[Ryan Hall] This week Nissa and I were sitting
down, going over the calendar, what our busy summer is going to be like and we just realized
this week marks a full year of being here in Cincinnati. Seems like yesterday we pulled up here and
was like, "What are we going to do here?" But honestly, it has been one of the most
inspirational years our family's been blessed to partake of. We've seen mighty works done in this congregation
this year, seen God working so many things in each one of your lives. And with a thought of what we just experienced
with the Holy Days, it made me stop and think about just how blessed each one of us have
been to have God actively working in our lives. It's not hard to see that His hand is working
with the people in this room. It's not hard to see His hand working with
the people across His world who call on Him in spirit and truth. As recipients of this great blessing, are
we inspired? Brethren, are we motivated to press onward
as ambassadors of Jesus Christ? Because that's exactly what we've been called
to do. A title that I'd like to give you today is
called "Are You Ready to Move Forward?” or "People Called to Move Forward." We had been given an opportunity to live our
lives with a knowledge of knowing the plan of this great God. A plan not only for us but a plan of salvation
for the entire world. He's given us His Spirit to guide us, to direct
us. He's given us multiple reminders to ensure
that we fully understand and appreciate why we do what we do each and every day. God designed it that way in order to stir
us up physically, spiritually, as well as emotionally. He wants us to stay engaged, focused on our
duty to proclaim that wonderful gospel because we are living, breathing proclaimers of our
great God and His plan. Think about each sabbath that was mentioned
in the sermonette. Each sabbath we have a privilege to be part
of. Every time a Holy Day or a season is approaching
and especially this time of year that we just experienced, a wonderful group of young men
and women graduating from ABC. We have children accomplishing another year
of school. I have one. I have a daughter graduating from high school. Think of these moments. Think of that anticipation that come when
they approach. It builds. It builds to a point where we're like, "Is
it going to get here?" Like I have Hannah, our little one. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" But all of a sudden, after all that preparation,
after all that building, after all that anxiety of, "Hey, what's going to happen?" Or with that feeling when you accomplish that
goal, that life-changing goal. If it's marriage, high school, it's that day,
that moment. It passes as if it never happened. Everything you've done is now a memory. What do we do though? What do we do when those moments arise? Does it instill? Does it affect our motivation to keep going? Excitement can linger. Sadness can come in. Sometimes there's that feeling of, "What do
I do now? I don't know." It's normal. It's normal to have these type emotions that
come inside us because once we've been wrapped in God's Word on a Sabbath or Holy Day, once
we've been rejuvenated like at one of the Holy Days, once we've been wrapped up and
trying to accomplish a goal and it's over, there is an adjustment period. We go through that change because we go from
accomplishing something that is now done. We're facing the unknown. A new set of challenges are setting before
us. But here's one thing we should keep in our
mind. It should always comfort us and inspire us. God is still working an incredible miracle
in our lives. Each step. The precious moments that we are blessed to
experience throughout our lives are steps along the journey. They're not destinations. We know what the destination is. So what we need to do is we need to look forward
to each step that we take with that same excitement, with that same anticipation looking for the
next one as we did the previous. Because when we find ourselves in these moments,
these times of transition, it gives us a perfect opportunity to ask ourselves, "How will I
face life now that I'm better equipped from what I just experienced?" Not, "What now?" How? How can I take what I just experienced to
get me to that next step along the journey? Because our experiences provide the necessary
motivation to continue, to trust in God because they're proof and they're evidence that He's
active. He wants us to continue. Now is not the time to sit idle, daydreaming
about the fond memories, or fuming about the frustrations. This will leave us wide open to a surprise
attack from Satan. Our experiences… God's instructions are meant to encourage
growth. They're meant to encourage action. They give us a direction to keep facing even
when it's unknown, even when it's new because He wants us to fight. He wants us to go onward. Robert Bennett, the former Chairman of the
Ohio Republican Party, once said, "You know, the past is a place of reference. It's not a place of residence. The past is a place of learning. It's not a place of living." So what Robert was talking about was there's
a balance in our life. There's balance needed for growth and there's
a balance needed for maturity. How much more does that apply to us spiritually? Jeremiah 6:16 reminds us that our history
is very important. It can't be forgotten. Where would we be today if we didn't have
that history? And Jeremiah talks about that, actually that
former ways, that former path. With that former path that he's talking about
