For The Win - The Overcomer for the Win

Before we get into the message today, I'm wanting to introduce you to a friend of mine.

It feels like I've known him longer than the last year and a half, but Coach Huggins, who's the head coach of Kentucky State's football team, is an amazing friend of mine now, and I've got to watch him really take the program to the next level with the players that he's recruited, also with the academics on the team.

He has a mantra faith family football, and he has really embodied that, specifically the faith component, allowing, not just allowing for us to be able to serve the team, I've served the team now as the FCA character coach and chaplain for the last three seasons, but really encouraging the players to be a part of Bible study and take their faith seriously during college.

And so it's just been an amazing friendship.

And I would ask, would you help me welcome Coach Huggins as he comes now to the stage to come and share with us this morning?

I asked uh coach to good morning.

I asked Coach to share with us.

And uh coach, I'm so glad that you're here.

And uh you've got Shelly with you today.

Yes, I am.

And you have a baby boy on the way.

Is that right?

Can we give it up for that time?

A blessing.

Praise the Lord.

Coach, uh, will you just introduce yourself a little bit?

Um yes, my name is Felton Huggins, uh, little kid, little skinny kid from Zachary, Louisiana, um, quote unquote Cheneyville.

Um a family of educators.

My mom and dad were both in education.

I mean, it was instilled in us from a young age.

Uh my mom and dad both went to HBC, they're both HBCU graduates.

Um, and I kind of learned that that age, like my mom was, she didn't care about uh athletics.

She knew that was a conduit to get to where you want to go, but she also understood that you know you had to have education to get to where everything you want to achieve in life.

And so for me, it's important for our guys to understand that that part, football has been promise forever.

Um, it has an expiration date on it, whether they believe it or not.

Um it takes a while for you to believe that, but it does.

All the time comes for everybody.

But when that day comes, we got to have something to fall back on.

And so that's why it's important for us to build that program off of academics.

And it's been amazing to watch you level up the team with the players you've recruited, the coaching staff, the academics on the team.

And I know that uh I've um seen you and and you know, leveling up, going to the next level and to to uh have new standards uh that causes there there's some friction at times.

And um uh I wanted you to share because I know that you care about the players winning on the field and also off the field.

And I'd love for you to share with us about your mentality at that.

Well, I mean, it was kind of cultivated, I mean, from from as a young kid.

Uh my dad, uh, as a young kid, uh I watched my dad be a uh a P teacher, a P a coach, P teacher, and a principal.

And uh, you know, my dad is still disciplined early, but my dad always told me just be firm but be fair.

Uh so I used to be a little kid holding the ball, and that was like back in the day when you could have the paddle, and so you could paddle kids, you know.

You know, if everybody's older, you know about that.

And so uh my dad literally, you know, I would laugh, and he was like, Hey, I'm gonna get you two.

And so uh I was like, I'm gonna stop laughing.

And then it kind of cultivated as you know, you go in through this profession and you play sports.

I mean, I've been playing sports since I was 10 years old.

And uh, you learn from good coaches, you learn from bad coaches, and you learn from coaches a little bit in between.

And so, this program and this culture of how I built the foundation of our football program when I wanted to be a head coach was built off Faith Family Football.

And then I just added another component to it, which was fun.

And so uh we built it off those four foundations.

And faith for us is not seeing this process for what it is right now, but for seeing it for what it can be.

I like to tell people, like, that wall, like, add out there.

I don't know what's on the other side of that wall.

I don't.

I have no clue what's on the other side, I don't know what's waiting on us.

But for me, uh, once we do the things that what we do, what we have a reasonable what we do things for, a foundation of why we're trying to do things, we'll achieve it, get to the dreams that we're trying to get to.

Um, but then we build it off family.

Forget about me, I love you.

Being other centered and things of what we do, not only within our football program, but with on our campus.

Hopefully that stuff goes into this community.

You take it to your community, and hopefully it helps to make the world a better place.

And then we build it off fun in football.

I mean, if you love, if you love football and anything you do, you have fun doing it.

And that's kind of how we build a foundation, and that's what we try to steal in our guys.

And they really take heed of that, and they understand that getting out of the community is uh is a blessing and the better to serve because if you get the energy that you put out into the world, you get that back tenfold.

Yeah.

And so uh that's kind of how we try to build that mentality in our guys, and they've taken real grasp of that, and now it's kind of transferred into the community, and now people come out and want to see us.

