Press On

Exhortation: An address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something.

If I were to hand you the mic this morning and you had one shot to urge this congregation to do just one thing what would it be? What about this…What if we handed the mic to the apostle Paul this morning. If he had one chance to address the congregation what might his message sound like?

And it’s fascinating because we’re not left to wonder what an exhortation from the mouth of Paul might sound like.

Listen to Acts 14:21-22,

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging [or exhorting] them to continue in the faith, and saying that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Here we have it. Paul’s urgent message. He’s got one shot and what does he say? He tells us that following Christ is not going to be easy. Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. We should not expect to arrive at the celestial city without great effort. Nor should we expect just a handful of difficulties and trials along the way. A little smattering.

No. Many tribulations. Many difficulties coming at us in a thousand forms.

Whether it’s another broken appliance or another argument with your spouse or another set back at work or another tantrum from your child or another difficult decision or another morning when God’s word feels dry or another sleepless night – hear this, God’s word tells us none of this is strange. This is God’s appointed path. We should expect not a few trials but many.

And so in light of these trials what does Paul exhort us to do? He looks us in the eyes and he says—Persevere. Continue in the faith! Keep putting one foot in front of the other in this marathon called the Christian life.

And so in the same way I urge you this morning— Keep going. Don’t turn back. What is there for us back there in our old lives? Do you really think it will satisfy you now that you have tasted of the kingdom of Christ? Keep going. Keep pressing through the difficulties. Keep straining forward to the prize of Jesus Christ and the kingdom he so freely gives us. Walk through these many trials with eager expectation of the joy that is to be ours in the world to come.

I leave you with these words from Issac Watts who captures this idea perfectly.

Aspire my soul, to glorious deeds,
The Captain of salvation leads.
March on, nor fear to win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.

Let’s pray together.

Father you remind us again and again in your word that we should expect suffering to come in this life time. And yet we confess that more often than not we are surprised when suffering comes as if something strange were happening to us.

We confess that we so often grumble.

Forgive us for how we fail to believe that this is our appointed path given to us by a Father who loves us.

Forgive us for having so little desire for heaven that we are tempted to cave when trials come.

And now Father, help us to search our hearts further and tell you our sins in this time of silent confession...