Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Enduring the Cross Pt.2

Let's turn to the book of Hebrews. I'm thankful to my Father, thankful for the Word of God that doesn't return void. In many of your lives, you've experienced that same miracle. Some of you are waiting to experience it, and we believe you will. Thank God for what's happening in young people here in our midst. It's a blessing, seeing the Lord use Michael. We have some great miracles ahead, praise God. We're going to need every bit of the grace of God to finish this race that's before us. We're warring against principalities and powers that are irresistible in the natural. The force of sin, the power, the root of pride that is in every one of us is so damnable and destructive, and only the grace of God enables us to embrace that cross and to die to that self-will and that pride and self-destruction of self-serving. It's solely by grace, and we need to be protective of this environment that can be the source of us obtaining that grace. This great cloud of witnesses that Hebrews speaks of, not only those of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, but also those that we're surrounded by. People who have embraced it, people whose lives have been changed, so that we can follow those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises of God. Thank God for this great gift of family that we have and for those who have gone before us.

We want to talk some more about that aspect of enduring the cross. We were talking Wednesday that it's not just a suffering through, but there is a grace that causes us to embrace that cross. The endurance is not just one of longsuffering, but it's one of consistency. When we talk about patience, endurance, we talk about long-suffering, but we talk about consistency also. It's a habit now to choose His lordship and His glory over our own. Without it, we're not going to be able to receive that prize. "We're running to obtain a prize," the apostle said. Jesus endured that cross for the joy that was set before Him. What I hope we can see in these next sessions is what's before us. The enemy is constantly distracting us with momentary pleasures. Beloved, listen to me. We're living for eternity. Amen? We're not just living for the next immediate fix. We're living for eternity. If we can lift our eyes and begin to see the prize that's before us, if we can begin to understand what this is all about-lives that are living for an eternal purpose, not just a golden hammock in the sweet by and by. God has a purpose for us. Not only are we going to be in His presence, rejoicing and celebrating the victory won, but we're going to be serving Him for eternity, bringing Him glory. Never able to pay Him back, but for eternity living for His glory, fellowshipping, communing with Him, and partaking of all of His goodness as He lavishes His greatness and His majesty on us.

Let's go to Hebrews, Chapter 12, pick it up where we were, and see what we can learn about this enduring of the cross. James says in the first chapter of his epistle, "Count it all joy when ye fall into [different tests, temptations, tests, and trials]; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh [say it with me] patience." How many of you need patience? Amen. It's not just patience for standing in line or riding in traffic. Patience, consistency, endurance against the wiles of the devil is a consistent stand against principalities and powers. We need patience as we dig in and adorn ourselves with the armor of God and go to war with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. "You have need of consistency. You have need of endurance. You have need of patience," James says. "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [tests, and trials]."

Hebrews 12 calls it chastisement, the chastening of the Lord. Are we embracing God's testing us, strengthening us, showing us our endurance with joy, or are many of us begrudging that we're not having the temporary benefits of life that others around us seem to enjoy? Are we actually upset that this war we're engaged in is not a video game, that there's real sweat and real blood involved? This race that we're involved in takes effort. We would like salvation to make it all go away and to give us supernatural abilities to where everything is a breeze. The fact of the matter is this war that we're involved in, this warfare, is drudgery. It's toil. It's endurance. It's bloody, hand-to-hand combat. It's not pushing buttons. We're living in a society when we look for ease and comfort, the easy way out, the quick fix. We have people who go nuts, as we're involved in war, and protest because somebody stubs their toe, a person is killed, ten people die, or a hundred people die. I don't in any way minimize one life given. That's not the point I'm trying to make. What I'm saying is the wars before us have cost millions, but we had resolve. We had a purpose.

We are living in such a frail and weak society that has so affected us, we've imbibed that spirit, and many of us approach our Christian lives that way. We are actually ticked off that we can't just pray for five seconds and have everything go away. Why do we have to work so hard? Why do we have to pray? Why do we have to fast? Why is it that we have to put on the armor and set out against the enemy? Can't Jesus' blood just make it all go away? It takes the dominance and the power of sin and puts it under the power of faith and grace, but there is work involved. "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, [James 1 says] that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." He goes on and he talks about double-mindedness. He tells us that the only way we're going to be able to stand up in this warfare is with a single mind. We can't use the wisdom of the world. We can't use their methods.

