Keep Going Pt. 1

Hey, what's up, everybody? This is Keith Battle. Hey, I'm Vicki Battle. Amen. And we're married. Yes, we are. Amen. Almost 37 years. Praise the Lord. But we're not here to talk about marriage. We're here to talk about God's word. And what a word we're about to receive. Yes. Tell us about it. Keep going. You're going to learn about gratitude and how you can just keep going no matter what life throws at you. It's amazing. And I hope you enjoy it. Amen. Don't ever give up. God has a plan. Keep going. Please share this with somebody who could use this encouragement. And please share the link below and subscribe to us. But we're going to go into the service. All right, we're going into the word of God. Let me share something with you that I'll speak over our church that I think is very important. In Amos chapter eight, anybody read Amos lately? Where is that? That's one of them table of contents books. Amen. Where is Amos? Okay. Page 719. We had an uncle named Amos. Here's what God says in the book of Amos chapter eight, verse 11. This is so important. This is the hunger I want in our church for God's word. Where there's hunger and repentance,

there's always going to be revival and miracles. He will match, God will match your energy. Amen. Amen. Amen. A broken and contrite heart, he will not despise. And faith moves God. The Lord God says, look, the days are coming when I will cause a famine in the land. The people will not be hungry for bread. They will not be thirsty for water. No, they will be hungry for words from the Lord. Let me tell you what's happening in this passage. The Northern kingdom of Israel is getting, this is a prophecy that God is warning them about, about a famine that he's going to send their way. And it's not a famine of food and water. He says, you're going to have a famine of hearing me speak. I'm going to silence my voice. And the reason for it is, is because they had his voice and they had his word and they had his messengers, but didn't value it. He says, because you don't value my word and you don't value my prophetic voice, I'm going to shut it up and you won't be able to hear from me. And he says, you can have your services and you can still gather in temples and you can still bring animals to the altar to sacrifice and you can sing your songs, but what you'll be missing is a word from me. And the thing was so heavy on the people because you still got bread, you still got water,

but the Bible says, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And the people were so desperate. Verse 12 says, they begin to look all around. People wandered around the country, Dead Sea, Mediterranean Sea, the north part of the country to the east. They would go back and forth looking for a message from the Lord, but they will not find it. Why? Because when they had it, they didn't treasure it. And I bring that up because I never want us to be a church who's casual about God's word. And we don't appreciate the fact that he would speak to us. It's too precious to treat lightly. Do you understand what I'm saying? And right now, God, we lift our hands to you because we treasure your word. We honor your word. We need your word. Speak to us. Give us direction, correction, encouragement, counsel, guidance, answers that we need in our lives. And we thank you for your word in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. And in that spirit, I want you to remain seated. I ain't gonna have you stand up. I want you to remain seated. I'm gonna read the passage I'm gonna preach from today. And it's in Colossians chapter two, verses six and seven.

Now, this is what I need because I'm behind schedule. All I need is, I preach slower to groups who act like they don't understand. The way I know you understand is when I hear something. I go, uh-huh, come on. I don't know what your thing is. Well, like whatever your thing is, that means I can move on to the next point. And so I need section leaders in every section here because I can't, I know y'all, because y'all be standing up at Z-Lo and at 4-Y. They stand up and walk up to the screen while I'm preaching. That's how they are. In here, you know what I'm saying? It's a little rough in here. Trust me. Now, but I need some people that don't mind, like you don't really care what people think about you. That's all I need is a few of y'all. Where y'all at? The people that said, Pastor, you say something, I will be a witness. I ain't tripping like that. I ain't worried about these people think about me. If they had any idea of how much I've survived, I've earned the right to stand up in church. I've earned the right. I'm a survivor. If you knew what I went out of, you stand up too. Okay, I got, I just got, I see you, I see you.

