Here we are but straying pilgrims.
One thing that we know about pilgrims, and of course we are thinking about pilgrims a little bit more this time of year, but as we think about pilgrims, we think about those
who are traveling from one place to another.
They're not staying in the same place.
They're not staying in the same way, but as they go, as they travel, they grow in experience.
They become different from when they set off.
We think about those pilgrims who
landed on Plymouth Rock and about how much trial, how much they endured and how much they went through as they were going from England then to Holland and then to on to America.
And when we think about pilgrims, as we just sang, we are pilgrims.
As Christians, we are pilgrims in that we are not here to stay on this earth, but we are here going to someplace better.
It has been described that this world is made to be a, what has been termed a veil of soul making.
In other words, that this universe, this world was created in such a way
that we can be the best that we can be to go to the best place on earth.
Rather, the best place above earth.
The best place that is in existence and that being heaven.
But if we are to make it to heaven, if we are to reach our destination, we cannot stay the same.
We cannot stay as we are, but we have to change.
We have to be
conforming to Christ, becoming more like him every day, pressing towards the mark as Paul would write, striving to live as God would have us to.
And so as we consider this idea of growing, this idea of becoming better than we were,
We want to answer this question of how not to stay where we are.
How can we grow?
How can we become better than we once were?
How can we push more towards the mark?
How can we get closer to God?
Well, it starts, number one, by remembering our origin, or as some would say, the port of origin.
Remember where we came from.
Now, all of us have different
lives, we have different upbringings.
Some of us grew up in the church, some of us found it later on in life.
Some of us are a preacher's family, whereas others are not.
But we all have differences in our lives, we all have differences in our origins, if you will, but one thing that remains the same is that we all have sinned.
In Romans 3 and verse 22 and verse 23, Paul notes that
regardless of whether or not you are a Jew or a Gentile.
It doesn't matter.
Keep in mind that the context here is Paul showing that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.
And as he writes in verse 23, all have sinned.
and come short of the glory of God.
See the Jews would look down on the Gentiles and say, well we're better than you.
Oh well we have the law of Moses therefore we're superior.
Therefore God loves us more.
But Paul says, hold on a second.
You sin just as much as the Gentile did.
You, the Jew is just as much under sin, just as much guilty of sin as the Gentile is.
Brothers and sisters, that same thought, that same principle, if you will, applies to us today.
We all have sinned.
We all have been in a place where we were against God, where we were separated from God.
First John 1 in verse 8 tells us that if we say that we have no sin or that we have never sinned, is literally what he's saying there, then we deceive not only ourselves, but quite
frankly, the truth is not in us.
Because the truth is that we all have sinned.
And there is this constant, this baseline, if you will, for all humans.
All those who have reached an age where they are accountable for their actions have at some point sinned.
And that brings us to the idea that we all needed a Savior.
Again, regardless of whether or not you grew up in the church, regardless of what your upbringing was,
Every one of us here needs a savior.
Now if you were to ask a humanist or one who values or devalues God, they would say, well you don't need a savior, we can save ourselves.
We don't need anybody else, we don't need a God, we don't need anything.
Humanity is all we need.
But in Ephesians 2 and verses 8 through 9, we learn that it wasn't by works that we have done.
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Many in the denominational world will take this to say, well see, we don't have to work.
We don't have to do anything.
We're saved by grace.
AKA, we say a prayer or we believe that Jesus is
is the Christ and that's all we have to do to be saved.
But that's not what Paul is saying here.
What Paul is saying is that by our own merits, by our own works, we cannot look at God and say, you owe me salvation.
We can never be that good.
truth we cannot save ourselves.
But we also could not be saved by the law of Moses.
In Galatians 2 and verse 16, Paul writes that, by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
The point of the Old Testament law, the point of law of Moses was not to save mankind, but rather as Paul notes, it was to be a schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, to help us
understand who Christ truly is, and also to help us understand how serious sin is.
But we understand we could not save ourselves.
And the law of Moses could not save us.
But praise be to God that Christ came and gave us salvation and it allows us to be saved.
Look at me at Acts chapter 4.
That's Acts chapter 4 starting in verse 10.
Acts 4 starting in verse 10, be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified whom God raised from the dead
even by him doth this man stand before you whole.
Now this is in the context of Peter and John having healed a man who was lame and was unable to walk.
they're giving an account of what just happened and in verse 11 it says this is the stone which was set at naught by you of you builders which has become the head of the corner
neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Peter and John look at at the
Jewish leaders and they say you're not in charge.
Truthfully speaking we cannot be saved by your teachings.
We can only be saved by Christ.
We can only be saved by following the plan that Christ has laid out for us.
