Godly Pursuits & Godly Motivations (1 TImothy 6:11-16)

Well, it's good to be back with you again.

Last week I was out on vacation, but it was

good to be back with you this morning. If you

have your Bible, so if you turn with me to

First Timothy, chapter six this morning, and we are going

to begin in just a few moments.

There you ever lost anything. We've all lost.

Things, right, There's not one of us in this room

has not lost something at some point in our lives.

Have you ever lost something that was valuable? Maybe some money?

Just before we ask for a vacation, I had a

little card that was like a gift card, and we

had some money saved on it, and I was gonna

take it and we're going to use on our vacation,

and we were just about to leave the next day,

going to fly out the next day, and so of

course I wanted to make sure I got that card

to take it with us to use while we're on vacation.

And I can find it, and I remember, you know,

having used it.

We were saving it just for that, and i'd put

it away a few weeks ago, maybe a month or

so ago, and I cannot remember where I put it,

and I remember starting I went to the first place

I thought I put it, and it wasn't there. And

I remember sitting there thinking, oh, no, Jonathan, what have

you done. You probably had this great idea, I'll put

it in a place that I remember you ever said that. Nevertheless,

when you went to go to the place that you

thought you would never forget, you can't find it. And

I remember, just in that moment, just for because I

knew we were just going to leave it not very

long from then, that I kind of said, in a

little way, if you ever felt this way, a little

bit of a panic, like, oh my goodness, what is what?

What have I done with this? And then I found it,

rest assured it was okay. It was where I thought

I would never forget it.

It was in the wallet you a surprise, surprise, and

so I found it.

But can you imagine losing one point eight million dollars.

There's a man named Terry Thompson. Terry Thompson lost one

point eight million dollars.

You know, he lost.

It sports betting. Over two year period he started sports betting,

and over a two year period he left. He lost

one point eight million dollars. Here's the thing that's so

terrible about this story is he was using draft Kings, Fanduels,

all the things that you see on TV that looks

so glamorous, all seek to take destroy. The thing about

Terry is over that two year period of time, he

lost it in many of these apps that have a

representative who will reach out to you and help kind

of continue to pull you back in. And so at

Christmas he had lost one point over two years, I

lost one point eight million dollars. Can you imagine a

panic that he was in, and so over Christmas he

reached out to the representative and said, hey, I need

a break.

I can't do this any longer. Took a break for Christmas.

In January, FanDuel reached out to him.

I think it was FanDuel was Fandel or draft Kings,

one of the two reached out to him.

With guess what a surprise?

A gift tickets to the Super Bowl and exclusive hotel packages.

And within the next month he was back in it.

You know, you look at that story, you think about

someone and you think about the panic I had him

out losing a little gift card. He lost one point

eight million dollars. But a month later he runs back

to the very thing that's taken so much from me, you.

Would think in that what what would what would motivate

him after losing so much? What would motivate him to

go back to the very thing that took so much

from him? What motivated a love.

For riches, materials, the chance to go to a super Bowl,

the chance of a onesome time of life, time experience

into this luxury place, a hotel, whatever it may be.

You see, as we begin this morning, I think it's

important for us to remember as a story like Terry's,

because Terry's an example of someone who had such a

love of money, a love of rich a love of materials,

and it led to his own destruction. Paul is in

the backdrop of this story. He's reminding us that these

false teachers have this same love of money and material

and riches that Terry did, and it also led to

their destruction.

And he wants us.

To have that in our minds as we come to

this passage. This is what the love of money does.

It destroys, it tears apart, it takes from you. And

so he wants us to be reminded of the destruction

that the false teachers and Terry and others have fallen

into by loving things. And then he calls us to

pursue something else, not to pursue the love of money,

but to pursue other things. And we are to have

different motives this morning to talk about my sermon is

godly pursued and godly motives. You know, there's things that

as believers, as godly men and women of God, we

should pursue. And there's things that should motivate us. That

is the subject of discermon this morning. This is the

subject of Paul's writing into Timothy. What should we as

believers pursue and what should be our motives. Let's stand together,

Let's read God's word together, and let's see what Paul

in God's Word tells us that we should pursue and

what should be our motivation. But listen to this, the

Bible says the First Timothy, chapter six, starting verse eleven.

