The best way to accomplish endgame ( purpose or dream) is to know where you want to end up.
- What is your Endgame? Colossians 3:17 NKJV, NLT
- Whatever we do (financially, school, marriage, and career) do it as a representative of Jesus.
- Don’t worry too much about what you are doing or what you’re going to do, instead focus on how you’re going to live and who you are representing.
- Step 1: No one can decide what you want your endgame to be, you have to make the choice. Joshua 24:15-16 NKJV
- Step 2: We need to consider The Reward or The Consequence of the choice we make getting to our endgame.
- God gives us the freedom to choose, but we are not free from the consequences of our choices. Galatians 6:7 NKJV; Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
- Some choices we make getting to our endgame can bring reward on earth and destruction for eternity. Luke 12:15 NKJV
- You don’t have an abundant life by what you have, but by what you give.
1 Corinthians 2:9 - How to have an Abundant Life
- Love God
- Promptly Obey God
- Be Grateful for what God’s Done. Luke 12:15-31 NKJV
- When possessions own you- you become prideful and a pain!
- You Endgame is coming faster than you expect, what do you want it to look like?
Luke 16:19-31 NKJV
What’s Your End Game? Comfort and Peace or Torment and Heat
- How do you want your Endgame to End? Matthew 25:21 NKJV
What we do here on earth is simply training for Heaven. Psalm 16:11 NKJV
- Endgame Rewards
- The Crown of Rejoicing: For Winning Souls
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 NKJV; Daniel 12:3; Proverbs 11:30 NKJV
- The Crown of Rejoicing: For Winning Souls
- The Crown of Life: – For Enduring Trials and Tribulations. James 1:12 NKJV
Don’t Give up during those tough times,
God has a quality of life for you here and now!
- The Crown of Righteousness: His Love Appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NKJV
- The Crown of Glory: Pastors and Shepherds – For Faithfulness in Ministry
1 Peter 5:1-5NIV
- Rewards for Giving to the Work of God: Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV; 1 Timothy 6:17-19 NKJV
Your endgame won’t be what you wanted it to be if you’re not
tithing and giving to God’s work while you’re here on earth!
- Rewards for Helping the Poor: Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV
- Rewards for Using our Gifts and Talents: Matthew 25:14-30 NKJV
Sermon Video Transcription
James Greer: 00:00 What a great testimony and what a great guy he is. I love the way he ended that and said, I want you to be ready for the endgame. Guess what? The title of the series is this week? Endgame. Now what I want you to do is I’ve got an overlay that I’m going to put up there, and I want to talk about it just a minute. Because what I want you to do more than anything else today, when you leave, I want you to be ready for your endgame. And so, there’s going to place where you got to know where you started and you got to know where you end, and you can’t just have a quantum leap to get there. In other words, there’s some things that you do, you’ve got to know where you’re at today, and you got to know where you want to be. There it is on your endgame. Amen?
James Greer: 00:40 Okay, so over here is where you’re at right now, right? But over there is your endgame. Now that can be financially, it can be emotionally, most of all, it could be spiritually. It could be with your family, can be with your business, everything. But what people try to do, they stay over here and they think someday something like superheroes. I mean, yeah, some of you are watching the Endgames, The Avengers, but what happens in real life? You can’t just take some quantum leap and you end up at your endgame, successful. You have to do day to day steps and discipline to get there. But what I want you to know today, if you’ll really learn the process to get to your endgame, and you’re willing to do the application, you can be more successful in any area of your life than you’ve ever been. That’s what you want. Amen?
James Greer: 01:26 Well, before I forget, let’s welcome Alexandria campus. Amen? Whoo. We appreciate them, and they’re going to have a lot of baptisms today, and they’re going to be celebrating. But I don’t know, just think, start thinking about my personal life, my financial life, my career, and most of all my spiritual life. Where do I want this endgame to kind of end up? Well, what do you want to accomplish in five years? Where do you want to be in five, ten years, fifteen years, twenty years? I just want to be alive. But in reality, there’s so many people out there is going through life, and they hadn’t stopped the plan their endgame.