When we're dealing with the major sin problem, the ego, the pride, we can't use the world's method of looking for all of these self-help books, improving our image. We need to come to that place of embracing the cross and choosing the wisdom of God. When the world and twenty-first century American Christianity talks about promoting self and self-image, the Bible talks about dying and diminishing self and recognizing our total depravity, and that there is no good innately within us. The only good comes from what the apostle declared, "[It's no longer I that live], but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20). Amen? We need to get rid of the "I" and exalt the Christ that's in us.

We want to learn how we can do that. How can we embrace this cross and walk daily in a way that's pleasing to the Lord? "Let this mind be in you, [we were studying] which is also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). We talked about the humility that Jesus embraced. Where does that humility evidence itself practically? This Hebrews passage goes on and says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith," as we read on in these next couple of verses. When it's talking about "looking unto Jesus," it's not just talking about looking to Him who finished the work of redemption. That's one of the things we're supposed to do. Look to Him and realize it's finished. The victory has been won. It's by His grace. It's by the faith that He is going to impart to us, but we also need to look to Jesus and say, "What was it that He did that pleased the Father?" He said, "For I do always those things that please [the Father]" (John 8:29). Wouldn't you like that to be your testimony? Really?

I can't think of anything I would like more than to be able to say I always pleased the Father. I don't. I wish I could, but I have found that that song that they sang this morning is so real. When you fail Him, and you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Amen? When you turn to Him, He runs to you, praise God. That's the one thing I found about my Father. The more I embrace the cross, the more I want to please Him and not myself. The more I embrace the cross and begin to learn what it means to be a son of God, an heir and a joint heir with Christ Jesus; I realize that it doesn't imply dominance. It doesn't imply independence. Sonship implies relationship and an identifying of the glory of the Father. "I ever live to please the Father." This is the testimony that Jesus had.

I don't want to get off course, but remember, we're talking about a member of the Godhead, co-equal, true humility. You and I are so inferior that we can't even seek in the same breath of identifying with God. He is holy, distinct, unique, and separate. He is the Creator. We are the creature, yet we want to vaunt our selves, but, Jesus, being co-equal, humbled Himself and flowed as co-equal in that role of Son and did those things that pleased the Father. As a testimony? Yes, but as a true course of who God is, a revelation of who God really is.

Jesus made these comments, and it's something we need to grab hold of if we're going to embrace the cross. He said, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of. [I have bread. I have sustenance. I gain my strength from something, that, frankly, you don't know anything about]" (John 4:32). He's talking to believers. He's talking to the inner circle. He's talking to the most spiritual in our midst. He said, "I have strength, I gain my strength from something that you don't have a clue." What did He say He got that strength from? "I have meat to eat that ye know not of...My meat is to do the will of [my Father]." Let's take that to Gethsemane for just a moment and find out the real secret of embracing and enduring the cross. That's when we can consciously walk in "the prayer without ceasing" that Paul speaks of, with this thought process constantly, our minds so saturated, becoming so natural, that in every circumstance we respond immediately. "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). That's our meat; that's our strength. Every morning we arise is not for self. It's not self-serving. It's not what can I get out of it. How great a day is it going to be for me? Am I going to get my daily fix of attention and ease and comfort? It's "How can I be used today for the glory of God, to effect His will on earth?"

How in the world are we ever going to arrive at that? First of all, we need examples, don't we? We look "...unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). I'd encourage you in all of your study, and this may seem to be a very over-simplified statement, but I think many of us miss this. I know myself. In my whole growth process, whenever I feel I'm getting a little bit off-course, all I do is go back and read red ink, the words of Jesus. I want to know what Jesus has to say about this. I want to know what Jesus did in this situation. I want to know how Jesus responded to the Father. I want to know how Jesus responded to Pharisees. I want to know what Jesus said is going to cost me to finish this course. I want to know what Jesus said honors Him. Not what society says, not what the twenty-first century American church says, not what Christian psychologists have to say, but what does Jesus say my role is at this moment that will bring glory to Him? I want to ask the question again. "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Do you know Him? How well do you know Jesus?

