Ordinary Christianity

The Burden of Missionary Heroism and the Call to Ordinary Faithfulness

Our father in heaven. We come before you this morning. Just thankful for The many blessings that you have granted us in Christ Jesus or forgiveness of sins for the hope of eternal life for confidence that we have because of the work of your son that Nothing can separate us from your love father.

We praise you for those things Lord, I pray that you would bless Our time here this morning as we look to your word as we look to see what? The ordinary Christian life Has in store for us father, I pray that you would bless us as we I Believe are encouraged to live out What your word calls us to or bless we each one here in Jesus name.

We pray. Amen. Well I've been thinking about doing this study for a while mostly because. Well, I have a few reasons for it, but how many of you are familiar with the story of David Brainerd? Okay, how long did David Brainerd live?

25 higher or lower higher. Let me see. Let me figure out. I think I know the answer but I want to make sure okay. How long did he live? 29 is correct. Somebody looked that up on Google. How did he die, okay, I Know it was a respiratory illness.

You know in an era where you didn't get to go to the hospital. You didn't have any kind of Antibiotics or anything that could save you but he had a fruitful Ministry among the Delaware Indians. He lived a grand total of 29 years, but it's interesting because He inspired future missionaries when you read the story and you think the guy lived 29 years and He died what I'm sure was a fairly painful death.

The first thing isn't I don't think is I want to be just like David Brainerd. He kept a journal people read his journal. They were encouraged by it, but William Carey missionary Jim Elliott missionary many others.

Were inspired by a story went to the mission field now John Peyton. He and his wife went to the island of Tenna in New Hebrides down there in Oceania. Oceania. Whatever it's called. In 1858 they built a small house.

But you know, we know the story they land the people there are. What's the word for it. Cannibals and you know all the frightening things that go on and they wind up the wife dies of Let me see. She died of tropical fever and then their newborn son died 19 days later.

But he can he continued on with his missionary work in spite of constant animosity. I like this one from the natives and many attempts on his life. During one attack a ship arrived just in time to rescue him and take him and missionaries from another part of the island.

Mr. And mrs. Matheson to safety just in that a good time the ship comes and they're saved. You read stories like that. What do you think? I think there are two responses. What's. What's the Steve response?

That's not my response. God is sovereign gracious. That's the biblical response. That's the godly response. What's that Heander Venus at the ship sent the ship. Yes. Okay, those are good and godly responses.

What's my response where I read that? No, I just think I could never do that. That's what I think I could never do that I could never go. I mean listen the the idea of You know going and To some, you know death-defying place.

That's just not that's just not what I what I think about you go. Well, what's wrong with you? Probably most of you are thinking that's what you want to do, right? Here's the point though. Sometimes we have the idea the notion that we are failing the Lord if we're just living an ordinary life if we're not willing to if we're not thinking you know what I like to go to New Hebrides and Risk my life with cannibals sleep on the beach, you know, never get on.

I actually never get an ounce of sleep of good sleep. Worry about my wife and my kid. Risk my life for the sake of Christ. Don't I want to do that? What's wrong with me? Shouldn't I be willing to do that?

Ordinary Christian Life as Sustainable Growth

Michael Horton wrote a book called ordinary. And that's what I'm going to be doing for the next few weeks. Are you a failure if you don't do that and well, here's the short answer be faithful to that which you are called.

We have a study guide here and he says in here that the objective of this book is To cultivate the joy of the ordinary Christian life. Ordinary Christian life. Now first of all, I want to dispute it a little bit.

But what's the problem with the idea of even an ordinary Christian life? No, Christian should be ordinary. Okay I'm gonna take it a step further. No Christian Is ordinary and why is that because what's ordinary?

Worldly, I mean, I'm I remember this cartoon years ago. I don't need to go through all the details. But it was a picture of I mean the idea was an environmental point of view it made me laugh because it had somebody's name in there that I knew very well at the time and It was just a bunch of zombies.

You know walking around and that is ordinary. Ordinary is living dead people that walk around and they appear to be alive. But spiritually they are dead. They are dead to God. So a Christian is not dead to God by a work of God.

He is alive and that makes each and every Christian Extraordinary in that sense. But what he's talking about is an ordinary life. We ordinary Christian life. We think that there's something wrong. There's something lacking in us.

