Foundations and Cornerstones

Introduction

Oh really? Yeah. Oh you know what God would say God for. Yeah, I’m gonna get you a good morning everyone. Good morning. It is so good to see you this morning. I’m sorry I almost backed up into you there. So good to see you this morning. It’s good to have guests here with us. It is a beautiful day that God has given us. I wanna go ahead and just encourage you to get your Bible out, please. And just make your way back to Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six. Please go back there. We are nearing the conclusion in our studies on the Sermon on the Mount. And I just want you to know that I have thoroughly enjoyed these studies.

But I thoroughly have another meeting that I’ll be on next week. And then I’ll be in Claremont on a Wednesday for their fall series. It’s a fall series they do. I think Brother J.R. already spoke on it. This one a church has a different speaker every Wednesday night for about a quarter. So that’s what that is. And so they’ve invited me for Wednesday to speak on something. And so I just want you to know I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these classes. I just have. You’ve been so wonderful. Been so wonderful. You’ve always come with your Bible open with good comments, good questions, good attitudes. You are the reason why these classes, I believe, have gone well. And I appreciate it so much. This morning I want to say a few concluding things about this section that we’ve been studying the last couple of classes.

I want to say a few concluding things about the section on overcoming worry. And then we want to cover lesson 16, which is the first six verses of chapter 7, and hopefully clear up any misunderstandings that people have about Matthew chapter 7, verses 1 through 6. So we have a lot to do in a short amount of time, and I definitely want to do my best to get through all of this material before we dive into it. Let’s have a prayer. Let’s pray together. Holy Father, thank you so much for blessing us to come together, Father, to open up your word and study and grow. Thank you, Father, for these classes we’ve had together. Thank you for this powerful sermon preached by your son so long ago.

That is still relevant and powerful in our lives today. I pray that you’ll bless our study together today. Help us have hearts that are receptive to truth. And Father, we pray for all of our teachers and all of our children, all the students in their classes. And we always pray for our shepherds as they lead us, Father. Bless us on this Lord’s Day as we strive to please you in all we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen. So before beginning the final chapter of this series of classes, I want to just put a bow on this section about worry. And so let’s just very quickly say a few things about this and then we need to move on. Remember, we made the point on Wednesday night that here in this section about worry.

Jesus is not saying we need to look down on people with mental health problems. This has nothing to do with that. You’re dealing with that. You have medical issues with that, you need to get help. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Jesus not dealing with that at all. Doesn’t mean you’re a bad Christian because you struggle with mental health issues. He’s not also saying we need to embrace a kunamatata, which is, hey, don’t worry about anything. Just live a carefully life and be lazy and it’s all going to just work out. No, no, no. The Lion King motto is not being taught here by Jesus. What Timoni Pumba sung about is not being taught here by Jesus. And he’s not also saying it’s wrong to make plans.

In the Bible, we find Jesus making plans. We find the apostles making plans. There’s wisdom in making plans. And he’s also not saying it’s wrong to have concerns about things and even some worries about things. Paul had concern for the churches. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane has concern about what awaited him at the cross. The Lord’s not talking about any of that stuff. And instead, he’s talking about being overly concerned with things that can distract us. That’s the point. Don’t be overly concerned with things that can distract you from kingdom things. Don’t lose sight of what really matters. Don’t become so distracted in life that you become unfruitful as a Christian. Don’t become distracted to the point to where you fail to put God where He should be in your life, which is first place.

Jesus here is talking about focus. Focus, putting first things first. Not losing sight of what really matters. And he tells us how to do this. Understand what life is really all about. It’s not about just food and clothes and shelter. It’s first and foremost about God and the things of God. And he says, if you’re worrying, if you’re stressed about the daily affairs of life and surviving in life, just look at creation. Look at how God takes care of nature, the flowers and the birds. Look at the pagans. God even takes care of the pagans. And the pagans pursue worldly things first and foremost. They live life with a greedy kind of mindset and selfish mindset because they don’t understand the truth about God. They don’t understand that God loves his greatest creation and he provides for his greatest creation.

They don’t get that. And so put God first. Put first things first. The kingdom of God has righteousness, and God will make sure you have everything you need to survive in this life. And take life one day at a time. Make the most of today. See the blessings of today. Remember who you are and who God is. God knows the future. You don’t, I don’t. And trust the Lord. Live each day trusting God. And that’s really where Paul is going in Philippians 4. Remember when Paul talks about the angels for nothing, but in everything about prayer, supplication with thanksgiving. That your request being made known to God and the what of God will result in that. Peace of God. Well, guards your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus?

What’s Paul talking about? Well, he’s talking about the same thing Jesus is talking about. Don’t live your life concerned about things beyond your control. Focus on the Lord. Take your concerns to God in prayer and then trust Him. Trust Him that He will always take care of you and provide for you and answer your prayer requests in His way and in His time. That’s the point. And so, how do we do this practically? I’m going to give you these final things very quickly. If we’re going to overcome worry, we’ve got to turn off the noise. And I think that’s one of the big problems with Christians today. We got too much noise. We’re watching too much news. Not saying it’s a sin to watch the news, but I think we’re letting it affect us too much.

Because what’s on the news mostly? Bad stuff. Negative. Negativity. Wars. Terrorism. Plane crashes. School shootings. That can freak a person out. That can drive anyone crazy. You think the world is just about to blow up. You mean if you didn’t know any better, everybody’s going to die in a terrorist attack or in a war, in a plane crash, or a school shooting when the truth of the matter is there’s a very small chance, very small chance that’s how you’re going to die.

It’s very unlikely you’re going to die in a school shooting. The numbers back this up. But listen to the news and social media, you think that’s exactly what’s going to happen to you when you walk outside. Turn off the noise. It’ll help. Turn off all the negativity. And also guard against materialism. That’s something else Jesus is talking about. Guard against materialism. Don’t make your life about getting more toys and stuff. Not saying it’s wrong to have nice things and to work hard and enjoy your life. But don’t make that what your life is all about. Don’t consume yourself in that. Because that will take your eyes off Jesus. It’ll take your eyes off kingdom work. Instead of doing that, make sure you get around the right kinds of things in life.

Don’t let other people bring you down. And this is something else. Watch your company. Watch who your friends are on social media. Turn social media off. If you’re around people who are always being negative and it’s always the end of the world, everything they say in the country is just the good old days are gone and it’s just all bad. Tell those people I don’t have time for that. I just don’t want to hear all the world is ending. Because that affects somebody. That affects people. So you got to watch who you’re being around, and you gotta watch people who want to bring you down because they’re so negative. You gotta watch those kinds of people. You gotta guard against those kinds of people. And you gotta get busy in the kingdom.

You want to accomplish or you want to defeat worry, just get busy. Get busy. If you want to find yourself in a situation where you’re stressed all the time, worried all the time, just sit around, do nothing. Your brain will find something to worry about. I know this from personal experience. When you’re busy, you got your mind working on something, your hands are busy doing something is you’re gonna find it easier to overcome worry. Because you’re doing something, something’s keeping you productive. And so instead of sitting around worried about things beyond our control, we need to be busy. Busy in the kingdom. That’s what Jesus means. Seek first the kingdom of God. That’s how you defeat worry. Get busy doing kingdom work. And for many Christians, the reason why we have so much anxiety and stress about everything, because we’re not doing that.

We need to do that. We need to be serving brethren. Get busy serving brethren. Get busy encouraging brethren. Get your cell phone. Text somebody. Send them some words of encouragement. Write a card to somebody. Open your home up. Show someone some hospitality. Find some people to pray for. Get your bulletin. Look at the prayer list. Pray for those people. Help lost people you know. Find their way to God. Invite people to services. Read your Bible. Go after strange sheep. Don’t say, well, that’s just the elders’ responsibility. No, that’s your responsibility too. That’s my responsibility. Galatians 60, verse 1. There are people in this church who probably hadn’t been here in forever. Maybe they’ve fallen away. Find out who those people are and go after them. Make it make that your mission.

If we want to defeat worry, we need to stay busy. Busy doing kingdom stuff. And there’s a lot of kingdom stuff to do in this church. There’s a lot of stuff to do in this church beyond just come to church and wedding Bible study. And that’s how we defeat worry. And so that’s all I want to say about that section because there’s more we need to talk about because we still got a whole other chapter left. But those are some practical things that we can do. All of us can do. Me included, me first, that we all can do to be able to do exactly what Jesus says and not live our lives with worry and anxiety. Let’s now move on to chapter 7. Because we need to go back, we need to go to chapter 7.

In chapter 7 and verse 1, Jesus says this. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged by the standard of by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that’s in your brother’s eye when you notice the law that’s in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold the log was in your own eye. You hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not get what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

Don’t judge me. Don’t judge me. You ever heard someone say that before?

What do people mean when they say that? I don’t want to go a long time here with just a couple of comments. What do people mean? I just want to deal with that question. What do people mean when they say, Don’t judge me? What do they mean by that? What’s that, sir? Mind your own business. Mind your own business. Don’t get out of mine. Mind your own business. Someone else got something? Let me do what I want to do. Let me do what I want to do. Mind your own business. Let me do what I want to do. Brother Dave. This actually you use the phrase, keep it in context. This falls right into everything that’s been taught on the Sermon on the Mount. And that is don’t follow people by what they’re action.

Let them pray in a closet. Let them uh uh do their good charitable deeds and not to be seen a man. Let uh all of these things. Right. And uh so that opens up the door for judgment. Now I agree with that. And so and so Jesus has to go right into don’t make your standards as they were in the past. Uh don’t measure a man’s spirituality by what he’s doing. That’s right. That’s right. But the world struggles seeing what Brother David’s talking about there. Some good points. And typically, go ahead, Donald. Go ahead. Yeah, uh. I’m guilty of and maybe a lot of us are. These young people with purple hair and nose rings and all this kind of stuff, on the outside, it don’t we don’t we don’t like it.

