'Words of Life' w/ Pastor Mark D. Ingram
'Words of Life' w/ Pastor Mark D. Ingram
Eternal Things
Are you living for now or for eternity? Are you letting temporary distractions steal your focus from what truly matters? In this week's 'Words of Life' message, in lieu of eternity, we tackle these poignant questions in our broadcast + podcast, drawing from the wisdom of GOD'S WORD. HIS perspective challenges us to reconsider the definition of true success and worth, pushing us to realign our worldview with an eternal perspective.
Within our exegesis & transition, we confront our innate desire to be accepted, recognized, to achieve and to win. Therefore, we revisit forerunners like John the Baptist and Moses, who embraced obscurity and found their purpose in glorifying GOD, through the work bestowed upon each. It's a journey that explores our human tendency to doubt ourselves, our self-esteem, and to even seek validation from others.
Yet, GOD wants us to transform these desires into dedicated and consistent service for glorifying and pointing others to HIM, through JESUS alone.
Finally, we challenge ourselves with each application point to assess our contentment and purpose in GOD, even when perceived earthly successes (i.e. - notoriety, wealth, promotion, or even good health), elude us.
We pray that if you will tune in to this week's message, via broadcast or podcast, you will be able to evaluate where you currently stand (in GOD'S eyes) with...
'ETERNAL' THINGS
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Song of the Week: Number My Days
In lieu of eternity, sermons and musical artists are featured to extol JESUS CHRIST as the sole hope for the eternal souls of humanity.
Hey, there again to you. This is Pastor Mark of Words of Life, and in this week's edition of the podcast, or the podcast, we're going to talk about eternal things versus temporary things. Sometimes we put so much weight on things here that will not even matter in eternity. So now the challenge for this message is that that we put our hands to our motives, our intent. Will it please God where he will say job well done because if he says that, it will reverberate in eternity or are we allowing time to just be wasted? We're going to talk about it. I hope to see you right back here in just a moment. Okay, don't move.
Speaker 2:We thank you for joining our Words of Life broadcast, where our mission is persuading the lost, perfecting each believer and equipping all for service with practical application from God's word. We now join Pastor Mark for this week's Words of Life.
Speaker 1:Hey, there again to you, words of Life, listener or viewer, we appreciate and we, being my wife, we just want to say, before we even get started with this week's message we really do appreciate you tuning in to the broadcast or the podcast, because the truth of the matter is, you could have been listening to anyone else, you could have been watching anyone else, but you have allowed God's spirit to guide you to hear a word from me or my wife through this ministry, and for that we don't take you for granted. We thank you very much. That being said, let's go right to God's word, words of Life, and we're going to turn to that second letter to the Corinthians. You have the first one. Today we're going to delve into second Corinthians, chapter four, and we're going to read a couple of verses. I'm going to go ahead and throw the phone up on the screen so I can adjust my glasses.
Speaker 1:Second Corinthians, chapter four, verses 17 and 18, and I'll start reading at verse 17. For those of you still flipping there, I'll pause just a little bit more, and now we'll get started with second Corinthians, chapter four, verse 17. It reads as follows For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory. That is far beyond comparison. Verse 18,. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. But what is seen, that is temporary, but what is unseen, that is eternal. May the Lord add a blessing to the hearers, the readers, but, most importantly, those that intend to do with his health, his holy word. The topic that I would like for us to consider this week again is eternal things, and so, as I jump into my introductory thoughts about this message, there are so many superficial and this is God really put this on my heart there are so many superficial, temporary things that compete for our attention, and I know I'm guilty, they compete for our attention or time and truth be told, they easily distract us from that which will really matter, the most eternal things.
Speaker 1:The book of Ecclesiastes, chapter one, verse 14. It warns us through the eyes of the richest man that has ever been and will ever be. His name is Solomon, david's son, and he says in the verse I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth and I concluded everything that man accomplishes, it is vain, it is wasted, it is fruitless, like chasing the wind. And this is a man that had it all and eventually he just lost his way, serving the idol gods of his many wives. Back then he lost his way, but he just said everything that I have, everything that we do, everything that I've accomplished is vain, is wasted, it is fruitless, just like chasing the wind, and this is especially true. In lieu of eternal things, let's think about it.
