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    Jul 16, 2023

    Until the End

    Passage: Hebrews 10:22-25

    Preacher: Tesarik Geoff

    Keywords: encouragement, fellowship, obedience, freedom from sin, church gathered

    Detail:

    Until the End

    Sermon by Geoff Tesarik

    SLIDE 1

    1. Introduction

    It’s good to be here at Mosaic church.  This is an amazing church. We miss you, and love coming back and being with you all! And you have been a great encouragement to us.

    Connecting Questions:  When you think of being encouraged, who comes to your mind? Maybe one specific person or maybe God’s blessed you with many encouraging people throughout your lifetime? 

    Who have you encouraged most recently? God fills us up with His Holy Spirit and Truth and Love, so we can be poured out continually to grow His eternal Kingdom.

    SLIDE 2

    Hebrews 10:22-25 let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and 

    SLIDE 3

    good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

    There is a day approaching where life as we know it will drastically change.  At the end of time, God will come back and establish His kingdom.  Isn’t this what we are longing for?                                                                                                                          SLIDE 4

      Revelations 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain.”  Amen!  This is what we look forward to…but it’s not yet.  We live in a world that is confined by Time - and at the ‘end of time’ we will be united with Christ, all evil will be defeated, and we will live in glory for all eternity.  So I want to talk about this time between now and then.  I want to put a call out for us to finish well, that we will remain faithful ‘until the end’.  I’ll keep referring to this saying or mantra ‘Until the End’ so we understand, there is an end coming. This world as we know it will not last forever.

    PRAY

    Encouragement can come in many different forms: inspiring words like being told, “Good job! Keep it up! You’re doing awesome” or sayings such as, “Hey, you need to step it up or get your head in the game!” or maybe it’s more of  a wake-up call, “Knock it off!  Wake up and get right with God!”

    God tells us that He is our Good Shepherd and He leads us beside still waters and revives our soul.                                                  

    SLIDE 5

    Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

    A shepherd’s crook has a bend in it to gently pull us back on the path…but it also has the rod side that He will use to get our attention when we are wandering off.  When our kids were little we would tell them to stay in the ‘Circle of blessing’.  This is where God will bless you and when they get out of the circle, it’s our job as parents to redirect them back into the circle of blessing.  

    I’m here today to encourage you in the Lord Jesus Christ and fully step into the purpose and work God has for each one of us. With the Holy Spirit’s leading, may I spur you on!” You have been created for good works.

    1. WORK HARD 

    Point 1

    Have you ever lost your purpose or forgot your ‘why’?  When that happens, our motivation drops and our perseverance disappears.  Listen to what Ephesians says about our purpose:

    SLIDE 6

    Ephesians 2:8-10 

    1. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; v. 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. v. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them

    Ephesians chapter 2 reminds us that we are saved by God’s grace and it’s a free gift. Then it goes on to tell us “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We are not accidents, He has given us a plan and purpose for our life before we were born.  There is work for us to do while we’re here on earth.  This is what we were created for and it’s what will bring the most satisfaction to our lives.  God designed each one of us to walk according to His will - and when we don’t - it brings a selfish inward focus, sadness, depression and pain.  These are the red lights that come up on our dashboard when things aren’t working right.  We need to ‘look under the hood’ and see what’s not right.  And there’s an ‘automotive manual’ to make sure things are in spec and working correctly - it’s the bible. We need to align our lives with what the bible says if we expect to live a satisfied and fulfilled life.  If you’re not, then check your decisions and life against God’s Word. God offers us solutions.

    In the early 1970s a young singer-songwriter named, Jackson Browne, was writing a song and was having trouble finishing it. He had the line, “I was standing on the corner of Winslow, Arizona…”  There was another musician living in the same apartment complex and his name was Glen Frye. Both men knew each other from performing at local open mic nights and Glen asked if he could help Jackson finish the song. He added the words “such a fine sight to see…it’s a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me.” Take It Easy became one of the Eagles biggest hits.  Ever since then its become a life mantra for so many. “Take it easy.” It’s used when saying goodbye, “Take it easy!” 

    SLIDE 7

    And as things become popular in culture – they also affect the Church. Many Christians have taken it a little too “easy” when we’re supposed to be working toward fulfilling God’s purpose on this Earth. 

    I’ve always found the picture of a river helpful - if you’re just floating down stream, you’re headed the wrong way - it’s the way of our culture.  

    We need to be actively swimming UPSTREAM. It takes hard work. 

