Keep Going Pt. 3

Hey, what's up y'all? This is Pastor Keith Battle. Welcome to Zion Church. Listen, please like, comment, share, and subscribe this page to others. And I want to tell you today is a special day. We're in part three of a series called Keep Going. And you got to learn how to keep going even when it's hard, even when it's difficult, that you will follow Him even when it hurts. Because our life commitment to Christ is not about comfort. It's about commitment to Him no matter what. Check this out. We're going in the sanctuary. Colossians chapter 2 verse 6 says, this is part three of our series, that now just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Somebody say, I must continue to follow Him even when it hurts. You may be seated. When Paul was writing to the church at Colossae about their perpetual commitment to their faith journey, he is under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit speaking to them, but the application is for us. We have to keep going. And I don't know why God has given us this series now. I don't know your personal stories, but I know this, that there will be temptations all around to quit. And quitting is a lot easier than continuing. There will be reasons that the enemy will give you to quit. And it could be a number of things that you could quit. But if you keep going, you'll see what only God can do in your situation. Because even when it's hard, one of the things that hard does is, is God uses hard things to soften us. You, you, you know, you know that God wants a contrite heart from us. And there's some things that break us so that they get down to the heart of who we are. Amen. And then there's some things He'll take us through to actually prepare us for the things and the people He's called us to help. And you can't, you can't experience that. See, some of y'all don't have time to go to school and go get another degree and go get another certification and go get another this, this thing and this thing. You got to go, you know how you're going to learn? You're going to learn through trial. You're going to learn through following him even when it hurts. And all the lessons that you pull from the, the trials that you go through will strengthen you for your assignment. Now, last week we talked about the importance. When it comes to this,

you, when it says to follow the Lord, I want you to understand that you follow him. Let me find my marker. When you follow the Lord, you have to make sure you're following him the right way. When it says keep going, when I say keep going, don't keep going if you're going the wrong way. Anytime you're going the wrong way, you don't want to keep going. Don't be like, well, it is what it is. Nah, humble yourself. Get off at the next exit and go back the right way, right? So sometimes we got to take some exits spiritually in our life and say, this is not the way I should be doing this. This is not the way I should be coming out my mouth. This is not the way I should handle this relationship. This is not the way I should be raising my child. I don't care if that's something you've always seen, it's something you've always experienced, and it's what you call your personality. If your personality doesn't justify sin or disobedience, sometimes you got to take an exit and say, I've been doing this the wrong way. Get me back on the right track so that I'm going the right way. And one of the ways you keep going is, is you have to understand who God is and where he fits in your life. Last week, I used this illustration of this cross and this this throne or this chair because they represent two things or two places that Jesus can be in our lives. He can be Savior, which he accomplished by his work on the cross, and I would encourage you if you've never accepted him as your Savior, that you do that today. He can also be Lord because he's enthroned, which means he has authority over our lives. This is a place of submission and obedience. This is a place of authority and direction. The problem is, he might be your Savior because you don't want to go to hell and you want him to pay for your sins, but then you want to control your life, right? So you don't, you don't want to yield to him. You want to be the boss of your life. What that means, you are operating in a place where you can't follow him, because in order to follow him, you must not sit in his seat. You must bow at his seat. You must understand, and this is a one-time decision. This is over and over again. Lord, you're going to be my Lord. I'm going to submit my life to you over and over again because you deserve to be the Lord of my life, and the cross is so