But on the inside, it might be a good person. It might be a good person. So judging a book by the cover, yeah. So that’s a that’s a good point there. We’ve got to be careful of that kind of judgment. But when when people say this, when people say today, we hear this all the time, and this is probably this verse, Matthew 7.1, it’s one of the most quoted verses by people in the world, like John 3.16 is, right? This is another one of those verses. But it’s quoted, but it’s incorrectly understood. And what people usually mean when they say, Don’t judge me. Jesus says, Don’t judge. What they mean is you can’t tell me what I’m doing is wrong. You can’t call what I’m doing sinful.

You can’t tell me that God is not pleased with my actions. That’s what people mean when they say that. And many believe that’s what that many people believe that’s what Jesus is teaching here. The question is, is that right? Is Jesus condemning all? Here’s the key word. Is he condemning all forms of judgment? Well, as Brother Dave said. Let’s study the context. Let’s study the context of what the Lord is saying here. I need a few minutes to say a few things. Then I’ll I’m gonna open the floor up to you a couple of different times, but I there’s a lot to say here to make sure we we don’t leave you with any misunderstandings. Because we have all kinds of people in an auditorium class, we got new converts, we got visitors, so we need to make sure we are clear in what we’re what we’re teaching and in what Jesus is teaching.

So give me a few minutes here. Probably the best place to begin in understanding what Jesus is saying here is to first talk about what he’s not saying. Okay? When you’re talking about what he’s not saying. Here in this text, the Lord is not saying it is wrong for disciples to make moral judgments about someone’s behavior. The Lord is not saying the Lord disciples are to avoid making moral judgments about someone’s behavior. That’s not what he’s saying. He’s not saying it’s wrong for us to call things sinful, he’s not saying it’s wrong for us to call things wrong and immoral and evil. And it’s not what the Lord is teaching here, and I know that because Jesus did that. Jesus called out sin. Jesus called out wicked behavior.

Have you read Matthew 23 before? If you don’t believe me, go home and read Matthew 23. Jesus had no problem telling the Pharisees you’re a bunch of hypocrites. And this is why you’re a bunch of hypocrites. Jesus does this in Matthew 23. Do you remember the woman in John 8 in verse 11? John 8 and verse 11, that woman who was caught in adultery. And the religious leaders, they bring her to Jesus and they say, Well, what should we do? And Jesus says that famous line, we know, he who’s without sin, do what? Cast first stone. And then all the guys start leaving. Alright? Did Jesus approve that woman’s adultery? No. He forgave her because he has the power to forgive sins. But he also tells her in John 8 and verse 11, go and sin no more.

He said she was in sin. He called what she did a sin. That’s a judgment. And stop doing that. That’s what Jesus does. And then going back to Dave’s point again, this whole sermon, what about Matthew 5.20? That key verse I told you about. Matthew 5.20. For I say to you, unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you won’t enter the kingdom of God. What is he saying there about implication? The scribes and the Pharisees, what they’re doing is not cutting it. Their righteousness is not righteousness at all. We gotta do better than them. Jesus is pronouncing a judgment against the Pharisees. And then what about Matthew 5, 27 and 28? Where he talks about it’s not just wrong to commit adultery, but it’s wrong to look upon other with lust.

That’s a sin, Jesus says. That’s Jesus saying that’s wrong behavior. Can’t do that. What about Matthew 5, 32? That if you divorce except for uncleanness or unchastly, you make someone commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Jesus called out sin there. It’s a sin to get a divorce for a reason other than sexual immorality and marry someone else. Jesus does this over and over again. Jesus constantly makes moral judgments about people’s behavior. But it’s not just Jesus. The apostles do it too, do they not? You read 1 Corinthians 5 before? There was a brother in the church in Corinth who was involved with sexual morality with his probably a stepmother. Does Paul go, I can’t judge them. He was go ahead and just leave them alone.

Don’t judge that brother. But Paul says, you better do something about that. You better stop ignoring that sin and deal with him. Exercise discipline on his behalf. Otherwise, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. What about Acts chapter 8? When Peter, remember when Simon the sorcerer was trying to purchase the gift of the Holy Spirit with money? If Peter goes, I can’t judge you, man. I can’t judge you on that. Peter said, What you did is evil. Your heart’s not right with God. You need to repent. Pray that God will forgive you. What about Galatians 2? When Peter was caught up in sin. He’s caught up in hypocrisy. Treating the Gentiles one way in public, another way in private. That’s a form of racism he was involved in.

Did Paul go, I can’t judge him.

Paul would send him to his face. Say it’s wrong what you’re doing. You’re causing problems. Urge them to repent. And then look at this right here, 1 John chapter 4, verse 1, please. 1 John. 1 John chapter 4 and verse 1. 1 John chapter 4 and verse 1. John says this, beloved. You’re not believe every spirit. But test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. How are we supposed to do that? How are we supposed to test teachers? How are we supposed to recognize false prophets? We have to exercise judgments. The apostles do this constantly. But if that’s not enough to convince us of this, just keep reading Matthew chapter 7. Go back to Matthew 7 again.

Because Jesus continues here. We know Jesus is not saying it’s wrong for us to make moral judgments. Because in verse 6 of Matthew 7, he talks about not giving that which is holy to dogs. Not giving them casting your pearls before pigs. How he calls to recognize dogs and pigs. You gotta make a judgment. What about verses 15 down to verse 20? When he tells us to beware of the false teachers, the false prophets. How are we going to do that? How are we going to be able to recognize and call out false teachers and prophets? We have to render judgments. And then what about the last section? Verses 24 down to verse 27. He talks about the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man put us house on the rock, the foolish man in the middle of his house on the sand.

What is Jesus doing? Rendering judgments. We have to do that to know who’s wise and who’s foolish. Just keep reading. Jesus is doing this over and over again, but we’re still not done because there are times when we have to do this. We have to do this. Go to John chapter 7. John chapter 7. What does Jesus say in John 7 and verse 24? In John chapter 7. And in verse number 24, Jesus says, Do not judge according to appearance. Donald, that goes right to what you say, sir. That’s what we do, so often. We judge by the appearance. Somebody has color hair, piercings. Jesus said, don’t do that. Instead, what do you do? You judge with righteous judgment. How do you do that? Measure what somebody does with the word of God.

Because really, when that happens, it’s God doing it. Because it’s coming from God’s standard. There are times when we have to do this. In fact, what about when it comes to exercising church discipline? The Bible says we have to do that. We gotta do that at times when people act up in the spiritual family. Don’t want to repent. 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Thessalonians 3. How can we do that without exercising judgments? Without saying that brother’s in sin. Or that sister’s in sin, they won’t repent. We gotta do this. What about when it comes to selecting elders? A lot of that is judgment. I mean, that’s why we like the family qualification so much. We spend so much time studying that. Does he have a faithful wife and a couple of faithful Christian kids?

He’s ready to be an elder. That’s just two of like 20 qualifications. But we spend so much time on those two because they’re the easiest to look at. We don’t like the part when we gotta judge his character. Is he a man who controls his temper? Is he a good man? Is he a wise man? Is he a man who has a good reputation in a community? Does he have the heart of a shepherd? Much of the qualifications, the vast majority of them deal with us making judgments about a man’s character. So we have to do this. And then let me say this last thing and open the floor to you. Another thing we need to say that Jesus is not talking about here, what he’s not saying, is turning a blind eye to sin is loving.

Because so often we hear people in our culture they say, well, if you call out sin, that’s not love. That’s not being focused on love, not judging, calling out sin. That is completely contrary to Scripture. According to Scripture, it is not loving to let somebody stay in sin. Just like it’s not loving to see someone drowning in a swimming pool and I can swim and jump in there and help them. And yet I just walk away from you. No. When someone’s in sin, the most loving thing we can do is call it out and say it’s wrong. Because we’re showing concern for their soul. So this idea of real love means I turn a blind eye and don’t exercise any kind of moral judgments, is completely foreign to scripture.

And it demonstrates a lack of understanding of how Jesus says we show real love by helping people get out of sin. So let’s start there. And there’s more, a lot more I need to say, but I’m gonna pause for just a few minutes to see what do you want to say about what the Lord is not saying here. I want to stay right here before we move ahead. I don’t want to go a lot further right now because I’m taking us on a journey here. Is there anything you want to say about what the Lord is not saying here? Anything at all? Brother Dave and then Genesian. When you mentioned uh the elders and the qualifications of the elders and it’s a judgment on many of those qualifications.

But those qualifications are essential because that elder has to be able to make the judgment concerning the congregation. Acts 20, when uh Paul was uh exhorting the Ephesian elders, be aware of uh wolves and sheep’s clothing. Yes, sir. That’s a judgment. You have to exercise judgments. That’s a great point, Dave. Much of what shepherds do, and I should have added that to the list, is exercise judgments. Even when it comes to them leading us in church discipline, you don’t deal with every Christian the same way. You know, the Bible is clear on how we do that, but some maybe need a little more patience than others. There’s judgments involved in that. And when it comes to even in that process, being able to recognize sin in the church.

That requires them making a moral judgment based on scripture. So that’s a really good point. Going a little further on that though, then the elders need to know how to discern the congregation when they don’t agree with what the elders are doing. Absolutely. Good point. Good point, Dave. Genesi, yes, ma’am. I think it’s important in turning a blind eye to sin is loving to understand that there’s two parts to that. Yes, we must speak the truth, but we also need to do it in love. There’s a loving way to judge someone and help them come back. I think that’s a good point. Paul said, I think that’s Ephesians 4.15, speak the truth. Speak the truth in love. And if you want a great example of this, and we’ll do a study on this at some point, just read the book of Philemon.

The book of Philemon is all about Paul knowing how to deal with Philemon. Especially when you understand that this letter would have been read publicly to the church that was meeting in Philemon’s house. Paul is not just saying, hey, you need to let this guy leave Onesimus alone, because I’m an apostle and I said so. He’s making sure he doesn’t embarrass this guy. And there’ll be a study on that at some point. The book of Philemon is an interesting study. And I have like 40 pages of notes on that. Many of you may know David McClister, who used to teach in Florida College. I sat under him learning Philemon, and I was blowing away all the meat on that bone. But a lot of that is Paul knowing how to deal with a man and compelling him in love to make a good judgment in this case concerning Onesimus, who’s now a brother in Christ, but he’s also a slave.