Okay, I think that's, I think we're gonna get through this. Got you, all right. Now, everybody near them, you've been warned. Amen, you've been warned. They will do it at any moment, amen. All right, Colossians chapter two, verse six says this, New Living Translation. And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you accepted him as your Lord, not as your friend, as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Somebody say, don't stop now. Don't stop now. Verse seven, verse seven. Let your roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. And what will happen? Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness. So here's what Paul's saying, he says, listen, first of all, you accepted Jesus as your Lord, but don't stop there. Keep following him, let your roots grow down into him and then build your life on him and the result will be your faith will be strong and you will overflow with thankfulness. Y'all got that? I got a two-word subject, you ready? Keep going, keep going.

I want you to reach around to the people you did the tribal moment with, just enough people in your reach around area and just pound about three or four people and just look at them, but make sure you keep going, keep going. Yeah, keep going. I have not seen and you have not heard the things that God has prepared for those who love him. Keep going. For I declare unto you that which I received from the Lord, that no weapon formed against you will prosper. I didn't say it wouldn't be formed against you, but it shall not prosper. But every tongue that shall rise up against you, you shall condemn, keep going. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk in thy faith, keep going. Be not weary in well-doing for in due season. Who am I talking to? In due season, in due season, it will be all right. You shall reap if you do not faint. The Lord is my strength and my salvation. The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes came against me.

They stumbled and fell. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he will stripen thy heart. Wait I say on the Lord. High five somebody and say keep going. Keep going. Don't you dare quit. Don't you dare give up. I know you may have messed up. I know you may have fallen. But a just man falls seven times and gets back up again. Get back up again. I need my section leaders to sit down so I can do this. Keep going. Paul is writing to the church of Colossae. They have a good thing going and a bad thing going. The good thing is, is that they've accepted Jesus as their Lord.

The bad thing is they're in an environment with all kinds of polytheism and mysticism, false teaching, heresy all around them that tempts them and lulls them into stopping what they started. They live amongst people. So they're tempted to drift away from the truth. And Paul says you started well. Verse 6a he says you accepted Jesus, Christ, Jesus as your Lord. And let me pause and say to everybody who's done that, bravo. If you've accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, that's a big deal. I said, that's a big deal. That's no small thing. That changed your eternal address. Your name is now written in the Lamb's book of life. You are now part of the family of God. You are now a child of God. People say we're all God's children. That's not true. We're all God's creation God created Every all man were in everybody's been created in the Imago Dei in the image of God You've been created, but you must become his child He says to as many as received him to them gave me the power to become children of God You became a creation of God when you were born when actually in your mother's womb He created you and design you but in order to be his child and in his family. You must be born again But since you have accepted Jesus that's where it starts that's not where it stops He says you got to keep going everybody say keep going You've accepted him as your Lord 6a says he is your Lord. It's personal You didn't just stop you didn't just settle for your mama's religion or your dad's religion

Thank God for our parents and our grandparents and those who expose us to the faith, but isn't it good to know him for yourself? Commissioners say it's so good to know the Savior that he's walking hand-in-hand with you Just to have him by your side. That's what there's no other place I'd rather be then to be in a personal relationship with Jesus, but he says you got to keep going And how do you keep going? He says you have to continue to follow him See see there's no graduation in Christ. You never graduate and you know, this is graduation season That's why you see parents a little little light-hearted because it's graduation season They go on these commencements and everything and the reason why especially when it's college the reason why your parents are out of control When they say your name it ain't even about you. It's about that money They've been suffering from maltuition for the last five years messing with you in that school And so when they shout it ain't just about you. It's about that money But let me tell you something there is no graduation in Christ You just want every round goes higher and higher you grow from glory to glory That's why this message is for everybody because it doesn't matter how far along you are in Christ. You can always keep going You can always keep going Never stop growing and keep growing So he says one of the ways you do that is make sure That you keep following him and one of the best ways of following Jesus is making sure you have relationships with people who are also following him Some of you your biggest problem spiritually is your circle We always talk about kids. You need to write friends. Make sure you hand around sir. What about you? If you have a negative a spiritually negative circle, or even if you have a spiritually neutral circle That circle cannot help you follow Jesus So, you know what you got to do. You got to pray say God I need you to add to my life some people who are following Jesus I know I'm used to being around skinny any nook nook in them But I need somebody that's really gonna follow you It's gonna hold me accountable Encourage me and help me to walk stop just being around people who are familiar and be around people who are following Jesus You need that in your life to support your walk and then he gives two more things you can do to keep going in verse 7

