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Good evening. It's a real joy 
once again to be standing here and to be with you this evening. 
And I just also want to thank you again for your warm reception 
and loving Christian hospitality extended to both myself and my 
wife. It's just a real pleasure and 
joy to always To be here, you make me feel very much at home 
and we pray for you often and will continue to do so. Open 
your Bibles with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. See the Reformed Baptist book here. 1 Corinthians chapter 16, reading 
just one verse. Verse 13, be watchful, stand 
firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Verse 14, let all 
things that you do be done in love. Our theme of this evening 
is words to live by. And as I'm sure you are aware, 
in this epistle to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul 
has raised a number of issues that needed to be addressed. There was division in the church. There was pride amongst the people. There was even a measure of worldliness 
that had to be addressed. And as the apostle comes to the 
conclusion of his letter in chapter 16, in verses five through nine, 
he shared with these brothers and sisters his travel plans. There in verses five through 
nine, I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for 
I intend to pass through Macedonia. And perhaps I will stay with 
you or even spend the winter so that you may help me on my 
journey wherever I go. For I do not want to see you 
now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with 
you if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until 
Pentecost for a wide door for effective work has been opened 
to me and there are many adversaries." And then he makes reference to 
a number of people. In verse 10, he mentions Timothy. that young man who was very close 
to the Apostle, referred to elsewhere as his son in the faith. In verse 
12, he makes reference to our brother Apollos, another key 
individual in the Apostle Paul's life and ministry, and the person 
who was also dear to the Corinthians, known as a powerful preacher 
of the word of God. Others are mentioned in verse 
17. And in verse 13, we have these 
exhortations. Four of them. We might think 
of them as words pointing us to four great principles of the 
Christian life. Words to live by. So our outline 
is simple and it's quite evident. It comes right out of verse 13. 
Watch. Stand fast in the faith. act 
like men, be strong. And let me suggest these words, 
vigilance, faithfulness, courage, and strength. And we'll consider 
those words in the order they come to us. First, watch. Vigilance, 
other words may come to mind, words like alertness or attentive 
carefulness. They all convey by that word 
in our text, all conveyed by that word in our text, watch. 
It implies being on our spiritual toes, being on the lookout, on 
the guard. is another way that we could 
translate the word. Having your spiritual wits about 
you. You have it also in 1 Peter chapter 
5 and verse 8. And of course, Peter was one 
who could speak from personal experience for the necessity 
of watchfulness, of vigilance, of spiritual alertness. He says, 
be sober, be vigilant, Watch. It's interesting if you go back 
to Mark's gospel in chapter 13, we see the Lord Jesus, he used 
this word three times in just a few short verses. Mark chapter 13, there in verses 
32 through 37. Now certainly in the context of being watchful here, it's 
for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be on the watch for I'm coming 
again. But also the necessity of being 
watchful in our lives, being alert, being vigilant in our 
lives in the light of that second coming. Verse 33 of Mark chapter 
13. Be on guard. Take heed, he says, 
and watch and pray. Stay awake, verse 35, watch therefore, 
for you don't know when the master of the house is coming. Verse 
37, and what I say to you, I say to all, stay awake, watch. So repeatedly, the savior makes 
this emphasis, watch, watch, be alert, be vigilant, be on 
your spiritual toes. Now why is such a word of exhortation 
needed? And why such emphasis? Well, 
obviously it's needed because of the adversary we have as believers. And certainly Peter makes it 
clear in that verse we looked at in 1 Peter 1.5.8, Satan's 
our adversary. Be sober, be on the watch, you 
have an adversary. The devil, Satan, he's like a 
roaring lion. Be sober, be vigilant. He goes on to say, your adversary 
the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. So obviously, vigilance is necessary 
for the Christian in terms of our thinking. And certainly this 
evening, I'm speaking primarily to the Christians. the ones that 
are in Christ Jesus by faith. The very fact that we do have 
such a spiritual enemy makes it absolutely imperative that 
we be watchful, that we be vigilant in all things. But there's another 
reason I want to emphasize this word watch. And one which I'm 
convinced you know really well. But we need consistent reminder 
and that's the deceitfulness of our own heart. We have an 
enemy, yes, outside the devil. Watch, but we also have the deceitfulness 
of our own heart. You know the familiar verse, 
I'm sure, in Jeremiah chapter 17 and verse 9. You probably can quote it from 
memory. The heart is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? I would digress 
for just a moment and speak to you about the importance of memorizing 
scripture. I don't know that we put as much 
emphasis upon that as we ought. When I was growing up in the 
church, there was a real emphasis placed upon memorizing scripture. And I think it's so important 
that we do it. And you young people, do it while 
you're young, especially when you get to be 63, 64 years old. Trust me, it's a lot harder. 
