Climbing the Mountain of God Your First and Last Step

Welcome to episode 144. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Spending time in the Word of God is the best way to spend time with God. Welcome to No Doubt, No Fear, Only Believe podcast, where we will encourage, inspire, and empower you to live your best life in Christ. Here's Greg. Welcome to episode 144. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am going to continue on the mountain of God. I have got a cool picture up on the website, and I'm gonna allow you— and now I'm putting air quotes up, of course— I'm gonna allow you to go get that and download it so that you can print it out and have it next to you while we're talking about this lesson. I'm told a picture's worth a thousand words, and I have got to see things in a picture form. And this is kind of how my brain works, so you can get a little picture of how my interworkings— it's not all that complicated. It's a picture of the journey up the mountain of God, and it— I think it'll help as we talk about this because we're going to talk about the first step, or actually we're going to talk about point A and point B on this map. And it's just a map, and it's not an exact map, and it's not, oh my God, if I don't take step 2, I'm gonna fall into hell, or anything like that. This is just something that we can just kind of look at together and get an idea of maybe where God's leading us, or where we're falling short, or what we need to do next. I've used this to kind of get my thoughts together, and what I was thinking, if it helps me, I think it's going to help you. And I believe that this is a great little study guide. And again, it's my left-handed way of getting to know you as well, because I can't communicate with you out there. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to ask you for your email and your first name, and then we'll be able to communicate. So I'm really trying to figure out this internet thing and this talking, this podcast thing. We cannot talk back and forth on the podcast, and I can communicate with you through email. I know we can do it on the Book of Faces and on the Instagrams, but I'm just not that good at that sort of thing. And I'm trying to do— I'm trying to do better, but something about not owning the platform, something about not having any kind of control, just kind of bugs me. I just don't like Facebook telling me what to do or how I can do it. They're going to tell me that they can limit my exposure because I'm talking about Jesus? Are you kidding me? So that's kind of the problem that I've got. And if they throttle me down a little bit, that's just to me not freedom of speech., and I like to be able to talk, and I like to be able to listen. So what I'm going to try to do— and I've been talking about this for a long time— I'm going to try to put together a community of believers. And not just any kind of believers, I'm talking about the warrior fanatic believers. I'm talking about the people that listen to this podcast that want to get stronger, want to get better, want to die to self. And that's— we're going to dive in right now. The point A And what you're going to find on both of these points, points A and point B, they deal with death. And I know that's kind of a heavy topic, but if you really truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he took death head on. He hit him right in the mouth. He popped him hard right there at the cross. He went ahead and died just to show you and I that's how to do it. Guess what? On the third day, Jesus rose. And he is forever. He will never die again. And so as our example, Jesus showed us how to die well. And if you don't think death is a big part of Christianity, then I don't think you understand Christianity. And we're going to go to a couple of scriptures that we have talked about multiple times on this podcast. Matthew 7:13-14: Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Okay, we got narrow and wide. I've already talked about this multiple times, and I want to move on to Matthew 10:28. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will? But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 33:8 Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33:9 But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. 33:10 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 33:11 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. Well, you know, since this is a Bible study and I have those superior reading skills, I've got to lay 'em on you every now and then. That is a lot of scripture and that is some heavy stuff, but when you start talking about death, you need to hear what the Bible has to say. You need to let the Holy Spirit get this down into you. And I've heard people, "Well, you know, Jesus is wanting us to just forsake our mother and father and forsake our daughters. That, you know, what kind of God tells you to not love your mother or father?" Jesus is saying you cannot love your mother and father and that you should not love your daughter or daughter-in-law or son Jesus is saying you need to draw the line in the sand and determine the most valuable thing you have in your life is Jesus and the relationship with God the Father. And many of us are— I think, and I've just got to bring an analogy out that I've heard. I think it was Jimmy Evans, and I want to give him credit because it's the first time I heard it. But Jimmy Evans said, you know, there's a lot of us that are casually dating God, you know, we'll call him up every now and then when we're in trouble or we feel like talking. We've got his number, so we'll talk to him. And then there's some that are dating God. Every Sunday they'll go and visit with God. The other 6 days they're living however, they're doing whatever for those other 6 days. Somebody else had talked about having an open relationship, but I want to remind you that the words that Jesus speaks are spirit and they are life and they are truth. Jesus is the truth. And so he's trying to make the point, and this is back— we can go back to John where he's talking about he's the bread of life. You have to read this book with spiritual