7am Worship Service September 19, 2021

let us begin by singing to him i will enter in his gates with thanksgiving in his heart hello i will enter in these gates with thanksgiving in my heart i will enter in his sports with friends i will say this is the day that the lord has me i will rejoice for he has made me glad he has made me good he has made me good i will rejoice for he has made [Music] he has made me glad i will rejoice for he has made me glad i will enter in his gates with thanksgiving in my heart i will enter in his course with praise i will say this is a day that the lord has made i will rejoice for he has made me love [Music] he has made me glad he has me glad i will rejoice for he has made me glad he has made me glad he has made me good i will [Music] i will indeed rejoice because god has made us glad every single morning amen the alternate reading jesus calls us here to meet him as through word and song and prayer we affirm god's promised presence where his people live and care praise the god who keeps his promise praise the son who calls us friends praises spirit who among us or hopes and fears at end jesus calls us to confess him word of life and lord of all sharer of our flesh and frailness saving all who fail or fall tell his holy human story tell his tales that all may hear tell the world that christ in glory came to earth to meet us here the hymn we have a story to tell to the nations [Music] we've a story to tell to the nations that shall turn their hearts to the right a story of truth and mercy a story of peace and life a story of peace and light for the darkness shall turn to the dawning and the dawning to noon day bright and great kingdom shall come on earth the kingdom of love and light weave a song to be song to the nations that shall lift their hearts to the lord a song that shall conquer evil and shatter despair and sword and shatter the spare and sword for the darkness shall turn to the dawny and the dawning to noon day bright and christ's great kingdom shall come on earth the kingdom of love and light we've message to give to the nation that the lord who reigns up above has sent us his son to save [Music] for the darkness shall turn to the door [Music] kingdom shall come on earth the kingdom of love and love we the savior to show to the nation who the path of sorrow has true that all of the world's great peoples might come to the truth of god might come to the truth of god for the darkness shall turn to the dawning and the dawning to noon day bright and cross great kingdom shall come on earth the kingdom of love and light [Music] amen will now have the prayer of odoration thanksgiving and confession almighty god lord most high we indeed have a story to tell to the world to the nation of your love and life that you have brought into this world into our great island of jamaica land we love lord you are indeed great and the awesome god you are lord we are thankful for your compassions that are renewed every morning thank you lord especially for today let us seize the opportunity to honor god today with our gifts our talents our love and especially our praise we can praise god with our lips we can say that god you are great you are excellent you are praiseworthy you are indeed the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end lord thank you for your generosity for your kindness for your forgiveness for joy for peace for friendship we have so much to be thankful for we are presently going through this covey pandemic but jehovah god will see us through we only need to keep focus on him and still give him the praise and be thankful that we are still here for many has gone before lord we confess our sins lord we pray that you will forgive our trespasses day by day as we too forgive others their trespasses it's challenging it's challenging at times lord to forgive but nonetheless we try so we are asking our lord to just hold our hands day by day guard our minds lord our hearts and most of all our lips keep us near your bosom lord day by day as we strive to do your will in jesus name amen we'll now have the son our father who is in heaven [Music] art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come that will be done on the way on earth as it is in heaven hallowed be thy name give us this day our daily bread halloween be thy name for give us all your trespasses the way be thy name as we forgive those who trespass against us halloween [Music] and lead us not into temptation follow and be thy name for delivers that is evil follow it be thy name for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory follow it be thy name forever and ever never and ever follow it be thy name amen [Music] shall be so all known be thy name amen hallow will be thy name please stand for the responsive reading and this will be taken from the book of psalm chapter 32. blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven whose sins are covered blessed is the man whose sin is the lord does not count against him in whose spirit is no deceit when i kept silent my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer then i acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover my iniquity i said i will confess my transgressions to the lord and you forgave the guilt of my sin therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found surely when the mighty waters arise they will not reach him you are my hiding place you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance i will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go i will counsel you and watch over you do not be like the horse or the mule which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you man but the lord unfailing love surrounds the man who trusted him rejoice in the lord and be glad you righteous sing all you are upright in heaven god speak through us through courses of praise we'll now have the praise team worshiping this is the day that the lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it we just read rejoice in the lord and be glad sing all you who are upright in heart so now we are going to rejoice in the lord we are going to sing and give our worship to god because he indeed deserves all of our worship we're going to say god here is my worship receive my worship all of my worship because you are the god who has done exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine so as we go into praise and worship this morning i pray that your hearts will be blessed and that you will feel the need to worship god in a time such as this [Music] you lord you are worthy and no one can worship you for me for all the things you've done for me [Music] and no one can worship you for me [Music] here's my worship all of my worship receive my worship [Music] all of my worships my worship all of my worship lord you you lord you are worthy and no one and no one can worship you for me for all the things [Music] no one can worship you for [Music] [Music] receive my [Music] all of my worship [Music] is all of my worship [Music] receive my worship all of my worship [Music] to worship you i live to worship you i live i live to worship you lord we worship you we worship you to worship you i live [Music] all the glory oh we worship you [Music] no one else deserves a glory like you to worship you i live to worship you to worship you i live i live to worship you we sing oh [Music] [Applause] to worship you is [Music] to worship you i live to worship you i live to worship you i live i live to worship you to worship you [Music] to worship you to worship you to worship you i live to worship you i never lived to worship you and we sing oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] okay so as we are in this time of worship i want you to reflect on what god has done for you in this period of time we've been in covid the covet period for a while over here and we it has been difficult for many and more difficult for some and i want you to really reflect on the mountains god has moved and the way that god has paved for you in this time you might think it's not a big mountain but it was still moved and the way was still paved and he made a way when there was no way i have that testimony and i know many of you do when we couldn't see the path when it did look like just trees everywhere and nowhere to walk god made our way out of nowhere mountains and he caused walls to fall and with his power he performed so many miracles and i am testimony that i can stand here this morning only because only because god made a way and i know many of you have such testimony so just reflect just reflect on what god has done for you so that when we sing this next song you can sing from a place of testimony that it won't be empty just won't be an empty song but you will sing from a place where i know that god has done this for me so i can sing with all of my being that he moved mountains and i'm standing here just because he made a way and you move mountains [Music] you cause walls to fall with your power you performed miracles and there is nothing that's impossible and we're standing here only because you made all your move mountains and your cars are and there is and we're standing here only because [Music] there and we're standing and we're standing here only because you and we're standing and we're standing here only because you men were standing and we're standing here only because you've made [Music] you made a way don't know how but you did it you made a way don't know how but you did it you made don't know how but you did it [Music] don't know how but you did it you made don't know how but i'm grateful don't know how hard you're full don't know how i don't know how but i'm great i don't know [Music] [Music] and we're standing here here only because you [Music] may if not been for the lord on my side tell me where would i be [Laughter] [Applause] [Music] where would i be where would i be where would i be if it had not been [Music] where would i be where would i be [Music] would i be where would i be here where would i be hallelujah let us worship the lord with the fruit of our lips god is great god is wonderful god is marvelous god is excellent he's praise worthy thank you jesus that you save a sinner like me like you thank you lord we now have the intercessory prayer by reverend sheldon hallelujah indeed oh god we come in your awesome and holy presence and that knowledge that you are a waymaker you are the waymaker worker promise keeper light in our darkness yes lord that is who you are we come in your presence this morning recognizing you for your omnipotence your omniscience and your omnipresence we acknowledge god that you are the sovereign lord the creator of heaven and earth and all that is in it all things exist because of you without you and beside you there is none else and we glorify and praise your matchless name you are the god ever present in times of trouble you are the god who sticks closer than a brother you are the god who hears and answers prayer and god we come in your awesome presence this morning to lift up our cares and concerns our worries and our situations challenging as they are we lift them up to you because we know that you are able to do for us more than we are able to ask or imagine lord we intercede this morning on the behalf of your children oh god we lift up ourselves to you this morning oh god your children called by your name lord we are living in challenging times and our faith is being severely tested but we know that you o god are the one who undergird us you are the one who gives strength to the weary you are the one who lift up the fallen you are the one who strengthened feeble hands and feet so strengthen your children we pray this morning many o god who are at the point of buckling under the pressure of the times in which we are living in many o god who are the point of giving up of throwing in the towel oh lord remind us that you are the eternal god who is with us and underneath are your everlasting arms so god when faith fails god when faith grows weak even now minister your grace to the hearts of your children so that we will be able to stand even in these times and to still declare that you are god and god alone so bless your children today god lift up the falling oh god let calls that have been broken vibrate once more in the name of your son jesus christ holy spirit revive some hearts we pray this morning let your passion rise within us once more so that god when the enemy believes and think that we will give up oh god lord in you and through you we will stand and declare that you are god and god alone lord we lift up our nation before you as we continue to maneuver through this time of a pandemic oh god we pray that you will grant unto our