"Well, He's my Savior." Praise God! How well do you know Him? How well do you imitate Him? "Be imitators," the apostle said. How well do we think with the unadulterated mind of Christ, or how vexed have we become with Christian psychology, the Christian glamour, Christian superstars? We gauge the value of what men say based upon their observable accomplishments, how big their church is, how many times their face has been on television, how many millions of books they sold, and we don't stop for a moment to ask, "Are they speaking the words of Jesus?" "Be...followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises [of God] (Hebrews 6:12). The responsibility is ours. We look to Jesus, and we see that He has bread, strength, sustenance, that we know not of. That's really a slam on Him, isn't it? He said, "Do you know what? You people are worried about natural food. You've gone out here. You were worried about me, and I appreciate your concern. You've brought me natural food, but I want you to know something. I was tired. What you observed in me was correct. I was weary. We've had a long journey. We've had a long stretch of ministry here, and I was weary. Your observations were correct, but don't you understand that the moment I get involved in emptying myself out for the glory of God, the moment I begin to pour myself into this life that's in need, I supernaturally get strength and joy and peace?"

Many of us are living in a world when we need multiple vacations every day to decompress, and we're so weary, we're so tired. It's because we are so self-indulgent. If we'd begin to empty ourselves out for others, we'd be refreshed, praise God! We'd have energy that we wouldn't know what to do with. We'd look like the little Energizer bunny. I believe that's where a lot of my energy comes from-being about Father's business. Here I am, fifty-nine years young. I want to be going like Harry back there, praise God. I hope to be as good looking as he is at that age. I know what he's thinking, "You have a long way to go, son." I'm trying, praise God. It's so good to have some people at least call you "son" and "young man."

We've been duped. We've been told we have to have all of these natural supplemental things. All we really need to do is die to self and serve in the kingdom, and we'll be refreshed and strengthened. Amen? The enduring of the cross, the refusal to believe what natural man is telling us, what all the wisdom of the world is telling us. I have meat to eat that ye know not of...My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." That's part of what we want to talk about here. Many of us make good runs at it, but we don't finish it. We don't have the resolve to see it through. We could take testimonies here this morning about, "Yeah, and I made this run, I felt so good, and God was blessing me. I was hearing the voice of the Lord, and then here I am again." Do you ever feel like the children of Israel, forty years? Those are the besetting sins that Paul speaks of here in this twelfth chapter.

"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set [in your midst]. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher..." That word "beset" just means "ever-present" and "those that so easily surround you." The Greek is interesting here. It can imply a number of things. It not only means the things that are ever-present, but I think it means the things that we give immediate access to. We're familiar with them. We allow the besetting sins. We make provision for them. They're surrounding us. Besetting sin is the sin that's always there. In a pinch, you can reach out and take a hold of it because you're so comfortable with it. It's so much a part of your life. It's not just a sin that overpowers us; it's a sin that we've prepared for. It's part of us. It's who we are. It's the lack of character in our lives, to put to death these areas that comfort us. We believe that we deserve these things. We've been working hard. We make excuses for why they are in our lives. "It's not that bad. It is bad, but that's who I am. This is just my genetics." We'll justify by saying it's not that bad or by the fact that we can't do anything about it, but "sin shall not have dominion over you" (Romans 6:14). Amen?

Practically, how do we get free? All of us want to be free, every one of us. If we took a survey this morning-I say, every one of us-the majority of us would say, "Yes, I want to be free from sin. I want to live my life for the glory of God. Here's how I want to live it." Amen? "I just want to be used for God this way. I want to be used for God with these people, this person. I want to used for God in this neighborhood. I want to be used for God and drive there in this. I want to be used for God and retire at thirty a zillionaire." This cross takes away all of those addenda. This cross that we're talking about, this meat that we're talking about, is found in Gethsemane. As we sweat and agonize the great drops of blood, we come to that resolve. "Not my will.... [If it be possible, let this thing pass,] ...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." The moment we pray that prayer in genuine faith, we're free. How do we stay free? We've all been free. How do we walk in the spirit so that we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh?