But as for you, old man of God, flee these things.

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, stepfastness, gentleness, fight the good

fight of faith.

Take old, take hold of eternal life.

To which you were called and about which you made

the good confession, and the presence of many witnesses.

I charge you in.

The presence of God who gives life to all things

into Christ, Jesus, who, in his testimony before conscious pitence,

made a good confession to keep the commandment unstaining them

free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus,

which he will display at the proper time. He who

is the blessed and only sovereign King of Kings and

Lord of Lord, who alone has immortality, who dwells an

approachable light whom no one has ever seen or can

see to him, be honor an eternal dominion. Amen, let's

pray together, Father, Lord. Today, may we pursue you.

Lord.

Today, may our hearts Lord seek you, want you more

than anything of this world. So Lord, as we open

up your word, Lord, we ask Lord for your spirit

to fill this place and feel our hearts, to feel

our minds. And Lord, that you would Lord draw us

to you this morning. And as Lord we draw near

to you, Lord, may you draw near to us.

God, may you use this message to speak to us. Lord.

May we leave this place change. Lord, not by my words,

but by your word.

Lord.

I ask Lord for your power, ask for your Lord,

your spirit. I ask Lord for your clarity of speech, Lord,

that you would give Lord, not my words, but yours, Lord,

the words that you want your people to hear today.

And Lord, I pray that you anoint your message your word. Today. Lord,

we love you.

We thank you, Lord that you've allowed us to gather

together to worship you. And Lord, may we pursue Lord,

what you call us to pursue today, your name, we

pray a man, and you may be see it. So

what should believers pursue? What should be our motivation?

First?

Believers must flee from.

A love of riches.

As I gave you that story as a backdrop, that is,

as I said, the backdrop of this passage.

He's just reminded, as as Devin.

Went through last week, and as I went through the

week before, just the love of money, And how's the

root of all evils, Paul would say in the previous verse,

and how it leads to destruction.

We saw that, and.

So he's reminding them of that. And he now tells

Timothy what he is to pursue throughout this passage of scripture.

We have seen throughout I mean this book or this

letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, we seem all do

this where he explains what the false teachers teach, and

then he tells Timothy what he's to teach. He explains

how the false teachers live, and then he tells Timothy

how he's to live. Here he's explained what the false teachers,

what they pursue, and now he tells Timothy what he's

to pursue. He's done this throughout the entire letter. He

begins this passage. I think it's beautiful. It's something that

we may not see often. He begins, but ask for you,

So there's that imagery. This is what they pursue. But

as for you, Timothy, you should pursue different things. He

calls Timothy in his passage, which is remarkable. He calls

him an old man of God. This term is used

in the Old Testament a few times.

It's actually use of Moses.

David has also used as Samuel all men who were

perceived in scripture as men of outstanding devotion to God,

men who really were devoted to God and seek salt God.

And he tells Timothy. He calls Timothy, you're a man

of God. Timothy, You're devoted to the Lord. And so

therefore Timoth, you should therefore pursue other things. And so

the first thing he describes to him, He tells this

profound man of God, or devoted God, a man who's

devoted to God.

He instructs him. He uses, I think throughout these.

Few verses where we five imperatives. Imperatives are commands, and

so he gives it the first command. Here, old man

of God, listen to this. Flee these things. What are

these things? These are the love of riches, the love

of money, love material.

He tells Timothy.

As for you, they may pursue money, and it may

lead to their destruction. But for you, Timothy, old man

of God, you must flee these things.

The word flee there is.

The idea of running away, escaping to flee something.

It's it's the.

Idea of there's there's a crisis, there's an emergency, and

you're running from the crisis.

Right. I think of we were.

On vacation and we went to Disney and there there's

different restaurants and you sit outside it and because of that,

all these birds come up and they'll be right at

the table as you're eating. Well, there's one lady, a

little bird came up and she was standing on top

of the table. She thought there was danger the bird

was dangerous that she was fleeing from that. That's the

idea of you see something dangerous and you flee from it.

It's also the same term.

