce qui deviendra le best seller "La nuit privée d'étoiles" (1951). Ses prises de position contre le racisme, la guerre au Viet Nam et la course aux armements ont beaucoup choqué et agacé. On lui a reproché une vie inactive depuis son monastère, sa vie d'oraison était pour lui une façon d'être encore plus dans le monde. Il a écrit: "Le moine ne se contente pas de fuir l'horreur d'un monde coupable pour se réfugier dans l'innocence satisfaite et irresponsable du cloître, même s'il semble être lui-même sans pêché actuel il doit prendre sur lui le péché du monde." Sa spiritualité à lui est "exploratrice, et non pas une simple soumission à l'autorité", pour Fabrice Midal. "Un homme à la recherche d'un saut dans l'ouverture inconditionnelle."   Émission enregistrée en juin 2016  

Convidadas: Yulle Gona, Karina Marques, Bruna Militão. Indicações: biografia Madame Guyon, biografia Kathryn Kuhlman, Unidade em glória - Ruth Ward, Pés como os da Corça nos lugares altos - Hannah Hurnard, Evangelismo de fogo- Reinhard Bonnke, A história de Mary Jones.

On this day, we remember a few different men named Genesius and 18th-century German theologian Karl Barhdt. The reading is from Madame Guyon, "I Love My God." We’re proud to be part of 1517 Podcasts, a network of shows dedicated to delivering Christ-centered content. Our podcasts cover a multitude of content, from Christian doctrine, apologetics, cultural engagement, and powerful preaching. Support the work of 1517 today.

Bem vindos e bem vindas a mais um Redomascast! No episódio de hoje, Bianca Rati narra a história de Madame The post Redomascast 26 – Madame Guyon #OPodcastÉDelas2019 appeared first on projeto redomas.

Lecture 4: Silence transformed: the third Reformation 1500-1700 The noisiness of Protestantism, particularly exacerbated by the end of monasticism, unsuccessfully countered in the Church of Zürich but transcended first among radical Reformers (especially Caspar Schwenckfeld and Sebastian Franck) and a century later by the Society of Friends. The difficulties of contemplatives in the Counter-Reformation, where activism was the characteristic of the new foundations of Jesuits and Ursulines, and the problems faced by such revivals as the Discalced Carmelites. The troubles of Madame Guyon and Quietists. Recorded 30 April 2012 at St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh. Audio version.

A 300 anni dalla sua morte viene organizzato un convegno a Ginevra sulla figura di Madame Guyon, donna dalla forte spiritualità, vissuta a cavallo tra il 1600 e il 1700.Conosciuta come Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte, fu una donna coraggiosa: rimasta vedova in giovane età, con tre figli da allevare, non nascose mai le sue idee in tema religioso. In un periodo in cui, però, a parlare di religione erano solo gli uomini. Se lo faceva una donna, doveva essere in convento, non in mezzo ad un pubblico uditore nella corte di Versailles, affascinato dalle teorie di amore e di libertà.Madame Guyon sviluppò un'idea di "puro amore", ritenuta sovversiva e pericolosa per la società e gli sviluppi politici della Francia di quel periodo. Fu anche imprigionata a causa delle sue idee e dei suoi scritti, rimase 7 anni nella prigione della Bastiglia.Il convegno internazionale si svolge all'Università di Ginevra, da giovedì 23 a sabato 25 novembre.

A 300 anni dalla sua morte viene organizzato un convegno a Ginevra sulla figura di Madame Guyon, donna dalla forte spiritualità, vissuta a cavallo tra il 1600 e il 1700.Conosciuta come Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte, fu una donna coraggiosa: rimasta vedova in giovane età, con tre figli da allevare, non nascose mai le sue idee in tema religioso. In un periodo in cui, però, a parlare di religione erano solo gli uomini. Se lo faceva una donna, doveva essere in convento, non in mezzo ad un pubblico uditore nella corte di Versailles, affascinato dalle teorie di amore e di libertà.Madame Guyon sviluppò un'idea di "puro amore", ritenuta sovversiva e pericolosa per la società e gli sviluppi politici della Francia di quel periodo. Fu anche imprigionata a causa delle sue idee e dei suoi scritti, rimase 7 anni nella prigione della Bastiglia.Il convegno internazionale si svolge all'Università di Ginevra, da giovedì 23 a sabato 25 novembre.

Lecture 4: Silence transformed: the third Reformation 1500-1700 The noisiness of Protestantism, particularly exacerbated by the end of monasticism, unsuccessfully countered in the Church of Zürich but transcended first among radical Reformers (especially Caspar Schwenckfeld and Sebastian Franck) and a century later by the Society of Friends. The difficulties of contemplatives in the Counter-Reformation, where activism was the characteristic of the new foundations of Jesuits and Ursulines, and the problems faced by such revivals as the Discalced Carmelites. The troubles of Madame Guyon and Quietists. Recorded Monday 30 April 2012 at St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh.

Two Great Drives in the Universe I have learned, over the last five years especially, of the poignancy of this statement, that there are two great forces in the Universe, the drives of the Universe. The drive of God to be glorified in His creation and the drive that each human being has to be happy, to experience pleasure, to be joyful. These are things that are incontrovertible, we can't deny them, we become sick if we try to, and one of the key issues in your life is where are you going to meet your drive for pleasure? Are you going to find it in the person, in the presence, in the power of Almighty God and Jesus Christ, or are you going to find it in other things, created things. I think that's one of the key issues of your soul and mine. God created us for pleasure. He made us for that, and he created both in the soul and in the body something you could call pleasure receptors. The body has the ability to sense physical things by sight and sound and taste and smell and feel. We can experience the world around us. And in a set of those experiences, we find pleasure, sensory pleasure, and God made it that way, it's not an evil thing. The soul also has the ability to experience spiritual pleasure, and God made it that way. It's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. Both of those things are created by God. Look at the tongue, for example. Actually, don't look at it, but just metaphorically look at it, or shall I say, consider the tongue. Your tongue has over 10,000 taste buds and different ones are assigned with different tasks for sensing the countless flavors that God has made in this physical creation. Some of them you count pleasing to you, and some of them don't. But God created them all and He created the whole interchange between the taste and the tongue. And it's fascinating, and all of the practical advice given in the Book of Proverbs, it's amazing that He actually commands that we should eat honey. Isn't that an interesting thing? You find this in Proverbs 24:13, "Eat honey, my son, for it is good." I mean, that's a sweet command, isn't it? Now, I think we have a sense that honey in that verse represents more than just honey. And even if we don't personally have a taste for honey, we can still obey the verse, right? The Book of Proverbs gives us representational, practical wisdom, that we, through the wisdom of God, through the Holy Spirit, we can apply to different areas of life, so even if you don't like honey, you still can "Eat honey, my son, for it is good". I think it has to do with experiencing pleasure in the physical world that God has made, that you can taste and see that the world that God has made is good. And that you ought to do it. You ought to eat, you ought to taste and see that it's good. But it's not the only advice that the Book of Proverbs gives concerning honey, you actually have to read on and get the full picture. In Proverbs 25:16, it says, "If you find honey, eat just enough. Too much of it, and you will vomit." That's again very good, practical advice. And herein, we find a challenge in dealing with physical pleasure in the world. We're supposed to eat honey, apparently, because it tastes good, but we're supposed not to eat so much that we vomit, for that is clearly not good, and so this urges balance. It urges self control in the area of physical pleasure. And so as you're driving along the road in the physical world, as you have a physical experience with your physical body, you're going to find two ditches on the opposite side of the road, one on the left and one on the right. And on one side, there is asceticism, what I would call a hard asceticism, which teaches that we must deny these physical pleasures and not partake in them for they will do damage to us and that salvation consists in getting away from physical, sensory pleasure. That was the lie that the Colossian heretics were teaching to the people in that area. And Paul was specifically warning against it in this text, but on the other side is another ditch called gluttony. And I don't just mean overeating, but I just mean overindulging in physical pleasure in this world in a way that will damage