James Greer: 02:06 There’s a few things you can do that will really greatly help you get to the endgame. Now, it’s not in your bulletin, but I’m going to talk about them, and then I’ll lay them out for you. First of all, it’s greatly determined by the way you think, then your vision, then your discipline, then your purpose, and that equals success.
James Greer: 02:23 So first of all, oh you’ve even got it up there, thank you to [inaudible]. And so what I want you to know, first of all, what you think will greatly determine how you live. Our thinking determines our behavior. In fact, if you’re not careful, the Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Now I really never understood how powerful that is. As a person, you can self-prophesize good or bad. Many times somebody will starts saying, you know, I just feel like I’m all alone, I just feel like I’m helpless, and hopeless. And if you’re not careful, they’ll start withdrawing from people, and they’ll end up taking away from the very people that could help them the most. So you start, you got to be careful what you think on, because what you think on, a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, you’ll start living out by what you think, you’re thinking controls your behavior. If you want to change your behavior, change your thinking. Alright? I guess I’m most concerned about people that are saying, just nobody loves me, or I’m helpless, or I’m hopeless. And without knowing that they’re actually doing that to themselves. They’re withdrawing, they’re are saying, I’m hopeless, I don’t want to be around people that have a lot of hope. I feel lonely, so they isolate themselves. So what I want you to do today, is change your thinking. Because the way a man thinks is his heart, so is he. Think, hey, God loves you. Amen? God wants to give you a good success. Amen? Okay, so work first on that.
James Greer: 04:01 Then you can need to have a vision. Where there’s no vision, the people perish. Amen? The vision gives you direction, the vision gives you destiny. See, what does your endgame look like? How do you think? What is your vision?
James Greer: 04:17 Third is the great one, it is discipline. The problem is people try to get to their endgame without discipline, and you can’t. Because without discipline, your vision is just simply a dream, it doesn’t go anywhere. And see, really what you got to do, if you’d go back in the very beginning and you looked at that quantum leap. You started here, and how you get from here to there is little disciplines every single day until you get to your endgame.
James Greer: 04:38 Now, there is another endgame that I want to talk about. My purpose, and my endgame, here is day is to make sure every person here at the end of their life goes to heaven. Amen? That’s my endgame. I’m in the endgame business. Okay? But you need discipline. Galatians 6:9 it says, “Don’t grow weary in well doing, in due season, you shall reap.” We way underestimate the power of a little discipline every day in our life. It doesn’t matter, say this, at the end of your life, you want to be better off financially. You want to be able to retire one day. Amen? Okay, how are you disciplining yourself every week you get paid, for the long run. See, too many people are living for today, and they forget the endgame, and you need to start getting ready. I’m telling you, I’m meeting with more and more people and they’re getting ready to retire, and they’re getting to the endgame. And now they hadn’t prepared before they get to the end, or getting ready to retire, now they’re going to have a hard time retiring. So if you’re here today, especially if you’re 50 and under, start preparing for your endgame. Amen? Okay. Financially, so you do that.
James Greer: 05:40 Then you’ve got to have a purpose. the purpose is in Colossians 3:7, and I’ll give it to you later on. Whatever you do in word and deed. What’s whatever mean? Whatever. Whatever you go to work, where you live, you know who you marry, what you do. Whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God our Father through that. That is the beginning of getting to your endgame. But purpose, listen, purpose gives you passion, passion determines how fast you’re going to get to endgame.
James Greer: 06:16 So if you would take` all those together, you could radically change your life. In other words, it takes
some sacrifice to get to success. But everybody here can radically change how they’re getting to the endgame. You got to know where you want to go. I meet with people all the time, so where do you on be in five` years? I don’t know. Where do you want to be at the end of your life? I don’t know. I can guarantee you’re going to probably get there. I don’t know. So you do that.