If you remember in the the story in the Old Tessama,

there is a man named Joseph, and Joseph has sinned

as a servant in Potterfar's house, right, and there was

a woman who the potter's wife came to Joseph and

and asked Joseph to sleep with her. You remember that,

And then that story of the Bible says what Joseph

did want He fled. He saw that what if I

have adultery with this woman, right, It's going to lead

to my destruction.

And so therefore what did he do.

He fled it because it was it would lead to

it would destroy him, It would lead to his destruction.

So he fled.

I think it's interesting, as I was studying for this passage,

and I think we commonly understand that when we think

about sexual sins, that those are dangerous sins, those sins.

Could destroy us.

But Paul uses the same idea here, for the love

of money, for the love of riches, for love of materials.

He says, these things will destroy you.

And just as you would flee from immorality or of

sexual sins, you should also have the same desire to

flee from the love of money, to run from it,

to not pursue it. You know that we just saw

in the passage just before in verse nine. But those

who desire to be rich falententation to a snare to

many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people.

Into ruin and destruction. The love of money, the love.

Of riches, leads to destruction, and we should run from it.

We should flee from it. We shouldn't pursue it.

I noticed over the last few weeks that I not

watch a lot of YouTube, but recently started watching a

little bit of YouTube because I think I've told you before,

I've gotten in tennis and I've been watching tennis instruction videos.

And one thing I've noticed about watching things on YouTube,

YouTube starts to realize what I like, and once I

start watching one thing, starts populating other videos of things

that I like. Like I'm trying to learn about a serve,

a tennis serve, and so next thing.

You know, the videos that will pop up well, what.

Tennis serves, see it sees it listen. YouTube recognizes what

I'm pursuing. I wonder today, what would your YouTube? What

would the things that would reflect in your life? What

would it show that you pursued. Does it reflect that

you are pursuing God or does it reflect that you're

pursuing something else riches you know, there's a there's a

there's a passage in scripture. I think we can really

determine what we pursue. The passage is Matthew six twenty

one says, where your treasure is, there your heart.

Will be also.

You know, it's a good indicator of what you and

I are pursuing. Is not only what only is what

we're seeing and what we're watching, but also what we're

how we spend our money. Look where your treasure is,

where's your treasure is, there's your heart is? What your

treasure is, what you love? I heard a story this

week of a couple they love Disney. They love Disney

so much they bought a camper and they live the

tire twelve months out of the year on Disney property

in the campground. They spend fifty to seventy thousand dollars

a year living on Disney property.

You know what?

You know what that tells me where their treasure is.

Their heart is right, they truly love Disney. I wonder

what if you would examine your bank account, what would

reveal as the YouTube videos and shorts reveal, What would

reveal about what you love? When you get up in

the morning and you seek something, do you seek or

do you pursue things of this world?

Or do you begin your morning by pursuing God? Do

you spend more time.

On Amazon than you do reading your Bible? Or do

you or you pursue something before you even read your Bible?

Something I've gotten in the habit of just Lord. I'm

not gonna do anything before I first read your word.

I'm gonna watch a YouTube video. I'm not gonna look

at something or.

Watch the show. I want to pursue you first. Paul

tells us that we should want flee, flee from love

of riches. Can I just encourage you, believers?

God's word tells us if we want to be godly,

if we won't be men and women of God, we

must flee from the love of money. We must flee

from the love of riches. We must flee from the

love of material things. Secondly, here Paul instructs and only

to be actively fleeing from the love of riches, but believers.

Must pursue what he does.

This thing in this passage where he tells us to

flee is something that was used in Greek literature at

the time. You would flee something, but you pursue something else.

You flee first, what the love of money, material riches,

and you pursue something else?

What is that you pursue? Godly virtues? Listen to this.

Paul uses.

Many six different things he lists are virtues that we pursue.

He does this throughout all of his writings.

There's many lists of different virtues.

Here there's six, sometimes there's five, sometimes there's three, sometimes

there's four, a triad as most many times use faith, hope,

and love. Here Paul doesn't use hope, he uses faith

and love. But he's got are the things here. Listen

look at the ones that he lists pursue. Listen, flee this,

pursue something else. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, step, fastness, gentleness.

Righteousness here is in reference to moral behavior. Is having

a life that's morally upright that's in accordance with godliness.

The next thing is godliness.

Godliness is reference to one's whole life, a whole life

that is faithfully lived out, faithfully lives out God's word.