leaders wisdom understanding and knowledge but as they make decisions oh god it will not be for political expediency or financial gain but lord it will be for the well-being for the safety and the security of our people oh lord we pray for those who are on the front line of the battle against this pandemic will lift up oh god those who work in the essential services lord our health professionals god nurses doctors and those lord who are partners in the field of health god we pray your protection we pray god your presence your peace o god for many o lord are overwhelmed they have declared it god that they are overwhelmed o lord by the times in which we have all found ourselves but lord we pray that you will visit them this morning strengthen them oh god we pray protect them oh god so that we will not be hearing of any more death or infections oh god from this virus father oh lord those who work in the security field oh lord those who work in transport and tourism and other areas of god we're the battle against this disease oh god is frontal we pray that you will go before lord god and clear the way so that lord they will be able to carry out their responsibilities oh god in a safe way god we pray for those who are infected and affected by this virus god grant your healing grant oh god recovery oh lord let there be no lagging effects as a result of infections oh father and continue lord to protect those of us oh lord who have not yet been infected grant that our citizens will act responsibly and lord exercise and to adhere to the protocols that have been set out so that we can secure and safeguard ourselves and our neighbors oh lord we pray for the church in this nation may we use this opportunity as one in which we can declare your good news to those who need to hear so that the darkness can turn to the dawning and people's dawning to the noon day bright and christ's great kingdom will come on earth your kingdom of love and of light save oh god even in this time restore the backslider revive the heart of every christian and may your name be glorified minister oh god to those who are tuned into this service today lord you know every need at this time and we pray that you will supply oh god our needs according to your riches in glory through christ jesus hear us we pray and whatever else we fail to ask of you this day we thank you that you will grant them unto us according to your will through jesus christ o lord we pray amen and amen thank you reverend ashman will continue in worship with welcome information fellowship and stewardship of giving we'll now have the welcome and recognition and notices on behalf of our sorry on behalf of our pastor the reverend dr david thomas and the officers and members of the virtual memorial baptist church we say a special welcome to those on social media youtube facebook and those in the physical worship space a very pleasant and warm and cordial welcome let us truly worship the lord embracing of baptist churches in hanover reverend ashman we assure you that we have prayed that the lord will give you a special anointing as you deliver the message and that our hearts will be receptive to the word we are also acknowledging all those were participating in ministry this morning we have the decon on duty deacon pauline reid usher media team musicians praise team reader of the scripture we pray that the blessing of the lord will be upon all of us this morning please listen to the following announcements on wednesdays our weekly day of prayer begins at 6 00 am and ends at 6 pm also on wednesdays on wednesdays we have midday and prayer and bible study this will be aired on youtube and facebook in the evening at 7 00 pm our circuit prayer and bible study will also be aired on the zoom platform death in and around the family we regret to announce the passing of brother errol chateau of class eight is the husband of sister violet and father of sister tonyan we are extending our condolences to all persons experiencing bereavement at this time please be assured of our prayers also sister eda duene of class 3 lost her brother sister laurel martin of class 5 has lost several members in the earth family deacon carlin reed has another death in her family sister beverly evans has lost a cousin and sister norma hudson has lost a sister let us remember them in our prayers thank you we'll continue by greeting one another christine will lead us in virtue's welcome song [Music] hello everybody welcome welcome welcome hello everybody welcome to virtual baptist church hello everybody welcome welcome welcome hello everybody welcome to virtual baptist church brothers and sisters in the lord worshiped together in one accord hello everybody welcome to bircham baptist church brothers and sisters in the lord worshiped together in one accord hello everybody welcome to birch of baptist church brothers welcome sisters welcome hello everybody welcome to bircham baptist church is welcome sister welcome hello everybody welcome to birch of baptist church to birch a baptist church to virtual baptist amen i hope you were all welcome we'll now have the doxology and operator prayer this will be done by deacon pauline reed after which we'll have the scripture reading which will be taken from the book of matthew 24 reading from verse 1 to 14. [Music] praise god from whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures um [Music] let us go to god in prayer our father and our god how thankful we are this morning for your continued blessings in every area of our lives and so no lord we pause to acknowledge that everything that we claim to own actually belongs to you and so we come this morning returning to you a fraction of your blessings we ask no lord that you will help us that in the act of giving this act will be laced with generosity and willingness and that in everything lord we will be mindful to give you thanks and to continue giving to your glory amen please remember that you can transfer your offering and ties to the bank of nova scotia montego bay branch name on the account virtual memorial baptist church account number zero zero zero zero six two one one one and the account type is current or checking or feel free to drop up drop off your envelopes at the church office where we are open from mondays through to fridays we will now continue in worship with the word the scripture reading as