It’s a good point. Yes, sir Wayne. What I think is also really important here is exercising judgment with the understanding that we have to have. Similarly, the knowingness of Christ, he knew people, whether just because he knew the minds of people doesn’t at least, you know, his God as well as man, but having a genuine love and interest in the state of other people to where you will go to this things to uh figure out how you must deal with certain people at a certain time, especially when it comes down to elders and knowing people not everybody’s the same. Like you think you know, having joy might be a good idea, but they’re getting out you know who is how they operate, who needs to hit a uh uh brick wall first, and who needs you know another to look like this and like that.

So dealing with you know Philemon, um, or maybe looking at Barnabas with uh John Martin for example Paul. Yeah, this is important, um, and it requires the love to do that rather than looking at something surface level, and they say, Oh, yeah, they check boxes for it. They look like this. How do they do it in this things for somebody’s heart and then be able to get the judgment at all or truth? You know, I think that’s a great point. As Christians, we want to speak the truth, but it’s not just about we want to show that we put we believe is right and it’s true. We want to be effective. You want to be effective. Because the goal is ultimately what? To help people get right with God.

So I want to pronounce the truth, stand for the truth. No doubt about that. We don’t compromise truth. But the goal is always to be effective. How can I effectively convey this message? And everybody’s different on that. People are different. So I think those are really good points, Wayne. So let me keep going here because I don’t think, man, it’s time to go. Even in a 50-minute class, time goes by quick, goodness. But let’s keep going here. There’s more to say. So we talk about what the Lord is not saying. You want to know though, what is he saying, Sean? Well, this is what the Lord is saying. Jesus here is talking about judging. But he’s talking about a very specific kind of judgment. And the kind of judging Jesus is talking about that is wrong, that we should not be involved in as Christians is hypocritical judging.

That’s what the Lord is teaching here. Christians, disciples, should not be involved in hypocritical judging. That’s the context here. Someone says, What’s hypocritical judging? That’s the kind of judging when you’re trying to take a speck out of somebody’s eye, and you got a log in your eye. He says that.

Real small. And the term for log refers to a rafter or a beam. Josephus in his writings used it to refer to something similar to a battering ram that the Romans would use. Can you imagine that? A speck in contrast to a log or a beam, something like a battering ram. What you find here, and please don’t miss this, is Jesus using humor in his teaching. People wonder did Jesus have a sense of humor? Was he funny? This is hilarious. If you stop and think about it, he is being funny here. He’s using humor in his teaching. Contrast. Yes, but he’s also being saying something with people to laugh. If you were living in the first century, you would have laughed at this, just like you would laugh, maybe if you heard a preacher today say, okay, if you got a guy with a telephone pole coming out of his eye, you don’t want him to help you put your contact lens in.

That’s the similar idea. Imagine it, somebody got this big old beam coming out of the eye. And they’re trying to take a little speck out of yours. This is an extreme example for humor’s sake to make a point. And the point is before pointing out faults in other people’s lives, we need to make sure we’re not doing that first. We need to make sure we’re not being hypocrites. I don’t have no rights on you. You need to stop being divisive on social media when I’m doing that all day long. You need to stop cussing. And I cuss all the time. I get up there and tell you, you need to treat your spouse right. You need to love your spouse like Christ loved the church, and I go home and treat mine like garbage.

That’s what the Lord is condemning. He’s not saying it’s wrong to call out sin. That’s not the point. He’s not saying it’s wrong to call out sin with the word of God. But he is saying it’s wrong to do that when we’re practicing the sin ourselves. He’s saying it’s wrong to be fault-finders and we’re blind to our own faults. We’re blind to our own sins. That’s hypocritical judgment. But it’s not just hypocritical judging he’s talking about here. If you look at the text carefully, particularly verse 2, he’s talking about the person who makes it their mission to try to correct everybody’s life. The fault finder. Always throwing out judgments. That’s their mission. I’m going to come to church today. I’m going to see everybody else acting up on.

And I can’t wait to catch you slipping because I’m going to nail you. You mess up one time and right there. You ever mess with Christians like that before? You’re saying like that. Their mission is just to find faults in everybody. And maybe they do that because that takes the focus off of them. They think it does. And their faults.

Jesus says that’s wrong. You know what that’s called? That’s called the harsh judgment. And Jesus says you need to be careful with that because by the standard you measure, it’s going to be measured back to you. You want to be that way? You want to go around trying to nitpick everybody’s life? Okay. You better be careful with that because God watching. This is the one who’s mean and cruel. They don’t have love. They’re not doing it in the spirit of love. They’re doing it because of self-righteousness. They’re being like the Pharisees. That’s how the Pharisees work. That’s what they did with Jesus, didn’t they not? Yeah. Watching him all the time. Oh, you pick a grain of the grain field. You and your disciples. We got you.

You don’t wash your hands.

Jesus is taking a shot at them. Yeah. Be careful with that. Yeah. But he also says something else. You got the hypocritical judger. You got the fault finders. Then you got the disciples who exercise foolish judgment. You don’t want to be that either. Where’s that at? That’s verse 6. Do you not throw what is holy to dogs? Do not throw your pearls before a swine, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. Raise your hand if you got a dog. Anybody got dogs? I know you don’t raise your. I know a lot of you got dogs. I don’t have dogs. We’re not pet folks, okay? Not saying that you’re wrong with that. But when I pet people, I’m definitely not a cat person.

Like dogs way better than cats, okay? But in our time today, how do people view dogs in our culture? Yeah, see what you say? Mary people. You got people with dogs, they got health insurance. They got the uh you know the best beds, they eat the best food. We look at them as something we want to go to bed with. Push them in a stroller. We want to push them in the stroller. We’re gonna hug them at night, we’re gonna kiss them. As soon as we walk, walk to the door. We want Rover to come and just give me a hug. And when I’m stressed out, I’m gonna pet rover, make you feel so good. Takes all my stress away. They’re introduced as their children. It’s children.

Now, in our culture, dogs, cats, pets are viewed in a positive way. Right? I’m not knocking that. I’m not knocking that. But in Jesus’ day, that is not how dogs are viewed. In Jesus’ day.

Dogs are not viewed as cuddly creatures that you want to cuddle with and go to bed with at night, and you’re going to get them health insurance and the best care when they’re sick. You’re not going to put a sweater on them and take a cell phone with them and all that in Jesus’ day. And they’re not going to be the family Christmas picture on Jesus’ day, okay? In Jesus’ day, dogs were viewed as filthy animals. They were viewed as you know, stray, stray animals that often had diseases, rabies, and you don’t want nothing to do with them. That’s why Paul in his teaching often uses dogs in a negative way. Have you noticed that in Paul’s teachings? That’s how it was in the first century.

Dogs were filthy animals. Very different than how we view them in Western culture today. And pigs, you know how Jews felt about pigs, right? I mean, how did Jews view pigs? They’re unclean. You can’t eat them. You can’t be around them. Remember, that’s one of the powerful things about the parable of the prodigal son. He got so rock bottom in life that he was eating with the pigs as a Jew. So Jesus says, don’t give that which is holy to dogs. Don’t cast your pearls among pigs. What he’s teaching here is this. As a disciple, I need to know when I’m out trying to teach the gospel, trying to win the loss, trying to help people come to heaven. Or even a brother or sister who strayed away from the faith.

I need to know when it’s time to move on. I need to know when it’s time to move on. You know, there are some who’ve gone through this verse and say he’s talking about the Lord’s Supper. When we pass the Lord’s Supper out, you don’t pass him, you don’t give it to non-Christians. No. When I observe the Lord’s Supper, I need to focus on me thinking about Jesus, what the bread and the juice means. I only be looking around. Who hears right for God or not? Don’t give it to them. That’s not, it got nothing to do with the context. They brought up context earlier. It got nothing to do with that. This is about the gospel. This is about using the word of God to expose error and sin, judgment.

Know when you’re wasting your time. That’s hard for us to do. Especially if you’re somebody like me, you come from a family where most of your family are not Christians. Like me, I got just a handful of folks in my family are Christians. That’s going to be hard to know they’re not going to listen. They’re not listening. What we want to do, and which is what I wish I could do is force people to believe. You’re going to do this. My grandfather, well, I was raising my grandparents. My grandfather died in 2020 at 84. And I tried my best to get them to just see the simple truth about baptism. He never would. And he died not accepting that. He was a good man. I would do anything for him.

But I’m not mad at God about that. I know he didn’t die right with God, even though he was a religious man and went to church, but it was wrong church. God gave him the word. And I tried for years to teach it to him. So my conscience is clear. And it got to a point where I had to realize I can’t force this man. I can’t force him to believe. I can’t. Jesus says you got to know when to use good judgment on this. You’ve got to know when it’s time to move on. The people are just not going to listen. Jesus here is talking about judging. And he’s saying we need to avoid hypocritical judging, being a fault finder. And we need to know that it’s wrong to waste time on people who are not looking for the truth.

They don’t want the truth. You gotta move on. Uh I’m gonna pause right there. Donald, and then I know Dave, I’m gonna give y’all a chance to we’ll use five minutes for comments. Anything you want to say here about this section. I hope this makes sense where we’re going here. Brother, brother Donald, go ahead and say.

What are they saying? Somebody’s committing a sin that you’re not doing, but you’re judging them for because you’re not doing it. Oh, I got what you’re saying. I got it. So I don’t, and that can’t be easy for us when it comes to homosexuality. Yeah. I think that’s one of the reasons why that sentence the one we kind of put it the highest. Is most folks don’t struggle with that. So it’s easy for us to go, well, I’m the worst of the worst right there. Yeah. And the worst or the worst. Because I don’t struggle with that. Now, is that wrong? Yes. But at the same time, I need to understand those people have soul. I need to try to win those people too. Because if we’re not careful, that kind of harsh attitude can make us forget those people we’re also making the image of God, and they need the gospel too.

