Introduction:
For the Servants of Jesus the Christ those are present, living for Jesus the Christ is not easy. There are going to be times when you are going to have to walk this thing all by yourself.
You can’t use the reputation or the coat tail of your mother, your father, sister, your brother, your husband, your wife, or even your pastor. You have to establish a relationship with Jesus the Christ for yourself.
Can I get a witness?
When the rubber meets the road, every now and then you ask yourself this question, God, are you sure I can handle this load? I can’t seem to make it.
All of my friends have turned their backs on me. God...where are you? I know I have to suffer, but God is my suffering in vain?
I can’t see light at the end of the tunnel. If you haven’t asked yourself one of those questions, just keep on living, because that day will surely come to past.
Development:
In the Scripture I see six points, but I only want to briefly speak on three. I promise not to be too long.
Point Number 1: While Serving, Stand Firm and Keep Your Eyes On Jesus
As I read this scripture, Paul made it perfectly clear that this scripture is only for those that are in the body of Christ. The scripture says, Therefore, my beloved brethren. This charge is only to those who truly believe in Jesus the Christ. The promise of a resurrected and changed body is only for those who believe, and not for the unbelievers.
Now everybody in church is not in Christ. Every body that’s standing in your corner really is not in your comer. Every body that’s smiling in your face is not your friend. You know the song about Smiling Faces Tell Lies.
I don’t mean to bust your bubble, but I got to keep this thing real. Every body saying Lord, Lord is not getting in the gate. Now this service is for all of those that are the servants of Jesus the Christ. You must know just what it is you’re dealing with. This message is for those who are hanging in there and get a little discouraged from time to time. You must stay prepared and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus the Christ.
The scripture says, be ye steadfast unmovable. The word steadfast means to be firm, fixed, determined, purposed, and faithful. You have to stand fast and fixed on your beliefs in the Lord. Unmovable means not to yield unshaken, undisturbed. Being a servant of Jesus the Christ means you must be committed to the cause.
You can’t be shucking and jiving with this thing. You got to know that you know that you know. As Christ said to Peter, Upon this rock I’ll build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. You’ve got to be that Rock... Unmovable. Not compromising the Word of God for popularity or convenience.
To be a true servant of God, you can’t be talking out of both sides of your neck. James 1:8 says, A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. I can take this thing a little further because in Proverbs 27:3 it says For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Just what are you saying preacher? Being a true servant of God, people are going to criticize you for going to Bible study. Being a true servant of God people are going to talk about you when you are trying to live holy. Being a true servant of God, people are going to challenge you and say God is not real. They are going to ask the question: "How do you really know if God exists?
I know God is real because I’m here. The birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees, the arrangement of the stars, the order of the seasons, I know He is real. All of these things were created by a creator. All of these things were designed by a master designer. My Bible says so in Genesis. Genesis 1:26-28 says, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Triune God), and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
I can’t change my mind about God, I’m not moving in my beliefs about God. You’ve got to stand firm, not be moved, not to change about God. Being a servant, you must be steadfast and unmovable.
My reason for taking such a stand is because you can’t make me doubt Him because I know too much about Him. When I had nothing God came into my life and provided for me.
There were times I had sleepless nights and there was no way out for me. But one day all I could say was Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee No Other Help I know. He made a way out of no way for me, and I know He’s done the same for you.
Can I get a witness?
You must stand firm, not be moved, and keep your eyes on Jesus the Christ. He is the one who able to keep you from falling. He is the one that is your bridge over troubled waters. You must be fixed in your belief and labour in the Lord.
Point Number 2: No Cross, No Crown
The word labour in the scripture means you are going to have to pay a price. It means you are going to have to toil, struggle, work to the point of exhaustion and fatigue. Sometimes you will be almost at the point of collapse.
The word always in the scripture means never cease or stop. Don’t slack up. Don’t quit or retire. Sometimes you feel like giving up. And sometimes you feel like throwing in the towel and say I have had enough of this holy poly stuff. It was easier for me out in the world. I didn’t have all of these problems. I had friends all around me. That’s what Satan wants you to do. He wants you to throw in the towel and say enough is enough.
But let me share this with you. No pain, no gain. No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown. No cross, no crown.
I see why the songwriter .wrote these words, "Must Jesus bare the cross alone and all the world go free? No there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me."
You’ve got to go through to get to. My brothers and my sisters, to be a true servant of God is going to cost you. It comes with a price. No pain no gain. You have to make it up in your mind that no matter how tough the road gets, you’re going to hang in there. You have to make it up in your mind, in your body, and in your soul. You have to say I’m going to serve God and for God I live and for God I die.
Point Number 3: It’s Time To Celebrate the Victory!
The last part of the scripture should make everyone jump up and down and want to shout. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 15:58 forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Well preacher, I still don’t see why I should celebrate. Turn with me please to 1 Corinthians 15:57 and it says, But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just reading that part of that scripture makes me just want to get my praise on up in here. My God, when I think about the victory, I get happy.
The believer will be rewarded. What a challenge to the believer!
Let me talk about these rewards. We have the promise of being resurrected and given a new body. The believer is to be steadfast and unmoveable. Why is this preacher? He the believer should be steadfast and unmovable because he/she has such a glorious hope. The hope of being resurrected and given an incorruptible and immortal body. The hope of this glorious fact should stir the believer to be steadfast and unmoveable in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. The believer’s labor will not be in vain, that is, left empty and unrewarded. The Believer Who is Steadfast, one that will not give up. The Believer Who is Unmoveable is always abounding and laboring in the work of the Lord, will be rewarded: resurrected and given a new body.
