Philip Anthony Mitchell - Into Triumph (01/25/2026)
If you’re here for the very first time, if you’re a visitor, if you’re watching or listening to me on podcast, we welcome all of you to Victory and welcome you to what is the last week of our series called «Follow.»
The Greatest Journey
In this series, we have been talking about the hero of the Scriptures, the hero of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, and making a case for following Jesus and what that looks like in practicality. We’ve been talking over the last three weeks about probably the greatest journey any human being will ever take in their life—that is, the journey to follow Jesus. There is no greater journey any human being will ever take in this life than the journey to follow Jesus.
That journey will lead us to mountaintops; it will lead us into valleys. There will be times of uncertainty, times of joy and sorrow. But there is no greater journey. Did y’all hear that? There is no greater journey any human being will ever take in this life than the journey to follow Jesus.
Landing the Plane in Matthew 25
I want to land the plane with this last message, and we’re going to start this message in Matthew chapter 25. And I know this is not going to be a «shout me down» message. I don’t expect anyone to throw anything up in front of me and say, «Preach, preacher.» But I thought that, as a shepherd of this church, I would be remiss if I closed the series without this final conversation.
Matthew 25 is the ending of the discourse that Jesus was having with His followers. It was the last discourse in Matthew’s Gospel before He goes on to talk about the passion of Jesus—His death, His crucifixion. This conversation I’m about to read to you is a section of a broader conversation that Jesus had with His followers that began in Matthew chapter 24.
In fact, I was reading the entire conversation, and just this morning, as I read that conversation quietly in my study, my eyes burst into tears. They came to Jesus and asked Him, «Lord, tell us, when will be the signs of the end times, the signs of Your coming and the end of the age?» And beginning in Matthew chapter 24, Matthew—who was one of those eyewitnesses of the life of Jesus, who was among the group that asked Him that question—Jesus began to tell them about signs and things that we will see happening in society as the day approaches for His return.
He talked about wars and rumors of wars and famines and nations rising against nations. He talked about Christians being hated by the world and the world hating believers in the Christian faith. He talked about earthquakes in various places, troubles—He called them the beginning of birth pains.
Persecution and False Christs
He told them that a lot of them will be delivered up to be persecuted and put to death and killed. And for some of us, we have no knowledge of what that feels like in the West because we’re very comfortable here in our «boujee» Christianity. But outside of the United States, our brothers and sisters are being put to death. In fact, every day—if you want to be honest—statistics tell us that before this worship experience is over, some man, some woman, some child somewhere will die for the faith.
And we think that if we get stuck in traffic, the devil has taken us down. But none of us in this room has resisted unto blood for the faith. And so He tells them about all these things. He warns them about false Christs, false preachers who will come, and they will deceive many. They will lead them astray with books and with conferences and with podcasts. They will deceive them with teachings and with YouTube.
Because we think everyone who has a following is of Jesus. We think everyone with a big following on social media is of Jesus. And we think everyone who is eloquent is of Jesus. Something can be deep, but that doesn’t mean it’s truth. He talked about many false Christs who are going to arise and deceive many.
And then He tells three parables—powerful parables of the virgins, the parable of the talents. Those parables represented teaching about preparation for His coming—about those who are wise, who prepare for His coming, and those who are foolish, who do not prepare for His coming.
The Separation of Sheep and Goats
And then He finishes that conversation with these words. Matthew wrote this down in the first century AD. Matthew chapter 25, verse 31: «When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.'
We support an urban missionary who is in prison. We send him money every month so he can do the work of the Lord in prison. He leads a Bible study there; he leads people to faith in prison. Everyone who is a faithful giver in this church—a percentage of everything you give goes towards that work, in addition to the missionaries we support in Madagascar right now, preaching the gospel to unreached people groups.
