It's Another Half-Mile or So (Pastor Aaron Trelfa, 07/08/23)

I hope you had a good week.

I hope you enjoyed the fourth.

If you made anything explode, I hope you were safe.

We had so much going on in our neighborhood

all the way up to, I don't know, even 1 a.m. or so.

It sounded, it was rather loud.

My dog was not happy.

We weren't happy past about 10 o'clock.

That's kind of where it should end,

but I am grateful.

I thank God that we live in a country

where we can enjoy freedoms

such as the one that we're exercising right now,

where we can gather as a people who believe in a God

who loves us, and that the Saturday morning Sabbath

is when he has asked us in a special way

to come together and worship him, to recognize him.

I encourage you that while we have these freedoms,

while we are blessed with them,

exercise them.

It's a good thing to do, and I am thankful

that we are blessed to live in this country.

Not perfect, I praise God for it anyways.

We are going to look at and consider

two of my favorite topics today.

We are going to consider hiking and backpacking,

and Philippians.

Philippians is quite possibly my favorite

of the New Testament texts.

There are many reasons for that.

I like the focus on joy.

As Christians, we should be a people of joy.

We should be recognized by others

that we have a reason for joy.

We don't walk around with our heads hung low,

full of mournful, somber appearances

as if we don't have a reason to celebrate in Jesus.

Some Christians act like it's a sin

to be excited about salvation and grace

and the love of God.

Philippians makes it clear that you should have a joy

in being a Christian, a joy in that relationship,

and what it means to have a saving relationship with Jesus.

Philippians, in addition to that,

speaks very much of the movement

that God takes his people through, I guess if you will.

There's not a lot of warning,

there's not a lot of symbolism,

it's not quite like Ephesians where it's really heavy

and in long sentences that are deeply theological.

Just so you know, don't miss out on Sabbath school.

Ephesians is going to be great.

This morning's class looked at the predestination topic

that's in Ephesians chapter one,

that it's biblical but how do we understand it?

I like Philippians because it's bright.

Paul gets to celebrate in what it is that that church,

what he recognizes in them,

that they are an answered prayer of his.

It's just a really enjoyable text.

So we're going to look at hiking and Philippians,

and if you'll indulge me in one more brief prayer,

we'll dive in.

Heavenly Father, we thank you again

for this beautiful Sabbath.

We thank you for your inspired word

and now as we turn our attention to it,

we pray, we ask and we claim the promise

of the presence of your Holy Spirit.

As we deal with spiritual things,

we know we need spiritual discernment

above and beyond our natural abilities.

And so we ask for that right now.

May we find you this morning, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

I like to tell stories about my family.

My favorite stories are about my brothers,

especially when they're not here to defend themselves.

My second favorite type of stories

are ones that involve the whole family as a whole.

For too many years in our adult life,

we've been in separate locations,

kind of spread out by eight hours or 12 hours

or 16 to 20, somewhere, I think 20,

somewhere in there was the farthest we were spread out.

It's nice to have everybody, most of us closer together

and then with my younger brother moving in, all the more.

There's just one we still have to convince.

One of the stories that involves my family,

and by that I mean my parents and Chris and myself

and I think one, no, it was just us then I think, just us.

My boys were off with Heather somewhere

and I thought that this was a good opportunity

to take them for a hike.

I like Fort Mountain State Park, just Heather was with us.

Oh, so everyone was with us, okay.

All right, this is in real time, I'm getting fact checked.

Everyone was there, which makes this even better.

I like Fort Mountain.

I think it's a nice little state park,

just south of here, outside of Chatsworth.

It's got a little lake.

It's got some really nice hiking trails.

That's where I had my second encounter with a bear

and it was much closer about from me to Kevin

right here in the front.

And it was a big burly one, it was just bathing in a creek

and I took a picture of it before I moved on.

But one of the times that I went out alone,

I encountered the bear but then I also went out

and there was this old fire tower.

If you've ever been at Fort Mountain,

there's this old fire tower kind of up a hill

and around and here.