James Greer: 06:42 But I’m going to tell you, my endgame has gotten more and more serious though. I had two friends have heart attacks unexpectedly this week. They’re both still in the hospital right now, one of them was younger, and one of them is my age. Had another one die of cancer this week. I was called in with a 16 year old that’s at Saint Jude’s with cancer. I was called with another one, that a lawyer in [inaudible] died. At that point, my endgame changes. What’s really important changes. You all know, we had a member of our church name is Ed Green, manages Outlaws, and he went to be the Lord this week because of cancer. And they said, I was over there this week, and they said, you know, the doctor said he probably listen real close. He probably had cancer a year ago, but he just kept pushing through, pushing through, pushing through. He only got saved and baptized six months ago, and then he did not find out to his cancer until about three months ago, and now in that short time, he’s, God’s grace extended that extra six months. That he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, his wife did, and their 12 year old daughter. Amen? And now they say how important that is. So now the endgame is to be in heaven where they wipe away all your tears, and there’s no more sickness, and no more sorrow.
James Greer: 08:07 Man, I want you to know that it will change your endgame when you’re around all that. But it starts with this. It starts today. It starts with, to get to your endgame, you got to say, you start where you want to be, and then work backwards, you don’t go here and there. In other words, where do you want to be? What is your endgame? What is your endgame in your marriage, in your finances, and your spiritual life? What it really is your endgame. Do you want to have a better relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you want to make sure you’re going to heaven? Do you want to be better off financially? What is your endgame?
James Greer: 08:36 Nobody can do that for you, but number one, you got to know what your endgame is, you’ve got to know what you want to accomplish. But Colossians 3:17 says, whatever it is, whatever it is, “Whatever it is you do in deed, whatever it is you do in word, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” So that’s where it’s got a start. Another translation puts it this way. Listen, “In whatever you do, and whatever you say, do it as a representative.” Hey, if you’re here today, and you’re born again, you’re a Christian. Bible said, whatever you do, you’re going to be a representative of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks. So whatever you do, wherever you go to work? See, everything starts right here. Remember, whatever you do financially, you represent Jesus Christ. Whatever you do on your job and your career, you represent Jesus Christ. Whatever you do in your marriage, whatever you do in your hobby, do it as a representative of Jesus Christ. Way, way too many people, you ready? This is something. They worry so much about what they’re doing, what they’re going to do. If they’re not married, who they’re going to marry. Where are they going to work, and where they’re going to live. Really, the essence, the endgame is this. It’s not so much where you’re working, not so much where you’re living, it’s not even so much where you’re going to school, to some extent is not who you’re going to marry. What it is, is who are you going to represent, and how are you going to represent them? And when you really get all that settled, God usually goes ahead and takes care of everything else. If you had really listened to Phil’s testimony. He said, really when I finally surrendered, when I really gave it to God, then I found when I was looking for. Amen? So you’ve got to do that, you’ve got to settle those kinds of things. You got to finalize what is your endgame going to be? Just like Phil did.
James Greer: 10:17 But the number one step to get to your endgame, is to determine what you want your endgame to look like. What do you want do? Joshua 24:15 puts it this way, “If it seems evil for you, to serve the Lord. Choose for yourself who you are going to serve.” I’m not talking about simply just coming to church. I’m talking about a lifestyle change. I’m talking about a behavioral change. He says, Joshua stands up, God had just given him victory. And he said, listen, choose for yourself, choose for yourself who you are going to serve. Whatever the gods which your father served? That’s where your father’s on the other side of the river, of those gods who were the Amorites, to those land dwell there. But as for me and my household, I choose to what? Serve the Lord. So every single one of you here today needs to decide if you’re going to choose the Lord or not. If it seems evil for you to serve, don’t serve him.
James Greer: 11:17 I wrote in my notes though. I said, look, everybody at Journey Church if it seems evil for you to serve the Lord, choose for yourself. And I said, how did that work out for them? Well they went into slavery when they didn’t choose God. And you’ll be in a bondage and a slavery when you don’t do that. But God’s telling me, he’s telling you, choose today who you’re going to serve. Choose today who you’re going to live for. Choose today when you go to work? Choose today when you go in your career. Choose today in your hobby. Who are you going to serve? Who are you going to live for? I love it, in Joshua 24:16 he did this though. So he said, “So the people answered and said, far be it for us that we should forsake the Lord.” I hope that’s the same answer I would hear from Journey Church. If I said Journey Church, I want you to choose today who you’d serve. Journey Church, I want you to choose your endgame. Where do you want to be at the end of your life?