essential to this because this is where it starts. So what I thought I'd do today is is try to make you appreciate what Jesus did for us a little more so that you understand his right of lordship. Because in Colossians 2, 6 it says you've accepted Christ Jesus as Lord. That's important. You have to make sure he's Lord in your life and not just Savior. Well, well, if you go to first, second Timothy, first Timothy, I'm sorry. Well, I'm going to have to get it on here if it doesn't come up there. In first Timothy chapter two verses five and six, let me know if that comes on because I don't know what I did. First Timothy chapter two verse five, six. It says there is only one God and there's also only one person who brings God to people. That person is Jesus Christ. Now let's stop right there for a minute. First of all, all roads don't lead to God. Only one road, Jesus Christ. He says, I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the father but through me. Respectfully, he is the mediator between God and man and he's the only one qualified to do it because there's a breach in the relationship between mankind and God that was started in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. That sin got them put out of the garden and if it weren't for the work of Jesus Christ, we would have remained to this day estranged from God. Isn't it a blessing to have had Jesus come and be the universal unequivocal bridge back to God? He is the only way to the father. There's no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved. Save the name of Jesus. God bless the name of Jesus Christ who has saved us and done what only he could do because watch this, when he became a man himself, that's his incarnation that was critical to the assignment. He had to become a man because the only mediator between God and man had to somehow be both. He was already God in eternity. He said, he said somebody was that before Abraham was I am. I am God but I became a man incarnate. I became a man. He was both God enough to know the justice righteous of God but he was also man enough to be tempted in all points just like we. We don't have a high priest who can't be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. I am so grateful that he understands what it's like to be tempted, to be struggling. He is both superior and sympathetic at the same time. He is both righteous and able to relate to us. Isn't he a good God like that? But the Bible says he was without sin and then the Bible says he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God through him. He did that just for us. He bridged the gap for us and he's the only one worthy of that throne seat. Look at verse 6. Verse 6, not only did he become a man and bridge the gap but he died as a sacrifice on our behalf. Where did he die? He died on the cross and when he did that he paid the debt for

all people for all their sins. All people. All people. People you like, people you don't like. People you can't stand, Jesus died for them too. People you don't agree with, he died for them too. People you don't speak to, he died for them. Jesus died for everybody. Everybody's sins have been paid for. However, the only way you get the benefit of that is if you accept him in your life as your savior. You got, you got to go to will call for that benefit. You can't, you can't just, just, just because Jesus paid for our sins doesn't mean you get the benefit of it. You got to go to will call. Whoever will call upon the name of the lord. I like how that went. Shall be saved. You gotta, you gotta confess him with your mouth and believe in your heart. That's how you get saved. So this is what he's done for us and, and, and, and, and the reason why the cross is so important to us following him, I can't get past that because, because how do you follow him without the cross? You can't really follow Jesus when you're on the throne because the throne is the place you call the shots from. How can I follow him when I'm the shot caller? I can accept him and keep him in it. You just stay over there Jesus, I'll call you when I need you. Or I can submit my life to him, get dethroned myself, rethrown him and follow him. But he says, but here's what Jesus said in Luke chapter 9 verse 23. He says, if you want to follow me, great. Here's what you got to do. You got to give up your own way, take up your cross daily and follow me. There can be no following me without taking up your cross. You have to do that in order to follow me. So I want to give you an example. I was meeting with some leaders the other day and I want to give you an example of following Jesus because it's hard to do and it's not always easy to do. And I want to talk about it from the standpoint of, Pastor Larry Page put it this way, will you follow him even when it hurts? See, because what I want you to understand, you can't follow him and you're on the throne. Amen. If you're on the throne, you can't follow him. You can't even God God won't share his throne with anybody. First of all, he said in Isaiah 45 5 He says I am the Lord and there's no God beside me There I have watch this. He has no rivals. He has no equals. There is no God beside him You can't even say scooch over Lord. Let me share this throne with you. You out of order You're not supposed to be in that seat. That seat is reserved You need to check By the way You need to check the boarding pass on the flight of your life because you might be in his seat And he's the only one qualified to be on the throne of your life because in order to be in this seat

