Preparing to Build, Seeing The Vision, Living The Dream-Pt. 6
Counting The Cost
Today, we continue our series. Today, we move forward in seeing the vision. In seeing what it is that God can do and will do in our future.
We’ve been talking now for the last five weeks about Preparing to Build, Seeing The Vision and Living The Dream. We’ve been talking about building. Building our lives, building our church and building our hearts for God.
Last week, we talked about the load bearing walls, those load bearing truths upon which we must build. How they are so important to secure the structure, to hold up the weight of the structure, to bear the weight of what’s to come.
We shared those load bearing truths and how important they are in our lives.
1. Jesus Is God
2. Jesus Paid It All
3. Jesus Rose From The Dead
4. Jesus Guarantees Our Future
5. Jesus Is Coming Again
Those are the load bearing walls upon which we build our lives and our church. Well today, you can see that our load bearing walls are in place. They are up and ready to move forward. In fact, quite a bit is in place today. It looks as if we have made great strides forward in our construction.
It’s during this phase in building that we always get restless. It’s during this phase that we begin to get impatient. Why? Because we think we are so close to the end. So close to the finished product. So close to what we’ve dreamed about.
Yet, it is always during this time, that we realize that there is still much to be done. The exterior walls always go up quickly and you think, “Certainly it must be close.” And when we realize that there is still much to be done, we get discouraged.
My friends, in our lives, the same thing happens over and over. We get discouraged when we realize that this road we travel is a long one. This road that God leads us to follow is long. And when we think we’ve made it, when we think we’ve arrived, there’s always more to do. And we get discouraged!
Today, I tell you, DON’T GET DISCOURAGED! Don’t let the road ahead wear you down. Don’t let it slow you down. Don’t let it take the joy out of the journey.
Isa. 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Six things I want to share with you today.
1. The end is worth the beginning
So many times in the building of a house, you get to this point. The point where walls are up, the roof is on, it starts to look like a house, it starts looking like what you dreamed about. And we get excited about it being finished.
However, it is also at this point, that we become painfully aware that we are nowhere near moving in. We are nowhere near completion. Even though it looks as if we’ve made great progress, we still have a long way to go.
This is when we all get a gut check. When we step back and realize that we haven’t arrived. We haven’t gotten to the place we want to be as of yet.
This is when discouragement comes rushing into our lives. Discouragement begins to take a grip on our hearts. This is when Satan can begin moving the hearts of men. Why? Because we aren’t keeping our eyes on the finish line.
We must focus on the end. Focus on what will come. Focus on the vision. Focus on what we will one day see, what we will one day enjoy, what we will one day experience.
In the book of Colossians 4:14, Demas is right there with Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke – working hard in the ministry with him.
Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”
In the book of Philemon verse 24, Demas is right there with some faithful servants – serving God and co-laboring right along side them:
Philemon 24 “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers.”
BUT THEN, some thing happened…something happened that changed his course and direction and his commitment to Christ. What changed his course? The verse tells us clearly:
II Timothy 4:10: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, he departed…”
2. The journey is worth the cost
Some people at this stage begin to believe that the price they are paying is not worth it. That it is costing them too much.
This is a time when people quit. When people give up. When they turn back and decide that the cost is too great. This is when failure becomes an accepted result. When we say to ourselves, it costs too much. We give up.
Isa. 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
The life we live for Christ is always worth the cost.
3. The challenge is worth the effort
Some people look at where we are and say there’s too much left to do. It’s too challenging. Too much work to get the result. It’s not worth the effort or energy to succeed. It’s just too hard! But we must persevere. We must move forward. Why? Because the reward is always great when we are doing God’s work!
4. The vision is worth the pain
Many times, we think that the pain we are going through is too great. The hurt is too much. That we can’t bear any more disappointment. So we quit.
You may be going through a divorce right now. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one. Maybe you have a child that is away from God. Whatever it is, know that God is there, waiting to help you through. And the vision he has for your life, the plan that he has for your life, is worth the trip you’re taking.
Psa. 30:5 …Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
5. The victory is worth it all
Lam. 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
Every single time someone walks these aisles and accepts Christ as savior, that’s a victory. Every single time, someone steps into that baptistery, that’s a victory. Every single time someone prays at this altar for a loved one, for a friend, for a lost neighbor, for a broken marriage, for a hurting student who feels alone. That’s a victory.
And you might be that person. You might be that person who is hurting. You might be that student who is lonely. You might be that couple whose relationship is broken. Let me tell you today, nothing is too hard for the Lord!
NOT I, BUT CHRIST! He can change you, He can restore you, He can save you, He can give you hope and joy like you’ve never seen. But we must trust Him. And realize that the victory is there for the asking!
So, what are things that we must focus on rather than getting discouraged at this point? We need to be motivated. We need encouragement. We need something to keep us just as excited as we were in the early days.
#1 – God is always at work in your life!
Philippians 1:6 (NLT) “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
If you are saved (as we talked about last Sunday morning – load bearing truths), then he promises that he will always be at work in your life!
This is a promise that even new Christians need to heed. If you have recently accepted Christ, listen to this: don’t get discouraged when there are days you feel you should be as strong and spiritually mature like all the other “veteran” Christians around you. You are growing…just keep on growing at your own pace.