If we're just faithful Where we are and that's the point of the book is to be faithful where you are. And he terms it this way. He calls it sustainable growth, which I thought was pretty clever. Why sustainable growth is a buzzword meaning?

What's that? What. No growth. No, come on sustainable sustainability you ever heard of that term. Yeah farming, you know, you don't overuse the ground you don't burn out the the land by by using sustainable means.

So this idea of sustainable growth if you say to yourself. You know what by The end of the year I'm going to memorize the New Testament. What's the probable outcome of that. For some of you, I'm probably half of you.

You're gonna have the New Testament memorized. But what about the rest of us? You won't and then what happens you give up you're defeated. The idea of sustainability here is not no growth. And It is something that is Obtainable and he says here Michael Horton does my thesis in this book is that we must turn from the frantic search for something more To something more sustainable.

We need to stop adding something more of ourselves to the gospel. We need to be content with the gospel as God's power for salvation. We also need to be content with his Ordinary now watch this term and we'll talk about it here for a second with his ordinary with God's ordinary means of grace.

That over time yield a harvest of plenty for everyone to enjoy. For every Christian that is to enjoy. Why do I say, you know, we're gonna talk about means of grace here for a minute who knows anything about Michael Horton.

You know, he didn't write Horton. Here's a who I Knew that was coming. Yes. I saw a hand. Yes. He's a covenant theologian. Yes. White horse in true radio show white horse in anyone else. Anybody know what denomination is?

He's a Lutheran very well said means of grace then what does that mean to him? It's too early on a rainy morning Steve. Don't make me think yes. It's pretty close. I mean means of grace is it is similar to a Catholic idea?

You know you get communion you get grace when you get baptized the baby you get grace so now it's not salvific grace, but it's growth grace if I could Make up a term. And we wouldn't see things exactly the same way as that.

But when we talk about ordinary means of grace, well, let's put it this way. If we're talking about spiritual growth. Are you more likely to grow? If You spend your Sundays going out for hikes or if you spend your Sundays going to church, okay church.

Well, why is that? Brian. Okay. The Bible says we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of God of the Lord, right? Which is his word and We are equipped for the work of ministry. By going to church Lord willing I mean depending on the church you go to.

I Was at one church website where they you know, I think I mentioned it where they spent 10 minutes talking about coffee. I don't know how that. Although you know if they were talking about Starbucks, then I'd get it.

You grow by hearing the word but you also. You know if we're gonna talk about means of grace it is edifying to Pray it's edifying to be with the Saints. It's edifying and it helps us to grow and to be reminded of what we're here for when we bear one another's burdens when we serve in the local church.

These are all effectively by using our Spiritual gifts by being reminded of all the things that are ours because we are in Christ Jesus. Are we encouraged? I think so Brian that's exactly right. It's it's progressive sanctification.

That's exactly what it is. Thank you, Brian. I had a plan here this morning. It was Brian Bartlett. Thank you. That's exactly right so, you know when he says means of grace ordinary means of grace I think you know, we have to put it through our Lutheran translator and kind of take out some of the Here the word of the morning write this down Cicero totalism.

Which is to say, you know the idea that the the priest or or that there's some kind of Means by which grace is officially given to you by the church and and that sort of thing just doesn't happen. Okay, so now he has this idea that he calls the new radical the new radical and he and he says Think about the advertisements you saw and or read this past week.

Anybody see or hear any advertisements if you say no, then I'm gonna have to presume That you didn't watch TV. You didn't look at the Internet and you didn't read any magazines or do much of anything this week drive around because then you saw Billboards or whatever.

Did you see any of that? The answer obviously is yes. Now what are some of. What are some of the techniques that advertisers use both to Intrigue you and to encourage brand loyalty. Russ I love Geico.

Their commercials, you know when you know, oh, yeah, like the current one where they have this washed up rock band singing a song that absolutely loathes, you know, and you know. If you belong to this band.

You play this song because that's what you do and I love it because it's in the lunchroom and the guy just pushes the microwave and here they come and I'm like I'd run I'd go running out of the lunchroom.

I hate that song so much. What about what about things like brand loyalty? What do they do? I mean, what's it? What's a brand? That's kind of famous for its loyalty. Coca-cola. I heard Apple. If you put Apple and Coca-cola together, oh, sorry.

You've got a messy keyboard or something. Apple I Could talk. How do they do that? How does Apple kind of inspire brand loyalty? They have a logo. Okay, it's cool all the kids do that all the cool kids do that.

