Living by faith in future grace invites us to trust in God's promises and provision, freeing us from anxiety and leading us to a life of holiness and joy. As we meditate on Matthew 6:25-34, we are reminded not to be anxious about our lives, for God, who cares for the birds and clothes the lilies, will surely care for us. This passage invites us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trusting that all our needs will be met. By placing our trust in God's provision, we can focus on seeking His kingdom and righteousness, knowing that He will provide for our needs. [02:24]
"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, ESV)
Reflection: What is one specific area of your life where you struggle with anxiety about provision? How can you actively trust God to meet that need today?
Day 2: The Joy of God's Supremacy
Our passion for God's supremacy aligns with our pursuit of joy. When we find our satisfaction in God, He is glorified, and we experience true happiness. This union of God's glory and our joy is central to Christian hedonism. By placing God at the center of our lives, we redefine righteousness as what exalts God's glory. This understanding shifts our perspective, allowing us to experience true joy and fulfillment in Him. [23:01]
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you." (Psalm 73:25, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you seek to find your joy and satisfaction in God today, rather than in temporary or worldly pleasures?
Day 3: Serving Through God's Strength
True service to God is done through the strength He supplies, not by our own efforts. This ensures that God is glorified as the source of all strength and provision, and we remain humble recipients of His grace. By serving in this way, we highlight the all-sufficiency of God and magnify His supremacy. This approach to service not only glorifies God but also brings us true joy and fulfillment, as we are satisfied in Him and His promises. [14:11]
"Whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 4:11, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one area of service in your life where you rely on your own strength. How can you begin to rely on God's strength instead?
Day 4: Holiness Through Future Grace
Living by faith in future grace empowers us to overcome sin and live a life of holiness. By relying on God's promises for the future, we are equipped to face challenges and serve others with radical love. This transformative journey calls us to trust in God's promises and provision, freeing us from anxiety and leading us to a life of holiness and joy. By living in this way, we experience a Copernican revolution in our lives, where God becomes the center, and we find our joy and purpose in Him. [18:13]
"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14, ESV)
Reflection: What is one sin or challenge you are currently facing? How can you rely on God's future grace to overcome it today?
Day 5: The Copernican Revolution of Faith
Embracing God's supremacy leads to a Copernican revolution in our lives, where God becomes the center, and we find our identity and purpose in Him. This shift transforms our understanding of righteousness and joy, allowing us to experience true fulfillment in God. By living in this way, we glorify God and find our joy and purpose in Him, as we are satisfied in His promises. This lifestyle not only glorifies God but also brings us true joy and fulfillment. [10:53]
"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your current priorities and values. How can you re-center your life around God and His purposes today?
Sermon Summary
Living by faith in future grace is a transformative journey that calls us to trust in God's promises and provision, freeing us from anxiety and leading us to a life of holiness and joy. As we memorize and meditate on Matthew 6:25-34, we are reminded not to be anxious about our lives, for God, who cares for the birds and clothes the lilies, will surely care for us. This passage invites us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trusting that all our needs will be met. Living by faith in future grace means relying on God's promises for the future, which changes our present reality and empowers us to live a life of holiness and radical love.
The course on living by faith in future grace aims to unpack this concept over five hours, exploring its biblical foundations and practical implications. It emphasizes three core passions: a passion for God's supremacy, a passion for joy, and a passion for holiness. The first passion, God's supremacy, is rooted in the belief that God does everything for His glory. This understanding shifts our perspective, placing God at the center of our lives and redefining righteousness as what exalts God's glory. The second passion, joy, aligns with the idea of Christian hedonism, where our pursuit of happiness is fulfilled in God, who satisfies us and liberates us from false sources of joy. The third passion, holiness, is achieved through living by faith in future grace, which severs the roots of sin and awakens a life of love and service.
In this journey, we learn to serve not by our strength but by the strength God supplies, ensuring that He receives the glory. This approach to service highlights the all-sufficiency of God and magnifies His supremacy. By living in this way, we experience a Copernican revolution in our lives, where God becomes the center, and we find our joy and purpose in Him. This lifestyle not only glorifies God but also brings us true joy and fulfillment, as we are satisfied in Him and His promises.
