Soldier On (Closed Captioned)
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Pastor Dave - Zion Philippians 3:12-21
www.ziontorrance.info
www.ziontorrance.info
Dear Followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:
Have you ever had one of those days
when it seems like you just woke up again
and you had the same breakfast that you'd eaten
every day for a long time.
Taken the same route to work.
Sat behind the same desk. Done the same things
day after day after day
and it just dawned on you that
maybe this is not what you want to do.
That you don't want to work.
And that
you would rather just be at home doing nothing.
Or maybe even going about your life and
all of a sudden something slaps you in the face.
Like you open that first card
that says: Happy 50th Birthday
and you think it's over for you.
And everything up until this point doesn't matter.
Or maybe there's actually some horrible accident
that comes into your life.
Someone you deeply love and care about
is tremendously ill or hurt.
And you just sit there for a moment
and say: I don't wanna
deal with this anymore. I am tired of this.
I am tired of this life.
I am tired of my job; I am
tired of it all.
Human nature sometimes
finds us in those places.
Finds us sitting there
in self-pity; sitting there in despair
as if nothing in the world would ever make us happy.
And maybe the point is ...
that nothing IN the world
is ever going to give us lasting
happiness.
Because in this world, there is sin, and in this world
we will always be disappointed.
Disappointed with the job that we thought
was going to fulfill us and make us happy
that has just ground us down to nothing.
Disappointed that the people in our lives
who don't appreciate us and what we do for them
each and every day.
Or just the fact that random evil
comes into our lives
and severely tests us.
And tests our faith.
How easy it would be for us to just sit back
in that despair and say:
I'm done! I have had it.
I'm not doing ...
a thing.
a thing.
And you'd be acting like little children.
Because that's how little children cope sometimes.
They get to the point that they don't know what to do and
they have this huge explosion and they shut down!
That's why, for us,
as people maturing in our lives and maturing
in our faith, we need to hear what the Apostle Paul says.
He says and speaks to us
that we need to keep hearing
God's message of comfort. We need to keep
hearing God's Word in our lives.
We need to keep renewing our faith by the
power of the Holy Spirit and we need to
press on. Because that's what mature
people do. That is what mature Christians do.
When they're sitting there in that despair,
they turn to God and admit that they are in it.
And they pray for God's strength
to come and comfort them with His Word and
the knowledge of His grace in them. That knowledge that
He is the one who loves us and has saved us.
As the Psalmist reminded us:
He is not going to abandon us.
His love endures forever.
He is not going to abandon us in the grave
but eternal life is ours.
Jesus Christ came into the world to give
that life to us. To give that life to ALL
sinners who couldn't earn it for themselves.
Jesus Christ as the Son of God
came to this world.
And He kept that Law
that no one else could keep.
And even though He lived in the midst of all of the sin
and power of Satan,
He did not sin!
He did not do the things that God had commanded Him
not to be done. And He did everything
that the Lord had said should be done ...
including His work
of our salvation.
Carrying OUR infirmities. Taking up OUR diseases,
OUR sins and carrying that
burden to the cross of Christ where He offered Himself
as the sacrifice
for the sins of humanity.
He was raised by the power of God
to live eternally and now sits at that
right-hand of God and we know that that is
the culmination of our faith as well.
That is what we're pressing on to.
That is the goal of our faith: To be removed
from this world to the joys of heaven.
Because Christ has opened the door for us.
But the Apostle Paul also reminds us
that there are going to be
things in our lives that could easily sidetrack us.
That could easily stop us
from living our life of faith ...
to living like Christ did in obedience to God.
And the Apostle Paul could understand that.
Remember he is writing this Letter
from prison. Writing this Letter,
awaiting to know whether he is going to live or
whether he is going to die for preaching the Gospel.
He understands
what it's like not
to have control over his life.
But he realizes first and foremost
that it was the Lord who had come to him and
called him to be His messenger.
It was the Lord who had sent him out.
It was the Lord who gave him the strength and
the ability to preach and proclaim.
And it was the Lord who had sat with him in prison and
would be with him and see it through.