was mentioned before is taken from the book of matthew chapter 24 reading from verse 1 through to 14. and it reads jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings do you see all these things he asked i tell you the truth not one stone here will be left on another everyone will be thrown down as jesus was sitting on the mount of olives the disciples came to him privately tell us they said when will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age jesus answered watch out that no one deceives you for many will come in my name claiming i am the christ and will receive many you will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed such things must happen but the end is still to come nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom there will be famines and earthquakes in various places all these are the beginning of birth pains then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and you will be hated by all nations because of me at that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people because of the increase of wickedness the love of most will grow cold but he who stands firm to the end will be saved and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come the word of the lord thanks be to god we'll now have the hymn of meditation master speak thy servant heareth after which we'll have the message and this will be done by reverend sheldon ashman [Music] master speak thy servant waiting for thy gracious word longing for that voice that cherith master let it now be heard i am blessed lord for worthy what has thought to say to me speak to let me know it is to me speak that i may follow faster with a step more firm and free where the shepherd leaves the floor in the shadow of the rock [Music] master speak the leaves and lowers let me not on her depart master speak for all the knowledge all the yearnings of my heart know as all it's true as me speak and make me blessed indeed master speak and make me ready when thy voice is truly i am listening lord for thee masters people speak to me [Applause] [Music] praise the lord let this be our prayer as we engage in this time of worship that god will indeed speak to us as he speaks through me let me give honor to the holy spirit head of my life and the one who enables me to stand and to declare the word of god to the people of god i greet you my brothers and my sisters in christ here in the chapel and those who are joining us by the virtual platforms greet you all in the wonderful name of jesus christ what a privilege it is that we can come together to worship in this fashion in the physical and virtual space as we continue to lift up the name of the most high god thanking god for the privilege of sharing with you on this another lord's day another day that the lord hath made and we rejoice and we are glad in it i deem it a privilege to be able to stand and to share god's word with you and may we together hear his word be encouraged be strengthened be inspired to continue to live for the lord my brothers and sisters i invite us now to reflect with me on the passage that was read in matthew's gospel chapter 24 1 through 14. and i want to use as the main text for our reflection verse 13 of the passage reading from the revised standard version it simply declares but everyone who endures to the end will be saved but everyone who endures to the end will be saved let us pray father bless now we pray your word unto our hearts and glorify your name cause that the words from my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight o lord our strength and our redeemer amen you would forgive me as i know you are very forgiving people if the message this morning does not lean heavily on the fact that we are celebrating and commemorating as a denomination uh mission emphasis mon as we do each september but permit me this morning to encourage some heart by declaring to you it's going to get better it's going to get better i don't know where you are this morning and how near or far you are seated from somebody in this chapel or viewing by the virtual platform but perhaps you could wave or shout to somebody and say it's going to get better hallelujah hallelujah my brothers and sisters once we touch september it is often declared september to remember the same applied for october november and december but september is a very significant month for reasons that some of us would prefer not to want to remember but in this month um america and indeed our world recognize and acknowledge and remember the events of 9 11. it's a month in which as a nation we remember while gilbert someone's my brothers and sisters when parents dread the beginning of the month some parents as we think of back to school and all the challenges that it brings it's a month that my particular church in mount moriah and the wider circuit would want to forget in terms of the fact that we just buried less than a week less than two weeks ago three of our members one time all belonging to one family a mother in her 90s and her 60 odd year old daughters sometimes when we look on on all that is happening around us we ask like the psalmist how long oh lord how long but i want to declare that it is going to get better i submit to us that the only way we are going to maneuver the times in which we are in is to believe that there is going to be better than what is happening now somebody says it will first be bitter before it becomes better so i remember in 1988 i had graduated from high school please don't date my date me and when i heard that september that a hurricane was going to come like many of my contemporaries i was excited i had heard about and read about hurricane charlie and hurricane david and allen but i had never experienced a hurricane or a tropical storm in my existence up until that time so i was excited and i could not wait to see what this hurricane was going to bring i assure you young people who are here who weren't born as yet right now that that after about the first five minutes of breeze blowing i think i had had enough are you still there it felt as if the storm was not going to end every time without it okay this is it there came another gust of wind and each one seemed to get become more ferocious than the one before thank god somebody said it came during the day time and it seemed like an ever ending ending story but eventually the