your soul. Those are ditches on each side. Now, in the same way, the soul has pleasure receptors. And we have the ability to receive spiritual sensations of pleasure by spiritual truths and realities. And God made the soul that way. And frankly, I think the one is to help teach the other. "Taste and see that the Lord is good," says the Scripture. Well, we can't taste God literally, but we know that by eating things that are delicious to us, that God, in a similar way, in a spiritual way, is delicious to the soul. And so often, there's that analogy of eating or drinking with God, Jesus even said to eat my flesh and drink my blood. And so there's this sense of really partaking in the goodness and sweetness of God spiritually, and that's a good thing. This ability of the soul to experience spiritual pleasure and to delight in it is a good thing created by God. But it's got its dangers too, because not every spiritual influence is a good one, and there are some damaging, dangerous, spiritual influences. Satan is a spiritual influence, and sometimes he disguises himself like an angel of light. And people seeking for spiritual pleasure through meditation, and through self-denial, and through other things, seeking the spiritual pleasures may actually be opening themselves up to Satan's influences, as he presents himself as an angel of light and they expose themselves to great danger. This is what I would call bad mysticism. And we see both of these things in the text today. Paul is warning about both asceticism and mysticism, because he's concerned about spiritual health. And the connectings, I've meditated on these two, the connection has to do with pleasure. And the right way to experience it, and the wrong way to experience it, both physically and spiritually, that's what the text is about. And we find wisdom for all of these things in Christ. Amen? And in Christ, we will avoid the ditches. In Christ, we will avoid the danger. And there are ditches on both sides of the spiritual pleasure as well. There is the ditch of not knowing that Satan comes as an angel of light and you get into bad spiritual experiences that leads you in great danger. But on the other side, there is spiritual deadness, a deadness and dryness of soul in which you really don't expect to feel any spiritual pleasure at all, haven't felt it for years. Oh, that we might be delivered from these extremes in the Christian life. And I think it's only by the ministry of the Word of God, by the application of the word through the spirit, by heeding the warnings that the Apostle Paul gives that we will be kept safe, and we'll be able to continue to grow as a community in our sanctification. Complete in Christ Review: The Supremacy of Christ So let's look more carefully at the rest of this Colossians 2. But I want to do it, as usual, with, I think, a good sense of the context of the passages that we're looking at today, the verses we're looking at. First, in Colossians 1, by way of review, Paul goes through and goes, I think, right to the theological center of what these Colossian heretics, these false teachers were teaching in that region. We don't know for sure that they had come to the church at Colossae, but maybe Epaphras had come there and was saying they're coming, "Paul what do I do and how can I get ready?" Etcetera. And so, they were teaching that the physical world is evil, that the body itself is part of the problem spiritually. And that salvation comes from denying bodily drives, denying physical pleasures, and you do this by means of a mixture of legalism, of Jewish laws, rules and regulations, and a harsh treatment of the body. And spiritually, you are on a journey in which these spiritual emanations, these spirit guides could help you by giving you inside and specialized knowledge. And so you sought to open yourself up to these spiritual influences and Christ is one of those emanations, so they taught. Well, that's heresy, and so in order to get it, he says, "Let's focus on Jesus Christ, all heresies go wrong on Christ." So let's go right on Christ, let's find out who Christ is, and then we will find healing and that, it's healing through doctrine. And so he says now, "Who is Christ?" Well, “Christ is the image of the invisible God. He's the firstborn over all creation, for by Him, all things were made, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” You see, both the physical world that we're dealing with in this text was made by Christ, so it's not evil. And the spiritual world was made by Christ and He rules over it, “he's the head over every dominion and power.” So all things are found in Christ. And then in chapter two, as he moves over into chapter two, he says, "God was pleased, God the Father, was pleased to have all of His fullness, His deity, to dwell in Jesus in bodily form,” the doctrine of the incarnation. Christ is Complete, We Are Complete in Him The “Word became flesh,” Jesus took on a human body, and “God was pleased to have all of His fullness, the infinitude of the immortal God, the invisible God made flesh, made man. And you have been given fullness in Christ.” Oh, how sweet is that truth, and we spent some wonderful time meditating on that. And so much healing comes from that, and strength comes from meditating on how complete am I in Christ, how full am I in Jesus now that I have become a Christian. Tell me how complete and how full I am, and Colossians 2 will do it. It will tell you right there that you have been given fullness in Christ. And then it unfolds in the middle of Colossians 2, saying we have been fully circumcised, spiritually. The old nature was cut away. We are new people. We are new men and women. We are new creations. “The old is gone, the new has come,” He says in 2 Corinthians 5. We are also fully alive. We're brought from death to life and we can never die. Death has no mastery over us. We will live forever and we are fully forgiven. He forgave us all our sins. He nailed them to the cross, not partially forgiven, friends, but completely forgiven. And we are fully free from the law. We're not under the law's dominion any longer. We don't have a bunch of rules and regulations that we have to keep in order to be right with God. We're free from that. And we are fully triumphant over Satan. The powers and principalities and their authority to condemn us, really, on judgment day was nailed to the cross, and it will trouble us no longer. How sweet is that? That's your fullness in Christ and from that solid ground of doctrine, from that solid ground of biblical truth, you are able to fight any heresy. But this was a unique heresy and along comes Satan's intimidating voice, saying, "It's not true, you're actually incomplete. Maybe halfway there but we need to supplement the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, not enough. What Jesus did on the cross is not enough for you, you have to have more. You need philosophy. You need to have new insights coming from human wisdom and you need legalism. You need to be made right before God by your own or be kept right by your own efforts and your own law-keeping, really.” And in this text, we're going to see you need to add mysticism, the worship of angels. You know, the secret encounters with spiritual beings that will lead you to the ever-ascending realms of insight and illumination, you need that, and you need to add asceticism, you're not going to fly spiritually if you're nailed down by your body. So let's deny the bodily drives, let's eat as little as possible. Let's deny any kind of sensory things and let's focus on the spirit, that's what they taught. And it sounded right. It sounded good. It seemed to establish Christ as having died on the cross and all these things, it seemed right but it was wrong. And the essence of it is you need more than Jesus. Jesus is not enough for you. Satan’s Intimidating Voice: “You Are Incomplete!” Well, that's Satan's intimidating voice and the bullies come along with philosophy and Paul warns in verse 8, look at it, “see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition, the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ.” And then last week, we saw the intimidation of legalism. Verses 16 and 17: "Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day, these are a shadow of the things that were to come, the reality however is found in Christ." Remember the definition of legalism from CJ Mahaney, we looked at it last time. “Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through your obedience to God.” But I tell you that forgiveness and acceptance are freely given to you by God through Christ. They are gifts of grace. They're already yours, you can't earn them, you never could, and they're just given to you as a free gift. Okay, that was last week. The review is over. Context is over. The Intimidation of Mysticism Now, let's talk specifically about the issues that are in front of us in the text and the first is this intimidation of mysticism. Look at verses 18 and 19. “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility,” other translations there have asceticism, we'll get to that later, but “false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.” “He's lost connection with the head from whom the whole body is supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews grows as God causes it to grow.” The Threat to the Colossian Church What was the threat to the Colossian church? What were these teachers teaching? Well, they taught a kind of a higher knowledge, spiritual, higher knowledge. The region was rife with what we would call mystery religions. And the essence of a mystery religion is that there were an enlightened few that knew all of the things and that they would guide you up through circles of knowledge and you would get to know more and more about the mystery religion, very enticing, very appealing. And for the enlightened special believer, these keys of knowledge will help you make continued progress. You're ascending higher and higher in a mystical, spiritual plane, and the angels or emanations, whatever you want to call them, are there as spirit guides to help guide you through this journey, to give you insight you wouldn't have in any other way. They would give you knowledge, special knowledge. They would help you make the journey. This sounds New Age-ish, doesn't it? “There's nothing new under the sun.” God is the creative being. Satan takes what God creates and perverts it, twists it and rearranges it. So he just pulls things out of the freezer and just heats it up, leftovers, microwaves it and serves it as though it's something new. But here, it's been all along the same idea of spirit guides and emanations and all that, the worship of angels, really, they're worshipping these emanations, these spirit beings, of whom Christ was one, so they taught. And they went into great detail about what they'd seen. They were experiencing some kinds of visions and ecstatic spiritual experiences. They went into great detail with the uninitiated, perhaps because they wanted to do them a favor and help them, but perhaps it was a form of arrogant boasting, basically saying, this is what I've experienced and now I am better than you. They might not say it directly because there's a false humility side here that we can talk about, but there was an essential arrogance and pride here to the ascended ones, the ones who had received this special spiritual knowledge. And it said that their sensuous minds, speaks to their sensuous mind, they actually were not being led by the Spirit of God, it was rather sensory experiences they were having inside their minds and they were leading them astray. These experiences were rooted in the flesh, in sensations rather than in doctrinal truth. They weren't rooted in the truth of the Gospel. They had lost connection with Christ, the head, who is the head of the body. That was their problem. Definition of Mysticism And what these folks were doing is traditionally called mysticism. You're not going to find the word mysticism in this text. And so therefore, you have to be careful by what you mean. What is mysticism? It's actually not an easy thing to define. So, when something's not easy to define, you go to the dictionary and find out what it says. And so, I went to a number of dictionaries, and the theological dictionary that I went to, the evangelical theological dictionary gave about two paragraphs saying how difficult it was to define before they started to define it. So, I figured I'd go to Webster since they didn't have as much trouble, they just gave me a definition. And it said, "The experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality." I'll read it again, "The experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality." That sounds bad, doesn't it? Scary and dangerous, New Ages, like you need to get a crystal and kind of sit in the lotus position and chant, "Ommm... " And you can be connected in a higher consciousness with ultimate reality. Well, that's Webster's. It does sound bad, but friends, not so fast, not so fast. What is the ultimate reality? Now, that's the key question. And if you are somehow connecting with ultimate reality apart from Christ, as He is revealed in Scripture, you have significant problems. It's extremely dangerous. But if you're defining the God who created heaven and earth through His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Spirit as ultimate reality, why wouldn't you want intimate communion with him? So, you have to define your terms here carefully. And if mysticism is a problem for you, the terminology, if it causes you to stumble, then dispense with it. But don't judge other people who haven't dispensed with the term yet. Try to find out what they mean. Just like philosophy. The word philosophy is neither good nor bad. I want to know what you're teaching and what your source of information is. There's good philosophy and there's bad philosophy, and so, there's good mysticism, if we want to retain the term, and there is bad mysticism. And I tell you that a mystical experience is at the heart of your conversion to begin with. If that's what you want to call it. For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6. That is a mystical experience, if you want to use that term, of the greatness of God in Jesus Christ. And it's so vividly applied to your soul that it's as though a light is shining where there was darkness before. And that, my friends, is an experience. It's called being born again, and it's based on doctrinal truth, that's called the Gospel. And when you hear and believe the Gospel, then this light shines in your heart. Now, during that Great Awakening in the 18th Century, a great scholar and pastor, Jonathan Edwards, had to sift through all of the religious experiences that people were having as the Holy Spirit of God was being poured out, and people were doing things that they hadn't been seen doing before. And it was threatening and scary, and it was mixed and it wasn't all good or all bad, and Edwards very carefully starts to sort through it, and defends the Awakening from different extremes, from the old lights there in Boston, staunch, conservative theological regime that saw all of it as bad, and he said, "There is deadness in the center of your theology there. These are good experiences." And he preached a sermon saying that it is reasonable for there to be an immediate direct light imparted to the soul. It's a reasonable doctrine. It's called conversion. And it can go beyond that, much beyond it, but he's defending it also against the extremists, who thought, just because you threw yourself on the ground and rolled around and jumped up and screamed "hallelujah" and all that, you were saved. "I never experienced anything like that in all my life. I must be saved." Not so fast. And so, he was careful and he sifted through it all. Now, he himself was one who had many experiences that many would call "mystical." If you don't like that term, then just say they were powerful experiences in his prayer life, in which God revealed himself to him in an incredible way. In his own conversion experience and testimony in January 12th, 1723, he said this, "I made a solemn dedication of myself to God. The sweetest joys and delights I've experienced," listen to this, "have not been those that have arisen from a hope of my own good estate, but in a direct view of the glorious things of the Gospel." In other words, he kind of forgot himself and saw how glorious were the things of the Gospel itself. How glorious is God, how glorious is his Son Jesus Christ, how glorious that he died on the cross for our sins, how sweet and glorious it is that our sins could be transferred from us and put on our substitute, and he stricken and smitten by God for our sake. His blood shed on the cross. How glorious it is that we can find freedom in that? These truths are rich and glorious. And he said, "Just the things of the Gospel themselves in a self-forgetful way became... ", "I had a direct view of them," he said, "I have many times had a sense of the glory of the third person in the Trinity," that's the Holy Spirit, "In his office of sanctifier, in his holy operations," listen, "Communicating divine light and life to the soul." "Many times," He says, "I've had that experience, not just a conversion, many times, as an infinite fountain of divine glory like the sun in its glory, sweetly and pleasantly diffusing light and life." Oh, that's a sweet and rich experience, isn't it? Now, if you want to call that mysticism, then call it that. And maybe that some will stumble over that title, and so therefore, maybe you need to dispense with it. But you can't dispense with the experience, and you ought to be seeking it if you're not experiencing it now. Because a certain coldness and deadness may have settled down over your souls, and it's been a long time since she felt anything like that. And you've forgotten just how sweet it is to be close to God and to be richly welcomed by Him and have a sense of assurance in your soul that God loves you through Jesus. It's been a long time for you. So, forget the term then and ask what is going on here in my experience? Am I really loving Jesus? Am I really following Him? Do I really know Him? Or am I dead? Bad Mysticism’s