Ephesians 1:18-20 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…
3 principles to help us focus on the purpose of our salvation
I. Reflect on the Nature of Our Depravity - 2:1-3
“Some years ago as a youth pastor I hiked with some of my high schoolers to the top of Mt. Whitney in California, the highest spot in the continental United States (14,495 feet). We exulted over the wonderful panorama of the Sierra Nevadas and the Mojave Desert. What a spot, with its rarefied, crystal-clear air, its indigo and turquoise lakes – vista giving way to vista as far as one could see. As we gazed together from what seemed to be the top of the world, one of our party pointed out that only eighty miles to the southeast was Death Valley, the lowest spot in the United States at 280 feet below sea level and the hottest place in the country with a record of 134 degrees in the shade! What a contrast! One place is the top of the world, the other the bottom. One place is perpetually cool, the other relentlessly hot. From Mt. Whitney you look down on all of life. From Death Valley you can only look up to the rest of the world. In Ephesians 2 Paul takes us down to the Death Valley of the Soul (vv. 1-3) and then up to “the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (vv. 4-7). His method is contrast: from death to life, from Hell to Heaven, from bondage to freedom, from pessimism to optimism. The journey’s contrast will enhance our appreciation for what we have in Christ and will influence the way we live” (Kent Hughes, Ephesians, p. 65)
A. Spiritually dead
Ephesians 2:1 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.
“The Greek case is the locative of sphere, indicating the sphere, or realm, in which something or someone exists. We were not dead because we had committed sin but because we were in sin. In this context trespasses and sins do not refer simply to acts but first of all to the sphere of existence of the person apart from God. He does not become a liar when he tells a lie; he tells a lie because he already is a liar. He does not become a thief when he steals; he steals because he already is a thief…Jesus confirmed this when He said, ‘The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil’ (Matt. 12:35) and ‘the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders’ (Matt. 15:18-19)” (John MacArthur, pp. 53-54)
B. Walking in disobedience
Ephesians 2:2 - …in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
C. Indulging the desires of the flesh
Ephesians 2:3a - Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind…
James 1:14-15 - But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
D. By nature children of wrath
Ephesians 2:3b - …and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
“…uniformly conducted themselves in a most virtuous manner through the whole course of their lives.” (John Calvin - Institutes of Christian Religion – Vol. I, p. 263)
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Galatians 3:24 -Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
II. Rejoice in God’s Response to Our Condition - 2:4-9
A. His great love
Ephesians 2:4-6 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
Romans 6:5-13 - For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Ephesians 2:3-5 - …indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…
B. His miraculous grace
Ephesians 2:7-9 - …so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
III. Re-Tool so Your Life Can be Productive for Him - 2:10
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
A. The reason for community-based outreach ministry
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
B. Our current building projects
Nehemiah 4:6 - So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
C. Our upcoming Living Nativity plans
D. Our commitment to worldwide missions
- can you remember the first time as a child you became aware of the concept of death?
- I imagine for some if not many of us, it was on the occasion of the death of an animal or pet…
- How many of us found an abandoned bunny out in the back yard and our mom or dad did everything they could to try to help it survive…
- you tried feeding it from a bottle or giving it a piece of lettuce but sure enough, it died and just crushed your heart…
- then you fashioned a shoe box into a coffin, dug a hole and even had a memorial service –
- maybe it seems a little silly now, but back then when you came face to face with death, it was hard…
- then probably at some point in your life, you had a person close to you die…for the very first time…
- so you went to the memorial service but it was just so hard to view their body, and think about never hearing from them in this life again, or enjoying their presence…the grief was real and strong…
- often when I drive past one of the cemeteries in town…I’ll think of various people I’d had the privilege of conducting funerals who may be buried there…
- and yes I have all the spiritual truth about their eternal destiny, and fond memories of our time together on earth…
- but I still miss them…and in many cases profoundly…
- if you’re one of those persons whose spouse or loved one was a part of our church family and they’ve gone on before us and you’ve wondered…do our pastors ever miss my husband, or my wife, or my mom, or dad, etc.…
- here’s the answer to that – yes…and it often hurts…
- so while it’s true that the ultimate sting of death is gone for a Christian, that doesn’t make it easy, or pain-free…
- we don’t like death…and we shouldn’t…
- aren’t you glad that when God communicates to us in His Word…He often uses word pictures or metaphors that are intended to grip our attention…and help us understand truth and reality in ways that are clear and powerful…and hopefully beneficial and resulting in understanding, and decision, and change…
- that’s true of the words death, isn’t it?...
- because one of the comments the Lord uses in Scripture to describe people like you and me was that we were dead in our trespasses and sins…
- a roomful of coffins…aren’t you glad that’s not the end of the story?