Whether he lived or whether he died,
it was all about Christ
and all about living for Him.
Putting into practice ... that faith.
And the Apostle was torn about it. Yes, he said, I would
prefer to die and be with Christ.
What glory is there! What awaits us in the joys
of heaven. But he also understood it was important
for the Church for him to be there,
to lead and encourage them to grow in their faith.
To have their joy complete.
That tore him apart. But he said, No matter what ...
Whether I live or whether I die, it is
all about Christ. And THAT
is the example that he wants for us as well.
As the children of God: Whether we live or whether we
die, it IS about Christ!
But how often don't we live as
Paul said like those people who are enemies of God?
Enemies of the cross of Christ.
Where it's all about what I can get.
That selfishness. That's all about me and
what I need in my life and what MY goals are.
But that is what is first and foremost
in my life. Not what God has done FOR me.
That He has loved me and
called me to be His own.
That He is with me each and every day.
That I don't glory in Christ as much as I should
because I glory in my own shame.
And we see it all around us:
people posting just wicked behavior,
and pictures that shouldn't be taken
in the first place.
And that's their glory.
That's what they're promoting.
And the Apostle Paul says:
Promote Christ. Glory in Him.
He is your Lord. He is
your Master. He is the one who has saved you.
Live for Him.
Wake up in the morning thinking: How am I
going to be an example
for Christ today? How am I
going to be able to share the Gospel with someone?
How am I today going to be showing the love of God
to the people that I live with?
To the people that I work with?
And I'm praying for our missionaries. Praying that
God's Word would continue to spread
across the world. Praying, that God
would allow His Gospel message
to go into places where it has been blocked
in the past. To live for Christ.
Because we know that THAT is
what He did for us. He lived and
He died and He lives eternally for us.
And in thanks and praise for all He has done
we continue to live out our life
in Christ-like behavior.
Because we are pressing on
to the goal. We are fighting
for one thing. And that one thing is to
keep our faith growing
and alive so that we will rest
securely [with heaven] in heaven with Christ.
So that IS what our faith is all about.
That is why Christ has redeemed us.
To be His own and
and to be with Him. And in our life
it is so easy for us, even in our faith life,
to sit back and think: I've had enough.
I've done enough. I'm bored with this.
It's such a reminder to us
how easily sin can creep in and
rob us of the joy of our salvation.
Putting other things that are more of a priority
in our life in place of
our studying God's Word.
Convincing us that we don't have enough time;
we don't have enough resources;
or it's just okay not to ...
put God first.
It's okay to
shove Him back for awhile. You know, these young people
with the families. God can sit back there.
You look tired. It's time for yourself.
God can wait over there.
Until all of a sudden, we have a pregnancy
where things aren't going well and
we gotta drag God right back by our side 'cuz that's where
He needs to be. Or all of a sudden we're on our deathbed
and the God that we've put back and ignored,
we want right there at our side every moment so that
it's a quick and easy passage to that eternal life.
How easy it is
for us to just put God
someplace else.
But the Apostle Paul reminds us today
to put Him in your life; to make Him a part of your
daily living. To keep the goal
of heaven before you and
your eternal life that nothing robs you of that joy.
Nothing takes that security from you.
And as much as the storms and trials
of this life will assault us and assail us,
we stand with Christ.
Because we know that He
has won for us eternal life.
That He has given to us that strength
of the Holy Spirit to live in faith.
To work with the Holy Spirit in our life.
To keep our eyes focused on truly
what is lasting.
Because when our sight and our mind gets taken off
of those heavenly blessings,
it's only gonna be
disappointed.
Because then we're putting all of our strength and our hope
in a sinful world that's gonna fall apart
and pass away.
And that's not the foundation we have.
We have a sure foundation in
Jesus Christ. An everlasting
love of God through His Son
who has given to us eternal life.
That is what is ours.
Press on. Amen.
Let us rise.
Now may the peace of God which goes beyond
all of our understanding, keep your hearts and your minds and
especially your lives, in the one true faith
unto life everlasting. Amen.