Pastor Jack Graham | That's My King! | Prestonwood Baptist Church

Take your Bibles and turn with me to First Timothy chapter 6 in your New Testament. 1 Timothy chapter 6. And as I said, we're going to be speaking today on the subject, thus my king. This is a part of our unshakable message series, biblical conviction in a broken culture.

First Corinthians 15:58, one of my lifelong verses, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. be steadfast, immovable. We want to stand firm for our faith, for our savior in a culture that is filled with lies.

Too many Christians are shaped by the culture rather than being shaped by the Savior and by the scripture. I'm speaking of some who are professing Christians. You would say, "I am a Christian." And yet, you are drifting in your faith. You're softening in your convictions. You are some even walking away from the faith, deconstructing their faith so-called.

And it is our responsibility as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to disciple our people because I assure you if the church doesn't disciple people, the world will. >> Amen. >> And the world is good at it. And in many ways you could say the world is doing a better job than the church.

Too many Christians are compromised when it comes to the core teaching of the Christian faith. The very thing that we declared a moment ago with the apostles creed, the generational confession of faith of Christians. And war is being waged. It is not a physical war. that is fought with physical weapons.

It's not a cultural war that is fought online or with social media or clickbait. No, it is a spiritual war between what is true and what is false. And the battleground, the battleground is the hearts and minds of people. That's right. and in particular people in the church.

So, we're at war. We know how this war ends. You know how it ends. Jesus said, "The gates of hell will not prevail against my church." The Bible says they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even unto death.

We know how the war ends. In fact, the war is already over when Christ said to Telsty on the cross, "It is finished. The battle was over. It is done." No wonder we wear these t-shirts these days that say Jesus won. You know why? because Jesus won and he wins and therefore we live in the victory and the authority that we have in him.

But with all that said, there are too many casualties in this war. And I don't want you and the people you love to be one of them, a casualty. And so we're coming strong as truth tellers in these days, knowing that we're up against a formidable foe. Satan is like a roaring lion, the Bible says, seeking whom he may devour.

Demonic powers are unleashed upon the earth. This includes false teachers. Jesus warned us about believing lies. lies that are offered by teachers who claim to be teachers from God. He said in Matthew chapter 7 that these teachers are wolves in sheep's clothing. So watch out for the wolf for the wolves.

This is the call to arms that Paul gives his proteéé Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and with Timothy to all who are followers of Jesus. Verse 12 says, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." is did you make a good confession in the presence of many witnesses today?

I charge you this is a call a commandment in the presence of God before God who gives life to all things. The one who is the giver and the sustainer of life. the one who is the resurrection and life and Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Ponteus Pilate made the good confession.

So what is our call? What is the command? To keep the commandment that is the word of God unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. The appearing there means glorious manifestation. It's the word epiphany. If you were transliterating it, it is this glorious manifestation at the end of the age when the kingdom comes, when the dawn of the new age arrives, when Jesus himself comes, the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not talking about the rapture that happens earlier when we are suddenly secretly taken into the presence of the Lord. But at the end of the age, his glorious appearing is going to happen. We just sang about it. Which he will display, watch this, at the proper time.

We don't know when he's coming. He said, "Be prepared at any time." We live in the immediacy in the eminency of the return of Christ because at in his own time at the proper time there is a day there is a date in history when he who is the blessed and only sovereign the king of kings and lord of lords who alone has immortality who dwells in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can See, to him be honor and eternal dominion.

Say it. Amen. You might even call this a Palm Sunday doxology. It is Easter praise to our king. So, how do we live in view of all of this? Well, number one, we should fight for our king. Fight for the king, our commander and chief. America has known wars throughout our history.

And during this year, the 250th celebration of America, we remember that the nation was birthed in a revolutionary war. Other wars follow. Been very few years in the history of our country without battles and wars. Of course, in the middle of the 19th century, the great the great civil war when brothers took up arms against brothers and one of the darkest hours in American's history was the Civil War.