Key Takeaways
1. Trust in God's Provision: Living by faith in future grace means trusting that God, who cares for the birds and clothes the lilies, will provide for our needs. This trust frees us from anxiety and allows us to focus on seeking His kingdom and righteousness. [02:24]
2. God's Supremacy and Our Joy: Our passion for God's supremacy aligns with our pursuit of joy. When we find our satisfaction in God, He is glorified, and we experience true happiness. This union of God's glory and our joy is central to Christian hedonism. [23:01]
3. Service Through God's Strength: True service to God is done through the strength He supplies, not by our own efforts. This ensures that God is glorified as the source of all strength and provision, and we remain humble recipients of His grace. [14:11]
4. Holiness Through Future Grace: Living by faith in future grace empowers us to overcome sin and live a life of holiness. By relying on God's promises for the future, we are equipped to face challenges and serve others with radical love. [18:13]
5. The Copernican Revolution of Faith: Embracing God's supremacy leads to a Copernican revolution in our lives, where God becomes the center, and we find our identity and purpose in Him. This shift transforms our understanding of righteousness and joy. [10:53] ** [10:53]
In Matthew 6:25-34, what examples does Jesus use to illustrate why we should not be anxious about our lives? How do these examples relate to God's provision? [01:19]
According to the sermon, what is the significance of living by faith in future grace, and how does it change our lives? [02:54]
How does the sermon describe the relationship between God's glory and our joy? What is the concept of Christian hedonism mentioned in the sermon? [23:01]
What does the sermon say about serving God with His strength rather than our own? How does this ensure that God is glorified? [14:11]
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Interpretation Questions:
How does the passage in Matthew 6:25-34 encourage believers to shift their focus from anxiety to seeking God's kingdom and righteousness? What practical steps can be taken to make this shift?
The sermon mentions a "Copernican revolution" in our lives when we embrace God's supremacy. What does this mean, and how might it affect a believer's daily life and decisions? [10:53]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that living by faith in future grace can empower believers to overcome sin and live a life of holiness? [18:13]
How does the sermon explain the connection between God's pursuit of His glory and our pursuit of joy? Why is this connection important for understanding Christian hedonism? [23:01]
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Application Questions:
Reflect on a recent situation where you felt anxious about your needs. How can the message of Matthew 6:25-34 help you trust in God's provision more fully in similar situations in the future?
The sermon emphasizes serving God with the strength He supplies. Identify an area in your life where you have been relying on your own strength. How can you begin to rely on God's strength instead? [14:11]
Consider the idea of a "Copernican revolution" in your life. What practical changes can you make to ensure that God is at the center of your decisions and priorities? [10:53]
The sermon discusses the concept of Christian hedonism, where our joy is found in God. What are some false sources of joy in your life that you need to let go of to find true satisfaction in God? [23:01]
How can you actively seek God's kingdom and righteousness in your daily life? What specific actions can you take this week to prioritize these pursuits over worldly concerns?
Reflect on a time when you experienced God's future grace in a challenging situation. How did it impact your faith, and how can you use that experience to encourage others facing similar challenges?
The sermon highlights the importance of living by faith in future grace to overcome sin. Identify a specific sin or struggle in your life. How can you apply the principles from the sermon to address this issue and pursue holiness? [18:13]
Sermon Clips
"Therefore do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" [00:01:19]
"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." [00:02:38]
"God is infinitely committed to preserving and displaying his glory in all that he does, from creation to redemption. And in this commitment, we see his zeal and love and satisfaction in his glory. The person that opened my eyes to this biblical truth was Jonathan Edwards." [00:06:12]
"Everything God does, he does to the end that his glory might be seen and savored and displayed. That's the root of passion number one, our passion for God's supremacy. And here are just a few biblical texts: Isaiah 48:9-11, 'For my name's sake, God says, I defer my anger.'" [00:08:32]
"Living by faith in future grace highlights and magnifies the glorious all-sufficiency of God and so expresses our passion for the supremacy of God in all things. By faith in his grace, his future grace, we get the help, he gets the glory." [00:11:36]
"Whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever." [00:14:11]
"Learning to preach by faith in future grace, and let me clarify now, this may be as good a place as any what I mean by future when I say future grace. Don't think merely he means the second coming. That is one use of it in 1 Peter 1:13." [00:17:22]
"This future that I have in mind, this future grace, is like a river flowing toward my life which has always lived in my present. It's the only point where it's lived. It's not lived in the future, it's not lived in the past. I live right here." [00:18:13]
"Serve in the strength. Let him who serves do so by the strength which God supplies. When does he supply it? Moment by moment by moment as the future cascades over the present into the past. You live drinking future grace as it arrives in the moment." [00:19:02]
"God is most glorified in me when I'm most satisfied in him. And if I want to pursue my joy and I pursue it in him, then he gets the glory and I get the help. Paul said it is my eager expectation, this is Philippians 1:20." [00:23:01]
"God in seeking his glory seeks the good of his creatures because the emanation of his glory implies the happiness of his creatures. And in communicating his fullness for them, he does it for himself because their good which he seeks is so much in union and communion with himself." [00:21:21]
"God in seeking their glory and happiness seeks himself, and in seeking himself, that is himself diffused, he seeks their glory and happiness. There is another paragraph that is equally important to that one, but the point of that paragraph is that there is no conflict between God's pursuit of his glory and God's pursuit of my joy." [00:23:01]