We pursue righteousness and upright behavior. We through godliness a

life that is faithfully living out God's word. Faith this

actively believing God's word. Do you actively pursue faith and saying, God,

what is your word teaching me?

And how am I to live it? D is love.

Love is not only a love for God, but a

love for others. Sacrificially loving others, caring for others. Steph

Fastness is This is the idea of determination or perseverance,

preserving through trials, tribulations in the midst of fate, that says, Lord,

I'm going to endure even when things are tough, even

when things are hard. Gentleness is another virtue here generally

speaks of caring for others in a way that leads

them to repentance. Who in your life is a virtue

that you pursued trying to be gentle with to lead

them to the Lord. You know, there's all kinds of

things that we pursue in our life I just described

to you. Tennis is one thing that recently I've gotten

back into. I played in high school and kind of

throughout the years, kind of up and down the years

at playing, but I've gotten back into it now. And

so it's been a while five years since I played,

so there's a little rusty and so I've been working

on that. And as I've mentioned a minute ago, I

want to get one of the things that I.

Want to work on is my serve.

There's all kinds of different things a tennis and not

to give you a tennis sermon to day, but there's

different strokes. There's a kickserve, there's a slice serve, there's

a flat serve. There's a top spin forehand, a slice forehand,

there's a backhand. There's all kinds of different things, and

so there's different elements that you want to work on.

And recently I really want to work on my kick surf,

and so I've been pursuing getting better and working on that.

And it's interesting that for the last few weeks I've

been working on that.

And we all have different things.

You not may be working on tennis, but you may

be working on a recipe that you're just trying to

perfect that maybe was a parent or grandparents. There may

be something that you're just really working on a home

project in your house that you've really been working on,

or you may be working on a project at work,

or you really may be working on a skill to

improve in your work. You maybe working on a skill

in school and really want to improve in that.

All different things we pursue.

But think about this, spiritually speaking, what virtues are you pursuing?

Over this list of six that.

Paul's given us, which of these six are you actively pursuing?

What is a weakness for me to kick service of

weakness in my ten this game that I want to approve.

Which of these six is for you spiritually is a weakness?

And when of the last week, the last month, the

last six months have you.

Pursued improving in this virtue.

Oh, we'll work on our serves, we work on the recipes,

we'll work on the home projects, we'll work on a

lot of things. Many times we don't work on the

virtues where we're weak. Paul says, listen, don't pursue the

worldly things.

Flee from a love of money.

Instead, pursue godliness, righteousness, love, stepfastness, faith. I courage you

this morning. Pursue godly virtue what you see. Third here

this morning, Paul says, and only he tells Timothy, a

man of God, flee from these things, but pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,

steph askness, gentleness. Then it gives him a next imperative.

Listen to this fight, the good fight of faith, take

hold of eternal life. To what you were called about,

what you made the good confession in the presence of

many witnesses.

He tells him.

Third thing, fight, So you are to flee, right, you

are to pursue, and then third you were to fight.

This idea of fight. He's using a metaphor here, and

the English translators use the term fight. When we think

of fight, we think of warfare or battle, right, But

the actually the metaphor that Paul's using is athletic metaphor.

It's more an idea of running a race. It's finishing

the race. Keep running the race. If you think about fight,

you may think of like a wrestling match. Right, keep

wrestling till the end of the match, to the to

the victory of the right. That that's the imagery is

athletic imagery. Right, keep playing the game until the game

is finished, right until the whistle blows. It's the idea

of continuing in the that, whatever the game that might be,

until the game is complete.

And Paul's town believers to what fight the good fight

of what faith?

He says, he's that athletic metaphor that in the game

that we're in is the game of our faith. And

Paul is saying here that when you put yourself, when

you you put your faith in Jesus Christ.

Is the word saver.

That that was the beginning of the game. There's the

beginning of the race. That was the starting line. And

Paul wants you and I to continue what in the faith,

continue in the battle, continue in the game until it

is finished. So every day he tells us to fight

to keep and and then he tells us not only

that every day we are to fight for our faith,

but listen, he gives another reason of another imperative. Look

at the imagery there fight the good fight of faith.