If you go up the hill and kind of around,

you get on some of the edge of the cliffs

and you can look down over the valley and it's beautiful.

You have this kind of sweeping view over the valley below.

Well, when I was alone, I could just move at my own pace.

And so I was hiking like my own pace,

which means I'm in business and I got there,

really didn't know how long it took me to get there

but it felt like 15 minutes.

That's what it felt like.

So then I finished the rest of my hike

and that took much longer but all I cared about

for this story is the 15 minutes that it felt like

getting out to the outlook, the overlook.

So then when I invited everybody else to go

on a Sabbath afternoon, it's gonna be beautiful weather.

Y'all need to see this overlook.

It's only a 15 minute hike.

That's all it is.

We can do it.

It's not even that hard.

It's fairly smooth, maybe a slight uphill grade

but it's 15 minutes.

Anyone can do a slight uphill for 15 minutes.

That's what I thought, that's what I said, let's go.

So we get out there, we get parked,

we get ready and we go and 15 minutes passes

and we weren't there.

I don't even know if we were halfway.

And I said no, no, no, I promise it's only 15 minutes.

Maybe 15 minutes more but it's only 15 minutes.

And so we kept hiking and we stood on rocks

and we explored with insects and leaves

and things that you do when you've got family

and kids and so on.

And so we finally get out there

and it had definitely taken longer

than the 15 minutes I had promised

even though that was my mantra the whole way.

It's only a 15 minute hike out there and it's worth it.

Well, it was worth it.

It was a beautiful view but it definitely took longer

than 15 minutes.

And that's something like another motto or mantra

that's used more in backpacking or longer hauls.

And that's the title of our sermon today.

It's another half mile or so.

It's another half mile or so.

Now why would you say something like that?

Why would that become a common mantra in backpacking?

Well, it helps do a few things.

One in particular is if you're going with youth

or pathfinders, that's the answer to are we there yet?

Because it's not only asked on car rides,

it's also are we there yet?

How much farther?

Oh, this backpack is so heavy, et cetera, et cetera.

So you can kind of help the kids

and you just like a broken record, it's another half mile.

It's another half mile.

Well, it does especially three things.

This mantra, it's another half mile or so.

One, it keeps the focus on the destination.

It's another half mile or so.

If you've ever done a long hike or a long backpack

or a multi-day backpack trip,

you can get into your head,

I've already walked 12 miles, how much farther?

I've already climbed so much elevation

and crossed so many creeks and I've lost my watch

and I found it and I have a leak.

You have so many things that can distract you

and you can get caught up in what was,

but it's another half mile or so

keeps you focused on the destination.

That's where I'm going.

Number two, another half mile or so

maintains a sense of urgency and imminent arrival.

If the mantra were, it's another 20 miles or so,

what does that do to morale?

What does that do to the already lead feeling

you get in your legs?

What does that do to the 20 pounds that are on your back?

Doesn't that make 20 feel like 30 or 40?

What's special about a half mile?

Well, most people can envision a half mile.

If you've seen like a field and track track,

that's two laps, roughly two laps.

You can do a half mile.

A mile all of a sudden sounds daunting.

Oh no, that's what kids do to pass PE class.

Not a mile, that's too long, but a half mile, we like that.

That's not a whole, that's a partial.

I can do a half mile.

Even if I'm walking slow, what's a half mile?

That's not bad.

So it makes it feel like you're already almost there.

But it also adds a sense of urgency.

Well, because the urgency means if I'm that close,

well, you get that second wind.

I can push through that last half mile

and I can get there when I want to get there.

Now you do not wanna ask my advice

on how to arrive at your destination on time

because I'm notoriously late, notoriously,

especially when it comes to backpacking

or really most other things.

But it's another half mile or so

lets you know that you're almost there

and it can help you get that second wind

or third wind or fifth wind or whatever,

whatever the case may be.

And then third, finally, it's another half mile or so

helps reduce fatigue and doubt.

When you're doing your long hikes

and when you're making your travels to your destination,

you pass the way marks along the road or along the trail.

