Pastor's Blog

Sand Mountain Sermonette 15

Philippians 1:6

The Lost Son
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6

There used to be a Theme Park near Atlanta, Georgia in the Seventies called, “Kingdom’s Three” because it was three parks in one. One Summer my family and I accompanied my cousin Paula, her two small children, and my Mamaw Iris to the amusement ride/show section of the attraction. After enjoying a couple of rides, our group walked down a pathway towards another section to check out more rides, but as we walked along, my attention was drawn to a sign indicating a magic show that was to begin in a few minutes so I drifted left and off from the group and rounded a section of tall trees that blocked off a covered stage complete with benches for seating where the show would take place.

After the thirty-minute show was over, I walked out to the pathway from where I originally drifted off from our group earlier and began to wonder where my family had landed. After a little while, Cousin Paula and the rest of my family walked up to me with “relief” spelled on their foreheads. Then, Paula proceeded to share with me a couple of things regarding their search for me. She said after they had noticed I was missing, they began to look for me and couldn’t find me, and after a period of time my dad and mom started to get worried. Then, it wasn’t too long until my dad noticed a “Lost and Found” booth over to one side. He walked up to a man who was standing there, introduced himself, and then said, “I want to report a missing son” to which the man asked my father, “Mr. Mabrey, how old is your son?” Then, my dad said, “He’s twenty-one.” To which the man at the booth replied, “Well, Mr. Mabrey, don’t you think he can find his own way back?” And that ended that! Well, not long after that, Paula and her kids were riding the classic “Octopus” and as their little car went high into the air, she saw me sitting at the magic show and then, they were able to find me.

When Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians in the First Century, he was assuring them of the origin and the outcome of their salvation. He wanted them to know the joy of the Lord to be found in understanding their salvation! And the key? Realizing that God is the initiator of our salvation and that we are now and forever secure in Him! And if God can save us through the atoning work of Christ, He can surely keep us in the now, and the life to come! Paul says, “…that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Wow! God has promised to preserve your life in Christ now, and forever, Christian! Without Jesus, you and I would remain lost in the kingdom of sin and evil, but our heavenly Father was determined to seek, find, began a good work, keep, and have us presented “faultless” before His throne one day by the blood of Jesus! And when the “day of Christ Jesus” comes, when He returns to take His Bride, the church to be with Him, what a glorious day that will be! Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? When you do, the origin of your salvation will be in Him, and you can leave the outcome of the rest of your life in God’s capable hands and within the boundaries of His kingdom!

Pastor Louie