Jeremy Utley - Go to and fro, Weeping and Carrying

Jeremy UtleyAugust 7, 202326mWatch on YouTube

In this collectionJeremy Utley130 messages

Speaker: Jeremy Utley Title: Go to and fro, Weeping and Carrying Date: 08/06/2023 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 sermon centers on Psalm 126:6, emphasizing that true spiritual life requires both a constant spirit of weeping/mourning and diligently carrying God's promises (the bag of seed). The speaker warns that prosperity or complacency can cause believers to neglect either the mourning or the hope in God's promises. The remedy is to keep our eyes fixed on the heights of Christ's life, recognizing that our destiny is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Outline

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

Going to and fro weeping and carrying the seedThe speaker reads from Psalm 126, noting that reaping with joy requires both weeping and carrying a bag of seed continuously.Psalm 126:6

Neglecting one of the two requirementsIt is easy when mourning to leave behind the promises of God, or conversely, to lose our sense of desperation and brokenness when we hold onto God's promises.

A continuous, daily postureThe phrase 'to and fro' implies a constant, daily state of mourning and holding onto God's promises, rather than just a one-time event from the past.

Jesus' warning about the elect who cry outJesus describes His true disciples as those who cry out to Him day and night, yet warns that finding such faith on Earth will be rare when He returns.Luke 18:7–8

The danger of prosperityLiving in a prosperous environment can dull our sense of mourning and weaken our tenacity in holding onto God's promises.

Raising our eyes to the maximum Christian lifeThe remedy for neglecting weeping or the seed is to set our goals on the full life of Jesus Christ rather than a low standard.

Our destiny is conformity to ChristGod's predestined purpose for Christians is to be conformed to the image of His Son, a high calling that is easy to forget in daily life.

Why we take the church meeting seriouslyBelievers must encourage one another daily so that none are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and forget their divine destiny.Hebrews 3:12

Transformation by the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to our hearts through the Scriptures and transforms us from glory to glory into His likeness.2 Corinthians 3:18

The fear of God as our treasureExamining Jesus' delight in the fear of God exposes our own shortcomings, but God promises to put His fear in our hearts so we do not turn away.

Reaping if we do not grow wearyScripture encourages believers not to lose heart in doing good, because those who sow to the spirit will reap eternal life.Galatians 6:9

A new definition of the bag of seedJesus taught that a grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die to bear much fruit, meaning the seed is the surrender of our own life and will.

Overcoming spiritual numbness with a heart of fleshWhile the opposite of mourning is hard-heartedness, God promises under the New Covenant to remove our heart of stone and give us a tender heart of flesh.

The spirit of grace and mourning over JesusThe Holy Spirit imparts a spirit of grace that allows us to look upon Jesus whom we pierced and mourn for Him bitterly.Zechariah 12:10

A warning against leaving the heart unoccupiedJesus warned in a parable that if an unclean spirit leaves but the heart is left unoccupied and unfilled by the Holy Spirit, the final state can become worse.

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