is the placing of your feet on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. What He gave us? A direction. Where are we at today? Because when our feet were placed on that
foundation, it gave us direction and we kept walking forward. Yes, we've had some problems. Each one of us has faced trials. As individuals, we faced trials as groups. But we look back to that foundation, to Jesus
Christ. How much success had we had? How many miracles have you witnessed not only
in your lives but in the lives of the brethren? We can't count it. That's a joy that comes from remembering what
God gave us. And what Robert was talking about, that balance? When we apply that to our spiritual walk,
the balance that God wants us to learn is don't recreate the glory days. Don't be the person you were yesterday because
you're growing, you're maturing. You want to be the person you're to become
tomorrow. Take what you've learned and apply it. Continue to move forward and understand your
history so that you don't make those same mistakes. We had to consider what we did right, what
we did wrong so we can progress as God has called us to progress. If you would, please, turn over to Romans
13. Because we have a warning here of why God
says, "Don't relive it. Learn from it and improve upon it." Romans 13. Romans 13:11, "And do this, knowing the time,
that now is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when
we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness
and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day." This reminder is telling us time is valuable
and it waits for no one. It's going to march forward. You and I had been given a work to do and
because of these experiences that we have, we have the tools and instruction to do that
job effectively. Not halfway but effectively. The motivation we need to keep engaged can
easily be found in the things that we've learned through our experiences. What we take from our experiences should help
keep us eager to continue to take those new challenges, face that unknown, get out of
that chair, get up here, and give a sermon. I had to use that because it's not easy. Experience is one of the great educational
tools available to us. When we learn, we do. We learn what not to do and we can apply it
to the next time we take that challenge. You and I don't have the luxury of taking
all the experiences we have and put them on a display case and say, "Look what I've done." A diploma won't do you any good if you don't
apply that knowledge. So when God gives us these opportunities and
we learn from our experiences and apply it, they produce wonders. But if we place them on that display case,
they become stagnant. And who profits from it? No one profits from knowledge that's not tapped,
that's not used. Collecting knowledge has to be put to use. Because we have a directive from God that
requires that we take that knowledge and move forward and face those new challenges. The longer we wait to face challenges, the
harder they're going to be to face. And you know if you don't face them, they
just keep compiling up and it gets overwhelming. The perfect time to start moving, the perfect
time to apply is right now. Each second we make those decisions, I'm going
to press forward. I'm going to learn from what happened and
do it better next time. If you would, please, go on and start turning
over to Mathew 12, and we're going to turn to a section of Scripture that may seem a
little odd at first but there's a hidden principle. There's a hidden warning found that's very
beneficial to keep in mind as we move forward. It can help us stay focused on why the lessons
we learn are vital even after they passed long ago. Mathew 12, starting at verse 43. Mathew 12:43 says, "When an unclean spirit
goes out of a man, he goes to dry places seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from
which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept,
and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state
of the man is worse than the first. So shall it be with this wicked generation." When we're on a spiritual high, when we just
experienced something just amazing, especially after a sabbath or a Holy Day, or that accomplishment
that you invested your life into, we get full of sensation. It feels good. But we can't let our guard down. We can't just be swept clean and happy what
we look like because that gives it opportunity for someone or the evil forces of Satan himself
to come along and try to take that joy, that accomplishment, that feeling away from us. Satan and his demonic realm want nothing more
than to come and snatch that joy, destroy, make it fade away as just a distant memory. His purpose is they want us weak. They want us back to where we were before
we even had that moment. They want to find us looking empty. They want to find us forgetful. They want us to forget our duty of what we're
doing and forget of why we did it in the first place. Satan should be greatly disappointed each
and every time. Because we're living by every word of God. And when we live by every word of God and
we seek His righteousness in our life, we have the perfect solution to emptiness. We're filled to the brim and we apply the
experiences we get from living by this word. There's no room. There is no time to be empty. He comes and sees us full. He sees us engaged and He has no place within