James Greer: 12:05 Second, you’ve got to consider when you’re living life, the rewards or the consequences of the choices you make before you get to your endgame. God gives us the freedom of choice, right? But he doesn’t give us freedom from the consequences of our choices. Big difference. You can have freedom of choice. I mean don’t be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever you sow, you shall reap. But I want to give you some illustrations of why it’s so important. I’m going to give you an illustration, do you know why it’s so hard for even Christians must less not Christians to enjoy the Christian life? I’m going tell you. It tells us in Matthew 7:13 it says, enter into the what kind of gate? Narrow. For wide is the gate and broad is the gate that leads to what? Destruction. And there, many are going to go through it. And then it starts to tell us why. Because narrow is the gate, and difficult. You know what I always imagined? I would imagine there’s these huge gates that are wide open. And then I imagine there’s this little bitty gate, and there’s just a few people like me that I’d have to suck it in to get through it, you know? And I said, God, you know, not everybody could fit through that little gate. But if you’ll read it in the context, it says narrow is the gate, and difficult. Do you understand what that really means? It really means it’s difficult because all the distractions in the world, there’s so many distractions, that they crowd out what God wants for you. So it’s not that the gate is so little, there’s so many worldly distractions that are trying to pull you away from the very thing that you want.
James Greer: 13:40 It’s just like when Phil was giving a testimony, I tried this, I tried that, I lost my job, I got another job. But until he finally said, oh, I’m going to surrender it all, then he found what he was looking for. But I’m telling you, I don’t know what you’re looking for, but the world is trying to distract you from the very thing that God wants to give you. The world is crowding out. Between our families and our jobs and our hobbies and trying to make living, everything else, it crowds out everything. Then we don’t have any room for Jesus. This is what happens, wrong business robs your blessings. Wrong business robs our blessings. See, some people they say that it is difficult to find the abundant life. It’s difficult to make sure you’re going to eternity, because everything’s crowding it out. Few are going to enter it. I never realized that few people don’t enjoy life, there’s only a few people.
James Greer: 14:39 That’s not God’s plan. God’s plan came in John 10:10, “That you could have life, and you can have it more abundantly.” But in Matthew 7 it said, hey, “Wide is the gate to destruction.” Now I understand that that could have been written in the context of construction in eternity, but I believe it’s written and also in the context of the way we live our life on a day to day basis, we get too busy doing everything else, that we crowd out God in our life. He said, for life, means I want you to have a life, and he said, few people go through it. See, some people in their endgame, they want to have fame and fortune. But they go after it so bad, it’s nothing wrong with fame, there’s nothing wrong with a fortune. But if you crowd out Jesus , you become so busy, you miss the blessing. There’s some people that want to be pro football players. I tell them really, you better get an education too, just in case. Because they say, odds are you’re more likely to get hit by lightning than make it. But that’s okay, go for it. But if you want to be a pro football player there is nothing wrong with that, an actor, an actress, I mean, you know, whatever it is, there’s nothing wrong, a happy homemaker. The problem is this, there’s so many distractions in the world. If you’re not careful, it crowds out Jesus in your life, and you become so busy with the wrong thing, you miss the blessings of God. God says, for today’s the day, for you to choose, not someday but today Journey Church. Amen? Well say, that’s not what I want, some say, I want to be a great preacher. Good, so do I. I mean some people want to be a doctor, some people want to be lawyer. See, I want you to know that’s not the problem. The problem is, see you are so focused on what you want to be, you’re not focused on who you are, and who you should be. And so you let the world crowd out the blessings of God. See, it doesn’t matter what you do.
