We are now with you. We are now with you. We are now with you. Good evening.
This is Bishop Collins, House of Worship, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Thank you once again for allowing me to be in your home. I have got a word for you tonight for the believers. For those that say that we are followers of Jesus Christ.
I want to encourage you tonight that we are in difficult times, challenging times spiritually, and that it is time for us as authentic believers of Jesus Christ to step into the place that God has called us to step into. That Christ did not come and die on the cross and rescue us from the penalty of sin, which is hell, that we might live a quote unquote mediocre life. So the message tonight, that's sobering, that's challenging. The title of the message is a charge to keep a God to glorify.
The idea is simply this, that you and I, if we are authentic believers in Jesus Christ, authentic followers of Christ, that we have a call upon our lives that is bigger than taking care of our families and doing whatever it is that we think is good for us to do. There is a higher call on all of our lives that lends itself to bringing to Jesus Christ the maximum amount of glory. So I want to share this message with you tonight. I hope you find it to be a blessing.
I'm confident that you will. And I look forward to talking with you in just a few moments. I came to pick a fight today. How about you do me a favor to stand on your feet with me?
Let's go to 1 Timothy. I'm going to read out of King James Bible today. I just like that version better for today's scripture. 1 Timothy, chapter 6 beginning at verse 10, Paul, the apostle Paul talking to his son in the ministry, Timothy.
And this is a really very, very powerful scripture. We begin at verse 10. And this is what it says, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through many sorrow. But thou, but you, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life. We're unto thou art also called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge, or I charge you in the sight of God who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebucable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. For emphasis verse 13, I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, maybe seated in the house of God, charged to keep an assignment to fulfill, and a God to glorify that.
That ought to be my focus. That's what, that's what, what, what, in this letter that Paul writes to Timothy, his son of the minister, he's saying that there's a, that lives should have a focus about it. That we are not just here randomly, we're not here in happens chance, we're just not bumbling and stumbling our way through existence, but that there's a God who has ordained a purpose and a plan for you and I, no matter who we are, and that if we are really authentic, if we really are about what it is that we should be about, then we are about the purpose that God would have us to be about, and we are about glorifying the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, even our God, the God of all creation, is anybody in the house that can say amen. There's a couple of things today that the Holy Spirit wants to give you and me in the name of Jesus Christ, and then we can really position ourselves to fulfill our assignment and to glorify this God that came, that suffered, that bled that died on the cross, for your sins and for your mind.
The first thing that Paul says to Timothy here, he says here early in chapter 11, he says that there's some things that we ought to flee. There are some things that you and I ought to run from, and he says that, and that's what he throws up this idea that money is the root of all evil, or money is the root of all the money is the root of all sorts of evil, but the idea that Paul is floating to Timothy is this idea that there is a worldview, there is a world order, and there is a heaven view, there's a heaven order, amen? It's what he's saying here, that this idea of money, this idea of power, this idea of wealth, it's a world view, and that there are people who are chasing after money, that they have power, that they have power, that they may have the kudomans, if you will, that the world says it's successful, and he is saying to his son in the ministry of Timothy, he's saying run from all of that. Run from this insatiable desire to have what it is that the world tells us that when we have that, that we will be successful, to be careful of making money, your God, to making the world your God, to make a success, your God, to be careful about taking anything and putting it ahead of the cause of Christ.
He says this is a dangerous thing, why we need money, hell, we need money to provide for ourselves, we need money, even the church needs money to provide to advance the cause of Christ to do, the gospel all around the world, he's saying that money in and of itself is a dangerous thing, because if we're not careful, our pursuit of money will get ahead of the charge we have to keep, help me Jesus. Even though we can say, I need money to fulfill the charge, he's saying be careful, make sure you are running from the things of the world, running from the things of the world, we're running from fortune and fame, but the purpose of fortune and fame, we're running from whatever it is that would make us take God and put him second or third and still first, that we must be focused on glorifying God no matter what situation it might be that we have an assignment here to keep in the name of Jesus Christ that God might be glorified, he says here, listen to me, he says this insatiable lust if you will, after the things of the world, he says it causes us to stray from the faith. It causes us to no longer have faith in the word of God. It causes us to no longer have faith in the person of Jesus Christ.