One of the things you'll see in this twelfth chapter is that we don't faint under the continuous chastening of the Lord, because He'll keep us on course. He'll slap you around. He'll give you those little swats. He'll give you that eye. He'll give you wisdom and counsel-as you'll see in just a moment as we go on in this chapter-of brothers and sisters, because we can't do this thing alone. As he goes on in this twelfth chapter, he says we need to lift up the hands that are hanging down. Amen? We need each other if we're going to make this thing. You need the people that are around you here. You need to listen to what they're saying to you about your life. You need to humble yourself and get counsel. You need to submit to those that are in authority over you. Kids, if you're going to make it, you need to do what your parents are saying. Wives, you need to submit to your husbands. Husbands, you need to subordinate yourself to your head, Jesus.

Paul is speaking to us here and he says, "Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses ..." He's obviously making reference back to the eleventh chapter. As I go back and I read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, and think back over the historical church, as I read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, I'm almost embarrassed to call myself a Christian when I look at those that have gone before us and the prices that they've paid. We want all they had, and we want to identify with them, but we don't want to pay the price. That's what's wrong with our society today, and it's crept into the church. We have made references to biblical principles, such as each one of us digging our own wells. We know the theology, but not only do we not allow our children to dig their own wells, we serve them Perrier.

It's a very difficult thing to appreciate and be thankful and not despise the blessings of God when you've done nothing for them. Read this twelfth chapter. Esau despised his birthright for that immediate morsel. What do you think he's trying to say to us in the context of this chapter? We have people that want to cry and come back, and Esau couldn't be restored to that place. Thank God for this dispensation of grace that we're living in. Thank God for the finished work of Jesus. There can be an entire restoration and reconciliation, but nevertheless, the point is being made. There are too many people despising the process of maturation. Too many people are despising the worth of the prize that we're pressing towards. We're living in the steroid generation, the quick fix. That's what steroids is all about. The steroids, they help you recover more quickly, and all the different things that you can gain.

We're sitting here inundated with this as the spirit of our society and God says there is no quick fix. There is no super-spiritual pill or drug. It's a daily cross. It's the drudgery of dying daily, of embracing those that are around you, of following those that have gone before you, and realizing God is no respecter of persons. You're going to pay the same price they paid to get there. Are you ready for this journey? Have you counted the cost of what Christianity really is? We all know it's not constant drudgery. We know there's a lot of fun involved and fellowship, and there are great victories that are won. There are the long times of peace and comfort and blessing and prosperity, but how do we handle the chastening of the Lord? Most of us do pretty well at handling the blessings, so we don't need to spend a lot of time teaching you how to enjoy the blessings. What do we do when God wants to work character in our lives? What do we do when He wants to work character in lives of those that are around us? Many of us are willing to endure many things on ourselves, but not our children. We can't let our children go through this. The fact is many of us have stunted the growth of our children because we keep getting in God's way, or our spouse's, or our best friend's.

He says there's been this great cloud of witnesses that's before us, those of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. He said, "[If we're going to follow and obtain the same victory that they obtained, we're going to have to] ...lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us." Very clearly, any weight is any thing that is excess baggage. To be a master in this area of spiritual living, then, the Scripture says we have to be very moderate, temperate in the things that everybody else is excessive in-the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust of other things, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.

As I was reading and studying many of the commentators through these passages, they talked about a key quality that I've mentioned many times. The key to being able to be successful in this race is a real keen knowledge of self, of your own heart, knowing. You need to know what you're surrounded by. Do you know what your besetting sins are? Do you know where you lack character? Do you know your circle of friends and what they can contribute? Do you know who you should be hanging with? Do you know that you're seeking temporal prizes, not eternal? You know what the exact number is in your portfolio. Do you have any clue what the balance is in your heavenly account? What do you have laid up? What have you done for God? What is your spiritual worth? You know what your natural worth is. Many of you here could tell me exactly where you are. It's not hard to count to zero. Where your treasure is, that's where you heart is. Lay aside every weight. Paul is speaking here, of course, about a race. It's very obvious that he's making reference to the Olympic games and different things.

