Call to Worship: 1 Timothy 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Songs: Yours Is the Kingdom - Hillsong
Soul On Fire - Third Day
I Walk By Faith - Praise Band
Scripture: Proverbs 2
Song: Move (Keep Walkin’) - tobyMac
Sermon: Relentless Pursuit of the Promise
Closing Song: Joy of the Lord - Rend Collective
Benediction: Jude 24 “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
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Sermon: Relentless Pursuit of the Promise
I was going through my files the other day and was discarding papers that no longer served a purpose. I think the idea of a filing cabinet is to be able to access things you use every so often, not never. Anyways one thing I found was a couple of pages I didn’t know I had that had come out of my old bible. Onion like paper in a bible is not so good. And neither is it good to have a friend’s truck stolen with your bible in it. So having these pages was good for the heart. The neat part was the pages I found were Psalm 22- 27. Then I found another file with my very first sermon that I preached in class at seminary. That was an interesting experience where you preach and your classmates take notes with pros and cons and then you get to read them. As you know I still read from my notes. The sermon I preached was called The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection. This was based on Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” and a car commercial. Oddly most in the church will say you can’t be perfect and for that matter cannot stop sinning, even though the bible says be perfect and do not sin. I said, if Lexus could have as the backbone of the company a relentless pursuit of perfection, then so can we. I found it interesting that all these years later the slogan was changed to The Pursuit of Perfection. One writer “noted their obsessive attention to detail, became "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection." Now it's just "The Pursuit of Perfection" - and they're certainly not doing as good as job as they used to.” As the body of Christ we need to continue to be relentless in our pursuit of perfection.
Today we are going to be talking about the relentless pursuit of the promise God has given us. This pursuit is about obeying God’s word to the fullest. This really is perfection when we obey like Josiah did. 2 Kings 23:25 “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” We find ourselves in the same position as Josiah, as those who have gone before us have not adhered to the word of God but have gone their own way. Empty ways were handed down to us from our fathers. But like Josiah, we have turned from our wicked ways to follow God way with everything we have. Our journey now is a relentless pursuit of the promise God has given to all who believe and obey his word. Paul prayed that Ephesians 1:18 “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” That definitely is not the desolation that we have been raised with. The christianity we see today is not the Christianity of the early church. The empty and powerless way handed down from our fathers, that has sent us into death, destruction and captivity instead of prosperity and blessing is not how it was supposed to be. Moses warned us in Deuteronomy 30:15 “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.” So like Israel the church did not live long in the land because they followed other gods.
We can relentlessly pursue the promise because we believe according to God’s word that God has more for us than what we have seen. Those who went before us, turned to other gospels and bowed down to them. You read His word and it looks nothing like the church we see today. I am sure by now I don’t have to convince you of this. So we have returned. God said Malachi 3:7 “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.” We are to be relentless in our return. The word relentless means, “showing or promising no abatement (process of reducing) of severity, intensity, strength, or pace.” I like the word dogged. No I am not talking about the qualities of dog who will with dogged determination go at a Kong with peanut butter in it until they get it out. Dogged means “marked by stubborn determination.” So dogged determination means , “a determination to continue with something even if it becomes difficult.” Here is an example of dogged determination from the Apostle Paul. He said 2 Corinthians 11:23 “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” He was warned Acts 21:11 “Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
The relentless pursuit I am talking about is to follow in the direction God is leading and not being dogged about going your own way as many are. These people have great determination but they are relentlessly pursuing the wrong way. Talking this way means we are not going to give up. Samuel is just around the corner and we will wait till he gets here, unlike Saul who lost the kingdom because he refused to wait. This week we will talk in our blogs about being rewarded for our perseverance. Psalm 106:13 “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.” God has given us a promise that if we seek him we will find him. By following faithfully we too can hold on to the promise of taking the land also. Everywhere we step will be ours and no man will stand against us. This promise and directive also apply to us. Deuteronomy 11:31 “You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, 32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.” We need to be relentless and not give up. We need to hold on to God’s word with dogged determination.