Nation against nation. And then in the 20th century there have been two great world wars. World War I and America was hesitant to get in involved in this war that was taking place in Europe. But in the end, America showed up for the sake of liberty and freedom as Americans have often done throughout the world and to this very day.

But soon after, just a few decades after the great world war won came the second world war. Again, if you know your history, we tried to stay out of it. There was war going on in Asia, in the Pacific. There was war going on in Europe and America.

We were supporting our allies, but we weren't all in until December the 7th. 19 41. Do you recognize that day? The day that President Roosevelt said, "A day that will live in infamy." infamy. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and murdered 2,43 Americans. The next day, America was at war.

We declared war on Japan and officially entered the circuit in the combat in Europe World War II. But after America entered the war, Japanese Admiral Admiral Esoku Yamamoto said this. I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with terrible resolve. >> May God awaken his church in our generation. >> Amen. >> And fill us with a terrible and triumphant resolve. >> ((applause)) >> And if you are a Christian, you are in this war.

And what is this war about? About the truth. [snorts] It is because of our key that every Christian has been commanded to the battlefield. Because this life for us is not a playground, it is a battleground. >> And the day you put your faith in Jesus, the battle begins.

Anyone who follows Christ the King, if you're one of those persons that thinks, well, you know, Christianity is uh for the weak, is for the small. No, the call is to all who follow Jesus to get to the battlefield, knowing that Satan and all of his forces are lined up against us.

But if you don't fight, you will fall in the battle. If you don't fight, if you don't resist, you will fall in the battle. The good news is that as a believer and follower of Jesus, has been said many times over, we don't fight for victory. We fight from victory. >> Amen. >> Because we have this victory and authority in Christ.

But it is time to hear the call. It is time for God's armies to get ready and stay ready. The Apostle Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3, "Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." In our text, he said, "Fight the good fight of faith."

How is a fight ever good? It is good when it is for a noble cause. The word no, the word good there represents the word noble or excellent. When we fight for a noble cause, when we fight for God's cause, we know that the victory is sure. He is saying we are to march forward and advance the kingdom.

Why? Because we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We are victors and not victims in this battle. The longer I live, the more I preach, the more I see and believe that there is an invisible enemy that we oppose every single day. And his name is Satan.

And satanic and powerful forces in the world are real. This is not just the boogeyman stuff. This is real. And so you have so many who are drifting from their faith. Some even denying their faith and and others deconstructing their faith because they have been shaken by this.

But we are called to be strong and to stand fast. And this fight for the faith is a war over worldviews. It is a truth war. And right now in our culture, in our country, countries around the world, it is truth that is under attack. God's truth. Every Christian should know and love the truth.

The truth that is in Jesus Christ. In fact, the scripture says in 2 Thessalonians chapter 10 that one of the key characteristics of an unsaved person is that they did not receive nor love the truth. >> That's right. >> Do you love the truth? >> Saving faith includes a genuine love for God's truth.

In Jesus words, John 8:32, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall what? Set you free." This is our freedom. And nothing in all the world, are you listening? Nothing in all the world is more important or more valuable than the truth of Jesus Christ. >> Amen. >> Solomon's wise advice has never been more timely in Proverbs 23:23.

Buy the truth and do not sell it. We're told in Jude, the little postmark postcard of a letter in the New Testament, the book of Jude, just one chapter, verse three, that we are to earnestly contend for the faith. We are to be straight up with truth. We are to be truth tellers.

A friend of mine said to me just this week, he said, "I so appreciate coming to Prestonwood, pastor, because when you preach, it's straight no chaser." I don't know what the nochaser actually means, but I think I do. Let's just say I like to throw fast balls. >> Amen. >> And bring the heat.

God's word. Think about all the martyrs who have died for the faith. the valiant warriors for truth, for the word, who died rather than to deny Jesus, who gave up their very lives and their families for the sake of the gospel truth. We are to fearlessly proclaim this truth and to live with conviction and certainty and to die rather than deny God's word and our king.