storm passed the devastation in this nation was tremendous and people wonder when were we going to recover from this hurricane but it got better we've had other hurricanes since that time but we got over them just the same not only were there physical storms but they were economic and political and health storm like the one that we are going through right now but i am confident that in the name of jehovah god is going to get better whatever personal store that you may be faced with this morning it's going to get better jesus and his disciples were having a conversation as recorded in our passage of scripture this morning um jesus had in the previous chapter roughed up if you will some pharisees and scribes with what some people call the seven woes six if you are reading particular versions of the bible and he's leaving the temple and as they got outside the disciples called his attention to the magnificence of the temple i said jesus look at this look at the temple and the temple of jerusalem was revered by those who worshipped in the temple it was beautiful with all its oedipuses with all the choppings that made it so beautiful and then jesus dropped what some would call a bombshell he said to them a time is going to come when there will not be one stone left upon another and when they got to the mouth of olives the disciples begin to ask jesus what when shall be the end of all things and the signs of the time and as we read through verses 3 to 11 jesus began to enlist the number of things that as disciples as god's children they were going to have to undergo the list my brothers and sisters seemed never ending i don't know sister lovren when you were reading if you wonder when you're going to get to some of the good part of it's the story so when you read and jesus says to them in verse 4 you know be careful many shall come in my name saying i am the christ and shall lead many astray that he tells them of wars and rumors of wars and and he tells them of famine and nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom famines and earthquake in diverse places and you are thinking we can read after all of this there can't be anything else coming and he says i'm not through they will hand you over to be tortured and you will be put to death and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake and you are thinking okay this must be enough and he says there's more he says false prophets will rise up and shall lead many astray and you're thinking jesus okay i think we've had enough and he says our another he says there will be increase of inequity lawlessness and the love of many shall work school i believe the disciples cup was no full and running over when they hear of one atrocity one challenge one is issue after another and i believe today that there are many of us who are feeling like the disciples that you are going through one challenge and before you get over one challenge here comes the announcement of another challenge by the time you have gotten through one problem here comes another problem it's like a relay you don't even get overwhelmed fully and something else crops up when it's not physical challenges because of sicknesses it is is it the mental challenge because of the times that we are living in it is financial challenge and we try to have ends meet it is spiritual as we seek to groan our faith in times like this one thing after another and so the family of the buccaneers that i made reference to earlier on one week before we would have honored one of those ladies by the following week she went home to be with the lord early that friday morning and by friday afternoon while the family was trying to come to grips with the passing of their loved one the mother died in the afternoon you're thinking man this can't get worse one week and two days later the other sister died rocked family church family community but these were stalwarts in the family and in the church but they have had other debts earlier in the year so they wondered how long how much more can we take and every time we reach a place even in this particular pandemic you hear about another wave and another wave are you thinking okay it's not going to get worse and then you hear boy another strain and another strain and our lives seem to be spiraling in one direction and it if we are not careful god's people becomes overwhelmed by what is happening that you wonder you begin to sing like there is herman it's gonna get rough for you but i've got news for you this morning it's going to get better when the disciples heard the long list of what jesus said he did not leave them with just that list he said to them in our text verse for this morning he says but everyone who endures to the end the same shall be saved and in this text my brothers and sisters jesus in essence left them with three words that i want to leave with you gathered here and those who are viewing in our broadcast this morning but that endures to the end shall be saved in essence jesus was telling them three things from this verse number one he says to them be faithful be faithful he or she the one who endures says jesus the one who yours the word in the greek there it means to steer under it means to undergo so in other words friend it means to bear to be a pressure the disciples as jesus outlined it as they entered the last days they were going to come under pressure but he says to them it's going to get better but you must be faithful endure is what jesus says to them in the text he that endures it is about being faithful faithful to the cause of the one who called them from the riverside from the seaside from tax collecting and the other areas where they were serving he said come and i will make you fishers of men and they began to follow jesus but jesus knew that they would be able to go through the difficult times if they remained faithful so he says to them he that endured those who remain in me so he says to them be faithful be faithful in spite of the pressure pressure is going to come to bear as they stood up for jesus christ he told them that in in verse 9 of the passage that you will be tortured put to death and be hated by all men for my name's sake what does it mean when they talk about for my name's sake it is that they are called upon since we are in mission one they are called upon to proclaim jesus to the world we sung earlier on