And we need to have the love to try to share it with them. They’re still humans. They’re still humans, and they’re gonna spend eternity in hell if they don’t change. We got to remember that. But when we think that kind of way, it can means for us to brush those people aside and say they’re not going to change. They’re filthy, they’re disgusting. I don’t want to do it. That’s a good point. And this idea here, let me just say this about just tearing you into pieces. When we fail to not exercise good judgment on teaching the gospel to others and not knowing when to walk away, it can lead to hostility. And I’ve experienced that firsthand. Or you keep trying to, I’m going to force you.

You see this with those street preachers sometimes. They’re in New York or somewhere, and they just on the street with the microphone with the bullhorn. And all they’re doing is making people just mad. They’re not being effective. Now they may feel like, well, I’m pronouncing the truth, but they’re not being effective. A lot of times what they’re doing with that tactic is doing more harm than good. You want to be effective. And just doing it to make people mad so they can tear you into pieces. Jesus says that’s foolish. That’s foolish. Brother Dave, yes, sir. You use the term good judgment, making good judgment and things such as that. And you have to realize what good judgment is. Because the world won’t agree with many that say what good judgment is.

You look at John chapter 12, verse 47, where Jesus says, if anyone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. How did he save the world? Well, it says in verse 48 He who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him. It’s the words, it’s God’s word that judges the people. That’s the righteous judgment that we have to stand by. Absolutely. And that’s so good. And that’s really, when you stand by that, you can’t go wrong. When you stand by that, it’s not really us exercising it. We’re just saying what God said. We’re just saying what the Lord said. Because He’s the one at the end of the day, He’s the only one that has the right to make the rules.

I don’t have the right to make the rules for life. You don’t either, because we’re not the creator. God is. And that’s what the Bible’s all about ultimately, giving us the standard of God, telling us who God is and how to live in a way that pleases him. And when we just teach what the Bible says, we’re just telling people this is what the Lord has to say about me. That’s a good point. Brother Rob, yes, sir. Another way to look at this is if I pass judgment on someone, you hear a lot where some where you judge somebody and they say, Well, you’re judging me on this, but you’re doing that twice easy. You you cast these pearls before people judging them. And you’re in danger of them turning around and saying, Yeah, but what about you?

Especially with these Jews. The Jews would know commandments. And they would know if I wasn’t following some. You’re judging me on this, but look in the mirror. Right. They’re tearing you to pieces. They may be bad people. That’s a good point, Rob.

Dude. Rob, that’s a good point. And that certainly, that line of thinking, Rob, will certainly fit this idea of hypocritical judging. Because what that kind of judgment ultimately does is like you said it can cause people to get angry and frustrated, and it can do more harm to the cause of God than good. You’re trying to tell me something. Look at what you’re doing, and how often do we hear that today from people who say, I won’t want nothing to do with religion? Because you Christians, you know, they’ll find some preacher who says they’re affiliated with us, and we know they’re not, but they’ll put us all in the same pot. They’ll use that and say, look how you live. Well, it’s the it’s the homosexuality.

There are people, religious people that have so much hate in their heart about that. Yeah. They’re so harsh. And those same people turn around and say, God said you’re supposed to love me. And you’re you’re not loving me. So how can I believe what you’re saying if you can’t follow that simple commitment of God? Oh Rob, that’s a that’s a that’s a good thoughts there, Rob. That’s really good. Anyone else, real quick? Because I have some applications, and I’m gonna close here. Yes, ma’am, here, and then last one over there, okay? Yes, ma’am. Just right quick, brother. Yes, ma’am. I always teach my staff, and I always say this as myself too. It’s your approach and how you say anything. That’s true. So before I go to someone and try to correct them and teach it, number one, someone said it best, you have to be effective.

How do I be effective? I have to go and approach them with love and care. The minute you go, if I go with hair puffed up in my chest, like I’m all this and that, I’m gonna be met with law’s resistance. Absolutely. I’m gonna be met with, well, what are you doing? But for one as a way of as a tool to show, hey, look, this is how you do this. They’re gonna receive you better, they’re gonna respect you, it’s out of respect, and we both can get through this. I think it’s real important about your approach and your words and how you choose your words. Because I can easily condemn anybody but Tammy. How effective you’re gonna be. Choose your words. So make sure you get that message across.

If you go in there anywhere amped up, I’m already gonna get shut down. And you’re not gonna, you may get the truth, you may speak the truth and feel good about that. But the goal, you stood in your own way on the goal. The goal is to try to get a sinner to repent. Right. And we have to use good judgment on that. We have to use good judgment on that. That’s a good point. And also, too, um, I forgot what I was gonna say primarily, but back on the uh dogs. The dogs, yeah, they weren’t domesticated back then, of course. They were very low on anybody’s level, very, very low filthiness and that. But I’ve seen where people nowadays, because they’re so loving and keeping ugly, that people would get more time in jail or prison for committing.

They will. There are crimes against animal cruelty that gets you some prison time. You know, manslaughter, get five, you know, get 20 years, and you kill a dog or not feeding a dog, and they’re hey, yeah. You’re doing time, but yeah. I’ll say this real quick. We were driving to the services today, it’s kind of off topic. When I saw a dog eat on the side of the road, and everybody was passing it up, passing it up. But that was a human, you think it wouldn’t have done that? It would have stopped, called the cops. That show you right there that people know animals aren’t humans. Yeah, they just want you to think you’re nothing but a an animal. You see, they don’t even believe that.

They don’t believe that. That whole dog, they nobody should ever call his spouse and see let her know he passed away. They just pass and look like it’s nothing. Well, that’s but you’re right. I mean, animals are not humans. And dogs at this time definitely would not be that way. Yes, sir. Also, we need to be willing to be uncomfortable. What’s that again, sir? I’m sorry. We need to be willing to be uncomfortable. Yes.

You know, we stay in uncomfort. We’re never willing to reach every result. Absolutely. We got the example of the Jesus of women who are acting Peter how to break that cultural breakfast to be able to talk to somebody. You know, people shouldn’t see being seen experience. Yes. A Christian. We need to see a soul. That’s how we should be good. Amen. Amen. These are good thoughts. I’m so appreciative of all your good comments. Y’all always have good comments, all of you do. I want to close with this very quickly. Some practical things. Here’s a practical things for this section, and John’s going to take it from here. Disciples must never ignore their own faults. That’s what the things take from here. That’s why this is so important.

When we’re involved, just pointing fingers, we’re ignoring our own problems a lot of times. I need to look in the mirror. And if I got sin in my life, I gotta be honest about that. I gotta be honest. I don’t need to be looking at you. I need to be honest about myself first. If I’m a liar, I need to say I’m a liar, I gotta stop that. I’m gonna gossip. If I’m involved in all kind of lust, womanizing, if I’m a lazy, apathetic Christian, disciples must never ignore their own faults. That’s what the Pharisees did. Jesus said, Don’t do that. Don’t do that. Disciples should help each other after they help themselves first. That’s what Jesus is saying. And I want to be clear on that because if you go back to Matthew 7 again, Jesus makes it very clear.

You can take the speck out of your brother’s eye. There’s nothing wrong with doing that. He doesn’t say don’t take the speck out. He says, don’t do that. But after you first get the beam, get the beam out of your own. Take care of your own house first. Take care of your own sin, your own problem. Then you can see clearly to help somebody else. Jesus doesn’t say here we’re not supposed to help each other. And pass moral judgments when we see each other in sin. He’s not saying that’s wrong. He’s saying just make sure you take care of yourself first before you try to help somebody else. And that’s just common sense, wouldn’t y’all agree? Yeah. It’s common sense. And then finally, disciples who use good judgment and try to help others.

We made that point. Kathy, do you have your hand up, ma’am? Well, a couple of points that you made made me think of cultural uh parallels. One was uh casting your pearls before swine and knowing when to walk away. I immediately thought of Kenny Rogers. And you know, know when to hold them, know when to fold them. Know when to walk away, know when to run. Um and then the second one was you gotta help yourself first. So I just whispered over to John. You know, when you’re on a plane and you’re going through the emergency, they tell you either with the kid, you do it, then you help the kids.

That’s right. Um and we even with children. They say you do it first, then you help the kids. Everybody knows this. This is common sense. This applies spiritually too. Good thoughts, everybody. Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Been a wonderful class. God bless y’all.

Good morning and welcome to our worship service this morning. If you’re visiting with us, we want you to know that we’re glad that you’re able to be out with us this morning. You’re our special guest. We invite you to stick around after services and get to know uh give us a chance to get to know you a little better. Uh, if you want to fill out a visitor’s card, we’d be happy to have a record of your attendance, and you can place that in the collection box in the back uh in the foyer or give it to one of the men after services. Just to give you an idea about our order of services this morning, uh, Brother Jonah Folks is going to be reading our scriptures.

Brother Walcott Steele will be leading our song service for the first half of our worship service. And then uh Brother Wayne Bryant will deliver a message before partaking of the Lord’s Supper. For the second half of our worship service, Brother Sean Caldwell will lead the singing, and then uh Brother Sean Jeffries will deliver a sermon this morning, and um Brother Eric Pointer will lead our closing prayer. At the conclusion of uh the service, I’ll have some further announcements about our members here that may be of interest to you. Uh if you have young children that you need to take out during the service, there’s a nursery in the back. You can uh still hear and see and participate in the worship service. Uh, if you need to avail yourself of that facility.

I do want to call your attention to um the Dubose family, or Sister Eula Dubos uh passed away unexpectedly yesterday. So we grieve with that family, and they will have a special interest in our uh prayers this morning. So at this time, if you will join in the um worship service as we uh read our first scripture together, and then uh glorify our God in song. For the first scripture reading this morning, I’ll be reading from Psalm 18, one through three. Psalm 18, one through three.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies? Read those passages. I just couldn’t help thinking of the song. I will call upon the Lord. I almost started with that. But we’ll sing number five. And take note. I would like us to sing the chorus after the second verse and the last verse. So we’ll sing the first two verses, then the chorus, and then the next two verses, then the chorus. How great thou art.