us. However, I know that sounds good. It makes us feel, "Yeah. I'm spiritually strong, yes." We're human. And we're going to sin. We're going to have stresses in this life. We all bear the battle scars of life. Stress gets to us. And if we're not fully engaged, staying close
to that strength of Jesus Christ, this world is going to play its part in draining us down
to that emptiness. The world and its troubles can make us forget. But we have Christ. We have God's word and His promise. So how can we make sure that we don't become
empty? How can we make sure that we're moving forward
without forgetting the lessons of our past? How can we make sure that we don't allow that
joy to fade? For the remainder of this message, I want
to share with you three simple reminders that can help make sure that we can move forward
in hope. We can move forward with that joy and that
spiritual strength to endure. Our past, our future, it's full of hope. It's full of joy. And that hope and that joy is a valuable tool
to keep us moving forward. So point one is God's presence. Point one is God's presence. I came across this short prayer recently that
I want to share with you. It kind of sets the tone at this point. It starts out, "Dear Lord, you know, so far
today I'm doing all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper,
I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or even self-indulgent. I had not whined, cursed, and I haven't eaten
any chocolate. However, I'm going to get out of the bed in
a few minutes and I'm going to need a lot of help. Amen." You and I need God's presence. We need to feel it. We need to see it always. It's the power and strength we need to carry
on in this world. Without it, we're lost. Without it, we will fail. Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10 starting in verse 19. Hebrews 10:19 says, "Therefore, brethren,
having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which
He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Verse 23, "Let us hold fast confession of
our hope without wavering, for He who promised He’s faithful." We have the honor of having God and Christ
presence in our lives. Even if we don't feel it. It's there. Because of our High Priest, we have this special
connection. And we have to keep that connection alive. This section of Scripture we just read in
Hebrews 10 is powerful because they hold a very important aspect of which way we are
called to live. We don't only have the privilege of visiting
the Holy of Holies. You and I, because of the blood of Jesus Christ
and that taken upon His Holy Spirit at baptism of God, we have the privilege of living in
the Holy of Holies. We have the honor of staying in the presence
of our almighty God. You and I had been called to live in the presence
of God. We can't allow outside forces to disrupt that
connection. We can't allow outside forces to disrupt that
privilege that has been extended to us. Because it would cause us to lose sight of
our need and our purpose for the reason we need to live in God's presence. Now I'm not saying that we completely forget
about God. But the problem, and I'm guilty, is that we
so often forget the primary source of help and we go to every which direction we can
instead of where we need to go. The primary is usually the last place we seek
help. Our first help is getting on our knees and
staying in the presence of God. Because we're called to walk by faith. I know we hear it… we heard that over and
over. Our ABC students sing that song. One of my favorites that I just had to fight
the tears back. It says, "We walk by faith, not by sight." You know why God keeps removing… repeating
that over and over and over and we keep hearing that in a lot of messages, a lot of inspirational
sayings? It's because He knows, as we walk in this
world, sight can be an easily distractive way to live. When we're up against things, especially in
distressing times, sight can blind us. Blind us from the faith we need in God working
His will in our lives. Walking by faith is seeing the situation as
God sees the situation. The hopeful promised outcome that He has provided. We just need to follow the steps. Trust Him. Every moment we experience in this life is
proof that God is molding us, preparing us for something so far greater than what those
eyes can see. We are in a growth process where God has so
many great, wonderful things just waiting for us to attain. We must focus on His plan. Remember that promise and our responsibility
within that promise. Because Christ didn't come, die, be resurrected,
go to the Father and say, "Oh, they'll figure it out." He showed us the way to do it and left us
with a mighty promise. You might be familiar with the poem… I think it's Footprints or it's Footprints
in the Sand. The authorship of this poem, you can't pinpoint
it. It has disputes all the way back to 1936 but
I'm pretty sure everyone knows this poem. It talks about this gentleman who's walking
on the beach and Jesus is with him. You know he's walking. He looks back, and of course when you walk
on the beach leaving the two sets of footprints in the sand. But he looks up into the sky and he sees the
visions and flashes of all his life. And he sees all these good, happy times and
yeah, that's great. And then he sees all the hardships, all the
problems. And then he stops and he's looking back and
he's like, "You know, Jesus, I got a question to ask You. You see, I notice when everything's going
great and there's joy, there's happiness in my life, You're with me. But when everything's bad, when everything's
