Keep On Keeping On!, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Learn to deal with it. How do we keep on keeping on? By dealing with today. That's how. How do you persevere over the long haul?

Six months, eight months. How do we deal with today? Just deal with what you have to deal with today.

Well, what if it got worse? Don't worry about that. Just deal with what you have to deal with today. He said tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.

I love that statement. He didn't say it's going to be easier. He didn't even say it would be better tomorrow.

He said that's another day. You deal with today. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Keep your priorities right.

You just deal with today. You see, that's such an important part for us. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's word meets our world. Remember, Paul was in prison when he wrote to the Philippians. Didn't know if he was going to live or die at that time.

And that's when he wrote two things in that book. One, to live is Christ and to die, that's gain. Now, what can you do with a man whose life's perspective is that way? If that's what you really believe, my life is Christ and when I'm dying, it's going to be better. I mean, we sang the song earlier, The Last Day of Your Life, right? The last day of your life will be the best day of your life. That's a lot easier to sing than it is to believe in the intensive care unit, isn't it?

But it's true. That's what Paul had as his perspective. That's why Paul said, I've learned the secret of contentment. I just keep on keeping on. I've been content in the palace and I've been content in the prison.

I've been content with a lot of good things in my life and I've been content with a lot of terrible things in my life because my contentment doesn't come from the circumstances. And whenever and this is the classic case, when life feeds you lemons, you make lemonade. And that's the whole point. He said, I just keep on keeping on. That's what I'm here for.

That's what I'm doing. And that's what you and I should be about. Chris Tigran writes this and this sort of describes us. Technological advancement has made travel, communication and daily chores incredibly time efficient, if not instantaneous. The result is that we're not trained to persevere. We're not accustomed to pains that can't be relieved and problems that can't be corrected. When they come, we send up prayers with almost the same expectation as when we press the buttons on our microwaves. I just love that. I just need to be OK.

I want my meal. A few seconds, we think, and that should have done it. God usually doesn't work that way. He is thorough and precise, and he's never rushed. When he tries us in a fire, as he did Job, nothing can get us out. The time cannot be shortened and our growth cannot come more quickly. We must learn to persevere or keep on keeping on. He said no one has ever become a true disciple of Jesus Christ without perseverance.

He's right. There's no way to be a disciple of Christ unless you persevere. There is no other way. This idea of what we need to do is we need to keep on keeping on because we're transformed and we are to pursue this trait. Turn with me to First Timothy, chapter six, verse 11. First Timothy. Chapter six. Verse 11. Paul says right in the midst of this talk about money and all those kind of things, he says, But flee from these things, you man of God and pursue.

This is what we should pursue. Righteousness, godliness, faith, love. There it is. Perseverance and gentleness. We are to pursue, and by the way, that means we are to make this choice. That we want to keep on keeping on.

Lord, I want to keep on keeping on. I should pursue this. You and I should pursue perseverance.

That's what we should be about. Notice the analogy used in the next verse. Fight the good fight of faith.

What's he telling you about pursuing perseverance or keep on keeping on in the middle of trials is a fight. It's a fight. You see, this isn't natural. This isn't something. Oh, yeah, I got it. I'll be fine.

Now, this is a fight. Because any time we are suffering and any time we are in pain, we have tremendous instincts to avoid it at all costs. And when we don't have any control to avoid it, we become very despairing. And that's what's happening to so many in our country. They're becoming very despairing because they can't control it.

They don't know how to control it. That's the way this works. Go with me now to Second Corinthians, Chapter four. In verse 16. Paul again, but this time with a little bit different perspective. He starts out in Second Corinthians for 16 with these words. Therefore, we do not lose heart.

I'm not I'm not losing my heart. And you got to understand. Paul suffers immensely. He has a thorn in the flesh everywhere he goes. He's hated, beaten with rod, stoned and left for dead.

I mean, shipwreck, snakebit, everything that could happen, this little old man. And he said, I don't lose heart. I mean, I'll say it another way. I just keep on keeping on.

But Paul, your life's miserable. That's OK. I'm going forward. He said, how do you how do you do that in the midst of this? So now let me tell you. He said, therefore, we do not lose heart. But though the outer man is decaying, yet the inner man is being renewed day by day.

Let me say it this way. You know, what's been going on so well for me and all these terrible circumstances, I'm being transformed. I'm becoming more like my savior. It's changing me for good.

Now, this is terrible stuff going on. He says, I know. But the outer man's decaying. I'm I'm getting but the inner man, the real me, the spiritual me is growing. I'm being transformed.

