Until the Trumpet Sounds

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Service Intro:

Tonight we’re wrapping up our Not Finished Yet series — a journey reminding us that no matter your age, struggle, or season, God still has purpose for you.

We've seen that you're not forgotten… there's still land to take… and even when you're running wounded, you're not disqualified.

And today, we close with a message called “Until the Trumpet Sounds” — a call to stay faithful, fruitful, and full of hope until the very end.

Let’s worship and hear what God has for us — because your story’s not over yet.

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Opening Prayer

Opening Song

Kids Time

Oliver, Charlotte, and Elliot.

Hey kids!

Have you ever hand made something yourself? Like a craft and you made it just how you wanted it?

Douglas is going to share with us today a story about something he made and how it relates with God making us.

Have a great day!

Sermon

Illustration - Food Lion

I helped a woman with getting her grocery items from her electric cart basket so she wouldn’t have to get up.

She was on oxygen.

It was due to her bout with Covid, she had almost died.

“The Lord isn’t finished with me yet.”

This has been the idea behind our series, “Not Finished Yet.”

No matter our circumstances, health, or age, until the Lord calls us home, we are not finished with our Kingdom work on the earth yet.

How fitting it is that today’s message is titled, “Until the Trumpet Sounds.”

Some of us may be tired of the struggle of life. Tired of our anxiety, our depression, our sickness, and our loneliness, and we may think or even say out loud, “I can’t wait for Him to call me home.”

Maybe your mindset, as we spoke in an earlier message, is that you’re simply going to “settle” for the life you have instead of working toward the life, “the land,” that He still has in mind for you to take.

It is as I’ve said many a time before:

Not Finished Yet – Week 4: "Until the Trumpet Sounds"

Texts: Philippians 1:20-26; Revelation 2:10

Big Idea:

As long as we have breath, we have purpose. Our lives are not just about survival or waiting for heaven, but about fruitful labor for Christ — right up until the trumpet sounds.

With this idea for today in mind, we’re going to dive into Paul’s hope and expectation found in Philippians 1:20-26

Philippians 1:20–26 ESV

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

1. Living with Eager Expectation

Philippians 1:20 – "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death."

Paul lived with anticipation, not apathy.

Apathy:

behavior that shows no interest or energy and shows that someone is unwilling to take action, especially over something important (Cambridge Dictionary)

The apathetic may lack a sense of purpose, worth, or meaning in their life. (Wikipedia)

How many of you battle with these things in your mind: purpose, worth, or meaning, due to your situation?

There were many times in Paul’s life that he could have given up…

Due to his continued Kingdom work, he knew that when his time came, he would not be ashamed of how he lived his life in whatever circumstances he found himself.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Two: Pioneers Wanted (Philippians 1:12–26)

Because of Paul’s chains, Christ was known (

He was in prison yet we see his deepest desire was that Christ would be honored in his body, in his circumstances — in life or death.

This mindset changes how we handle suffering, aging, uncertainty. No matter the struggle, he was ready to keep doing the work given to Him for the glorification of Christ.

Like Paul, when you expect God to move through you, you start looking for ways to honor Him daily.

2. Life Means Purpose, Death Means Gain

Philippians 1:21 – "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

In the Bible we see others who had actually prayed that God would take them out of the world.

Elijah, Moses, Jonah, Job, and even the prophet Jeremiah.

Sometimes our struggle in life can make us feel as though it would be better off to not be alive...

However, as Christians, followers of Christ, seeking to live our lives obediently to Him, we shall continue to live as His servants with an eye on the eternal priorities.

Paul wasn’t suicidal or careless; he just had a clear view of eternal priorities.

To live = fruitful labor.

To be His witnesses to the end of the age, in all that we do.

To die = being with Christ.

Paul wasn’t look to die as escape, but instead was about living fearlessly in the face of persecution.

He was OK with dying, and lived with the hope of one day being with Christ, the same as we shall live. However, he continued to fight the fight, to live the life of faith as God commands we all do.

Encouragement:

If you’re still here, your life still matters to God. There is still fruit to bear, people to bless, truth to share, and land to take.