Listen to this take hold of eternal life to which

you're called, in which you've made a good confession in

the presence of many witnesses. He says, not to fight

the faith, fight the good fight you keep every day

you to fight for your faith. But every day you

to fight for your faith. Why because one day you're

going to take hold of the prize. Now many of

you know that I run and something else I've done

in the past. And one of the things, probably the

longest race I evere in was a half marathon, so

it's thirteen miles.

A few years ago I ran one in Hollywood.

Springs and it's probably my second half marathon i'd ran.

And I've been training. You trained for months to get

ready for a race like that. It's over two hours

of running side trained, and I've been doing this for

months probably you probably trained for three to four month

months on average. So I've been training. And I went

to the race and I was all ready, and I

started the race and I got in. I was about

about ten miles in and it was all road, which

is what I normally run, is just sidewalks and roads,

and so about mile ten though, it changed and it

was all off terrain.

It was all like through the woods and stuff. And

my body wasn't used to that.

I wasn't used to running trails, and so about a

mile in we are run one mile trails and my

legs were gone.

I mean they were done and I could breathe. It

was okay, but my legs were so just they were

so exhausted. But I kept running.

Why I mean I was tired, I was done because

there was a prize at the end. I kept laboring,

Why did I do three months of training? Why do

I finish the race that day? Why did I run

for over two hours? The reason why it was because

there was a prize at the end. You don't you see,

you don't get the metal at the end of the

race unless you finish the race. And Paul is saying, here, listen,

every day, listen, you and I should fight the good

fight of faith. It doesn't just you know, I think

there's this misconception by believers that are by many people

of a lot of ev agelicals that I just make

a decision for Christ at one point in my life

and I don't have to do anything else.

It's just a one time decision, and that's it. Paul says.

Every day you and I are pursuing something, and what

we should pursue is we should pursue godly of your

virtues and what we know should pursue these things.

But every day we should fight for our faith. We

should strive. And some days that's good right. Some days

it's easy.

Sometimes it's a nice cool breeze, it's a nice morning job.

There's not a lot of adversity, but a lot of

times it's hard. A lot of times it's hard ground.

A lot of times circumstances come in, cancer comes in,

disease comes in.

Or lost people.

We lose people we love where relationship struggles come when

we lose our job. And in the midst of that, listen,

it's hard to run the race, it's hard to keep

fighting the good fight. But Paul says we should keep fighting.

Why because there's a prize coming at the end. And

what is the prize that he wants to listen to

the imagery there take hold of what at the end.

One day we are to fight to the end, because

one day we're going to take hold of eternal life.

That's the prize, and he wants you and I to

keep fighting. I'm asking you today, where are you in

your fight? I wonder some of you today. Maybe you're

going through a tough time, a tough storm, a tribulation

Pretchrid Jerry used to say, you're either in a storm,

coming out of storm, or about to go in a storm.

And right now, maybe right now, you're just the Lord.

I don't know if it's worth living for you. I

don't know this Christianity is really worth it. I don't

know if this faith is really worth it. Listen, the

Lord tells you today, keep fighting, keep running, run till

you finish, run, take hold of the prize of eternal life.

I want you to see as Paul ends this passage,

it's just a beautiful passage.

He really gives you.

And I listen the motivations of why. What should motivate

us to flee from the things of the world. What

should motivate us to pursue godly virtues? And what should

motivate us to fight every day to fight for faith,

to pursue godliness, righteousness, faith, love.

Steph fastness, gentleness. What should motivate us to do this?

And I love this because he really does two things here.

He wants us to look back and he wants us

to look forward. So let's look at it together. Listen

what he says. But as for you, let's go to

verse two twelve. Fight the good fight of faith. Take

hold of eternal life, to which you were cold and

about which you made the good confession in the presence

of many witnesses. Believers must be motivated by God's past

grace in Christ's future return. That's our fourth point. The

first part of looking back is what should motivate us.

We should remember your past commitment. You know what Paul tells, Timothy, Timothy,

But as for you men of God, you need to

flee these things. As for you men of God, you

need to pursue something else. And what do you need

to pursue. You need to pursue godly virtues. As for you,

man of God, you need to fight. Fight for faith, Timothy.

It's not just how you started, it's how you finish, finish.