- with that in mind, please open your Bible this am to Ephesians chapter 2…page 151 – FE (1170 – FW and FN) of the Bible under the chair in front of you…
- our church’s theme this year is Building on our Heritage because this is our 60th anniversary…we’re very thankful for what the Lord has chosen to do here and we want to honor the men and women who have allowed God to mold them into faithful stewards, many for decades of growth and service in this place…
- to help guide our celebration, we’ve been working our way systematically through the book of Ephesians…and this morning we’re entering a new section, chapter 2 verses 1-10…
- Paul’s just finished a beautiful prayer…where he said in part…Ephesians 1:18–20 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
- one of the ways that prayer can be answered is through understanding why we needed His great power…and how He demonstrated it to us…and perhaps most importantly, why he did it…or what impact He desired it to have practically on us…
- read Ephesians 2:1-10…
- we’re talking this morning about being United in Doing Good Works
- and with the time we have remaining, please look for 3 principles to help us focus on the purpose of our salvation.
I. Reflect on the Nature of Our Depravity – 2:1-3
- I like the way commentator Kent Hughes summarized these verses – he said…
- Some years ago as a youth pastor I hiked with some of my high schoolers to the top of Mt. Whitney in California, the highest spot in the continental United States (14,495 feet). We exulted over the wonderful panorama of the Sierra Nevadas and the Mojave Desert. What a spot, with its rarefied, crystal-clear air, its indigo and turquoise lakes – vista giving way to vista as far as one could see. As we gazed together from what seemed to be the top of the world, one of our party pointed out that only eighty miles to the southeast was Death Valley, the lowest spot in the United States at 280 feet below sea level and the hottest place in the country with a record of 134 degrees in the shade!
- What a contrast! One place is the top of the world, the other the bottom. One place is perpetually cool, the other relentlessly hot. From Mt. Whitney you look down on all of life. From Death Valley you can only look up to the rest of the world.
- In Ephesians 2 Paul takes us down to the Death Valley of the Soul (vv. 1-3) and then up to “the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (vv. 4-7). His method is contrast: from death to life, from Hell to Heaven, from bondage to freedom, from pessimism to optimism. The journey’s contrast will enhance our appreciation for what we have in Christ and will influence the way we live (Kent Hughes, Ephesians, p. 65)
- so how does this begin…there’s no doubt, we were born…
A. Spiritually dead
- Ephesians 2:1 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
- that means more than – we did sinful things…we’re not talking about actions, we are talking about nature…
- The Greek case is the locative of sphere, indicating the sphere, or realm, in which something or someone exists. We were not dead because we had committed sin but because we were in sin. In this context trespasses and sins do not refer simply to acts but first of all to the sphere of existence of the person apart from God. He does not become a liar when he tells a lie; he tells a lie because he already is a liar. He does not become a thief when he steals; he steals because he already is a thief…Jesus confirmed this when He said, “The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil” (Matt. 12:35) and “the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matt. 15:18–19) (John MacArthur, pp. 53-54).
- verse 2 makes the condition even starker…
B. Walking in disobedience
- Ephesians 2:2 - in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
- now we see the spiritual battle that is being waged which is why a few chapters later we’re going to read…Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- then Paul adds this crucial piece of information…
C. Indulging the desires of the flesh
- Ephesians 2:3a - Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind…
- now let’s just stop right there because we are at a very important juncture…is there another important verse of Scripture that goes along with this one?...
- James 1:14–15 - But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
- this is not a pretty picture, is it?...
- but if its true, it need to be told…it needs to be taught…it needs to be affirmed…
- and how does the discussion end?...
D. By nature children of wrath
- Ephesians 2:3b - …and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
- in what condition were people like you and me, and every other human being, born?...
- dead in trespasses and sins…
- aren’t you glad that for 60 years, our church family has consistently affirmed what Scripture says about anthropology – or the nature of man?...