You see the little blazes that they nail onto trees

or you see the sign posts that tell you

I'm going to this highway intersection or this campground.

And that lets you know I'm on the right path.

It helps reduce the doubt.

It helps reduce the fatigue

because I can carry this load for another half mile.

That's fine.

It also, if you're in a group,

helps renew trust in the leader

because when the leader says it's another half mile or so,

the rest of the group goes okay.

They know what they're talking about.

They've read the map or they've been here before.

They know where we're going and here's our length.

It's interesting that it never actually reduces trust

even though you repeat the mantra for 12 miles.

It's funny, it never works out that way.

It always seems to help that trust and help the motivation

and help move it along.

It works the same way for the Christian.

We have our own mantra, something like this,

but for today I'd like to use it's another half mile or so.

And we're going to find it in Philippians,

in chapter three, starting with what Kevin read earlier.

I like hearing the paper's turn,

although I don't hold it against you

if your thumb is swiping.

Once we get to Philippians, chapter three, are we ready?

Leading up to this, Paul gives kind of an account

of his history, what he was,

a Hebrew of Hebrews, zealous, a Pharisee, et cetera.

But then he encountered Jesus and he says in verse eight,

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth

of knowing Christ as a God.

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth

of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

You see, he's first saying I had human metrics

and then I met Jesus and all those human metrics

mean nothing once you've met the Lord.

That's awesome.

Remember that, folks.

Then he goes on to say what he's hoping for

as a result of meeting Jesus.

Seven, because of the power of Jesus' resurrection,

he says that by any means possible,

I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

By knowing Jesus, you have a hope that's victorious

over the greatest threat that the devil has for you.

The devil can threaten torture

and the devil can threaten loss

and the devil can threaten job promotions that never come

and he can threaten family, stress and tension

and infighting and all of that.

He can threaten that.

The greatest threat though is death

because humans have not conquered that.

We've kind of extended what used to be the median age

into a little bit longer.

We have ways of keeping people alive

even if they're not living.

You know what I mean by that, but we haven't stopped death.

Death and taxes, right?

We haven't stopped death.

So with that being the greatest threat that the devil has

to say I know Jesus and because he conquered death,

I have a hope and a resurrection to life.

That means I have a hope and a victory

over the greatest threat the devil has.

Wouldn't that be nice to attain?

Wouldn't that be great to hold onto?

And now we get into the heart of this,

our another half mile or so

because he recognizes in verse 12, Paul writes this,

not that I have already obtained this,

that is victory over death and eternal life.

He hasn't obtained it yet.

Have we obtained it yet?

No.

Does this resonate with us then?

Not that I've obtained it or am already perfect.

He even acknowledges he's got room to grow,

this pillar of faith, apostle of apostles if you will.

Paul says he's not perfect.

I think we can speak like Paul.

You're in great company if you still

find yourself imperfect today.

It should resonate with us.

Not that I've already obtained this

or am already perfect,

but I press on to make it my own

because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

I haven't attained it yet.

I haven't achieved that victory.

I'm not even perfect yet,

but it's another half mile or so.

I press on

because he's made me his.

Not because I can achieve it,

not because just by my own efforts,

not because I'm pulling up by my bootstraps

and it's pure meritocracy

or all the different words that we can put into that.

It's not because of what we can do.

I want it.

I want it for my own.

I'm going to strive towards it,

lean into it, labor for it

because he's made me his.

My friends, if Jesus hasn't made you his yet,

you don't even have the power to lean into it.

But Paul is recognizing

that there's another half mile or so to go.

And he's focused on our first point in verse 13.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own,

but one thing I do,

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward to what lies ahead.

Our first point for it's another half mile or so

is that it keeps the focus on the destination.

Paul had great things in his past.

Multiple PhDs, a good upbringing,

Roman citizenship, a high position in the church.

He was, I guess, loved.

He was loved by his churches

and he struggled with the acceptance

by the higher ups in the Jewish Christian church

at Jerusalem, but he had many things that he could claim.

He could even say that he's come far.

He was a murderer.

He could say that with tears in his eyes,

I killed those whom were Jesus'.