I told them it's just all about the energy, and it's a blessing.

It is.

Forget about me, I love you.

Isn't that amazing, church?

That kind of mentality to have a coach that's instilling that in the players.

And uh, I know I've I've gotten a front row seat to um some of those things, and I would love for you to share some.

How do you instill that into the players?

Because I've seen, you know, some players who've gotten benched because their grades and because uh lots of, you know, share with us how you instill that winning mentality.

Well, it's important, man.

I mean, anything you do in life, someone invested you into the road till you get there, that you got there.

Um, I like to tell our kids we don't waste the investment.

Right.

Uh for us, what it is, your mom paying$16,000 for you to go to school.

I mean, schools and colleges are expensive.

Right.

We don't waste that investment.

Or someone that helped you.

I'll tell you, I'll I'll pause.

I'll tell a quick story about me.

For me, it was someone invested in me to get here.

Not only my parents, but uh I was in college, and uh, my parents don't even know the story to this day.

Uh, they really don't.

And for us, no, I've kind of had a lot of things.

Um, I'll share it with him, but he always laughed at me.

Um, when I was in college, uh, that's why academics is important for me.

Going into my all-American year, and then at Southeast, and I own every record there.

I was an all-American, two-time All-American receiver in the Hall of Fame there.

But that dream was always gone, almost gone.

Uh, because uh I didn't apply myself.

I didn't understand the two most important things in college was the time management and communication.

Uh didn't know, I didn't communicate how to communicate when I needed help.

And then I know I didn't know how to manage my time.

Wasn't kicking it, wasn't partying, wasn't doing any of those things, but I just didn't know how to manage my time.

And so uh I'm sitting there and uh I got a letter from my college and said, Hey, you're on academic suspension.

Going into a year where I was you know, I had the best year of season of my career.

And uh I had to sit back and like no one could help me.

But the one person that helped me was the one professor that I did talk to.

And I'm sitting on the on the steps and he's talking to me and he's asking me, He said, Felton, what's wrong?

I say, they put me out of school.

I had to laugh.

He was like, What?

He said, Felton, not you.

I said, Yeah, he said, he said, hold on one second.

He went, went and talked to higher-ups, and told him to say, hey, I'm gonna teach Felton time managed communication.

I promise you he won't have below a 3.0, he won't have below a C on the grade.

And that semester I had a 3.4 GPA.

Wow.

Um, I did everything I needed to, and never before that, I never had less than a 2.9 GPA in college.

And that was just because someone along the way helped me get to that path and align that journey.

So I always like to tell our guys, you know, um you will get stumbling blocks, you will hit roadblocks, you will hit stumbling blocks along the way.

Um, but don't be afraid and just run your race.

Um, don't worry about no one else's race.

Um, just run yours and you will hit roadblocks.

I promise you, you will.

But uh keep your faith strong, um, keep your eye on the prize and um and just and and take the small wins.

Don't get too caught up in the small in the in the in the losses, but you will be blessed at the end of the day.

So that's kind of how we build that mentality in our program.

Isn't that amazing, church, to have that mentality?

And I know uh for you, coach, um faith is an important component of that.

And um I'm also glad that our coaches don't have the pressure of also being pastor.

Um that's me I'm gonna be one later in my life.

She's told me that multiple times.

So I don't know yet.

But also for you to open the door and for allow the spiritual formation and the faith formation to happen in the lives of these students is it's been it's been amazing to watch, it's been amazing to be a part of, and you have encouraged me.

I'm gonna put you on the spot just real quick, because I'd love for you to um share uh because I think I don't think this this group has heard um the story about how the Lord led you to Kentucky State and what happened on that plane ride.

Yeah, uh I've always been about the journey for me.

Um like I always like to tell our guys run on run your own race.

Um and I always think for me, um, God doesn't place things in front of you for everything has a place.

It has a place, a plan, and a purpose.

Yes.

And so uh coming here to K-State, I got offered a job, the head coaching job, but I hadn't accepted yet.

Uh so I've told AD I wanted to come see it.

Fast forward after I left, I'm on the plane, I'm still a little bit undecided.

Um, so I'm on a plane ride home.

Again, a lot of my players don't even know the story, and a lot of people don't know the story as well.

Um I'm on a plane right back, and you know, you're on a plane, you usually go to sleep, and you don't like to be disturbed.