- here’s what our articles of Faith say…
V. Of Man and His Fall,
We believe:
…
(c) that …all men are now sinners by inheritance from Adam and by individual choice and until regenerated are dead in sin. (Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:10-13)
(d) that all men are by nature utterly void of the righteousness required by the law of God, and definitely inclined to evil. (Romans 3:11; Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 2:1-3; Psalm 40:12)
(e) that man is under just condemnation without defense or excuse. (Romans 3:9-20, 23; Romans 1:19, 20, 2:1, 12-15)
- all of this was worked out, by the way, before I came here 36 years ago…our articles of faith have seen very little if any change during my time here…
- and if you’ve not read them, or read them recently…I would encourage you to do that…they’re available on our website…
- but I hope we’ll also be very thankful for the men and women who hammered out these documents and then said without apology – this is what we believe, because this what the Word of God says…
- it’s also interesting to compare this to the dedication program of our first permanent building in January, 1967…
- one of the 14 “Fundamental Bible Truths” “everlasting punishment of the unsaved”
- you may know that some mega-churches are avoiding the use of certain phrases that unregenerate people might find offensive…
- the gospel message is inherently offensive…but I hope we’ll never be ashamed of it…
- what did Paul tell the Romans?... Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
- now a couple of upshots before we keep reading…
1. This is not to say that every person is as bad as they could possibly be
- let me give you a quote and ask you to guess who said this…
- some worldly men have “uniformly conducted themselves in a most virtuous manner through the whole course of their lives”…
- any guess on who might have said that?...John Calvin – Institutes of Christian Religion – Vol. I, p. 263)
- but as the write of Hebrews explains…Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
- which means that a good action could not ultimately be done for a right motivation by someone who is spiritually dead…
2. I also need to say that this doctrine…and formally we’re talking about the total depravity of man...has not always been universally accepted…
- we’ve had some people leave our church over this…especially during the self-love, self-esteem, self-image days
- do you remember 25-30 years ago when that was all the rage in secular psychology…
- and regrettably some so-called Christian theorists picked right up on that…
- and we had to decide – were we going to believe what Scripture plainly teaches…and what our founding documents clearly affirm…or try to appeal to the latest psychological idea of the day…and what is the answer to that?...
- it goes back to the very first fundamental Bible truth that our founders articulated
3. One more upshot till we get to much better news…this is why it is so important for parents to teach your children the law…right/wrong, standards of behavior, attentiveness, obedience…why?...
- certainly not as an end in itself…we’re not proclaiming moralism or works related salvation…
- but you hope your child will get to the place of asking…why is it so hard for me to obey?...why would I rather do wrong than do right?...
- this is why Paul said -- Galatians 3:24 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
- now friends, aren’t you glad that’s not the end of the story?...
II. Rejoice in God’s Response to Our Condition – 2:4-9
A. His great love
- Ephesians 2:4–6 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
- thankfully this too was equally emphasized in all our documents…
- I read a moment ago from our statement of Faith’s section on anthropology…but that wasn’t the end of the story…
V. Of Man and His Fall,
We believe:
…
(f) that man’s only hope of eternal life is through redemption in Jesus Christ. (John 3:3, 5; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Galatians 3:26)
- the building dedication program highlighted
- Substitutionary atonement
- Heaven for the born again
- Security of the saved
- and friends, I hope we never tire of rejoicing in God’s response to our condition…
- if you asked many people here this morning – why did you come to church?...
- they would say something like – it’s the Lord’s Day, and I want to worship Him because He chose to love me…
- and if you said – but didn’t you sing about that last week?...they might say – I never tired of it because I never cease being amazed by it…
- and please tie this back to verse 3…if we’ve been “made alive together with Christ”…if we’ve been “raised up with Him” and “seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”…
- what impact has that had on our relationship to our desires?...
- the answer is – we no longer have to live for the desires of our flesh…
- the blood of Christ sets us free from that…
- how did Paul say it to the Romans?... Romans 6:5–13 - For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
- you know what that means – this is no longer a room full of coffins…
- we can say no to desires that don’t please God…and yes to ones that do…
- that’s an essential aspect of our new life in Christ…
- and that informs and empowers and guides much of what we believe about Christian growth…
- the good news is – you don’t have to do what comes naturally or automatically anymore…because you’re alive in Christ…
- another rather odd aspect of this church’s history is our relationship to the LGBTQ community…
- without a doubt, over the last 30 years, that subject has been a focal point of the culture wars around the world…and certainly right here in our community…
- and we have no desire to force or impose our beliefs on anyone…but without apology…we are a Bible believing church – we’ve never hidden that…
- and for those who want to become members here – we are going to teach everything Scripture says on every subject, including human sexuality…
- and to say that has sometimes been a bit controversial would be an understatement…
- one delightful development of all of that has been a friendship God has given me and given us with a lesbian leader in our town named Gale Charlotte…
- I don’t like referring to people by their sexual orientation but I’ve asked Gale and she’s told me that’s the best and simplest way to say it…
- Over the years, I’ve taken the position that if there was some kind of cultural issue bubbling up that I or our church might decide to speak into, I would try to get to know people on the other side of the conversation personally…
- so I’ve had some interesting meals and coffees and meetings with people in our town…and often found them to be quite instructive…
- some of you might remember that at our fifth and final public hearing for FW…things had gotten pretty tense…[develop – Culvers – Mayor Dennis’ response]…
- Gale stood up in that meeting and gave her strong support for us…it’s one of the most heroic speeches I’ve ever personally witnessed…
- earlier this year I was asked to speak to the Track IV guests at our BCTC about interacting with members of the LGBTQ community…
- so I sat down with Gale and shot a video with her where we discussed our friendship and I also asked her to advise on the very question I had been assigned to address in my talk…
- then I showed that video at the conference and Gale personally attended the session…our guests greeted her very warmly after the session…
- Gale is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in West Lafayette…I think it would be fair to say that that denomination is about as far apart from us theologically as could possibly be…
- Gale is going to be speaking at the Sunday morning service at her church later this month on this subject…and she asked for permission to show that video as part of her talk…
- then she asked me to come speak at her church on the first Sunday in May…
- they have an adult forum…like a Sunday school class where’s there’s a lot of back and forth…and I looked at my schedule and since I’m just going to be returning from Mexico…and our preaching schedule was put together last November before my exact flight schedule was known…I was actually not assigned to speak at any of our campuses that day…
- so I accepted the invitation…and I think it’s fair to say that the LGBTQ community will know in advance that I’m coming…not just people from that church but people in our community who would identify with one or more of those labels…
- Gale has expressed a bit of concern about how I might be treated…and she is obviously taking an incredible risk to even associate herself with me…
- and I realize you might say – then why are you going?...