And so hide that word of God in your heart now while you are 
young and it certainly will serve you well. But back to the passage 
in Jeremiah. The word heart in the Bible speaks 
of the real person. It's our essential essence and 
being. It's not that organ that's within 
our chest that's pumping and pulsating and providing the blood 
flow through our body, obviously, but it's the hidden part of us 
which makes us what and who we are. And we look on the outward, 
God looks upon the heart. And so it's the spiritual control 
center, as it were, of our lives. That's the heart. It's the inner 
person or being. Now, when we are born again by 
the Spirit of God, we experience what the Bible speaks of as a 
radical change of heart. You may recall that wonderful 
Old Testament section of scripture in Ezekiel 36. Brother Cam referred 
to it in Sunday school this morning where God says, I will give you 
a new heart. and I will put a new spirit within 
you." And he's speaking of that inner change. He's speaking of 
that transformation that Jesus referred to as being born again. That powerful, radical, saving, 
wonderful change brought about by God working sovereignly in 
the heart. But still, even when that radical, 
that saving, wonderful change takes place, even when our hearts 
are changed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, we need 
to always remember the root of sin remains in us. Marsha and 
I sold our house a number of years ago and we just have a, 
we live in a condominium and it really fits my lifestyle. 
I really enjoy just having a little tiny patio area and just the 
smallest of gardens, but we used to have a big house and lots 
of yard work. And I didn't like picking weeds. 
And if you've ever done that, you know, you go out to the pick 
weeds and you'll pull and invariably you'll get the top and the bottom 
is still, it's still there in the ground. The root stays. Well, 
the root of sin always remains in us until glory, until we are 
perfected. We are changed in the new birth. Sen no longer has dominion, but 
we will always struggle and we will always fight Sen all our 
days. That root of Sen will always 
be there, bothersome, and that's why we always have to be mortifying 
it. That's why we have to be attacking 
it. That's why we have to be dealing 
with it. And that's why there is this emphasis upon this word, 
watch, says our Lord. Vigilance is absolutely necessary 
in the Christian life. And it's necessary because of 
our deceitful heart. See, even as believers in Christ, 
our heart, that old man, will tell us there's really no need 
for spiritual exercises. It will tell us that, you know, 
it's okay to neglect the vital spiritual exercises of prayer. It's okay. And that reading and 
meditating upon the word of God and worship of God and proper 
heart preparation, it will tell us to neglect those things, the 
old man. It will tell us not to bother 
to attend the prayer meetings, to think light of those things. 
to find them boring and unimportant. And where do you suppose that 
type of attitude comes? From above or from the world? Don't worry. Don't worry, says 
our heart. It says a little compromise with 
sin is okay. After all, you've been saved. 