Until you gain eternal life. And why, Timothy, why should

motivate you? Why should you con keep doing it?

Timothy? I want you to go back, and I want

you to look back. Timothy.

You remember when you could first confess Jesus as your

Lord savior. He listened to the imagery there. Look at

the words that Paul uses in which you were called,

about which you may the good confession and.

The presence of many witnesses.

Timothy, you remember when you first confessed Christ as your

lord savior? Timothy, what motivates you should be a look back?

And you remember when you first confessed Jesus as a

ward and savior, when you.

First came to Christ. How you committed on that day?

Lord I met today.

I'm a sinner, Ord, I believe that you came and

lived and died on across from my sins and God,

I confess you. I confess you as my Lord and

my savior. Or today would you forgive me save me?

Or I give you my what my life? And you

confess that in your heart? And you stood before the

church and you confessed it before what many witnesses? You

followed that confession with? What a baptism? That was a

outward profession of an inward reality of what Jesus has

done in your life. Timothy, you made a promise to God.

You committed to him. What should motivate you in the

future to flee the things of the world, to pursue

godly virtues and to fight to good fight as the

promise you made to God, the promise you made to

the Lord. The Lord, I give you my heart.

I give you my life. Lord, I want to live

for you.

I wonder today you remember where you were when you

first received Jesus Christ, your Lord Savior. You remember what

place you were at, where you were at when you

first felt the Lord spoke to your heart, when you

first committed Jesus. I want you on my relationship with you.

I need your forgiveness. Lord, I give you my life.

You know that commitment listens should never fade. That commitment

still today should be what motivates you to keep living

for the Lord every day. Every day we should look

back and say, Lord, I made a promise to you,

and I'm going to keep it. I love this passage

because Paul does something here. He reminds Timothy of Christ's confession.

Listen to this, he says, in this, I charge you

in verse thirteen and the presence.

Of God, who gives life in all things.

Christ Jesus, who is a testimony before conscious pilot made

the good confession.

He reminds Timothy that I charge you to do this.

I charge you to do this in the midst of

the presence of God in Christ. Jesus. Can I tell you.

He's reminding Timothy Timothy, you have witnesses. You confess before

many witnesses that you are going to give your life

to Lord. But you have new witnesses now who are

watching what you promised. And who is those witnesses? God

in Christ Jesus. I charge you in the presence of

God in Christ Jesus. But in the description of Christ Jesus,

he describes Christ here who in his testimony before ponscious

Piot made a good confession. You remember that part of

the story and the gospels, Jesus has brought before a

mob bride. And then the Pharisees took Jesus and brought

him for a ponscious Pilot to have Pilot have him

executed crucified. And there before Pilot asked him if he

was Lord, And what did Jesus do?

He confessed.

You see for Jesus and all he went through, all

kinds of trials and tribulations in those last twenty four hours,

right the beating the garden against semity, Lord, take if

this is your will, take this cup from me standing

being beaten before the Sanhedrin, now before the Roman centurion.

And the greatest pressure that he'd ever felt is in

those last twenty four hours and listening now's moments. What

did Jesus hold on too? He held on to his confession,

and he's telling Timothy Timothy, there's gonna be times in

your life that you're gonna fa great pressure to compromise

your confession. What should hold you to the to hold

you faithful, to continue to fight, to pursue is your

good confession, just as Christ held on to his Timothy,

every day, hold on to your commitment to Christ. We

should remember our past commitment. But second we should look back,

and that should be our motivation our past commitment. We

look forward anticipation of Christ's return. This is the passage

and charge you in the presence of God, who gives

life to all things in Christ, Jesus, who gives the

testimony for a conscious pilot, made a good confession to

keep the commandment unstained, free from reproach, and the appearing

of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at

the proper time, who is blessed and only sovereign, the

King of kings and the Lord of lords. He tells

Timothy Timothy, Timothy, I want you to keep these commands

I've given you, and I want you to keep them

until Jesus returns.

I want you to hold on to him, Timothy, you

hold onto the word of God.

You remain faithful to the Lord, and you don't what

depart from it to the right or to left, but

you keep up what pure until what, Until Christ returns.

That should be our motivation, right, our should motivation. Should

only look back, but also anticipate what Christ is coming.

