Jeremy Utley - Resolutions: A Dangerous Detour from the Highway of Holiness

Jeremy UtleyJuly 3, 202329mWatch on YouTube

In this collectionJeremy Utley130 messages

Speaker: Jeremy Utley Title: Resolutions: A Dangerous Detour from the Highway of Holiness Date: 07/02/2023 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The speaker argues that the tendency to make personal resolutions is a persistent trap of the flesh, often leading us away from the New Covenant life. He contrasts this with the biblical call to simply choose to serve the Lord, pointing out that resolutions reveal an inability to rely on God's power. True spiritual life requires dependence on God rather than self-made plans or sheer human effort.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

The trap of making resolutionsWhen faced with the conviction of the New Covenant life, our natural tendency is to make a resolution to obey, which is a hallmark of the old Covenant.

Israel's failure at the end of JoshuaIn Joshua 24, the Israelites boldly resolved to serve the Lord, ignoring their inability to do so, which led straight into the failures recorded in Judges.Joshua 24:14–21

Resolutions rely on human effortPaul explains in Galatians that if righteousness could come through our own resolutions and adherence to the law, then faith would be unnecessary.Galatians 3:21

Human planning versus depending on GodWhen people fall, they tend to make a better plan through sheer diligence and resourcefulness, failing to consider God as Judah did in Isaiah 22.Isaiah 22:8–12

Choosing the third option: FearWhile the world is limited to fight or flight, spiritual people are called to a third option: the fear of God.

Hezekiah's example of dependenceWhen threatened by Assyria, Hezekiah did not form a better battle plan; instead, he spread the letter before the Lord and relied completely on Him.

Keep asking, seeking, and knockingJesus teaches in Luke 11 that when we fail, we must continually ask, seek, and knock rather than trusting in our own resolutions.

Flipping the script from self-talk to God's wordResolutions amount to worthless pep talks to ourselves, whereas Romans 12 calls for transformation through the continuous renewing of the mind.

Sowing in tears with God's seedPsalm 126 shows that we must bring our weeping to the Lord while carrying His word and promises rather than our own resolutions.Psalm 126:5–6

God's word does not return emptyIsaiah 55 reminds us that God's word accomplishes His purpose, and we participate by praying His promises back to Him instead of making human promises.Isaiah 55:10–11

The power of the fear of GodFigures like Job lived righteous lives simply through the inward teaching of the fear of God, proving it is a vital spiritual anchor.

The New Covenant promise of fearJeremiah 32:40 promises that God Himself will put the fear of Him in our hearts so that we will not turn away from Him.Jeremiah 32:40

Jesus and the Spirit of the Fear of the LordIsaiah 11 reveals that the fear of the Lord was the ultimate delight of Jesus, showing it is an essential New Covenant reality.Isaiah 11:1–3

The way of deliveranceTrue deliverance is found in abandoning resolutions, confessing our lack of fear, and letting God renew our minds through His word.

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Jeremy Utley - Resolutions: A Dangerous Detour from the Highway of Holiness

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