You must be all-powerful Untamable all struck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim. You are amazing God indescribable Untamable you place the stars in the skies and you know them by name how you do that You are amazing God. And how about this part? You see the depths of my heart and you love me the same You are amazing God God Only God is is fit to sit in this seat The heavens declared a glory of God and the firmament shows for his handiwork The earth is speaking that God did this, you know, the earth is it God did this His handiwork is all over the sky all over the firmament day after day It speaks of his of his of his creation night after night It shows for his knowledge only he deserves to be here and I want to respectfully ask you to get out of his seat Because when you're in his seat, you're in his way and you're hindering his plan for your life. I Was talking to some leaders in our church and I gave him this passage I read this passage to them from Acts chapter 20 because I think Paul who's preaching to the Colossians here Lived this out in his own life in Acts chapter 20. Watch this what he says in Acts chapter 20. He says and See now I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem not knowing the things that will happen to me there Verse 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city Saying that chains and tribulations await me He said that's what I signed up for But none of these things move me Nor do I count my life dear to myself So that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus To testify to the gospel of the grace of God, you know what he's saying? I'm gonna keep going no matter what I Said I'm gonna keep going no matter what let's go into a closer for a few minutes This is he said so I go bound in the Spirit. I'm going I'm going to a Jerusalem I'm going to a place of danger and threat, but I'm going because I'm bound in the Spirit to go like I'm bound I'm I'm in custody. I'm I'm under arrest. I'm not following God at a distance. I'm Arrested by him. I'm in his custody Some of y'all are Christians, but you ain't in custody

There's a warrant out for you, but you're you you're not in custody There's a search for you to come out with your hands up and surrender your life to God, but you still running the show you You're you're a spiritual. You're a faith fugitive Who that was good You don't want to be on that list like I surrender God I surrender I'm going back Do you know what it is to be bound to do something God? Um, this means I'm called to do it I can't shake it. I can't get away from him. I'm constrained to do this. He has called me to this He has pulled me this I must do this and watch this He said I must do it and I don't even know what I don't even know what's coming. I'm going not knowing Well, you can't do that from the throne people who have thrown Mindsets have to know everything before they go. I got to know what's gonna happen I gotta know who where the money coming from and who gonna be there who gonna support me? How many people signed up God says I want you to go sometimes without knowing I want you to go trusting not knowing There's a difference between knowing and trusting. I want you to go without a pre itinerary schedule where I write out everything for you Will you trust me because you understand the assignment who am I talking to it here like he said I'm going I don't know What will happen to me? I? Don't know what will happen to me. I'm uncertain about what's before me. I don't know if they all like me I don't know if they accept me. I don't know if people will support it, but I just know I'm bound by the spirit to do this See the only way you can get a call like that is when you carry the cross You can't get it. It's hard to hear. God's calling your life when you're on the throne Because your agenda will always drown his out He says I'm going bound he said I don't even know what's before me there But the Holy Spirit started giving him some lighties Holy Spirit says listen I'm gonna tell you what's in every city you go. You're going to jail and in having trouble How about that you're gonna get locked up, that's what's gonna happen, that's that's you sign up for he's I'm still going I'm still going. I signed up for it all. I didn't just sign up. Watch this. I didn't sign up. I signed up for it all. See, some people, you know, people leave all kinds. People leave

the Lord. People leave their marriages. People leave all kinds of stuff. You know what they say? I ain't signing up for that. That's because you have a one-sided commitment. As soon as things get uncomfortable, you're out. I ain't signing up for that. Well, I signed up for all of it. I signed up for better or for worse. I signed up for richer or for poorer. I signed up in sickness and in health. I said, I signed up for weeping man do it for a night and I signed up for joy that comes in the morning. I signed up for many of the afflictions of the righteous and I signed up for and he delivers them out of them all. I signed up for in the world, you shall have tribulation and I signed up for be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. If anybody here signed up for it all, that means you don't have a backup. I don't have a backup plan. I don't have a plan B. When you got a plan B, you will bounce when it gets hard but you gotta have a commitment to say, for God, I live and for God, I'll die. I have a backup plan. I'm all in. I signed up for it. I signed up. I made a decision. I signed my name next to his name. The difference is he signed in blood. Good god. He signed in blood. He really loved me to death. Other people tell me, I love you to death. He really loved me to death. He says, I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what's going to happen and the Holy Spirit says, you're going to be locked up and get in trouble and then in the next chapter, people try to talk him out of it again from going. He's still going. He said, I'm still going to Jerusalem. I know what the threats are. I know what's at stake but I'm bound to go. Good god. I'm bound to do this. I'm bound to do this. I was I was struggling so much this weekend. I was like, man, I