I speak to that missionary about every other week. I talked to him this week. He was very discouraged, felt very lonely, very isolated. He was hurting. I just want to encourage you—those who are praying, caring enough to pray—would you pray for him in your quiet time? Would you lift him up before the Father? He doesn’t only need our money, which we send him every month—he also needs our love and support and our prayers. Our prayers are not limited by geography; they will reach him right there in that prison.
I want to encourage you to pray for him as he is leading Bible studies behind prison walls that we are supporting him to do. Those of you who are not givers, I want to encourage you to be givers because we are supporting the work of the kingdom of God outside the four walls of this gathering. So please pray for him.
I’m going to read you a letter that he wrote to the church—not this Sunday, but in another gathering. I’m praying for his release. He’s there serving time for something he did not commit and has been there for almost two years innocent. That can take a toll on a human heart—to be sentenced to prison for something you did not commit. And to encourage and remind him about people like Joseph, who served prison time innocently, and Paul, who served prison time for the spread of the gospel.
So I want to encourage you to pray for him in your spare time. I don’t know if I should say his name—just pray for the urban missionary that belongs to Victory who is behind prison walls. Amen.
Verse 37: Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You? ' Then the King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'
Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'
Challenge to Modern Christianity
You know, I wonder if Jesus would get traction today. Because we love to talk about grace and love and blessing. Anytime someone talks about hell or fire or damnation, we don’t buy that book, and we don’t go to that conference, and we don’t listen to that podcast. I wonder if Jesus would be popular today.
I notice some of the most popular preachers, some of the most popular people, keep us comfortable in sin. And I notice that there’s a trend in the body of Christ—believers run from people who tell them the truth.
You know what I’ve learned as I’ve grown with the Lord? Maturity has taught me to ask for things that hurt my feelings—that when I listen to teaching, I want it to bruise me just a little bit. Because I’m searching for growth and maturity that leads to life and righteousness. I don’t want to be just kept comfortable in my sin.
Listen, preach to me to encourage me—yes—but preach to me to bruise me. We’ve got to grow to a place of maturity where we want to hear the kind of truth that shakes us just a little bit, that steps on some toes, that pushes us out of the comfort of sin and into the light: „I gotta work on this area of my life.“ If we never get to that point, God help us. Cotton candy will leave you sick and malnourished.
Why do we only love teaching that never challenges us? The Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. Paul told Timothy the Word is good for rebuke and for correction and instruction in righteousness.
No matter how many people come, I refuse to let people’s blood be on my hands. When the Spirit is on me—you love things that are deeply emotive, you love to be told you’re awesome, you only love teaching that makes you feel wonderful—then you can’t read the Scriptures and come away with that every time.
At some point, you’ll bump into texts that challenge your theology and challenge your philosophy. What do you do with texts like „when you have issues with your brother, go and make that right and then come back to Me“? What do you do with texts that tell you don’t give pastors a hard time but be submitted to the place where you are? What do you do with texts that teach you to forgive and love your enemies, even those who hurt you most?
I’m telling you, you can’t drink milk for the rest of your life—you’re going to be badly malnourished. And chronological age doesn’t mean spiritual maturity.
You know what Jesus was trying to teach? Maturity is what God is trying to get out of you. I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in. I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me. I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You? ' Then He will reply, 'Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.' Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Call to Follow Towards Truth Through Trouble Into Triumph
All to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph. We’re gonna close the series with that. Call to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph. I’d say don’t look back and don’t let Him go.
You know what I’m describing for you? The Christian life. I don’t care what else you’ve heard—you’ve been called to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph. Anything else is heresy.
We’ve been called to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph. Man, I’m gonna let that sit on somebody like a brick so we will stop teaching people lies. We’ve been called to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph.
It’s going to lead us someplace, and for others it’s gonna lead them someplace. Somebody say call to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph.
Call to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph. Come on, because the fellow towards truth through trouble—bruised, beat down and weary, tired, laboring, sacrificing, suffering, abandoning, giving, reading and praying and fasting and believing, losing and gaining, exciting and toiling, late nights, long days, early mornings, bad news and good news, doctor’s reports, laying hands on the sick, up and down, admitted betrayal, divorce issues in my home, issues in my mind—but clinging to the Savior with everything in me. Through every trouble, I’m gonna follow Him all the way into triumph.