    There was an even older saying from the late 1800s. When people said goodbye back then they’d often say, “Work hard!” SLIDE 8

    The “work hard” phrase lasted through the Great Depression, with its common use peaking in the 1940s during World War II. Just a little over a generation later “Work hard!” was replaced with, “Take it Easy!”

    We don’t just ‘float’ our way into living out God’s purpose for us and the world.  

    Many of us are losing our perseverance, resilience, and endurance. As children of the living God, we are called to be holy. Not only because God hates sin, but He also knows that sin will trip us up and hold us down and keep us from our purpose. 

    We were walking our dog up at Cascade Lake, Idaho when something scared him and he jumped, getting the leash between his legs, which scared him even more and he quickly spun around and around. He ended up hog-tying himself with the leash and looked like this.

    SLIDE 9

     He looked so ridiculous – and he had done it all to himself. Maybe you’ve done this to yourself? Trapped yourself with sins, going ‘round and ‘round until you can’t even stand? Sin traps us. 

    Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  Our purpose here is to run this race and we need endurance and perseverance - but if you’re like me, there have been times when I’ve gotten tangled up in sin.  Some of us have struggled with sin so long that it feels like you may never be free of it. 

    You’ve told yourself, “I can never be free of _____ (name the sin) 

    Or maybe you’ve given in and said something like, “it’s no use, I’ll never be free of these sins until I die and get to Heaven!”? If you’ve gotten so weary and told yourself something like this then death has become your savior. SLIDE 10

    But the reality is Jesus is our Lord and Savior! Not just in heaven but right here and now.  Don’t lose hope, Jesus can free you. Don’t give up! Keep fighting Until the End! Commit to Jesus that you will stand firm until the end.  Jesus is our Living Hope!  It takes a fight and it takes work.

    One of Satan’s tactics is to make us feel like we are not in a war - stay in your tube floating down the stream.  Take it easy.  But we are in a war and I hope to convince you of that soon.  The Good News is that we are God’s warriors, the bad news is that warriors get tested. Have you been getting tested lately?

    III. DOING LIFE TOGETHER

    Hebrews 10:22-25 let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

    Point 2

    This is the reason God puts his children together.  Marines, Army Rangers, and Navy Seals work in teams - never alone.  We shouldn’t work alone either.  We have a God-given, eternal purpose! God calls us to do a task so big that we can’t do it alone – we need God, and we need each other. Turn to your neighbor and tell them “I need you”  and now tell them ‘You need me”.  We need each other. SLIDE 11

    I looked up some information about oxen. One ox can pull about 8,000 lbs. of weight. So if you have ‘yoke them together’, you have two oxen pulling side by side, you’d think they must be able to pull double that amount  ~16,000 lbs. But it’s more like 24,000 lbs. or 3x the amount. If the oxen are yoked and trained to work together – they end up pulling 32,000 lbs. or 4x the original weight of one ox. This is the power of fellowship between believers – we can do so much more together. We need to rally perseverance in ourselves and in each other – to not lose heart. Don’t give up! We encourage one another to keep pressing on until the end!

    SLIDE 12

    So why don’t we work well together? Have any of you ever been hurt by the church? Or other Christians? If we’re being honest, Have any of us ever done the hurting? Yes, of course we have. I have and you have. We’ve all been hurt and we’ve all hurt others. This isn’t a surprise to God – it’s why Jesus died. We always go back to the Cross. As Christians we need to be the best at reconciling and forgiving, and asking for forgiveness – this is what we should be known for. This is not a sign of weakness - it’s a sign of dependence.  Here, Mosaic Church, and each one of us sons and daughters of God, we need to be a refuge and stronghold for each other. A place where we can come for help, and be open and honest, and receive healing. There are times in our life that we need help – whether circumstances of life get difficult or we need help overcoming sins.  SLIDE 13

     Just like my dog Monty getting himself trapped with his leash and he laid there helpless, I’ve been completely trapped in my sins and unable to rescue myself. Maybe you are in one of those times right now? If you're stuck right now, if you’ve lost your hope, we need to pray…

    Humility, dependence, surrender

    1. WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH?

    Point 3

    I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From which he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy catholic Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.

    SLIDE 14

    I was raised in the Lutheran Church as a child and for confirmation I had to memorize the Apostles’ Creed. And the prayer ends with “I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy catholic Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.” And I remember being confused about the part that says, ‘the holy Catholic church’ because I was Lutheran. So I learned that the holy Catholic church means “throughout all times and places”. It’s the universal church and when we surrender to Christ and we are adopted into His family and invited into God’s mission. His mission and purpose is bigger than ourselves and bigger than this one body here at Mosaic. This is why Mosaic partners with other local churches and global missionaries. We send missionaries out into all parts of the world – we are swept up into God’s plan and purpose – and it’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. God’s heart and purpose for the church and its motivation.  Why are so many christians willing to lay down their lives for God’s mission? To sacrifice so much?  