So go ahead, take it easy. No need to be so watchful. Come 
on, after all, how many years have you been on this Christian 
road? Self-denial. The heart says, 
why are you worried about that? Isn't that an old concept, self-denial? This is the 21st century. Man, just do it. Just go for 
it. It's all about you. And besides, 
God wants you to have it all. And besides, once you've accepted 
Christ, the heart whispers, you're in. Does it really matter all 
that much how you live once you've decided for Jesus? Brethren, 
the deceitful heart. And dear friends, if you have 
not learned something of the importance of being watchful 
of being vigilant in the Christian life, you've really learned nothing 
at all of the Christian life. And so the importance of this 
first word, watch, says Paul. Vigilance, be on your guard in 
terms of your own self, your life, and heart. Now, listen, 
I'm not suggesting some joyless, morbid, introspective, sort of 
behavior. Not at all. But I'm saying be 
aware of yourself. Know yourself. Observe your own 
heart and life. And as I mention this, I think 
of that verse in Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 23. Here's another 
one to memorize. Keep your heart with all diligence. The New American Standard Bible 
puts it this way. Watch over your heart with all 
diligence for from it for the issues of life. Watch, watch. Second, faithfulness is the second 
word. Paul says stand fast in the faith. Stand, the Greek word is stiko. It means to stand firm rather 
than quit. So we could paraphrase Paul's 
words this way, stand fast in the faith, we could paraphrase 
Maintain your loyalty to the cause of Christ. Or we could 
say maintain your commitment to the truth of the gospel. And if you are a Christian, if 
you are familiar with this Corinthian letter, you will remember the 
issues that Paul raised in earlier chapters. And you will know that 
faithfulness to the gospel was at risk at Corinth. Faithfulness to the gospel was 
being undermined there in the church at Corinth. You remember 
how in the opening chapter Paul warned them against what he called 
the wisdom of this world. Let's look at just some of the 
references. Go back with me to chapter 1 and we'll see how Paul begins 
to develop this concern and theme. Chapter 1, verses 18 through 
21. For the word of the cross is 
folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, 
it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy, 
what? The wisdom of the wise and the 
discernment of the discerning, I will thwart. Where is the one 
who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is 
the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish, what? 
the wisdom of this world. For since in the wisdom of God, 
the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through 
the following of what we preach to save those who believe." And 
then having introduced that theme, He goes on in several other places. Look at verses 26 and 27. For consider your calling brothers. Not many of you were wise according 
to worldly standards. Not many were powerful, not many 
were of noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the 
world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the 
world to shame the strong. In other words, God is set against 
and has confounded this worldly wisdom that the Corinthians were 
beginning to buy into. That they were being taken in 
by. Again in chapter 2, the first five verses, well-known words 
of the Apostle in regards to his own ministry. Verses 1 and 
2, and when I came to you brothers, When I came to you, brothers, 
did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty 
speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except 
Jesus Christ and him crucified." And then verses four and five. 
And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of 
wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that 
your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the 
power of God. He goes on in this thought, for 
example, verses 12 and 13. Now we have received not the 
spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God that we 
might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart 
this in words, not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the 
spirit interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. And on and on he goes developing 
this vital theme. One last look, chapter three, 
verses 18 through 20. Let no one deceive himself. If 
anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him 
become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this 
world is folly with God. For it is written, he catches 
the wise in their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the 
thoughts of the wise that they are futile. So in the Corinthian 
epistle, he's dealing with this at great length. And he is emphasizing 
the danger of this human wisdom. He is emphasizing the danger 
of this counterfeit wisdom, which James says in his epistle is 
not from above. And so Paul exhorted them at 
Corinth and he exhorts us as well as believers in Christ that 
we must stand fast in the faith. We must be faithful to the Lord 
Jesus and his gospel. And you see the danger for the 
Corinthians was to be drawn back into their pagan way of thinking, 
into their pagan lifestyles. And that's what Paul understood. 
That's what Paul wrestled with throughout the letter. This danger 
of being drawn back into this pagan way of thinking and living, 
which of course would have been fatal. And so it's appropriate 
that he speaks to them about faithfulness in this context. And brethren, that message is 
always relevant in the Christian church. It comes to us today 
as believers in Christ, living in 2013, the exhortation to stand 
fast in the faith. We must take that exhortation 
to heart. There is so much at stake here. The honor of the Son of God himself. When professing Christians desert 
the faith, When professing Christians deny their profession and the 
Son of God, when they go the way of the world back to the 
old way of thinking, to use the words of John, because as those 
who walk no more with him, when that happens, what awful dishonor 
and reproach is done to the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. That's 
a great tragedy. Is not Christ worthy of our loyalty? Is he not worthy of our steadfast 
allegiance and commitment? Think of all that he has done 
for us. Has he ever done us wrong? Has he ever once harmed us? Was 
he ever disloyal to us? Why would we not be faithful? Moreover, the eternal wellbeing 
of our soul is at stake. Listen, brethren, we are not 
justified by faithfulness. We are justified by faith alone 
in Christ alone. But faith is never alone. And 
the way to heaven is the way of faithfulness. and it's necessary. Did not our Lord Jesus Christ 
say in Luke 9.62, no one having put his hand to the plow and 
looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Faithfulness is necessary. Did not the Lord Jesus say in 
Matthew 10.22, he who endures to the end will be saved. faithfulness, 
perseverance in the faith. And in this very epistle, chapter 
15, the Apostle Paul himself emphasized the necessity of persevering 
in the faith. Chapter 15 verses 1 and 2. Now 
I would remind you brothers of the gospel I preach to you which 
you received in which you stand and by which you are being saved 
if you hold fast to the word I preach to you unless you believe 
in vain. Brethren there is such a thing 
as a temporary believing. There is such a thing as a vain 
believing that does not result in faithfulness and steadfastness 
in the faith. And so the Apostle Paul has soberly 
spoken to them along this line and so I think it's a word that 
we must take seriously. Our eternal well-being is at 
stake. Faithfulness to the gospel. Now I hope you don't think that 
I'm implying something here tonight in terms of some big problem 
at free grace. I'm not implying that at all. 