eyes. You got to get the eyes of your heart, the eyes of your spirit, and the ears of your heart and spirit need to listen to what the spirit is saying. This is not— we're not talking about flesh and bones, we're talking about spiritual truths here, and it's kind of heavy And I'm aware of that, but God is a jealous God. He says in his Bible, in the Old Testament, he uses examples about Israel going, you know, to harlots and going back and forth. And he's talking about, as an example, that we're going back and forth between the world, between Satan, between God, between our own flesh and blood. We are sheep and we're easily led astray. And I understand that this is a heavy topic, but we're gonna take this thing head on. We're not gonna play around with this thing. This is the truth. We must die to self, and we don't just get to date God. God is telling you and I we need to go all in. And I've read this multiple times, but let's go to Matthew 13:44, 45, and 46. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. And I want to go back to Matthew 10:38-39. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. I want you to remember, this is Matthew 10. Matthew has got 28 chapters in it. There is a lot of living that Jesus goes on living, a lot of miracles, a lot of examples, a lot of teachings that Jesus teaches after this one lesson. Jesus is telling you and I we're gonna have to take up our own cross. Jesus knew exactly why he came. Jesus came to die for you and I, Death is a big part of the Christian walk, and it is step one on the Christian's journey through life. You must die if you don't repent of your former life, of all of the mess. And I, and I want to go back to the analogy: are you dating? Are you just simply calling God? Are you married to God? Is this a relationship that you are going to spend the rest of your life trying to nurture and develop that relationship with God. And if you've ever wondered why marriage is being attacked, it is a physical representation of the union and the bond that we have with God as believers. We become one. I don't understand it all, but I don't have to understand it all. I just have to agree with it and try to receive it and try to learn from it. But we have got to die to self in order to be born again. Something has to die. So at salvation, when you accept Jesus, you die to self and you declare Jesus as your Lord. You confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Christ from the dead, you shall be saved. And point B, on the top of the mountain of God, and that's where we're trying to head, we are going to heaven. We are not of this world. Jesus has said you are— he's leaving us in this world, but we are not here to stay. This body and this world is temporary. It is all going to be new. We're going to get a new heaven. We're going to get a new earth. I believe our goal as believers, as Christians, is to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." The Bible is clear: to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord. So when your body dies—this is at B—when your body dies, you are standing face to face with God. And it is too late if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It's too late to ask for forgiveness when you're standing in front of God. You need to do that here while there's life in your body. And that's why people jump up and down and they try to get you to say this sinner's prayer, but it's more than a prayer. It is committing yourself, picking up your cross and dying to self. And I know this is heavy, but it's okay. Because we are warriors, we are fanatics, and we are trying to do this Christian walk. And remember, when I started, the first scripture I started with, this is narrow and difficult is the gate and the way. So no one said this was going to be easy, and nobody said— if anyone said, hey, this Christian walk's a piece of cake, well, they're lying to you, and they've got a totally different gospel than I'm reading. It is going to be difficult because we have to live by faith And faith is not using your eyes and your ears, the physical eyes and ears. Faith is using your spiritual eyes and ears. And you have got to learn— the just shall live by faith. You have to learn to live by faith. And since this is heavy and I've got to finish this with death, let me just go to Revelation chapter 20, verse 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the 1,000 years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection, Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And then let's go to Revelation 20:11, just to finish this up. Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Look, I understand that's heavy and I understand that's a lot, but there are two deaths. And if we die on this side of the ground, we will live forever with Christ. And I think that's what Jesus was saying. And I want to encourage you to just pray to the Holy Spirit. Just make sure that you've got this first death finished and first death conquered. Because we do not want to face the second death. We want to have the second death not touch us. Let's pray. God, I thank you so much for your word. I thank you for your Holy Spirit. I thank you that, God, you are love, but love requires a price, and the price was paid. And Jesus, thank you for paying the price for us, that all we have to do is just reach over and say, I want what Jesus did for me. By faith, God, I pray that if anyone's listening to this, has not prayed the prayer, has not declared you Lord Jesus, that you would quicken— Holy Spirit, quicken in their spirit. Let them know, plant that faith in there. Let them know that they must confess you as Lord. I love you, Lord. I confess you as my Lord and Savior, and I follow you to the grave. Lord, I pray for this person listening to this episode, Lord, that you would get it right with them. Help them. Father, draw them to you, and I thank you. We love you, and we ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, thank you for being a part of this, and I look forward to visiting with you on the next episode. Thanks for listening to the No Doubt, No Fear, Only Believe podcast at www.nodoubtonlybelieve.com.