And when I knew that I said my birth and wet and I to take away my sin shall come, we shall come back and take me all joy shall my own and I shall come out, and roll my God, thou break thou, and saints my soul to thee.

So I saved thee.

Bow our heads, we’ll go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. How great thou art, holy and righteous heavenly Father, the Alpha and the Omega, He who always was and always will be. You provide us with our very breath this day. More than we deserve, or more than we need, more than the lilies of the field, the birds of the air. You’ve provided us with this congregation in this Lord’s day, and your inspired word. Let us read it, let us know it, and let us apply it in our each and every daily lives. Our Lord, we come to you today humbly in prayer that this prayer be like the publican and like our lesson this morning. We are a room full of sinners that are unworthy of your grace and unworthy of the suffering of your son on the cross at Calvary, and unworthy to even lift our heads to heaven.

Forgive us of this sin, Lord, and teach us to forgive one another and burn the other cheeks, and help us to forgive one another and be worthy of your forgiveness. We thank you for providing us with the salvation through Christ, and help us to go out into the world to preach your gospel to bring the lost sheep back to the flock, teach others your word, so that we can be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We ask you today, Lord, for faith and for more faith. Faith by hearing and faith by our action and conscious choice of doing. We ask for faith like Abel and to give you our very best sacrifice. Faith like Noah, where our very obedience and strict following of your instruction, as if our eternal life depends on it, and faith like Abraham, as we are pilgrims here temporarily on earth, and if we follow your word and live as close to the model of Christ, we will reach our eternal promised land.

Our creator of all good things, we pray for the Duke family this morning, the Barry family, the devote family, and those who have lost loved ones recently. We pray that you would comfort and keep them and be with the many sick and suffering and those who cannot fellowship with us today here in this building. We rejoice in the new converts this month, Lord, and rejoice with all the angels in heaven. As they make that commitment to you, we are encouraged by these new Christians and their choice of obedience and baptism. And if there are those here today, or those listening online, we pray, Lord, that you would prick their hearts this morning, that they would read Acts 238, and to obey, because we all don’t know the hour or the day when we will seek judgment.

We ask to seek your will and not ours, and your way, the narrow way and not the path to destruction. We ask to flee from the devil and his many temptations and lies. And we ask all these things in Christ’s name, amen. For the second scripture reading this morning, I’ll be reading from 1 John chapter 4, verses 7 through 14. 1 John chapter 4, 7 through 14. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

Number one hundred and eighty nine.

When I survive some break of my own things that shall be separate to his love seeking sound and some knee some of the soul.

Before we examine the Lord’s Supper this morning, um, does everyone have their emblems? If not, raise your hand. We have one or two over here, one over here, and then we have two over here. And another in the back, I believe.

If you would go ahead and turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians eleven. First Corinthians 11, we’re going to look at 17 through 29 together. First Corinthians chapter 11, looking at verses 17 through 29. It reads, But in the following instructions, I do not commend you, because when you come together, it is not for the better, but for the worse. For in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe in part, for there must be factions among you, in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, one goes hungry, another gets drunk.

What? Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. For I receive from the Lord what I also deliver to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. Recapping a little bit here, the church at Corinth, they received some rebuke here as they had turned the Lord’s supper into a common meal. Worse still, some were satiated, while others were without. They had lack. But not just in, you know, what was to be consumed, but also in fellowship and consideration when it came down to each other. But worst of all, the meaning of the supper was lost on them, all of them.

And so there was a need to have this reminder that we just read. Some of you might be Marvel fans or DC, but I’m more of an in-between guy, so I like to, you know, take a stab at both sides. And when it comes down to heroes, uh, which I tend to be very involved in, anime or otherwise, um, sacrifices come up a lot. The Lord’s sacrifice is the reason why we are even able to partake of him in this manner. And we as Christians, we want to be like him, right? You are what you eat. And so this isn’t just something that we do. This isn’t just something that we consume the the body and the blood of the Lamb, it is what we wish to be in every capacity, and as we look on what it is that he has done, we’re to be solemn and have an understanding of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

It was most certainly us who should have been on that tree. It was most certainly us who should have been stripped of the Father’s sight, and also not to be vindicated, not to be redeemed, not to have salvation whatsoever, but it was because he went before us, and because he was vindicated, he rose on the third day, because he was sinless, taking all of our sin upon himself, and being found innocent, that we have the opportunity to partake of him at this very moment together as his body, his bride, his servants.

And letting him know that he’s run all these simulations. And there’s only one chance that they had to be able to win today, defeat Danos.

Well, um, everybody’s wondering what he’s doing. And I’m sure that was the thought of the disciples and several others, as the Lord is going away without a fight, and to be spat upon and to be stuck, like a pig some would say, in the bleed, as a spectacle before all, having done nothing but be the Son of God and be what everyone needed, not just the Jew, but the Gentile. And he looked upon everyone with knowing, and basically saying, This is that one shot. What I am doing might seem like a great big mistake. So much Peter went out to take a man’s ear. But it is not.

You depend on this. And this was not to be forgotten by the church at Corinth. And if you recall the movie after the snap, and how everybody was grieving and upset and a little messy, especially if you recall forward.

Everyone had to recall the faith behind some of the last words of strange. And that we are going to see a better day because of this. There is salvation yet to be had. The sacrifice is not going to be in vain. Work towards it, maintain your focus, keep that faith, and get to the point where you will see the fruition of everything that I said. The Lord pretty much said the same thing when it came down to us. From the cross all the way forward to this very moment. In Matthew 26, 21 through 29, Jesus informs the disciples that one of them would betray him. But verse 26 on, he lets them know this is your one shot. Observe this in every single thing that you do in every moment that you breathe, and especially in this moment as we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are to be observing that sacrifice.

Going back to Corinth, the sacrifice was made on their behalf, and in such a way it should keep them in line, bring them to a point of sobriety to examine themselves and bring self into alignment with the Lord and His purpose, his will. Whether this was new territory for them or not, and there are new converts here in the congregation, wonderful. And now you come to a very important part of your spiritual living going forward. Examination of self beside the Lord, and what it is that he has done for you to be in the wonderful place of a child of God, and to have the saints that you fellowship with now. Equally, equal if you are a father and a mother beside a son or daughter who is now of the faith, you’re not just, you know, within that family dynamic.

Now you are brother and sister, and in Christ you have equality and salvation together and every day, but especially this day, what sacrifice was made for us that we might be children of God, children of life, living for him in this capacity, in the way that he has shown us that we ought to be. Else, guilt and even judgment follow. We are to partake in the same fashion and live out lives in such a way that shows we remember our soul’s trajectory and stay on path, and that’s a path that leads to him who was raised on the third day, after his death, and soon after ascended to the Father, having redeemed mankind and providing hope through the New Testament in His blood. Bow with me if you will.

Father in heaven, we thank thee so much for this day and opportunity as you’ve patterned for us the supper of our Lord, and we acknowledge the death that he died was for our sin, that we might be able to be made clean and live lives of redeemed children unto thee. As we partake of this unleavened bread, which is his flesh, may we see him as the sacrifice that stands before us always, that we might look upon him and see ourselves for what we are, and know if it wasn’t for him in that place, we would not be able to be favored of thee this day. Be with all those who partake. Christ Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Again, let us pray. Father above, as we prepare to partake of this fruit of the vine, the blood of our Lord, that spilled from our Savior’s side.

May we know it to be that which cleanses us, washes us clean, makes those who were dirty and defiled before, renewed. And gives them a pathway unto obedience and faith.

For though it was a horrible thing that it needed to happen, we’re thankful that it did, forgives us new life.

May this blood be a continual reminder of what it is that we have to look forward to.

Amen.

At this time we’ll sing number three hundred and seventy-eight. Solid rock three hundred and seventy-eight.

My hope is filled upon the less than Jesus and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but holy Jesus, on Christmas sand, all other ground is sinking sand when darkness barrel is lovely face.

So for me, love me blood when all around my soul gives away say on Christ of the Solid Sanding Sand All he shall come with sound. Oh may I then be my dress in his right snaps of low lessons for Christmas sandwich round sinking sand. Those of you who are visitors at this congregation here in South Columbia, um we of course thank you for being here and we only ask that you would uh complete a visitor card, hopefully it’s sitting in front of you in the view, and if you would uh just fill that out and uh put it in the collection box or the correct uh contribution box in the back is behind those doors, we would be very thankful. Um, and as uh it was asked before, stay after and let us get to know you a little bit.

But uh, for those of you who are of this congregation, we have an obligation to the Lord, there is always a need for the Lord’s work to be done. There will be a need for that till the end of the year, and of course, this was being made be understood to those who uh were in scripture for us to see their reactions and patterns whenever it came down to those things that were to be done. 2 Corinthians 8 1 through 5 is one of those passages where we can read about the Macedonian congregation and their eagerness, even when it came down to the fact that they didn’t have a lot, they were begging and leaping at the chance to be able to further the Lord’s work elsewhere and give relief to those who had need of it because the Lord’s work is important, not because there’s any brownie points for doing so, or because uh, you know, it looks good for them as a congregation in Macedonia, but it’s because it’s the Lord’s business.

As we can look to uh Christ when he was yay high or yay old, as we can see, and and he was about his father’s business in the synagogue, he was serious about his father’s work, and his purpose was to do for him. It’s a thing of great importance, and though they themselves did not have much, what they gave wasn’t even so much something tangible, though they gave something tangible, and we know that that relief is taken, but it was their hearts in the matter. That’s really what the Lord was given in all that. We give of our means, we give of what we’ve purposed, we’ve given of ourselves whenever we have given unto the Lord, whether it be funds or tax or time or otherwise.