I killed them.

And even if I wasn't the one that pulled the knife,

I gave them to the people who did.

But I'm not there anymore.

He could have even said that.

But what does he do in this verse?

He keeps his focus on the destination.

Where is he going?

I forget what lies behind

and I press on forward towards the goal.

That goal we're getting to in a moment.

But that's our first, he's picking up.

It's another half mile or so.

It's not about all the mileage that we've done behind.

Where's our destination?

Where's our destination?

Where are we headed, my friends?

Well, Paul is already saying that he's headed towards eternal life,

the resurrection from the dead.

He's headed towards Jesus who has claimed him as his.

That's where he's going.

Where's your destination?

Where are you going today?

Are you going towards promotion and in a business?

And the rest kind of we wonder about.

Are you going towards, got to keep my family together,

no matter what, at all costs, etc.

That's a good thing, keep your family together.

But is that your final destination?

Is your final destination, I'm going to live forever and as long as I can

and I'm going to take all of the medication I can

and I'm going to cheat death and I'm going to run and hide from it.

And I'm going to be so focused that I forget to be with other people

or enjoy life at the risk of hurting myself.

There are people like this.

They're so focused on their health that they don't actually take time

to enjoy the health they have and go and do things.

Where's your destination?

Is your destination on growing the Ringgold Church numerically at all costs?

Do we just really care about getting people in the pews?

That's a good thing.

Is that the final destination?

Are we as a church here at Ringgold only focused on making sure that we have

the best events and people are well entertained and they go off with a high of excitement

and they talk about their mountain top experience whenever they've walked in through these doors.

Do we want that as our final destination? Are we an event-oriented church?

Do we want to plant a church?

Do we want... where are we going?

Where are we going as a church? Where are you going?

This church, the people here have a past and we've come from a past.

Everybody does. Everyone's got a background. Everyone's got a history.

Ringgold Church is no exception.

And you want to remember it.

But in light of the destination, what's more important?

Where are we going as a church, my friends?

We're going to heaven.

We can put people in the pews, but if they aren't meeting Jesus, that's the wrong destination.

We can have events, but if those events aren't leading people to Jesus, it's the wrong destination.

We can have events, but if the events are nice and the people hate each other that are putting the events together,

that's the wrong destination.

The destination is heaven, my friends.

The destination is Jesus, my friends.

It is our focus on Jesus.

I say we're not there yet. We are not yet perfect nor have we attained all that we want to attain.

It's another half mile or so.

Keep the focus on the destination.

Pick up what Paul says.

One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, not that that's our focus.

And we strain forward to what lies ahead.

It maintains a sense of urgency and imminent arrival for the church to keep this mantra.

Why? Because if we are keeping our focus on Jesus and we're keeping our focus on the destination, on heaven and the eternal reward,

how does the New Testament help encourage that sense of urgency and imminent arrival?

You have this tension between wait and be ready in the New Testament.

Very common theme. Wait and be ready. You don't know the hour, but it's coming like tomorrow.

If I were to summarize it, that would be the message in the New Testament.

When we as a church are looking forward to our destination, we don't want to get into the trap that it's so far off

we don't really have to be excited about it or excite others about it or think that it could happen very swiftly and very soon.

That's a dangerous thing.

That's often a reaction to too many men and women in the Adventist church even that have put dates on things.

And then the dates come and go and everyone's disappointed. We've heard of disappointments in our church.

And so then the reaction to that is to put it too far into the future and we lose the urgency and the imminence of it.

It's another half mile or so would be good for us to remember because one, Jesus could come soon.

We are told that those final moments are going to be how quick?

Rapid. What's rapid? Fast, like Usain Bolt's fast.

Rapid means we could be shocked and surprised at the rapidity of it.

That means you need to be ready.

A half mile or so, if you are focused on your destination, can take no time.

It can feel like it just skips by and you go, Oh, my goodness, I've already arrived at my campsite.

Let me set things up.

It can.

And that can happen with the return of Jesus if we don't keep that sense of urgency and its imminent return.