He says first of all, he gives an agricultural Example he says let your roots grow deep in him grow down into him That Agricultural picture is a picture of roots, right? So one thing about roots roots are not meant to be seen So what he's describing there is what's supposed to happen in your life spiritually that others cannot see It is your private Devotional relationship with God its roots its root work. It's the things you do when nobody's around It's okay for you for you to publicly worship God in church, it's okay for you to serve in church, but that's not root work That's building your life. We're gonna get that in a minute. But what are you doing when nobody's around see social media has made us Entertainers in every area of our life and it's actually blurred the lines of what should be private versus what is public People post and go live on everything People go live on everything you go live in the bathroom you go live when you're in the shower and say yeah at first I start with the coconut on my scalp and then I put the national shea butter in here and this helps with my but this helps with my growth and the follicular strength and Now you got to aim the camera so it doesn't show the rest of you You're doing too much life wasn't meant to be like that just because it's popular doesn't mean it's healthy You're doing too much You keep bringing the world. It's like what do you what are you that desperate for attention? And then you bring your spiritual life in there. You don't even have quiet time with God alone You invite the world into it So God's trying to have time with you in his word and speak to you, but you want to go live Listen y'all, I just read something in the Word. I just gotta show y'all this. So now your Bible study goes live, your prayer time goes live, your worship goes live, and I'm asking you, what's the motive? Is it to reverence God or is it to impress your followers? To show them how spiritual you are? Listen, roots aren't supposed to be seen. You're root-teen. Ha! How you like how I did that? Routine. You like that? I'm checking on you. Your roots should not be seen. Have you ever seen roots come out of the ground and say, look what I'm doing? Ah! The moment roots come out of the ground, everything's dead. Roots must stay private. Now watch this. How you see the work of the roots is in the fruit. See, botanically speaking, how you like that word,

Thompson? Botanically. Botanically speaking, agriculturally, your life is a tree. Your spiritual habits are your roots. What kind of spiritual habits? Your prayer life, your worship time alone with God, your time in His Word, reading it, reflecting on it, applying it to your life. From those roots, it strengthens the tree of your life so that when the winds blow, you don't snap. That you have stability. Some of you don't have stability. You're not stable. I say you're not stable. You love God, but you're not stable. You're not stable because you don't have deep roots in Christ. So when the winds of life blow, and they will, if you're not anchored in Jesus, you'll be blown all over the place. You gotta have roots. And one of the things that not having deep roots does is it keeps you from really receiving God's Word and it bearing fruit and transforming your life. Like in Mark chapter 4, Jesus talks about this. Jesus talks about a parable in Mark chapter 4 in verses 3 to 8 and then verses 14 to 17. And I'll summarize it. We won't go through that. But what he says is, he says, a sower went out to sow seeds. And he talks about the different places it went. And he says, when the seed hit the shallow soil, it didn't stay because it didn't have any depth to it. See, shallowness is dangerous because it can't receive seed. And he later goes on to say, the sower that's sowing seed is somebody that's giving the Word of God to people. What I'm doing right now is sowing seed. That's all I'm doing. And everybody's getting the same seed. Whether you're at Zillow, you're at the Fort, or you're here at Greenbelt, or you're on any of the platforms, it's the same seed. Somebody in one row can get this seed and it bear fruit in their life and transform their life. Somebody can hear the same seed and say, I ain't see nothing about it. If it's the same seed, then it can't be the seed that's the problem. It's got to be the soil. I just like doing that to see if my knee good. This is the thing. It says in the Bible, go to verse 14, go to verse 14, Mark chapter 4. In verse 14, the farmer plants seed by taking God's Word to others. Verse 15, the seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message only have Satan come at once and take it away. Verse 16, here it is, the seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But verse 17, since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. It's hard to keep going when you're shallow. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's Word. All the devil's got to do is give you some problems and you're a ghost, victim. Somebody else can go through tragedy and they show up with their hands lifted up. The sign of your depth of your roots is how you handle when life doesn't give you what