And the one lady she woke me, I woke up and she started talking to me.

And at first, you know, I'm usually like, oh, don't bother me.

I'm trying to sleep on the plane.

I love that's the only time you can get peace, you know.

And so I'm sleeping on the plane, and uh she said, Excuse me, do I know you?

And I said, No, I'm not sure.

She said, Well, can I share something with you?

And I said, Sure, no problem.

And she said, Well, I was just praying and I was talking to God, and uh, he told me that you were gonna be a leader man in this area in some form or fashion.

And I was like, Oh, my mouth wide open, jaw dropped, like literally, like I was just like, Yeah, well, I just left Kentucky State University and I just interviewed for the hair job.

She said, Yeah.

She said, well, she said, you also told me that uh, she said that, you know, with you being the leader of men, you're gonna change lives and do a lot of great things in this in this city.

I was like, huh.

And then the lady next to her, because I was living in Lake Charles, Louisiana at the time, worked for Magney State, she was from Lake Charles.

She actually was down there helping with Hurricane Rita during the time when they had all the displacement, uh, the families were displaced.

And I was like, oh my goodness, small world.

And then I just thought about it after I got off the plane and I said, uh, God doesn't make mistakes.

Um, you don't get to pick the battles that you fight, uh, you don't get to pick the places that you go.

Um, jobs are jobs.

Um, doesn't matter how bad, how good, how whatever it is, um he pushed you there for a reason.

And after I got off that plane ride there, my mom asked me what I was gonna do, and uh I told her, I said, I think I found my new place to go be uh head coach.

And uh I knew Kentucky State was the place for me.

So that is such a powerful story, isn't it, church?

And not only for you to receive that um and not shrug it off, but then to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and his leading.

And I know you've the the that investment and what was spoken over you is is actively happening now.

100%.

And I I hope that you feel that way.

I know I see it.

Um I certainly our church sees it.

It's been a blessing to have the players who have become a part of the life of Multiply Church, the players who have been a part of Fellowship of Christian athletes, these things are directly because of your uh encouragement, leadership, and really opening the door.

So, church, can we just give it up and thank Coach one more time?

And I want to take a moment to pray over Coach, and I would like for you to join with me because um he's standing in a position that's very important on K-State's campus in the life of men, in the life of young men, in the life of the campus, and he needs all the prayers that he can get for him to stay firm for the battle.

You cut you kind of preached my message before we even got to it.

Praise God.

Um but if you would uh uh join me right now as we bow our heads and pray together.

Father, we thank you, God, for your goodness, for your mercy.

Father, we pray right now, Lord, specifically presenting to you Coach Huggins, his family, Lord, his role and where you've placed him as the leader of all of these young men, leader in our community, leader on K-State's campus.

Father, thank you, Lord, that God, you have uh chosen him for this battle, and that Lord, he is being faithful, he is uh trying his best to walk with you, to be led by you, to help these students and players to take their lives to the next level.

And God, just like he was invested in, Father, I pray, God, that you would use him in hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of young men's lives as he coaches, as he encourages.

So, Father, right now, Lord, I want to pray strength over him.

Father, I want to pray favor over him.

Father, I want to pray endurance over him.

Father, I want uh, Lord, to pray patience over him.

Father, I want to pray, God, your blessing over him.

And Lord, in doing so, Father, that we pray a blessing over the entire team and the entire college and our community, God.

So, Father, we ask, Lord, that Father, you would you would build him up, Father, with a shield of faith to take on the battles that you're calling him to.

We love you, we praise you in Jesus' name.

Everybody said, Amen.

Will you give it up, Coach Huggs, one more time?

Thank you, coaching.

Thank you, thank you.

I love you.

Like I said, Coach uh started preaching my message.

This is the last week of our For the Win series.

And uh before we get into the message, I I want to share something very exciting with you that we got to share with our volunteer teams on last Sunday night at our team rally.

And uh, that is that um there's uh some change that is coming, some good change, and that is that on September the 15th, we are going to be going to two public services open to the public on Sunday mornings.

And I want to share a little bit why in the world are we doing that and why are we doing that?

And I believe it's because we want to get ahead of the curve.

A few weeks ago, we had over 60 kids in our kids area on a Sunday morning, uh, which for our kids volunteers, that's a lot of kids back there.

And uh, can we just give it up one big time for our kids team members?

They are doing amazing work and showing the love of Jesus to our kids.