Matter of fact I commend you brethren and I am thankful as 
the Apostle Paul would say for your faith and your labor of 
love. But brethren don't be presumptuous 
about that. Watch. Watch. Be on your spiritual toes, and 
in doing that, remain steadfast in the faith. Well, then the 
third word, courage. I think the new King James Bible 
says, be brave. The ESV, the translation I'm 
using, it translates, act like a man. And I do believe it's 
an accurate translation of the Greek verb that's used literally, 
act in a manly fashion. There are certain sensitivities 
in our day I suppose that we must be aware of. Certainly this is not considered 
to be some sort of a put down of women when it says act like 
a man. I remember a Baptist church that 
Marcia and I attended And I was teaching the adult Sunday school 
class. And I can't remember the exact subject matter of the class, 
except I do remember quoting this particular text and reading 
it in that way. And I was approached by one of 
the dear ladies afterwards. And she wanted me to know with 
no uncertain terms that she felt the Apostle Paul was some sort 
of a chauvinist, you know, and was putting women down here by 
the use of his particular language. Have you seen the movie Iron 
Lady? I think, is that the name of it, Iron Lady? The one about 
Margaret Thatcher? It's really a very good movie. As one man said of Margaret Thatcher 
back in her day, she's the best man we've got in the nation. 
And it was meant as a compliment. A person of courage is what the 
Apostle Paul is speaking of here. And of course, that's the way 
the Bible uses it. Act in a manly fashion, be courageous in your 
Christian walk. Be vigilant, be faithful, and 
be courageous. And when I think of courageous 
faith, I often think of Abraham, but I also think of Sarah. When 
I think of courage, I think of a woman like Rahab. We think of a Daniel. Children 
sing in our Sunday school, dare to be a Daniel. Dare to stand 
alone. Dare to have a purpose firm. 
Dare to make it known. Act like men. In the history 
of the church, there are so many wonderful examples that stand 
out. I think one of my favorite characters 
in all of church history is old Hugh Latimer, a martyr at a very 
old age. He was an old man. I guess he 
must have been 80 or thereabouts. And he was bound to the stake. 
and there at Smithfield in England under the reign of Bloody Mary, 
and he was to be burned alive along with his younger companion, 
Nicholas Ridley. Ridley, earlier in his experience, 
had actually denied the faith, and to save his from being a 
martyr. And he was grieved over that. And he repented of that sin. 
And he owned the Lord Jesus. And so now a second time he's 
at the stake. Still a young man with the old 
man Latimer. And there as they are bound, 
ready to be burned, Latimer said to him, play the man, Master 
Ridley. We shall by God's grace light 
such a candle in England today that shall never be put out. Tremendous words. Play the man. courage and brethren think about 
it how true as I think about that if I was all bound and and 
they were putting the wood around my feet and they were ready to 
light a fire you'd have to play the man you'd have to be brave 
for Christ and so the Apostle Paul was exhorting the Corinthians 
and the Word of God is exhorting us to be current courageous act 
like men in the faith the NIV says Be men of courage. And the reality is to be faithful 
to God and the world in which we live today, it demands courage. It's absolutely necessary. Because 
as Christians, we are to stand for the truth of God and we're 
to stand for who He is. We considered this morning those 
names of God that tell us something of God and His character. And in a world that is determined 
to deny Him, we're called to proclaim the reality of God. And men have always sought to 
hide from God. From the beginning in Eden with 
Adam and Eve, they tried to hide from God, you remember? You remember 
the account? I'm sure you're familiar with 
it. God came into the garden. Adam, where are you? Adam, what's happened to our 
fellowship? Now, it wasn't that God didn't 
know where Adam was. He knew exactly where Adam was. 