Then he goes on and he says this. Let me explain. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us the eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. All the things I just described. Here's Paul's description of it. That was just momentary light affliction.

Now, it was more affliction than you and I and probably several of our friends combined together will ever face. Paul calls it all momentary light. Well, how does he do that?

How can you just describe it that way? He said, because it's producing for me, the eternal weight of glory fall beyond all comparison. God knows what I'm going through.

He knows what's going to happen for me. Then he says this. Well, we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

You see, how do we keep on keeping on? Well, first, we won't have to want to. But now he says we need to see our lives in light of eternity. Over and over again, the Bible teaches that for believers, you and I need to see our life in light of eternity, not see our life in light of this life. And then someday I'm hoping there's an eternity that won't help us, that won't transform you, that won't help you at all.

Paul says, look, when I see it that way, it changes everything in this life. You see, if God is going to use this pandemic to make you closer to him and more like Jesus, he's going to do it. Now, the question is, do you persevere? Do you keep on keeping on? Or do you just simply wait for the circumstances to change?

And that's all you keep praying to him. Please change the circumstances. Please change the circumstances.

That won't work. Now, I know it's hard for us because we want instant gratification, but it's not working that way. This idea of seeing life from a different perspective. Joni Erickson taught a quadriplegic her whole life virtually used greatly by the Lord.

But I can't imagine what that would be like to have no feeling below your neck. OK. She writes this, looking down on my problems from heaven's perspective, trials look extremely different. When viewed from its own level, my paralysis seems like a huge, impassable wall. But when viewed from above, the wall appeared as a thin line, something that could be overcome.

It was, I discovered with delight, a bird's eye view. It was the view of Isaiah 40, verse 31. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles and they will run and not grow faint. David Jeremiah comments on her comment and says, if you want to keep moving forward, learn to think of your problems from God's perspective. Instead of comparing your challenges to your own resources, compare them to God's great power, his eternal plan, his divine love. See them against his infinite grace.

The trials that seem so large to us are well within his ability to manage, bless and redeem for good. How do you keep on keeping on? You need to see your life from an eternal perspective, not temporal.

Once it's temporal, you're just, you are enslaved to the circumstances of your life. And so is your joy and your peace and everything else about you. So how do we keep on keeping on? We need to want to keep on keeping on. We need to see our lives in light of eternity. And I want you to go with me now to Matthew chapter six, the Sermon on the Mount, and let Jesus speak for the third thing. Now, if you remember, this is the whole section dealing with anxiety. This is all about what you and I have turned into a multibillion dollar business in America.

Chemically treating anxiety and worry. Because we have so much of it. So Jesus talks about it and he says, let me talk to you about that.

Don't do that. I mean, in a sense, he says, look at flowers, look at birds. God's in control. But then he says this at the end, verse 33.

He said, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. And all these things will be added to you. God will give you what you need and then this. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. We have to learn to deal with it. We how do we keep on keeping on? By dealing with today.

That's how how do you persevere over the long haul? Six months, eight months, how do we deal with today? Just deal with what you have to deal with today.

Well, what if it got worse? Don't worry about that. Just deal with what you have to deal with today. He said tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.

I love that statement. He didn't say it's going to be easier. He didn't even say it would be better tomorrow. He said that's another day you deal with today. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Keep your priorities right. You just deal with today.

You see, that's such an important part for us. In our country, most people who go through terrible addictions. One of the things that you hear from a recovering addict or alcoholic is I only deal with this a day at a time.

I'm sober today. That's the perspective I need. I can't hypothesize this a week, a month, a year down the road. I can't deal with it, though. I have to deal with just today. Well, that's good advice for all of us. We should all think about it that way. Just deal with today. The fourth thing of how we deal with it, I won't even go to a scripture.

There's so much in the Bible about it. Listen to the encouragers in your life. If you don't have any, find something. You see, the worst thing that can happen to you going through something like this is the voices that speak to you are in worse shape than you are. They're more negative than you are. And that's all you ever hear. You need to hear somebody who's encouraging you. You see, that has such a major effect on people. That's why it's one of the great one anothers of the New Testament. We need to encourage one another. We need to have an encouragers.

Barnabas became famous because he's an encourager. He said, I love to be and notice something about encouragers. You like being with them. Everyone likes to be with someone who encourage them.

That's what we need. If you're going to keep on keeping on at times, you're going to need someone just to encourage you. You see, you need that person here to take my hand.

Get up. Let's get go together. Let's keep going. Let's keep doing this. You need to be encouraged.

