Striving Together

When I was thinking about having to patch pirates tonight, I wanted to kind of tie the messages in with them. And last time I talked about pirates and today I want to talk about something else. And that is that uh this is a a paddle. Uh this was our theme. We had themes in many years and this our theme in 2014 was based on Philippians 1:27 striving together. If you look at Philippians 1:27, it says, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel."

And uh if you've ever watched the paddlers out uh in Wy Ki or out here in Kahi Lagoon or other places, uh when they get out there, they've got to strive together. If they don't strive together, they lose speed, they go off course. Uh they've got to work together in order to accomplish the goal of winning the race. And and I want to challenge this church as well on on working together, on striving together. If you'll turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and look at verses number 24- 27. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and begin with verse number 24, it says, "Know ye not that they which run and race run all, but one receives the prize?

So run that you may attain and everyone that striveth for mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do to attain a corruptible crown. Uh we saw that the Olympics recently. But we an incorruptible. I therefore so run not as uncertainty. So fight I not as one that beat the error. But I keep under my body and bring in subjection lest that by any means what I have preached to others I myself should be a cast away. Uh the idea of this phrasing striving together, it comes from two Greek words which uh son together and athleto where we get our word athlete from being athletes together. Striving for the mastery in verse number 25, every man that striveth for the mastery is tempered in all things.

And we want to strive for the mastery of the Christian life. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse number five, the Bible says if a man also strive for masteries, he is not crowned except he strive lawfully. We did see at the Olympics, there was a couple people that did not get their a gold medal or get a medal because they uh didn't strive lawfully. They made a mistake. They got off course or whatever else it might be. And as Christians, we need to strive lawfully. And that takes discipline. In 2 Timothy 2 3 and 4 it says, "Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warth entangle himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who chosen to be a soldier."

And and you've got to have the discipline in order to be a soldier. You also got to have the discipline order to be an athlete. In verse number 27 in 1 Corinthians 9, it says, "But I keep under my body and bring a suggestion lest by any means when I preach to others, I myself should be a cast away." and and we want that discipline you know with your children. So when we had this uh theme uh showed the paddle, one of the parents said that make a good spanking paddle. And uh we we do are reminded with our children we have to discipline them in order to help them to learn to do what's right. And but we also need to discipline ourselves.

You know sometimes easy to discipline your children but not have discipline in your own life. And and we need to strive the word strive there in verse number 25 is a word is a different word. It means to agonize uh to live the Christian life. There there's some agonization. I I remember when I was younger the the the li the not Olympics but the sports uh they would have this this uh theme there that said the the the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. And if any remember that had had that skier that was rolling down the hill kind of like you saw in the Olympics there and and you could see that agony not only of the pain of of falling but the pain of losing their Olympic medal as well.

But in in our lives as Christians we need to be willing to agonize. We need to be willing to strive for the mastery. You know sometimes I think as Christians verse 26 says I therefore so run not as uncertainly so fight I not as one that beatth the air. Uh sometimes I see Christians, they're out there like they're they're on a uh they're they're out there and without a paddle and and you need to have that paddle. You need to have that. You got to dig in. You watch those paddlers. They dig in deep and pull hard on that water. And and we've got to be willing to dig in deep. And we've got to be willing to to give our all to it.

You can't be along just for the ride. You got to be out there paddling. And and we understand that we're striving together. Every one of you needs to have your ore in the water. Every one of you needs to be paddling and in order for us to accomplish what God has called us to do as a church. So don't let the circumstances control you. In James 1:es 5 and six, the Bible says, "If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God to give it to all men libery and uh uprath not. It should be given him, but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that waivers like the wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed."