It causes us to begin to have a dialogue between the word of God and the world, and whenever we have a dialogue between the word of God and the world in our minds and our hearts and our spirit, we're already in trouble in the name of Jesus Christ. It causes us in the name of Christ to stray from the faith, to move out of the lane that says this is what God would have me to walk and this is what God would have me to stand on, this is what God would have me to do, but now because of our desire to have the things of the world, we are pulled outside of the boundaries of the faith in Jesus Christ. It says that it moves us when we don't run from this thing, if we don't run from it like it's trying to kill us from the name of Jesus Christ, not a casual separation, but we are running from this thing as though it desires to kill us or it desires to destroy us from the name of Jesus Christ. If we don't do that, it moves us from faith, it moves from faith to error, that we are no longer can be convinced by the word of God, by the spirit of God, by the man of God, by the woman of God to do the things of God.
We are no longer, here it is, we are no longer convicted by the truth. I want to say to you today that if you are listening to this message and it's been a year since you have been in church, I want to encourage you today to run from that idea, to run back to the house of God, to run back to the word of God, to run back to the Holy Spirit, to run back to where men and women are congregating and the Holy Spirit is in the room in the name of Jesus Christ. According to the word of God, you find yourself now straying from the faith. You are no longer convicted by the word of God, you are no longer convicted by the man and woman of God who speak the word into your life, that now you are taking that which is erroneous and using it as a standard for your life.
He is a, he is a, he is a, he is a, he is a, he is a, he is a, he is a, he is a, he is a run from that. You can, you can reach this point. There is a, there is a, there is a point or whatever you want to call it. You can reach this point where I can become the half-hearted Christian.
You know, I, I'm saved, hopefully. I'm saved. I used to go to church. I remember when I used to teach Bible study.
I remember when I used to be over the teens. I remember I used to work in, in the nursery. I remember when I used to be an usher. I remember when I used to do some things, but I don't do that anymore.
I still love God and I'm still going to go to heaven when I, when I, when I, when I, when I adapt, Paul was telling Timothy to run, run from being quote unquote the half-hearted Christian because the half-hearted Christian may not even be a Christian at all, but Jesus. He said, run from that idea of not standing on the word of God and being influenced by the world. Whatever the world is, we'll be influenced by God's, whatever, whatever those gods might be in the name of Jesus Christ. There's a prayer of the half-hearted Christian.
I don't know who wrote this, but somebody wrote this. This is the prayer of the half-hearted Christian. The prayer of the half-hearted Christian. I love your church.
Oh God, her walls before me stand. But please excuse my absence, Lord, the world is just to ran. It's hard to keep a half a God to glorify. Lord, don't ask for cash from me.
Your glory comes to high. Am I sold your other cross, a follower of the Lamb? Yes, though I seldom pray. Oh come, I still insist I am.
Must Jesus bear to cross alone in all the world go free? No, others, Lord, should do that part, but please don't count on me. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Oh, now my hymns are praise I bring because I don't have to sacrifice anything to sing. That's the heart of it. That's the prayer of the half-hearted Christian. That's the one who has not learned how to flee from those things that are in the world that look good, that sound good, that feel good, but they do not help us to accomplish our task, our charge to keep or help us to glorify our God, our God to glorify.
First Corinthians 6 and 18 says flee immortality, flee run from it. First Corinthians 10, 14 says therefore a mind beloved, therefore those I love, flee idolatry. And flee those things that you would take and put in the first place that you would put in the head of God. Second Timothy 2 and 22 says now flee from useful lust, house of worship, church, family, and friends.
There are some things that you and I need to run from and run from in a hurry. I have a charge to keep you have a charge to keep. We have a God to glorify if we are authentic believers in Jesus Christ. He says the Timothy 1, flee son, run from the things that would harm you, things that would hurt you.
He says, but then there are some things to run from, but then there are some things to follow. I love that. I love that. Yeah.
He says there are some things that you and I should follow. He says that in verse 11, he says, but thou, oh man of God, flee these things and follow after. He says that we should follow after. I love that.