I mean my niece when she was out here. Her laptop had crashed and I was talking my brother is I mean I have to tell you something when he was out here. It was a couple weeks ago. It was like one of the highlights of my life and you're like, well, why did you have a great time bonding with your brother?

Did he receive Christ? No, he was already a Christian. The reason it was such a highlight is I got him to spend money. You you don't you just cannot know listen and my wife could testify I am NOT exaggerating my brother for years and years and years.

The only time he would buy shoes is when I was with him and I'd you know, we'd go somewhere and I'd look at his shoes and he would have holes in the bottom of his tennis shoes. And I'm like, dude, I think it might be time for new shoes.

He's like, I don't know. He's still got good tread. Listen, I got him to buy a suit. That was pretty major and we were in and out of the place in like 12 minutes. I was so impressed. But even better my niece needed a laptop.

She's a college down in New York City. If she did a laptop because her laptop had crashed my brother spent hours trying to fix it. And I was just finally like, you know, why don't you get a new one? He's like, well we could now he won't go to Best Buy.

I won't even tell you why he he really loathes going to Best Buy. So then it's like, you know, okay, where are we gonna get an IBM? You know that I said or you can get a Mac and he's like, well Macs are so expensive and I'm like, okay.

But she just started school. You know, do you want one that's gonna last four years or do you want one that's gonna last two years and then you got. To do this all over again. Well, I don't want to spend any more money, right?

So we go to the the Apple Store and my brother Walked out of there with laptop and I was like dude in like three days. He probably spent more money than he spent the rest of the year up, you know put together.

Of course, he has a family and they have to pay, you know mortgage and stuff like that. But in terms of buying stuff, he never does that. So I was like, yes. Here was my point though. I asked my niece.

I said, you know. Cuz my brother's like well, have you ever used him a Macintosh? No but everybody in her dorm has a Macintosh because all the cool kids have Macintosh. This is just you know the way it is Brand loyalty and You know if they get you younger than they keep you that's the whole idea but these you know advertisements they want us to.

You know think that something is cool or that we have to have it can't live without it now and this is kind of Included in that but what kind of person do these advertisements suggest that we will be if we buy their product Better Smarter stronger faster, we're gonna be bionic if we buy their product, that's the idea.

We cannot live without whatever this is, I don't care if it's Geico insurance or You know frozen food it's going to make our life better now the question he then poses is Christianity really all that much different than what we see on TV and everything else.

Well in a lot of ways today's evangelical world is not that different. How so? What are evangelicals always on the lookout for the raising of the hand? Well that doesn't oh that doesn't really help me Frank.

But yes, they are looking for the raising of the hand but I mean in terms of attitude or The product or whatever, what are they looking for Marie? Okay, having a better life and you said your best life now.

You know the Joel Osteen book and I think that hits the nail on the head because it really is kind of like what's the? Latest fad. If you want to know what the latest fad is, you know, you go to CBD, you know, I remember when they had the You know 40 days of purpose board game.

We have the in the office. Sometime we should have a little game party with the your best life now board game. Terrible game I have to say Somebody sent this to us. I think they got it at the dollar store or something.

I don't know but You know books that come out 40 days of purpose or you know purpose driven life and then you know, you see every church 40 days of purpose I remember going through going by like mainstream dead Denominations 40 days of purpose.

Some other things that have been fads Jesus calling with Sarah Young where Jesus allegedly kind of non audible voice But in thoughts and feelings just kind of communicates with her the book radical some other books see.

What was that? That was a book it wasn't really a trend though, I Mean I charismatic chaos is a trend but you know, Mike MacArthur's books are rarely Trendy, I mean we didn't see, you know, the gospel according to Jesus board game or You know a bunch of different churches running around Banners up there the gospel according to Jesus Prayer of Jabez, that was a good one, right gospel of Thomas.

Yeah DaVinci code that was a good one. Yeah the shack which I was so disappointed to find out it wasn't about the Lakers. Yeah, what would Jesus do all these kind of things right because it's a constant reminder that we're supposed to be living differently, but some things just want us to have an easier better life like the prayer of Jabez and I like what one author Said, you know the Jabez is just like all I wanted was more land.

You know, and I didn't expect it to turn into this whole whole big deal here but Christianity in general for let's just put it this way on the lookout for the next big thing the next big trend the next big kind of Life changing new and approved version of Christianity something to Push us along in our Christian life and sometimes It's just like a magical mantra like the prayer of Jabez.