James Greer: 16:22 I’ve never talked to so many people, I say, how are you doing? I am so busy. Is that supposed to mean a blessing? Are you too busy? Are you so busy with the wrong things that you’re missing the blessings, and power of God? You all want to hear something strange? They say they’re so busy, and then they say they’re so stressed out. Duh! Let me give you a free insight, cut out some of the wrong busyness, and spend some of the time with Jesus Christ, and you’ll find the life that he said. It’s a narrow gate, but it’s a great gate. Amen? See, you’re going to have to choose. You need to choose today. Am I going to choose the narrow gate, the abundant life. Or am I going to choose the wide gate?, the one that’s destruction, the one that is difficult, the one there is distraction. There’s one that I’m allowing to crowd out Jesus, the one that I am so busy that I’m not enjoying the blessings of God. You know for a fact today, if that’s you. You know, if you came in here today and said, man, I was so busy.
James Greer: 17:22 In fact, some of you didn’t even want to come Sunday because you were too busy. Sunday should be the greatest day of the week. Sunday was set apart for God. Sunday was set apart where we could rest. Sunday should be a special day. I can remember on Sundays you couldn’t even go buy anything. Hello, do you know why? Because God really ordained it for us to regenerate ourselves, for us to refresh, for us to renew. And now we’ve got to now, Sunday’s just another day. And now Sundays are so busy, we’re missing the blessing of God. You’re preaching, Brother James, whoo, I like it. Let me give you another example, Luke 12:15, and Jesus was trying to explain it where you can understand. In Luke 12:15 he, being Jesus. “He said, take heed, beware of covetousness.” Now you got to be aware of covetousness, because what happens when you continually want what somebody else has, and you’re never happy with what you have, you’ll never be happy with what you get. For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of things and possessions. Now see, the truth is known today as the world, they think, hey, I would be happy if I had a bunch of possessions. But God says that life does not consist of an abundance of blessing. Listen, do you really want to know something? Life doesn’t really exist of happiness not by what you have, but what you give away. Amen Brother James, it’s still true. I mean, we’re not going to teach it today, but if you want to know how to have the abundant life, you can look in your bulletin it says, that it gives you some outline. It says, hey, learn to love God, obey him promptly, and be grateful for what you already have.
James Greer: 18:59 But Luke 12:15 it says this, and Jesus said to them, Journey Church. And he said, you know, take heed, beware of covetousness, beware of not being happy with what you have. Beware of worrying about what everybody else has. I know you all wish you all could have some of these shoes, but everybody can’t have them. Not even Darrell at the other campus, and he loves shoes. But don’t want my shoes, just enjoy the shoes you’ve got. Amen? Don’t want my job, enjoy the job you have. You know, for one’s life doesn’t consist of an abundance of things of possession. There’s nothing wrong with possessions. I like possessions, I like to make money. That’s great, I just don’t want them to possess me. Oh, so see, it really wasn’t the possessions was it? And so many people, there’s two two kinds of people, those who possessions possess them, and there’s people that are possessed trying to get possessions. That’s good to Brother James.. And so what you’ve got to do is this, you’ve got to be careful. You got to be careful, because see if your possessions own you, you become prideful, and prideful leads to painfulness Now you say, well, I don’t have a lot of possessions. Well are you possessed with trying to have them? See, you’ve got to find the main thing, are you too busy for Jesus? I’m writing my new devotion, it just really short, and it’s just to a few people. It’s a warning to millionaires, and it’s fixing to come out, and I’m going to give it to the people that have made $1 million before. Because if you’re not careful, the more money you have, the more likely you’re depending on yourself, then you are God. And if you made money, actually God gave you the ability to make any money you have, even if you’re not a Christian, so you better be careful.
