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[0:00] Let's go to Hebrews chapter 3. Hebrews chapter 3 verse 14.

[0:12] For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

[0:40] In verse 10 verse 35 says, Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward for you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise.

[0:57] So, that's all hard to understand. Let me just say this confidence in both of these scriptures is the bold and unwavering trust in Jesus and our callings that we have.

[1:13] They're all called. And the hope of the great eternal reward that He's promised for us. It says that you might receive the promise. We know that with that it's eternal life.

[1:25] He's planned for it. He said that I'm going to go away. And if I go away, He's going to prepare a place for us. That's what He's doing right now.

[1:36] There's a lot of reasons why when you get the Holy Ghost that you don't instantly get transformed and transfigured into heaven is because that there's certain things that God has, that He's organizing and planning and it's all in God's timing.

[1:50] But we have a reason to be here right now and on this earth. We have a reason to be here and He has a reason to be where He is. He's preparing a place for us. Amen. So do not throw away your confidence.

[2:03] That's our faith. It says patience is needed. That's what it, patience, it means endurance is needed to receive the promise after fulfilling God's will and calling.

[2:16] You're not going to receive a promise if you don't fulfill God's will and calling. So we have to do that. We have to do that. But in order to do that, we have to hold to the beginning of our confidence.

[2:28] We have to have our, maintain the confidence, our faith and our calling that God has called us to do with patience and endurance and to the end.

[2:39] And so today, I just want to talk to us a little bit about one more time. One more time. Let's pray. King Jesus, I thank you, God, for your word. I pray, Lord, it penetrates us.

[2:49] I pray that it's received by every heart. God, give us the ears to hear it, the spiritual ears to hear it and understand it. And God, I pray, Lord, that it has free course into our spirits, Lord.

[3:01] And God, I pray, God, that there would be great things that come from your word. God, that it ministers to us that we find you in your word today and that we get strength, God, to continue on.

[3:13] In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. I read a story recently of a man who was desperately seeking a job.

[3:26] He had been struggling for years with financial hardships, unable to secure decent employment.

[3:37] if you're not a man of a household or the primary provider for your family, you wouldn't really be able to understand the internal pressures and the trauma that would be within this man that's responsible for so many things.

[3:57] And this provider had great education, great plans to do something great with his life and be a great provider.

[4:08] But he was going month after month and year after year not able to secure the real employment that he needed and desired and aimed for.

[4:19] And I don't know all the details, but after years of struggling to obtain what he wanted, the man reportedly gave up and took his own life.

[4:29] He endured financial hardship and employment rejection for years and he ultimately gave up and took his own life.

[4:40] And it was just a few days after this that his family received a letter addressed to him confirming he had passed a crucial interview and had landed the job that he wanted for a long, long time.

[4:53] It's a tragic and sad story of someone giving up just a few days too soon. Giving up right before what they desperately needed came to pass.

[5:05] It's not the first time I've heard something like this, a story like that. I've heard other stories similar before and it's a tragic thing when you have somehow the understanding that if they would have just held on a little longer, if they would have just went one more day, if they would have just went one more year, whatever it may be, that what they were seeking, what they were praying for, whatever it was, would be delivered to them but they quit too soon.

[5:35] That story got me thinking about things and putting things in perspective. See, we all have specific things that we want and desire for in our lives, certain expectations of life.

[5:47] we all have version of our own story that we want to see happen. We all have goals. We all have ambitions. We have we all have our sights set on certain things, certain targets and planning is a good thing.

[6:05] Nothing of real value is going to come without planning. We can have our education paths planned out. We can have our career paths planned out. We can have our marriages and finances all planned out.

[6:19] We have all these ideas about where we want to be by certain points in our lives but we all have to come to a point of reckoning at some time in our lives.

[6:31] We will come to a place to where we compare the difference between what my goal and target is in life to where I and where I expected to be right now versus where I am and then we start to measure.

[6:45] We measure the distance, the gap between where we thought we'd be, where I expected I'd be to where I actually am and when we have that reality check and that real conversation with ourselves about what I desire versus what I have or where I am we'll more often than not come away from that conversation with ourselves disappointed.