going wrong in my life, when my child is crying in pain, when my loved ones take their last
breath, when I just need someone to say, 'I care,' where were You? Look, there's one set of footprints and here
I am walking." And Jesus says to him, "My precious child,
you know I loved you and I gave you a promise. And yes, you are correct. Where those two sets of footprints are, I
was as joyous as you were, yes. I was there, I felt the joy, I felt the happiness. But when you felt at your lowest point, when
you felt like you were laying on that ground crying, all alone, hitting rock bottom, that
was my shoulder. That was my hand that wiped that tear. I was there holding you the entire… You see that set of footprints? That is where I carried you. I bore your pain so you did not have to walk." Placing our confidence, brethren, in God,
not our self, is a key to moving forward. Only God can give us the strength we need
to face these challenges. We should never think that it's by our own
strength, especially when we walk through the hard times of life. Living by that word of God, having faith in
Him as we walk, we cannot look at it as a moment of convenience. It's a standard, a holy standard in which
we are called to live. We can't put God on call. Only needing Him for the good parts of our
life, then blaming Him for the bad parts. God doesn't treat us conveniently. We can never treat Him as being a convenient
God. Each day examining our lives and seeing where
is God present in my life. And if we find a place that He's not because
of what we're doing, that's the time to pull Him into those parts because He's wanting
to be there. We shouldn't push God out of our life. Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43, starting at verse 16. Isaiah 43:16, "Thus says the Lord, who makes
the way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, who brings forth the chariot
and horse, the army and the power. They shall lie down together, they shall not
arise. They're extinguished, they are quenched like
a wick. Do not remember the former things nor consider
the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forward. Shall you not know it?" We mentioned earlier about the proper balance
of our past. We must remember our past and its true reality. Not in this fantasy where we manipulate it
to be what we want it to be, something totally different. We have to let go of that old way of bondage. Let's be honest. What didn't work? What was I doing that didn't work? And we must hold on to the parts that help
us propel forward, the successes where we had God working in our lives. Not where we tried to do it and we failed. Think of ancient Israel. You notice there’s… it's talking about
it here. Because of a trial, they lost sight of what
they were doing. They lost sight of who they were following. Their past experience should've been enough
to carry them forward in faith. Unfortunately, they started to manipulate
their past. They started this twisted reality where everything
was always better back there. We had these fleshpots and mead. We had these leeks and onions. They started to believe their own lie. They didn't remember the past. They didn't remember the foundation. They didn't remember the miracles that took
them from being a slave to a nation pulled out by God Himself. The reality was so far removed from the truth,
and you and I, we must be careful that we don't fall for this mental trap when we face
with a trial. We have to remember it the way it is. This should remind us that being swept, being
clean and put in order, that alone does not finish the job. It takes so much more. It's keeping to that standard that got us
to the point we were swept, clean and put in order. We got to remember what it felt like. We got to remember the miracle of God coming
into our lives and saying, "This is the way. I need you to walk in this." What pierced our hearts? What made us see the error of our ways and
realize this is a slave-full Egypt and I need to get out of this? We want that pure word in our lives and we
want it to stay active. It may sound simple but that's why it's vital
that we recognize and we acknowledge our need for God 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our connection must stay active and it has
to stay solid because that pull of Satan, that slavery way of life, it's not far behind
because he's going to look and he's going to try his best to take us, prisoner, again. Philippians 2. Philippians 2, starting at verse 12. Philippians 2:12 says, "Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you
to will and to do for His good pleasures." Our desire to continue to change, our desire
to continue on that path must not differ when it's easy or when it's hard. It can't differ when it's new and exciting
or sometimes when it becomes this routine that we do. Our desire must stay the same all the time. God is always willing to work with us. We have to yield and allow this work to continue
in us and be willing, active participants because change propels forward. It doesn't propel backwards when we let God
work with us. If we're constantly holding on to the past
and we're not wanting to change, we'll just be stuck in a moment. We'll be stuck in one single moment the rest
of our lives and miss what God has for us. We can look swept. We may look clean. We may look like we're put in order but missing
a vital part of being truly prepared to fight against Satan. So remembering our need for God will help