3. Fruitful Labor Until the End

Philippians 1:22–25 “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,”

Paul saw his continued life, even with his persecutions and troubles, not as a burden but an opportunity for fruitful work.

He was able to glorify the Lord in how he lived and responded to his circumstances.

He believed his presence brought joy and progress in others' faith.

Because He believed this… he didn’t despise his life and pray the Lord would take him out of it.

He leaned in deeper, knowing God was using his life for Kingdom work, even in hardship.

He did just that, writing this letter to encourage believers to press on.

Challenge:

Are you still investing in others' faith and joy? Your voice, your story, your prayers, your encouragement still carry weight. And it glorifies Jesus when you press through your circumstances to do His work.

Paul believed fruitful labor was worth it — even in prison. But Jesus Himself reminds us that faithfulness is the true finish line.

And we are encouraged in Revelation 2:10.

4. Be Faithful Until the Trumpet Sounds

Revelation 2:10 – "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

The call is not to be successful, strong, or impressive — but faithful.

Faithful is obedience. Faithful is continuing to run when you literally might not be able to walk. You continue to speak life and do good deeds form where you are and how you are.

The reward isn’t just heaven, but the crown of life for those who endure.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

That crown signifies the conqueror. The one that receives it is the one who overcame against all the odds.

Do you want the crown? Do you desire to be a victor in life? If so, then we must press on and strive on to do good works, to be fruitful, to remain faithful in the face of trials and circumstances.

In Christ, Paul says, we are more than conquerors, so let’s live like it. Don’t allow your temporary circumstances to cause you to step out of the race. Press on through that wall, and run. Run toward the prize set before us...

Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Reminder:

Faithfulness isn’t about perfection. It’s about continuing to trust, serve, and follow Jesus until He calls us home.

Closing Challenge:

Don’t count the days. Make the days count.

Don’t seek escape, seek to obey. Seek to win. Seek to live a life you aren’t ashamed of, by remaining faithful and diligent until the Trumpet blows.

Whether you have decades or days left, your life still carries Kingdom weight.

The world may count your life by achievements — but God counts it by faithfulness. Let’s be found faithful — until the trumpet sounds.

Closing Song - I Surrender

Closing Discussion

Download the Group Discussion Guide

Living with Eager Expectation

Paul writes about his "eager expectation and hope" that Christ will be honored in his body. What does it look like to honor Christ in our bodies—especially when our bodies are challenged by age, illness, or limitation?

The sermon mentioned that "apathy" is the opposite of living with expectation. Where do you see apathy creeping into your own life or the lives of believers around you? What causes this apathy?

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16–18

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

How does this passage complement Paul's perspective in Philippians? How might keeping an eternal perspective change our daily attitudes?

Life Means Purpose, Death Means Gain

Paul says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." What do you think he means by this paradox? How does this statement challenge our culture's views of life and death?

Have you ever struggled with the tension Paul describes—being torn between the desire to depart and be with Christ versus remaining to do ministry? How did you work through those feelings?

How might our perspective on suffering and difficulty change if we truly believed that "to live is Christ"?

Fruitful Labor Until the End

Paul saw his continued life as an opportunity for "fruitful labor." What specific opportunities for fruitful labor do you believe God has placed before you in this season of life?

The sermon mentioned that Paul believed "his presence brought joy and progress in others' faith." Who might be depending on your faithful presence and example right now?

Read John 15:1–8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

What does Jesus teach about bearing fruit? How does abiding in Christ lead to fruitfulness even when our circumstances are limiting?

Being Faithful Until the Trumpet Sounds

Revelation 2:10 calls us to "be faithful unto death." What does faithfulness look like in practical terms during different seasons of life?

The sermon emphasized that "God counts [our lives] by faithfulness" rather than achievements. How does this truth free us from worldly expectations and pressures?

If the trumpet sounded today, announcing Christ's return, what would you wish you had done differently? What's stopping you from making those changes now?

Application Question

What is one specific way you can live out "fruitful labor" this week, regardless of your circumstances or limitations?