[7:12] Then we have to decide do I keep going and fight for and work for what I have desired to obtain or is it something that's too far out of reach now that there is no hope and so I should so should I resign and give up on my dream and my desires in life and that's a question that we have to answer.

[7:34] This is what we we see happen in the story after a story where people not able to handle that gap between where they thought they would be to where they are now and looking at what it would take still to get to where they want to be they have no hope.

[7:53] I don't know about you but I haven't accomplished all the things I want to accomplish yet. Maybe you have but I haven't achieved the salary that I would like to be making.

[8:05] I haven't put enough in my 401k that I'd like to have. I don't live in the house I want to live in forever. I don't drive the car that I would like to be driving.

[8:17] In general my life has not turned out like I've at times past dreamed and wanted for it to turn out. And when I compare where I am in those areas of my life compared to where I expected to be by now and then look at where I'd want to be in so many years it doesn't look very hopeful and that can be depressing.

[8:43] And so far I've only mentioned temporal things of life that really don't even matter. I haven't even gotten into the eternal things and it is the eternal things of God's kingdom that are all that really matter.

[8:58] The calling of God on my life the work I do for the kingdom of God that's the only thing that's going to last this is the only thing that matters. Where I am now in this church planting to where I want to be and I look at that gap between the desires within and the dream and the promise set before me and the reality of where I actually am and what it actually is and that gap is wide.

[9:22] When people come face to face with the gap between where they are and where they expected to be more times than not there is a real pressure there.

[9:32] there is a real internal trauma and if we aren't careful if we let that pressure get to us we could find ourselves lost and feeling hopeless and even want to quit on our calling and purpose in God's kingdom.

[9:48] We look at our current situations and our current environments and our current conditions and when we look at how it has been for so long and we start to get in our minds nothing's going to change nothing's going to happen I'm just going to give up and that is what happened to the man that took his life after years of not being able to obtain the job he wanted and having to endure so much financial burden but I'm here to tell us today we have to hold on strongly to the beginning of our confidence and don't let go of our calling and don't slow down or stop serving until the end God is on time he's an on time God and it may not appear when we think it should appear but it will appear in God's timing let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not amen near the sheep gate and market in Jerusalem there was a pool of water there it was called the pool of Bethesda because it had five roof coverings around it this wasn't a luxury spa besides the fact that there are livestock nearby and all that goes with that under these five roof coverings surrounding the pool of water were masses of people that had many serious issues some were sick others blind many paralyzed and disabled people and the

[11:29] Bible says that they were waiting for the waters of the pool to move and be troubled the Bible says that an angel would come down at certain times into the pool and would trouble the water and cause the water to move and whoever would get into the water first after the water was troubled by the angel would be healed of their infirmity and the Bible says that for 38 years there was a man that was crippled and would come to the pool and for 38 years year after year he would come but would not be able to get in the water first after the angel troubled it never he never got his healing by the troubling of the water and why did he keep coming year after year I mean if he's there for 38 years when this story picks up in the Bible that means he's come 37 previous years with no success why did he keep coming because when

[12:36] Jesus spoke with him the man knew exactly how it worked and exactly what would happen and that he would not be able to be healed and John chapter 5 verse 6 and 7 says when Jesus saw him live and knew that he had been now a long time in that case he saith unto him wilt thou be made whole the impotent man answered him sir I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while I'm coming another steppeth down before me for 38 years he was he was never healed and he came year after year he was there again he could tell you exactly what was going to happen he knew he knew exactly what would happen the water is going to move I'm going to try to get in somebody else is going to beat me to it and this happens year after year and it always ended the same and based on what he tells

[13:39] Jesus it makes me wonder why why did he keep coming if you know you can't get in before someone else and you know you're not going to get a healing why did you keep coming it it has been happening this way for so long so why why did he why does he keep coming back knowing exactly what's going to happen he already knows what's going to happen he doesn't expect to be helped by anyone else he he doesn't expect to be healed it is like he has just accepted his conditions that he's in the man has accepted that this is just going to be his permanent condition but he kept coming and kept coming and kept coming but this day was different because Jesus also came to the pool of Bethesda and you have to picture this and get it in your spirit today there was a multitude of sick people the

