Through the years and through a variety of circumstances many of us have faced the reality of our need for God and have repented of our sin and begun a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. To walk on this journey of discipleship with the Lord we come to realize that our lives need some spiritual disciplines. In recent weeks we have started to look at some of these. The Scriptures, the lives of Godly men and women of previous generations, and the teachings of faithful servants of Jesus Christ affirm the necessity of personal disciplines if we are going to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Years ago, Albert Edward Day wrote:
"As Christians, we are an undisciplined people. That is the reason for the lack of spiritual insight and moral power in the church today. We have forgotten the faithful practices that have given to Christendom some of its noblest saints."
"Without discipline there would have been no Francis of Assisi, no Bernard of Clarvaux, no Teresa of Avila, no Brother Lawrence, no William Law, no Evelyn Underhill, and no Thomas Kelley. Without discipline we will fail to hand our successors the baton of a rich spiritual legacy that the preceding generations have skillfully placed within our grasp."

However, to help we better understand what spiritual disciplines are; the focus this morning will be on what these disciplines ARE NOT!

I. Bargaining Tools

While many people know in their minds that spiritual disciplines are NOT tools with which we are to bargain with God, some try to do so anyway. Could it be that some, perhaps many of us have even tried to make a deal with God. "If you do this God… I'll do this. If you get me out of this mess God, I will read my Bible everyday. If you heal my daughter, I will come to church to worship every week. If you provide me with a good job, I will give you at least 10% of my income. If you put our family back together we will start praying together. The list could go on and on.

Who do we think we are? Are we really in any position to bargain with God? Can we buy eternal life with spiritual disciplines? Of course not!

Nor are Spiritual disciplines

II. Earning Tools

If bargaining tools won't gain our entrance to the Heavenly throne we might ask, "What are those common earning tools?" When questioned about being a Christian some people respond with a lingo about being a basically good person and the good works they do to merit salvation. They might even mention some sinful habits that they say they do not practice. My friends, the Scriptures make it clear that this is not God's plan, and that really is good news because even those who seek to live pleasing God do not deserve His favor. We do not measure up to God's standards. We need God's grace and we cannot earn it.

We are called to share God's glorious inheritance through spiritual birth into God's family. We cannot possibly earn the riches and the marvelous opportunities He gives us in this life or in the life to come. Praise the Lord that through Christ we do not get what we have coming, but what God has promised to those who receive Him as Savior.

Christian discipline of regular Bible reading, prayer, service to God, plus gathering weekly to worship with God's people, to study, to fellowship and to share our faith are not bargaining tools, earning tolls, or private tools.

III. Private Tools

Though a true Christian will exercise these and other disciplines as tools privately and personally, they are not reserved exclusively for us privately and our personal salvation is not private.. Yes, we will use some of these tools privately. However we will also use some of them corporately within our families, our Church family, our community, and beyond. Consider for example the discipline of Charity that we have examined the last two weeks. What kind of charity would it be if we only practiced it privately and not toward others?

Dr. Day wrote, "Any religious experience that truly saves someone inevitably carries over into social relationships. If what has happened to that person does not make one a better spouse, a more conscientious citizen, a more generous employer, or a more reliable employee, then there is no salvation, only emotionalization."

"Private salvation is a contradiction of terms. It is like black white or hateful love or lying truth. White cannot be black, nor love hateful, nor truth false. Neither can salvation be private."

Conclusion

My friends, even though some disciplines certainly are tools that we may use personally and privately, the results of what God does in our lives when we really engage in spiritual disciplines are not private.

One of the instructions Jesus gave to us in the Scriptures is for us to gather as Christian to share communion as we will do in a few moments. While we do so together I also encourage you to focus on having a special time with your Lord as you realize that these disciplines are not bargaining tools, not earning tools, or private tools, but a means by which we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

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