[5.12.23 – 7:00 PM – Friday]
CC Graduation Message Notes
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses….”
2 Timothy 3:1-6
Always learning…not able to come to the knowledge…of truth.
2 Timothy 3:7 “…always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Has much changed? Are our experiences not like the ones listed above?
Do we also face the same learning challenge as those nearly 2,000 years ago…learning without proper knowledge?
In your life, you must have biblical answers for the following three categories:
- Epistemology—What is true? What is reality? How do we know the truth? How do we know what is real?
- Metaphysics—Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I headed?
- Axiology—What are my values? What matters to you?
Your view on epistemology shapes your view of knowing, the greatest of all, knowing God. Your metaphysical outlook shapes your view of being made in the image of God, worshipping God, and striving to align with God’s will. Finally, your axiological beliefs shape your ethics.
The what and the why shape the how…
And so…
Your challenge is set forth.
Yours and my day is one of peculiarity.
It is more intriguing than ever before…
- It is full of limitless potential…
- It celebrates deviance outright…
- The locus of authority has moved from a fixed eternal Being to individuals seeking to express themselves in their own image.
- Cultural liturgies move at a maddening pace to form you to their desires.
- Choose what forms you.
To help you choose well…here are some points of advice…axioms that may prove helpful on your journey.
- Know who you are…
a. You are an image-bearer of God (Genesis 1:26-27)
b. As God’s image-bearer, you have value, dignity, and honor (intrinsic).
c. Thus, all men deserve value, dignity, and honor. - As a Christian, you have an intrinsic purpose…
a. You are being conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29)
b. As an image-bearer of Christ, you are His hands and feet.
c. Thus, you are a trophy and instrument of God’s grace to all men. - Obey God’s Word with a happy heart…
a. God discloses Himself to you as you obey His Word (John 14:21)
b. You increase your experiential knowledge of Christ by obeying God’s Word.
c. Thus, your obedience is not for earning but that you might know Him (Philippians 3:8. - Learn to confess your sin quickly, appropriately, and completely…
a. Confession is agreeing with God that you missed His mark and damaged relationships (Genesis 4:7).
b. As you confess your sin, you receive God’s mercy and are restored to fellowship with Him and others (Psalm 32; Psalm 51, 1 John 1:9).
c. Thus, confess sin to the appropriate people, to God, with a desire to be restored to them and maintain fellowship with God (Ephesians 4:30). - Life is…
a. Simple, but not easy…time and money
b. Complex, but not complicated…myriad and diverse.
c. Enjoyable, but not eternal…blessings are a foretaste of what’s to come. - Be a student of God’s Word…
a. Know…understand…do…
b. Psalm 1
c. Joshua 1:8
d. Be able to palm your Bible…
e. There is a story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. How does each book move that story along? Be conversant in books of the Bible.
f. This doesn’t come fast. Be patient.
g. Every day set aside time to read the Old Testament and New Testament.
h. I use the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Daily Bible Reading Plan.
i. Savor your time with God…don’t rush.
j. Let your heart seek His face (Psalm 27:8). - Be resilient…bounce back…
a. Proverbs 24:16 “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.”
b. Being knocked down is part of learning to get back up.
c. Your falling as you learned to walk helped you walk better. - Be consistent in the right things…
a. Consistency is one of my greatest gifts to my wife and children.
b. There is safety, security, and trust built on this principle.
c. You will be consistent in something…set the tone for what it is by choosing the best things. - Be gentle…
a. Strength under control.
b. Like a horse is gentled by bit and bridle, strive for gentleness.
c. This happens through prayer and reading God’s Word. - Build your weeks around routines, not merely schedules…
a. Schedules are hard to keep track of…
b. Identify routines and build your week around them.
c. What do you do on Mondays, Tuesdays, in the mornings, etc.?
d. I build my weeks around an Ideal Week that I aim for and hit most of the time.
e. I’m flexible, but I set out with purpose. - Know how to talk to your body…
a. You are embodied and will be re-embodied into eternity (Philippians 3 and 1 Corinthians 15).
b. Thus, you are to live as though you are in heaven.
c. That was part of Christ’s prayer (Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven) and Paul’s argument for purity in 1 Corinthians 6. - Know your values…
a. Values –> Priorities –> Choices –> Destination
b. Your values determine your destination.
c. Know them and live by them…consistently. - Pick friends well…
a. Some friends give, and some take.
b. Choose what friends you let influence you. - Have poise…
a. This is the ability to stand when everyone falls.
b. Your poise will dictate your standing with the Audience of One. - Avoid seeking the “inner ring”…
a. C.S. Lewis, speaking about the inner ring (https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/), concludes that sharpening one’s craft ought to be his ambition…not seeking to be in the know or to be a part of the elite.
b. As the craft is developed, other craftsmen and artisans will surround you.
c. Therefore, strengthen your native gifts and talents…hone them to a point where you can penetrate deeply into this world for good.
Learn the truth from God’s Word rightly…understand how God’s Word connects to life…apply it faithfully. Rest in Him.
— May 17, 2023