Will You Reach the Goal? Part 5

In this sermon series, we've seen the purpose of your life. We have seen that God is developing sons and daughters in his family, reproducing himself at the God level. We've seen the goal that God has laid out for us now and every human in their own time. And we've seen our responsibility in needing to pursue that goal. We've seen the reward that God has established and the hope that we have to receive that reward. Paul refers to our race as going for the goal as a race, as a fight, as wrestling, and as warring. Those are terms that he has used. And all of those things involve a lot of action, don't they? And running race, and fighting, and warring, and wrestling aren't necessarily things that just bring smiles to our faces and warmth to the heart. It can be a little bit intimidating. And with any contest like that, there's always fear or the possibility of failing to win, which Jesus puts out very forthrightly in many parables that he gave. He called it a difficult path. He called it something that was challenging that not everyone would be successful at. And so when we look at this will-I-reach-the-goal question and apply it to yourself as I apply it to myself, it seems a bit ominous, doesn't it? A little bit dark. It seems lonely. At times we can feel like it's just up to me, and I have to do this or die all by myself. However, in his commission to the church, Jesus said these words, Lo, I am with you always. All the time. Always. Even to the end of the age. Even through the worst times that are prophesied to ever happen to humanity, I'm with you. That's a little different than you and I just out there, all going to go run a race, or I have to fight this fight, or I have to fight this battle. I have to wrestle. It's got somebody right there with us.

What we fail to realize as we look at the goal and we hope for the reward that it's in the God family's best interest that you are there. We sometimes think, well, you know, he probably doesn't want me there. I don't know if I'll make it. From our own side, we're small. We're weak. But when you turn around and think it from God's side, look at all he's invested to get you there. Look at all he's working at to bring you there. It's in the God family's best interest that you are a first fruit of the family of God and the first harvest represented by the festival of harvest, often called Pentecost, that first small harvest of individuals that are brought into the family of God. They want you there. And they want you there more than you want to be there. That's hard sometimes for us to figure out. God wants you there more than you want to be there. If you think I'm just making that up, go look at creation. Go look at the complexity and the vastness. Go look at the creator who came to earth and bled and died and is now in heaven and working and living in you. That's how bad they want you there. And yet we're told you and I haven't even swept blood on our side yet. And doing our part, do we want to be there as much as they want us there? No. No, we don't. So when we maybe feel a little bit lonely or like the road is a little difficult, we need to realize what John prayed to the Father in John 17 verse 24. He said, Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am. I desire that. He said, the night before he died, what was his desire?

You'd think, well, your desire would be at that point. What was his desire? I desire that they may be with me where I am. That's why he went through all he did, and they've done all that they've done and continue to do all that they do. They want you there.

One thing that God the Father and Jesus Christ do, just one thing, to help make sure that you get there, or at least to do their part. I can't say to make sure because they can't make sure that you'll be there. It's not some given. A lot of religions try to make it, oh, it's just a given. It's just going to happen. No. You would fail to read the lessons, the seven lessons that Christ gave to the church in Revelation 2 and 3, if you had that in mind. You'd fail to read all of the warnings that Jesus gave of how many times he has to close the door on people and they can't come in. You would miss Revelation 21 and verse 8. What happens to those who do not win the race, who don't reach the goal but maintain the human condition? They're burned up.

Now, Satan would love to have you, and I think, oh, you don't have to run the race. You can have grace. There's another option.

Well, we're working on a sermon on that that puts that in a whole different category. There is no other option. There's no option, too. There's no back door, as it were. No secret entrance. No waving of all the responsibility to run and win this race and become a person with a mindset of the God family. You have to develop the mindset of the God family to become a member of that family. There's no free pass. There's no big exception because of what they did or what Jesus Christ did. Yes, they did that side. They're waiting for you and me to do our side. But they provide themselves on an additional level that sometimes we don't feel and so we don't sense that it's there. They live inside us through the Holy Spirit as helpers. Now, that's a big deal. That is not you and me trying to do this on our own. They are what I've termed partnering mentors, which I'll talk about in a little bit. They're not only hands-on, but they're hands-in, if you think about that. It's not just out here. They're working here on the inside as well. In Hebrews 2, verses 10 through 13, we're taught something very, very important about this principle. Hebrews chapter 2 will begin in verse 10.

It says, For it was fitting for him, Jesus Christ, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory. See the tables? Switch the tables around. We're thinking about our reward. Let's look at them. It was fitting for him who's done all of this in bringing many sons to glory. This is a combined effort. Notice we didn't bring ourselves to glory, did we, in this verse? And he didn't just make us glorified. He's bringing us. You don't order somebody to go or tell them to. He is bringing us to glory. Verse 11.

For which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren? What God, what great God in heaven, a super bright intellectual being, would call a human, basic human, his brother and sister. But he does. Why? It's an expectation for you and me to be brothers in the family. Co-heirs with him for eternity. And so he's working on that. Verse 12, saying, I will declare your name, Father, to my brothers, my brethren, in the midst of the assembly. He won't just be up in heaven somewhere. He'll be in the midst of the assembly. I will sing praise to you. I will be there working. I'll be involved. Verse 13, skipping into the second sentence. And again, here am I and the children whom God has given me. We are precious. We are expectations. We are apples of someone's eye. Verse 18, for in that he himself has suffered, he came and suffered and was tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted. In this partnering mentorship that God has with you and me, he is working, he's aiding, he's living in us, he's exampled for us, he has laid the way for us, he's encouraging us. We are his brothers, his sisters, in his mind. That's what he is calling us. Even though we're very different right now, he is expecting us to be brothers and sisters for eternity. As we complete this series on pursuing the goal, we realize God has set out this plan. He's put a goal in front of us. But we need to also realize that we are not running this race alone. In fact, we're not even running this race on our own power. And no, he's not going to pick us up and carry us and leave foot friends in the sand. But he is going to be inside us and never leave us or forsake us. And he's going to help us in every situation and not let us fail so much as it depends on him. There is nothing that will separate his love from us. The only question is what will separate the love out of us for him. And that's our part of the bargain. That's our side. And if you found in your own life that perhaps you've sort of gotten a break, you've gotten out of sorts, you feel guilty, you don't have a good relationship with God right now, or you just don't feel connected, or you feel a little bit, I don't know, weak or out of touch, now is a good time while you're sitting here listening to this message to pray to God and say, God, forgive me.

Reconcile me to you. Take whatever this has been and forgive me for going off the track or mentally getting away from you. And let's start this right now. Because God, if you have God's Holy Spirit, is in you. He's not hovering up here in the room somewhere. He's in you. He's living in you. You're the temple of His Holy Spirit. Jesus said, my Father and I will come to you. We'll make our abode with you. We'll be the helper. Don't let some of these human things and sometimes the emotional, I don't feel connected or whatever, get in the way. You've got to be successful. And this is a partnering mentorship. Let me describe what partnering mentorship is. Some years ago, mentoring was said to be a good thing. I didn't know what mentoring was. Some people think mentoring is giving seminars. Well, conveying information is important. You know, God gave us some seminars. Nothing wrong with information. That's what you might call the teaching side. But mentoring actually is teaching a person to become like you or at least teaching a person to know all you know about the systems, about the processes, not just teaching them but getting them involved and experiencing that. A real mentor will give the person opportunities to experience and come up to your level of knowledge and understanding. Now, what did Jesus do with disciples? As a teacher of disciples, that was a unique situation back then. When it says teacher, it was the individual who had not students but mentees. Disciples are not students, like in a classroom. They're mentees of a mentor. They become like the teacher. And he teaches them to become just like him. You are the light of the world, he says as he leaves. He says, I want you to do this and you'll do this and you'll represent me and you will be ambassadors. I'm going to make you into what I am. And he finally says, he says, look, this is how people will know that you are my mentees if you love one another as I've loved you. When they see you, they should see the master, the teacher. And so that's one part of it. That's mentoring. And we're to be mentored.

The way this term, a partnering mentorship came up, was going over to Africa and developing our infrastructure there and raising up leaders and working with them. You can go over and you can give seminars, leadership lectures, as it were. And you can deepen it and then take the men and the ladies and you can show them and work with them and teach them what you know in service to where they can be, just like you are, as it were. And then you can leave and come back to Arizona. And they can't continue. They can't continue because they don't have the opportunity for an involved partnership. See, what's missing is people will go to somewhere else, like maybe you with your children, and you'll teach them everything you know, and the child doesn't do it what they should. Why? Well, you've taught them. I can go over and teach leadership and I can teach this, but is that what God does to us? Does he just give us the Bible and teach us and then go up in heaven and say, I'm just hanging out up here. I'll go back in a couple thousand years and see how they did. No, he then partners with us. And when I became a partner with our African leaders and our African brethren, a full brother with them, and my wife and I have brothers and sisters and parents over there, and we have friends and co-pastors that we work together in, and we are partnered in a mentoring program. That's different. It can't fail. It just keeps going. And when Jesus Christ partnered with you and me by coming and living in us with his Holy Spirit, that mentoring program now is a partnership, and that makes all the difference, all the difference in the world. The thing is, without a partnering mentorship, neither can be successful. I can't be successful administrating an area where I am sort of going and dropping in and giving some lectures or even mentoring, and God can't be successful in having children in his family that he's sort of mentored and then left and is not around. Let's take a look at a couple of these things. God is a win-win individual, and there are things to win on both sides. Both people have to commit. You look at the covenants that God established. He built partnering mentorship into both covenants. Think about this. Marriage. In marriage, you are joined as one with your mate. There's partnering, and then you're going to mentor each other. Ladies, you had to teach your husband a whole lot of things that he didn't know, and men, you had to teach your wives a bunch of things they didn't know, and you're probably still learning and still partnering and mentoring each other with these two sides of brains and all your different abilities and complexities to make this thing work. You can't just sort of give your idea and give your idea and have a successful family. It doesn't work that way. It's a process of mentoring and partnering. The end result is a successful family. The New Covenant. There's another covenant. We have a covenant with our spouse. We have a covenant with God. The New Covenant, God died for you. That's how strong the partnership is, the connection is. But He unites with you as one. This is John 17. Father, you are one and I are one. I want to be one with them and they one with us. They live in us. Talks about us dwelling in them and they dwelling in us. And another place.

The Holy Spirit in us is the mentoring of partners who are working their part with us in a mentorship for the success of the individual. And that's what you have with God if you are actually working with that covenant. The result is they win and you win. You win, of course. You get to be in their family. They win because they get you to be in their family. It's a win-win situation. It works for both. It's just like in marriage. And there's some other arities that Paul talks in Ephesians 4 about our relationship with Christ and our relationship with our spouses. The whole thing is without a partnering mentorship, it's impossible to be victorious as a Christian, just like it's impossible in a marriage.

The result again, you win the race and salvation. They win you in their family. Let's go over to 1 John 4 and verse 4 and see a little of this concept. 1 John 4 and verse 4.

You are of God. See the relationship there? The partner, the partnering part? You are of God. You are not by yourself. You are not running alone. You're not fighting alone. You're not wrestling alone. You're not on some lonely course for a destination. You are of God, little children. We've overcome the world because He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world. Sure, we have to fight Satan. That's impossible. Oh, no, it's not. The one inside us made Satan. Well, he made Lucifer who became Satan. He's greater than an angel. He's inside us. Verse 6. We are of God. Verse 9. In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. We're not going to live by ourselves or by some perfection of keeping the law. We will live and have life through Him because we are part of that mentoring process, that partnership we have within. Verse 13. By this we know that we live in Him. We talk about Him living in us. Here, John says, we abide or live in Him and He in us. You know, that's a tight relationship.

That is not going it alone. That is not, I wonder if they'll make it down there.

Because He has given us of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit has byproducts, fruits, it has results. If God is living in you, certain results will be seen. Fruits of the Spirit, primarily, you might say, the number one ingredient, is agape. That love, that loving, thoughtful, outgoing concern that typifies the God that created all this and you so that He could give you salvation in His family. That's just unbelievable. Now, He has given us of His Spirit. That Spirit will develop agape love in us. Verse 17. Agape love has been perfected among us in that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. You don't need to fear if you're going down the course and He's living in you and He's greater than Satan and His Spirit is there and the byproduct is agape. It says right here, this agape love is being perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. We're expected to win this race. There's no reason not to win this race unless for some reason you're not really interested. For some reason you transgress against the Holy Spirit, which would mean to say, I don't like agape love. I like selfish love. I don't like God. I don't like His way. I don't like His mindset. I've tried it out with this Holy Spirit and it's not for me. That's the thing that is called the unpardonable sin, as I understand it in the Bible. But with this partnering mentorship, you should succeed. It's not like you might. You should succeed. But sometimes the race feels lonely, like you're alone. And sometimes you might be a little bit alone. You know, if this is the course and you've taken a detour, ever feel like that? I do. I was on my knees after this morning. It didn't feel right. The whole week I had a little tumble in the stomach and didn't sleep well and all that. But the whole thing has kind of gone together and I've thought about some of the things I've said. And I've said me and I too many times and thought about myself. And I just had to get on my knees and say, you know, God, I just feel like vomiting here. Get the old self out of here. Forgive me for this. You know, clean me up. Get a new heart in there. I don't know what I need, but you do. Back on the path. Let's charge ahead. Feel a whole lot more connected this afternoon than I did this morning.

Sometimes we can sort of move ourselves off. Not that he's going to leave us, but at some point we are of a different mindset if we get all caught up in ourself.

Sometimes the race feels lonely, like you're alone. But you don't realize what's going on in heaven. Let's go to John 16, verses 26 and 27. Sometimes that's just a lot of emotion. Sometimes we need to fast. Sometimes we need to pray and repent. But if you feel separated from God, just remember you feel separated from God. If you don't feel like your prayers are going higher than the ceiling, remember it's a feeling you just said. It may not be reality at all. It may just be an emotional discouragement. Because up in heaven things are very different than you and I think. And in John 16, verse 26, Jesus said, in that day, after I leave, you will ask in my name. And we pray in the name of Jesus, you will ask in my name. And he said, and I do not say that I will pray to the Father for you. Nope. Why would Jesus not pray to the Father for us? Well, verse 27, for the Father himself loves you. I don't have to go to the Father. You pray to the Father. He loves you. I'm not going to. I don't have to pass along your prayer. He loves you so much that he gave his only son. Wow. There's a lot of love that goes on and a lot of attention that the Father has. And he has got you as the apple of his eye. The Father loves you. And Jesus here is telling us, I don't need to get involved there in your passing your prayer along because he has great interest. He knows what your needs are before you even ask. He knows how many hairs are on your head because he's interested. Philippians 2 13 says, For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. He's working. That's his job. That's his what he has committed himself to doing is working in you and me and partnering and mentoring us into children for his family. In James chapter 1 in verse 17, we find that it's God the Father that's giving us the good gifts. He gave us the gift of his son, which we know and appreciate. But James 1 17 says, Every good gift and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights. You are to be a light. God the Father and Jesus Christ are light. We are to be children and grow as lights. Verse 18, Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we and none after us, by the way, might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. He is invested in you and called you and is expectations of you succeeding as the first fruits to stand at the seventh trumpet by his son, Jesus Christ on Mount olives. As you read in Revelation 14, starting in verse one, you are expected to be there.

And these first fruits that are mentioned right there, and I believe it's verse four, they are the only first fruits that will ever be. Christ the first fruit. 1 Corinthians 15, about verse 20, 22. But afterwards, the first fruits who God is harvesting at this time. Yes, this is a small group. If you don't make it, there's no one else for him to choose, you see. You can't sort of say, well, let's try again. I'm just mentioning that for the important role that you have, the importance of your opportunity, of your calling, it's important to God that you make it.

He has a big investment in you. He's committed with blood. In chapter 5 and verse 7, therefore, James says, after all these things, talks a lot about putting away the self and selfish tendencies and selfish preoccupation. Therefore, because of all these things, James 5 verse 7, it says, be patient. I don't believe that. If you look up the word, macrothumeo, in the Greek, it means long-spirited or long-suffering. I would say, therefore, persevere and endure. Much better word. In fact, in the margin sometimes, that's what it says in the New King James version, is to persevere. Jesus said, not those who are patient will be saved, but those who endure to the end, those who persevere to the end. He's telling us here, therefore, persevere and endure until the coming of the Lord. Just like Jesus said, endure, persevere to the end, until the coming of the Lord. Now, that's our role. Let's look at his role. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth? That's you! You're the precious fruit that the farmer has dug the ground and seeded and weeded and watered and watched grow and given sunlight to and protected. And here comes finally the first crop.

And he waits for the precious fruit of the earth. Notice it says, waiting patiently, not so. Long suffering, as that Greek word means, long suffering for it. God has suffered long. He is long suffering. He is committed long term for it until it receives the early and the latter rain.

First roots harvest, second grade harvest, festival of harvest in the spring, feast of tabernacles, last great day in the fall, early and latter rain. Verse 8, you also, don't be patient, persevere and endure, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Our side, his side, our side. We are doing our work. He is working in us very, again, expectations of our arrival and his success and our success go hand in hand. Now, I don't want to minimize the challenges involved in reaching that goal. It's not just because God is in us doesn't mean it's a done deal. God actually doesn't want to be taken.

I'm sure he could see through it, but he doesn't want to be taken or let you or me think that we're conning him. And so, consequently, you might say, well, I'm going to be gold for the family of God. All right. So here's some gold. Right. This is nice gold, right? Hey God, how about this? See, this is not acceptable gold to God. Why? Well, because if I read here on the side, pretty sure it says this, 14 carat, that's about 60% gold and the rest, a bunch of junk. Okay. Makes the gold harder, makes it last longer, makes it shiny, cheaper.

Okay. That's what probably most of us are wearing. 10, 12, 14 carat. Okay. God doesn't want that. He wants this gold that's been refined in the fire. There's nothing wrong with gold refined in the fire. I'm being refined in the fire. I hope you are as well. He says in Revelation chapter 3, towards the end of the book, he says, I counsel of you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. What's what's that about? Pure gold. If you melt this down, the silver and the copper and the brass and whatever else they put in there will float up to the top and the gold will be at the bottom and you get real gold.

He wants the real deal. He doesn't want partially converted children. So we need challenges. We need to be pricked and tested and persecution won't hurt. And a little of this and a little of that won't hurt. A little tempting from the devil won't hurt. And things that would drive a normal person away with God living in them will be refined and perfected through the process. And we can rejoice about that as we look back and see how far we've come, as we see how much higher the the standard of gold is as God develops us. If you hadn't heard the first four parts of the series, I would encourage you not to just jump in on this encouraging sort of last one, but really to go through the whole process.

Because God has us going down a very difficult path, Jesus said, that few will find. You read that in Matthew 7 14. Few will find the narrow door at the end of the difficult path, but not kid ourselves. He keeps giving one parable after another.

You know, meaners, five cities, ten cities, no cities. Virgins. Half get in, half get the door closed. Tweets, tears, sheep, goats. And the end result of every one of those is either a reward of life eternally or being burnt up. So we don't want to minimize the challenges, but this race with obstacles and wolves can be won very successfully. As Paul said, I've fought the good fight. I have won the race. I've got the crown laid up for me and for all those who love God.

So your covenant made you part of a family. So we just read, you are of God, and this covenant made you part of a family. That family is rejected by Satan. That family is rejected by Satan's society. In fact, that family is persecuted directly by those who do not like the family of God. Jesus said in Matthew 10, verse 25, the part of the obstacles that we have to face involve being family, the very thing we want to be. The very thing that we are already a fledgling part of sets up obstacles for us. He says in Matthew 10, verse 25, it is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher.

Remember that concept? It's enough for the mentee to be like the mentor. We are to be like our teacher. A disciple is not a student, remember. A disciple is one who is becoming like his teacher, and a servant to be like his master. We are to become like our master. Now, he says, if they have called the master of the house Bailsy-Bub, you might say, or the devil, how much more will they call those of his household?

Therefore, what would you say? Therefore, run! Therefore, dig a hole, build a shelter. No, therefore, do not fear them. He says, do not fear them. It's interesting how many times in this type of situation he says, don't fear them. I live in you. I'm more powerful than them. There may be some consequences in this lifetime for being part of the family, but if you don't deny me, I won't deny you, and you will receive a reward for the race that you're on.

In Hebrews 13, verse 5, it says, for he himself said, I will never leave you or forsake you. So yes, we're going to take it on the chin for the family. And yes, there are risks for being part of the family, but he will never leave us or forsake us. Remember where he is? He's not going to forsake you in this partnering mentorship. Verse 6, so we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper.

I will not fear. For what can man do to me? Well, man can take your physical life, but he cannot take your life, because life is what Jesus has been given. Life is something that humans can only touch in this physical, short-term body. To make that clear in Revelation 2.10, in one of the lessons that he gave to the church, he said, do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Did he say they won't be suffering? No. Jesus said, you're about to suffer something.

Do not fear any of those things. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested. And you will have tribulation 10 days. But be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He will be with you and never forsake you, and you will be able to fulfill that if that's what's going to happen, if that should ever come, he will be able to make you win that race, and you'll be fine.

Don't fear it. That seems a little bit macabre. But when we look in the Bible in Matthew 24, the prophecies of the end time, what's one of the things he said? They come after the church. You go back to Daniel 12, the church and the righteous are given into the hands of the beast.

You go back to Revelation, chapter... I don't even want to guess. And he says that the beast has power over the saints who keep God's commandments in two or three places.

Luke 12, verse 6. To this end, Jesus says, are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? In other words, they're not worth much. We have a bird feeder at our house, and on Sabbath I like to really fill it up full so that all the birds can come, and we can see all the wonderful types of birds. We seem to get a lot of sparrows, and they eat up all the food. And I'll go over the window and just go, and all the sparrows fly away, and they fly right back, and they eat all the food up. Where are all the good birds? Sparrows. I tell my wife, I'd like to see them all on the wall and just shoot one shot, and I'll fall over. She says, God made sparrows too, and you're jealous just because you can't fly. Well, okay, so sparrows are sparrows, right? They're not birds of paradise. They're sparrows. So he says, not one of them is forgotten before God. Not one sparrow was forgotten before the Father. Verse 7, but the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. And he's talking about sparrows. You are more value than sparrows, and God knows how many sparrows fall. Now, we're precious to God. The statement in the Bible that says, precious to the Lord for the death of all of his saints. If you could just see along the process how you are regarded in heaven, it would be very encouraging. If we could just hear, if we go up to the throne of God and hear him talk about you, your name, you know what comes up, the throne of God. I know you always think it's bad, because that's the way we are. You know, I'm messed up. Oh, wow, they're talking about me up there. I want to show my face. Let's go over to Daniel 10 and verse 18.

Daniel 10 and verse 18. Daniel was a man with human passions, just like we are.

He set a good example from what we read in Scripture. A very good example. You set a very good example. We all make mistakes. I make mistakes. This process is encouraging to God, who is eager and willing to forgive us of all sin that we repent of. If you look back there in 1 John chapter 1, verse 8, God is very willing to forgive us of sin as we repent of it. Then it's wiped away. So what could they be talking about in heaven, about you? They can be talking about sin. If you have repented of your sins and if you have seen the sin, you have asked for forgiveness, what else could they be talking about?

In Colossians chapter 2, it said, Jesus Christ wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us. That list of sins that required your eternal death was wiped out. It doesn't exist. He, with your sins, is what was nailed to the cross, the stake, the tree. That's wiped out. So what are they talking about in heaven when they talk about you? Well, let's look here in Daniel chapter 10, verse 18. Then again, when having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me, strengthened him. And he said, O man, greatly beloved, do not fear. There's that message again, don't fear. Oh man, greatly beloved. I've just got here from the third throne in heaven, the throne of the third heaven, just got here and I'm just telling you, greatly beloved. Wow. Peace be to you. Then he says, be strong. Yes, be strong. And Daniel says, so what he spoke to me, I was strengthened. And I said, let my Lord speak for you have strengthened me. If we could hear what is said about us in heaven and know how much God is pulling for us, loves us, is involved in us, how high his expectations are for us, probably sings and rejoices with the sight and the knowledge that his family is growing as he intended it to, with certain setbacks along the way, and certain leaps forward that are exciting as well. It's just part of our lives. Then I think we would be encouraged and strengthened as well. You know, one proof of God's love for you is his correction. We think, oh, no, I got corrected. God must really not like me. But in Hebrews 12, verse 5, it says, have you forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons? My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord or be discouraged when you're rebuked by him, for whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scour the Lord. Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. Verse 7, if you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father doesn't chasten? When you feel correction and something comes to your mind and it drives you to repentance, that's God partnering with you. He's mentoring you. He is making sure that you are going to be successful because he loves you. Yes, there are challenges, but at the 7th Trump, remember, you are expected and your name is in a book in heaven called the Book of Life, and you are expected to be standing beside Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. That is your place. It's reserved. God is working to that end. God will not have any other thing as far as his will. You can look at 2 Peter 3 and verse 9 and read that it is not God's will that any should perish. Now, you think about the will of God and it's not God's will that you should perish. That's pretty strong. It's very strong. In Titus 2, verses 11-14, we find that we have a very gracious God. Wherever you read the term grace in the New Testament, that word is often used in the noun form of something like there's this grace. But if you look at Strong's definition of grace or Cheris, it is gracious or graciousness. Here in Titus 2, for the graciousness of God, verse 11, your God is very gracious. And it's the graciousness of God that brings salvation. Your salvation is being worked at and partnered with and mentored by a very gracious God. Not a harsh God, not an angry God, not a short-tempered God, but a gracious God. And that word involves long suffering as well, that graciousness. It's the graciousness that flows from his speech, from his actions, for his love, for imperfection, and his graciousness in extending his Son for us. Very gracious God.

Verse 12, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. That's our goal. That's the goal we're striving for. And he's a gracious God to lead us to that. Verse 13, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He's the one that saves us, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people who are zealous for good works. This well describes the mentoring partner relationship that we have with God. Him for us, him and us, us working, us zealous because of the special people that we become in our relationship with him and the family.

You know well, 1 Peter 2 and verse 3, that God is gracious. We've tasted the Lord Jesus Christ and his graciousness. We have him, we have the Spirit, we have him living in us. It's a wonderful, wonderful part of the Godhead. And verse 9 follows on, he is that way, you are a chosen generation. You're chosen from the foundation of the world to become first fruit standing on Mount Zion and reign with Christ for a thousand years. You were called for that. A royal priesthood in the minds of God, you and I, in our in our sinful struggle along this path, are a royal priesthood to be. You know, what is it? Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6, oh blessed and holy are those who have a part in the first resurrection. And they will be priests of God in Christ, a holy priesthood, and reign a thousand years.

It goes on a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who were once not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Mercy goes part of this, the family connection, the specialness, but also the co-involvement of God in us down this path.

There are so many things that we could study and read with this regard. It's sobering, it's lifting, it's encouraging, but at the same time there's a reality to it, isn't it? It's not just, you know, blow in smoke and you all get a free pass or whatever. We have our part to do.

We are called at this time with a special calling. It doesn't mean us make us any better. We're just actually called as part of a win-win process, that God wins now by having us join his family and become the bride of Christ, who then together can parent more people in the future in a win-win situation and fill that family with humanity. A second resurrection for all humans who have never had this opportunity, as spoken of back in Revelation chapter 20 and verse 12. They also will have their opportunity. It'll be our time to be in a win-win partnership with them to where ultimately the God family wins at all levels.

In conclusion, being called in an evil age certainly has its challenges, but you are not alone by any stretch of the imagination. You have God living inside you, partnering with you, teaching you, mentoring you to become like he is. Jesus gave us a directive to become you, therefore, perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. That is our goal, and they are helping us in that direction. He said, I will never leave you or forsake you. I'll be with you always. Even to the end. We need to be encouraged. We need to be serious. And if we do our part of that partnering mentorship, we will reach the goal. God will make sure of it. It is in his best interest. It is in our best interest. Let's conclude by reading Hebrews chapter 13 verses 20 and 21. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 20.

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you what is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Brethren, you will reach the goal.