Until The End
Notes
Transcript
Labor of Love
Labor of Love
We all work, we all apply ourselves at something. It may be in construction, or retail, or even a hobby, we all put effort into things in life. Not every job I had was enjoyable, and most of them I had were hard work. Waking up early in morning or physically demanding jobs seemed to be the norm for me. One has to ask, is there a job out there where you don’t do anything?
Well you might look into becoming a professional Sleeper! Yes you heard me correctly, Professional Sleeper
Do you often have trouble waking up in the morning? Are you constantly hitting the snooze button on your alarm? Do you wish that sleeping could be a job? Well, it can!
That’s right; you can get paid to sleep!
A professional sleeper tests mattresses and sleeping aids or participates in scientific research on sleep for a living. A professional sleeper gets paid to give their opinion on sleeping products or participate in sleep studies for money.
Professional bed testers may be asked to test the following:
mattresses quilts, pillows, sleep aids, such as room lighting and noise machines, hotel rooms to be a luxury bed tester , sleeping pills for medical trials participate in experiments and projects
You will need to have:
The ability to fall asleep in different surroundings, usually away from home. The ability to sleep knowing people are watching you, No problem with sleeping with wires or machines attached to you for detailed reports, The ability to detail your sleep quality in a report, The ability to write interesting reports about your sleep. Good sleep habits, The ability to make quality observations, Good organizational skills, Good communication skills, Good health and fitness levels, and They average about 15,000 dollars a year. Ok well maybe that job isn’t the one for you.
It seems like it all goes back to the wisdom that God has,
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Actually the most fulfilling experiences in my life have been hard work. If it costs you nothing, was it worth anything? And how much more was it worth when you gave it all? The most fulfilling type of labor is described in the bible as labor of love.
Our Text Hebrews 6:9–12 (NKJV)
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
World famous scientist J. Craig Venter (a.k.a., the first person to sequence the human genome) says, “So many people get pushed along in the ‘system,’ and because they don’t really know what they want to do, they practically let their careers be chosen for them. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, it’s hard to be successful at it. You can show up and do what’s required, and you can even do your job well, but that’s not where real success is going to come from. Success comes from doing something extraordinary with passion and intensity.” https://www.themuse.com/advice/i-interviewed-the-most-successful-people-aliveheres-what-they-all-have-in-common.
You can really tell when someone loves what they do. And you know what , God does too. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everything about our involvement in church was from love. I recognize that we are human we have ups and downs, we have frailties we have shortcomings. I also stand here and realize not everything I have done for God has been from Love. Not everything I do for the church is from Love. Not everything I have done for others has been from love.
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
What does it mean to Love God with all your Heart, Soul, and Mind? That means with all of your being, your will, your judgment, your person. God Says the greatest commandment is that you Love Him with your all. Now the word of God is a great mirror that stands unshaken and unbroken. The one who is shaken and broken is the one who gazes into it. The cracks that we see in it are not glass, but the fractures we see are our fractures in our own Soul.
Friend we all fractured, we are all shaken, and there has been none who can say that we love God with all our Heart, Soul, and Mind...... Except one. Jesus Christ in all his life has been in perfect unity with the Father. Hes the one who it could be said that even in the thick of temptation,
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Jesus loved God even unto Death, saying Not what I want to be done, Instead I will do whatever your will is. Labor of love is not always glorious, Sometimes it is downright repulsive, but friend Why do you work? Your work shows what you value, what you are willing to pay or work for. And actually you can see that even though Christ gives himself freely to anyone who will call upon him for salvation, His Giving himself was not Cheap. It was hard work, it required everything he had to be given, it was Costly! He GAVE ALL. not some He gave Completely not Partially.
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
and Though his death was horrible, it was repulsive, it was that which is Most disturbing, unfathomable AGONY. Beloved, it was his love for you and I that Kept him on the cross. His labor of love, has become the greatest story of all time, and you and I have a part in this great story. And where we fall short in Loving God and others, Jesus bridges the gap, and is our advocate, hes our help, hes our everthing we were not. Lay the past aside and take every opportunity from here on out to enter into Labor of love.
Our Text Hebrews 6:9–12 (NKJV)
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
And because of him, now we have an opportunity to take part in better things, that accompany salvation. and Enter into the labor of love that God has always wanted for you and I. God will not forget the labor of love you show towards his name. Loving people and doing Gods will is Labor of love.