Speaker 1:We mistakenly tie our accomplishments, or maybe even our failures. We tie those sometimes, to our self esteem. How about awards? How about recognition? How about the lack of either, even when we feel like we deserve them, or we earn those things? Here's an example.
Speaker 1:Because I'm a sports guy, I love football, I play football and we can even let's throw entertainment in there. We hear these phrases all the time oh my gosh, their work, their acting, their performance, how he or she played it will go down as the greatest of all time. Or we hear, oh, wow, their career was so esteemed. They are now on the walk of fame, they are immortalized. How about sports, man, that was such a career, I mean just year after year, competing after championship after championship. Oh, they're a shoe in for the Hall of Fame. They will be forever enshrined and I want you to think about that Of all time immortalized. They will be forever enshrined. And the list it just continues. We have street names and honors bestowed upon people and we say, oh man, that's going to last forever. And then we'll have family names that have been purchased for colleges, stadiums, churches and even pews.
Speaker 1:But here's where I want to start challenging us, because God challenges us. He challenges us to focus or accolade where they will matter the most, coming from him, because everything that we see right now, isaiah 65 and 17, provides us a great reality check. The verse says behold I, god, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and the former things of life will not be remembered or come to mind. I wanna read that verse again, just so that it resonates in our spirit. God himself says I am creating a new heaven, a new earth, and the former things of life, they, will not be remembered or come to mind.
Speaker 1:The great theologian CS Lewis he offers us another poignant thought for us to consider, and this phrase it just. I love it, it stunned me. He says all that is not eternal is eternally useless. Oftentimes we're just consumed by our senses of sight, touch, taste, hearing or feel. But if we do not ask God for the wisdom to shift our gaze from time to eternity. We can waste a whole lot of time. Matter of fact, we can waste our entire lives and have absolutely nothing to show for the years that God has assigned us here on planet earth. And so we must not prioritize this temporary life that we are living and then turn around and neglect the one that God desires that we live with him or ever in. And so, with our introductory thoughts complete, let's dive into why eternal things must take precedence, even amidst our distractions, our detours, or maybe even failures and discouragement.
Speaker 1:As we begin our exegesis of our opening text, the apostle Paul called these potential disruptions in our lives that we may incur. He called them, within the verse the opening text, afflictions, and the Hebrew that word simply means persecution, distress or the pressure that is weighing upon us. And so, in our overview of the book of second Corinthians, chapter four, paul starts to list the numerous reasons to the Corinthians that he could have been distracted, and he encourages them by saying hey, I could have been thrown off course, I could have forgot about eternal things, the work that I'm doing right now for you. I could have been distracted, I could have been discouraged, I could have been detoured, and so he started naming a few of those potential distractions and discouragements or detours that he had to go through. He was whipped with 39 lashes. He said it's five different times.
Speaker 1:Paul said I endured sleepless nights. I was thirsty. I was beaten with rods three different times. I was pounded with stones. I was shipped wrecked three times. I was hungry. I was adrift at sea. One day, one night, I was endangered by robbers, by Gentiles, people that are not even my own, his own people as well.
Speaker 1:And yet, within our opening verse, paul then says all of these afflictions, they were brief, they were light because truly they pale in comparison to Paul's eternal hope of being with Christ forever and receiving his reward from him and him alone. And I think that's very powerful for us to consider because, if we're honest, our situations pale in comparison to Paul's and maybe even Christians around the world that are persecuted like Paul was daily. Ours pale in comparison, but through it all, paul still kept his afflictions in eternal perspective and he never expected rewards for his work from others. He just stayed focused. And Paul's focus caused his historical, time-based work to stand the test of eternal things that God judges us for we will incur that same judgment and we will either gain rewards or suffer loss for the same.
Speaker 1:And so now, as we begin our transition from the text to apply to our lives, let's challenge ourselves with this initial transition thought. Could it be that the works that we see, the works that we strive for, ie attention, desired credit for our work or our talent, we want reward, we want acceptance from others. I want to be in that frat, I want to be in that club, I want my peers to like me, I want the award, I want the applause. Do we consider with wrong motive or intent the stuff that we deem so important, the works that we want others to see or recognize they will have no eternal significance but that which we do not see, that that we do not receive attention or notoriety for, we don't receive a well done, we don't receive a promotion or we don't get credit for? Could it be that those are the works? What pure motives and intent? Those will be eternal things that God will say well done for.