Now let me put your mind at ease just in case you think I am telling you to try harder and that it is all up to you. No that's not what I am saying. But having said that there is work to do if you are going to be relentlessly dogged. James 2:14 “What good is it if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
So yes being relentless is work. When those around you mock you for what they can’t see, you can either curl up in the corner somewhere or continue to persevere relentlessly until that day God makes himself know to all. This isn’t about lying on the couch but strict training. 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. We desperately want God to make his name known to the nations. Isaiah 64:1 “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! 2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!” David said 2 Samuel 7:25 “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”
This is what we have been praying for so we must have this relentless perseverance, this dogged determination to follow God’s word even when all around us seems desolate and we feel alone. We will also be talking about this in the blogs this week. I have said before, that we must hang on to scripture as if riding a bull. Don’t let go no matter what. satan is trying to tear it out of your hands so hang on tight. Psalm 144:1 “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” We need to be relentless in our pursuit of the promise because of what we are coming out of. Those we are coming out from do not want us to succeed because they would have to change. They have felt they were on the right path all along but then to suddenly change they will refuse. Jeremiah 5:3 “Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” Hezekiah describes this when he said
2 Chronicles 29:5 “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6 Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.” 2 Chronicles 29:6 “At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: “People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
Hezekiah and Josiah made the necessary repairs and we must do the same. When you read 2 Kings 22-23 you see the dogged determination Josiah had. You also see this relentless pursuit when Jehu was anointed king. His task was 2 Kings 9:7 “to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel.” We must be relentless in our return to the Lord and obedience to the Lord. David said to Solomon 1 Kings 2:2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” We must relentlessly persevere in our determination walk faithfully before God. We are told so many times to not be afraid and be discouraged. Joshua was told before he took the land Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Right about now you may be thinking the journey has been long and things have happened that you didn’t expect and you are tired. I can guarantee that satan has tried to get you to quit. You may have taken a beating and feel like you can’t go on but everyday you hold on to the word of God and continue to advance and move toward the promise. There are a couple of verses that talk about this relentless pursuit. In Judges God chose Gideon to defeat their enemies. Gideon and his three hundred men attacked the Midianites and continued to pursue them. This verse I feel describes our journey. Judges 8:4 “Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.” Once they crossed they routed their enemies completely. So yes they were exhausted but kept going. We are exhausted and we must keep going. When the enemy had taken the families of David and his men, they went after them. The journey must have been tough as two hundred of the six hundred were to exhausted and gave up but the four hundred continued. They returned victorious. We must also have determined belief that our families will be restored also. Later in David’s life after Absalom his son had conspired against him and stole the hearts of the people of Israel, David was fleeing. During the journey a man was cursing David and continued to do so along the way. Like Paul he was also being pelted with stones along with the cursing. 2 Samuel 16:11 “David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.” 13 So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. 14 The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.” Later David crossed the Jordon and returned to His throne. You may feel exhausted but don’t give up. We will come to the Jordon and cross into the land of promise and defeat our enemies. There you will be refreshed. You will then understand that the joy of the Lord that is your strength.
Ezra read the law to the people in Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8:5 “Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 The Levites—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” Paul talked about joy in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 “You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” Luke 10:17 “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.” Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Being filled with joy goes with being filled with the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even though there was resistance Acts 13:49 “the word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Philemon 1:4 “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
So we remain focused on our relentless pursuit of the promise. Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
We must have this determined focus I just read about, as our enemies also are relentless in their desire to see us destroyed. Have you noticed that most don’t want you to succeed in your relentless pursuit of the promise God has for us? satan’s purpose is to destroy you and get you to quit following God’s word. David describes it this way in Psalm 56:1 “Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. 2 My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me. 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 5 All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. 6 They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. 7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down. 8 Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record? 9 Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise— 11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
As we trust in the Lord he makes our paths straight and keeps our ankles from turning, God goes before us. Deuteronomy 31:3 “The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. 5 The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Our relentless pursuit is about submitting ourselves to God and trusting that He will do for us as said he would. Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This is our works. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Don’t just lie on the couch. 1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Do not give up as your work will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 10:19 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” 38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”