In John 14 and verse number 6 Jesus tells us that he is the way
the truth and the life no man comes unto the Father but by Him.
Now I don't know about y'all but that sounds pretty definite there.
There is only one way to Christ, to God.
There is only one way to heaven.
There is only one way of salvation.
Do not let anyone fool you into thinking that we're all just taking different roads to go to heaven.
There is only one road that leads to heaven, that leads to God, and that is the road that Christ pays for us.
In the church we often refer to the way in which we are saved or to the steps of salvation and there are those who accuse us of making these up.
There are those who accuse us of their not being binding.
But I think we can all agree that Jesus' words are binding.
I think we can all agree that the words of our Lord and Savior are law.
So what does he have to say?
Look at me for a moment at Matthew chapter 7 and verse 24.
We're going to notice how that Jesus Christ Himself, not through the proxy of another, but by His own words, gives us the plan of salvation.
Starting of course with that we must hear.
Matthew 7 and verse 24, Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
And then skipping down into verse 26,
And everyone that hearth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand." Here Jesus sets forth an understanding
that there is a difference between those who would serve him, who would listen and obey, and those who would not.
But notice that connected to this idea of hearing is not just hearing alone, but is doing.
If all we do is hear God's word, if all we do is listen but never act,
We will never make it to heaven.
will never be saved if we do not act on the words of Christ.
John 8 and verse 24, I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins for if ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your sins.
We have to believe in Christ.
If we are to be saved, we are to come to a knowledge of Christ, God, then we have to believe
that he is exactly who he claimed to be.
There are those who try to twist the scriptures, who try to twist history to say, Jesus was a good man, but he wasn't the son of God.
well, he was a prophet, but he was by no means the son of God, by no means our Savior.
But the scripture tells us plainly that he was and is our Lord and Savior.
Luke 13, three and five.
Both say the same thing and here Christ says, tell you nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.
Again, we cannot stay the same.
We cannot remain in sin and be found acceptable to God.
We have to change.
We have to make things right.
And then we look at Matthew chapter 10 and verse 32.
Matthew 10, 32.
Here Jesus says, whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, and while I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
we have to confess the name of Christ.
And truthfully, why would we not?
Why would we not name the name of the one who saved us?
Why would we not name the name of the one who left heaven to come to this lowly earth to die on the cross to allow us a way of salvation?
Why should we be ashamed of him?
Why should we not be proud to say, that's my Lord, that's my King, that's my Savior.
then of course we have in Mark 16 and verses 15 and 16, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
Jesus didn't mince words.
He said it very plainly.
If we want to be saved, if we want to be in a right relationship with God, then we have to hear His word and obey it.
We have to believe that He is exactly who we claim to be.
We have to confess His name.
We have to repent of our sins, not staying as we are, but changing and becoming more like Christ.
And we have to be baptized into Christ, washing away those sins.
That's what we have to do to be safe.
we all have that same origin of being in sin, of needing a Savior knowing that we can't save ourselves.
And those of us here who are Christians, we can say, we've done those things that Christ told us to do.
We have done what it takes to become a member of the church.
But as we notice in the second place, we have to recognize the mission.
Where we cannot stay with understanding where we came from.
We cannot say, well I'm a Christian now so that's all that matters.
I don't have to do anything else.
I was baptized.
No, there is a mission at hand.
There is a mission that we must undertake.
In Colossians 1 and verse 18 we are told that Jesus is the head of the church.
He is the one who has the authority.
He has the right to tell us what to do.
And if we look at Matthew 28, 19, and 20,
or as we just noticed Mark 16, 15 and 16, we are given our marching orders.
We are given the command to go, to teach, and to teach again.
Now as we think about this idea of going, what does it mean to go?
If you're anything like me, you like to look at the scriptures and to see what the words mean.
To not just overlook them and read past them, but to define each word if you can and figure out what exactly is being said here.
Now there are some who suggest that this word go is saying as you are going, or in other words, as you are in the process of going through your life.
teach.
Others claim that this is a specific command to to make a special trip to go.
Well, it's ever way you hold with this, whichever way you think it is being said here, the command remains the same.
That we cannot sit in the pews or sit in our our couches or climbers and say, I can't understand why the world is is crumbling around me.
I can't understand why churches are closing their doors.
Maybe it's because we're not going.
Now know that this congregation has made a lot of progress in this idea of going and it's been wonderful to see.
It has been wonderful to see the dedication to spreading the word, but we can always do more.
We can always do more and we cannot forget that our command is to go.
But to whom are we going?
Some look at this world and say, it's such a major task.
It's such a big task before me.
Where do I even start?
Waiter or waitress?
Bank teller?
Maybe your friend at work or coworker?