Speaker 1:So let's jump right into our application points of the sermon this week. Point number one I want us to think about we must consider what God has given each of us to use in time. That's very important because we only have one life to live. We only have a certain amount of years, hours, minutes, seconds to do what God has put us here to do. And so our challenge, within our first application point considering what God has given each one of us to use in time here's a thought that I want you to think about. Does the works, does the efforts in our lives, do they contribute to the glory or the story of God?
Speaker 1:The goal of our lives God has loaned each one of us is this it is to glorify Him by pointing all to Him through Jesus alone, by way of the following that he has loaned each one of us. All of us have time. He's given those of us that some might be better than others at certain things, but all of us, we have time. All of us, we've been given resources. Some have favor, some have influence, and if you are a Christian, you have at least one spiritual gift. There is a gift, spiritually, between a gift and a talent, but still, if you are a Christian, you have one spiritual gift. Again, resources favor a skill or a talent. These are all what God will hold us accountable for, because we are entrusted with these again to point others to Him. But let's think about this, let's be honest right here Each one of these, if we allow them to, they can also become our distraction, our diversion or our detriment as well.
Speaker 1:And Paul encouraged us to look forward into the future, to eternal things. And here's something that I had to eat. The minister had. I have to eat the message first before I minister it. God knows what draws away from Him, and this could be the very reason that he would hold certain things from each one of us. It is because it's for our good. Every good thing comes from our Father above. So guess what If we don't have it? Could it be that it's just not good for us? God knows what would draw us away from Him, cause us to stumble so many times, cause us to fail and maybe even fall away, like Solomon did. So God wants us to desire Him more than anything or anyone that he can give us. And I'm just going to be honest. You know I had to eat this message first. Lord, are you ever going to give me a building? And it just seems like God says am I enough? And that's what we have to ask ourselves why isn't God enough, because it's good to expect the next miracle, the next wonder that God will work on our lives bigger and better. They are coming there on the way. I get all of that, but when is God enough? It is so easy for us to yearn for what somebody else has or what they can do. That's when jealousy will creep in, that's when we become discontented. We can get resentful, and we can sometimes. It just seems like we're never satisfied with how God has stationed or bestowed upon or withheld for our good.
Speaker 1:As John the Baptist, I want to reference him real quick because he's working within his ministry. You know, he's doing his thing, what he was put here to do, to tell about Jesus on the way. And so let's reference John 3 and verses 27 through 29, because John the Baptist's disciples as John is just doing what he was put here to do he's crying aloud, he's sparing, not, he's telling of the forthcoming Savior. And now John's disciples, they notice Jesus's impact as Jesus finally arrives on the scene to start his ministry. But guess what? They are not happy about it. They're like John, this Jesus is here, and now that he's here, he's stealing all your glory. It seems like all of the people now are leaving you. They're going over to him. What do you say about that? This is just not right. John's reply was very poignant A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. I mean, that means favor, that means impact, that means ministry. John didn't get upset, he just said a man can receive nothing unless God has given it to him.
Speaker 1:Moses learned this same lesson as well in the book of Exodus, chapter 4. And Moses saying I can't do this, they're not going to listen to me, I'm weak here, I can't do it. God then instructed him to just hey, use what you have, what I've given you. What do you have in your hands? And there was a staff in Moses' hand that God used mightily through Moses. Here's another challenge what do you have to use that? You know God gave to you and he tailor made it for you to do, and it's kind of effortless, but it's supposed to be for his glory and his story. My mom she loves to cook. That's definitely one of her talents and she will entertain the world if it just means cooking. My wife, she can sing. God has given me the gift of teaching the gospel. What do you have to use that you know God gave to you and tailor made it for you to use for his glory and his story, because we will be held accountable for it. Whatever we have, that's good enough for God to use for his story and his glory. That's if we get ourselves, our doubts, our selfishness, our egos, our will, if we can get us out of the way, god can use our lives for his story and his glory.
Speaker 1:Let's jump into application point number two of the messages this week. Number two is we must embrace obscurity and not fitting in with this world. God must be enough for us. I'll repeat that again Embrace obscurity, not being known and not fitting in with this world. God has to be enough for us.