We know that in the original games, they used to run nude. Probably had a pretty good time. If you're running naked on a hot day in Greece on stone, you're probably picking them up and putting them down, man! Hot sand-have you ever run across hot sand? Yeah, you're getting it! The one thing we do know is that they would take off everything that would hinder them. There is even implication to that in this word "besetting" because it talks about being surrounded-not only surrounded by certain individuals and sins-but it makes reference to the different robes and attire that they used to wear. It said they wouldn't allow those robes to bind them up. We all know how they would actually pull them up, tie them off, and make culottes out of them, but nothing that would hinder you, nothing that would shorten your stride, and nothing that would trip you up or bind you.

The question is this. How free are you? What is holding you back? Who is holding you back? Let me ask you something. Is all that that you're dragging worth not finishing this course and obtaining the prize? According to Esau, it will kill you. Paul says, "[Put these things aside, and] run with patience the race that is set before us." That word "patience" means consistency. You don't train twenty-four hours one day and take three weeks off because you want to reward yourself. You prepare with patience. It's all about consistency. It's all about a regimented effort. Most of us are so haphazard in our spiritual lives. We make big pushes, and then we lay off instead of line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there, constantly building ourselves, doing the same thing over and over. It doesn't seem spectacular, but we're consistently building up endurance and character. We're denying ourselves habitually and being temperate in other things, so that we can be a master in the spiritual pursuit. "Follow those that are doing this," he says, "...and let us run with patience...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher..., [the One that finished the race perfectly; the One that always did what was pleasing to the Father; the One that said, ‘the world has no hold on Me.']" Satan has come, but he doesn't have anything on Me.

I like that. Wouldn't you like that to be your testimony? The devil has come but he has nothing to accuse me. There's nothing he can grab hold of in my life. I'm like a greased pig. There's not a handle there he can grab on to. "I have meat to eat that ye know not of...My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. ...the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame..." "The joy that was set before him." Many of us have lost sight of what we're running for. We're not running just to have a healthy family. Christians are burning themselves out today trying to save democracy-which is a non-biblical form of government anyway-so why are Christians spending all of their spiritual energy for something that isn't necessarily biblical. The only thing that makes democracy biblical is that government is of God, and it happens to be a form of government. It's one that has worked well and allowed us freedom and independence to preach the gospel, and I'm thankful for it, but it's not why we're here as Christians.

Do you know what? Many are spending their whole lives for a 200-year-old organization, and that's not the prize. This isn't our home. We're pilgrims; we're passing through. Many of us are looking for good marriages and moral children and retirement. I want to tell you something. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). This life is gone as a vapor. What are you running for? "Well, so that I can retire at forty." And die at forty-one? "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36) We've lost sight of heaven. We've lost sight of eternity. We've lost sight of why we're doing what we're doing. This is for an eternal purpose. We're pressing on toward a city built without hands. This isn't about good kids. It's about eternal souls. It's not about our personal reputation and what people will think. Get it out in the open! Let somebody help you, praise God, so we can finish this race. Amen? That's what Paul is trying to tell us here. Despising the shame of the cross, the shame of having to come and ask for help, the shame of saying, "Man, our family's messed up," the shame of saying, "My wife is rebellious," the shame of saying, "My husband is a sloth as it pertains to spiritual things. My children are rebellious and disobedient." This cross, this identifying self, this identifying sin, and the crucifying of it. Jesus hung on that cross as the sinless Lamb of God. He was despised of men. He was seen as a sinner, rejected. In fact, the only way we can be accepted is to be identified with Him.

He goes on to say, "We need to be careful and understand that joy that became His strength, the joy of obedience, the joy of the eternal consequence, your salvation, my salvation, the glory of the Father. Because of that joy, He was able to endure the cross. Now, consider Him who gained strength from the meat that we know not of, ‘...lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.'"

