Pathway to Victory

David J. Mullens: Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a non-profit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Right now, your generous gift will have twice the impact thanks to the In God We Trust $1.5 million matching challenge active now through July 5th. To give a special matching challenge gift, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, we need to rise up and push back against the darkness of this world. In the limited time we have here on planet Earth, we're to be that lighthouse pointing people to the only hope of the world, Jesus Christ. Therefore, be steadfast, be immovable, be courageous, be productive, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.

David J. Mullens: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. This year, our nation marks an extraordinary milestone: 250 years of American freedom. The liberty we hold dear came at a great cost and it points to an even greater freedom we have in Christ. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress brings a special presentation from First Baptist Dallas featuring patriotic music by the choir and orchestra. First, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David. Today is a very special day on Pathway to Victory. Just a few weeks ago, First Baptist Dallas came together for one of the most joyful, powerful, and patriotic celebrations I've ever been a part of. Our congregation filled our worship center to honor God and to celebrate 250 years of His faithfulness to this great nation. The pageantry was breathtaking, the music was glorious, and the preaching was straight from God's word. Today we've fast-tracked that entire experience so that you can be part of it as though you were sitting right there on the front row.

What you're about to enjoy is the high point of our In God We Trust matching challenge. I believe God has you tuned in today for a reason. America's future will not be decided in the halls of Washington. It will be decided in the hearts of God's people. One of the most powerful ways you can act on that conviction is by making a gift to this ministry before our matching challenge concludes at midnight on July 5th. Every gift you send before that deadline will be doubled dollar for dollar, multiplying your investment in taking God's word to a nation that desperately needs it. We are so close to the finish line, please don't procrastinate.

Today, as you experience this celebration of faith and freedom, let it move you to action. Give today at ptv.org and watch God multiply your generosity. David and I will describe a gift we want to send you in return for your partnership with Pathway to Victory. Right now, let's enter the worship center together and enjoy patriotic music from the First Baptist Dallas choir and orchestra.

Thank you so much, marvelous First Dallas choir and orchestra, for your music today. We welcome the literally millions of you who are watching or listening to this service on Pathway to Victory. Thank you for joining Freedom Sunday at the First Baptist Church in Dallas. Today as we celebrate 250 years of God's blessings on this country, I think it's important to keep in mind the reality that America will not last forever. That's certainly the teaching of history.

The teaching of history is nations rise and fall, kings and leaders come and go, but only the kingdom of Jesus Christ will last forever. America will not last forever and neither will you or me. Have you come to that realization? Whether the return of Christ is 10 years away or 1,000 years away, the fact is, whether we're talking about the end of America, the end of the world, or the end of our own lives, it is coming very, very quickly.

What's to be our attitude? Are we to be fearful, panicky, or depressed? No. First Corinthians 15:58 tells us how we're to live in the last days. Paul said, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our toil is not in vain in the Lord." In these very few moments that we have today, I want us to consider Paul's three commands about how we are to live in these last days.

First of all, he says, be hopeful. That's what he means by the word steadfast. It's a Greek word, hedraios, that means to be seated, to be firmly situated, to be secure. The Hebrew counterpart to that is a word that means to be at leisure. Eugene Peterson said it's the kind of relaxation of one who knows that everything's all right because God is over us, He is with us, He is for us in Christ Jesus.

We are to be relaxed as we look around and see the way things are in the world. He doesn't say we're to be lackadaisical; don't misunderstand. By relaxed, the word of God is saying we can be at ease. We don't have to be panicked because we know God is in control. That's why Paul said in these last days, be hopeful. He has a second command: he says, be courageous. That's what the word immovable refers to. Be steadfast and immovable, be courageous.

One of the great illustrations of that in the Bible is the story of Daniel. Remember Daniel's story? In Daniel chapter 6, Daniel was living in exile in a foreign country, Babylon, just as we're living in a foreign country right now, planet Earth. They were exiles in Babylon and he served under several kings while he was in Babylon. Darius was egocentric and some of those who served Darius were jealous at the favor that he had shown toward Daniel, so they laid a trap to try to trap Daniel.

They went to the king and said, "King, you know we're interested in national unity, and we can't have unity if we have people praying to different gods. Why don't you sign this edict that says anybody who prays to anybody else, any other god except you, is going to be thrown into a lions' den?" That sounded good to Darius and he signed the edict, not even thinking what it would mean to his friend Daniel.

What did Daniel do when he received the news that anybody worshipping another god would become the dinner for the lions? Look at what he did in Daniel 6:10. Now when Daniel knew that this document was signed, he entered his house and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God as he had been doing previously. He didn't change one thing about what he did, knowing that he could face death.

Daniel knew that kings come and go. He had served Nebuchadnezzar and now Nebuchadnezzar was no more. Darius would one day be gone, but the kingdom of God would endure forever. Why change his convictions over a kingdom that was transitional? That ought to be our attitude as well. God calls us in light of what the culture says to be courageous, to be immovable. In these last days, be hopeful, be courageous, be that light God called us to be.

Thirdly, be productive. Look again at verse 58 of 1st Corinthians 15: "always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain." That word abounding refers to a river that overflows its banks. We're to be that way, doing those things that are valuable for eternity. We ought to be motivated in these last days to do as much as we can for the kingdom of God, abounding in the work of the Lord.

Randy Alcorn has a great illustration of that. I heard him one time ask an audience to take out a blank sheet of paper, 8 1/2 by 11. Then to take your pen and make a dot in the center of that piece of paper and draw a line from the dot to the end of the border all the way to the right. He said that dot represents the 70 or 80 years you have here on Earth. The line represents that eternity that awaits you after those 70 or 80 years. The line goes on and on and on.

