How to Begin…Again! (Part II)
Text
"16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…" (Proverbs 24:16 NIV)
Review
Last week, we started the New Year off by looking at Proverbs 24:16. We noted that it does not say that a righteous person never falls, but it does say that when a righteous person falls, they always rise again.
A righteous person doesn't fall backwards, they fall forwards (like falling "up" the stairs…!)
God is able to keep us from falling. When we do, the fault is ours, never His…!
"25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen." (Romans 16:25-27 NIV)
"20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. 24 To him who is able to KEEP you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 20-25 NIV)
Here's the bottom line: In the life of a righteous person, failure is never final…!
"The Christian life consists of new beginnings." (
And so, each one of us needs to learn the fine art of learning how to begin…again…! This is quite different than beginning for the very first time. It always takes longer and costs more to rebuild than to start from scratch
· Clear away the rubble. (Resolution vs. release)
· Examine the foundation. (Fill in the cracks and smooth out uneven places)
· Gather the supplies (Prayer, Word, Fellowship, Service)
1. Study the plans.
Know "God's plan for man" (the word of God)…!
· What does God's Word tell you about His plan for your life?
Know "God's plan for you" (the will of God)…!
In building a life, it is important to understand that you are not just building a house, you are building your house…!
Story of man who was hired by his boss after many years of faithful labor to build him a "dream" house and given a certain amount of money to do it in. He cut corners everywhere so that he could pocket the difference. Then, to his astonishment, when the house was finished, his boss handed him the keys as a gift for his "faithful" service…!
· What has the Lord already spoken to your heart about His plan for your life?
2. Set your priorities.
Part of knowing God's Word involves understanding that He is a God of process. He is not just interested in the destination, but also in the journey…!
· Example: Calling, character, credibility, commissioning (Acts 9, 11, 13– Eleven year process…!)
o God revealed His plan to Paul in stages.
- "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." (Acts 9:6)
- "11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on
- "15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of
- "2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:2-3 NIV)
When building a house, it really doesn't matter if you want to put the walls up before you put on the roof – one must come before the other.
" 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:105 NIV)
"15 A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." (Proverbs 14:15 NIV)
"9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9 NIV)
"25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25 NIV)
o See Notes from TDNT…!
- stoichéō [to be in a series, be in step with], systoichéō [to be in a series, correspond], stoicheíon [elements, elemental substances] In the NT the word is often taken to have the sense "to walk" (perhaps on the basis of "to be in step with"), but in all the instances it can have the usual sense. Thus in Acts 21:24 the point is to be in the ranks of those who keep the law, in Phil. 3:16 Paul wants his readers to remain in the same thing, in Gal. 6:16 agreement with the rule is at issue, in Rom. 4:12 keeping step is in view, and in Gal. 5:25 the Christian life is one of harmony with the Spirit.
- 4748 στοιχέω [stoicheo /stoy·kheh·o/] v. From a derivative of steicho (to range in regular line); TDNT 7:666; TDNTA 1087; GK 5123; Five occurrences; AV translates as "walk" four times, and "walk orderly" once. 1 to proceed in a row as the march of a soldier, go in order. 1a metaph. to go on prosperously, to turn out well. 2 to walk. 2a to direct one's life, to live.[1]
"23 If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;" (Psalm 37:23 NIV)
"23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalm 37:23 KJV)
"23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." (Psalm 37:23 NLT)
In life, there are many such principles. We may or may not like them, but we really do not have much choice in whether or not we will honor them. They are universal principles that govern life and we are forced to recognize them and to abide by them.
3. Begin…and don't give up…!
"Many great books have never been written because the author was waiting until he could write the "last word" on the subject." (Anonymous)
"Life is but a sheet of paper white whereupon each of us may write his word or two and then comes night. Greatly begin…! Though thou hast time but for a line, be that sublime. Not failure, but low aim is crime! (Longfellow)"
Notes:
TDNT
stoichéō [to be in a series, be in step with], systoichéō [to be in a series, correspond], stoicheíon [elements, elemental substances]
stoichéō.
1. Outside the NT. This verb means "to belong to a series," "to be in rank," or, transferred, "to be in agreement," "to come to an agreement," "to remain in agreement."
2. The NT. In the NT the word is often taken to have the sense "to walk" (perhaps on the basis of "to be in step with"), but in all the instances it can have the usual sense. Thus in Acts 21:24 the point is to be in the ranks of those who keep the law, in Phil. 3:16 Paul wants his readers to remain in the same thing, in Gal. 6:16 agreement with the rule is at issue, in Rom. 4:12 keeping step is in view, and in Gal. 5:25 the Christian life is one of harmony with the Spirit.