Or it wasn't that he didn't know what had happened. He was sorting 
Adam out. And of course, sin had entered. 
And so man ran from God's presence. And that's now part of all human 
nature. That's what we do as sinners. All people seek to run from God. And they do that by denying the 
reality of God. If you think about it, the truth 
is we always deny the reality of the things we find unpleasant. Isn't that true? Some level? 
My dear mother, when my father passed away, she continued to 
lay out his pajamas every evening. and then to fold them up in the 
morning and slip them underneath his pillow, which always remained. She just, it was hard for her 
to accept the fact that my dad, now my mother was a Christian. 
She loved the Lord and she knew that my dad was in heaven. It's like an athlete coming to 
the end. Hard to accept. I run from it 
and deny the reality of it. I was talking to Cam this morning 
about your injury. We get to an age where we got 
to put that stuff away, don't we? And sometimes it's hard. Can't accept it. Or the ending 
of a relationship happens. I don't love you. And sometimes 
it ends in horrible tragedy. And because of sin and alienation 
and enmity with God, The very thought of God is so unpleasant 
to the sinner. To someone who in their heart 
knows they are living against God as Paul teaches in Romans 
1. They're acting against God and they're speaking against 
God. They're going their own way, ignoring God. And the thought of God is so 
distasteful and it is so troubling and so disturbing to their mind. And one of the ways the human 
heart deals with that is to deny the reality of God. They suppress 
it and hold that truth down, as Paul says, in unrighteousness 
and they deny the God revealed in nature. They deny the God 
revealed in Holy Scripture and in the Lord Jesus Christ. They 
deny it. Paul says, that's what man does. But the Christian is one who 
will assert the reality of God despite the uprising of atheistic 
declarations of God denying and God defying statements from every 
corner of modern culture. We see these denials of God, 
denials of his son, the Lord Jesus, denials of the gospel 
of grace. And the Christian is called to 
be a person of courage, asserting the reality of God. Moreover, not only is the Christian 
called upon to courageously assert the reality of God, but also 
assert the authority of God. The authority of God to set standards 
of behavior. Now, brethren, how relevant is 
that in our day? Why do genuine Christians insist 
on sex being limited to the marriage state? Why do we say there must be no 
sexual intercourse outside marriage? No shacking up. Why do Christians 
insist that homosexuality is wrong? That same-sex marriage 
is wrong? Why do we say such things? Are 
we simply out of touch? Are we simply out of the mainstream? Why do we say stealing is wrong? That people must not lie. That 
killing, even the unborn, is evil. Why do we say such things? And I suppose you could offer 
a variety of reasons to all of those things. You could give 
a number of pragmatic reasons why they are wrong. But the bottom 
line, brethren, it's because God says they're wrong. God says so. And you can make all your arguments 
from family values, you know, and political leverage and whatever. And I'm not putting all that 
down. It may have its place, but brethren, the bottom line 
is because God says so. That's the Christian's bottom 
line. I'm not a prophet, I'm not the 
son of a prophet, but I would suggest you simply can't understand 
the times in which we live unless you see that there has been a 
massive widespread denial of that. A massive denial of the 
authority of God. The reality of God and the authority 
of God. But the Christian is called to 
be courageous and to declare and to live under the authority 
of God in this day. No matter what anyone else might 
say. That takes courage. And the Christian is called upon 
to defend and assert the revelation of God. I just said our bottom 
line is because God says so. Why do you act the way you do? 
Why do you not do certain things? Because God says so. But brethren, 
the very next question is, oh yeah, well, where does God say 
so? And the answer of the Christian 
is in the Bible. And the battle's on again. It 
starts all over. Well, we don't believe the Bible. 