you want. I said, life ain't gonna always give you what you want. Life is not gonna always turn out the way you want it to do. Even God won't always answer your prayers exactly the way you want. Sometimes he has a greater plan and people who are rooted somehow still remain standing and connected to Jesus. And what's your root life like? And I call you to a routine of consistently building your private devotional life. Then when you end the word, stop showing it off and you want to go out to a park and open up your Bible all on the table with commentaries and everything so everybody get to see how deep you are, go home. The Bible says pray in your closet. Even if it ain't a closet, what's the point is this is not for show. You have the person's attention who matters the most. Why you got to bring everybody else into that? You got God's attention. What does it matter if everybody else applauds you? See, this kind of growth happens when the church scoreboard is off. So now, he says, the way you keep going is first of all, agriculturally, you gotta do the deep work in private. You got that? The second thing he says in verse seven is he also says, but you also gotta do the public work in front of everybody, and that is build your life on Jesus. The song says, Christ is my firm foundation, the rock on which I stand when everything else around me is shaken. I've never been more glad. I've never been more glad that I built my life on Jesus. Who's done that? I'm talking about when you build your life on, see, some of y'all have built Jesus into your life. That's not a foundation. That's an accessory. We were talking about a house today, said we can't have that floor in there.

That floor can't, we can't operate with that floor. We gotta change the foundation in the house. We can talk about lampshades and furniture. Some of you have furnished your life with Jesus, but he ain't the foundation of it. And because you're standing on multiple foundations, that's why your life is so fractured and so fractional and so splintered. That's why you're so shaky, because you're a Christian and you're an Eastern Star. You're a Christian and you're a Mason. You're a Christian and you're in the Delta and the Sigma and the Bifi and the SoFi and whatever else you are, and all that's equal to you. Now, you can be in whatever you want, but all of it's equal to you. You're an accountant, you're a capper, you're a Taurus. Y'all laughing, all that's equal to you. That's why your life's so unstable. Christ is my firm foundation. He is the rock on which I stand. On Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. You done had your bets. You bet on Muhammad, you done bet on Buddha, you done bet on Islam, you a Black Panther Party, Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, you everything. So you're a Christian one minute, but then you're a Hebrew-Israelite the next minute

and you ain't eating pork. You all over the place. Well, I'm telling you about me, all my money on Jesus. I put it all on him. I ain't got five on Jesus, I ain't got five on Buddha, I ain't got five on Muhammad, I ain't got five on Hare Krishna, I ain't got five on Confucius, I ain't got five on Allah. I got all my money on Jesus. All my chips are in. Who am I talking to in here? All my money's on you, on Christ. Make up your mind. Make up your mind. Because I'm telling you something, what you can't prevent is the winds from blowing. And if the foundation ain't stable, in times like these, we need a savior. In times like these, we need an anchor. Be very sure, be very sure that your anchor holds and grips that solid rock, and that rock is Jesus. Ooh, I wish I had a church in here. He is the one. He is the one. He is the only one. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Now, make me bring Brittany back out here and sing that too. Let me hurry up. So he says, he says, when you continue to follow him, you do the construction work of building your life on Jesus.

That means your life, that's public. That's how you drive. That's when you drive without giving the finger to people and say, pull over then. See, that means the roots ain't good. I can't act right in public if I ain't doing right in private. It will always expose you. How you treat each other, how you hold grudges, all that. Public. He says, if you do those things, here's the results. You gonna have strong faith. My God, don't we need strong faith? And he says, you're gonna have faith in the truth you were taught. Now, this goes back to Colossian church who were struggling. Am I gonna get the verse? The Colossian church was struggling with heresy. He says, listen, the way you get strengthened in the faith and have faith in what you've been taught is you hold on to the truth. Some of you mix too much stuff into your truth of your faith in Jesus. You got too much mixture in there. It's too many things blended up in there so we don't know what you got. What's in here? You ever ate something? Sometimes you should eat something you should know. I know what's in here.