[14:41] Bible says they're all surrounding the pool waiting and watching for the moment to try to be the first one in and here comes Jesus maneuvering his way around and over all these people until he's with the specific man that he was looking for the man that has no hope they've never met each other Jesus had never met him before he had never met Jesus before we know this because later when he was asked how were you made whole he didn't know exactly who who it was when they asked him why were you why are you carrying your bed it's the Sabbath why are you carrying your bed you're not supposed to do work on the Sabbath why are you carrying the bed that you would lay in they they didn't even care that he got healed actually they were more concerned about why he was carrying his bed and he couldn't even tell them said the man that healed me told me to!

[15:49] was with the specific one he wanted to be with and Jesus talks to him and asks him will thou be made whole to that man by the pool Bethesda all the experience he had all the facts he knew presented a situation that would indicate to him that he would never be healed 37 38 years is a long time 38 years is longer than some of you have been alive coming and leaving without your miracle and at first it would seem that his answer to Jesus showed a lack of faith I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is troubled and while I try to get in someone else gets in before me at first if you read it quickly you might see a lack of faith but really he's just telling Jesus the situation that happened that happens year after year here's what

[16:55] I see I don't see a lack of! I see tremendous faith and the greatest indicator of faith is that he is at the pool again he's at the pool again despite 37 previous years of failures he came back to the pool in year 38 and tried to be healed time and time again everyone stepped!

[17:20] in before he could time and time again he never got healed but sometime! that day he said to himself I'm gonna go to the pool Bethesda one more time one more time I'm going to the pool of Bethesda 38 years of the same thing and the conditions all look the same the environment all looks the same everything looks the same but he is not in the state of giving up he kept his confidence I don't care what the conditions are I don't care what the facts say I don't care what happened the last 38 years I'm going to go one more time because of this one more time attitude his day of deliverance came and it wasn't by getting in the pool it was because he had an encounter with Jesus and Jesus said take up your bed and walk and the Bible says immediately the man was made whole after 38 years of the same conditions the same expectations the results why but be the same when it happens it will be the day that looks like any other day but that's the day of the meeting with

[19:03] Jesus just have faith one more time just pray one more time just make your make it to church one more time just fast one more time because that day that man that went to the pool it looked like any other day it looked like all the other days and he went at all the other times there was nothing that would indicate that there was going to be anything different any different results than what he had experienced every other time in the past but he made up his mind I'm going to go one more time and on that day Jesus showed up and there may be may not be anything that would look like to you that there will be any difference for you today but you came to church one more time and Jesus could meet you today right at your point of need just because the situation looks the same the environment is still the same Jesus is not confined to that Jesus can come walking on the storm of your life Jesus can make a way when there is no way

[20:04] Jesus could come walking in and around the crowd to get to you today amen just keep your eyes on him and get your eyes off the circumstances get your eyes off of the environment get your eyes off of the conditions and the past experiences and get your eyes on him amen keep your faith he can navigate through all the chaos and get to right where you are amen have faith one more time come to church one more do your devotions just one more time come to an altar amen and reach out for God amen let's all stand when we evaluate and take inventory amen we may realize that the gap between where we have hope to be and where we are and what we're going through seems so far and wide it may seem dire and hopeless to obtain what it is that we hope for in the Lord nothing nothing may seem different or feel different it may be and look like it has been for a long time it could seem like there's no way to predict a better day ahead but don't give up just be faithful one more time and that's the message that

[21:28] God has given me to share with us and it's for me and it's for you it's for all of us! because in life and ministries and anything and everything but don't give up be faithful one more time 2nd Corinthians 4 and 16 through 18 says for which cause we faint not but through our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment work for us as far more exceeding in eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal the gap between where we want to be in God and where we are cannot cause us to quit now we have to keep going one more time to the place we know a miracle can happen don't throw away your confidence now patience is needed endurance is needed to receive your promise amen amen

[22:30]  Hebrews 4 and 16 says let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in time of need amen so what I time