Long History Well, mysticism, bad mysticism has a long history. Lots of attacks on the church through this. Worship of angels itself continued in the Lycos Valley, where the Colossian church was for centuries after this. It's recorded in the church fathers. They continued to struggle with worship of angels. Other forms of mysticism have always been part of pagan religions. Buddhism started when Siddhartha Gautama had some kind of a vision of something and enlightenment came to him under a tree. And so, there are actually a lot of Buddhist mystics, Hinduism, similar kinds of spiritual experiences, transcendental meditation, all that, astral projection and out of body experiences, part of that Eastern mystic religion. Islam, Muhammad said that he had visions of Gabriel who gave him the Quran, and he had that mystical experience. Mormonism is based on a vision Joseph Smith had of the Angel Moroni who gave him the golden plates from which came the Book of Mormon. And that false religious system came out of that angelic visitation. So, it plagued the church on the outside of the walls of the church. But also, what I would consider bad mysticism has plagued the church within as well and the churches had to struggle and work through these spiritual experiences and some have gone too far, much too far. Third century Gnostics, they were attacking the basic idea that the Gospel is sufficient and they were always teaching the keys of knowledge, you had to have this ascended experience and there have been many others as well, all the way down to the 17th century mystic Madame Guyon who advocated Quietism. I think it's good, as we heard in the choir piece to be quiet, calm your heart in the presence of God, but she went too far. She basically said the essence of Christianity is passivity, and you ought to just simply receive whatever is pouring into your soul and you must not fight anything, even sin. And it led them into immorality and excesses. Strange. So, we have to be very careful what we're talking about. But there's been good mysticism as well. I love reading this quote from Blaise Pascal, which I've read a few times on this pulpit, but I just love it. I love it. I want to read it again here, because I think it shows the key to good unusual experiences with God, if you want to call them mysticism. This is what he wrote. And this is what happened. Blaise Pascal was 17th Century French philosopher and mathematician who, after he died, they found sewed in his coat, a piece of paper on which these words were written. And why would you take the time to write something and sew it into your shirt or coat, except that it'd been one of the most incredible experiences of your life. And this is what he wrote. This man was a genius and he loved Christ and this is what he wrote. “This day of grace, 1654, from about half past 10 at night to about half past midnight, fire. The God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and the wise, security, security, feeling, joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. Thy God shall be my God. Forgetfulness of the world and of all except God. He can be found only in ways taught in the Gospel.” Did you hear that? He can be found only in ways taught by the Gospel. That's the Bible. So, this man is having a deep, powerful spiritual experience based on ways taught in the scriptures. You see, same thing as Edwards. He can be found in ways only taught in the Gospel. “Greatness of the human soul, oh, righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee. Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy. I have separated myself from Him. My God, why has thou forsaken me that I be not separated from thee eternally?” “This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God and Him whom thou has sent,” Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ. I've separated myself from Him. I have fled, renounced, crucified Him. May I never be separated from Him. He maintains Himself in me only in ways taught in the Gospel. He says it twice. Renunciation, total and sweet. Wow, what is that? And do you get the sense he was actually writing while it was going on? And so, he knew he was still in the body, still in the physical experience, they would want to remember after it was over. He's being a historian. He was writing it down. They'll come a day we don't need to write it down. We'll just live it all the time. We'll be in the presence of God forever and ever and we'll know what he's talking about here. And you'll be able to stand it, because there's only so much of this that a body can stand. DL Moody had an experience. He said, “I couldn't mention it for years later in which God so poured Himself out of me. I had to ask Him to stop, to stay His hand, he said. I couldn't take anymore. But He was good. He was good. I just couldn't take anymore.” Mysticism’s Great Danger Well, mysticism has some dangers traditionally. Worship of angels, obviously, directly contrary to scripture. The Apostle John almost did it, you know that, in the Book of Revelation, falls down in front of the angel and starts to worship. “Don't do it. Don't do it. I'm just a servant. Get up. Worship God.” So, angels are glorious beings and Satan, knowing that, he himself being an angel, though a corrupt one, can present himself as an angel of light. There's great danger there. But learn from Blaise Pascal and say, "I can find this only in ways taught in the Bible, only in ways taught according to the scriptures." Also, danger is seeking us. A spiritual experience is apart from God's revelation in the scripture, opens us up to demonic influences, because not every supernatural experience is from God. And even good spiritual, supernatural experiences can make you arrogant, make you prideful, as though you're somehow better than the next person. And so, the Apostle Paul, he says now, "I know a man in Christ, whether in the body or out of the body, I don't know, but God knows." Was caught up to the third heaven,” caught up to paradise. “He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to talk about. But to keep me from becoming conceited, because of these surpassingly great revelations, it was giving me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan.” Okay? So, you could say, "Well, do I really want something like that if I also have to have the thorn in the flesh to keep me from being arrogant?" All I'm saying is, note the danger, pride, and arrogance, and boasting over your brothers and sisters in Christ. BUT the Danger of Deadness But there's also a danger, friends, of deadness, isn't there? And maybe that that's more your danger. Not that you've flown too high or you've flown apart from the scriptures, but you haven't flown at all. There's been no elevation in your spirit at all. You just go through the motions. You just go to church. You bow your heads and pray out of habit before the meal, or maybe sometimes you forget. I've done that, to my shame. I'd be halfway through this morning, I was halfway through my bowl of Wheaties and I realize I hadn't prayed yet. Lord, forgive me that I just rolled right in and forgot that this gift of a bowl of Wheaties, with all of its delicious flavor and it must be eaten quickly with very cold milk. My children will tell you I freeze the bowl ahead of time. Make the milk cold. That's weird, isn't it? I shouldn't expose myself to these private comments because you're going to come and talk to me later about them. But this is a taste treat from God and thank you, God, for it. But the deadness, friends, the deadness. When was the last time you felt moved to tears by something spiritual in the Gospel? That's a danger too. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Where is Psalm 63 in your life? "Oh, God, you are my God. Earnestly, I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory, and because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name, I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods. With singing lips, my mouth will praise you." Where is that in your life? Balance Found in Christ Well, balance is found in Christ. We have been given fullness in Christ. In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” That's where our experience is. It's so important to be submissive to the leading of the Spirit. I haven't even talked about asceticism yet, and it's almost 12:10. Next time, friends. Let me just stop. I wasn't going to do this, but let me just stop and focus on this one issue now. What's going on in your heart? What is God saying to you today? Where is Psalm 63 in your life and your experience? Are you moved frequently by the greatness of God's love for you in Christ? Do you have a sense of it, an experience of it or not? Are you just going through the motions? Daily quiet time? I have all kinds of patterns and habits, but when was the last time that the kindling and all that was ignited by fire from heaven? When did that happen to you? Could be that you're dead in your transgressions and sins. You've never come to Christ. Could be that God sovereignly brought you here today to hear the Gospel. You've already heard everything you need to