Sometimes you don't know because you just take anything. He says, biblical truth is important. And the last thing he says is when you do these things, you're gonna overflow with thanksgiving. Overflow. I like how Paul said that. He says, thanksgiving. will spill out of you. I like that because here's the truth. Whatever you're full of will spill out of you. Whatever you're full of will spill out of you. Even if you had to say oops. Ain't no need to say oops. That's what you're full of. That's all you watch. That's all you listen to. It gets you when it gets you. You can't hide what you're full of. Why y'all get quiet right there? Y'all good? Whatever you, what are you filling up on? Someone just watch junk and gossip and junk and gossip and listen to all that junk as if it won't affect you. You're gonna get out of you what's filled with you. Now why is being overflowing with thanksgiving so important? Because when you are grateful, it helps you to keep going. Because life just gonna life. But grateful people live lighter when life gets heavier. Gratitude just lightens the thing. It can be bad in your life.

You say, but I got so much to be grateful for. All my life, you've been right here by my side. God, I'm just grateful for you. I'm just grateful. Excuse me for not participating in your negativity and your complaining about how bad the world is and how bad things are and how high the gas prices are. I'm just glad that I have a vehicle to put some gas in. It may not even be, I'm glad I'm not walking, amen. And if I am walking, I'm glad I got two legs to walk on. Amen. Glad I got two legs to walk on. And if I got two legs to walk on, I'm also grateful for I got shoes so I don't have to walk barefoot. See, I ain't playing with y'all today. You have to learn to be grateful. Stop complaining about everything. You got a long prayer list, but you got a short praise list. Stretch your gratitude out and say, God, I thank you for this. And I thank you for that. And I give you praise for that. For every mountain, excuse me, you brought me over. For every valley, you've seen me through. For every blessing, hallelujah. For this, I give you praise. For that, I give you praise. For the job you gave me, you took care of me.

For when I didn't have a job, you took care of me. For when they about to drive me crazy on the job, you took care of me. All my life, you've been taking care of me. Grateful, grateful, grateful, grateful, grateful. Ungrateful people, ungrateful people are entitled. See, when you're ungrateful, you slip into entitlement and you slip into complaining. Watch your mouth. Watch your mouth. I'm sick of this, I'm sick. What you grateful for? It's hot out here. Hell is hot. It don't get no hotter than hell. Y'all thought I was cussing, I'm talking about hell. It's cold in here, don't you have a coat? God, I thank you, I got two coats. Got thermal underwear. Thank you that the heat is working. Watch your mouth. Watch your mouth. It creates an environment. And when you're entitled, you think everything is owed to you. So anytime something goes wrong, every time something goes wrong, you feel like life is unfair and you don't wanna keep going. I'll give you an example. All you gotta do to understand ingratitude

is raise children. Yeah, I'm in your house now. Y'all don't know nothing about no ungrateful children, do you? I'm talking about the ones while you're riding in the car, they in the backseat complaining, why we gotta eat this? I don't want that. That's nasty. I don't wanna go here. How long is it gonna take? Do we have to do this? And some of you just wanna be, it just make you, you ungrateful little rascal. All I've done for you, all I sacrificed for you. I've struggled all my life to make life better for you. I got a TV in my room that's broke. And you got two TVs in your room, a TV for the gaming station. You got a iPad. Y'all ain't ready to talk to me in here. You got a, you ain't even getting good grades and you got all this good stuff all around you. In fact, that ain't even your room. That's my room and my bed and my furniture and my blanket and my pillow. And them little jokers don't have no gratitude, just ungrateful. All the things you've done. Wouldn't it be nice if your children woke up in the morning