He says, and then just say run. He says, not just run. He doesn't tell me, just go out and run and while running crazy. He's just running anywhere.
He says you need to run from the things of the world, but run to the things of God. Hallelujah. Someone told somebody, he says that this idea of follow, this idea means I'm pressing on toward something. That not as I follow after this, that there's not any obstacles, there aren't any challenges, there aren't any difficulties.
That's not what he's saying here. He's saying in fact that very well that may be part of your path. He said, but nonetheless, press on. He said, pursue hard after.
He says, just as, flee from it like he's trying to kill you, follow after it like that's your life, that's your preservation, that's your salvation, that's your deliverance. He's saying, run quickly to it. Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. Don't, don't, don't take your time about it.
He said, run quickly to it. Seek earnestly after it. What is it Paul that you, they got you to be running after. I know you got somebody to give it to the world man.
The trappings of the world, the things of the world, I need to flee those things because they'll make me go in the wrong direction. What should I be running after Paul? Because it's you and I need to be running after righteousness. You and I should be pursuing, you and I should be following whatever righteousness would take us, that's where we ought to be going in the name of Jesus Christ.
What is righteousness? The word of God says that righteousness is the approval of God. Whatever it is that God would approve of in your life, in my life, that's where I need to go. That's where I need to be following after God.
If God would approve over here and he would not approve over here, then I need to make sure that I'm over here. Wherever that is, wherever that takes me, that includes integrity, virtue, purity, correctly thinking based upon the word of God. God says for you and I to pursue to follow after righteousness, but not just righteousness, but godliness. What's the difference between righteousness and godliness?
Godliness is reverence or respect toward God, having an awe of who God is. Oh my God, have we lost that in the church? Come on now. Have we lost that in the church?
Where are the preachers that are talking about the sovereignty of God, the power of God, the goodness of God, the greatness of God, which you are trying to tell you how to be a good friend, how to be a good parent from the poop. Let's have a Monday night class and talk about that. Let's talk about the sovereignty of the goodness of God, how the word of God reverberates through time and eternity, even until today. You and I, when we are pursuing the awe of God, he said not just righteousness, God was not just godliness.
He said, here it is, you ought to be following after faith. What the world calls faith, but what I call faith. Not what the world says is faith, but what I call faith, the world will call it. They can see outside.
They will talk on me. So they call that faith. No, that's not what I call faith. Let me tell you what I call faith.
What I call faith is jet black and so dark. You can't see your hand in front of you and you hear what sounds like a lion over in the corner right over there. I tell you to start walking toward the lion and you say, everything in me says, no, that's a bad move. That's going to end ugly in the name of Jesus Christ.
But then faith kicks in and I start walking toward the lion. Faith removes all perception. Faith is civic trust in me and my word. Trust in my who I am as Jesus Christ.
You need to follow after pursuit, after faith. Divine conviction that God is in his word is abundantly true. He is absolutely true. His word is absolutely abundantly true.
That God is real. There's no question about him. Everything he says in his word is absolutely true. He says, and I'm standing on the word of God, the one who spoke it all into existence.
It kind of follows after that. Follow after love, the love of Jesus Christ, the adoration of Christ, brotherly affection, the will of God, benevolent spirit. He's a follow after those things. Follow after patience.
Learn how to be patient. Learn how to have consistency in everything that you do for God. One minute, I'm heart makes me an uncle. My situation determines my consistency.
If it's going well, then I can be consistent. No, have patience. Have consistency. Have endurance.
Have an unwavering purpose, unwavering loyalty, unwavering faith toward a person of Jesus Christ. And his holy word, pursue, follow after, chase after heart. Press on. Run quickly to.
Seek earnestly. The spirit of meekness. The spirit of gentleness. The spirit of mouth.
All these things, they look like Jesus Christ. He said, you're following the wrong thing. You're fleeing from the wrong thing. Seek out the view.
I'm starting to a friend of mine. The other day, give me the evidence that you say. We went to a court of law. Somebody was suing you.
They were charging against you. Charge with you. You're not a child of God. And the result of that is that they were going to take you back in the firing squad and kill you because you're not a child of God.