He is coming to take us home.

He will return to finish out the work that is left without the bow on it here on Earth.

We need that bow tied.

We need the saints in heaven and we need Satan locked up.

And then we need the final destruction.

We need all of that.

And we need to keep in mind that it can happen much sooner.

Than we can imagine.

It shocked me just to just for to go in recent history, contemporary history.

It shocked me in 2020 just how fast the world shut down and sent everyone home.

I thought in my own considerations, I thought that it that it might get to that point, probably would slow down in the U.S.

because we're stubborn and obstinate people for that kind of thing.

It blew my mind how fast it went from one country going into lockdown to all of the U.S. going into lockdown.

My head spun at the speed of it all and how coordinated it was.

When the Bible talks about coordinated efforts that span the globe to enforce worship,

to get people into something that's something like the Bible but a little different when we've got deceptions and so on,

it'll make your head spin how quick it is if we are not prepared today for Jesus' return.

You don't want to be that thief where he comes as a thief and caught unawares.

You need to be ready for it, my friends.

Jesus is coming and we need to be ready.

Number three, it helps reduce the fatigue and doubt and it helps renew trust in the leader

when we as Christians consider it's a half mile or so.

Paul says in verse 14, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Those of us who are mature think this way and if in anything you think otherwise,

God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

When you press on, when you lean into, when you are running the marathon or you keep this mantra in front of you,

you're going to get weighed down.

It comes with being human. It comes with our physicality, our mortality.

It comes with the sinful nature. We bear burdens. We have stresses. We get impatient.

We think it should be done our way or in our timing or why has God chosen to move in my life in this direction

instead of that direction. And you get fatigued.

You don't have to raise your hand, but have we ever experienced spiritual fatigue?

Have we ever gone through a valley where, boy, you just don't have any motivation to pick up the Bible?

Going to church, you go because that's your ritual, not because you want to come and meet God.

We go through this. We go through emotional and psychological and physical fatigue just dealing with each other.

Is that true? It is.

I'm sure someone has gotten tired of interacting with me and I'm sure I've gotten tired of interacting with others.

It comes with being humans. We are that way. What's our goal? Heaven.

How many of us want to see all of us there?

That's why it's another half mile or so helps you not consider the fatigue of what we go through in this life and put up with each other.

It keeps us focused on where we're going.

And what do we want to see and who do we want to see when we get there?

We talk about, you know, Jesus says, take my yoke upon you for my burden is light. Right?

He doesn't say because your burden will go away.

Your burden is light with Jesus. There's still a burden.

That burden is lighter and you can make it and the fatigue is lessened when your focus is on Him and the destination you're going towards.

And finally, the last bit for this, when you reduce your fatigue, when you reduce the doubt,

when you can look around our society and your own personal experiences through the lens of scripture and go, we're passing a way mark.

It's another half mile or so. This seems like it rings true out of Thessalonians or Peter or Revelation.

It's another half mile or so. We're getting closer and closer.

It builds trust, doesn't it? It builds trust in the Word of God and the Word of God leads you to He who gives the Word.

He who is the Word. See, when I'm talking about it helps renew trust in the leader for the pathfinders, for the other groups that are on the trail.

That's the adult leaders. That's those people that are going forward.

I don't want you to misconstrue what I mean in thinking that I'm putting myself here.

It's not about y'all thinking that this leader is who you need to be putting your trust in.

Not in this sense. Not in eternity. Not in what this means for our destination.

It's another half mile or so puts your trust in the capital L leader. Jesus Christ.

It all comes from Him. Our Sabbath School lesson drew that out really nicely this week. I'm sure they're going to build on it.

It's all about a Christ-centered plan of salvation. A Christ-centered means of getting to our destination.

A Christ-centered way of being empowered for the work He's called us to do. Everything is Christ-centered.

He's the leader. He's the head of the body. He's the great shepherd. He's the healer. He is all in all in our lives.

He's the leader that as we pass along these marks and we keep our eyes on the destination, we know who's leading us there.