know, but let me be clear about it. God sent his Son into the world to be your substitute, that your sins might be taken off of you and transferred on to him and that he might strike his only begotten Son with his wrath, with hell in a concentrated, kind of laser-like way that Jesus absorbed the wrath of God, that we might be free from it forever. No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Oh, how sweet is that? But through simple faith that exchange occurs, your sins taken off of you and the beautiful, perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to you or given to your account in which you will stand on judgement day. Has it happened to you? Is it happening now as I speak? Is there an eyesight of your soul opening up and you can see beauty in Christ where you never saw it before? Then trust in him. Call on the name of the Lord and he will save you. But you could say, "Pastor, I know I did all that. I know it. I don't doubt that, but I have to be honest, it has been years since anything spiritual moved me to tears or to shouts of joy. Doesn't always have to be tears. I feel dead, what can I do? What can I do?" I think you need to begin by getting alone with God and falling on your face and repenting of your sin. It's not an accident. It's not something that happened to you. It's because you forsook your first love, you made choices in your life to turn away from Jesus. He wasn't sweet enough for you anymore. And so, that pleasure that you were seeking, and I talked about it the beginning, you didn't find it in Jesus anymore, and so, you turned to creative things. You turned to hobbies, you turned to pleasures, perhaps, you even turned to sin, to lust, and you filled your pleasure tank with things, and guess what? It's leaving you empty, it's leaving you dead. And the time has come for you to turn and to repent, and say, "Lord, bring me back, warm me up." He will welcome you back. He will welcome you back richly, if you'll simply take the time to acknowledge how distant you've become from him, and stay there until He moves inside you. Isn't it worth the time? Or you can listen to what I've said and just move on, and the deadness will get even worse, if you can imagine that, and it'll get even harder for you to hear the voice of God. But I consider better things for you. I think God providentially brought you here today, if you're a Christian, to ignite your soul in Him again. Let him do it. Close with me in prayer.

Introduction: The Astonishing Mysteries of Christianity We’re looking this morning at Philippians 2:12 and 13, and I just couldn’t get it to work in one sermon. So I can’t, I just won’t. And so your outline is only part of what we’re going to say on these two verses. We’re going to, God willing, if God gives us time, look at it again next week. So rest easy as we move through this. And I was hesitant to do it because we have the perfect synergy, the perfect working together here in these two verses, of God and man. And therefore, it’s with some trepidation that I don’t want to do it all at once, but there’s enough of that working together in the first part of the message that I felt that you would understand, that we are called to work out our salvation because it is God who’s at work in us. Now, I think that Christianity, our faith, our wonderful faith, is essentially mysterious. I mean, it’s a great mystery and it’s not just one mystery but it’s one mystery after another. And so it is in Philippians 2 that we leave one great mystery of Christianity, the incarnation of Jesus Christ and go to the next great mystery of Christianity, namely, the sovereignty of God and human responsibility working together on our salvation. And you know something? The fact that my mind cannot fully work these things out is not troubling to me. I accept fully that Jesus is God, the true God, the eternal God, and that he was truly man. He took on truly a human body. And I cannot perfectly work that out, and I just accept it. Now, in accepting that, I don’t stop thinking about it. I think about it a lot, more and more actually, and the more I think, the more insights and the more appreciation I get. But I’m never going to take it all in. I’m never going to comprehend it, if that means to take it totally into my mind so that I’ve got it. No question about it. And neither can I do that with this issue here, the working together of God’s kingly sovereignty and my responsibility. God’s energy, his power, his work and mine, how they work together. And the fact that Christianity is essentially mysterious to me does not make it any less true. Actually, I think, the opposite would be true. If I could kind of figure it all out and say, “Listen, it’s really quite simple. It’s not as complex as you thought. Now, this is what you need to know… ” If I could do that then I would think it would be proof that this book, this Bible, is a human book. It’s not really what it claims to be, namely from the mind of God, because the mind of God’s far higher than mine, his ways are far higher than mine, his thoughts infinitely above mine. And so, it makes sense that there’s going to be one mystery after another. It doesn’t trouble me, but I don’t stop working on it either. And so, as I come to Philippians 2:12 and 13, I just say with the Apostle Paul, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments and his path beyond tracing out. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him, and through him, and to him are all things. To him be glory forever and ever! Amen.” and Amen. I. The Deep Mystery of Salvation in Two Parts: Our Work and God’s Now, as we come to this, we’re looking at the mystery of our salvation, our work and God’s. Look again at these two verses, Philippians 2:12 and 13. He says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Now, we’ve been saying in the book of Philippians, that there are two infinite journeys. There is that internal journey of holiness, where a sinner is transformed from being rotten, and sinful, and wicked to being just like Jesus Christ. The internal journey of holiness. And then there’s that external journey of worldwide evangelization where lost people are brought into faith in Christ so that there is representation from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation on the face of this earth. Internal journey of holiness, external journey of worldwide evangelization. Now, here in these two verses, the focus is on the internal journey, isn’t it? That we are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. II. Questions of Context In the next section of the next message, with the next section, we have some of the external journey. As we’re told, you know, to hold out the word of life in a crooked and depraved generation in which we shine like stars in the universe. We hold out the Gospel; that’s that external journey. So we go from one to the other in Philippians again and again. And they are intimately related but I’m not going to say how this morning, that’s for another message. But here we’re looking very carefully at that internal, that journey of salvation. And having said that, we get right to some corrective doctrine right away, salvation is a journey. There I said it. It’s not heretical to say that salvation is a process, that if you’re here in this room listening to me right now, you’re not done being saved yet. Now, I know you’re thinking, “Okay, he used to be Roman Catholic and he’s thinking of that, the old works thing. Are we going to get the works thing back in here?” No, I did used to be Roman Catholic, but I’m not misunderstanding. I’m just saying that salvation is a journey, and I think it’s because Scripture teaches me that salvation is a journey. Now, we Baptists, we evangelicals, will use this kind of expression, “Are you saved?” or, “When were you saved?” or, “Tell me how you got saved.” Or we might use this expression, “Once saved, always saved.” Now, I don’t reject these slogans as untrue, biblically. They are true, every one of them. We can speak in that language. The Bible does speak of salvation as a past event. We can say, “I was saved when I was 10,” we can say that. But the problem is that it starts to limit our way of thinking about salvation, thinking that it’s just a once for all instantaneous thing and in no way a process, and that is false. And so, we would say something like, “Well, you’re not saved by works. Remember that, you’re not saved by works.” Well, that’s not entirely true, because if that were true, then how could we work out our salvation with fear and trembling? So, I think instead, we need to be a little more careful in talking about salvation. What is it? And theologically, kind of comes at us in three parts. First there’s justification, then there’s sanctification, and then glorification. First, justification. And in this I will say with all my heart in the good Protestant tradition that we are not in any way justified by works, by our works. Oh we’re certainly justified by works, but they’re all Christ’s; he did the work. And so, we are justified by works but by Christ’s work. When it comes to our works, in no way are we justified by