wanna go to this and I wanna go to that. Somebody said, how come you ain't in Suitland? He said, he ain't in your family's here at the games. My family had another event but I'm bound to do this. You understand what I'm saying? I'm bound to do this. This is what I'm bound to do. I signed up for this. I signed up for that easy Saturdays. While y'all at the cookout, I'm studying. While y'all all having a good time washing your car and and having mimosas. I mean, because I'm signed up for this. You gotta know what you're called to do cuz you're signed up for. I don't know who I'm talking to here but it ain't gonna always be pleasant and comfortable. In chapter, I gotta go. In chapter twenty-one, the next chapter, they tried to talk Paul out of it. They said, a man named Agabus, he was a prophet. He comes to him in verse ten. He shows up in verse eleven. He takes Paul's belt from him. He takes Paul's belt and he says, he ties his own feet and hands with Paul's belt. Then he says this, the Holy Spirit declares that the owner of this belt, he's talking about Paul, will be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turn over to the Gentiles. What he's saying is, I'm demonstrating to you what's gonna happen to you if you go to Jerusalem. Scared everybody. Verse twelve, all of Paul's friends, all of his colleagues saying, please don't go. Please don't go. But he begged Paul not to go. Look at what Paul's saying in verse one. He said, stop all that crying. Verse thirteen, stop all the crying. You're breaking my heart. I'm ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem, I'm ready to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. What's all this crying about? You know what he said in verse twenty-four back in chapter twenty? He said, none of these things move me. It don't even move me. You know

what I've learned in life? The more people and the more stuff that moves you, the harder it is for you to keep going. Some of y'all can't keep going cuz you're too movable. You're not rooted. You can move those chairs. You know how you can move in them? They're not bolted. You understand what I'm saying? If they were bolted, you couldn't move them. Some of y'all are too movable. I mean, the Bible says, be steadfast. Unmovable. Oh, God. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. You're too movable. You're too emotional. You're too movable. All the devil gotta do is get on you and mess with your mood. I'm saying, it may be matter. You may have a clinical issue but it doesn't mean you don't need to be rooted too. You need to be anchored. You need to take medicine and Jesus. I ain't tell you to get on medicine. I'm saying, get on Jesus. Go deeper with him. Let your roots go deep into him. So that you're not so moved. He said, none of that move me. You gotta get to a place where you're like, they don't, they don't know me there. I'm still going on with Jesus. I don't care. I'm still going on with Jesus. There's no man out there. Make fun of me. I'm still going. You know how people say, I see you at your little church. Give me a little ties. You're going to the little service. If that moves you, how you going to stand with something big? If you can't and handle criticism and people talking about you. How are you going to move when somebody threatening your life? Said, none of this is moving. He said, I don't even count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy

and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus. He said, watch this. I received this ministry from the Lord Jesus. He's got to be Lord. Watch this. As savior, he can get you to heaven, but he must be Lord to tell you what your assignment is. If I were to ask you, what is your calling in life? What is your assignment? What did he put you on this earth to do? It's hard to hear that when he's just your savior. You find that out at the throne. When you say, Lord, I'll carry my cross. I'll follow you. I'll submit to you no matter what you call me to do. Because I don't believe that there's any person who has, first of all, to be alive right now tells me that God must have a plan for your life. And here's why, I got science to back this up. Now, I wasn't really good at science, but walk with me in this. You mean to tell me that you came out of a woman's body. How did that happen? How did you come to be? You're talking about something that takes a microscope to see, swam somewhere and connected with something. And here you are. How, first of all, how did you even, and you got hands and a mind and a DNA and fingerprints and a personality.