- because we’re not just supposed to be believing these kinds of ideas, we’re supposed to be proclaiming them…
- and friends – our fundamental disagreement with people on the cultural and theological left is no about human sexuality…it’s about the nature of the gospel itself…
- we’re not born morally good where we’ll find greatest joy by pursuing whatever desire comes naturally…
- we’re born spiritually dead, living in the lusts of the flesh…Ephesians 2:3–5 …indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…
- this church has believed that for 60 years…and we’ll proclaim it anywhere we’re invited to do so…
- see, are we rejoicing in…
B. His miraculous grace
- Ephesians 2:7–9 - so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
- and I would just ask you this morning…do you know that you know that you know…
- another upshot is how this has led to a genuine humility and sense of unity as a church family…
- formally spiritually dead people who are only alive because of the love and mercy and grace of our great God have absolutely no reason to boast…in anything…at any time…in any place…
- now, where does that leave us?...squarely in the middle of verse 10..
III. Re-Tool so Your Life Can be Productive for Him – 2:10
- Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
- can I ask you this am – how’s your workload?...
- and the passage is clear – we’re not saved by our works…
- but if we’re genuinely saved by grace…if we genuinely have new life…then we will be joyfully and obediently working for Him…
- I can’t imagine a better message to be considering right after Easter…
- you may remember, that at the end of the great resurrection chapter in the Bible, 1 Cor 15 – Paul said this -- 1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
Let me mention 3 areas under that heading for our special consideration…
A. The reason for community-based outreach ministry
- this is a very important aspect of our history…
- [develop – 17 years ago, planning to build a new auditorium for us…]
- what are we trying to do?...to live in a way that is consistent with our re-creation…
- Matthew 5:16 - “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
- [develop --- opportunities to serve in one of our community centers, regardless of which campus you attend…]…
B. Our current building projects
- I think a verse that has characterized this church family all these years has been Nehemiah 4:6 - So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
- [develop – invite people to come to CFN to hear updates on these projects, and tour the educational addition]
- humanly speaking, this is occurring because people have a mind to work…
- here’s another opportunity…
C. Our upcoming Living Nativity plans
- there’s no doubt that the LN has been one of the most successful ministries we’ve ever started…[33 years ago]…
- I loved how our church family responded when this opportunity was first presented…[develop all the cost, workdays, etc.…]
- well, let me ask you this – do you think God is done working here?...
- if not, are we done working?
- what are the three words to guide us this year?...celebration, completion, and courage…
- [announce 2nd walk-through LN…and the serving needs this will create]
D. Our commitment to worldwide missions
- a team of us just returned from the country of Bolivia…we were there last year, and they asked us to come back and offer a full track 1 training program…
- that’s a very heavy lift for them…because they wanted it to qualify for ACBC certification…
- so we told them that we would do that if some of their leaders would…
- begin the certification process
- attend the BCTC
- they asked us to come Easter week because they have a national holiday that week…
- and they realized to fit it all in…they would have to start Wed evening, go all day Thursday, Friday, Sat…and even have a few sessions on the afternoon of Easter Sunday…
- what is that?...them being God’s workmanship…
- yes, it wasn’t ideal that several of us were gone…
- but thankfully we have plenty of wonderful staff members here to handle things well…
- and our church family is very supportive of these efforts…because we want to be God’s workmanship
- there are some potential developments that we’re not ready to announce that we’ve been working on for over a decade…
- if this comes to fruition, it will take our missionary outreach to an entirely new level…
- which was the point of FTD….
- and I would encourage you to take a serious look at your workload – and make adjustments if necessary…because that’s what spiritually alive people do…