And so uh we're we're wanting to, as we come into this fall, to open up another opportunity.

And so, starting on September the 15th, our service times are gonna be 9 a.m.

and 11 a.m.

And I'm excited for this because I know we're kind of taking this step forward to be ahead of the curve and be ahead of uh growth that we pray for and ask God to do, and also because uh we want to see this place multiply and continue to do the work that God has called us to do.

And uh, I'll just tell a real quick story that uh some of you all know that for the last few months we have been doing uh a volunteer service for those who are volunteers early.

And um the that's that that little service for our volunteers, it's really just been kind of a test run for us going to two services here uh here soon.

Uh starts at 9 a.m.

and I met a guy locally uh a few uh a few weeks ago.

Actually, I'll tell him myself, he's a gym Jimmy Johns delivery guy.

And uh I may have seen him more than one time, actually.

And each time I saw him, I got to invite him.

He told me that he was uh he I invited him to come to church, but he said that he's uh going to work before um before our service time started.

And so I said, you know what?

Hey, why don't you just come on?

We do this service at nine, I'd love to see you.

And for the last two Sundays, he has been in at the nine o'clock service that we do for our volunteers, and that just shows me I'm excited for us to open up an opportunity for whoever else the Lord wants to bring into this place, amen.

Yes, and so uh I'm excited about that.

Excited for you to hear that from me, and you're gonna be hearing a lot more about that over the weeks to come.

So uh as we get into the message today, the title of my message is uh it is The Overcomer for the Wind.

Everybody say Overcomer.

Over the last uh few weeks, I was watching the Olympics with Emily, and we were watching and paying particular attention to this great Olympian Simone Bowles.

He's Simone Bowles fans.

And Simone, you know now who she is and how amazing of a person that she is, but it didn't start that way.

See, I didn't know this backstory about Simone, but I recently learned that Simone was born to a single mom in Columbus, Ohio in 1997, and her mother was uh struggled deeply with drugs and alcohol.

So much so to the point that Simone talks about how he her and her and her three siblings oftentimes went without food.

Eventually she was and her siblings were taken into foster care.

And she's grateful for the fact that the four siblings were able to stay together in foster care.

But she tells about how, she talked about how in the middle of the night she would get up and go into the room where her brother was just to make sure that he was still there, thinking that he may disappear that next morning.

Eventually, thankfully, she was adopted by her grandparents in Texas, who started her in the journey and the life that she has led in gymnastics.

But even in the life of gymnastics that she went through and experienced a few years ago, Simone told the world that she was one of the many victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the Dr.

Larry Nasser, who abused some 330 girls.

And despite all of that, despite all of that, this last Olympics that I was paying attention to, she announced her retirement, she retires with 11 Olympic medals and 30 world championships, the most decorated gymnast of all time.

Despite all those circumstances.

Now compare that to what happened years ago with a female runner in the Boston Marathon.

This unknown runner named Rosie Riaz was initially named Women's, uh, the winner of the women's division of this 26-mile race, the Boston Marathon.

But after her win, there started an investigation that followed because people learned that this was only the second marathon that she'd ever run in.

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

She didn't have a coach.

Apparently, her training was on an exercise bike, not the same as the 120 miles of road work that the other female competitors did every single week to prepare.

And also the fact that none of the other runners claimed to have seen her during the race.

And what it was discovered was at some point in the race, Rosie jumped on the subway and rode 16 miles closer to the finish line, hopped it out, and then won the race.

Now, I feel like I could win the Boston Marathon if I did it like that.

She was obviously disqualified, was stripped stripped of her prize and the satisfaction of winning that amazing goal.

We've been talking over the last few weeks about what it looks like to win in life.

In these specific areas that we've zeroed in on.

Three weeks ago, we talked about relationships, specifically winning and friendships.

Last week we talked about winning in the area of the resources that God has given to us, specifically in spiritual warfare and battles of the full armor of God that He's given to us.

And today we look at how we win and in light of our winning and victory in life for our eternal rewards.

Our eternal rewards.

What we need to put as a foundation of this entire message is because of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and his victory, we have already won.

We already have victory in Christ because he has bought it, purchased it, paved the way for us to be able to have victory in him.

And in these specific areas, though, that we've been talking about, specifically as today we talk about rewards in heaven and eternal rewards.

This is something that doesn't get talked about a lot.