And God's word commands us to hold on to his word,

to keep faithful to his word unstained. As Paul was

used the words.

Until what until he returns.

This week, one of the things that we like to

do at Disney is watched the fireworks. And so one

night we got there and we went early about our

maybe two hours early, and got a little spot and

right in front of Cinderella's castle, and we waited two hours,

and then suddenly the mob came and there we were.

There was roughly ten thousand people standing, and it was

it was wall to wall. I mean it was this

person by person. You couldn't breathe, they couldn't move without

hitting someone. And we were standing there and there was

people from all over the world. We met some people

who were next to us from all different countries, and

there we were standing together and ten thousand people, and

it was interesting that they turned the.

Lights off and all ten thousand people went silent, and

then the.

First light firework went off and you heard just the

gas of all the people and then fireworks.

So when you heard the gas.

With people, oh, and I sitting there and thought, well,

it would be like one day when the whole people

says in revelation, from every tribe and every tongue will

come before our Lord. How we'll all stand in silence

that is coming, and how we will all.

Ooh had him and Paul listen.

Listen, but I want you to hear the heartbeat of

this passage. Paul wants us to what to remain faithful,

to pursue godly virtues, to fight until the end unstained,

keep it faithful, stay faithful to the end.

When he returns.

There's a passage I think is encapsulates this and this

idea of the Lord wants us to remain faithful till

the end, that we won't shrink back.

First John two.

Eight says, and now little children abide in him, so

that when he appears, we may have confidence not to

shrink from him and shame at his coming. You ever failed,

that's something. You ever not finished something, not finish a race,

not finish a task, you ever felt the shame of

you didn't do it. You didn't finish something.

You may not know that. Some of you may know that.

I was in the doctoral program at Southeastern and about

three months ago I had to stop it.

Just some things in my life I just couldn't finish.

I couldn't do it. And I haven't told you until

now because, to be honest with you, I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed.

I didn't finish all the papers, all the writing, all

the time, all the time I spent.

I didn't finish, and I was ashamed of that. But listen,

that's shame.

Will not compare to the shame of what it would

feel like one day to stand before the Lord and said, Lord,

I pursued the things of the world more than I

pursued you, Lord. I didn't pursue godly virtues. I wanted

other things of this world. But I really didn't want

to be righteous. I didn't really want to be godly.

I didn't really want to be gentle. I really didn't

want love. I really didn't want to do these things.

I wanted the things, the other things in my life,

more than I wanted these virtues. And Lord, I just

got tired. It was hard, disease, death, tribulations, relationships, problems.

I just I gave up. Lord.

Lord, I know I made that promise to you that

night when I was fourteen, But.

I quit.

To stand before him that day or among thousands upon thousands.

I don't want to shrink. I want to stand confidence.

Lord. I fought the fight.

I pursued godly virtues, and Lord, I fled from the

things that would draw me away from you. I ask

you today, he's coming.

What are you pursuing? Are you fleeing? And how are

you fighting? Will you pray with me? Lord? We love you, Lord.

I pray today, Lord, we would look back this morning

when we first made our commitment to you.

Lord. I pray we remember that promise. Lord.

Today, I pray that be those who would say, Lord,

I've kind of given up my fight lately, but Lord,

I want to fight.

For my faith. Lord.

I pray there be some today would say, Lord, I'm

pursuing a lot of things right now, but Lord, I'm

not pursuing godliness, righteousness, faith, love, gentleness, stepfastness. I pray

there be those today. Say Lord, I bet I'm loving

my material things.

I love the material things, the riches of this world,

and it's taken hold of me lately. Lord, help me flee.

Ord. However you lead us today, Lord, I pray we

would just be open, Lord to your spirit. Lord, I

pray we would fight to the end. I pray you

would call us to keep fighting until Lord, we take

hold of the eternal life, the prize that you've all

waited for us in heaven. God, thank you for your

love for us, Thank you for your grace. Thank you

Lord for how how far we are may be today

or how close we are.

Lord.

Today, Lord, you still call us to come to you. Today,

you still offer your grace, your love to us. So, Lord, today,

may we take hold of.

Your mercy, your grace, your return to you. Lord. Lord,

we love you, We thank you for this morning, and

your name.

We pray

Ess all too