You know, when you're out there in a boat at sea, you can either be driven by the waves in the sea and the current, or you can decide to put your paddle in and go against the current. And that's what we have to be willing to do as Christians. We need to be willing to sometimes go against the current and really strive for that mastery. And we got to understand it's a marathon. It's not a sprint. In Philippians chapter 3 and uh verses number 12 through 15, the Bible tells us, "Wherefore, my beloved, as I'm sorry, that's chapter 2. 3:12-15. Not as though I'd already tamed, either were already perfect, but I follow after that I may apprehend that for which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And that's what we need to do. We need to press towards that mark. If you watched any of the Olympics, you saw people out there, they they did well in that first run, but they didn't they couldn't let go. They had to do better even by a tenth of a second in the second run and the third run. And and we need to realize that we're in a marathon. And you may win the race today, but you got to get up and run that race again tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

And you've got to be willing to endure. And that means we need to pace ourselves. In Hebrews 12:1, "Wherefore we seen we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which is so easy beset us and let's run with patience the race is set before us. And and folks, we got to remember that this is a marathon. Every day we've got to get up and run with patience that race. And we've got to get our paddle in the water. We've got to keep on going. And sometimes we got to stretch ourselves. In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul was talking about the Macedonians, how they give and and they given beyond their power and they stretch themselves.

And it's kind of like the idea of you you watch a football game and when that that guy with the ball is being tackled, what does he do? He reaches out and stretches that ball just a little further because he wants that little bit extra distance. And and and you see there sometimes people when they're out there in baseball and and they're coming into base and they slide and they come in as hard as they can because they want to make that run. and and we've got to be willing to stretch ourselves beyond ourselves and just go a little further in our giving, in our serving, in our marriage, in our Bible study.

We've got to strive for that mastery. And then in Colossians 3:23, it says, "Whatsoever you do, do it hardly to the Lord and not to men." You know, I I'm not not even close to being an Olympic uh anything, but as I watched the Olympics, I saw many of those guys when they came off of that whatever they were doing, they were just worn out. They were breathless. they'd give it everything. You know, when you come off of that slope or you come off of that rink or wherever it is, you want to feel like you left everything on the field. You're out of breath, not because you're out of shape, because you're out of breath because you have nothing left to give.

And that's the way we want to serve the Lord. We want to give our all, give our best unto the Lord. And so, we strive together in Hebrews chap 10 and:es 23-2. Take a look over there if you would with me. Hebrews chapter 10 and beginning with verse number 23, the Bible says in Hebrews 10:23, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he's faithful that promise. Let us consider one another provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching."

You know, um being a Christian is not an individual sport. It's a team sport. We're in this together. And uh and we cannot do this alone. We need to have the team. We either sink or swim together. You know, when Jonah uh was on the ship there and and uh and the ship was sinking, he was down in the hole sleeping. And and sometimes I think he forgot that that that ship sinks. It's not just the other sailors are going to drown. He's going to drown with him. And sometimes we forget that we are in this. We sink or swim together. And uh and we got to get in that boat. And and I'm thankful for the boat that we have in in 1 John chapter 2 and verses 15-1 17.

Turn over there if you would. 1 John chap 2 and verses 15-1 17. The Bible tells us, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is the world. and the world passes away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. You know, it's not the boat and the water that's the problem. It's the water and the boat. And and we need to realize that we are in the world, but we can be in that boat together and and paddling together as we go through the storms of this life, as we go through the challenges of this world.

We're going to sink or swim together. Just because the holes in your part of the boat, that doesn't mean my part of the boat's going to stay floating. Uh we got to realize that we're going to sink or swim together and and we've got to we've got to be striving together as as Christians in this in this race that we have. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul said again, "But I keep honor my body and bring subjection, lest that by any means when I preach to others, I myself should be a castway." How many remember a show from a long time ago, and it's still reruns, I think, and that's Gilligans Island. Remember that show?

and uh Yel's Islands, they the the the song in the beginning, they went out on how long was their tour supposed to be for? Three-hour tour and end up being castaways. You know what I think a lot of Christians are like? Gilligans Island. We go to church about 3 hours on Sunday and the rest of the week we're castaways that drift in the world. You see, it cannot just be the Sunday services that keep you going. You got to get up every day and get into that race. And you got to get up every day and stay faithful to the Lord. It's not just the three hours in church that's going to keep you going for the Lord.

You've got to be willing to stay the course in 2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Don't abandon the ship. Don't don't quit. In Acts 27:31, Paul was being taken as a prisoner to Rome. And the ship that he was on was sinking. And they they were getting ready to abandon ship. And Paul said to them this. He said, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved. And so that must mean that only people in the Navy can be saved. I guess I don't know what for sure. Uh but that's not what it means. But he was just telling them, God told me, we got to stay on the ship.

