Keep Your Hand on the Throttle; Your Eye Upon The Rail

1 Corinthians 15:51-58  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  (52)  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  (53)  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (54)  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  (55)  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  (56)  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  (57)  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (58)  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Introduction:       I know that what I am about to say will be a stretch; however, that is my prerogative.

              We all have heard “Life’s Railway to Heaven.”  I seriously doubt that Paul has ever heard this song; however he is describing the first verse. 

              We as Paul states must be stedfast, unmoveable, like that brave engineer, keep our eyes on our lighted path, see where that lower light is burning.

              What I want to look at this morning is, are we “Keeping your hand upon the throttle and your eyes upon the rail.”

I.            FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE     (Being Stedfast)            

                  A.              What is being stedfast?

1.               It is hanging with the stuff.

2.               It is having the faithfulness:

i.            To be in church regularly

Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

ii.           To read your Bible daily

Matthew 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

iii.             To pray daily

iv.             To concern yourself of others

Matthew 19:19  …Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

              a.           To be concerned about our  missionaries

              b.           To be concerned about this church body

                                                              c.            To be concerned out our facilities.

              B.           Never Falter; Never Quail (Falter)

                             1.           Keep on keeping on

                                           i.            Standing stedfast

Hebrews 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

                                           ii.           Being what you know to be

II.           HAVE YOUR HAND UPON THE THROTTLE

A.              What Is Our Throttle?

1.               Our King James Bible

              i.            Our Word

2.               God gave you His Word in two forms;

i.                First He gave us Jesus Christ as a man

a.        He is the Word.

ii.               Second He gave us the written Word.

a.               His complete Revelation to us

Revelation 1:1-2  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:  (2)  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

3.               The throttle is our doctrine

i.            Remaining separated

ii.               Reading the Word

iii.             Praying for others

III.         KEEPING OUR EYE UPON THE RAIL  (His Truth)

A.             The Path of Our Life.

(Matthew 7:13-14)  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  ¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

1.               Two paths one choice.

i.            The narrow way

a.           It leads to life

2.               Few will find it

i.            It is hard to find

a.           Because they are not looking for it.

B.              If We Look Down The Broadway

1.               Our hearts become clouded

i.            We find an easier life

              a.           Easy to sin

ii.           No responsibilities

iii.          No direction

a.               No spiritual direction

b.               Just walking along

C.              How Do I Get To Know Him?

(John 3:16)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1.               We must first believe

i.            That initiates our saving faith.

2.               Once we have accepted Jesus

3.               It is knowing we are safe

i.            This is our # 1 problem

              a.           Doubt

ii.           The Bible tells us in:

(John 10:28-29)  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  ²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  ³⁰  I and my Father are one.

CONCLUSION: I know there are Christians in this room who have, after a time after their personal salvation, and the assurance that goes with it; they have never doubted their salvation.

              The realness of my salvation is complete, I never dwell in doubt concerning where my eternal home is.  My doubts range from:

“Lord am I doing the right thing?”        “Lord did I do the right thing?”

              “Lord am I where you want me at this time?”

I would suppose many here are in the same group.  “Are my eyes on the rails?”  “Is my hand on that throttle?”

              All I can do on those days is ask “Blessed Saviour, Thou will guide us [me] Till we reach that blissful shore…In thy Praise forevermore.”

              I cannot anymore keep doubts, and failures out of my mind anymore than you can.  It is our Blessed Saviour, Jesus, who guides us FOREVERMORE.

              Where is your “forevermore?”  Mine is in Heaven with my Blessed Saviour Jesus, and His Father, my God.

John 14:1-4  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (4)  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

              If you haven’t gone to the altar in conviction and asked Jesus to accept a sinner like you, then your “forevermore” is with your father Satan in the forevermore Lake of Fire.

John 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

As his son you are as he is.  Today is a day a time to walk away from sin.  I know you will sin again, but if you will seek Jesus, you and I will have the same home.

              Tiger Woods recently made a public confession.  You and I will also one day make a public confession before our Saviour.

2 Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

              Will yours sound something like this?

“…I am the only person to blame. I stopped living according to my core values. I knew what I was doing was wrong but thought only about myself and thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to, I felt I was entitled. I had worked hard. Money and fame made me believe I was entitled. I was wrong and foolish. I don’t get to live by different rules. …I am so sorry…”  Tiger Woods 2010

             

              What are YOU going to say to Jesus on that appointed time?   Will yours sound somewhat similar to what Tiger said?  Your may not be answering for the same reasons, but your answer will still be “…I am the only person to blame…”  If you have claimed Jesus you will be judged for your reward.   What will your reward be?