us be motivated, help us understand our need to change, to improve, to grow. Because he says, "It's His desire to work
with us. It's His desire to give us the Kingdom.” Is it our desire to receive it? Point two. Faith in God's power and love. Faith in God's power and love. If you would please, turn over to Ephesians
6. Ephesians 6 and we're going to pick it up
in verse 10. Ephesians 6:10 says, "Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we did not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but we wrestle against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness
of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand an evil day, and having done all to stand." Many have heard the phrase, especially the
military, is "hold the line." Or even athletics. It's "hold the line." It's a term used to remind those who are engaged
in a confrontation or in a sport that it's a time to stand firm. It is time to have that courage and fight. It's used to keep the people working together
for a common purpose, defending what's theirs. Holding the line is crucial because it takes
everyone giving their full support because if everyone doesn't give their full support,
the line breaks. The wall collapses. It's also to reassure that the order is still
to fight. It's not time to retreat. When all things seem lost, when everything
seems like it's not going to happen, that call, hold the line was given and it took
that bravery, that little bit that might be left in each soldier, each teammate and it
encouraged it to come out. You have what it takes. Hold the line, brethren. Hold it. Team, let's get together. This wall can't fail. This line can't break. It's also remember… telling them the order
to retreat has not been sounded. And a matter of fact, the order to retreat
in this life, what we're called to do, it will never be sounded. God's not going to give the retreat order. God's actually down on the ground saying,
"This is the way. Let's go. I'll lead you into battle." He's in the trenches. He's with us. He wants us to follow Him. What kind of leader would take his troops
into battle like that to die, to be destroyed, to sit on the sideline? No. He's leading us and showing us how to fight. He encourages us by His own example. God says, "Onward." We must have the courage to follow Him. We must have the courage not to be tempted
to turn back. We can't allow our self to want to surrender
on our own and give up. Our only option is to muster that courage,
to get that bravery that comes from the God that gave us the promise. Our Savior who gave us the example and says,
"I'm going to go onward. I'm going to continue this battle. I'm going to follow the one who leads the
charge." His commitment that He's made should encourage
us to not give up. It should encourage us to not quit. It should encourage us to say, "I'm going
to see this to the very end." Isaiah 41. Isaiah 41:8. Starting at verse 8, Isaiah 41, "But you,
Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I've chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I've taken from the ends of the earth,
and called from its furthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen
you and have not cast you away.'" Verse 10, "Fear not, for I am with you; behold,
be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with
My righteous right hand." That commitment is one of the greatest inspirations
we need in this life. It was affirmed well before we even committed. Before this world was, their commitment existed
and that commitment has been demonstrated over and over to us. One of the greatest commitments ever though
is recorded in Romans 5:8 where he says, "While you were still sinners, while you didn't even
know or understand," it says, "God demonstrated His love when we didn't deserve it. He sent His Son to die. His blood was spilt because He loved you and
He wanted us and He wanted to be committed to helping us overcome." See, God is love and action. Through His Son, He removed what separated
us from Him. Through His Son, He removed the burden of
the death penalty. Romans 1. Romans 1, and let's take it up in verse 16. Paul says, "For I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first
and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed
from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’" When trials come, and we know they will, when
they come to take over our emotions and try to make us feel alone, we must remember that
through that faithfulness, through that commitment, through that love, we have hope. Because God has made us conquerors. We can forge further and further into battle
with the utmost in confidence, with the strongest of faith that whatever happens, our God has
our back. He has us standing up. Remember the 12 spies that went into the land,
the Promised Land? They all witnessed that what God had promised
was true. They all saw the goodness of the land. But when 10 of them saw the challenges, when
10 of them saw the giants, they focused on that and they couldn't get past those challenges. Two, Joshua and Caleb had the faith, had the
courage, and that commitment that God says what He would do, He would do. They knew that no matter what giant they had
to defeat, what trial that might come from going into this land, the God who promised
this land to us would fulfill it. No matter what we see, no matter what we do,
we will succeed because God said He would do it. How do we react in the situations when those
giants pop up? Even though we may be experienced in the goodness