we have a story to tell to the nation a message to give to the nation a savior to show to the nations so as they declare jesus christ and his his love and mercy and forgiveness to the unrepentant it is that they were going to be hated by all persons and i said to us my brothers and my sisters here gathered and viewing that as we go through this life we too are going to have to endure things may be rough now and things may be tough and the numbers in our churches may not be what we want them to be but the lord is calling us even in this time of pandemic when we cannot gather as much as we would like to be faithful the fact that you gather here and are able to beam your services to those who cannot be here is a sign of you being faithful i say to you virtual memorial baptist church and all god's people gathered to be faithful endure stay under it bear depression because it is going to get better be faithful in spite of the pressure there are many who believe that the church is under pressure for we hear of lockdowns and there are seven years in the week and the only day that is under lockdown is on a sunday pressure but endure endure continue to lift up the name of jesus christ continue to be a witness for jesus christ continue to declare the gospel of jesus christ to those who need to hear endure in spite of the pressure now let's not allow because there is a lot down that the church is locked up or locked away we must endure in spite of the pressure the apostle paul had said in timothy 4 and verse 7 he says i have fought the good fight i have finished my race i have kept the faith in other words he said i was being faithful in spite of the pressure that i was going under be faithful be faithful in spite of the pressure but be faithful also in light of the promise hear jesus again in verse 13. but he that endures to the end the same shall be saved and i tell you brothers and sisters you know i said in other quarters when when god says shall it shall be shallow every time we hear challenge scripture is a promise by almighty god and jesus does not make a promise and breaks his promise and that is why we are we can be faithful that is why we know it is going to get better because in the end we shall be saved be faithful in light of god's promise that is what paul held on to in second timothy 4 verse 8 when he declares henceforth there is laid up for me now the crown of righteousness which the lord the righteous judge will give me on that day and not only to me but those who love his appearing it is what jesus declared in matthew 5 11 and 12 that you are blessed when men shall do what revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake he says to them what rejoice and be exceedingly glad what his promise for great is your reward in heaven he promised in john 4 verse 13 i go to prepare a place for you and if i go at the parent place for you i will come again and receive you unto myself that where i am there you may be also based on god's promise we are being called to be faithful for we know that those who endure to the end shall be saved it's going to get better my brothers and sisters but the lord is calling us to be faithful be faithful in spite of the pressure be faithful in the light of his promise there is something else that the lord was calling the disciples to when he says to them but he that endures to the end the same shall be saved not only was he sent to them be faithful but secondly i believe he was sent to them be hopeful be hopeful hear the scripture again he did not just tell them to endure but he says to them but he or she that endures to the end and i want to stress the whole idea of end my brothers and sisters as jesus wanted to do with his disciples he that endures to the end so in essence christ was sent to the disciples yes i went to a long list of things that you had to undergo and to end you but guess what even though the list is long even though you're going to go through it's plentiful but one day it is going to come to an end and it's going to get better the word end there simply means in the greek the conclusion of an act so all of the trials and the troubles regarding famines and earthquake and nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom and being put to death and tortured all of that will one day come to an end so the end therefore does two things one it represents final it represents final and it is in this that the lord is telling them it may be bad no it may be rough now you will go through tough time but one day it's going to come to an end the end represents that which is final so in revelation 21 verse 4 jesus says to them god will wipe away all tears from their eyes and there will be no more weeping no more sorrow no more pain for the former things are passed away it is in that that he says be hopeful because one day all of this is going to come to a conclusion to an end says to them in verse 6 of revelation 21 behold i will make all things new it's going to come to an end it's going to get better so keep on keeping be hopeful the bible says if in this life only we have hope in christ we will be our people most miserable but we know that weeping may endure a night but joy comes in the morning be hopeful my brother be hopeful my sister the end represents final it means that all that we see here coming to an end so we look around now we see a pandemic raging and we are thinking when will all this end one day it too shall come to an end the devil seems that he is raging and running right on your family riot in your personal life right in your in your mind but one day even he too will come to an end be hopeful hold on to that last thread of hope it is that which will get us to the other side be hopeful the end represents final but the end also requires focus it requires focus jesus did not want the disciples to keep their focus on the list of atrocities the list of challenges that he recall is he recorded from verse 4 down to verse 12 he wanted them to focus on this that he who endures to the end of the same shall be saved because jesus knew as a human beings there it was easy for you it's always easy for human beings to focus on the challenges and on the problem then what happens after all of this is over and if they focus on the problems rather than the solution they will sink think of the apostle peter when jesus was walking on the water