    This is the mission that we are called into: SLIDE 15

    2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 18-21 v. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. v. 15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

    SLIDE 16

    18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

    SLIDE 17

    20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. v. 21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

    And the world needs this message more than ever. I won’t get too political – we need to have an accurate view of the world and what’s happening right now.  There is a war of good vs. evil. SLIDE 18

    There are about 1 million abortions happening each year. That’s 2,740 abortions each day. This is child sacrifice similar to the Old Testament days.  People sacrificed their children to the ‘god’ of Molech and other gods. Why? They did this to earn favor with the gods.  They wanted a better life, more money, etc.  Isn’t that why abortion happens today?  So I won’t have to sacrifice so much or work too hard, so I can have a bit more money.  

    v In schools, we have children as young as 4 and 5 years old being asked if they want to be the opposite sex.  And we have adults who are considered safe resources: the media, teachers, librarians, girl and boy scout leaders, school board members, doctors and other medical professionals - they actually encourage this.  These adults will help children receive hormones to try to reverse their gender And this is not safe nor reversible.  Harm is happening to children. SLIDE 19

    We have drag queen shows for and with children happening at military sponsored events, schools, libraries and even churches - and some adults are applauding this.

    Sex trafficking numbers are exploding and it is the fastest growing illegal industry in the world.  It is a $150 billion profit industry.  And this is especially targeting young children, as young as 4 years old.  Evil is exploding and is specifically targeting our children.

    Our country’s going through a period of darkness! And all this should get us angry and upset but we also need to remember that ‘vengeance is the Lord's and people are our passion, not our problem.

    But we believers have the truth and God calls us to do good! The Church needs to continue fulfilling our purpose and to be on a continuous rescue mission – UNTIL THE END – SLIDE 20

    We have this promise from Jesus. He says, Matthew 16:17 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

    Watch these important and motivating movies:  Unplanned,  Sound of Freedom, Free Burma Rangers.  Be inspired by others, Be challenged.  Live into what purpose God has called you into.  This life is not all about me or my comfort - but it’s about fulfilling the mission God has for me - until the end.

    Greater is He that is in us then he that is in the world.

    1. CONCLUSION SLIDE 21

    Take-Aways

    Point 1:  Flee from sin - don’t let yourself get ensnared by it.

    Begin creating an attitude of resilience and perseverance in yourself.

    Do something uncomfortable each day - The only easy day was yesterday.

    Ephesians 6:10-12 v. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

    SLIDE 22

    Point 2:  Do life together – take an interest in others. Be an encourager, be ready to say hard things for the sake of rescuing others. Obey the Spirit of God in you.

    Galatians 6:9-10 v. 9 Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. v. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

    SLIDE 23

    Point 3:  Share the hope we have – the church is growing and the gates of Hell will not overcome. GOD IS VICTORIOUS!  We are ambassadors of God. Continue doing the good work God has in front of you today!  Until the end.

    C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that is sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!”

    He shook his mane and sprang forward into a great gallop — a Unicorn’s gallop, which, in our world, would have carried him out of sight in a few moments. But now a most strange thing happened. Everyone else began to run, and they found, to their astonishment, that they could keep up with him: not only the Dogs and the humans but even fat little Puzzle and short-legged Poggin the Dwarf. The air flew in their faces as if they were driving fast in a car without a windscreen. The country flew past as if they were seeing it from the windows of an express train. Faster and faster they raced, but no one got hot or tired or out of breath.

    Don’t forget your purpose or why you’re here! SLIDE 24

    Philippians 3:12-14 v. 12 Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. v. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet;  SLIDE 25

    but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, v. 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Until The End!

    Speak God’s Word out loud. What we hear wires our brains that can lead to negativity or life. We transform and renew our minds when we speak God’s truth out loud. 

    BENEDICTION SLIDE 26

    I am one who perseveres. 

    Regardless of the storms that may surround me, 

    I always have peace inside.

    SLIDE 27

    I live with the expectation for the goodness of God to manifest,

    Even in difficult times.

    Even when I feel like quitting,

    I push toward the goal.

    SLIDE 28

    God is for me not against me.

    I give, because He gave.

    I love, because He loves.

    I am strong and courageous.

    Thanks be to God!

    SLIDE 29

    Go in God’s strength until the end.