James Greer: 20:40 Why do so many people believe that if they had possessions it would give them purpose? No, only God gives us purpose, only God does it. Anyway, verse 16 said, and he spoke in parables to them, to Journey Church. And he was saying in the parable, he said, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plenty. And the man’s endgame was just to get richer and richer. He decided that that was his endgame. Verse 17 said, and he thought within himself, be careful. If I could teach you anything it would be to be careful about your self-talk. It’s probably the most dangerous thing in the world. You have to learn to divide two things. You’d divide what people say to you, from what God says about you, number one. And you divide what your mind says to you, to what God would say to you. See, his mind was saying, look at me, look what I’ve got. He was having a self-talk to himself. What shall I do since I don’t have any room to store my crops? What should I do since I’ve been so successful in life? What should I do that now I’m finally making money? Verse 18 he goes on to talk to himself. So he said, talking to himself, I will do this. Anytime you start saying I’m going to do this, I’m going to pull down my barns and I’ll build greater barns, and there I will store all my crops and all my goods. You notice, he’s getting kind of heavy on the “I”. “I” will get you in trouble. But you know what he said after that? He said, so I’ll say to my soul, he’s still talking to himself. Soul, you have many goods laid up now for many years. Let’s take it easy, let’s eat, let’s drink and be merry. His endgame was to be so rich that he could just eat and drink and be merry. His endgame would say, I just want to travel, I just want to do whatever I want to do. His endgame was everything but what the real endgame was, and when he got to the end of his game, it wasn’t what he thought it was and he wished he hadn’t gone there.
James Greer: 22:43 So it goes on and he says this in verse 20 now he’s been talking to himself, now God’s going to talk to him. But God said to him, you fool. God, I love it, God calls people fools. I don’t call you a fool, but God says you’re a fool. God says you’re a fool, when you had the wrong endgame. He says, this night, your soul, it’s going to be required of you, then whom will all these things go to? In other words, hey, now what good is it helping you? Now how are you going to eat and travel and be married? He said, no, no. He said, you should’ve done this. Verse 21 he said, so it is who lays up treasures for himself, uh oh, and is not rich towards God. See, when you get to laying up treasures just for yourself, and you’re not rich for God, your soul begins to be destroyed.
James Greer: 23:28 And when he said to his disciples, therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about life. Do you understand God wants you to worry? Don’t worry about what you’re going to eat, don’t worry about your body. I don’t know really what that means. Don’t worry about what you’re going to on. And he said to his disciples you know, don’t worry about what you’re going to put on, instead he says this, begin to lay up treasures where? In heaven. He’s 29 and he said this, don’t seek out what you should eat., don’t seek out what you should drink, nor even be anxious minded, or don’t even be worried, don’t be stressed out. Do you know I told you 80% of the people in the world are so stressed out they’re also having physical problems, right? But God says, look, you probably got so busy with the wrong things that you’re missing out on the blessings that he has for you. And then he goes on in verse 30 and says, so all these things, all these things nations of the world seek after. So this is what he’s saying, are you living like the world or are you living for God? Your father knows what you have need of.
James Greer: 24:34 Can I tell you whatever it is, you have a need today, God already knows what it is. Do you know whatever it is that you really need? God says, I’ll supply all your needs according to his riches and glory. Do you understand that if you get the rest of your life lined up, and you come down here and you said, God, I know what you need. He’d say, I already know it, and I’ll already take care of it. And then he says, sums it up and he says, after these, but seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added.
James Greer: 25:02 See, you get your endgame lined up, and God begins to take care of everything else in your life. So do you really know what your endgame is? I know one thing, I know what I want to hear on my endgame. If this was the end of my game, if this was the end of my life, this is what I want to hear. In Matthew 25:21 for time sake, this is what I’d want hear. I’d want to hear it says, and the Lord said to me, you Journey Church, well done, good and faithful servant, you’ve been faithful in a few things, I’ll make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord. I can promise you when you come to end your life, and you come to the endgame, and you appear before God, you want to hear that well done, my good and faithful servant. Well done, just put your name there. Well done Brother James, you have use your time, your talents, your tithes to further the of the Kingdom of God, now enter into the fullness of joy like never before. See, I think there’s a joy that you can know here, but I think there’s even a fuller joy that you’re going to know in heaven. And the Bible says this, in thy presence you’ll know fullness of joy for the first time. So see, God is only using you, this is training ground here for Heaven. Whatever you’re doing now, God said, I want you to train, where one day you’ll be in heaven. Because when you get to heaven, there’s acts, and rewards, well done thy good and faithful servant. And then say everybody standing before God. He said, man, you’re so glad to get into heaven. Amen? You’re knowing the fullness of joy for the first time, and then God says, man, I’ve got something better, I’ve got some rewards, I’ve got some crowns, I’ve got some prizes. And while you were on Earth training? I want you to come to heaven, and I want you to give them.
