Transcription
Praise the Lord and welcome once again to another exciting episode of Doers of the Word Ministries broadcast on the Marketplace Network channel. My name is Bishop Reginald Given and I'm the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center. Our address is at the bottom of the screen and our service times begin at 9:00 a.m. every Sunday. I would love to extend to you an invitation, a personal invitation. Come and be with us this Sunday. I believe that there's going to be a special word in the house just for you. And at the end of the service, I would love to shake your hand and greet you and pray for whatever specific need that you have. Please come on out and be with us this Sunday.
I want to share with you today a message that is entitled Living in the Hope of Christ's return. Now, in the comfort of your own home, as you're sitting there, I hope you have a Bible handy. If you could grab your Bible, let's look at the book of St. John, St. John, which is the fourth book of the New Testament, which was written by the Apostle John between the years 80 and 90 AD. Now, this book is a very powerful portrait known all throughout American Christendom as the first book that is recommended. It is recommended that new Christians ought to begin reading because it tells uh you all about the one who saved you. I think it's important that you know about your savior uh how he saved you by dying on the cross for your sins and it also gives a beautiful illustration of the life of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. uh which I personally think is very important to know because we are the chosen ones called to be imitators of Christ.
Now John wanted to he wanted to make sure that the people knew that Jesus was not just a great prophet or just a miracle man or just some great teacher. He wanted the people to know that Jesus was the only begotten of God. Only begotten son of God. This is who he was then. This is who he is today. And this is who he shall be forever more. Now there are many differences between the Christ and the rest of humanity. But one of the most distinct differences is that man, you and I, we are all born of other men. Whereas Jesus was born of God according to all that John had stated. Another thing too, John did not tell the story of Jesus's birth like the other gospels did. Instead, he reached all the way back into eternity to start his gospel. It says in John 1 verse one, it says, "In the beginning," you can't go any further than that. Amen. You can't go back any further than that. He says, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God."
Now, hopefully you have your Bibles. Just drop down to uh verse 14, and it says this. says, "And the word which was God, the word was made flesh, and it dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth." Now it is it is this statement and others in the book of John which had the early church moving to recognize the triunity or the three in one. One God who manifests himself in three distinct personalities. God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. each one serving their own several purposes in the Godhead.
Now, I think that it would be a safe thing to say to you that all of us that are here, those that are in the audience, those of you that are watching this broadcast, I think it would be a safe thing to say uh that you are living for some purpose. I don't believe anybody is just living just to be living. You're just wasting air. I don't believe that you there's a purpose for why you are living. It's either for a better day or for a brighter future. But I would tend to believe you are living for something. Now every day when I first open my eyes, the prevailing thought that first hits me is what purpose am I going to live for today? Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not promised but I have today. What purpose am I going to live for today? What and who you live for is mostly always predicated on the choices that you make on a daily basis. And the thing about it is those choices are always subject to change. Let me read to you a story about a man who made a choice. Go with me to Joshua chapter 24 and let's look at verse 15. Joshua 24:15. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, he said, "Choose you this day who you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell." But he made a conscious decision and he did not go back on it. He said, "But as for me and my house, we already know what we are going to do. We have chosen to serve the Lord."
I make a lot of different choices from day to day just like I know you do as well. But one choice that I have made and I made this choice a long time ago will always remain my single most prevailing choice which is also the text of my message today. My message is entitled living in the hope of Christ's return. That is a choice that I have made and it prevails with me because I do not know anything that is more imminent than his return. It could happen today. It could happen tomorrow. No man knows exactly when, but there is not a whole lot more left to happen before it takes place. And because of its imminence of occurring, Jesus said two simple words to those who put their trust in him that if performed from the heart would undoubtedly assure us of our eternity with him. What are those two simple words? Here they are. Jesus said, "Follow me." Amen. Follow me.
If somebody is sitting next to you, just ask them the question, who are you following today? What trend are you following? Are you following Tik Tok? Are you following Instagram? Are you following the latest rock star? Who who are you following? You see, to follow someone, it denotes that you have a very high interest in not just knowing where they're going, but also to accompany them along the way. So that when they get to where they are going, you will also arrive there with them. And listen, if you follow close enough, if you follow close enough, you will undoubtedly in the process become a part of that person that you're following or have somewhat of a resemblance of that person after it is all said and done if you follow close enough.