Randy said while we're here on Earth, we have to live in the dot. We don't have any choice about that; we're in those 70 or 80 years. The question is not where are you living, but what are you living for? Are you investing those 70 or 80 years in the things that are happening in the dot, or are you considering eternity? People who live for the dot invest in treasures that end up at junkyards one day. But people who invest for the line, for eternity, are investing for treasures that will never end.

The Apostle Paul was a great model of that. A lot of people misunderstand Paul. They wonder why he went through all the suffering he did. He wasn't some sado-masochist; he didn't enjoy being beaten within an inch of his life three different times. He didn't enjoy being imprisoned or shipwrecked. He didn't enjoy ultimately being beheaded. He did all these things because he knew there was a greater reward coming for those who worked for Jesus Christ.

In 2nd Timothy 4 verses 6 to 8, some of the final words he wrote, he said, "For I'm already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. I've fought the good fight, I've finished the course, I've kept the faith, and there is in the future laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord Himself shall award to me on that day, and not to me alone, but to all who have loved His appearing."

Paul doesn't say I'm investing my life in the kingdom of God and never think I'm going to receive anything in return. He's doing it exactly because of what he believes he's going to receive in return. That's why he said in 1st Corinthians 15:58, abound in the work, knowing that your labor is not in vain. There is a reward for those who come and live their lives for the kingdom of God.

I read an illustration that I had a hard time believing at the time was true, but found out in fact it was true. Imagine that you were living at the time of Jesus Christ, and let's just say it's zero AD when Jesus was born. You got the news that Jesus the Messiah had been born in zero AD. You said, "I think this baby Jesus is going places someday and I want to be a part of what He's doing."

You take one dollar and you invest in an organization known as Jesus Incorporated. The purpose of that organization is to make the message of Jesus Christ known throughout the world; some people would call it the church. You invest one dollar in Jesus Incorporated in zero AD and it earns a return of 6% a year. You invest your dollar, you never invest another dollar, just this one dollar in Jesus Incorporated. The next year you have a dollar and six cents.

Every year that dollar compounds at 6% interest. By the time you reach today, 2026, you know how much that dollar would be worth through compound interest? $720 quadrillion. One dollar invested at 6% for 2,000 years. It's the magic of compound interest. It's the horizon you have for your investments. It doesn't apply to me because I didn't live 2,000 years ago. That's right, we didn't live 2,000 years ago, but guess what? We're going to be alive 2,000 years from now.

And 10,000 years, and 10 million years, and 10 billion years. Even if we weren't alive 2,000 years ago to make that investment, we can make that investment now, knowing that there's a reward coming down the line. The fact is, when people have only a 20-year, 30-year investment horizon, they invest in things that will either be lost, stolen, ruined, forgotten, or left behind. But when you invest your time, your treasure, your efforts into the kingdom of God that will never end, you are ensuring one day that you're going to receive an inheritance.

Let me ask you today, how are you spending these last days? Maybe the twilight years of America or the last days of your life on Earth. Are you allowing the daily headlines to just grip your emotions, seize you, and fill you with fear? Are you placing your hope in some politician or political party, thinking that they're going to deliver you from the mess we're in, only to be disappointed? Are you spending your time just trying to eke out a living?

The word of God says we need to take a much more offensive, not defensive, stance. We need to rise up and push back against the darkness of this world. In the limited time we have here on planet Earth, we're to be that lighthouse pointing people to the only hope of the world, Jesus Christ. Therefore, be steadfast, be hopeful, be immovable, be courageous, be productive, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.

As America celebrates 250 years as a nation, my prayer is that she would turn her heart back to God and rediscover the hope that's found in Jesus Christ alone. Now I want to issue a personal challenge. As you've likely heard, a group of faithful friends has established a $1.5 million In God We Trust matching challenge. Every dollar you give to Pathway to Victory will be doubled in impact, dollar for dollar, to get God's word to more people across America and around the world.

The deadline is Sunday, July 5th. I urge you, don't wait. We don't need Washington to save America; we need the gospel. Your gift, whatever the amount, will be doubled to help make that happen. As our way of saying thanks, we've prepared something truly special exclusively from Pathway to Victory. It's the 250th commemorative edition of *America is a Christian Nation*. This is a beautiful full-color gift book filled with inspiring stories and stunning imagery from our nation's history.

Along with it, the *In God We Trust* DVD and a patriotic music disc too. It features incredible performances by the First Baptist Dallas choir and orchestra. These resources are our gift to you, a treasured keepsake for your family in this historic season for America. Here's David with all the details.

David J. Mullens: When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request the brand-new 250th commemorative edition of *America is a Christian Nation*. In addition to the book, you'll also receive *In God We Trust*, a brand-new two-disc set featuring music performances by the First Baptist Dallas choir and orchestra and teaching from Dr. Robert Jeffress. To request these resources, call 866-999-2965, visit ptv.org, or text PTV to 78800.

When you give $100 or more, we'll also send you the *America and the Bible* message series on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc set. Because of the In God We Trust matching challenge, your gift to Pathway to Victory will be matched and therefore doubled in impact. The deadline is quickly appearing on July 5th at midnight, so be sure to get in touch with us today before it's too late. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org.

You can also send your donation by mail. Write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullens. In recent decades, the American government has taken drastic measures to ensure the separation of church and state. Today's legislation is actually going against the wishes of our founding fathers. Join us Thursday for the message "America is a Christian Nation" here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. Right now, your ministry gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the In God We Trust $1.5 million matching challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on July 5th. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.