SUNNY FROM SUNSET by Rev. Vance Drum 9-28
The Sunset pastor on Sunday began a two-month series of messages, “Running the Race: Facing Life’s Challenges with Confidence and Hope.” The theme text: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” [Hebrews 12:1]
The message on Sunday was titled, “Running with Foresight,” from Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus….”
In these messages, we’ll think about God’s purpose for His church in the world, and His purpose for His church in Grapeland and Houston County.
The main question: Why are we here? Is Grapeland and Houston County better because we’re here? If God wants us to be a light in our community, how bright is our light?
In one sense we are what God made us to be. Having said that, it’s always good to keep our batteries charged—in His word, in prayer, in worship and in fellowship. It’s good not to hide our light, and it’s good to ask God that we be a brighter light for Him in our community.
As we enter any new era, we must seek God’s vision—foresight from Him—about the way forward.
The pastor made three points: (1) Seeing the Savior; (2) Seeing God’s Vision; (3) Seeing the Victory.
(1) Seeing the Savior. V2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith… Consider him….” Whenever we wish to chart our way forward, we must do it while looking to Jesus our Leader. Disciples of Christ follow Christ.
When we think about what God wants us to be doing, we must remember that Jesus “came to seek and save those who were lost.” He said, “I will build my church,” and His purpose is that he might [Ephesians 1:10] “bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”
All the warring factions of the world—Jews and Greeks in the First Century, all races, nations, languages and peoples come together as one body in Christ. Today the devil has a foot-hold in so many. He doesn’t have a stranglehold on the world because Jesus has defeated the devil at the Cross. But God is using his people to take the Good News of God’s love and Christ’s work for us to a lost and dying world.
God says: See my love for you. See what my Son Jesus has done for you at the Cross. See the empty tomb three days later.
The question for us: What would Jesus do in Grapeland?
(2) Seeing God’s Vision. Jesus, on the cross, because he saw (v2) “the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame….”
What was the joy set before Jesus? It was this: that in his sacrificial work, the penalty for our sins would be paid in full, we would be reconciled with heaven, all who believe would be at peace on earth with our fellow humans (loving, not killing them), we would have the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit in this life, we would have the sure hope of eternal life with God and all the saints in the next, and because of that, the demons shudder and slink off to their dungeons in darkness, and Jesus could triumphantly declare from the cross: “It is finished!”
What should God’s people be doing? Pray for God’s direction. Start with what God provides. Go through open doors. Work with the situation at hand.
(3) Seeing the Victory. V3: Jesus has “sat down at the right hand of God.” There’s a beautiful song called “Thank You” for giving to the Lord. It talks about the great train of the saved walking up and through heaven’s gates because you gave your time to the Lord and his people in the world. They were lost, but now they’re found. They were blind, but now they see.
“In the beginning the Lord laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain the same, and your years will never end.” [Psalm 102:25]
May we all honor, bless and serve the Creator of all this week—our prayer for you from your friends at Sunset Christian Church.