And I wonder what's the reason that we don't talk about these eternal rewards that are promised to us in heaven.

And I think that it is probably because we hesitate because we think, well, maybe people will take this that we should be working for our salvation or working for these rewards that we get, and that for some way, somehow, in some way, this is something that we earn for ourselves.

We know.

We know that we do not earn our salvation.

We cannot work our way into salvation, but we're saved for good works.

After we're saved.

We can't possibly work our way into salvation.

It's only Jesus who has done that for us on the cross.

We're broken, we're fallen, we're sinful.

We cannot get to heaven all on our own.

This is what I'm saying.

Here's what I'm saying to you.

You know the slogan, fake it till you make it?

You can't do that with God.

You can't do that with God.

He sees everything, he knows everything, he knows our thoughts, he knows our actions.

We cannot hide from him.

He is continually and always looking at us, and if we're believers in Christ, then he's waiting on the day for us as we step into eternity, not for him to judge us like he does those who are not in Christ and have not been saved and are judged, and then uh and then we'll spend eternity apart from him in a place called hell.

But for the believer in Jesus, when you stand before God, he is ready to reward you and welcome you in.

And those were those rewards in the scripture that we see, uh, these rewards are crowns.

And we're gonna just zero in on a couple of those crowns this morning.

One of those crowns being the crown of righteousness, which is given to those who have a longing for the Lord and are waiting in anticipation of Jesus' return.

So we see in 2 Timothy.

And then the next crown we're going to look at is the crown of life that's placed on the head of those who have endured, who have triumphed over, trials and temptations, persecutions, even persecutions that might even lead to martyrdom, martyrdom that we see.

And so what we're gonna do as we look at these passages, we're gonna turn to the book of John, chapter nine, and this passage that we're gonna look at is zeroing in on the implications of those crowns that I just mentioned.

Now, let me set the stage for this passage in John.

Jesus is with his disciples, and they're walking down the road, and they see a man who's blind.

And the disciples, who you all know time and time again, put their foot in their mouth and are not too bright, ask a very rude question right in front of his face.

And Jesus responds, and his response has a lot of implications for us today.

So if you have your Bible, turn with you with me to John chapter 9.

John 9 · chapter mention

We're gonna start in verse 1.

We're just gonna read a few scriptures from this passage.

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.

Rabbi, his disciples asked him, why was this man born blind?

Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?

And Jesus replies in verse 3 It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins, Jesus answered.

This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.

We must quickly carry out the task assigned to us by the one who has sent us.

The night is coming, and then no one can work.

But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.

And then Jesus bends down.

And he makes mud and he places it on the blind man's eyes, and he can see.

Now there's a lot of implications to this story, and the story goes and it unfolds, and the man who is blind and now can see is questioned by the religious leaders.

His parents are questioned by the religious leaders.

But what I want for us to zero in on is the implications of what Jesus' answer is to this initial question.

See, the disciples, they looked at this man who was blind, and they their first inclination was to think about and ask who's to blame?

Who's to blame?

They were looking for a cause and effect.

Well, what was the sin of this person's parents that he would be born blind?

Or what was the sin that he might have, he might have committed even before being born?

And Jesus listens to their question and he ignores their question of blame and he speaks to purpose.

Instead, what he says is it's not because of the sins of his parents or because of him, but this has happened, so God's power can be seen through him.

So we asked the question of the trials and tribulations that we experience in life.

Does our sin lead to our sickness?

No, most of the time.

Why do I say that?

I say it because there are some pretty cut-and-dry instances.

Like, if you decide that you really want somebody else's stuff, and you break into their house in the middle of the night to steal their TV, and that homeowner has a gun and shoots you with that gun, well, that's because of your sin.

You cause that.

But that's not what we're talking about right now.

We're talking about things that feel and seem to be outside of our control.

See, what we know is true from the scripture is that we can and should pray for the healing of everybody that we know who is sick, who is hurting.

That we can pray and ask for God to heal and for Him to intervene, and we also know at the same time that not everyone gets healed, right?

Those aren't up to us.

Those decisions aren't up to us.

But we know that we can ask for God to move and to heal, but we also know that we have trials and tribulations, that we don't get to choose the battles that we walk through.

But how we walk through them is of grave importance.

The Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 4 of himself, he says, I've fought the good fight, I've finished the race, and I've remained faithful.

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

Everybody say faithful.