Father, bless this Word.
Reflection on Gandhi and Warnings
This morning in my prayer time, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a great man. He was a revolutionary. He is remembered in the annals of history as probably one of the greatest men that ever walked the face of the earth. His name was Mahatma Gandhi—a young man with a burden became an attorney, became a political activist. After finishing law school, returning back to his home country India, through civil disobedience and non-violence, he led a movement that would change the nation of India. It would be heralded as a great reformer, man of great stature. His very principles not only changed his country but changed our country as well. A young preacher from right here in Atlanta also copied his truths—a movement of civil disobedience, non-violence.
Gandhi was not a Christian, and allegedly at the end of his life, he is alleged to have said—though he had done great works, had led a great movement—he had come to the end of his life and had said allegedly, „I still feel like something is missing.“ Gandhi died, and I don’t know what his final words were, but if he died believing what he believed his whole life, that belief sealed his fate in eternity.
Because every person in this room and everyone watching or listening—we are all following something or someone: beliefs, philosophies, doctrines, people. And as I thought about Gandhi this morning, I thought that whatever we believe, we will follow to the very end. And that GPS will either lead us towards life or lead us to a dark place—no matter how morally good our life was on this side.
These recent storms, these recent hurricanes, remind me of a great principle. Meteorologists were forecasting the coming of Irma and the coming of Harvey. They saw them coming, and in seeing them coming, you know what they did—they issued warnings to people in their path: „Listen, get out. Prepare yourself for the coming of these two storms. They are deadly, and they will kill you. Prepare yourself.“
And on the heels of that warning, every person who heard that was left to make a decision: either ignore that warning and stay right where you are or in pride deal with the repercussions of whatever happens with that storm. And others who heard the same warning made a decision: „I’m gonna leave this house, I’m gonna leave these cars, I’m gonna leave behind these things that are not more important than my life. I’m gonna let them go and I’m gonna run to safer ground“ as I heed the warning of a coming storm.
And some made it out safe; others stayed and lost their lives.
Jesus' Forecast of the Coming Storm
There was a meteorologist in the Scriptures. His name is Jesus. And He too has made forecasts of coming storms. Matthew 25, verse 31 through 46 is a forecast of a coming storm. And some interesting things in that text—it is not a parable. It is not something likened unto. It is the words of a man who claimed to be the Son of God making a forecast for all those who will listen. And it leaves everyone to make a decision: heed those warnings and run to safer ground or stay right where you are.
Some principles about the forecast of that storm. Jesus said, „When the Son of Man comes…"—you notice that’s the first forecast: He is returning. That a day is coming when life as you and I know it, my brothers and sisters, is gonna give way to the return of Jesus.
And you know what else He said in that forecast? «When I return… all the nations of the earth will be gathered before Me.» How many is all? All. What do those nations represent? Every man, woman, child will be gathered before Me. So what does He forecast? Judgment is coming. And He forecasts every person in every church, every ethnicity, every nation in the world—a day is coming when every single one of them will stand in front of Him.
And He forecasted, «When I come, I’m gonna gather everyone before Me, and then there will be a great separation"—a divine one. And He says, like a shepherd—remember that word from last week—like a shepherd, I’m gonna divide the sheep from the goats.
Have you ever looked up on Google what a sheep looks like and what a goat looks like? They are hard to tell the difference. I hate to say this next statement, but in every room right now on Sunday, there are sheep and there are goats. There are people right now—if Jesus came—they will end up on the right hand, and people who end up on the left hand. And notice, we probably can’t tell the difference—not just because they think they are sheep, not just because they own a Bible, not just because they come to church on Sunday morning.