How did that, first of all, how'd you get out of there? You were in a dark place. And then while you were in there for all that time, while he was fearfully and wonderfully making you and designing you and putting you together, I'm claustrophobic. How did I even, you're in a place full of darkness and water and fluids and all that. And then at the appropriate time, the fact that you made it through the birth canal of your mother safely. Do you know how many people don't make it out of there alive? Do you know how many babies don't come out alive who are killed just because the parents didn't wanna have it or didn't think it was right? Do you understand the miracle that you are, that you came out of that dark place and he opened the womb and you came into a marvelous light and it wasn't just a doctor smack. God gave you life and gave you a purpose. That's a miracle that you're even here. And the even greater miracle is if you're saved, he did it again. Do you know what it is to be born again? You were in darkness. I know you're gonna act like you wasn't clubbing and you wasn't sexting and you wasn't drugging and you wasn't drinking and you weren't out there, but he pulled you out of darkness and birthed you into the marvelous light again.

You're a double miracle. Don't you think he has a plan for your life? God, why am I here? Why did you let me make it? Why did the bullets miss me? Why did they start shooting after I left? Why did the bullet just miss me? Why did I not get killed? Why did the devil kill me when he had a chance? Why did I not die in the womb? Why did I not die in the crib? Why wasn't I aborted? I'm here because God has a plan. I'm talking about we did. I'm talking about doing stupid stuff and made it. Just protected us and covered us. I'm talking about that part of the testimony you don't tell. I ain't talking about the church one. I'm talking about the one. You know what? And God is so good, he keeps secrets. He's a secret keeper. He's a secret keeper. He's a secret keeper. He's a secret keeper. He's a secret keeper. Amen. You know God knows some stuff that nobody knows. And he don't even hold it against you. I love you all through that.

The least I ask is that you now go with my plan since I orchestrated all this. I mean, you didn't give me your whole life. Can I get what's left? I mean, let's start today. Paul said, I'm following. I'm all in. I'm all in and I'm going to finish my assignment. It's not that my life doesn't matter. Listen, I'm not protecting my life and abandoning the assignment. If I can't do what he put me to do, why am I here? I'm just taking up molecular space. If I don't do what he put me here to do, why am I here? Yes sir. Amen. Amen. And maybe today, you like Paul, everybody stand, are we over time? Go get your kids quickly. At some point, at some point you gotta make a decision, like I mean, and then you gotta make another one, and then you gotta re-decide. I'm back Lord, your way, sorry I got off track. Make me usable, make me usable. I want to please you with my life, but a moment you have brought me to, such a freedom I found in you. You're the healer that makes all things new, so I'm not going back, I'm moving ahead, and I'm here to declare to you, my past is over in you, all things are made new, I surrender my life to Christ, and I'm moving forward. I will follow you forward, forward, forward, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching to those things which are before, moving forward. One thing, this one thing I do, this one thing I do, this one thing. You know why Paul can say, I finished my race, because he was focused on one thing.

Some of us, our lives are too splintered. We just got too many things we're trying to do. One thing, have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after. What's your thing? What's the thing? What's the thing? What's the one thing he designed you for, he called you to do? Paul said, mine is about the gospel. We all supposed to share the gospel. What's your thing? What's your thing? Throw your life at that. Throw your life at that. Throw your life at that. And it starts one decision at a time. One decision at a time. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and come to him. I sign up God, and I don't even know what I'm signing up for. I just know I love you. I don't know what this means. I don't know what it means to my relationship. I don't know what this means to my career. You owe me no guarantees, but your promise to love me and bless me forever. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. If that's you today, in a moment, Pastor Monica Chavis is going to come up and tell you what next steps you can take to make those decisions. Wow, what a service we just had.

I can't stop thinking about that song. What a moment. God, you've brought me to. You're the healer who makes all things new. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not turning back. I'm moving ahead. Here to declare to you, my past is over in you. All things are made new. I give in my life to Christ, and I'm moving forward. That's our message to you today. Keep going forward. Don't look back. Don't go back. Even if you glance back, don't go back. Keep moving forward. The best is still ahead. I'll see you next week with part four of Keep Going.