And now the prize awaits me, the crown of righteousness, this crown that's placed on your head.

Now awaits me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on the day of his return.

And the prize is not just for me, but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

Y'all ever, uh, I know for me, I've I've had different times in my life and people in my life who I have had to interact with, love, care for, and in those interactions, I'm like, God, I better be getting some jewels in my crown, okay, for this situation.

Specifically during my small stints in youth ministry.

Okay?

Now I was never a youth pastor, so you guys know my first eight years of ministry, I was a worship pastor, but I had a couple of short stints in youth ministry.

One of those ones I took a group of kids to a camp in North Carolina.

None of them wanted to be there.

Halfway through the camp, I had the camp counselor come to me and they said, uh, we're just letting you know one of your students, Mason, no one can find him.

He's gone.

Uh, we've shut the whole camp down, and everyone is presently looking for him right now.

They began to search, found him at the next resort over in the lobby, watching television.

My kid! My kid am I supposed to be taken care of.

That same trip that I walked out of the cabin that we were all staying at.

There's five of our kids, and they are literally throwing food to a black bear that is 20 feet down the ridge.

And I'm like, what are you all doing?

Get away from the bear! And the response was, and I'll never forget it.

They looked at me and said, We signed the waiver.

I'm like, that's not what that waiver is talking about.

You feeding the bear.

So, my short-scending youth ministry, jewels in my crown, let me tell you.

Um, have you ever found yourself interacting with someone, having to love someone, having to care for someone, and the care that you're giving them, you know, is only flowing through you because of God above.

And as you're loving them, and as you're doing all that you can, you're letting God flow through you, knowing that you're doing this for Him, not only for them.

For His glory.

See, when we are talking about these eternal rewards, we have to make sure that we love the rewarder more than the reward.

See, there are people though in your life who'll say, Well, that's fake.

That's fake.

That's hypocritical.

That you just love somebody else, but it's not genuine because you're doing it because you call yourself a Christian, because you want to feel good, because you want people to see you.

No, I I say that's not fake, it's the good fight.

It's the good fight.

See, it's Paul who says, I have fought the good fight.

I've finished the race.

And I know that there's reward waiting for me on the other side of heaven because I'm fighting this fight right down here on earth, and you and I, we have to daily, daily have to, with God's help, Him flowing through you, fight the good fight.

Amen.

And there are probably moments where you need to remind yourself, I'll fight the good fight.

Everybody say that.

I'll fight the good fight.

I'll fight the good fight.

This week I went with a team of pastors, the church planners from our Southland Church Planning Network, and we went over and spent some time in my hotel hometown down the road in Shelbyville, and we were visiting different ministries, and one of those ministries that we were standing outside of is this ministry in Shelbyville called Father's Love.

Father's Love is run by a lady, a wonderful, amazing woman of God named Marty Brown, founded this ministry, Father's Love, decades ago.

And basically, what it is, is basically what it is, it's children's church every single day for the community's, some of the community's most vulnerable children.

Children who are desperately in need of the love of God, of the Father.

She got a van, started picking up kids, bringing them to this very humble location building in Shelbyville, and we stood outside of this building, and we're talking about the ministry that now she's retired and has handed it off to other leaders who are doing a phenomenal job.

They're even right now in the plans of uh building a brand new beautiful facility for this ministry.

And one of my pastor friends looked at me and he said, Man, Marty Brown, she's gonna be ahead of a lot of pastors in heaven.

And I said, I think you're right.

And he looked at me and he said, I think we're gonna get real surprised when we get to heaven.

That's because God blesses those who walk with him in the midst of the trial, in the midst of the struggle, in the midst of temptation, in the midst of the hardship, and help other people along the way.

James tells us that God blesses.

James chapter 1, verse 12.

James 1:12

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.

Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Now, I don't think I have ever one time been described by anyone as patient.

That's just maybe not the first thing that comes to mind.

But I know I'm not the only one in this room who struggles with patience.

I know some of y'all, you would rather make somebody a patient than have patience.

Some of y'all.

When it comes to us walking with God and our faithfulness to Him, God blesses those.

He blesses those that patiently endure, who patiently step forward in the midst of the testing and the trial and the tribulation and the temptation to walk closely with God.

And that faithfulness is what we here on this side of heaven need to be focused on day after day after day.

Because it's our faithfulness and our earthly realities that lead to our eternal rewards.

It's our faithfulness.