I would argue That's what that was all about if you just pray this prayer, then you'll get this. But in in this world that we live in where we're always looking for the next big thing. These fads kind of tend to come and go now let's talk about Getting back to this is idea of sustainability if we're just going from one trend to another from one fad to another and I mean, I think they come along like every year or two.

There's something that's just kind of sweeping The evangelical world how does that impact sustainability, you know if the goal is to Change the world. You know radical we're gonna change the world and this was this book by the way, it's kind of written not as a critique of Radical but as a response to it.

I think there's something to be said for living a Sacrificial life, which was the ultimate point of Platt's book but He says if your goal, this is Horton. He says if your goal is to change the world What we spend your time doing as a Christian what we spend your time doing if your goal is to change the world.

Kathy you go to Darfur you you'll do all kinds of good works. You know, you'll be giving your money to people who are trying to put mosquito nets all over The place and you know and malaria or you and there's nothing wrong with these things, by the way.

But he says the danger is that exuberance or excitement without ordinary Christianity. What does that lead to if in other words if you become focused on or even politics if you become focused on these things Without what he calls ordinary Christianity.

What's the danger?

Frank again, I.

Distort a view of true salvation. I think that can happen. Okay becomes a fad. Murray. Okay, I think there's a real danger of the focus becoming on what I'm doing, right? Frank. Okay emotionalism. Okay.

Yeah, I think it easily becomes more a man-centered Charlie. Charlie talks about the YMCA where the purpose was originally was to bring people in. For games or whatever and then preach from the gospel.

And now what happens if you go to the YMCA? It's about health and community. I mean as far as I could tell it's the biggest gym and all of Worcester and people go there for daycare and stuff like that, I mean there are all sorts of things but it's it's virtually untethered from Christianity and I think if Making the world a better place is your goal.

Then at some point you're going to leave the gospel behind which is exactly what the YMCA. I was thinking about the YMCA the other day because Young men's Christian Association, right? Or how about this one?

This one has a shorter life, but the same thing is already happening with it. Campus crusade for Christ. Which is now called? Crew. Now I have a nephew who's involved in that and I think he's doing good stuff.

But the bottom line is as time goes on I think you know in 20 -30 years the gospel will be gone entirely from crew. It'll be you know. Just another club on campus other thoughts on this. Okay, I Think ultimately if your goal is to change the world you will wind up and it may not be in your lifetime.

It may be in the next generation. You're gonna wind up in liberalism. Horton says this in book night or page 19 of his book. He says taking a summer to build wells in Africa is for some a calling. Says but so is fixing a neighbor's plumbing feeding one's own family and Sharing in the joys and burdens of a local church.

What we are called to do every day right where God has placed us is rich and rewarding. Let me just say that again because this is really the heart of the book what we are called to do every day. Right where God has placed us is rich and rewarding.

May I may I suggest another thing that going to Africa and building wells is. It's an escape. Real life Is challenging enough. Loving your neighbor as You love your church. You know, what's really challenging is keeping your shoelaces tied.

I Joked about that last week in Hartford. Just as an aside. You know the first thing that John wouldn't would just teach us Basketball team every year how to put their socks on and then how to tie their shoes and it would drive his players crazy.

I mean they were super smart guys. Some of them were super smart guys. And he's like look if you don't get the basics, right? You won't be able to do these other things and I'm like so for me need to tie my shoes.

Now before I nearly fell over where was I right. Real life is hard. Doing what we're supposed to do each and every day. Let me just give you a few examples. Let's see how perfect you are. If you're married loving your wife like Christ loves the church.

Easy or hard? It's hard really Impossible if you're a wife to love your wife. Like but if your husband to love your wife like Christ Love the church is difficult. If you're a wife to submit to your husband, that's difficult.

If you are not married keeping your Thoughts pure may be difficult. If you're a child submitting to your parents can be really difficult. Real life is hard and you know, what's exciting is you just think well I'm gonna go over to Africa for a summer and dig wells and help people.

You know for the glory of God. Well, maybe. But maybe it's just a way of getting out of doing what you're supposed to do each and every day. Now when I say the word ordinary What's your first thought what's that plain?