We should never be ashamed of speaking the truth. >> Amen. >> Psalm 107:2, "Let the redeemed of the Lord >> so >> say so." Paul said Romans 1:16,"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God into salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile."

So this is a war for the word, for the worldview of Jesus Christ, the Bible. It is a war for our king. So what do we do? We fight for our king. And then in this same passage, we learn that we are too. This will be much quicker.

He says, "As you fight for the good fight of faith," the next sentence says, "Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Take hold of eternal life. Now is he saying to Timothy that you need to be saved, that you need to receive eternal life?

No. Timothy had already said publicly that he is a follower of Jesus. The made the good confession. We don't know exactly if Paul is referencing Timothy's baptism because every Christian follower of Jesus should be publicly baptized as a testimony of faith in Christ after you have believed and received Christ. >> Amen. as a confession of your faith is the reason we invite people to come forward.

In just a few minutes, I'm going to give a public invitation so that you can make a public declaration of your faith. We're going to invite you to come forward upstairs and downstairs and online to publicly confess your faith. So it may be that Paul is saying when you made the good confession before many witnesses that he was talking about Timothy's baptism or it could have been his ordination as a minister as a pastor.

We we don't know exactly but we know that Timothy was strong in his confession of faith and then Paul said to all including Timothy seize eternal life. Get a grip on it. Embrace it. This means that we are live living in the light of eternity. What is eternal life?

You say it's when you go to heaven. No. Too late. If you don't have eternal life before you die, that's way too late. >> That's right. Eternal life according to John's gospel chapter 17 and verse three comes when we confess the father through Jesus Christ. We receive eternal life the moment we respond in repentance and faith and trust in Christ and Christ alone as our savior.

We receive eternal life. Then we seize it. We live it out every day. We make heaven the hope of our hearts, the habit of our hearts. Do you see what we're saying? We're saying that for our king, we live in the focus of our king. We keep him and eternal life.

We live for the kingdom. Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That's what it means to seize eternal life, to get a grip on eternal life and to hold on. Not that you're having to hold on in order to be saved.

He's holding on to you. You just get a good strong grip and he'll take you all the way to heaven. >> Amen. Amen. So focus on the king and who is the king in John's gospel chapter 18. Turn there with me in your Bibles to the 18th chapter of John.

This is Jesus on trial. He enters the city of Jerusalem on that Sunday. He stops on the Palm Sunday trail. I've been there many times with groups that we've taken to Israel. Some of you are asking, "Is the trip to Israel next April on?" Yes, most likely. When the bombs stop and the terrorists are removed, we believe it will be safe to go.

And every time we go, we see some of the most amazing things, including the Palm Sunday trail from the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed. and down the mountain where he stopped and he prayed over the city of Jerusalem. He said, "Oh Jerusalem, people of Jerusalem with copious tears streaming down his face, how I would have gathered you as a hen would gather his brood, but you would not."

He knew he was the rejected Messiah, but yet he came through the city riding on a donkey. I always like to say on Palm Sunday, e the donkey. Even the donkey knew that the parade was not for him. I'm just a donkey up here. I understand that the parade is not for me or not for you.

It's all for him. And so everyone in the city, it seems, is shouting hosana and praising him. Hail him. Hail him. And the very crowd that was shouting hail him that day a few days later were saying nail him from crown him to crucify him. And he's turned over from the religious authorities to Ponteus Pilate.

And in verse 33, Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.

But my kingdom is not from this world." Then Pilate said, "So you are a king." Jesus answered, "You said it, brother. You say that I am a king. For this purpose, watch this. Don't miss this. For this purpose, I was born. And for this purpose, what purpose? To die on the cross to be delivered by the hands of Ponteus Pilate and the Romans and the religious leaders and all of us who were there at the cross who killed Jesus.