Speaker 1:In the book of John, chapter 15, verses 18 through 20. Jesus warned If the world hates, you know that it hated me before, it hated you. If you were up, the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore, the world, non-believers, the lost anti-Christians, they will hate you. Truth be told, let's just keep it a hunt, like my high school teachers will, like my kids say Mr Ingram, let's keep it a buck. Let's keep it a hundred. Let's be honest.
Speaker 1:We often desire to belong, to be accepted, to fit in, to be approved, to be loved by people, but God must be enough. Earlier, I referenced John the Baptist clarifying his eternal work by saying and this is what John says Jesus, he must increase, and I my work of being the forerunner, baptizing, prior to Jesus getting on the scene. I, in my work, I must now decrease. We must, as will, just like John, we must, embrace the background right about now. Our job, our goal, and whatever God entrusted us, whatever gift or talent that we have, our goal should be to make Jesus' name known more than our own. That's another challenge to think about. Do I try to make Jesus' name known more than my own? As for me, my and I do we me, my and I do we seek the background? Am I placing the spotlight of my life, my words, my actions and my works? Do I place it on Jesus? And if I never know fame, wealth, good health, if nobody knows my name, if I'm never accepted in this group or whatever, is having God enough for us? If I don't get that new house, if I don't get that new car, my vision, if that's never fulfilled my dream. If somebody didn't get healed, am I content? Is God enough for me?
Speaker 1:Let's see what Timothy has to say about this concept in 1 Timothy, chapter 6. And I'll start with verse 6. The verse reads Timothy says but godliness with contentment is great gain. And he started that verse 6 with but, because the prior verses were talking about you had people literally thinking that if I got a lot, if I get a lot, oh, this is godly. It had to be not everything that we get as godly. If it's a good thing, it comes from God. And so Timothy had to Craig, hey, don't make the mistake of thinking all that you get, blessing, blessing, blessing it has to be physical, and if it did, oh, that's God. No, he says verse 6, godliness with contentment. You might not have all of that stuff, but as long as you got God, that should be enough, that's great gain. Verse 7, for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food, if we have clothing, we will be content with that.
Speaker 1:Timothy says people who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. And that verse is kind of stunning. The love of money the Bible says the heart is wicked, is deceitful. Above all things, nobody can know it. There's no God's words and God's eyes. Without him we will do say go be, we are filthy, we are sin personified, and all a lot of money does sometimes is just allow you to be whatever we are. That's just stunning. And so he literally says it's the root, the love of it. It pierces our faith if we are not careful. And so Timothy again basically warns that gain is not necessarily godliness.
Speaker 1:So here's another challenging thought why are we so discontented if we possess God? Yet I think I know the answer. Sometimes he's still not enough, and again I'm so guilty, I'm like Lord, please forgive me, we're just inundated sometimes with. God is going to do bigger, he's going to do better. My next miracle, the best, is yet to come.
Speaker 1:But news flash, god is not left over chopped liver. Why isn't he enough, as he keeps us during the time that we live here on this planet? And I believe Jesus answers this question, because even he struggled momentarily in the Garden of Gethsemane with warning his way, but ultimately he submitted to what God wanted for us, which is salvation for humanity. Jesus said not my will, lord, I wish I could do this some kind of other way. Is there another way? He literally prayed so hard, his pores poured out blood, but eventually he got to the point. He said not my will, lord, but dying be done, father, god.
Speaker 1:Think about this for a second. God isn't enough many times, because we desire our will, we desire our way and we want God to cosine. Yes, on every desire, every request, every dream, every plan or vision. But Timothy reminds us, godliness with contentment is great gain. Contentment just simply defined as God you are enough, no matter who or what I have or don't have. So here's another challenge. Maybe you've lost something or someone recently that you deemed crucial to your existence, but now that they or it are gone, is God enough for you? And this in every moment, even when nobody seems to know our name. They seem to have forgotten us, they don't know anything about our gift, they don't recognize our heart, they will not give us credit for our talent or effort, might not even come to the hospital to see us. Is God enough? I'm going to close because if God has to become enough for us, let's now start to understand our final application, point number three of the message. And point number three is we cannot have a relationship with God without Jesus.