James Greer: 26:39 So I’ve got to go quick, so you’re going to have to listen. I’m going to give you at least seven of them real quick, that God wants to give you. Number one. Number one is the crown of rejoicing, it’s soul winning. God says, listen, in first Thessalonians 2:19, for what is my hope? What is my joy? What is my crown? What is my rejoicing? And he says, listen, for those people that have used influence to lead other people to Jesus Christ. When you get to heaven, there’s going to be rewards, there’s going to be crowns for that. My question to you, have you ever influenced somebody else to further the Kingdom of God? Ever been an influence to somebody else, invite them to come to church, and they got saved? If they did, that’s part of your rewards in heaven. Amen? But if it didn’t, it should be, oh me. In fact, Daniel 12:3, I love this. And we won’t do this long, but it says, those who are wise, they will shine like brightness in heaven, that have led many to righteousness like the stars forever. When you get to heaven, you see all these stars. I mean like stars, only it’d be people. And you look up into heaven, some stars are brighter than other stars. Amen? One of the reasons that in heaven, they’re brighter is because they led many people to righteousness. So have you never led somebody to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you never made an influence? Have you never asked somebody to come to church? You see what I’m saying in your endgame you’re going to wish you had.
James Greer: 27:53 There’s those that endured hardship that didn’t give up, and it says, hey, blessed is the man that endured temptation. For when he’s approved, he’s going to receive a crown of life. Then that says, hey, don’t give up when times are coming, you keep coming to church. You know people say, I don’t come church, because I got my feelings hurt. I can’t wait until you get to heaven sucker. Why didn’t you go church? Somebody hurt my feelings. So you were going to church to please somebody else. Oh, well there’s a bunch of hypocrites, so are you, it’s what caused you to drop out you see? You’re going to be sorry, because he said, there’s rewards and crowns for those people that endured temptation and that didn’t give up. There’s crowns for those that love his appearance. There’s crowns for pastors that serve. There’s crowns for those that gave into God’s work. And there’s crowns for those that help the poor. And there’s mainly crowns for those people who use their time and talent for what God called them to.
James Greer: 28:48 So I want to know today, what is your endgame? What is your endgame in your personal life? You Ready? What is your endgame in your financial life? And what is your endgame in your spiritual life? Today is the day for you to start making choices for that. You need to make a choice today, what is my endgame? The main choice is today, if you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ, oh the most important choice you’ll ever make in your life. Maybe you need to consider the consequences of the choices that you’ve been making. God gives us free choices, we’re not free of the consequences. Maybe you need to ask yourself about the endgame, whether you’re going to have the peace and the comfort and the awards, or if you’re a stand before God just empty handed. Maybe today you need to ask God, God, help me surrender to you, help me to change my focus. Help me to quit being so dadgum busy, God, with the wrong thing, so I’m missing out on the blessings of God. Long to do this, well done, thy good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.
James Greer: 29:56 Would you stand with me and let me pray for you? Father, I just thank you that there’s an endgame that you’ve already got planned for us. It’s a wonderful plan, you’ve gone before us. It’s that we can have a good life, that we can finish strong, that we could enter into heaven where we’d know the fullness of joy for the first time, God for those that came today and they would have to say, hey, I had been so busy with the wrong things, I’ve been missing out on the blessings, and I want to realign my priorities starting today. God. I want align them with the endgame. I want my personal life, I want my marriage, I want my finances, but mostly God, I want my spiritual life. And God you give me a choice, and I understand that the gate’s narrow because of the difficulties, because of all the distraction the world offers, but God today I’m going to choose that. And God, one day I’m going to hear well done, thy good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. Father, I know the people here today, the ones that serve are most satisfied, but it’s going to be nothing compared to when they get to heaven. So Father, whatever decisions need to be made, whether it’s to join the church, follow through in public baptism, come to the altar and surrender their life. God, to you, be all honor and glory. It’s in your name we pray. Amen.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
