Keep Running: From Old Self to New Life

A worn body and a willing heart frame a conviction about practical discipleship: showing up matters. What begins as a recounting of fatigue and reluctance turns into an encounter with worship that “dances out of grave clothes,” a vivid image of resurrection joy breaking through tiredness and routine. The narrative moves from personal anecdotes into Scripture—Proverbs 24:3–4 becomes a blueprint: wisdom builds the house, understanding establishes it, and knowledge fills its rooms. The call is vocational and domestic at once: men must be teachable builders—landscapers, plumbers, leaders—ready to repair what is broken and steward what is entrusted.

Community receives equal emphasis. Searching for the lost in a forest becomes a metaphor for brothers who must prioritize relationship over judgment; when someone wanders, stories of past failure are irrelevant compared with the urgency of retrieval. The old self is depicted as a persistent pursuer—an “old man” stalking like a wolf—so rest without vigilance risks relapse. The hunting story with a wounded deer illustrates both the relentlessness required to pursue the lost and the reality that the former self never fully dies; sanctification is forward movement, not a single event.

Two theological directives anchor the practical ethic: exhaustion is not an excuse—God often meets people in the dark places of weakness—and action typically precedes revelation. Movement of obedience invites God’s voice; stillness waiting for an oracle misunderstands biblical pattern. The overall appeal is sober and hopeful: keep running the race, serve despite discomfort, repair what is broken, reach out in love, and expect God to build, establish, and fill while humans do the humble, persistent work of obedience.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Keep running; the old self pursues Even after conversion the former self remains active and stalking. Resting prematurely lets ingrained patterns reassert themselves; perseverance is a spiritual discipline as necessary as prayer. Sanctification calls for constant motion—small daily acts of faithfulness—because inertia becomes the terrain where the old life regains authority. [67:38]
• 2. Build, establish, then be filled Spiritual formation is sequential: wisdom must be cultivated, stability secured, and then the heart filled with knowledge and pleasant riches. Quick fixes or emotional highs without the work of building lead to shallow structures that collapse under pressure. True flourishing requires craft—humility to learn the trades God puts before a person and faithfulness in small duties. [60:05]
• 3. Brothers find brothers, not judge Rescue precedes commentary: when a person is lost the first work is retrieval, not investigation. Community that prioritizes restoration over gossip replicates the compassionate heart of Christ and creates a safe corridor for repentance and healing. Accountability without a rescue posture becomes exile; love without discernment becomes naivety—both must be held in balance. [63:46]
• 4. Action precedes God's response Scripture often records obedience before revelation; movement creates space for God to speak. Waiting passively for clarity can be idolatry of certainty; faith advances in the friction of obedience. God tends to meet weakness with presence, so showing up in darkness invites his power. [70:20]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [57:13] - Tired but went anyway
• [57:39] - Confidence from home
• [58:27] - Worship: dancing out of grave clothes
• [59:43] - Men's conference theme introduced
• [60:05] - Proverbs 24:3–4 explained
• [63:14] - Searching for lost brothers
• [66:03] - Old man and the deer story
• [70:20] - Action before God's voice
• [72:46] - Persevere; run your race

1. According to the passage, what are the three things required to build, establish, and fill a house, and what is the result?
2. In the story about searching for a lost brother in the woods, what was the immediate priority when someone was lost, and what details were considered unimportant? [01:03:46]
3. What was the central metaphor used to describe the persistent nature of our old self that continues to pursue us even after salvation? [01:07:38]
4. What pattern of action and response was highlighted from Scripture regarding how God often speaks to His people? [01:10:20]

1. Why is the sequence of building with wisdom, establishing with understanding, and then filling with knowledge so important for a stable spiritual life, rather than trying to do it in a different order?
2. What does the relentless pursuit of the "old man" suggest about the nature of the Christian life and the danger of spiritual complacency? [01:07:38]
3. In what ways does the command to "find brothers, not judge them" challenge common responses when someone in the community is struggling or has fallen into sin? [01:03:46]
4. How does the principle that action typically precedes God's revelation change our approach to seeking guidance and hearing from God in our daily lives? [01:10:20]

1. Physical exhaustion is not an excuse to neglect spiritual commitments. [01:10:54] When have you recently felt too tired to show up for God or your community, and what was the outcome when you went anyway or when you stayed home?
2. The "old man" of our former self never fully dies and is always pursuing. [01:08:12] What specific thought patterns or habits from your past are you currently having to "outrun," and what practical steps are you taking to keep moving forward?
3. When a brother or sister is lost, the first work is retrieval, not investigation. [01:03:46] Is your first instinct when someone stumbles to offer help and restoration, or to question how they got there? Who in your life right now needs you to simply find them and bring them back?
4. God often meets us in our movement of obedience, not in our stillness waiting for a sign. [01:10:20] What is one area where you've been waiting for clarity from God before you act? What would it look like to take a step of obedience first, trusting that He will meet you there?
5. We are called to be builders, plumbers, and landscapers wherever there is brokenness. [01:00:37] What broken situation in your home, workplace, or church is currently requiring you to humbly learn a new "trade" in order to repair it for God's glory?
6. Worship has the power to make us "dance out of our grave clothes," breaking through fatigue and routine. [00:58:51] When was the last time you genuinely expressed joy in what Christ has saved you from? What would it take for you to worship with that kind of freedom this week?