3. The Early Church. The saying in Mart. Pol. 22.1 stresses the importance of harmony with the word of Christ, and Clement of
systoichéō. Giving emphasis to the simple form, this compound means "to be in a series with," "to be in the same ranks." Gal. 4:25 presupposes two antithetical series of concepts: two women, two covenants,
stoicheíon.
A. Outside the NT.
1. A first meaning of stoicheíon is the "length of a shadow" in calculating time.
2. Another use is for a syllable, i.e., a sound as part of a word, then a basic word. Vowels have special importance, and letters understood as sounds play a special role in some circles.
3. Cosmologically the stoicheía are the four elements, Plato's original constituents of the world, the four elements of Stoicism in distinction from the eternal and imperishable archaí, the elements which form a basis of brotherhood in Alexandrian Judaism. The use of religious terms tends to divinize the elements, so that in early Christian works (cf. Aristides or Clement of Alexandria) their autonomy is resisted and stress is laid on their creation and their subservience to the lógos.
4. Other uses of the word are for the notes of music, for the number one in mathematics, for what is primary, e.g., in education, for first principles, e.g., in geometry or logic, and for the factors which are basic phenomena in dreams.
5. In philosophy, Gnostic speculation, and astrology the stars take on importance as stoicheía, whether as visible gods, as creatures that influence earthly events, as features on the heavenly journey, or as bodies that declare the will of the gods.
6. The use of stoicheíon alongside daímōn and pneúma shows that the idea of "stellar spirits" is present.
B. The NT.
1. In Gal. 4:3; Col. 2:8, 20 we find the phrase stoicheía toú kosmoú (and cf. Gal. 4:9). Outside the NT the term would denote the four elements or the basic materials of the world of which the whole cosmos, and humanity within it, is composed. Only the context can yield any other sense.
2. Gal. 4:3ff,, however, seems to number the law among the stoicheía, and 4:8-9 seems to include false gods. These references rule out such senses as the cosmic elements, the stars, stellar spirits, or simply spiritual forces. Building on thoughts of his age, Paul is using the term in a new way, describing the stoicheía as weak and beggarly. In a transferred sense, the stoicheía are the things on which pre-Christian existence rests, especially in pre-Christian religion. These things are impotent; they bring bondage instead of freedom.
3. In
4. In 2 Pet. 3:10, 12 the reference has to be to the elements (or just possibly the stars). The use of terms and the idea of a final conflagration strongly support "elements" as the true rendering. As v. 12 points out, both the higher and lower elements will be destroyed, including the earth and all its works.
5. The meaning in Heb.5:12 is obviously "rudiments" or "first principles," with a slightly derogatory nuance in context. [G. Delling, VII, 666-87]
stolḗ [robe]
1. The Greek World. This word first means "equipping," then "fitting out," and then specifically "dress," either male or female. The stolē becomes the long and flowing upper garment, and sometimes the special robe of priests and hierophants. Rarely stolē can mean the act of dressing. Paul's concept of vesting with Christ or the new humanity probably reflects the religious use of robes and religious ceremonies of robing.
2. The LXX. stolē occurs 98 times in the LXX, mostly for "clothing." All kinds of clothing may be denoted, especially the upper garment, but clothing can also have a particular significance (cf. Gen. 41:14, 42). Donning royal garments symbolizes kingship (2 Chr. 18:9). Clothing, then, shows what a person or a person's position is. Wisdom offers a robe of glory (Sir. 6:29, 31) that expresses the heavenly life. God will finally clothe the elect with good things (En. 62:15-16). The priestly robe is a holy one (Ex. 28:2) which goes along with the priesthood (40:13; Num. 20:26). Sprinkling with the blood of the altar sanctifies the priests and their robes (Ex. 29:21). Here again the idea is present that clothing expresses a given status.
3. The NT. In the NT stolē denotes only the upper garment. The robe that the father puts on the returning prodigal marks his restored status as one who was dead and is alive again (Lk. 15:22). Jesus in Mk. 12:38 warns against scribes who go about in long, flowing robes, thus claiming special status and expecting special honor. The white robe of Mk. 16:5 denotes the heavenly being of the messenger and the eschatological revelation contained in the message. The robes of Rev. 6:11 and 7:9 also have an eschatological color. The washing has a passive sense. The wearers have not washed them themselves by martyrdom but they have been washed by Christ (cf. the receiving of the robe of glory in 3:4-5). Entry into the new aeon is a robing with new garments (cf. also 1 Cor. 15:53-54; 2 Cor. 5:3). The garment expresses being, and investing with it expresses the gift of new being.[2]
[1]James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order., electronic ed. (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996), G4748.
[2]Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Translation of: Theologisches Worterbuch Zum Neuen Testament. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1995, c1985), 1087.
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