All of us. all of us our sins nailed him to the cross. And so he said, "I came for this purpose to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. And Pilate said to him, "Was he a seeker or was he a skeptic?"

I don't know the tone. But Pilate said, I personally believe rather cynically, "What is truth? Can you even know the truth?" And many are asking that question today. What is truth? Can you really know the truth? And standing right in front of him was the one who is the way, the truth, and the life.

And no one comes to the father except by him. >> Jesus is the truth. Can you handle the truth? And so Pilate asked two important questions, three important questions. Are you a king? What is truth? And then because he was so weak and wishy-washy and washing his hands, who was this man Pilate?

He was the governor of Judea 8 AD26-36 appointed by the Roman emperor Tiberius and his primary job in Judea of Israel was to oversee law and order, keep the peace, settle everything down and to tax the people. And of course, he ends up in this place of history and the most infamous trial in human history.

And because he was so weak, couldn't make a decision, he asked the people for a judgment. He said, "I I find no fault in this man." But they said, "Crucify him. Crucify him." He said, "What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?" One of the first sermons I ever preached was that text, Matthew 27:22.

What will you do with Jesus who is called the Christ who is the king? because you have a decision to make and that is to either crucify him. You say, "Well, I I'm not voting to crucify him." Well, to neglect him is to reject him, >> right? >> You must make a decision about who is this king and what is this truth and is he worthy of your worship and your life.

It's the old horns of a dilemma, isn't it? The three horns of a dilemma. Is Jesus Lord or is he a liar or is he a lunatic? You have to decide. Is he the king? And is he the savior of the world? And is he your savior? Is he your king?

What will you do with Jesus who is called the Christ? One day he's coming. I believe one day soon. Get ready. As these wars and rumors of wars are ramping up, as the signs of the times are multiplying and intensifying, every generation of Christians should be on on call on duty.

For our king is coming. He is shining forth the peering of the transient or transcendent blazing glory which is the climax of history as we know it. History is not cyclical. History is linear. Meaning that history is going somewhere because history is the story that God is writing.

That's right. And history tells us that not only did Jesus die and rise again on the third day because God gives all things life and Jesus is the life, the way, the truth, and the life. Therefore, we fight for our king. We focus on our king. We follow our king.

And we know that our faith must be in our king because why? Our future, praise God, is with our king. No wonder we sing to our king. We say it with the apostle who in his times Woodro Wilson, the American president of the first world war in in this in the 20th century said, "I would rather temporarily fail with a cause that will ultimately succeed.

I would rather temporarily fail with a cause that will ultimately succeed than to temporarily succeed with a cause that will ultimately fail. Our cause is our king and his kingdom. And we cannot we will not fail because our king is coming again this time. Not as the lamb but the lion of the tribe of Judah.

Not as the one who was crucified, but the one who is now crowned. But today, you have a decision to make. Because in every person's heart, there is a throne and a cross. Think with me. If Jesus is still on the cross, that means that you self are on the throne.

But if Jesus is on the throne of your life, that means self will be on the cross because now we live and die for our king. Will you crown him or will you crucify him? Will you walk under the blood of Christ that is covered, cleansed, forgiven, changed, transformed, or will you walk out, as the writer of Hebrews says, over the blood of Christ.

You'll be walking out of here one of two ways. Or wherever you are online, you'll be getting up one of two ways. You'll be walking under the blood or over the blood. Will you bow the knee and surrender your life and yourself and your future and your everything and say, "Jesus, you're my king." >> Amen. >> Heads are bowed and eyes are closed.

I'm going to lead you in a word of prayer. A prayer, not just any old prayer, not just let's go home prayer, but a personal prayer for you to pray to receive Jesus into your life. To invite Jesus Christ to be your savior, your lord, your master, your king.

He died for you. That's already done. He rose again. He is alive. That's the confession we make. So I'm calling on you first in your own heart where that that throne lives to get yourself off the throne and invite Jesus to take his rightful place of preeminence that he would be the king of your heart, the savior of your life.