And so you have a defense lawyer and they're going to bring evidence to prove that you are a child of God. So what's the evidence they would bring? And so I was telling Timothy, let me give you the evidence. The evidence is that you're running from the world.
You're running from the things that the world says. Oh, this stuff right here, man. This is this is this is this is. You got it.
You got it wrong. Nothing wrong with money. God didn't tell us that you don't need money. There's nothing wrong with money.
There's something wrong with warning money for the wrong motive. Help me, Jesus. He says, so be careful here. So if I'm running from that, if I'm running from evil, if I'm running from the influence of the world, that's evidence that I belong to Christ.
And if I'm running toward righteousness, if I'm running toward God's approval, I'm running toward having a deeper level of awe for God, a deeper level of reverence for God. If I have a this divine conviction that who God is and his word is true. If I love Jesus, if I love my brother, no matter what the color they skin, no matter what they do, they think about whatever they think about. If I'm looking to have goodwill and benevolence, if I'm patient, if I'm operating in consistency and the things of God, I have endurance to overcome the terrible things that the enemy will come against me with.
I have an unwaving purpose, unwaving loyalty toward God and unwaving faith toward God. I guess we're dealing with this. Okay. Not guilty.
You're guilty. You're definitely a Christian. You got that. I charge the key.
I got a God to glorify. What am I doing? What am I running to? If I look at my life, where is my attention?
What am I focused on? What am I really about? I know I can carve out an hour a day over here. I can maybe have two or three hours over here in the name of Jesus Christ.
But in my life, the entirety of my week in the name of Jesus Christ, what am I fleeing from and what am I following? So whenever I hear a message, whenever I hear a preacher preach, if you will, the thing I ask and the thing I tell my congregation to ask and I think I would tell anyone to ask is the question that must be asked is, so what? So I heard the message, how does that apply to me? What do I do with that message?
And so that's the question I ask you tonight is you've heard this message. What do you do with that? Are you willing to? Are you ready to step into the place that God has opened just for you that you might have the impact in the kingdom of God that you might have the impact in the world today that God died on the cross for you and I to have?
It requires faith. It goes, does not go without challenge, but that is still God's call for our lives. And that begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But the reality is the truth of the day is that we all are going to die.
We all are going to have our lives in here, in this world, and we are going to find ourselves standing before the seat of Christ, giving an account of the choices that we made and the things that we did. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that you and I may have the right to choose Him, to have the right to ask Him to come into our hearts, to have the right to ask Him to be our Lord, our Savior, our Master, and our King that we might spend eternity with Him, but that we might be His servants, that we might be His advocate, if you will, here on earth that others know about His love for us. If you have not given your heart to Christ, I give you the opportunity to do that right now. If you say I have given my heart to Jesus Christ, but as I hear this word, I have not been excited about Jesus the way that He's excited about me.
I have been excited about the Word of God, the people of God, the house of God, the way that I need to. I'm not keeping my charge. I'm not bringing my God, the maximum glory, and I want to make a change. I need to make a change tonight to get serious about the things of God.
I just want to pray with you, Father, the name of Jesus Christ. See about your peoples, see about them, or those that don't know you, Father, I pray that you would capture them with grace even now by the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Those that do know you, Father, but would admit that they have not been keeping the charge, they have not been bringing the maximum out of glory to you. I pray that you would build their faith, you would encourage them, Father, in their spirit, they might walk by faith and not by sight.
They might walk in a way that looks to honor you, Lord, and not to honor anything, not themselves or any other men, Lord God. So Father, we pray this prayer, we receive it now in Jesus' name for your glory and for the benefit of those that we pray for, Father. Amen. So I just want to encourage us all tonight that this is the time where believers shine.
It's not when everything's going great, it's when things are appear to be crumbling around us, and times when it appears that the devil is winning, but we know that the devil roars but Jesus reigns. So I encourage you tonight to become more serious about the things of God, for the glory of God and for our benefit. We love you, we're praying for you, ask you to pray for us. I have a blessed week, and we look forward to sharing what God has given us with you next week.
Take care. Bye-bye.