of God, it's easy to be positive. It's easy to want to conquer when the situations
are good but when we see the situations and the bad things start coming out and the trials
keep getting dumped on and dumped on, how much more important is it to stay positive
and faithful to God in those moments? It gives us more strength. It's opportunities to see a mighty miracle
in our lives because we know for a fact, we can't conquer that giant. But we know who's with us. He's more stronger, He has more power to do
anything that could ever come against us. We have to have faith. Nothing is hopeless with God and Christ on
our side. Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11. A very familiar verse here in verse 1 and
we're going to jump to 13 after that. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is a substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Drop on down to verse 13. "These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but haven't seen them afar off were assured of them, they embraced them and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Much like some of the patriarchs here. "For those who say such things declare plainly
that they seek a homeland. And if truly they were called to mind that
country from which they had come out, they would've had the opportunity to return." Verse 16 says, "But now they desire better,
that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Our faith in what we can't see is more important. Our faith in what we can't see grounds us. God stands behind His promises and our hope
is secured by that promise. I was watching an interview. I forgot who it was. And this gentleman was talking to this lady
who's fighting cancer. And he's going through his own trials himself. He feels beat down. And he looks at her and she's knocking on
death's door. She's not going to survive, it looks like. And he asked, "How you do this? How do you face this life?” Supposedly this Christian, and she says this,
"You think cancer's going to beat me? You think that it's going to tear me down,
that it's going to rip my hope to shreds? Oh, no. No, my faith in my God is greater than cancer
will ever be. God is bigger than the trial that I am fighting. His love and my faith in that love will conquer
whatever I face despite the outcome in this life. Despite what happens in this life." This has to be our attitude. The Kingdom is our goal. Not this physical life. How can we feel alone? How can we feel defeated when the goal is
far beyond the reaches of this physical existence? Our hope is secured in the greatest promise
that could ever be made from God Himself. That's going to conquer. And the blessing that comes from that, nothing
in this life could ever compare. Even the greatest joy we could ever experience
cannot compare to the joy of accomplishing that goal. In 2 Timothy 1, you're going to have to turn
there, we're reminded that we had been given a very strong and powerful tool. We've been given God's Holy Spirit that has
the power that is of love that gives us a sound mind and we're to use that gift. We can't forget it. Exercise it because it's the greatest weapon
we have to fight our battles. We have to make sure, though that we're not
the one that relinquishes it. We can't give it up. We can't just sit on the shelf. We have to use that power because the more
we use it, the stronger it's going to become in us because we're going to rely on it. We're going to exercise it. It's how we can face these trials. It's how we can keep focus and not miss a
step as we march towards the Kingdom. The key to fighting this war is in our mind
and our connections to this power is key. Our faith in God should encourage us that
we can fight, that we can overcome, that we can change. So we have to rely on His presence, on His
faith, and on His love. Point three, unity. Point three's unity. Unity is the result we'll experience from
pushing forward as we use the instructions we receive from God's word because God's Spirit,
it builds. God's Spirit unifies. It doesn't destroy. We're being changed from surviving as an individual
to thriving as a band of brothers. A holy family unified under the direction
of Jesus Christ Himself. In this church not one person is an island. We're a body that's been knit together where
each member will work effectively promoting growth. We've been called to build bonds of love,
bonds of unity, not walls of separation or division. We're to be at one not only with our Father,
not only with Jesus Christ but we are to be at one with each other. A high price was paid for this to be made
possible. We owe our great God. We owe Jesus Christ the honor to seek unity,
to seek His unity. Romans 12. Romans 12, starting at verse 9. Romans 12:9 says, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with
brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence,
fervent in the spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient tribulation, continuing steadfastly
in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with
those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another." The environment that's pleasing to God is
created out of love and of a unified spirit. How we treat each other indicates how we'll
treat God. Our commitment to be unified reflects our
commitment to God Himself. How we respond to each other would be proof
if we're doing our part. So what He's telling us is now is the time
to live it. If we want harmony, if we want unity, if we