And so those who have to give tangibly or those who have to give spiritually, you must understand that you know it is not for a preacher or any congregation to say, Ushers shut the doors, lock them up. Uh, everyone needs to sow a seed of ten thousand dollars before we leave here this morning. That’s insanity. But what is sane, what is biblical and what is right is everyone, if you have to give, and if you have seen the blessings of the Lord in your life, and if you understand what the Lord would have for us to do is the same as what he would have someone else to do in Africa, or someone else to do in Somalia, or anywhere else, or just right here in the US of A, where there isn’t always a congregation doing well, very well here and there.

Well, that’s where our funds and um you know extracurricular time and and and other things go towards, and that’s from the heart when we get, and so the Lord He desires us to be cheerful in our work and in our giving for the work elsewhere. There is no other reason for something to be taken up but that, and to be considered relief for the needy saints, and for those who uh would uh see to it that the work of the church continues, and that’s really all of us. So, as we have pattern to give on the first day of the week, notably uh 1 Corinthians chapter 16, may we of this congregation also give of our means from the heart, not ten thousand dollars, but uh maybe a couple mites, or maybe a couple mites of our time, hopefully more time in scripture, hopefully more time in each other’s lives, considering each other, thinking of one another, praying for one another.

That’s what we have to give, all of us. None of us is destitute in that capacity, because God has given us that ability. So let us use our talents and use our good and whatever it is that the Lord might benefit. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we thank thee and acknowledge thee for everything that you have done for us. You’ve sent your son, but you didn’t stop there. You continue to bless us by thy providence, in various measures you have given to each and every single one of us that which we have in order that we might glorify thee. And whether it be uh being able to give unto the collection this morning, or whether it be that we uh give unto someone in the community, regardless, Lord, we have to give because you have given to us first, because you’ve loved us first, prayers.

And may we not grudgingly give our lives unto thee or manner of fun or manner of time. May it be that we think on thee in the time that you spend, and the love that you put into every beating of our hearts, and every laying down of our bodies to sleep and the rise in the morning. We thank you, Lord, for all that you do, and all that you are unto us. And may it be, Lord, that those who have the give, give so, uh, and that being in a manner that is pleasing in thy sight, not with a grudging heart, but reciprocating the love that you have given unto us. And this I pray in Christ Jesus’ name. Amen. For the final scripture reading this morning, I’ll be reading from 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 5 through 11.

2 Peter 1, 5 through 11. For this very reason, make every effort to add your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection, and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in a creasing measure, then will you they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Brother Sean, for doing a wonderful job leading us, leading us in those songs. And thank you to all of you who are here this morning to worship God. Good morning to you. It’s so good to see you this morning. I want to invite you to go ahead and get your Bible out, please, and go into your New Testament to the book of 2 Corinthians. To 2 Corinthians chapter 11. We’re going to be reading some verses from there a few minutes from now. So go ahead and just park yourself there. We’ll read some verses from 2 Corinthians 11 in a few minutes. Hitting the wall. Have you ever heard that expression before? If you are a runner, you’ve heard that expression before, right? If you are a runner, you know exactly what that means.

You know that hitting the wall is something that every runner fears.

Intense fatigue. He burns out. He mentally wears out. He feels that his legs or his back or his hip or his calves or his feet or experiencing too much pain to keep going. That is essentially what it means to hit the wall. As a runner, and there are many different things that can cause that. The question, though, is can that happen to us? Can that happen to me? Can that happen to you? Can that happen to Christians or disciples of Jesus Christ as we run and compete in this spiritual journey to heaven? Can we hit a wall? Can we suffer fatigue and burnout? Can we fail to make it to the spiritual finish line? I submit to you that we can. We can as Christians. We can hit the spiritual wall.

In fact, how many times have you seen that happen before? How many times have you seen that happen to Christians before? How many times have you seen it happen even to Christians who have been part of this church before? I mean, think about it. For those of you here who’ve been part of this church for a very long time, I want you to think about some Christians who were one time part of this church, but they quit running.

Can you see those people in your mind right now? Can you see their faces? Can you see where they had one time sat in this building? Do you remember the various things they they did in this church? Do you remember some of the comments they made in Bible classes? Do you remember how at one time they were on fire and they were zealous and they were excited about the Lord? Do you see those people in your mind right now? What happened to them? Why did they quit? Well, why did they stop running the spiritual race? Why does any Christian stop running the spiritual race? I want to suggest that, like that, like any race going on in the world today, the reason why some Christians stop running in the spiritual race to heaven is because they lack what Peter is talking about in the scripture reading we had earlier.

They lack perseverance. They lack perseverance. That word perseverance that Peter uses there in 2 Peter 1 and verse 6 is a word that means endurance. It means setfastness and patience. It means that no matter what obstacles come our way, we are not going to quit. We’re not going to stop running. We’re not going to give up. We’re not going to drop out and throw in the spiritual towel instead we’re going to keep going. We’re going to keep moving. We’re going to press on. We’re going to make sure that we cross that finish line. That’s what that word perseverance means in the context of 2 Peter 1 in verse 6. And as we as a church family continue talking about our theme of being transformed this year, and as we continue going through this list of spiritual qualities that Peter talks about here in 2 Peter chapter 1, for a few minutes this morning, I want to dig into that more.

1. Being a Christian Isn’t Always Easy; We Get Discouraged

For a few minutes this morning, I want us to study and consider some more of what Peter has to say about this. I want us to understand why Peter says here that perseverance is an important part of the spiritual transformation process. And one reason why, one reason why perseverance is so important in this process of spiritual transformation. It’s because, number one, being a Christian isn’t always easy. Being a Christian isn’t always easy. Now, it’s easy today, right? Oh, yes, we need to be honest about that. It’s easy to be a to be a Christian today on the first day of the week as we gather in this place. I mean, as we gather in this nice church building on Sunday morning, there are no real challenges to us being Christians.

There are no real obstacles to being a Christian right now in this place. I mean, just look around. We’re all together, and we believe the same stuff. We believe the same things. We believe the same things about God. We believe the same things about Jesus. We believe the same things about the Bible, and the Bible being the inspired word of God. We believe the same things about worship. I mean, we’re here worshiping God together for the last hour. We’ve been singing spiritual songs. And we ate the Lord’s Supper together, and we’re giving together, and we’re praying together, and we’re encouraging each other as a spiritual family right now on this day in this place, being a Christian is easy. It’s a breeze. It’s painless. It’s full of joy and smiles and hugs and sunshine and celebration.

It is easy being a Christian today, but you and I both know that every day is not like today. Every day is not like the first day of the week. Every day is not like Sunday. Every day we’re not around people who believe the same things we believe. And they love us. And they care about us. And they want to encourage us and help us go to heaven. Every day is not like this day. Some days we’re outnumbered. Some days we’re outnumbered by the world. Some days being a Christian isn’t easy because we’re being persecuted by the world. Some days we got people on our jobs or in our school or on our sports team or even in our family who call us all kinds of ugly names.

Some of them call us hateful bigots. Some of them call us too old-fashioned and outdated and primitive and behind with the times with the way that we think. Being a Christian isn’t easy on some days because we’re being persecuted by the world, and it also isn’t easy because some days we’re feeling pain.

Some of us got pain in our bodies. Some of us have some pain that makes it hard to do anything. Some of you got some pain that’s so severe that it’s hard to eat, it’s hard to sleep, it’s hard to move, it’s hard to just sit in a pew for a couple of hours. For some Christians, being a for some Christians, being a Christian isn’t easy because they’re feeling all kind of pain in their bodies, and then for some of us, we feel pain brought to us by people. People bring us pain. Children who leave the Lord, prodigal children. That brings us pain. Having a spouse who’s not a Christian. And that Christian, that Christian has to deal with a spouse constantly mocking their faith and blaspheming Jesus.

That brings pain. And then don’t forget about the pain brought by some brethren. Brethren who, in some cases, they’re just plain mean. And they’re rude and they say hurtful things and they hit us with friendly fire, and they don’t display the kind of love that we can read about in the Bible. Being a Christian isn’t always easy, it’s because we face persecution. And we gotta deal with pain in this life. And let’s not forget to talk about the struggles we have against temptation. And let’s not forget to mention the devil. And how the devil is real. And he is alive and he hates us, and his influence is everywhere we go. It’s on television, it’s on YouTube, it’s on Netflix, it’s on Hulu and Disney Plus, it’s wherever we decide to go on vacation.

It’s on our jobs, it’s at the gym, it’s at the ball games. In some cases, his influence is even among people in our family. There are many other things we could put on the slide, but you get the point. The point is, it’s not always being, it’s not always easy being a Christian. It’s not always easy following the way, the truth, and the life. It’s not easy being a Christian in 2025, but it’s not just 2025. It wasn’t easy 2,000 years ago in the time of the Apostle Paul. Are you there in 2 Corinthians chapter 11? Listen to what the apostle Paul says, starting with verse number 23, as the apostle Paul here is talking about his enemies, those who wanted to discredit him as a legitimate apostle.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and in verse number 23, he says this about his enemies. Are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane. I’m more so. And far more labors and far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes, three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have spent in the deep.

Through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst, often without food and cold and exposure apart from such external things. There is daily, daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. I want you to really think about what Paul is saying there. I want you to really let these verses soak themselves, immerse themselves in your heart. After reading those verses, do you get the impression that Paul, the great apostle Paul, lived an easy life as a Christian? Do you get the impression that every single day practicing Christianity for the Apostle Paul? I mean, it was full of roses and sunshine, and Paul never had any problems as a Christian. Do you get that impression when you read those verses? Because I don’t. I don’t get that impression.

And Stan, when I read what Paul has to say here, I see that Paul has some hard days as a Christian. He had some challenging days. He had some days when the persecution was intense and the suffering was severe, and he could have easily lost heart. Being a Christian wasn’t always easy for the Apostle Paul. And it’s not always going to be easy for us. And if we don’t have the quality, the spiritual quality of perseverance, you know what’s going to happen? We’re going to quit. We’re going to drop out. We’re going to throw in the spiritual tile and we’re going to fail to cross the spiritual finish line. We need perseverance because being a Christian isn’t always easy. In fact, one of the things that makes it difficult at times is we often get discouraged.