In the day-to-day situations and the realities of life, that my reality is different than your reality.

Your faithfulness to Jesus, only you can be the one to make the decision to patiently endure with him.

You know what that looks like?

It looks like when that temptation comes and you have the enemy in your ear saying, that's no big deal.

That you patiently endure the testing.

Or somebody, a friend, says, Did God really say that?

Is that really what God meant?

When he said that this is wrong or that's wrong?

If you know, that's the same question that Satan asked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

When they went to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and Satan, the serpent, said, Did God really say that you were gonna die, though?

Is that what he really said?

And because they took of that fruit, and because they ate, now we live in a in a world that is broken, that is fractured, that is stained by sin.

Because sin entered the world.

You know, when Jesus is answering the question to the disciples, he doesn't take the opportunity to give them a big theological discussion.

Well, why was this man born blind?

And Jesus probably could have gone on a long diatribe about, well, because of Adam and Eve and because of the sinful condition of this world, that's why there is disease and pestilence.

That's why there's trial and tribulation, that's why there's disasters and calamities, because we're in a broken world, but I'm here to redeem this world.

He doesn't go into all that.

He speaks of purpose and says that God will get the glory.

Some of us need to probably even this week pray this prayer.

God help me patiently endure.

Can we say that together?

God help me patiently endure.

We're even able to have a patient endurance because of what Christ has already done for us.

See, he's the one who promised us in John 16, 33.

I've told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world.

It's because Jesus is an overcomer that we get to walk through this life, and we get to take hold, and we get to call ourselves overcomers, not because of anything we've done, but everything that Christ has done on our behalf.

Everything that he has done to come to this world and redeem it and to ask us to be in right relationship with him, to be saved, to be forgiven, to be healed, to walk with him on this side of heaven and on the other side.

That we can only receive from him because he has given us his peace that he bought for us and he tells us to take heart.

What am I trying to say?

I'm trying to say this.

It's not over until you've overcome.

On this side of heaven or on the other side.

Here's why this is so important.

This last week, this last week, I had the opportunity to pray with three different people in our church.

Two of those who this very week went through extremely painful, excruciating surgeries.

And I got to pray with another friend of mine who got a challenging cancer diagnosis from her doctor this week.

We prayed together on the phone.

And you know what?

Of all three of those amazing people who are in our family, not one of them said, For us, why me?

Not one of them.

Actually, for each of them, the only thing they communicated was nervousness, but trust in God and peace in Him.

Because Jesus promised us His peace.

He says it right here.

I've told you these things.

So that in me, that so that in me you may have peace.

In this world, you will have trouble, but take part, I have overcome the world.

In Christ, we have peace.

In him, we have our reward.

At the turn of the century, a missionary named Henry C.

Morrison was coming back to America after a 40-year career as a missionary in Africa.

He was heading home on a boat, and it just happened that this same boat that was traveling for Africa also on this boat had a distinguished guest.

President Theodore Roosevelt was also riding on this boat, got back from a presidential trip to Africa.

And as this boat entered into New York Harbor, there was all kinds of fanfare for President Roosevelt.

And Morrison thought to himself, you know, I should be getting some recognition some recommend some uh some recognition for a 40-year service to the Lord.

And then a still small voice from the Holy Spirit came to Morrison and said, Henry, you're not yet home.

You're not yet home.

All the fanfare that you're looking for on this side of heaven, you're not yet home.

All the issues and things that are not planned in your life that you patiently endure on this side, guess what?

You're not yet home.

You've not yet reached the eternal reward, but it's waiting on you.

It's waiting on you.

I think another reason is why these eternal rewards don't get talked a lot about a lot in church is because some people may think of these eternal rewards as like scales.

Well, I'm having these rewards that God's given me here on earth for my patient endurance, but if I sin, one of those rewards get taken away.

Well, if I sin too much, then then there goes one of my rewards.

There goes the jewel in the crown.

That's not how it works.

The Bible never says that's how it works.

The Bible never says this is something that well one canceled out, cancels out the other.

But instead, despite of our sin, and despite of our failures, and despite of our mess ups, God forgives those and he rewards the faithfulness as we walk with him through life.

He rewards the faithfulness, and what I want to say today is that if you're in the room right now and you have fallen, maybe you've fallen because something's happened in your life and you're angry at the Lord.

Instead of walking with him and inviting him into the struggle, into the trial, the temptation that you are in right now, you've fallen.

