Sinclair B. Ferguson

It's saying close the program of the other six days, turn that off, wait for 30 seconds, reboot, and you'll be recalibrated in such a way that you'll be able to live with greater pleasure for the glory of God.

You know, I think it's one of the saddest things about evangelical Christianity that we see that commandment as probably the darkest of commandments.

It's almost the commandment that you don't mention among evangelical Christians.

And I say it's sad not because I think we should get back to legalism or some dark form of Sabbatarianism, but because we've failed to recalibrate our lives that way.

And actually the evidence of it shows in so many different ways.

There are so many things that we forget because of this one thing that we haven't remembered.

So if you're listening to this on a Monday, put something in the pocket of what you'll wear this coming Sunday, just in case you forget to remember.

All this week we've been thinking together about a letter written by the famous English hymn writer John Newton.

In his collected works it's actually got a title, On Some Blemishes in Christian Character.

If I remember rightly, Newton talks about seven different characters and we've thought only about a few of them.

But if you've been listening, perhaps you've recognized yourself or at least parts of yourself in one or other of these characters.

And I want us now as we come towards the end of the week to ask the question, if I recognize a blemish in my Christian character, something that seems to obscure the grace and graciousness of Jesus Christ, is there a remedy?

Is there a pathway I can follow to spiritual transformation?

Whatever you come to realize is distorting the image of the Lord Jesus in you, be sure to give it a name.

I think it's part of the wisdom of John Newton that when he described these people, he specified their name.

And, in fact, that's what Scripture does.

Scripture encourages us to confess our faults, but Scripture actually encourages us also not to be vague about them, to confess our faults in general, but to specify them, to give them names.

It's always intrigued me that in Ephesians 5 the Apostle Paul says there are things that shouldn't be named among believers, and yet in Colossians 3 verse 5 he actually names those very things.

What explains the paradox?

It's this.