Pray a prayer from your from your heart. I'm just going to kind of give you some words. The Bible says, "If we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, we will be saved." Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Not hope so, think so, maybe so will be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. To believe means to turn from your sin. That's repentance. And to trust in Christ and Christ only because only Jesus, only Jesus. You know, America has a king.

And it's not a politician. It's not a potentate. Every nation has a king. Not a prime minister, not a dictator. Every nation has a king and his name is Jesus. Is he your king? Will you say, "Lord Jesus, be my savior. Be my king." And if you're praying and asking him to be your savior and your lord, then say, "Jesus, give me the courage to live for you, to stand for you, that I would not be ashamed of you or afraid to confess you even today.

So Jesus, I now become your follower. If you're praying that prayer online, there's a number 74788. Text the ((music playing)) word Jesus. Raise a hand. If you see a hand on the screen, you can touch that or just simply ((music playing)) text Jesus to 74788. And in the room, I want to pray for you, encourage you.

I'm not going to try to push you or pressure ((music playing)) you. I would never do that. But if you are praying that prayer and inviting Christ into your life today, you say, "I am receiving Jesus as my Lord, Savior, Master, and King today." Would you just hold up a hand high so that I can see it and pray for you all across this room?

((music playing)) Just hold up your hand. Don't be ashamed. Don't be afraid. Amen. Hold it up and keep it up for me, please, where I can see you. Yes. I'm looking in the balcony. All upstairs in the mezzanine terrace level all over this room. God bless you sir. What about you student boy girl say I'm I'm trusting Christ as my savior today now and forever.

All right. Now how many of you would like to say I know Jesus. I'm a follower of Jesus. But I've not really been living for the Lord. You might even say I was a prodigal. But God specializes, the Father specializes in prodigals who come to him, who come home to him.

And if you would say, "Pastor, pray for me. I've been away from the Lord. It's been too long. And on this Palm Sunday morning, I want to renew my faith. I want to rededicate my life to my king. No more me on the throne, but ((music playing)) Jesus on the throne of my life.

Would you hold up your hand right now so that you can testify? Make the good confession in front of many witnesses. Would you do that? Make the confession before many witnesses. Amen. We're going to stand and sing. Those of you who lifted your hands, I'm going to encourage you to come forward.

Our pastors are here and upstairs. come forward again to confess Christ. If you need to be baptized, will you make the good confession before many witnesses today? Well, there are a lot of people in here. What will they say? It's a good thing. I mean, Jesus gave the great confession before Pilate and a rockous, rebellious crowd among his enemies who wanted him dead.

He's our example. And you're in a friend, you're in a room of friends, not enemies. So why don't you come forward today in this place filled with so much love and give your heart and your life to follow Jesus. ((music playing)) There's some who need a church home. You need a church family.

We welcome you to Prestonwood today. Come and join the church. Be a part of this church ((music playing)) family. Others need believers baptism to make the good confession. Do it today to decide because remember what we said not to decide ((music playing)) is to decide. Not to decide is to decide. Make the right decision.

Choose your king today as we stand together and sing it. Jesus saves. ((music playing)) Jesus saves. Jesus. [singing] ((music playing)) >> Step to the nearest aisle >> and make that decision. >> What will you do with Jesus? >> What will ((music playing)) you do with Jesus who is called the Christ? >> [singing] >> And now I'm alive.

I ((music playing)) Jesus. >> There's more. I know there's more. >> Well, this has just been an awesome day in God's word. I hope that your faith has been stirred. And if you made a decision to follow Christ today, would you do us a favor? Text the word Jesus to the number 74788.

That's Jesus to the number 74788. Our team would love the opportunity to follow up with you to answer any questions that you might have and get some resources to you. I hope that you will be in prayer this Holy Week and we're looking forward to seeing you right back here at Prestonwood next time.