Or maybe it's because you've fallen into sin in some way and you feel like you can't get out.

There's a sin that you just keep doing over and over and over and over again.

And there's a passage in Micah that for any of those in the room who have fallen, we'll encourage you to get back up.

Here's what the scripture says do not gloat over me, my enemy.

Though I have fallen, I will rise.

Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

Jesus said, There's a time where I will be gone, but I am the light of the world.

Jesus is the one who rose from the dead, and so you too today, you can now look, Satan, don't gloat over me.

You have no claim over me, you have no corner here.

Do not gloat over me, my enemy.

For though I have fallen, I will rise in the name of Christ Jesus, because He's the one who has risen before us.

See, some of you right now, you're walking through a life that has a degree of difficulty that may be more than your neighbor, that may be more than somebody else that you know, maybe more than somebody else in your family, your brother.

But don't you for one second believe that God doesn't see you and that he's waiting on you to reward you on the other side.

He's waiting.

And so today, for maybe some of us in the room, we just need to recognize right now, in the midst of the trial that's going on in your life, with your family, with a person that you love, you need to this morning, you need to pray that prayer.

God, help me to patiently endure.

And I know that the crown waits for me on the other side.

There may be some of you in the room today, and you're trying to walk through this life that's filled with trials and hardship and temptation, and you don't yet have the Holy Spirit, you do not yet have Jesus in your life helping you, walking with you, ministering to you because you've not yet given your life to him.

You've not yet asked for his forgiveness, for him to forgive you and receive his death, burial, resurrection on the cross, for you to believe Jesus, the Son of God, that he died for your sins, and that you're gonna step into right relationship with him, that one day you will have the crown of righteousness on your head, not because of anything you've done, but everything Jesus has done for you.

And today is the day that you need to cross over the line from death to life, that one day you're gonna be in heaven with Christ and Him waiting on you with the riches of heaven, and today is your day that you need to receive the forgiveness and ask for his forgiveness and receive his salvation.

That may be you today.

Church, will you bow your heads with me right now?

Father, I ask all across this room, Lord, for every single person who's here, Father, we each have different trials, we have different struggles and temptations.

Father, I pray right now over every single person in this room, I pray patience, patient endurance in the name of Jesus.

Father, I pray, God, that Lord, we would have an eternal perspective on the earthly realities that we're experiencing every single day.

Father, I pray, Lord, right now that God, you would, for those in the room right now who have been angry at you, who've not understood, that right now, God, you would minister to them.

That this isn't some punishment for their sin or their parents' sin.

But instead, God, that you will get glory through their story.

That their last breath on earth will be the first breath and reward in heaven.

Father, I pray all across the room today for anybody in this place who's not given you their life, who has not asked for your forgiveness on the cross, has not turned from their sin, and begin to walk and commit with you that today would be their day of salvation.

Today would be the day that they give their heart, their life, their mind, their whole self over to you, Jesus, for you to forgive them, set them free, to heal them in this life and the next.

And if that's you today, I ask you right now before God for you to pray, Jesus, save me.

Pray it in your heart and your mind, Jesus, save me.

I believe that you're the Son of God, that you are alive, that you rose from the dead.

Cleanse me, heal me, wash me as white as snow, so that one day I'll be with you in heaven.

Thank you for redeeming me.

Thank you for rewarding me in the strong name of Jesus.

No one looking around, today was the day that you prayed that to you, for you to receive the forgiveness, the healing that Jesus bought for you on the cross, and for you to walk in a life faithful to him.

And today was your day to ask him to save you.

In just a moment, I'm gonna ask you to make a sign before me, before heaven, because I want to pray for you that you would raise your hand up towards heaven if that's you.

I'm gonna count to three.

I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand if that's you today.

If that's you today, one, two, three.

Anybody in the room?

Today's your day of salvation.

Right here, I see you.

Right here in the back.

Father, I pray right now, Lord, and I thank you, God, that today is a day of salvation.

Father, I thank you, Lord, for those that are turning their heart and mind and life over to you.

Father, I pray, Father, right now for every single one of us that Lord is walking through a trial that feels outside of our control.

That God, you would help us to patiently endure to the very end.

Thank you, Jesus, that we've already won because of what you've done for us.

We love you.

In Jesus' name, everybody said, Amen.

Church, will you stand together as we sing together and worship?