Because if you get a group of sheep and goats together in a pasture, it’s very hard to tell them apart. Sheep and goats are sometimes the same color, the same height, the same size. But Jesus says, «I’m gonna divide the sheep from the goats.» Well, how will we tell the difference? «I was hungry and you fed Me. I was thirsty and you gave Me drink. I was naked and you gave Me clothes. I was in prison and you came to visit Me. I was without, and you took care of Me.»
So how did Jesus distinguish sheep from goats—from followers from fans? How did He distinguish churchgoers from believers, faithful servants from people who just check «I’m a follower of Jesus» on the census? How did He distinguish them? What was the evidence of sheep? What was the evidence of truly following Him? The evidence was service flowing out of their lives—gospel-motivated service flowing out of their lives, ministering to the lives of other people.
Works don’t earn us a place in heaven, but if I’m saved, works will flow out of my life. And so what did the goats represent? People who were fans of Jesus but indifferent towards His work. Well, how did we know they were fans? Well, they both called Him Lord. Who will call Jesus Lord? Only those who thought they were really following—only to be shocked at the judgment.
Listen, I don’t like surprises. My staff will tell you I hate surprises. And some of us men, we love surprises—"Surprise me on my birthday!» Let me tell you one surprise you will not love: the surprise of thinking all these years I was following—all these years I was going to church, all these years I was in this, I was in that, all these years I was giving, I never supported the spread of the gospel—it was my money. I never served—it was my gifts and my talents. I never took care of other people—it was my life, it was my calling, it was my thing. I wanted to build my empire.
I heard the cries of people in need, but I never got involved. I never did outreach. I never sacrificed. I never laid down my life. I had no desire to do those things. But I loved coming to church. I loved the good word. I loved being entertained. But I had no real desire for prayer, no real desire for Jesus, no real desire to give. I never gave a dime to the cause of Jesus. I never helped anyone who was in need. And when I did, it was out of a false sense of obligation, but not out of joyful motivation.
When I gave, it was out of pressure, but not out of joyful motivation. When I helped somebody in need, it was out of obligation, not joy. And I had all the external trappings of a sheep, but inwardly I was a goat all that time. And «Lord, I did not know.» But that’s the surprise you’re not ready for.
I’m doing everything I can in this last sermon to awaken the real believers in this room to care about those who are outside of grace and care about those who are so near but still lost. And I’m doing everything I can right now to awaken the goats in this room and the goats watching me right now. Man, you better know what you’re following.
Where’s the warning of the storm that is coming? Should I spend all my days telling people how awesome they are, or should I join Him with the great meteorologist and tell people a storm is coming, but there is escape from that storm?
Triumphal Procession in Christ
Almost done. The Apostle Paul, a man who was a murderer of Christians, wrote something very powerful to the church of Corinth. And I want to read it to you—2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 14 through 16.
Paul said, «But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.» I’m almost done. «Through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?»
Now, people have taken this passage for so long and have said, «Man, Jesus always leads us into triumph.» And oftentimes—I don’t know if we do it on purpose, and it makes good preaching, and I’m okay with it—but we take this passage and we only preach that this is all about just winning in life: it’s all about «I always win, everything works out perfect, Jesus is always leading us into triumph, everything is good.» And that makes for good preaching. However—and yes, He does lead us to win—however, if you study this in context and in the time in which it was written, in the culture, Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth, a people who were familiar with Roman kings riding in from war.
Roman generals would go out there and conquer nations. They would bring back the spoils of those nations—goods and people. And the king would be bound by his hands, his family behind him, and then they would walk through the streets of the Roman Empire—the general on his horse in triumphal procession, and behind him the king bound, and behind him his family bound, and all of them bound, riding in behind them in a triumphal procession.
And the general would parade them through the streets to say, «Look at the spoils of war. Look at what I have acquired from war. They belong to me now.» And then he would lead them to a destination—oftentimes one of two things: either execution or some of them he would spare.
When Paul wrote this, he was not writing to say everything will be perfect in following Jesus. Go back to the first verse: «But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.» Who’s leading the procession? God. Who is the «us»? