Though we are all faced with hardships in this world, the best is yet to come. The experiences of this life are guided by a divine hand, and even the heartaches and tragedies are “working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory...” (2 Cor. 4:17), so DON’T LOSE HEART!

<p>Though we are all faced with hardships in this world, the best is yet to come. The experiences of this life are guided by a divine hand, and even the heartaches and tragedies are “working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory...” (2 Cor. 4:17), so DON’T LOSE HEART!</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Victory SDA Church

Mark Howard

Don’t Lose Heart

I can tell you already though, what a blessed Sabbath that we are going to have.

Scott Burden, Faith in the Last Days, Wednesday night prayer meeting at the Mount Vernon Hill Church.

And Gloria, I think, were you there at that time as well it's probably the first time that I met I was working in in Columbus area I wasn't in pastoral ministry and Ron Vozar had asked me to do a series I don't even know how that came about but Pastor David Graham some of you know that name well it is good to see you brother and many of you here I see a lot of old friends and newer friends and some of you I haven't met yet but you're still my friends and I'm looking forward to visiting with you afterwards.

I want to say thank you to all the mothers here for being mothers.

And just to let you in on a breakfast conversation we had this morning, my mother comes in to the kitchen, I'm eating breakfast, and my mom is a servant of servants.

I mean, she just, hey, is there anything else you need?

Now, I already have every last thing in her kitchen that could exist, you know?

I've got a lot of fresh fruit, and anybody who's been in my mom's house, you need this, You need that?

It's not long after that, I don't know, within a few minutes, that I say to my wife, hey, could you go out to the car and grab me this?

And she said, well, and then Sonia says, Jim, you weren't out there for this 1.

And truth be told, men who have wives like a little bit of mothering.

And you can deny it all you want, just wait till you're sick.

So we thank you for all our first mothers and second mothers, and God bless you all.

Now the topic today or the title of the message is Don't Lose Heart.

I've taken it out of that scripture reading in 2 Corinthians but I want to start in the book of Galatians where the Apostle Paul uses the same phrase.

And before I do that, I want to kneel and ask God to bless our time in his words.

I'm going to ask if you bow your heads while I do that.

Gracious Father in heaven, oh, Father, we are so thankful for your guidance and leading.

We're thankful for the privilege of fellowshipping with like-minded believers.

We're thankful for the Spirit of Truth who leads us into an understanding of the truth.

Not just an intellectual understanding Lord, but a spiritual understanding.

Some I haven't seen for many years, some I have seen more recently and some that I'm just making today.

And I just thank you for this fellowship of believers.

And now Lord, we ask not because we deserve, but because you've promised that spirit of truth to give us an understanding a greater understanding as to who you are and Lord how to proclaim you to the world around us guide us and bless us in this service as only you can for we ask and pray it in the name of Jesus and for his sake, amen.

Now it has been mentioned, I think before I was out here, that I do a lot of evangelism training and I often use Galatians 6.

And you know, when you're talking about soul winning, there's a lot of connection with the harvest.

But I am also well aware that Paul's context in Galatians 6 verse 9 is not specifically or directly the harvest of souls, but it's the harvest of character.

In other words, it's the harvest of character that we're all hoping for that will fit us to live in a holy heaven.

In 1 little verse, and it is so packed, in Galatians 6 and verse 9, he says, and let us not do what?

Now I'm using the New King James here the King James says let us faint not right Let us not grow weary in what?

The New King James says, let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we what?

In due season, we shall reap if we don't lose heart.

Now the very first part where he says don't grow weary in well-doing, the implication is the Christian life.

This is the well-doing he's talking about and the further implication is the Christian life is going to be filled with times that are potentially discouraging.

I mean listen you don't go tell a person hey don't get weary, don't lose heart when they're doing something they love, right?

You're on a vacation in the Bahamas, it's like, hey, listen, don't get weary from that.

It's cleaning out the attic or the garage where you're like, hey, don't get weary, right?

So the implication right away, and the reason I'm making this point is, we should not be surprised as Christians that we face situations and circumstances in our lives that can be discouraging.

That's not a sign we're on the wrong path.

In fact, I do not have it in my presentation, but this is, let me see if I can remember this, Stay With God.

Maybe somebody look it up and call it out.

But Ellen White says frequently, the very best evidence we can have that we are in the right way, very best evidence we can have that we're in the, not the wrong way, the right way, is that darkness, is that the least advance costs us effort and darkness shrouds our pathway.

The least advanced, the smallest step forward, doesn't it sometimes feel like it's everything you can do just to make the littlest advance in the Christian life?

Frequently, that's the very best evidence you're in the right way, not the wrong way, and the devil is fighting you on it.

So the apostle Paul understands this and he's communicating to us, hey listen, don't get discouraged, don't grow weary rather in well doing for we know that in due season, now I love this phrase due season, Due season has to do with a time period.

And it doesn't tell us the time period, but listen to me carefully.

There's 1 time period that we know due season is not.

Like I don't know when it is, but I know when it isn't.

Due season implies at some other time than now.

And so thus the Apostle Paul says, hey, don't grow weary in doing good.

In due season, and I'm so thankful that he doesn't say in due season we might reap.

Due season is not your time or my time, it's God's time and God's time is perfect.

And in due season, it's not we might reap and this is talking about the harvest of character.

This is talking about being there with Jesus in eternity, being with our loved ones in eternity.

We shall reap If, and here's the if brothers and sisters, if we do not lose heart.

Listen, as long as we keep fighting the good fight of faith, we're going to finish.

As long as we run the Christian race we will cross the line as long as we don't quit.

And the devil knows this far better than we know it.

So what do you think he is always trying to get us to do?

And I know that within the sound of my voice some of you have maybe quit a number of times, but you're here today, right?

Because you're not done yet and the Lord's not done with you.

And the devil knows, Oh, they're back in church again.

Don’t Lose Heart

Transcript

Description

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

Sanctification

45m

Being True to Our Trust

What the Law Could Not Do

50m

Preparing for the Latter Rain: The Judgment Hour Message

Prepare To Meet Your God

1h 15m

The Power of Perspective

Two Covenants

57m

The Sanctuary, God's Answer to the Sin Problem

Why Jesus Waits

1h

Preparing for the Latter Rain: The Judgment Hour Message

Defining Sin

1h 25m

Breakout Session #2

Following Christ Through the Crisis

1h 20m

Certainty in Uncertain Times

A Transforming Touch

49m

Restoration 2023

The Atheist Who Found God

50m

The Price of Blood

56m

Plenary

The One Thing Jesus Can’t Give You

55m

Plenary

When Temptations Return

1h 18m

Sound Doctrine