Frank it is very difficult. Dying to self is very difficult. I mean there are you know, they and that's the point here. The Christian life is Difficult, but that's what we're called to do. And you know when you think of ordinary you think of here.

Here's You know vanilla plain Basic Boring non-descript you know if you got your Evaluation back if you work, you know and at the end of the year it just says Steve is ordinary. Yeah, I'd come home and I'd go honey.

We're going out for dinner tonight. Get my evaluation. I'm ordinary not very exciting, right? Yeah, Brian. Brian says, you know ordinary can be a kind of a Well, let's put it this way it's it's it can be a Difficult term to embrace because we are to be different from the world.

Right, we're to stand out. This is something that may lead to persecution and that's all true. But that's you know, the point of the book is even in well Let's put it this way being an ordinary Christian does not exclude that.

Being an ordinary Christian means that you are doing what you're supposed to be doing. We spend time. Well, let's put let's put it another way. David Brainerd. You know, did he go to the mission field?

He he got up You know one Thursday morning and just decided he was gonna go to the mission field. I don't think that was the case. It was years of the Lord working on his heart and years of study and years of being burdened for lost people.

Those are all ordinary things. Right. It was being faithful in Little that resulted in him being called to much. So the call this book is be faithful be obedience do what you're supposed to do take care of your life and then we'll see if there's more in life for you, but be first of all Ordinary and there's nothing wrong with being Ordinary because as I said in the beginning being ordinary automatically separates you from the world it automatically sets you apart.

Now our society, you know again Really despises disdains the ordinary and in fact, what do they look for? I mean, you know if you said Since he's in the news so much. I'll use him. You know, if you went to Donald Trump and you said, you know what?

Mr. Trump, I'd like you to hire me and he and he said well Why should I hire you and you said well, mr. Trump, I'm ordinary would he hire you? No. But now let's let's put in a different vein if the elders are looking for somebody to be a deacon at Bethlehem Bible Church.

Are we looking for somebody who is? Extraordinary or somebody who is ordinary with all due respect to the deacons in the room. Somebody is ordinary. Somebody who's faithful. Somebody who sees the Word of God and says to the best of my ability.

This is where I'm going to live out but our society says, you know ordinary is useless it's it's not good and What we want is things that? Deliver impressive Fast Observable results, you know if you tell me you started your company Last year and you know, we're seeing Slow but sustained growth if you say I started my company last year and we've already Quintupled our sales.

You know over the first month, you know, and and we project that we're going to Be over 2 million in sales in the next year. People will be like, oh, that's awesome. How did you do that? You know, then everybody wants to know how you do that.

Then they want to duplicate it and that's what's going on in Christianity now. You know when we think about the the big things that we've heard about over the last 10 20 30 years. It's been churches like Willow Creek.

Start a church in Chicago build that church up. You know franchise it all over the country and then Saddleback. You know the model there. Where do you go out and you do a survey of the community find out what the community wants?

And that's what you put into a church. Now, what do you do you get up a website you put signs all over Worcester and I mean all over Worcester. Then you start a church in a movie theater and that's just what you do and you see.

Spectacular growth and everybody goes. Well, it must be it must be good because it's successful. Successful. Very few people focus on. I I mean we're thankful for the people who come here. Why. Because I think in a word we could put it this way.

Well describe your church to me. Well, I think it's pretty ordinary. What do you mean? Well, they preach the Bible verse by verse. See how ordinary that is as you start talking to people. Well, I think it's ordinary because you know, they.

They want people to serve and they want people to do this and you know. They have an awana program and they do these are not ordinary things. These are not programs that You know people are pushing. Instead it is.

You know the fad as I was saying earlier the fad of the month. I found this one on the bestseller list at CBD. I think this must be a pretty new one. A. Believing Jesus, are you willing to risk everything?

I don't know if that's what believing Jesus all about. Are you willing to risk everything? I don't feel like I risked anything. I feel like. Well, I'm pretty certain from the Word of God that all my sins were forgiven.

I don't understand the risk part. Once you think all my sins are forgiven I have eternal life then whatever happens to me happens to me right if I if I die, I die. Now what does Michael Horton mean when he uses the word ordinary.

I have a quote here. We have grown accustomed to quick fixes and easy solutions. We've grown accustomed to Running sprints instead of training for the long-distance marathons. We have plenty of energy.

The danger is that we will burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. 40 days to totally transform your life. That's nonsense. It's nonsense. Train for a marathon. David Brainerd again, even though he died when he was 29.