And the fifth one and maybe the most important. Don't quit. Don't quit. Go with me to Hebrews Chapter 10. Hebrews Chapter 10. Verses 35 and 36. The writer of Hebrews says this. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence. He said, which has great reward. He said, for you have need of endurance. So that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. In fact, if you read the whole book of Hebrews. The whole book could be encapsulated in the title of the sermon. Keep on keeping on.

That's what he tells them for every chapter. Keep on keeping on. Look, there's the promised land, the faith rest life is right in front of you, but you have to keep on keeping on.

Because remember what they want to do. Quit. We're done. Let's slide back into Judaism. We don't want anything to do with it anymore. It's too painful.

We're persecuted too much. He says, no, you've got to keep on keeping on. You need this endurance. You need to do that. So whatever you do, don't quit. So how do we deal with decision fatigue and moral fatigue?

How do we do that? Passively, we wait on God, not the circumstances. If I'm waiting, I got to wait on God. And by the way, what will his timing be? Perfect. So that's wonderful. If I'm waiting on circumstances, I might only have to wait another month. I might have to wait another year.

I don't know. But every day that I'm waiting, I become more miserable. Actively, we need to keep on keeping on. Because when we keep on keeping on, we're changed for the good. We have proven character.

We're transformed. Secondly, how do I keep on keeping on? We need to want to keep on keeping on. We need to do that. We need to want to. We need to see our lives in light of eternity.

We need to deal with just today. We need to listen to the encouragers in our lives and we need to refuse to quit. Now, look at chapter 12 as I close chapter 12, the first three verses.

Therefore, great conclusion. Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance, hopamune, the race set before us. This pandemic is part of our race. And this is unusual because it's one we're all running. It's affecting everybody. In a sense, it's a worldwide marathon right now. Everybody in the world is running that part the same race.

We all run individual races, but we're all running this together. He said, but let me remind you of something that's very important. Fixing our eyes on who? Jesus. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising a shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Wow.

Who do I look to? Jesus. Turn my eyes upon Jesus. He almost didn't make it out of his first couple of years of life. There was a plot to kill him. They went to Egypt and they got back and he spent a pretty much quiet life that we know little about. In Nazareth. And then his ministry started.

Soon as he started his ministry, how'd that work? Well, he was fasting. How long? 40 days.

Now, if you've done anything even resembling close to a four day fast, you can just imagine what a 40 day fast is. And then here comes Satan and tempts him. And what did he do? He just kept on keeping on. He just kept going forward.

He didn't fall to it at all. Then he started his ministry. Remember, he's the son of God.

He's the Messiah of Israel. And he begins to speak to the people. And how'd that go? Well, some believed. Most did not. Many hated him. They hated him.

Here he is, the son of God, Israel's Messiah, and they hate him. And then they plot to kill him. And what does he do? He just keeps on keeping on. So then he goes to the night before the crucifixion. He goes into the garden and he sweats droplets of blood.

Why? He knows what's awaiting him. And then they arrest him and they give him a mock trial. Then they slap him around. Then they spit on him. Then the Romans get him. And not only do they slap him around, they scourge him Roman style. They take most of the flesh off of his back. Then they put a crown of thorns on his head. Then they nail him to a cross. And then he experiences the wrath of God. Eloi, Eloi, lamash the botany. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Wow. He said, that's who you fix your eyes on here. He keeps on keeping on right to the end. What's the outcome? The gates of hell are shattered. A potential of eternal life is given. The forgiveness of sins for all of us. The ramifications of what happened because he would keep on keeping on right to the end.

That's why the writer says, fix your eyes on him. When you feel like quitting, look to the cross. When you feel like quitting, you look at the cross. And you thank God Jesus didn't quit. When you feel like quitting, look to our Savior. And keep on keeping on.

Let's pray. Father, because of the length of this trial, from our point of view, very long. From yours, I'm sure it's quite short. It's really nothing like Noah building an ark. It's nothing like Sarah and Abraham waiting for a child. It's nothing like Moses in the wilderness of Midian.

But for us, it seems like it's a long time. I pray that your word will tell us how important it is for us this morning. To have a perspective that we keep on keeping on. Thank you for all the great examples of men and women who did that in the Hebrews chapter 11. We call it the hall of fame of faith.

But really it's the hall of fame of perseverance, of endurance, of those who would keep on keeping on. Thank you most for Jesus Christ. What he endured for our sake is the basis of our relationship with you. When we feel like quitting, Father, may we look to his cross and to his person. May we turn our eyes on our Savior Jesus Christ. In his name we pray.

Amen. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts, or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called OnePlace.com. That's OnePlace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.

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That's fbcnola.org. At our website you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.