So when it's another half mile or so, you are holding on to what you have attained. That's what Paul ends with.

What have you attained? Well, for him, it was knowing Christ. That was that first comment.

He had everything in the past. Then he knew Christ. Everything built off of knowing Christ.

And then what has he attained? I have attained knowing Christ. I have attained knowing Christ.

If you've ever read Ellen White's first vision, you will have read something special.

She was given this vision in 1847. She was a teenager. She was asked to present it publicly, which she kind of pulled away from.

She didn't like that idea, but she did. It's a beautiful account.

We're going to read just a little bit out of the first section of it because it pertains to this.

Quote, While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world.

I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them. When a voice said to me, Look again and look a little higher.

At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path cast up high above the world.

On this path, the Advent people were traveling to the city, the destination, which was at the farther end of the path.

They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry.

This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble.

If they kept their eyes on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe.

Which means you'd expect a warning after they were safe. She goes on.

But soon some grew weary and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before.

There are so many things that weary us in our Christian journey.

There are so many reasons why we might think the city is still too far off.

Continuing, then Jesus would encourage them by raising his glorious right arm and from his arm came a light which waved over the Advent band and they shouted, Hallelujah!

Others rashly denied the light behind them and said that it was not God that had led them out so far.

The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below.

It's not that the Advent people on the path grossly profaned the name of Jesus.

It's not that they took up the call of the Satanist.

They didn't get into witchcraft and wiccan beliefs.

They didn't go chasing after the Superman, what they can do in and of themselves. What did they do?

They became weary of the journey, said that the city was too far off and not attainable, and they took their eyes off of the destination and the leader.

Are we as a people too often distracted by the horizontal around us that we forget to keep our eyes on the vertical?

Are we as a people, do we see ourselves in this first vision from the 1840s?

Are we on the path going to the city? Yes. Yes we are.

Is there a bright light that shines behind us illuminating the path in front of us? Yes.

Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a light unto my path, and a lamp unto my feet.

I think I might switch that up, I do that.

We have a word, we have a calling, we have a mission as a people.

Is Jesus leading us there? Yes.

How often do we take our eyes off of the destination and the leader?

And get so distracted with the burdens, with the people, with the stresses, with what other denominations are doing,

or what people inside of our own church are doing in far flung parts of our country or the world,

that we take our eyes off of Jesus and the destination He's leading us to?

I want to encourage you, personally, individually, and as a corporate body here at Ringgold,

it's another half mile or so. You're going to get there.

Don't stop, don't give up, and especially don't keep your, get your focus off of Jesus and the destination.

You have accomplished many wonderful things.

You have a good history, a great growth opportunity, there is a solid foundation here, and you are all fine folk.

But if you get too caught up in all of that, that you take your eyes off of Him,

she tells us what happens to those Advent people. I'll leave it with her words.

I want to encourage you, it's another half mile or so.

Jesus is coming. Keep your focus on where you're going, victory over sin, victory over death and heaven.

It's another half mile or so. Maintain your sense of urgency and the imminent arrival of Jesus Christ.

And it's another half mile or so. Don't be so burdened by your own fatigue and doubt that you lose your trust in your leader.

It's another half mile or so. You can make it while you follow Him, while you lean on Him, while you keep repeating.

It's another half mile or so. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your encouraging words.

We thank you for the unfailing leadership of Jesus. We thank you for your grace, for your mercies.

We thank you for the faith of Jesus that sustains us and carries us forward.

Or we are so grateful that as we stumble along this path, as we trip and fall, you don't immediately abandon us,

but you reach out your arm to lift us again, and then you lift your arm to lead us forward.

Or we know you look upon us in favor, and I pray that that would be very true today.

May we as a people continue to look to you as our Savior and as our Lord.

May we as a people commit ourselves to pressing forward toward that upward calling, that final prize that you have promised us.

May we as a people be found faithful today, tomorrow, and forever as we expectantly wait your soon return.

Or we thank you for hearing our prayers, and we thank you for your love, and we thank you especially for Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

We all pray, we all ask these things, and we all say in Jesus name, Amen.