We need perseverance because we get discouraged. I mean, let me just ask you do you ever get discouraged? You ever get discouraged? You ever been discouraged as a as a Christian? If so, what caused you to be discouraged? Was it because you you fell back into some sin? Was it because you caved into some temptation or some temptations? Was it because you got frustrated by all the sinful things you see being promoted in the world right now? You got frustrated by the widespread acceptance of the LGBTQ movement. You got frustrated because so many people on your job dress in modestly. Or you got a lot of people in your job who curse all the time, or you got a lot of people on your job who gossip or constantly talk about how they’re gonna go to the bar this weekend and they’re gonna spend all day Saturday drinking.

Maybe you got frustrated with your evangelism efforts. Maybe you find yourself frustrated by the fact that the people you’re trying to reach with the gospel, the people you love and you’re trying to help go to heaven, they won’t give you the time of day. They won’t accept your invitation to come here and worship God. They won’t talk with you about Jesus. They won’t give you 30 minutes to sit down and study the Bible with them. You show them a simple passage like Mark 16 and verse 16, where Jesus says he will believe and is baptized will be saved. And they don’t care what that verse, they’re going to continue believing what they want to believe and doing what they want to do. People we love who reject the gospel.

That can be discouraging. But let’s not fail to mention some of the brethren again.

Let’s not fail to mention how sometimes, and many of you know this. Sometimes, some of the most discouraging people we meet in our lives are not people outside of the family of God, but instead they’re people inside the family of God. We can read about that in the Bible. We can read about that with people like Demas. And people like Diotrophys and Ananias and Sapphira, and don’t forget about Judas. There’s so many different things that can discourage us. As we run this spiritual race, and if we don’t have perseverance as Christians, you know what’s going to happen? We’re going to quit. We’re going to drop out. We’re going to fail to reach the spiritual finish line. We need perseverance because being a Christian isn’t always easy.

2. This Race Is Long: A Marathon, Not a Sprint

And there are times when we get discouraged in this life. And then thirdly, we need perseverance because this journey we’re on, this race we’re running, it’s long. It’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. It’s a journey for some Christians that can that can go on for decades and decades and decades and decades. Many of you know firsthand exactly what I’m talking about, right? Many of the folks in this room, good Christian folks. And you remember when you first obeyed the gospel, right? You remember that day when you did what Yarish did a few days ago, what Amaya did a few days ago. You remember when you did that. You remember when you were immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins. And when you came up out of that water, you had so many people who were happy for you, and they’re waiting to hug you and welcome you to the family of God, and you were excited.

You were passionate. You were full of zeal and enthusiasm about your decision. But eventually, what happened? Eventually, that newness wore off. Eventually, that new car, that new spiritual car smell wore off. Ten years went by. Then 20 years went by. Then 30, 40, 50, maybe 60 years went by. And you’ve been a Christian a long time, and along the way, you’ve seen a lot, haven’t you? You’ve seen a lot of good and you’ve seen a lot of bad. You’ve seen a lot of people obey the gospel and become Christians, and you’ve also seen a lot of people who flat out rejected the gospel. You’ve seen a lot of people grow and thrive in the kingdom of God. And they became preachers and deacons and elders and elders’ wives and preachers’ wives and great song leaders and Bible class teachers.

And you’ve also seen a lot of people leave the Lord. And they’ve left the family of God and they needed to be spiritually disciplined. You’ve seen changing times. You’ve seen more and more people in our culture and society begin calling evil things good and good things evil. Many of you in this room, you’ve been through a lot as a Christian. You’ve been through a lot, you’ve seen a lot. You’ve been through many years of pain and tears and trials and moments of discouragement. And yet, look at where you are this morning. You’re here. You’re still serving Jesus. You still love your brethren. You’re still worshiping the Lord. You’re still running the spiritual race that you began so long ago. You can testify firsthand that perseverance is needed in the spiritual race, not just because being a Christian isn’t always easy.

And because we get discouraged at times, but also because that journey is long. It’s a long journey for many Christians. Now, these are just three of many reasons why we need what Peter’s talking about. These are just three of many reasons why we need perseverance and why that is necessary in the spiritual transformation process. But now we need to get to an even more important question, and that is how do we get this? We know it’s important. We know we need it. We know it should be a part of our lives, but how do we get this? How do we get this perseverance that Peter is talking about? Well, I’m going to suggest to you a few practical things that we got to do. We’re going to get the kind of perseverance the Bible says we need as transformed people.

3. We Get Perseverance by Suffering

The first thing we got to do, the first way we get perseverance as Christians is according to the Bible, we get it by suffering. You read that right. We get perseverance by suffering. I know that because the Bible says so. Go in your Bible, please to James chapter one. Look at how James begins this wonderful epistle here. Here’s James is writing to Christians. He was being persecuted for their faith at this time. They’re scattered all over the place. They’re suffering for the cause of the gospel. And James says this in James chapter 1 and verse 1. James, bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes who are dispersed. They’re scattered all over the place because of persecution. They’re dispersed abroad.

He sends a greeting. Now look at verse number 2. This is radical here in our minds. Consider it all joy. Consider it joy. My brethren, when you what? Encounter various trials. There’s joy and going through trials. Why? Verse 3. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, perseverance, endurance, and that endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect. The word perfect here is being used to talk about reach a full level of spiritual maturity. Full level of spiritual maturity, transformation, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. You see what James is saying there.

While they can be painful, while they can hurt and wear us out and wear us down and be an uphill battle for us, the Bible says trials can also bless us. They can help us. They can grow us spiritually and help us develop perseverance or endurance or patience. That’s what James is saying there. And brothers and sisters, we need to remember that. We need to remember that. We need to remember this when we start suffering in our lives. When we start suffering in our lives, we need to remember that those periods of suffering are opportunities. They’re actually opportunities. There are opportunities to grow. There are opportunities to stretch. There are opportunities to grow in perseverance and refine and solidify and pass the test of faith. There are opportunities to turn to God more and to read our Bibles more and trust in the Bible more and pray more and push ourselves to still come here and worship God, even on those days when we don’t feel like getting out of bed.

There are opportunities.

I know you’re trying to use this moment to destroy my faith, but I choose not to let you.

4. Being Inspired by Those Who’ve Already Finished the Race

Suffering helps us grow if we endure it. And if we persevere, but not only do we gain perseverance by suffering, secondly, another way we do it is by being inspired by those who’ve already finished the race. Being inspired by those who’ve already finished the race. The Hebrew writer talks about this in Hebrews the 12th chapter. In Hebrews the 12th chapter, and in verse number one. In Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1. The Hebrew writer says this. Hebrews 12 and verse 1. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Now notice how this verse begins by talking about the great cloud of witnesses.

Who is that? Who is this great cloud of witnesses surrounding us? All the people mentioned in the previous chapter. Abraham, Moses, David, Noah, Sarah, Rahab, Jacob, Joseph, all these people. All these people included in what we so commonly call the hall of faith, which, and I’ve told you before, and I’ll say it again.

Never been a fan of that language. I know we like to call it that at times. I know commentaries call it that. But when you’re a sports guy like me, you don’t like that language. Because if you’re a sports guy like me, a sports fanatic, you’ve been to sports hall of fame before. And I’ve been to many. Been to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Been to the basketball hall of fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. And I don’t walk into, I didn’t walk into any of those Hall of Fames going, whoa, look at that. Michael Jordan. I could be like him one day. No, I can’t. Especially now in 42. No, I can’t. I can’t. There’s a reason why you and I are not in there.

You can’t be Michael Jordan. You can’t be LeBron James. You can’t be Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor. When you walk into a sports hall of fame, the message is not, hey, you can be like these guys. Instead, the message is these guys are elite. They have elite athletic ability. They are the best of the best of the best. That’s the message of a sports hall of fame. That’s not the message of Hebrews 11. The message of Hebrews 11 is not, hey, you can’t be like those people because those are super disciples. No, the message of Hebrews 11 is you can be like those people. You can be like those ordinary people who, despite making a ton of mistakes in their lives, they trusted God, they had faith, they persevered, and they completed the spiritual race.

5. Leave Behind What Weighs Us Down

Hebrews 11 is not giving us a list of super Christians or super disciples or super followers of God. Instead, that list is there to inspire us. It’s to let us know that we can do it. These people are rooting for us to get it done. We can be just like them. They’re there to help us get perseverance. We get perseverance by suffering. And by being inspired by those who’ve already completed the race before us. We can be just like them. But then thirdly, another thing we got to do to get perseverance is we got to leave behind what weighs us down. And every runner knows about that, don’t you? Can’t have waiters on you. You can’t have things holding you back when you’re running. You got to leave behind what’s going to weigh you down.

The Hebrew writer talks about that. Remember going back to Hebrews 12. Look at verse 1 again. Look at verse 1. Therefore, after giving us this list of all these people, these ordinary people had great faith in God and completed the race. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, this is what we need to do. Let us lay aside every encumbrance. Some translations say every weight and the sin. There it is. The sin which so easily entangles us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, verse 2, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There it is. When it comes to running this spiritual race we’re running right now, the Bible says we gotta leave behind what’s weighing us down. What’s weighing us down? The Hebrew writer says sin weighs us down. We gotta leave behind the sin. We gotta stop dabbling in sin, flirting with sin, justifying our sins, sitting on Saturday night with our friends, but then trying to show up on Sunday morning and pretend like we’re great Christians. Hebrew writer says you gotta stop that. We gotta stop that nonsense if we’re involved in that.

It will trip us up, it will eat our spiritual energy and focus. We gotta lay aside sin. Because sin weighs us down, and then we need to focus on Jesus. We got to focus on Jesus. We got to fix our eyes on Jesus. Why do we got to fix our eyes on Jesus? Well, because Jesus had exactly what we’re trying to get. Jesus had perseverance. Jesus had perseverance at the highest level. He endured trials and problems in life. He endured hatred. He endured hostility. He endured moments of discouragement and betrayal and disappointment. He endured the cross and accomplished the will of God. Jesus persevered at the highest level. And as disciples, our goal should be to be like him, as Wayne said this morning. We want to be like Jesus.