Salvation isn’t a miracle pill that you take and all of a sudden everything is perfect. Salvation is a gift, but it is also a journey. And journeys always take time.
There will be days you will feel like you are on top of the world spiritually, and there will be days you don’t even feel like your saved (because of discouragement):
1Pet. 2:2 (NLT) You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
Another thing that we should be mindful of as we endure the ups/downs in both the development and vision of this church and in our own personal lives is:
#2 –Sometimes, A Pause Is Needed To Experience The Power!
John 18:1-2 simply tells us where Jesus went to pray the night before he was crucified. But John throws in an interesting detail about how Jesus got away from the crowds and often resorted there to pray.
John 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. 2 And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples.
IN FACT, Jesus resorted there so much…and that was how Judas Iscariot was able to locate Jesus in the dark of night…Jesus prayed there so often that it was a safe bet for Judas to take the soldiers to the Garden of Gethsemane It was his trusted spot that he was known for praying at so many times.
The point being – why was it his trusted spot? Because Jesus saw the need to refresh himself and his disciples constantly by balancing the activity with patient and enduring prayer times.
These times were NOT considered “down” times or “unproductive” times – these times were necessary for be able to do all the activity that God wanted his disciples to do.
And you recall our THEME VERSE for this series – I Corinthians 15:58? The last part of that verse says, “…knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I told you when we first started this series that the word “labor” means “toil” or “work to the point of exhaustion.”
And we will not be able to maintain that level of activity unless we regularly pause for patient and enduring prayer. If we want to enjoy the exciting, fast-pace of erecting walls and exciting new projects, we must understand that the more we do these exciting things, the more patient prayer we will have to include in our plan!
At TRBC we like to do these types of things, but we are also committed to equalizing our exciting activity with patient and passionate prayer!
We should be motivated not only by the fact that “God is always at work in our lives!” & the fact that “The more Kingdom activity we participate in, the more patient, spiritual pauses are needed!” But thirdly…
#3 – Patience will provide peace
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Meaning, if you are time-tested in having to pause from the activity of life and you are forced to have to rest and to rely on God as he does some very important work in your life – and you understand that He is still at work and everything is OK - then you will be conditioned to trust God in future situations of your life.
You won’t wonder if God has stopped working in your life just because He hasn’t launched some exciting new activity in your life. You’ll gladly accept knowing that a more quiet, calmer season of your life must be exactly what the Lord wants for me right now.
And that is a little bit like where our vision is at right now…we have been pumped up about it and we are still pumped up about it - even though there are more subtle yet equally important things still happing. Important things. But God is still at work.
#4 – Keep Your Eyes On The Finish Line!
In 1629, when the favorite wife of Indian ruler Shah Jahan died, he ordered that a magnificent tomb be built as a memorial to her. The shah placed his wife’s casket in the middle of a parcel of land, and construction of the temple literally began around it. But several years into the venture, the Shah’s grief for his wife gave way to a passion for the project. One day while he was surveying the sight, he reportedly stumbled over a wooden box, and he had some workers throw it out. It was months before he realized that his wife’s casket had been destroyed. The original purpose for the memorial became lost in the details of construction. They built the Taj Mahal, but they forgot the reason for the building. They forgot what their mission truly was!
Dr. James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families, (Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton; 1998), p. 122
We must keep our eyes on the prize. If we don’t we will end up not building our lives correctly. They will be built without solid walls, without solid construction. But when we keep our eyes on the finish line, our lives will be built securely in the power of Christ!
Phil. 3:10 As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead! 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
Are you discouraged today? Are you wondering when God is going to bless you? Are you wondering when God is going to meet your need? Are you a in a relationship that is hurting, a relationship that is struggling? Are you a parent who is reeling in pain over a son or daughter who is gotten away from God? Are you lonely and feel like no one cares for you?
Then hear these words, NOT I, BUT CHRIST!
Is. 40:28 (NLT) Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. 30 Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. 31 But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Put your trust in Him today! Know that He’s not done with you yet. You are a work in progress that can experience victory like you’ve never seen! Experience freedom like you’ve never imagined! Experience joy like you’ve never dreamed!
How? By realizing that Christ will complete you!
Phil. 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Maybe, in your life, you feel you are in a spiritual lull. You might have even discounted God’s activity in your life. Yet, you have learned today that God is still at work in your life. And maybe you need to change your prayer request from God WHY? To God WHAT are you trying to teach me?
Maybe, you were about to “turn away and walk with Him no more!” Maybe you are contemplating being like “DEMAS, WHO LOVES THIS PRESENT WORLD…and departed.” Friend, don’t go down that path…It is better to be in the Father’s House. Please don’t scar your life…endure! Trust God! You may need prayer this morning and someone to encourage you with God’s Word.
You may need to meet the Christ of whom we’ve spoken today. He is ready to embrace you, to save you, and to give you peace like you could never imagine.
Or perhaps you don’t belong to a church that preaches the Gospel, that has a passion for souls, join our church today, join our family, as we reach out to the broken and the hurting with the wonderful message of the cross.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