have that vision of the Kingdom where it's perfect unity, perfect harmony, we need to
start living it now. We have the power to do it now. God's Spirit, His love is within us to make
it all possible. God is seeking those who desire, who'd long
for that unity. Those who look to Him for direction, those
who seek Him to understand, "How do you want to be worshiped, Father?" He don't want to a bunch of… group of people
coming to Him and saying, "Well, this is what truth is. This is how we want to worship You." God wants those who have a heart that seeks
His will in their life, who come before Him and want to worship Him as He desires, who
want to come together as a group of people and promote each other because they… we
see, we've learned how God looked at us and saw our potential and gave us this honor. When we look at each other, we should see
that same potential within each other and want to help promote that potential. Because we each have that image of God. We each have that same promise and we all
want to see each other in the Kingdom. That's joy, to know that this is temporary
but we'll be together in the Kingdom. Each one of us will be together. The benefits of seeking God's unity according
to how he desires, they're endless. Our congregations will blossom. The lives of each member will be blessed and
how God, only God can bless. The reach and effect of the gospel, it will
thrive beyond our imaginations because you have all these members proclaiming the gospel
by their lives because we'll be reflecting the character of God like we've never reflected
it before. Jesus Christ gave a command in John 13. You'll have to turn there. It was mentioned earlier in the sermonette. He says, "Love one another as I've loved you. It's by this application of love that all
will know who you are. All will know who I am. You're My disciples and this love is the proof." The love that originates from our Father and
Jesus Christ is a powerful adhesive. We're bound together by it. It mends the broken, it comforts the hurting,
it encourages the weary. It makes stronger the things that were broken. Think about our lives. We were once broken. Because of that love, because of that Spirit,
we're stronger than ever before. We have a strength so powerful and if we used
it as a unified people, there's nothing Satan can do to break our wall. There's nothing that Satan can do to break
that line because we're that unified. We're that attached to our Father. For a final Scripture, if you would turn to
Philippians 3. Philippians 3, starting at verse 12. Philippians 3:12 says, "Not that I've already
attained, or am I already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay a hold that which
Christ Jesus has laid uphold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to the
things which are ahead. I press towards the goal for the prize of
the upward call of God and Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have
this mind.” It's time to take what we've learned as we
experience the Sabbath, as we experience a Holy Day or anything we've achieved in this
life that God has blessed us to achieve. No matter how old we are. No matter how young we are. Take it. Use it and apply it because we all have a
common goal and we apply this… we will achieve it. You and I know that the night is far spent. The battle against Satan and his destructive
ways of sin, they're heating up. It's time to fight against those evil dark
forces like we never fought before as a unified people. We can't turn back. We can't sit still. We have to press onward. I want to share a small section of a famous
speech by Winston Churchill that was given on June 18th, 1940. And I quote, "I expect that the Battle of
Britain is upon… is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian
civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and
a long continuity of our institutions and of our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must
very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us
in this Island or he will lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may
be free and the life of the world may prove to move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including
the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss
of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of
perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties,
so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand
years, men will say, ‘This was their finest hour.’" Brethren, it's time for us… as in words
of the ABC chorale, "O, Church arise." Walk by faith and move forward. We have a vital part to play as this time
draws to an end. We have to be on guard. We have to be ready, eager to stand for what
we have been called to do. As we do this, let's remember where we've
been and where we're going. Let's always remember that we need the presence
of God in our lives. Not just when it's convenient. Let's remember that our faith in Him, it has
to be strongly connected because His faith in us is there. His love for us is there. And let's remember that unity that we need,
the unity that's going to bound us to Him and bind us together as a one solid unit to
fight. The time is now. The choice is ours to make. Let it be said that we were fully engaged
in the good fight of fate, that we stood against the evils of this world. We took the spiritual weapons that were given
to us by our great God and with courage and with all joy that Satan himself cannot take
away, we move forward. We fought during our finest hour.