There are some other rewards. For those of you that can hold on and hold out, you are going to be rewarded. You are going to be rewarded. I’m not talking about a raise on the job or a bonus. I’m talking about some crowns. These crowns I’m talking about can’t be brought with money, but they can be earned with labour.
Labour can take you where money can’t. Labour qualifies you to receive the heavenly crowns.
Those crowns are The Incorruptible or Victor’s Crown whaich is that crown for those who keep their bodies under subjection.. They are not yielding to fleshy things. Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 9:25-27
There’s the Crown of Life. This crown is for those who suffer for Christ.
Scripture Reference: Romans 8:17-18
There’s the Crown of Glory. This crown is given to elders and pastors.
Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 5:2-4
There’s the Crown of Rejoicing. This crown is for every Christian seeking to win others to Jesus Christ.
Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 2: 19; Philippians 4:1; Daniel 12:3
There’s the Crown of Righteousness. This crown is for those who love Christ’s future
appearing. Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 4:8
I’m almost ready top take my seat.
Conclusion:
It’s Time to Celebrate. It’s Time To Celebrate. He’s Going To Give You Double For Your Trouble! He’s Going To Give You Double For Your Trouble!
I know He will give you double for your trouble because He promised you the crowns there I just spoke of.
Well preacher, how do you know that these crowns are really true? There was a man. This man had no sin. This man helped every body He could.
This man taught every body He could. This man’s name is Jesus. He took that walk down the road of Golgotha to place called the Hill of the Skull, better known as Cavalry. He carried that old rugged cross.
As the blood flowed from His body while carrying that old rugged cross, Jesus did not let that distract Him. He was steadfast and unmovable to the cause.
When He arrived at the top of that old hill called Cavalry, they made Him lay down on that old rugged cross and began to drive the nails in His hands and His feet. The crucifixion itself was the most horrible of deaths.
As the first nail went in His left hand, He knew that nail was representing the Father which was in heaven, as the second nail went in His right hand, He knew that that nail was representing Himself, the sacrificial Lamb of God, and as the third nail went into His feet, He knew that it was representing the Holy Spirit which was soon to come.
As they raised Him up high, he was stretched wide. There were two thieves hanging there with Him. One was on the left and one was on the right. I see three nails in the body of Jesus the Christ, I see three persons hanging on the Hill of the Skull, I see three nails in each of the thieves. The number three represents the Trinity, the Triune God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
There was the pain of the driven spikes forced through the flesh of Jesus’ hands and feet. There was the weight of His body jolting and pulling against the spikes as the cross was lifted and rocked into place.
There was the scorching sun and the unquenchable thirst gnawing away at His dry mouth and throat. There was the blood oozing from His scourged back, His thorn crowned brow, His stick beaten head. In addition, just imagine the aggravation of flies, gnats, and other insects.
As Jesus hung on that old rugged cross, through it all, He was still steadfast and still unmovable. Jesus was conscience and fully aware of everything that was going on around the cross. He heard the remarks that were being about Him, He heard the lies that were being said about Him, but He still stayed steadfast and unmovable.
I just would like to use my spiritual imagination if I may. Just as death was about to enter the body of Jesus the Christ, the thief on the right made a confession to Jesus.
Jesus hearing the man on His right, told death, Hold up death, I need you to hold your appointment for a minute. I’m not running away from you because I chose to be here on this old rugged cross. I’m just putting you on pause for a minute.
Just like when we are watching a DVD movie or a video tape and we may have to leave the movie for a few minutes and don’t want to miss anything, so we hit the pause button so that the movie will stop right at that scene or frame; just like a still picture. And when we return we press the play button for the movie to resume were we left off.
This is what the thief on the right said in Luke 23:41-43, We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
Jesus took a look back at death and said, Death are you ready? I just had to put you on hold while I attended to my Father’s business. There was one more soul desiring to be saved and I had to temporarily put you on hold while I finished my Father’s business.
Jesus made it perfectly clear to death that He was not trying to get out of dying. He did not want death to think that he was fleeing from His purpose or just punking out.
Come on death. I’m ready. Now it is finished! He gave up the Ghost.
Jesus hung His head and died on that old rugged cross. But something supernatural happened on that old rugged cross. Jesus’ spirit made a
U-turn. God does allow U-turns in our lives. His spirit went down into a place called Sheol, better known as hell. As He walked down the belly of hell, a demon came upon Him and tried to look Him in the face. When the demon saw Jesus in that white robe, he fled to the pit where Satan himself was sitting on his throne.
The demon said to Satan, Satan, here comes that man in a white robe. I cannot even say His name. You know whom I’m talking about. Just about that time, Jesus was standing before the throne of Satan and He said, Satan I have come to tear down all strong holds and to set the captives free.
Jesus reached over and took the keys from the hand of Satan and said, I have all power in heaven, earth, and hell. Jesus rolled up the sleeves on His robe and started preaching.
He was having a revival. Jesus preached all Friday evening, He preached into Friday night, Jesus kept right on preaching into Saturday morning, He kept right on preaching into Saturday afternoon.
Jesus continued preaching on into Saturday evening and He kept on preaching into Saturday night. Jesus was still preaching as the early part of Sunday was beginning to unfold.
Jesus looked at his Holy Ghost watch and said to Satan, Satan my time is up but I promise you when I return to this world again a second time (which is the Second Advent), I will be coming to deal with you personally.
Jesus immediately made His way from the belly of hell and back to the tomb. Early Sunday morning, I said early Sunday morning, I said early Sunday morning……Jesus got up, He got up, and He got up with all power in His hands.
Amen