What was his life like before that? Well, you can read his his biography. I'm I can pretty much guarantee you though that it wasn't 40 days of preparation before he went out to the mission field. We talked briefly about ordinary means of grace, you know prayer fellowship sermons seeing rich hymns.

You know so encouraging to just think about some hymns and how they. It's not because well, let's put it this way. It's not because of how they make you feel like I personally like When peace like a river, what's the is that the name of the song?

Is well with my soul. I I like that song. Why do I like that song because it makes me feel good. My favorite verse from the song is where it talks about. The bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not the part, but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.

Can you be reminded too often that every sin you've ever committed are committing right now? For those of you on the nod or ever will commit. Is paid for. Can you ever hear that too much? Does it ever become like oh man if I have to hear the gospel one more time?

If I have to hear one more time about the promise of heaven, I'm my head is gonna. No, I think every time you should just kind of go that's amazing. Why would God do that for me and all those things being reminded again and again and again hearing truth again?

And again and again that is a means of growth. Now, how does our desire for something more? than the ordinary means of growth manifests itself. How is it that we we find ourselves? Longing for something more than that.

What is it that does that to us? Okay. Comparing ourselves with someone else. I think that's part of it. Yep, Charlie. Isn't that a that's a that's a great thought it sounds pretty basic, but you're with yourself all the time and If you're introspective, right if you think if you examine yourself if you look at your own life.

Sometimes you will become discouraged depressed even why because Look my life goes like this and There may be growth but boy a boy from day to day from hour to hour. I can't see it. I want something that's really going to.

You know, isn't there some kind of spiritual steroid I can take. Isn't there some mountaintop I can climb? Isn't there some, you know 24-hour fix for my spiritual woes. Let me suggest another way. And it gets back to 2nd Corinthians 13, which is you know, examine yourselves and see if you're in the faith.

If you were to not look at your life right now in the last 24 hours and see, you know How much spiritual growth there's been? If you think back on how you were before you got saved and you think about your life and your desires now.

You'll be encouraged. You'll be encouraged. Well, or you could be a little bit discouraged like when I think about my previous life and sadly I do think about it. Sometimes I just think what a dope what a loser.

I mean, I have a I have a you know, we could go for quite a while all the names I call myself. But that's not the point. You just go here. Here was my life it was irreversibly Irretrievably undeniably lost.

I was a zombie. And then you come to those words. But God and it changes everything. We should not or we do not have to seek more than the ordinary means of grace. We just need to be faithful to what we are called to and trust God to give us growth.

We need to be content with the life. Well, let's just talk about that. Let's just talk about discontentment. What is it? I'm not satisfied with my life. Now if you say I'm not satisfied with how much I study scripture if I'm not study satisfied with how much I pray I'm not satisfied to with how much I Read godly men or listen to godly sermons or whatever.

Okay fine. But if you say to yourself, I'm not content with my life. What are you really saying? Okay, God's not enough or You may believe that you could do a better which implies that God isn't doing Enough he hasn't placed you in a good enough place.

I don't want to get overly emotional. But I can just tell you every day I look around. And I think this is not what I wanted and I don't just mean you guys I mean. Right, I mean that's pretty bad. I Just think about you know, my wife my house.

You know the kids the grandkids all these things everything that everything that's important to me. Seemed disposable to me at one point in my life. And I just think how blessed I am that God knew. Better than I did what I needed.

And we forget that. What whatever we think, you know right now whether we think you know, we should be president the United States. A vice president of some big corporation a lawyer, whatever it is that you think you should be or want to be or whatever.

Here's the point. Where God has placed you right now is where God has placed you right now. And your job isn't to figure out how to get out of that. Your job is to thrive where God has placed you to be faithful in what he has given you.

To look around and express. Thanks for what he has blessed you with we forget. How greatly we've been blessed because we don't think. About where we would be or we don't think about it often enough where we would be if not for the grace of God.

Contentment, Providence, and Faithfulness Where God Has Placed You

Well, let's pray and we'll pick this up next week father. How great the truths of the gospel are that you take? Hell-bound sinners completely content with their lives. You transform them you give them life.

Spiritual life the ability to love you to worship you give us new affections new desires. Lord teach us to channel those affections those desires into contentment recognizing that you are sovereign and you have sovereignly placed each one of us exactly where we are today and.