Well, we don't believe the Bible that way. It's a wonderful book. 
It's a wonderful grand piece of literature. And when it does 
speak to you with a measure of power and moves you, that's a 
wonderful thing. But we don't believe the Bible 
like that. Why should we do anything simply 
because the Bible says it? So another area of huge conflict. I suppose over the years, since 
the beginning, it's been the very focus of the conflict. Satan came to Adam and Eve asking, 
has God really said? In the Reformation, it was the 
leading principle that was taken up by Luther and Calvin and others, 
sola scriptura. And in our day we see this rebellion 
and we see this denial of scriptures, this repudiation of God. Well, 
brother, it's not easy and we recognize it's difficult to go 
against the flow. But the reality is we are called 
upon to do just that. And this wonderful verse before 
us today, this evening, this challenge, this call to courage, 
We have here, must remind us, watch, stand fast in the faith, 
be brave, courageous, act like man. And then the last word would 
have to be strength. The apostle says, be strong. You see, courage is just not 
enough. It's very important, but courage 
is just not enough. I have a little, well, she's 
not a puppy anymore. Callie is her name, and she's 
a terrier, and she's a real terrier, if you know anything about terriers. 
And some of you have met Callie. Some of you don't have real fond 
memories of her. She's full of herself, and she 
has no lack whatsoever of courage. And I take her for a walk from 
time to time. And there's this greenway. We 
walk between the houses. And she always knows where the 
dogs are at. And she always gets ready for 
coming up when they're on the other side of the fence. And 
there was this one place, a great big, big German shepherd. And of course, in Callie's mind, 
she's up to the task. And she gets at the fence back 
and forth, her and the shepherd, running back and forth. And we 
went on, and we came back about a half hour later, and we're 
getting almost to the end. That German shepherd is barking, 
and Callie is barking. And that German shepherd was 
able to get its head through a corner of the fence, got about 
half its body out, and grabbed her by the tail and just shook 
her good. And I was kind of worried for 
her. She bled a bit, and she was a 
different person after that. She was not up to the task. She wasn't lacking in courage. 
She needed strength. And so the Christian does need 
courage, but we need more than courage. We need strength for 
the battle. We need strength for the challenge. 
We need strength for the day. And what does our Bible tell 
us? Psalm 46 and verse one, God is our refuge and strength. Psalm 91 verses 1 and 2, which 
we just considered this morning. He who dwells in the secret place 
of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. So we must know Him. And we must 
know Him more and more if we are going to be strong Christians. You must know Him by prayer. 
Take time with God. Cultivate your prayer life. Isaiah 40 and verse 31, but those 
who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount 
up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. 
They shall walk and not faint. How's your prayer life? Of course, we must know him by 
the scriptures themselves to love the word of God, to search 
it out, to study it, to meditate upon it, to hide it in our hearts, 
to memorize it, They must be so much a part of us. Psalm 119 
and verse 28, my soul melts from heaviness, strengthen me according 
to your word. Have you been in the word this 
week? And we must know the Holy Spirit. 
He's the one who comes to be with us. He's the one who has 
been given to not only be with us, but to abide in us. He's 
our strength. Zechariah 4.6, not by might nor 
by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Ephesians 
6.10, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. You 
can't live for Christ. You can't be strong if you grieve 
the Holy Spirit. And so we have these four words 
to live by, simple message. Four Christian watchwords, vigilance, 
faithfulness, courage, strength. Brethren, these things we must 
have. These are the things that we 
need to plead to God to give to us. These things ought to be the 
focus of our prayer times together. I always try to encourage the 
folks at Glen Collin to pray for one another. And sometimes 
people will say, well, I'm, I'm just not sure what their needs 
are. I'm not sure how to, you can always pray for your brothers 
and sisters in Christ. You can always pray for your 
pastors that they would be strengthened in their inner being. That they would, that they would 
be men true to the faith, that they would be courageous and 
that they would be strong for Christ. We must pray for those things 
and we must give ourselves to the means of grace that they 
may be part of us and that they may grow in us. And we should 
notice before leaving this passage, the 14th verse, which goes along 
with verse 13. And it's really another message, 
brethren, but I just mention it. Let all that you do be done in 
love. Now let's take that together. 
