Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
I was very involved with astronomy when I was a kid, and I can remember watching some of the astronauts as their spacecraft lifted off from launch complex 39 at the John F. Kennedy space center in Florida. Many years ago I actually toured Cape Canaveral, where they had the huge Saturn 5 rocket displayed for everybody to look at. It’s been claimed that the Saturn V was the world’s largest and most powerful space launch vehicle and was designed specifically to send astronauts to the Moon. Between November 1967 and may 1973, the Saturn 5 rocket was used 13 different times; Two unmanned test flights, 10 manned Apollo missions, and it was even used to launch the Skylab space station. The Saturn V consisted of three different stages and used liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. Apparently the first stage used RP-1 for fuel, which consisted of highly refined kerosene, while the second and third stages of the rocket used liquid hydrogen as the propellant. The first stage would burn for about 2 minutes and 41 seconds, accelerating the rocket to over 6,000 mph. The second stage would carry the rocket into outer space using five j-2 engines. The third stage would then place the spacecraft into Earth orbit and finally propel it towards the Moon. After each stage had used up all of its fuel, it would be separated from the spacecraft, and the next stage would fire.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Like the Saturn V, in order for any of us to reach eternal life, each of us will need to go through certain stages in our life. Sometimes it will be smooth sailing, but at other times you will enter into persecution, suffering and agony. You will have to endure betrayal, false accusers, and hatred, even from those whom you have deeply loved and cared for. But like a stage on a rocket, that part of our lives will eventually break off, and will ignite the next stage, pressing forward with great speed towards the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-15 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 of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
There are numerous stages that we will have to go through in order to get to heaven. Consider the life of Joseph for an example, who went through many stages during his own life. He was betrayed by his own family members and sold into slavery. The next stage of his life was spent serving Potiphar, who was an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. Joseph found great favor in the sight of Potiphar who knew that the Lord was with him, but then Potiphar became irate with Joseph when his wife falsely accused him of sexual advances towards her. Because of her lies, he had to suffer in prison. The next stage of his life was spent locked up, but the Lord had mercy on Joseph, and once again he found favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison, who committed the keeping of all of the prisoners to him. Whatever they did there, he was in charge of it all. The final stage happened when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, because of which he released him from prison, and Pharaoh set him over his own house and all the land of Egypt. He even told Joseph that only in the throne will I be greater than thou. Each of us have to go through certain stages in our life, but whatever they may be, we must patiently endure them. Each stage will be burned up and forgotten, only to ignite the new stage as we rocket towards heaven.
1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
When people do wicked things towards us, it doesn’t feel very good, but as long as you abide in the will of God, and serve Him obediently from your heart, you can know that things are going to work out for good in the end. God will lift up His humble and obedient servants, and cast the wicked down to the ground
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Many people profess that they love God, but to claim that statement requires complete obedience and submission to His will.
John 14:21-24 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
In all of the stages that Joseph went through in his life, he was obedient to the will of God. All of the things that he endured were just another stage, pushing him further to the place that God was taking Him. Sometimes it’s very difficult to understand the things that God is doing in our lives, but we must always remember to submit to His purpose rather than our own. We must be obedient to His will in everything, wherever that path may take us. When we humbly obey, we can know that in the end, our vessel will someday touch down in the Kingdom of heaven.
Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Like a spent stage separating from the ship, God cause Joseph to completely forget about the past.
Genesis 41:51 …..For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
Remember that in order for the astronauts to get to the moon, it took many different stages to push them to their ultimate goal. When we obey God with a perfect heart, each stage of suffering that we endure only brings us that much closer to where He is taking us. We must be patient, knowing that He is in complete control of where we are going. Just like beginning another chapter in our life, God will ignite the next rocket, accelerating us further towards heaven, just like…..
…….The Saturn V
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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