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Even getting a glass of water for another, God says I wont forget that. These are the better things Paul is talking about, that once you get saved, God has some things to say about loving people and doing his will.
Until The End
Until The End
Laboring in love is not without purpose, For God knows the things he has for us in the end. There is an endgoal.
In construction, there is a great deal of planning, from site surveys to drawings to schematics. Breaking ground isnt even the first step, it must get approved. then after the ground is broken, a foundation is layed. and then the Structure is framed, and then the electricians and other trades come in to fit the structure with systems.
36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
The foundation is an important part of the structure, without it nothing would stand. But just as important as the foundation is the process that comes after. a foundation by itself is nothing really to be amazed by, and naturally some questions would arise from the sight of a foundation left by itself.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
Jesus is talking about the cost of discipleship, that we must lay down our lives to finish. and how we die to ourselves but another structure is born. but the lesson here is that we must finish the work, unless we become and example of what happens when we start but not finish. The foundation has been laid and that foundation is Christ. and when we get saved we begin to follow Christ in labor of love. For he labored hard for us to make the foundation. Now we have the chance to Labor together to completion.
Our Text Hebrews 6:9–12 (NKJV)
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
We must lay hold of the full assurance of hope, where we say to ourselves I know that the hope and joy and fruit of my labors is assured if i continue to the end. When we look back at the end and we see what we were involved with.
So How do we Finish well?
First we must Rest in Jesus, because if you try to work round the clock you will tire. you may even quit and say it is too much. You need Christ. Jesus said Take my yoke upon you. Meaning You are to be yoked up with him and that if you rest in him, the work will not overtake you, because he is there with you.
Second, We must get back up if we fall. There is a great comfort in knowing you can go to Jesus if you have fallen. You can put his yoke back upon you.
And you must have Faith, actively laboring in love and fixing your eyes upon Jesus. You must believe and trust that Jesus will get you through it. That he will get you to the finish line, because on your own you wont make it.
Finishing well is a theme in the Bible, and can be found throughout. Job was restored at the end of his life, King David we all know was not perfect but got it right in the end. Joseph continued in Faith until the end even his dying wish shows he believed God. Stephen Knowing full well that the same preaching of the prophets ended up killing them, and he marches into the middle of the pharisees and preaches that their fathers murdered the prophets. In turn the Pharisees took stones and murdered Stephen, Stephen finished well.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
One of the greatest joys of building a house is looking at it when it is all finished. We can surely say that it was worth it, all the diligence and hard work. all the times I just wanted to lay in bed on Sunday morning, but kept diligence to be faithful in the labor of love. I guarantee you that Stephen does not regret finishing well. The bible says that Jesus was standing at the sight of Stephen preaching to them. Friend I dont care what you are doing, it could be getting martyred or just making food for a bible study, you will not regret laboring in love.
Inherit the promises
Inherit the promises
Our Text Hebrews 6:9–12 (NKJV)
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
There are promises from God to those who keep until the end, promises that the saints in the past strived for. Hebrews 11 is called by many the great chapter of Faith. There is a promise with your name on it, and it will be worth all the hard work you put in to reach it.
We must not become sluggish, we must be diligent and push on.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul knew of the promise that was for him, he pressed toward that promise. Paul knew the trials and difficulties that he faced. How he would need to go to Rome and Preach the gospel to kings even if it would cost his life, he could say, I finished the race
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Paul was mocked ridiculed, stoned and persecuted. He is later imprisoned to be taken to be judged in front of Kings. The ship he was on fell shipwreck, barely escapes with his life, lands on an island. Gets bit by a venemous serpent and then shakes it off decides it is a great time to start a healing revival on the Island. And ultimately tradition holds that he was martyred. Friend that High Calling of God, the Crown of righteousness, The everlasting life, the freedom from temptation, the peace of mind for all eternity. and Finally Eternal relationship with Jesus. The one who could also say it is Finished.
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
THe joy set before him, he endured the cross.
What is your Promise God has set apart just for you in Heaven?
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
The Joy that is set before you is unending, what seems like a lifetime now will be a small matter in heaven if we just continue, laboring in love. and one day, we will look back and say it was all worth it