6. Stay Focused on the Prize

We want to be motivated by the life of Jesus. In fact, throughout the Bible, Jesus promises to help us. He hasn’t left us alone. He promises to help us as we run this spiritual race. He’s promised to be with us even to the end of the world. He’s promised to never abandon us nor forsake us. He’s promised to never give up on us as long as we choose not to ever give up on Him. We get perseverance by leaving behind. What weighs us down, and that’s sin. And then another thing we got to do to get perseverance, we’ve got to stay focused. Stay focused, not just on our Lord Jesus, but also on the prize that we’re going to get the finish line. And the Bible talks about that.

Bible talks about it. Let me show you some verses, please. Look in your Bible, please at Philippians chapter 3. Look at Philippians chapter 3. And Philippians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul, as he pins this from a Roman jail cell. He’s in prison at this time because it is of his faith. And yet notice his optimism. In Philippians chapter 3, verse 12. The apostle Paul says, not that I’ve already obtained it or have already become perfect. The word perfect there again is not talking about sinless perfection. It’s talking about reaching a level of spiritual, full, spiritual maturity. Paul, an apostle, a man who saw the risen Savior. He says, I haven’t reached that yet. I got room to grow. He says, but I press on, so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. But one thing I do, notice that word one. One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul says, I’m not going to stop because I’m focused on the prize. The prize.

You know what it is, it’s heaven. Paul trying to get to heaven. Full salvation. This is echoed in 2 Corinthians, please. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. And 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17. And 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17, Paul says, for a momentary light affliction. So remember all that stuff he told us in chapter 11, all that bad stuff he went through. Notice what he calls it here. Momentary light affliction. Are you kidding me? Light affliction. That’s how he viewed it. Why? He says, for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory, far beyond all comparison, while we look not at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal.

That’s why it’s just momentary light affliction. He’s focused on the prize. He’s focused not on what he can see, but what he can’t see, being with God in the next life. That’s what’s keeping him going. He makes it very clear in 2 Timothy chapter 4, please. And 2 Timothy chapter 4, as Paul gets ready to close his contribution to the New Testament. And 2 Timothy 4, 2 Timothy is the last epistle that Paul pinned. Very soon he’s about to be executed by the government for his faith. And he says in 2 Timothy chapter 4, and in verse number 6, verse 6, for I’m already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course.

I have kept the faith in the future. There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day, not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearance. Paul says it over and over again. Paul wants us to know that the thing that helped him endure and persevere and keep going was the reward waiting for him at the finish line. It was heaven.

It was being able to live with God forever. The prize at the end of the race. Hell, Paul persevere, and brothers and sisters, it should also be the same for me and you. When we get tired, when we start hurting, when we get discouraged, and we’re weary of battling the devil, and we don’t feel like we can go any further, we need to pause, take a deep breath, and remind ourselves of these verses. We need to remind ourselves of what’s waiting for us at the finish line. Being with God forever. That’s what’s waiting for us if we finish this race strong. We get perseverance by staying focused on the prize. And one of the things that can help us do that is prayer. We gotta pray.

Let me show you that in one more place in your Bible before we close. Look at Luke the 18th chapter. Because in Luke 18, Jesus tells a well-known parable. And it says this in Luke 18 and verse 1. In Luke 18 and verse 1. Now he was telling them a parable to show them that at all times they ought to pray and not lose heart. That’s the key verse right there. This is a key verse because it sets up context. Everything Jesus is about to go on and talk about is about that. It’s about prayer. It’s about not losing heart as you face trials in life. That’s what this parable he’s about to tell is about. Verse 1 is critical. He says, In a certain city, there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.

There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, Give me legal protection for my opponent. For a while he was unwilling. But afterward he said to himself, Even though I do not fear God, this is a bad guy here. He didn’t fear God, nor respect man. Yet, because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection. Otherwise, by continually coming, she will wear me out. And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge said. Now will not God, now will not God bring about justice for his elect who cry to him day and night, and will he delay long over them? I tell you that he will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

This is a misunderstood parable, a lot of folks today. A lot of folks just totally misrepresent what this parable is about. And so, what is it about? What is Jesus talking about in this parable of the unrighteous judge, or as some people call it the parable of the grumpy judge? Well, before I tell you what it is about, let me first tell you what it is not about. This parable is not here to suggest that we need to be persistent in prayer for selfish reasons. It is not saying that we need to be persistent in prayer so we can just wear God out and anoint him and force him to give us what we want. That is not what this prayer is about. Instead, this parable is to here to offer a contrast.

This parable about prayer is here to offer a contrast. It is a how much more parable. If this person did this, how much more will that person do that? That’s what this parable is. It is here to help us understand that if this bad judge here, if this bad guy will listen to and bless this widow, how much more will God, who is a loving father, do the same for us. How much more will God act in our best interest and our time and in his way and according to his will when we pray? This parable, my dear friends, it’s about prayer and endurance. It ties them both together. It is about understanding that one of the keys to endurance is prayer according to Jesus. While we have to suffer at times in this life.

While we got to go through trials, while we got to go through hardships, while we got to face all kinds of injustices and wait on the Lord to do something about that stuff while we wait, we need to pray. We need to pray and have faith that God is good. And He’s listening. We need to pray and hold on to God’s unchanging hand. We need to pray and get the spiritual energy we need from that tool to keep going. This parable is about prayer, praying and developing endurance from that. We got to get endurance. We got to finish this race no matter what, because the consequences for failing to finish this race, they’re too great. You see, if we don’t persevere and make it across that finish line, we’re not going to get a consolation prize.

We’re not going to get a consolation trophy. We’re not going to get some roof for a ribbon for just participating in the race for a while. No, if we don’t finish this race, we’re going to lose everything. We’re going to lose our souls. We’re gonna fail to be with God forever.

Conclusion

And so, as we get ready to go into our invitation, I have to just ask you. Are you doing that? Are you persevering? Are you persevering in the cause of the gospel? Have you even begun that process? If not, you can begin that process today. Today you can do it. You can do it by obeying the gospel, by believing in Jesus. Repenting of your sins, confessing them as Lord and being baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins. And if you’ve done those things in the past, maybe you’ve dropped out of the race. You can get back in it. You can start running with the Lord again. If you repent, and maybe you need us to pray with you and pray for you. Is there anyone here this morning who needs to respond to the Lord’s invitation so that you can persevere, finish this race, and gain the crown of life?

We can help you with that. You come to the front as we stand and we sing.

Once again, we’re glad that you are out today, especially to our members, but also to our visitors. We’re glad that you’ve taken time out from your schedule. If you’re here on vacation or if you live in the community, come and worship to come and worship with us. If you will stick around after services for a little bit and give us a chance to get to know you. Some uh of our members that have a special interest in our prayers. Uh Connie Schof is having cataract surgery tomorrow. Be praying for her. Also, uh, Brother Jimmy DeYoung. D Young is now at home, and treatment plans for his cancer are uh still being planned, so stay tuned for more information about that. As we’ve been announcing, uh, our brother Jim Duke’s brother Steve passed away after a battle with cancer.

Uh, we do not have funeral arrangements for him just yet, so stay tuned for information about that. Our sister Evelyn Roberts was in the hospital earlier this week, uh, but is at home now. I don’t think she made it out today, but uh check in on her and be praying for her recovery. Um we have been informed that there will not be a funeral service here for Brother Hugh Barry. His desire was to be cremated and his ashes taken to Bardwell, Kentucky, for a private family service and burial in their family plot. But we did get word from uh his son Todd that uh he left a message um for the the congregation here at South Bumby. He just left a note and the family found that after Hugh’s passing.

And the message reads uh letter to be read to the South Bumbi Church of Christ upon my death. You have been my wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ for many years. Now that I have departed for the house of the Lord forever, I wish to give you a final thanks for your love and encouragement and my time with you here on earth. You are special people. Be faithful to the Lord Jesus, so I will have a happy reunion with you. I am now with the faithful who have gone on before in love, Hugh Barry. Also, as I announced at the beginning of the service, uh our sister Eula D. Bose passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. Our deepest sympathy to John, Stephen, and their families as they mourn the loss of their mother.

Jeremiah folks has a new address that is on the bulletin board. If you’d like to send Tim a card, he has settled in in Houston, Texas as an air traffic controller, and uh is worshiping with the Kleinwood congregation there in Houston, where uh somebody familiar with this congregation, Brother David Banning preaches, and one of my old um college uh dorm mates uh also preaches, uh brother Jeff Wilson. So um glad that he’s there and worshiping with those Christians. This afternoon there’s a three o’clock class, uh 21st century Christians class. The topic today is the God that uh where are you, JR, has been removed or is being removed from our schools. Uh you get the gist of the of the class. Um it’s a study about um God in our school system and uh what we can do as Christians in that regard.

Are there any other announcements that need to be made? Group number three is going to be meeting uh immediately following services. So let’s all be standing for our closing song, and group number three can be dismissed, and then um is Eric Pointer here, yeah. Brother Eric Pointer will come and lead our closing prayer after that, uh, one verse of the closing song. Number 463. Hi, Mr. Wilkinson Friends and Shawn comes on being all changing man who God is unchanging manner.

Please pray with me. Dear Lord, we come before you at this hour, humbling ourselves before you in prayer, thanking you for the opportunity we’ve had to come together this morning with those of like faith to worship you, to sing praises to your name, and to be edified by each other. We want to thank you for your son and sending your son to this earth that through his life, through his sacrifice, that we have the opportunity to be able to worship you, to be able to have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with you.

We’ve had to do that today.

And as we leave, we ask that you watch over us, watch over those who are unable to be here with us this morning. We will be with them.

And the world around us, dear Lord, we ask that as we approach everyone, that we lead with love. We follow the example that’s been given to us.

Watch over us. Help protect us. Help guide us. And when we feel ourselves hitting that wall, dear Lord, let us lean on you. Let us lean on each other in everything that we do. In your son’s name we pray. And amen.