I'll finish with this for this morning, but he's making reference back again to the warfare, the gains, etc. You haven't fully extended yourself. You haven't battled to the shedding of blood. You haven't experienced personal martyrdom. He's telling us what this thing is going to cost. It's not just coming up to the altar and saying, "Jesus, help me to die to myself. Lord, I hate this sin in my life, and I just want to be the best Christian that ever lived, amen." (Wait for the lightening bolt to strike, and you never have to pray again, and everything's going to go great.) It's agonizing over identifying those besetting sins. It's taking those things that are so familiar and common and having brothers and sisters stand with you and war, picking those things off one at a time, identifying them, and standing with you to oppose them until they no longer have power over you. It's getting rid of the lust list of all the things that we want to obtain and have that have power over us.

Don't mistake what I'm saying. There's nothing wrong with having things, with prospering, with having amusements that we engage. I'm talking about things that have power over us. I'm talking about knowing your own heart, identifying your own character. You know what they are. We protect ourselves. What am I talking about? It's simple! Don't get your best shopping buddy and go looking for shoes every Saturday. (I'm talking to the guys.) You abstain. If your eye offends you, you pluck it out. You withdraw yourself from those things, becoming temperate so that you can be masters of the things that are more pertinent, the eternal things. What have you done to surround yourself with people that will protect you from yourself? Destruction, your life's destruction-that devil is second in line. Do you know who is first? You. You're the one that can destroy your life. The devil can't kill you; he can just make a lot of bad suggestions. "Every man [sins] when he is drawn away of his own lust..." Satan does the enticing, but every man sins "...when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed"-the bait, the deceit, the lies of the devil-and then he makes decisions for self-glory, gain, ease. So what have we done?

God has set up a method, and we'll talk about this a little more tonight, of chastening and opposing us, of scourging us. I'll make a statement and end with this. Do you know that in our courts today, God would be convicted of child abuse? Do you know how I know? There's a word here: scourges. That means to bring blood, "ouchy." I want to tell you something. Our Father is an awesome God. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). He is not a "nay, nay, my sons" daddy, and His motive (and I'll end with this for this morning) is that we might be partakers of His holiness. Amen? That we might embrace His holiness, that we might be like Him, that we might be free from Satan's kingdom and power, that we can enjoy the joy of obedience and the strength that comes from it. I'll tell you something. In this life, there is nothing better. There is nothing better than the joy that comes from obedience to our Father. It's the meat that Jesus spoke of.

Father, we thank You for Your Word this morning. As we stand in preparing to war against principalities and powers, against the sin that's in our own members, against a society drunken with ease and comfort and pleasure, a church that looks so much like the world that there is no distinction, what can we do to stay free? How can we better serve You? What can we do in our lives to bring You more glory? Help us to identify the prize, to prepare ourselves for the course, the daily exercise, the daily death to self, the daily choosing Your will and not ours, Your glory and not ours. That's preparation. As you say in this chapter, Lord, as we go on, the exercising of ourselves, the experience of our obedience. The more we obey, the stronger we get by exercise, by use, by habit. The only way to learn to obey is through obedience. Make it real, we ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand before the Lord.

As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment. We stop and look at how we prepare ourselves and what's involved in it. Even for this year, the softball team, and the games we're playing, we've had to practice a little. We haven't practiced enough, but we've had to practice a little bit. Some of us have to get to the games earlier than we used to, to stretch and prepare ourselves for the battle at hand. I mean, we put in an effort, just for a softball game. Some of you are preparing for your vocation, and you're doing work at home to get ready for the next day's presentation. Some of you have to loosen up for the trip to the mall. Everything takes preparation. It takes time, energy. Some of you spend hours and hours and hours on the internet researching your vacation. He's gone to prepare a place for us. What are you doing to prepare for that? How much time and energy and focus, because it can be in the next moment, eternity? Eternity begins at the very moment you embrace it, that you become aware of it, that you make preparation. The scope of it hasn't registered. Eternal damnation or momentary pleasure. Those things don't balance out, so you believe the one and not the other. We need a glimpse of the awesomeness of our God, of the scope of eternity, and make our decisions in light of that.

Let's sing this together and worship Him. Thank you, Jesus. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. One more time. Hallelujah! Father, make it real to us. You said if a man would save his life, then he would lose it, but if he loses his life for Your sake, then he takes it up again and it has eternal value. Help us, Lord, to take up that cross daily and follow You, in Jesus' name. Amen. Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "I choose to die." Amen. Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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