Base Camp Series: Testify Your Victory

Base Camp Series Part 5

Testifying Your Victory

June 3, 2018

The last several weeks, we have been going through a sermon series entitled Base Camp. We can all relate to mountains and insurmountable odds in our lives. Community, living at a different altitudes, and being sober about the mountains in front of us are all things that we can relate to in our personal lives as well as our spiritual journeys. I would hope that each of us know’s a thing or two about getting to the other side of those mountainous journeys.

This morning, I want to conclude this Base Camp series by looking at what we are compelled to do when we get to the other side of those mountains – Testify of our Victory.

Hebrews 10:19-25

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

4,833 different people have climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest and lived to tell about it. 288 have died in their attempt.

·      What do you think someone does when they get back to the normal world after their successful climb? They tell people about it!

·      What do you think they do a year, 5 years, 10 years, and even 20 years after they have successfully climbed to the top of Everest? They are still telling people about it.

People who accomplish large feats don’t just find contentment in the accomplishment, and then keep quiet about it. They tell and retell the stories for years to come. Their family knows, their children know, and their grandchildren know of the great accomplishment because it is worth telling about.

Because of what God has done in our lives, we are called to:

Hebrews 10:23 tells us to

I.               Hold on to hope remembering His faithfulness (Hebrews 10:23)

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

a.     Make monuments to God’s faithfulness

Monuments help us be reminded of what God has done.

Ephesians 3:20-21

He can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations

We see monuments created throughout Scriptures to remind us of God’s faithfulness

·  Jacob Wrestled with God – His name was changed

·  The Passover – An annual feast to remember God’s deliverance

·  Joshua - planted rocks

·  The Last Supper – Ongoing act in remembrance of Him

b.     Be encouraged in future mountain journeys because of His past faithfulness

·  You develop your faith - Each victory that you are reminded of from the past gives you greater faith that you will conquer the mountain set before you even though it seems daunting.

Philippians 4:4-7

You learn to pattern your life as Paul instructs – you

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  

Because you know:  The Lord is near. ⁶

You don’t have to be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ 

And all the sudden, you can rest assured that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

·  You develop greater trial tolerance - You begin to remember the moments when you thought you couldn’t go any further and you thought failure was imminent. But you still got through the trial.

You are reminded of what the Psalmist says that:

Psalms 46:1-3

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Build monuments in your life to celebrate God’s faithfulness through each mountain

Because of what God has done in our lives, we are called to:

II.              Provoke others towards love (Hebrews 10:24)

²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

a.     Excite others to action

We aren’t talking about offending others to Love here. The Greek word used for “Spur” or “Provoke” literally means to arouse or excite others to action.

To be able to excite others towards something, we must first be excited ourselves. If we are disciplined to remind ourselves of the victories we enjoy through the Lord, then we are also prepared to point those victories out to others.

One of the ways we do this is to share our stories – to testify of God’s goodness.

·  Motorcycle contribution – When Nancy and I were newlyweds, we were compelled to donate all the proceeds from the sale of my motorcycle. Days later, we received a check out of the blue for three times the amount we donated.

·  Washer & Dryer “mountain” – Our units went out just this week, and I was lamenting to the family that I didn’t know how we were going to afford getting new ones – especially in light of my school bills and our FTO commitment. The very next day, I received enough to cover both from an unexpected place. My son recognized God’s goodness because he has seen the regular testimony of it in past “monuments.” He was excited in his recognition of God’s hand.

b.     Tell of God’s goodness

We have a tendency as Christians to generalize God’s goodness when He demonstrates specificity in testimony. Be reminded and remind others often of what God has delivered you from, and you will help others as they walk through similar battles.

·      Baby David Streety – Was blind, but now he sees. JEHOVAH RAPHE our healer. When I see another baby suffering with blindness, I can be reminded of what God did with Baby David, and my faith can be strengthened.

·      Washer & Dryer – JEHOVAH JIREH our provider. When I get into difficult financial times, I can remember back to God’s faithfulness and provision this past week.

·      Baby Elias – JEHOVAH SHALOM our peace. When we face the most difficult of situations where hope hangs on by a thread, I can be reminded of the peace that abounded during Elias’ fight for life when he was born.

·      Some of us have been summitted the mountain of addiction, depression, gossip, slander, hatred, pride, promiscuity – OUR DELIVERER. As we testify of God’s deliverance, we communicate to others that God delivered us and He can deliver you too.

·      Some of us have found ways to forgive the unforgiveable – OUR REDEEMER

One example that we have tried to do in our house over the years is a Blessing Jar. The bottom line is that our testimony of God’s faithfulness builds faith and reminds us that Paul’s words in Romans 8 are so true.

Romans 8:37-39

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are called to remember God’s faithfulness, to provoke others towards love because of His faithfulness, and. . .

Because of what God has done in our lives, we are called to:

III.            Fellowship together (Hebrews 10:25)

²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

a.     Do it for encouragement

You can’t encourage one-another if you never fellowship with each other. Only one person out of those 4,833 who have climbed Mt. Everest has done it alone. We are so much stronger together than we are as individuals. It is because of our fellowship that our collective faith can be increased by testimonies like baby David and our washer and dryer situation.

b.     Do it frequently

The Lord is coming back. We are in the last days. As we draw closer and closer to that appointed time, it has, and will continue to become all-the-more difficult to walk lives of holiness; to be set apart. The writer of Hebrews is encouraging us to become even more frequent in our fellowship of the brethren in these end times – not less.

1 John 1:1-5

³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete.

We come together, we rejoice in the Lord and celebrate the hand of God in our lives, and this fellowship allows me to encourage those of you who are in the middle of your mountain climbing, and cry out with the words of Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:28-31

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Conclusion:
One thing that I hope you take away from this message is that God is absolutely still at work in the world. He is at work in our individual lives each and every day. If you don’t see it or aren’t experiencing the move of God in your live, it is either because your eyes are not open to what God is doing, or your heart and life are not open to God moving through you. We are called to be the vessels that God moves through.
Be encouraged by His activity in your life
Testify of His activity in your life
Encourage others with His activity in your life through fellowship
Be encouraged:
Romans 8:34-39
Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.