they were going through a rough time you know star was at sea and jesus came walking on the water and they were afraid and and he had to calm them down and say it is i don't be afraid and peter says lord if it is you beat me come on the water and he's walking on the water but then he turns his focus off jesus and put his focus on the beloved that was rolling around him and the tempest that was raging at the moment he did that he began to sink until he turned his focus back on jesus i said lord save me and the lord did my brothers and sisters if you follow this time here you're taught more more covered than what you thought about jesus if you follow this time you're catch quoted even before you touch anybody with kobe are you still there with me yes and many are going through a mental mild but in this time jesus says don't worry about what is happening around you all of this will come to an end you endure to the end keep your focus not on the problems around you but keep your focus on me it is what the writer says in hebrews that we look to jesus the author and the finisher of our faith it requires focus i always tell you know i'm a sports fan you know and the olympics i'm just finished and you know always i'm keen to watch the the um 100 meter sprinters for example particularly them because they can see the finishing line easier than anybody else they have so they have come to this race and they go through a whole long ritual they can read before they start their races have you seen them i i i don't i don't need this suit to do the right thing you know but monday they kick candy and they jump on it and they do all that thing and you know depending on who you are and they're here on your marks and they still don't go to the same time it takes my time to take their marks watch their money you cannot see them yeah man cycle themselves and when they get down there you see almost everybody look way off the top before they hung their heads down they take a mental picture of the end they don't start with where they are taking their marks they kept their focus on the finish line watch them carefully next time you look the areas and then they go down and begin to focus the cars that are keeping their lane to go up there the quickest way that they can my brothers and sisters they are not focused on the athletes their challenges beside them they kept their focus on the end of that race and i encourage us this morning keep our focus on that which is at the end of the race of life jesus says those who endure to the end shall be saved it is enough to allow you and me to be not just faithful but to be hopeful that it's going to get better one last thought even due to the end shall be saved it's about being faithful in spite of depression in light of the promise it's about being hopeful for the end here represents final and it requires focus but there's one more thing i believe that the lord wants to help the disciples with and i believe he want to say to them be joyful be joyful hear the lord again in verse 13 of matthew 24 he that endures to the end the same shall be saved he that endures to the end the one who endures to the end will be saved the word saved there in the greek means to to deliver or to protect in other words some other words associated with this word means to heal to preserve to do well or to make whole so is that word in the greek so when jesus said to the disciples he that ended yours to the end the same shall be saved think of the torture that the disciples are going to go under paul can tell you of the licks that he got with the catalan whip the the rods that he was beaten with they are going to leave some scars you know are you still there yeah man when when when your own folks turn against you you're going to leave some psychological and some mental scars you know yeah man when you've been battered and bruised by life's challenges they're going to leave some scars but when you endure to the end jesus says you will be healed delivered preserved you will do well you will be made whole at the end of all of this it is enough for them to keep going and to be joyful for they know it's going to get better when they are saved two things will happen i believe they will be free from worries free from worries and so jesus says to them in matthew 25 they preach in the next chapter in verse 21 and 23 he says to them well done for those who have labored those who have endured and engaged in the work of mission to feed those who are hungry to reach out to those who are thirsty to clothe those who were naked and to visit those who are sick and in prison when you engage in the work of mission at the end of all of this jesus says well done though good and faithful servant it's a time when one is free from worries so again i repeat in revelation 20 1 verse 3 and 4 and jesus says all of this will be made new no more pain no more struggle no more mourning no more sorrow for the former things are passed away free from worries right now our lives may be filled with worry but we can be joyfully knowing that all of this is just for our time and we jesus will save us completely and utterly from all of what life is throwing at us that's why some people can't understand when they hear believers singing and rejoicing in that time like this when they're going through so much problem in their lives it is because we know that we serve a savior who is with us who promises never to leave us nor forsake because he's the one who gives us peace in the midst of the storm that's why one writer says i sing because i'm happy i sing because i'm free his eye is on the spiral and i know he watches me it's not because we don't have problems and we don't have things that we're concerned about but when we know that he that endured to the end shall be saved shall be preserved shall be healed shall be made whole shall be well it causes us to be joyful that's how we cannot sing when we come at church seeing when we are home singing on the taxes sing at the workplace even when all hell is breaking loose around us we still lift up high praise to god for we know in the end we shall be completely and utterly saved hallelujah be joyful because we will be free from worries and we will be free to worship free to worship i i see the picture over in revelation chapter 19 1-8 when you have time you can go through it but when you if you know