and say, I just wanna thank you, dad, for all you've done for me. I just wanna thank you, mom, for the ways you've made for me. I wanna thank you, mom, one time when I had chickenpox and I had the flu, you got in the bed with me, put your own health at risk to make sure I was all right. When I went to the doctors, you held me and told me it was gonna be all right. You use your insurance and you work hard to make sure I had medical care. You put me through. school you took a second job took a mortgage out on the house to get me through school and i just want you to know i'm grateful wouldn't that be nice if your children did that and i'm saying you got a father in heaven wouldn't it be nice if you woke up in the morning and say god i just want to thank you that you always looked out for me i just want to thank you that you made ways for me i just want to thank you that when i should have been dead when i should have got penalized you gave me grace be grateful you're gonna keep going if you're grateful everybody stand hallelujah god has said so much in this service before we go psalm 25 one says the ceb says i offer my life to you lord i offer my life to you what an offering people in here complaining about giving god 10 percent of what they call their money did you see this offer what is 10 percent of money compared to giving him your whole life god my money come with it everything i've got i'm yours lord everything i am everything i'm not everything i have everything i've got i'm yours lord try me now and see see if i can be who i feel church today completely yours doesn't that make sense that's what jesus did offered it all offered his life for us life for life i offer you my life lord whoever god's been dealing with about the fractional nature of your

relationship you half in you half in you gave you just like the colossian church i've accepted jesus as my lord you don't act like it when you leave church you put jesus right back and tuck him away in your bible app to pull him up next week maybe or you pull him out in emergencies you treat him like a lifeguard in the swimming pool the lifeguard is always sitting there you only need him if you're drowning he ain't running nothing you running your whole life that's not giving him your life giving him your life my agenda is yours in the bible when people would bring offerings to the altar they were called sacrifices and those animals would come in alive but they wouldn't return they were sacrificed and god says i want you to be a living sacrifice i want you to lay down your life and then live it for me i don't care how old or young you are how soon will you give him your life you owe him your life what's that song say i owe you my life can't thank you enough even if i try you've been so good don't do that though they like jukebox they will do it like they planned it i owe you my life i was a i heard a story one time a young man he was sitting on the end of a pew at a church the offering was being passed on one of those offering plates remember the offering plates they were silver or gold and they had the little the velvet yeah i talked to him the velvet so the so the coins wouldn't make no money so you wouldn't be embarrassed you just hit him on the velvet well where the usher would pass it anybody ever usher so you pass i never was a usher but so yeah i think y'all pass it down and then you go to the next row to get that one but anyway what you do sometimes you you put the offerings into a big basket because somebody was carrying that what just she handed him an empty plate and he says can you lower it and so she didn't understand what he's doing she put it beside his knee and he says can you put it down lower long story short he got her to put it on the floor when she put it on the floor he stood up and stepped into it with both feet and said i don't want to give the lord money today i want to give the lord my life i want to offer him my life i asked somebody to put these offering baskets up here at zee low and at fort washington and here because maybe that's you today you see yourself offering him your life i don't regret offering god my life i don't know where my life would have gone had i not offered it to him but you know what i want to say i want to hear him say when i when it's over I Got done through you what I was trying to get done If it's just three hands clapping the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit

The applause of heaven is what I'm living for If he's talking to you about surrendering your life to him It's your turn to do it Will you offer him your life? If the ERV version says Lord, I put my life in your hands Will you do that today if that's you come on up to the front I want to celebrate your decision today Thank you lord Come on up to the front you're at z lo Put your hand in the chat type in the chat. It's me. It's me I don't care if it's one person. I take one person sold out over 500 or half in you're more valuable You're more valuable. I'm just being honest. God can depend on you Amen. Amen God bless you. God bless you. Come on y'all clap for them who are coming. God bless you. I'm so proud of you I'm so proud of you Amen God bless you. Yeah, and you too, buddy. You will give me a hug Yeah, yeah My storage is empty. Why not? Are you available? Joy Amen amen god bless you Stay right here Hallelujah Glory Is Hey, I hope you enjoyed that word, I hope it blessed your life It was encouraging to us. It really was it encouraged us to just keep going Sometimes we need to know to just keep going. Yeah, and a big part of that is your what? Our routine the root Team team. Yeah, you gotta have deep roots to handle the vicissitudes of like how about that word? That's incredible

I just said that in front of you to be impressive when life gets hard You need to have deep roots in christ your private devotion to christ is what stabilizes you through it all Yes, and what's that thing? You said before the service you got to be Grateful gratitude gratitude helps very important. That'll help you to keep it going. Amen. Come back next week We'll be right here zion anywhere