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, 
let all that you do be done in love. We must live the Christian 
life in balance. I was talking to one of the brothers 
earlier today of the importance of balance in the Christian life. It's not easy. Jesus was so incredibly 
balanced. I remember one time I was at 
a conference, and it was a John Piper conference 
actually, and John Piper exhorted us. He said, some of you men 
sitting out there need to be a little stronger. And you need 
to go back to your congregations and you need to preach the truth 
with a little more emphasis. And you need to deal with some 
issues that are in front of you. And he said, others of you men 
need to be a little more loving. And you need to go back to your 
congregations and you need to love your people. And then he 
challenged us to read the Gospels and to mark down how the Lord 
Jesus dealt with people. And make a tick mark on every 
time he dealt with people in what we may say in a harsh way 
or in a way of stern, mark it down. And then on the other side, 
mark down where you see him dealing in this gentleness with people 
and just check the balance. It's quite amazing. And what 
will we expect from the Son of God? But he's our pattern and 
we struggle. It's not easy. to be balanced 
in our Christian walk. Now I'm not suggesting that what 
I'm saying is, okay, today I got to do a little bit of verse 13. Okay, I've done that for a while. 
Now I got to do a little bit of verse 14. I got to give four 
hours to verse 14 today to balance things. No, that's not what I'm 
suggesting at all. When we think of these catchwords, 
they're strong in verse 13. They're almost militaristic and 
we're engaged in battle. And so the danger is in the battle 
to get out of balance. The danger is to become all harsh 
and judgmental, overaggressive, insensitive. And so it's interesting 
to note that Paul, who gives us these strong militaristic 
words to live by, directs us then to verse 14, let all that 
you do be done in love. A beautiful statement. Paul is 
saying that love is to permeate all that we do. This is the way 
we're to be. We're to be on guard and vigilant. And we're to be faithful. And 
we're to act like men with courage. And we're to be strong. But all 
of that needs to be flavored with love. All of it. It's like sugar in your tea. 
You put it in and you stir it. The sugar doesn't go away. It's 
not that it's diluted, but it permeates all of it. And that's what Paul is suggesting. 
He said elsewhere, we are constrained. by the love of Christ. It's that 
which is to motivate us. It's out of that love we're to 
take these watchwords to heart. What a beautiful statement. There's 
so much more that we might say, but I just can't help to think 
of his well-known words back in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 
And I think what we'll do, I will close with this. Let's just turn 
to 1 Corinthians 13 and let me read the chapter. If I speak in the tongues of 
men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or clanging 
cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers 
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have 
all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be 
burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." Think of old Hugh Latimer. Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. 
It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own 
way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, 
but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes 
all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never 
ends. As for prophecies, they will 
pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. 
As for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and 
we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial 
will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like 
a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned 
like a child. When I became a man, I gave up 
childish ways. For now we see in a mere dimly, 
but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall 
know fully, even as I have been fully known." So now faith Hope 
and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is 
love. Be watchful, stand firm in the 
faith, act like men, be strong, let all that you do be done in 
love. Brethren, may God help us by 
his grace to live out of the truth of those two verses to 
his glory and to our eternal good. Amen. Father, we do thank you for this 
day that you've given to us. We thank you, Father, for your 
Word that is able to make us wise, even unto salvation. And we thank you, Father, for 
these exhortations that have reminded us of all that you have 
called us to do and be. And Father, we do thank you for 
the grace that is ours in Christ Jesus. As the Apostle Paul had 
said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And 
certainly these are the very things that the Apostle has in 
mind. Help us, Father, to live out 
of these things, not in our own strength, but in the grace of 
God and in the power of your Holy Spirit. And help us, Father, 
to serve you and to love you all of our days. Father, I thank 
you for this precious congregation. I thank you for these dear people. 
I thank you for their pastors, and I pray that you would watch 
over them and keep them in the center of your will. And we pray, 
Father, for the continued faithfulness of this place. May the gospel 
always be proclaimed from this pulpit. And then, Father, help 
us to love you and to live in a way that is worthy of our calling 
as your dear children. Bless us, we pray, in Jesus' 
name. Amen.