Now, turn with me to First Peter. 1 Peter 1 and we're going to look at verses 13- 16. 1 Peter 1:13 starts off with these three words. It says, "Wherefore, gird up." Stop right there. Wherefore, gird up. What does that mean? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me explain to you. When the word says gird up, it means to prepare yourself for action. It means typically to prepare yourself for something that is difficult, something that is challenging or something that might be even stressful. It is a metaphor for getting ready to face a tough situation which will require a lot of your energy and a lot of your focus. Gird up. And then it goes on to say, "Gird up the loins of your mind." Well, the loins, that's the place where all procreative power lies. It lies in the loins known as the reproductive area. And if you transfer that procreative power to the mind, Peter is now saying to prepare your mind for reproductive action. Amen. Your mind ought to be producing and it ought to be reproducing godly things every day. And how do you do that? The scriptures tell us, "I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me." As you keep your mind on the Lord and you focus and meditate on him, you will begin to produce and reproduce godly things every day. The scripture goes on to say, "Be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Literally living in the hope of Christ's return. Then it says in verse 14, "As obedient children, not fashioning or conforming yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance, but as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation or lifestyle, because it is written, verse 16, be ye holy, for I am holy."
Holy. Now what does the word holy mean? The word holy here is translated to mean consecrated to moral blamelessness. That is what being holy is. You are consecrated, given over to moral blamelessness. You see when Jesus told his disciples to follow him, it was in all actuality a comprehensive summons. He summoned them to transform their very lives. Now, how many of you know that the transformation process in your life includes it includes not just God doing a work in your life, but it includes things that you have to do as well. If you didn't know that, guess what? Now you know. There are some things that God will not do for you. For instance, he gives you the instruction, lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset you and run this race with patience, the race that is set before you. He tells you to do this. He says, "Flee youthful lust." Amen. There are some things that he requires you to do in the process of your own transformation and sanctification. But here's the good thing about it. He will also give you the strength that you need. Not only will he give you the strength that you need, but he will also give you the mind to do it as well.
Now, please understand he he's not inviting you to a family cookout. Uh but he's inviting you to a radical shift in all of your priorities, which would demand total commitment to him and his mission. And here's where you and I come in. This is where you and I can relate. The same invitation that was given to the disciples to follow him. Well, guess what? That same invitation is given to you and I today, right now. Jesus is saying to you and he's saying to me right now, follow me. Amen.
Now in the light of living in the hope of his return, Jesus told us the kind of church that he would be coming back for. In Ephesians 5:27 it says that he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish. That's what he's coming back for. And so in order to be holy and without blemish, you and I have to live what is called a surrendered life unto him. We got to give it all up. Got to forsake everything to follow Jesus. This means that we choose willfully to abandon our former identity, who we used to be. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things pass away. Behold, all things become new. And we adopt a new purpose in life.
In Galatians chapter 2:20, Paul made that decision. Paul decided to give up everything to follow Christ. Notice what he said. Galatians chapter 2:20, he said, "I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I. I'm not alive anymore. I have died. I've crucified myself. But he says, "Yet not I, but now Christ lives in me." That's powerful. And now he talks about the new life that he's living. He says, "And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Also in Galatians 5:4, Paul said these words and he said, "And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Listen, letting go of our own personal control over our lives is probably one of the most difficult things uh to do without the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives. But it is what is required. And if we're going to follow him, uh this is what we must do. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the strength to lay aside those things to to crucify the flesh. And we need to depend on him more than ever before.
Now, I know God is taking us somewhere. Each person that is living today, God has a destination for each one of us. But here's my stance. I don't necessarily need to know what direction that God is taking me. I don't necessarily need to know that. All I need to know is that he is the one that's leading the way. As long as he's leading the way, I will follow him. And if God is leading me, I can say the same thing David said. Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for the Lord is with me. His rod and his staff will comfort me. Now, his rod and his staff, they back in old days, they had this long stick that had a hook on it, and at the bottom was the rod, and at the top was the staff. The rod was used to correct the sheep that were contrary. And so, they would hit the leg of the sheep to get it back in in line. The staff was used to bring the ones back into the fo to just hook them by the leg and bring them back home because there were wolves out there ready to devour them. So his rod and his staff will comfort me. His rod is for correction in my life and his staff serves for direction in my life. And listen, if he's with me, then it does not matter the opposition because trust and believe there will be opposition in your life.