Don't abandon it. He's going to save us. And and we've got to stay faithful. And sometimes it feels like the ship of life is sinking. And sometimes it feel like that everything is going wrong, but you got to stay faithful to the Lord and and and stay faithful to him. In Ephesians 4:16, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working and the measure of every part maketh increase the body unto the edifying of itself in love. We need to realize that uh this is our church and we are a body of Christ and we are coming together in love as we're preaching about on 1 Corinthians chapter 13 on Sunday morning and and and we need to realize that we need one another.

You know, fellowship is not just two fellows on a ship. Now, I was in the in the Air Force. I I didn't go in the Navy because I was afraid they put me in submarines and my last name would be a real problem on a submarine. Surface. surface every time they called my name. It'd be a problem. And and so I decided to go into the Air Force instead. Besides that, I was smart. And uh anyway, fellowship is not just two fellows on a ship. Turn over to Acts chapter 2 if you would with me. You know, when I I as being pastor, I get to work with all the different branches of the military and that's been a joy.

And one of the privileges I've had is is I've gotten to go out on a submarine once on a kind of a dependence thing. And I've also gotten to go on a cruiser and a destroyer over to Maui and back two different times. And uh it was really kind of neat seeing how the Navy lives and and again being glad I didn't join the Navy. Uh but anyway, uh as as I looked at that, you know, one of the things that one of the mistakes in my mind I was this is I thought, well, you know, if you're a Christian and you've got another Christian on the same ship with you, then you have fellowship. But that doesn't always work out that way.

And you guys in the Navy know that you could be on that same ship for 6 months and hardly ever see each other because one of you is down in the hold in the engine room and one of you is up in the tower and guiding in the ship and one of you is on night shift and the other one's on dayshift and and you can be on the same ship and never see each other. And you know that goes with a lot of Christians. You can come to church every week and never have fellowship. And that's what we need to understand. In Acts chapter 2 and:es 41 and 42, the Bible says, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized in the same day they were added to them about 3,000 souls.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and a breaking of bread and prayers." Verse number 46. And they continued daily with one accord to temple and breaking bread from house to house to eat their meat with gladness to signal's heart. Folks, fellowship goes beyond these church doors. And if you're not taking time during the week to get together with other Christians for coffee and for uh time together in your homes and just time for fellowship, you are missing out on what church is all about. Fellowship doesn't just happen when you come to church. It happens when you get together and you encourage and and and and spend time together and get to know one another.

And and and that unity is so important. Turn over to Ephesians chapter 4. I've I've never done any of the paddling. We've had people in the church that have done paddling and it's amazing to watch and and you one of the important things in paddling is you've got to be in unity. If you're not, your boat's not going to win. And and that unity is so important. In fact, Ephesians chapter 4 and beginning with verse number 11, the Bible says, "He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

You see, that unity is so important. And I want to challenge you again is that we as Christians need to come together in unity. and and that's a challenge that's hard to do. You watch these kids up here singing and and they weren't always in sync with each other. Uh but it's a challenge that we've got to constantly be working at to have that unity and that fellowship together. In Romans chapter 15 and verse number 30, it says, "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Christ's sake and for the love of the spirit that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Folks, as a church, every one of us be should be striving together in prayer.

Are you praying for other people in this church in this whole last week? Did you pray for anybody else in this church by name? You ought to be praying for one another. Uh you can pray through a church directory. You can get that on your app or you can ask our secretary to print one out for you. You can write down names of people as you meet them and and add them to your prayer list and just pray regularly for one another because that's how we strive together by encouraging and praying for one another. striving together for the faith of the gospel. In Jude 1 verse number three, it says, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered on the saints."

That word contend, the same idea to strive for the faith, that common salvation. That's what gives us our unity. Uh we are a very diverse church. people from every branch of the military, people from every uh different national backgrounds, people from all over the country and all over the world, uh people of many different ages. Yet we we come into this door in unity because of our common faith in Jesus Christ. You know, are you in the faith? Do you have that common salvation? In 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse number five, the Bible says, "Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your own selves.

Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except he be rep probates? You need to examine your own life. Am I in the faith? Do I have Christ as my savior? Do I know him as my savior? Am I do I know I'm going to heaven? In 1 John chapter 5 and:es 12 and 13, the Bible says, "He that hath the son hath life. He that hath not the son of God hath not life. These things are written into you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of God. You see, you need to know that you're going to heaven, to know that your sins forgiven, to know that you have eternal life.

That's the common faith that we have. Not in being Baptist, not in being church members, not in in our rituals, our religion, not in our own righteousness, but in a relationship with Jesus Christ, saved by faith in him. In Ephesians 2:es 8 and 9, it says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves is a gift of God, not of works as a man should boast." You know, it it you got to trust in in the Lord to get you where you're going. In April, my wife and I have been given a gift to be able to take a trip to Europe, and we're going to be going on a river cruise. And we get on the river cruise, I'm going to take this paddle with me so I can make sure we get down the river.

Uh, that's going to be pretty stupid, wouldn't it be? Uh, for me to get on that river boat and try paddling to get down there. I can't do anything to get that boat where it's going. I just have to get on that boat and trust the captain to take me where I'm going. And and you got to trust in Christ to take you where you're going. You can't paddle your way to heaven. You can't work your way to heaven. You have to trust him. In Philippians chapter 3 and verse 9, it says, "And being found in him, not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith in and trusting in him to get you to heaven and letting him enjoying that trip and and staying faithful to him."

You see, we're saved by faith and we believe in the promise of God to take us the other side. In in Mark chapter 4, Jesus told disciples to get on the on the boat and they would go over to the other side. But on the way over there, there was a big storm and all all these disciples started to get worried. They were sink and and probably rightly so because they were many were fishermen and and they were scared that they were about to go under and and Jesus got up and and said and he said, "Peace be still." And he calmed the storm and then he looked at the disciples says, "Oh ye of little faith." Why did they have little faith?

because he had said these words to him before they left. Let us go to the other side. You see, faith is knowing that God is going to take me to the other side of this life. He's going to take me from this life to eternal life and that I have that promise that he's going to take me to the other side. And it's believing that promise and calling upon him as my savior and trusting him. And I wonder today, do you have that common faith? That faith in Jesus Christ as your personal savior? that faith that you know is going to take you to the other side because you trust in him. But we need to stand fast in that faith.

In 1 Corinthians 16:13, it says, "Watch ye stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men. Be strong. See, don't move. Don't change. Don't waver in your faith in the Lord." In Colossians 2:es 6-8, as we have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding there with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after tradition of men, after the rudess of the world, and not after Christ. We need to as a church and as individuals stay faithful to the Lord, stay faithful to our beliefs to stay faithful in following him.

In 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse one, it says, "Now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." And we need to be careful to stay faithful to the Lord. As I look up here at these children tonight, I I'm so thankful for them. And I'm thankful they have a program like Patch the Pirate Club where they can learn Bible verses and learn uh to have daily devotions. And by the way, parents, that is the most important thing about Patch the Pirate Club is that devotional book they get every quarter. And you need to make sure they do it not just Sunday afternoon before they come, but get them in the habit of doing it every day to learn how to devotions.

I wish somebody helped me develop that habit when I was a child because it's hard to to ch make habits when you get older and and teach your children how to have daily devotions, but I I love watching them memorize Bible verses and and get awards for daily devotions and and and learning these songs and all the rest of it. But you know what? Some of these kids are not going to be living for the Lord when they grow up. And and that's a sad testimony because there's some that turn away from their faith. And we need to be faithful and we need to make sure we know what we believe and why we believe it and stay faithful to the things of God in our lives.

We need to be striving together for the faith of the gospel. And so I want to challenge us as a church. Let us strive together. Let us be those athletes that that that are in that race to win it for the Lord Jesus Christ to stay faithful to him. But that takes discipline and that takes working together. You can't do it by yourself. It's it's a team sport and we need to come together as a team in fellowship and encouragement and praying for one another. But you know what? You've got to be in the faith. And if you haven't trusted Christ as your savior, you need to put your faith and trust in him. Let's bow for prayer.