our works. Perish the thought, that is the great Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone, apart from works of the law. Your works will never justify you. You cannot stand before God freed from the guilt of sin because of some good thing you do, it’s impossible. And that is instantaneous. At the moment of faith, you are justified, you are declared not guilty. God sees you in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen. And on judgment day, no matter how much you work out your salvation with fear and trembling, it’s not that righteousness you’re going to be standing before God in; it’s going to be Christ’s perfect righteousness, Amen, because you’re not going to get far enough in your journey. You’re not actually going to get very far at all. I don’t mean to be discouraging to you, but the standard is infinite perfection to be just like Jesus all the time internally and externally, in motive and in action, never leaving anything undone that he would have done, and never doing anything that he would not have done. Perfect conformity of the law of God, how much progress in that you really think you’re going to make? Now, real progress is possible, and real progress is important, and real progress is glorifying, greatly glorifying to God, but you are not in the end going to be standing before God, in sanctification, righteousness, it will still look like a tattered robe in that holy place. Now, you’re going to be standing in justification and that is instantaneous not by works. Are we clear on that? We’re clear, it’s very important. Now, sanctification is a gradual process whereby the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is perfectly ascribed to us, positionally is then little by little, gradually worked out in our actual performance, so that we start to behave differently. We start to think differently. We start to act differently. We are little by little changed, more and more to be like Christ. And it’s an uncertain process. As Chuck Swindoll said, “Three steps forward and two steps back.” Have you ever felt that? And that’s about what it feels like day by day. It’s a partnership where God works and we work, and the verses we’re looking at today and God willing next week are the perfect linked verses to show how the two go together. God works and we work, but it’s a partnership sanctification. And the third, glorification. And this is also an instantaneous transformation by the power of God entirely apart from your works, because you’ll be dead. Entirely apart from your works and your effort where you will be made completely like Jesus, in body, soul, and spirit in every way. Glorification. Now, we are therefore saved by works in the middle section. Our works have no place at all in the first, justification, no place at all in the third, glorification, but we are called here in Philippians 2, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This is sanctification. III. Our Lesser Work: Working Out Salvation Now, here we come to a deep mystery. We come to the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our human responsibility, and we are not finally going to solve it today; we’re not. I can assure you, I can make a lot of promises and one promise is that I will not solve this one today. It’s an ancient debate. It goes back probably further, much further, even than Augustine and Pelagius, but at least we know they debated over it. Martin Luther and Erasmus debated over it. John Calvin and Albert Pighius debated over it. The Dutch Reformed believers, and the Remonstrants debated over it. In the 17th century, George Whitfield and John Wesley debated over it. Jonathan Edwards and many of the ministers in New England who preached the doctrine of free will and Arminianism, they debated over it. Charles Spurgeon and the 19th century British Arminians, they debated over it. And in our era, James White and Norm Geisler, and many others have debated this topic. And we’re not going to solve it perfectly. And the question is, how do we reconcile God’s sovereignty and human responsibility? Charles Spurgeon was asked that very question. How do you reconcile God’s sovereignty and human responsibility? And he answered, “I never tried to reconcile friends.” Isn’t that a beautiful statement? And they are friends because they’re side by side in these two verses, do you see it? They’re just side by side, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” They seem quite friendly to me, side by side, and so in so many other places as well. And so, we’ve got divine sovereign energy, we’ve got diligent human effort in working out salvation here presented as friends and allies. Danger: Pushing to the Extremes Now, we have a danger here, and the danger is in pushing to extremes. We have presented before us the need for diligent human effort in sanctification to make progress as a Christian. And we have also presented before us God’s sovereign energy and effort in that matter. And in church history, some have pushed too far one way or too far the other way. Some have so emphasized God’s activity and sanctification, that they neglected the need for any human effort at all. For example, there are the quietists, Madame Guyon and Bishop Fenelon, the 17th century mystics. They get their name from the need to be quiet, to just quiet yourself before God, to be totally passive in the Christian life. They sought to abandon self in the sea of God. Sounds a little like Hinduism and Buddhism, some of the eastern mystics, to just lose yourself in God, and lose any sense of self whatsoever. And some of the quietists went so far as to say, you shouldn’t even resist any temptation or lust because you might get pulled back into a self awareness. And so, some of them actually went into great immorality in following this quietistic approach, that they were not going to fight, they were going to be essentially passive. Some of the Quakers in seeking the inner light followed that same approach. Perhaps, more familiar to you would be the Victorious Life people, who teach that in an instantaneous transformation, you can lose all your sin and immediately live the victorious and the higher life, and the essence of it is a complete ceasing of struggling and striving in the Christian life. Doesn’t that sound good? Oh God, do it to me today. I would like instantaneously to never struggle with sin ever again the rest of my life. A simple solution? I remember when I was about two years into the Christian life, struggling, wrestling with sin. And I came across, this in 1 John, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God. That if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And we know that if he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.” Well, being kind of essentially logical and mathematical, I said, “Well point one, God wants me to be pure, and holy, and free from all sin. Point two, all I have to do is ask for what I want according to his will and he will give it to me.” I don’t know why I didn’t see it before! And so, in all reverence, I got down to my knees and said, “God, make me perfect right now. I mean, absolutely perfect, take away all of my sin, in Jesus’ name, amen.” …It didn’t work. I rose up from that prayer about like I knelt down, and more curious to know what went wrong in the mathematics and the calculus of holiness. What went wrong? I was not praying according to God’s will. It was not God’s will instantaneously to make me victorious for the rest of my life. You know why? He wanted to see me work it out. He wanted to see me on 1,000 or 100,000 battlefields by faith conquering lust after lust, temptation after temptation, cowardice after cowardice. He wanted it done, yes, and he was going to give me everything I needed to be victorious in each of those battles; that was his way. Now, you say, but that’s so much suffering, it’s so much struggle. Yes, it’s the very thing the Victorious Life people tell you you don’t need anymore, just be passive, this is what they say. The essence is surrender, have you heard this before? You’ve got to just surrender to God. You’ve got to surrender all things to Christ. “We are to stand,” I’m quoting now, “We are to stand not struggle, the good fight of faith cannot be a struggle, the secret of victory is the indwelling Christ. Christ never struggled with sin,” they say. “So victory is in trusting not in trying. Victory over sin is a gift of God and not a growth.” Did you hear that? It’s an instantaneous gift, it’s not something you grow in. The victorious life is not secured gradually nor by effort and striving on our part. The motto of this is, “Let go and let God.” Have you heard that before? Let go and let God. And the key to the Christian life then is learning just how to let go and let God do it. I read a poem about this, by Jason Ramer: “As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God because he was my friend. But then, instead of leaving him in peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, “How can you be so slow?” “My child,” he said, “What could I do, you never did let go.” Doesn’t that sound wonderful? It really does, but it doesn’t