revelation then you you know the least of tribulation that the people of god are going to undergo the different battles that are going to be fought the different challenges that are going to be made by god's people john saw a number that no man could count and when he asked who are these he stole these are they that have come through what great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb when god's people have been through the tribulation in chapter 19 we are told that they are around the throne of almighty god and john said i heard the voice of a multitude in heaven saying hallelujah salvation and glory and power be to our god for his judgments are true and just he has judged the whole earth the great who corrupted the earth with her fornication and avenged on her the blood of his servants once more they said in verse 3 hallelujah the smoke goes up from her forever and forever the 24 elders in verse 4 says amen and hallelujah a throne in verse 5 says praise our god all you his servants and all who fear him both great and small you can go down and read but the fact is that jesus says when those who endure to the end will be saved you will be free to worship for right now or they knew at the time that many of them were not free to worship when you read the life of the apostles when they carried out mission they were always under threat by the authorities to as they lift up the name of jesus as they engaged in the world of mission and very often they were put under pressure when it comes to this idea of worshiping god but in the end when god saves his people they will be free to worship god without any hinges without any form of pressure so i said to somebody this morning i said to all of us it's going to get better we are struggling right now for many of us when we come to worship we come but we know we are burdened we come back we know we are pressured we come but we know we are struggling but a time is going to come when it will soon be done all the troubles and trials when we get over on the other side and we'll worship god and join with the four and twenty elders and say holy holy holy is the lord of hosts the whole earth is full of thy glory what a time it is going to be it is going to get better my brothers and sisters but until then be faithful be faithful in spite of the pressure and be faithful in light of god's promise until then be hopeful my brothers and sisters the end represents final but it also requires focus yes my friend until then be joyful be joyful be free one day we'll be free from worries i will be free to worship almighty god may we as we continue to be god's missionaries to keep faith with god's word in this ever-changing world for one day it's going to get better amen thank you reverend ashwin for those interesting and thought-provoking words thank you for reminding us that no matter what the challenge you are call with 19 death varied sicknesses it will come to an end just keep focus on the solution not the problem god is indeed the author and finisher of our faith will now sing the hymn of response trust and obey [Music] when we walk with the lord in the light of his word words of glory he sheds on our way while we do his good will he abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy with jesus but to trust not a bird not a grief nor a loss not a frown or a cross but it's blessed if we trust [Music] and obey for there is no other way to be happy with jesus but to trust and obey but we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the altar we live for the favor he shows for the joy bestows are for them who will trust and obey trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy with jesus but to trust and nobody then in fellowship sweet [Applause] what he says we will do where he stands we will go never fair only trust and nobody trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy with jesus but to trust [Music] me so god be the glory let us continue to trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in jesus but to trust and obey we want to thank you for coming and joining us today for our corporate worship we pray that our hearts were blessed let us go out to spread the gospel to others and to give others hope as we close we'll invite reverend ashbun to do the closing prayer and benediction but before that i just want to remind us that we have mask on sale as a fundraising event here at the virgin memorial baptist church we have the blue we have the black we have the red it's only going for 500 jamaican dollars so please support reverend ashwin let us pray gracious god and father we thank you for the promises in your word that never fail we thank you that even in the times that we are going through we know it is going to get better help us oh lord to be faithful to be hopeful and to keep joyful knowing oh god that in the end when all is done and all he said we will hear well done the good and faithful servants you have been faithful over a few things i will make you ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of your lord father we pray that you will keep us focused keep us continuing in this work of mission to which you have called us that we will seek to preach this gospel to the end of the earth before the end comes hear our prayers and dismiss us with your choices blessings we pray grace mercy and peace from god almighty father son and the holy spirit will rest remain and abide with us all both now and forevermore amen and keep you make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the lord turn his face towards you and give you peace [Music] up [Music] may his favor be upon you and a thousand generations and your family and your children and their children and their children may his presence go before you and behind you and beside you all around you and within you he is with you he is with you in the morning in the evening in your coming and you're going in you're weeping and rejoicing he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you he's for you um [Music] up [Music] [Music] the lord bless you and keep you make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the lord turned his face towards you and give you

Channel: Burchell Memorial Baptist Church

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Length: 100min 33sec (6033 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 19 2021