What about your neighbor?
What about your family?
What about your friends?
There are so many opportunities that we are placed in in this life, so many opportunities that we are given to share the gospel if we would just take them, if we would just seize
hold of those opportunities.
It's commanded to go.
We are commanded to go.
But what are we committed to do as we're going?
Yes, part of our lives as Christians is to be helping others, is to be tending to their physical needs if we can.
But we as the church are not just a charity.
Yes, we are to be charitable, but it doesn't stop with doing a good thing.
No, we have to teach.
We have to go and teach.
Sometimes we get in our minds that, well, Aaron's a teacher.
Well, Justin's a teacher.
OC's a teacher.
Walker's a teacher.
I wouldn't put my name in there, but we look at these individuals and we say, well, those are the teachers.
But is that what the Bible says?
No, the Bible is very clear that we are all teachers.
Now, we don't all get up on Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon and...
preach a sermon or teach a Bible class, but all of us are teachers in that we are shining the light of Christ.
We are setting an example of what it means to be a Christian, and every single one of us knows how to be saved.
Every single Christian in this room knows how to be saved.
Why can't we share that with others?
people in the first century didn't have all knowledge.
Those Christians in the first century who were brand new Christians, they didn't understand a lot of things, but they knew how they were saved.
They knew how to be saved, and that's what they shared to others.
That's what they taught others, was how to be saved.
What we are trying to show to people is the greatest love that has ever been shown.
Jesus would remark in John 15, 13 that greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.
But when we think about this love that Christ showed to us...
Going back to this idea of our origin story of where we were without Christ, we were His enemies.
We were enemies of Christ.
And in Romans 5 and verse 8 we are told that while we were against Christ, while we were sinners, lost in sin, Christ died.
specifically in that context Paul is making mention that for a righteous man some might even dare to die for a just man that there might be some who would lay down their lives
but God commended his love toward us and that while we were sinners while we were denying him while we were Yes guilty of nailing him to a cross He commended his love toward us and
dying for us
we can live.
Brothers and sisters, what we have to give to people is not a set just of rules and regulations, but it is love.
Now notice I said not just.
We have rules.
We have commands that we must follow.
but as was mentioned in Bible class this morning.
It's a joy to be a Christian.
Those commands that we have been given are not to be a burden to us, but to help us.
To help us live the life that's going to make it to heaven.
To help us live the life that is pleasing to God, that glorifies our Father.
And so we teach.
We teach people how to be saved.
And we rejoice with the angels in heaven when a soul is saved, but does it stop there?
No.
No, the journey is far from over.
when we think about what to do with those who have become Christians.
We need to teach them.
we need to teach them.
Notice that in 1 John 1 and verse 7 that John does not say stand in the light, but he mentions the fact that we walk in the light as he is in the light.
And then we have fellowship with one another in the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanses us from all sins, but notice the fact that we're walking.
We're active, we're growing, we're progressing, we are not staying in the same place.
We cannot stay in the same place in our faith as Christians.
No, we have to progress.
And we have to help others progress as well.
First Peter 2 and verse 2 tells us that we should desire the Word as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby.
Some of the most on fire people, the people who are the go get'ems if you will, are often those who are new converts.
Often those who understand the value of what they have been given.
I've seen many people who grew up in the church, even were preacher's kids, who knew better, and yet later on in life they abandoned the faith.
Why?
Because they didn't desire the Word.
They lost that fire.
Brothers and sisters, as Christians, we need to be stoking that fire.
We need to be stirring each other up to love and good works as the book of Hebrews tells us.
We need to be helping each other to grow in Christ, to grow in our faith, to grow in our knowledge so that we can teach others.
that we can have our souls secure in heaven.
In Titus 2, Paul lays out for us a plan of action, if you will.
A formula in which the older teach the younger.
Now why is that?
Well, because the younger need to learn.
I can't tell you how indebted I am to those who are older members in the congregation who taught me in Bible classes.
Those who are the instructors at the Memphis School of Preaching, who are older in their faith, who have gone through...
through the muck and the mire, through the trenches, if you will.
And they're teaching what they've learned.
They're showing the truth of God.
Brethren, we can all learn.
We never stop learning.
There's always someone smarter out there to teach us.
And even if we can't find that individual,
This word never runs out.
Now yes, there's page numbers and so there's technically an end to the pages, but the message that's found in God's Word, it's like an ocean.
We're taking a thimble to try to drain it.
We cannot, cannot drain this word of useful information.
And so we grow.
We study.
We study to show ourselves approved unto God, 2 Timothy 2 and verse 15.
We study because that helps us grow, because that helps us understand what it is that we are to do, how we are to live, how we can help others.
We study
Please God.
the last words that Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3 in verse 18.
And Peter gives us one last ammunition.
but grow.
As Christians, I think it would be beneficial for us to in some way keep that in the forefront of our minds.
We have busy lives.
We deal with a lot of things on a daily basis.
But our hearts, our focus should not be on this world, but should be growing as we progress towards heaven.
As we strive for the mark, remembering what rather recognizing what is that is our mission.
to save souls.
And finally, we will not stay stagnant, but we will grow in Christ if we realize the reason.
What's the reason for all of this?
Why do we go and evangelize?
Why do we push this idea of sharing the gospel with others?
Is it just to fill the pews?
Maybe it's because we want to have some better singing.
So know more voices means better singing and everything.
So that's why we go and evangelize, right?
Or maybe it's because you know the finances are down so we want a higher contribution.
That's why we go and evangelize, right?
We seek to grow the Lord's church.
two reasons.
Number one, a love for God.
And number two, a love for others.
We seek to grow the church because we love God and God commanded it.
He left us a very clear command to go and spread his gospel, to go and show the truth to others, to save souls.
And in John 14 and verse 15 and 23, we are given this idea that we must obey God if we are to be pleasing to Him.
If we truly love God, then we're going to obey Him.
And verse 15, he writes,
Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments and then in verse 23 if any man or if a man loved me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and
make our abode with him
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus.
We sing it often.
but it loses its weight.
We lose our friendship with God when we say, I love you, but I don't want to obey you.
Oh, I know, Jesus, that you told me to go and to share the gospel.
I know you told me to grow.
I know you told me to study the word, but I don't feel like it.
There are days when you don't feel like studying the Word of God.
There are days when you don't feel like sharing the gospel.
But the truth of the matter is, if we truly love God, if we truly have that desire to serve God, to glorify Him, then we will not let anything on this earth stop us from
reaching out, from growing in our own personal faith, and trying to help others grow as well.
In 1 John 2 and verses 4 and 5, John makes it very clear.
We are lying to ourselves if we claim to love God and refuse to obey His commands.
God's Word is serious.
What we have before us with the Word of God is something not to be taken lightly, but are words to live by, words to obey.
And so we preach because we love God.
We teach the Word of God because we love God.
We evangelize to others because we love God, but we also evangelize, we also seek to grow the church because we love others.
Specifically speaking, we love what God loves.
A love that truly loves God loves what God loves, and God loves man.
God loves mankind.
He gave His Son for us.
He provided us a way to be saved, not the animal.
We haven't shown such great love and we need to show that love to others.
When we think about this idea of loving others, the best way, number one, without fail, the best way to say I hate you to someone is to let them burn.
It's true.
If you genuinely hate somebody and they're on fire, the best way to say I hate you in that moment is to watch them burn.
How many times are we doing that with souls?
How many times do we claim to love somebody and yet we don't tell them that they're lost?
We don't try to share the gospel with them.
Are we content to watch them burn?
Are we content to allow them to go their lives and never hear the gospel?
Never have the opportunity to be saved?
There's a song that is quite frankly haunting to me.
It goes as, when in the better land, before the bar we stand, how deeply grieved our souls will be.
If any lost one there should cry in deep despair, you never mentioned Him to me.
If we love others, if we truly love those around us, then we will share the gospel.
We will serve our Lord as he is commanded.
Look with me at 1 Corinthians 3.
1st Corinthians 3.
starting in verse 11.
Ahem.
for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon,
He shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." What Paul is discussing here is this idea of teaching others, of
sharing the gospel.
There will be those who do not listen.
There will be those that even after time and time and time of trying to share the gospel, they still refuse to obey.
You have done your part.
We cannot force people to be saved.
But what we are required to do, what we all should do out of love for others and out of love for God is share the gospel.
How do we not stay stagnant?
How do we not remain where we are but press towards the mark but grow in our faith but progress in our pilgrimage to heaven?
Number one, it starts by remembering our origins.
Remembering where we came from.
It continues by recognizing the mission that we have an obligation before us.
We have a job to do on this earth that supersedes anything material.
And number three, by realizing the reason.
We do not save souls, we do not preach the gospel out of a mere sense of obligation and duty.
That is part of it, yes.
But we preach the gospel because we love souls.
We share the gospel with others because we love others and we love our God.
But do you love him today?
Do you love God in a way that says, Lord, I am not going to let anything stop me from following you, from growing in my faith, and from helping others to grow in theirs?
If there is something standing between you and your God, please do not walk out those doors without making it right.
Please do not let another minute go by without having your soul safe with God.
If we can help you to become a Christian or to be made right with God, please come now as we stand and as we sing.