In 1 John 4:4 it says, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." Isaiah said it like this in 54:17. Isaiah said, "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
Also, when we follow him, this takes us into what is called an apprenticeship with God. When you are in an apprenticeship with God, it means that you are walking the same road with him. You are mimicking his behavior. You are imitating his mindset and you're taking on his character. And what this does for you and I, what this does for us, Amen. This enables us to love our neighbors. It enables us to forgive our enemies. It helps us to model his mercy, to model his humility, and to imitate his patience. Praise God.
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Listen, I'm sure you will agree with me that the hardest person in the world for each of us to deny is ourselves. Amen. Because the flesh wants what the flesh wants. That's why it is immity between God. It doesn't savor the things of the spirit. It savors the things of the flesh. But listen, when you become a new creation in Christ Jesus, guess what? The flesh has to die. There's no two two ways about it. No ifands or but. The flesh has to die. And when the flesh is finally crucified in your life, then what was wrong now becomes right. What was bad now becomes good. What was dirty now becomes clean. And and what was destructive now becomes beneficial. Because you see, living holy is intentionally. This is what living holy means. We It It means you have made a decision to intentionally set yourself apart for God's purpose. In case you didn't know what holy meant, you have to intentionally set yourself apart for God's purpose.
Now, how do you do that? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me share with you some practical daily habits to help you live holy. If you do these things every day, it'll help you accomplish that. Number one, you got to immerse yourself in scripture. That's number one. The Bible says, "Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly." David said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you." So, number one, you got to immerse yourself in scripture every day. Number two, commune with God through prayer. The Bible says that we are to pray without ceasing. It also says the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. So we got to commune with God through prayer daily as well as immerse oursel in scriptures. Number three, and this is a this is a key one, you have to guard your mind. You have to guard your mind and you also have to limit your media intake. Amen. Because the mind is where Satan sets sets up his attack. The mind is the battleground. This is where every temptation has to has has to pass through. It goes through the mind. And so you have to guard your mind. And and the Bible says, how do we do that? Well, it says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." The Bible says that Jesus made this statement. He says, "I do always those things that please the father." Because his mind was always stayed on his mission of pleasing his father. Number four is something that we have to do continually. We have to practice some self-control. Amen. Self-control is defined as temperance, which is one of the fruit of the spirit. This is one of the verses that I read to you earlier. It said, "He that cometh after me, he must deny himself. He has to practice self-control." No more I, no more I, but Christ that lives in me. Number five, examine your conscience. Examine your conscience. The Bible says in Psalm, I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me. Where is your mind? Where do you allow your mind to go without your permission? Examine your conscience. Keep your mind stayed on the Lord. And then you have to take time at the end of the day to review your thoughts. How did you do? Review your actions. And if they weren't up to standard, confess your mistakes and seek for forgiveness. This is a practice that we have to do every day. Examine yourself to see whether or not you are in the faith.
In reference to living in the hope of Christ's return, I want to close with this scripture. Turn with me to second Peter chapter 1 verse number 10. 2 Peter chapter 1:10. And it says, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence. Do all that you can. Put everything in it. Put your back into it. work hard to make your calling and your election sure." Amen. And it ends by saying these words, for if you do these things, you shall never fall. Amen. I think that's a powerful statement. God, help us to do those things that are pleasing in your sight so that we will never fall.
Well, that's my message for today. living in the hope of Christ's return. I pray that something was said to you that encouraged you that gave you strength and will enable you to to look up uh when you see these things happen to look up for your redemption drawth nigh. Once again, my name is Bishop Reginald Given. I'm the senior pastor of the Word of Truth Community Worship Center. Once again, our address to our church is on the bottom of the screen. I hope to see you this Sunday. I really do. I pray that we'll be able to connect and I can shake your hand and pray for you and that God will meet a specific need that you have in your life. So until next time, may God's riches and choices blessings be yours until we meet again once again on the Marketplace Network doers of the word ministries broadcast. God bless.