Speaker 1:The Christ Acts four and 12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved, and that is saved from our sins and God's forthcoming wrath upon those that reject his gracious offer. First Timothy two and five God wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man the man, christ, jesus. And Jesus is act on the cross. That cross may as well be on a bridge. God is on one side, we're on the other, and the cross of Jesus Christ is the only way that we will be able to cross over safely.
Speaker 1:Jesus says this to John in John 14 and 6. Jesus says to Thomas I am the way, thomas, I'm the truth and I am the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. This fact, it is non-negotiable. God demands it. Our works mean nothing to God Without Jesus securing our relationship with Him, because eternal fellowship with the one and only Creator of this universe, it is the most important eternal thing that we can possess. So, as we conclude this week's message, eternal things.
Speaker 1:If you are watching this broadcast or listening to the podcast, it is not by accident or mistake. Jesus right now is offering if you have yet to accept Him as the sole Savior of humanity, he is offering you an opportunity to have an eternal place with God, so that your life in the here and now can start having an everlasting impact, ie producing eternal things that will matter in eternity. Maybe you are already a Christian and maybe our focus simply needs to be realigned. Stir up the gifts that we've already been given by Holy Spirit. Who decides who has or who can do whatever? Let's check our motives and intent in all that we do working unto God, not people, rededicating ourselves to take hold of the fact that God is enough, even if I don't have whatever or whoever in this life.
Speaker 1:Let's close in prayer with an invitation to knowing God personally and all we have to do is just follow me, just pray this simple prayer with me. A Lord, I acknowledge that I am in need of you because of my life of sin. I cannot work for salvation Jesus did that but I can come to you and say I am in need of Jesus before your wrath comes. Secondly, lord, I believe that what Jesus did for me, that is enough. His work grants me salvation. And now, finally, I will confess with my mouth that I belong to you, you belong to me, and your spirit now has come into my heart to empower me to do the works that you have put me on earth to do. And, with all that being said, I now am a part of God's family. I thank you, jesus. Angels are celebrating. Let's close that together by just saying it is so or amen.
Speaker 1:Well, that's my time again for this week's message, Eternal Things. And again I want to thank our listeners and our viewers. You can download our video on demand app, words of Life. It's at Roku, it's at Amazon, it's at Google Play, anywhere that you prefer to get your digital content or app. It is free. And also, after this ministry airs normally, my wife's ministry airs biblical thoughts. If you haven't caught any of those, you can backtrack. You can watch it on the video demand app or you can download. My producer is rushing me. You can download the podcast anywhere that you get your digital content as well, and her show as well. It is free. I'm getting out of here with our song of the week, and it is entitled number our days, because the truth is they are numbered as eternity approaches for all. We thank you again, we love you, we will see you again. Same time, same broadcast, same podcast, same pastor and definitely the same word of life, god's word. We thank you, we love you, we'll see you next week, god bless.
Speaker 3:Oh, relative of life. I'm in the dark bound, but today holds. Been thinking bout tonight. But the day has yet to unfold. I'm like a car that's right on view. I'm like the dew that's gone by noon. So, as the flowers finally fade and the time keeps slipping away, when my hair keeps turning gray, help me number my pace. I've seen the breath of winter's cold. I've watched my baby girls get grown To feel the waves of summers heat. Every season reminds me I'm like the grass that used to stand proud.
Speaker 3:I'm like the plane that's going through a cloud. So, as the flowers finally fade and the time keeps slipping away, when my hair keeps turning gray, help me number my days. See, all of us are in line. So help me to number my day. There is no in this life. There's no rewind, so teach me to number my flowers finally fade and the time keeps slipping away. When my hair keeps turning gray, help me number my days. Flowers finally fade and the time keeps slipping away. When my hair keeps turning gray, help me number my days. All of us are in line, so help me to number my day. There is no in this life. There's no rewind, so teach me to number my day. All of us are in line, so help me to number my day. There is no in this life. There's no rewind, so teach me to number my day. There is no rewind.
Speaker 4:So teach me to number my days. There is no rewind, so teach me to number my days Now. Add the channel within your television app or portable device. Simply click on our Words of Life logo to access available content. You can also view sermons from the Legacy Ministry of Pastor Mack Earl Ingram Sr. The Words of Life video on demand channel allowing us to extol Jesus Christ as the soul means of hope for the eternal souls of humanity, now available for free at the touch of your finger. We look forward to you joining us soon.