line up with the text we’re looking at today. Does God teach you to give it to him and let go, so that you stop striving? I don’t think so, you were told to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. He wants you right in the midst of the battle. He has committed the responsibility to you. There are others that so emphasize God’s side. Hyper-Calvinists, who take the idea of God sovereignty so far as to say, “You don’t need to do anything in the Christian life.” Calvin never taught that, reformed people, the Puritans sure never taught that. And then, lazy mainstream evangelicals, who say, “Hey now, I walked the aisle. I remember it distinctly. I prayed the prayer. What do I need to work out my salvation with fear and... What do I need to do that for? Once saved, always saved, my pastor taught me that, I believe it. It’s a Biblical doctrine. So, what do I need to do?” And so, there is overemphasis on that idea, saying that, therefore, we don’t need to do anything in the Christian life. That’s all the one error. IV. God’s Greater Work: God Working In Us But then on the other side, there are some that so emphasize human effort and human striving and human work that they forget that, “…it is God who works in you, to will and to do, according to His good purpose.” That the Scripture actually always gives the emphasis to God’s work first and ours second. And that’s why, when I get to talking about our work and God’s, ours is the lesser work and God’s is the greater work. Among these would be anxious Arminians, who believe that at any moment, you can lose your salvation, so you better keep doing it and God is sitting back watching and seeing what you can do. And he’s not going to lift a finger. He’s done enough through providing the blood of Jesus Christ. The rest is up to your free will. And you better keep working at it, you better keep cranking it out, because if you don’t, you’ll lose your salvation. Some Holiness churches teach this. The Roman Catholic monks and ascetics, totally focused on themselves and their own works and what they could do, and not understanding God’s sovereignty in all of this. Let’s not make either one of these errors. There is deep mystery here. But let’s totally embrace the fact that the Christian life is going to be a hard-working, energetic battle the rest of your life, don’t expect anything else. But that it is “God who’s at work in you at every moment, to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Let’s hold both of them together. Now, let’s dig in and try to understand this in terms of its context. Philippians was a thank you letter. You remember that Paul was in chains for Christ and the Philippian church was concerned and so they sent him some money with Epaphroditus, they sent him some money. Paul, just being an honorable person, just wanted to say, “Thank you”. And so, he wrote a thank you letter. But his thank you letters are just much better than ours, much better than ours. And so, we’re still reading his, two millennia later. Because he’s going well beyond just saying, “Thank you.” He’s concerned that they understand the Christian life. He wants them to understand his struggle and his being in chains, in terms of those two infinite journeys. The internal journey of holiness, the external journey of worldwide evangelization. Because you see, the Philippians were also going through struggles. They were getting persecuted, they were needing to stand up for Christ. And so, he wrote, so that they would have what they needed to stand firm in the day of testing. Also, it turns out that the Philippian church was being rent by divisions and by arguments and conflicts, they were not united. And so, in Chapter 2, he writes saying “Please, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” And then, he gives that beautiful, that soaring example of Jesus Christ, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. And He took His servanthood to the utter extreme of death, even death on a cross.” And so, therefore Philippians, “as you have always obeyed,” you see the link there, Jesus obeyed even to death on the cross. Now, “as you also have always obeyed, continue to obey.” To the point where in Verse 14, you “do everything without complaining or arguing.” You see how that works? And so the internal growth of holiness in Christ will enable you to stop arguing with each other. And that will enable you to hold out the word of life to a crooked and depraving generation. V. The Relationship Between Our Work and God’s Work In Us That’s the context of Philippians 2:12-13. He wants them to be blameless. Now, let’s look at our lesser work, our lesser work. We will not finish contemplating God’s greater work. We will do that, God willing, next time. But let’s look at our lesser work. Now first, why do I call our work, “The lesser work?” Well, we know from this verse that we work in salvation, and God works. We work and God works. But what is the relationship between the two? Now, we’ve studied in 1 John, perhaps even this morning some of you looked at 1 John 4:19, which says, “We love because He first loved us.” It puts the priority on God’s love. That means that our love is a flower, like a harvest that comes out of the root and the seed-bed and the nourishing soil of God’s love for us. That’s where it comes. So, we put the priority on God’s love. “We love because He first loved us.” Well, I think Philippians 2:12-13 would then say something like this, “We work because God first worked in us.” Let me say that again, “We work,” in a Christian life, “We work because God first worked in us.” Do you think you’re ever going to get ahead of God? Where he’ll... he’s praying, “I wish I’d thought of that, but I’m so glad he’s doing that.” I can’t imagine that. Could it be that you’re only ever keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. He’s leading out, you’re following? So, if you’re down on your knees praying, if you’re studying the Scriptures, if you’re putting sin to death, it’s because that is exactly what the Holy Spirit is working in you at that moment. And for a change, you’re not hardening your heart. “We work because he first worked in us.” And so, therefore our work is the lesser work. Now, what is the nature of our work? Look again at Verse 12. “Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue-” Gentle encouragement Now, first of all, I just want to comment pastorally. Do you see how sweet spirited he is toward these folks? Paul just has a sweet spirit toward the Philippians. He calls them his dear friends. He cherishes them. He loves them. And then he encourages them. “As you have always obeyed…” Isn’t that encouraging to hear that from Paul? “Just as I look at your lives, since the first time I knew you. And since the first day that you began as Christians, you have always obeyed.” And so, he’s very sweetly encouraging to them. I think this is a lesson to parents and a lesson to disciplers. Be greatly encouraging to those entrusted to you. Growth happens in an environment of hope and encouragement, not in a harsh negativity of, “Look how poorly you’re doing.” But rather, Paul says, “Look how well you’re doing, but just keep doing it all the more.” He’s very encouraging to them. Now, the focus then here is obedience. I asked what is the nature of our work? The issue is obedience. “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” If you just put it together, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, is a matter of growing obedience. “As you have always obeyed,” continue to obey. That is, to work out your salvation. Do you see the logic of it there? So the working out is matter of growth and obedience to Christ. Obedience to Christ is essential for salvation. Now realize the essence of sin is rebellion, transgression against the commands of God. And so, if God is going to save you, he’s going to get you out of that. You’re going to obey. You’re going to submit your life to a King. That’s what salvation is. To stop being a rebel. Christ saves us, by calling us back into his Kingdom. He says in Mark 1:15, “The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” What’s the good news? That the King against whom you have rebelled is willing to take you back and to transform you so that you are his loyal subject again. Christ has the right to demand faith filled obedience Now, we’ve looked at this before in Matthew 11, but I can’t get over it. It was read earlier. Matthew 11:28-30. Every chance we get, we should look at it. “But there the King stands before us and says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” And then He says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Do you know what he’s calling you to do? To bend that stiff neck of yours under his yoke and yield to him as your King. The Biblical image is one of yielding to, submitting to a King. So that he is your sovereign, he has the right to rule over you. And he’s a gentle and loving King. This is not a burden. And so, it’s a matter of obedience. It’s a matter of submission to Christ. And therefore, we must constantly seek to obey our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Verse 12, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence.” Let me tell you something. If you have no desire to obey Jesus Christ, you are not a Christian. If you have no desire to obey the commands of Christ, you’re not a Christian. If you think it a light thing to obey Christ, you have not understood the Gospel. The Philippians showed their faith by immediate and heartfelt obedience, not only to Christ but also to Christ’s messenger, the Apostle Paul. Now, what kind of obedience are we talking about? Well, immediate obedience. Look back at Philippians 1:5. There Paul speaks of their partnership. Do you see this? Philippians 1:5, he thanks God because of “their partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now.” Do you see that? Right from the start, these Philippian Christians were obeying Christ and obeying Paul, Christ messenger. They didn’t wait to obey. Now, some people think “Well, I’m ready to accept Jesus as my Savior, but I’m not yet ready to accept him as my Lord.” As though he’s somehow schizophrenic. Some days he’s going to be Savior and some days he’s going to be Lord. Well, that’s not the case. He is Savior and he is Lord. Jesus called people to immediate obedience. “As he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers. And they were Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, they were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going a little further, He found James and John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus said, ‘Follow Me.’And at once they left their father and their nets and followed Jesus.” He found Matthew the tax collector the same way. “Come follow me,” And he got up and followed him and he obeyed him. One disciple said, “Lord first let me go and bury my father.” And he said, “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.” To the rich young ruler, he said, “If you want to be perfect, sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you’ll have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” He called for immediate complete obedience. And faith filled obedience. “An obedience,” it says in Romans 5, “that comes from faith.” A faith filled obedience. Now, Paul points this out. He says, “As you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence.” They seem to have grown in their obedience. They’re even more obeying Christ now than when he was there before. This is a great sign of a true living faith. When it’s only you and Jesus: Consistent obedience Early in my Christian life, when I was a college student, I had as a job, going around from place to place at the university and inspecting fire extinguishers. It wasn’t a living. I just made money, pocket money, wasn’t very exciting. But I would look and I would sign my name on the little tag. I went back there a few years later and actually saw one of the tags I signed, so it made me feel good. Andy Davis was here, there it was. But I went into this little, kind of room, closet or something like that and went in, turned on the light, closed the door. And then, I turned and there on the wall was a poster. The only purpose of which was to excite lust. I was totally alone, the door was closed and I turned away. This is about six months after I had become a Christian, there was nobody in the room, except me and Jesus and that was enough. There’s an obedience that comes from faith and faith is measured by what you do when it’s only you and Jesus. And so, he says, “Not only in my presence, but now that I’m not even there anymore, you’re obeying more and more.” And why? Because Jesus is still there, the Lord is still there. So it’s a faith filled obedience and it’s a consistent obedience. “As you have always obeyed, even now continue to obey.” What’s this going to lead to? Well, hard work. “Work out your salvation.” The word is related to “energy”. Show energy in your Christian life. Work it out, energy. He’s talking here, as we’ve said, about sanctification. Growth and godliness requires sweat and toil and suffering and hard work. You’re not going to grow without it. I know the victorious higher life people are promising you something, but you’re not going to find it. The Bible doesn’t promise it to you. The Bible promises you battle. But it promises you weapons and defenses that are suitable for the task. Just having a quiet time every day is a battle. Amen. Just getting up early in the morning and having a good time with the Lord is a battle. You’ve got to do it, work out your salvation. Now, what does it mean “with fear and trembling?” Some of you I think studied in 1 John, where it says, “Perfect love drives out fear.” Romans 8 says that, “God did not make us a slave again to fear.” Well, what then is this fear and trembling? Well, it’s not the fear and trembling of a slave at Mount Sinai, thinking that, “If I don’t obey this whole law, I’m going to hell.” No, that’s not what it is. That’s not the fear and trembling here. I think it’s different. Paul uses the same expression in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5, when he talked about his preaching ministry in Corinth. He says, “I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling. My message in my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with the demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.” So, I think what it means is, you work out your salvation with a constant awareness that you can do nothing without Jesus’ help. “I am the vine and you are the branches, apart from Me you can do nothing.” A constant kind of trembling awareness of dependence on Jesus. “Taking heed, you who stand, lest you might fall today into sin.” Fearful of the devil and his temptations, fearful of your own sin and your own habits and patterns, fearful of having to give Christ an account for yet more sin. With fear and trembling, with the sense of the seriousness of this battle, we are going to work out our salvation. Now, that is our lesser work. God willing, next time, we’re going to see God’s greater work in us. VI. Application What kind of application are we going to take from this? First, accept the mystery. You have a responsibility in your Christian life, accept it. Accept responsibility. You must work in your Christian life. And you must work hard. And if you don’t work hard, you will not make great progress in your Christian life. You must do your part, your lesser work. If you want to grow in knowledge of the Bible, you must study. You must memorize. You must meditate. You must work at it. If you want to grow in your prayer life, like Ole Hallesby said, “Prayer is work.” That’s the name of his book. You want to grow, you have to work at it. Is it easy to kneel down and pray for an hour? No, it’s hard, it’s hard work and if you expect it to be easy, you’re going to be greatly disappointed. But if you know that prayer is work and growth in prayer is work, then you will know. That is exactly what I was told and so, I must work at it. Suppose you have bad habits present, like overeating, for example, it’s not going to go away without effort. You must work at it. Yes, you must work it by the power of the Spirit, but you must work to put sin to death. If there are good habits that are absent, for example, personal witnessing, you must be willing to work at it so that you became a better witness. Study, work at it, put yourself under somebody who is a good witness, so that you can learn how to be a witness. Suppose you have bad character traits present, like complaining. It’s not going to go away like the morning mist, “Then one day I never complained again.” Oh, wouldn’t that be sweet? But I don’t think it’s going to happen. As matter of fact, this verse gives me an indication that it is not going to happen. There isn’t going to be, “Then one day I never did such and such again.” It could happen statistically that from that day forth you never did. But it happens through hard work by the power of God working in you. And if you are quietistic and laid back, you will continue to complain. You will continue to be who you’ve always been. And concerning good traits, character traits, that are absent like compassion, you must work at acquiring Christ’s compassion for the suffering and needy. Now, if you don’t make progress, don’t get discouraged. Stealing some from next week’s sermon, “It is God who works in you so that you can work.” You will win in the end, you will be victorious. Just don’t give up. Don’t give up, keep working at it. Because God’s doing the same work in you that you are doing in yourself. So if you don’t see progress, don’t get discouraged. But if you do see progress, don’t get arrogant and start saying, “I have found the secret.” And sure don’t write the book called, “The Victorious Life,” alright, thus discouraging generations of people who haven’t found your secret, whatever it is. Don’t get arrogant. And if you are not a Christian today, don’t work. Don’t work at all. Because all so called good works before justification are actually sins. You just need to humble yourself before the cross of Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior, that his blood will cleanse you from sin.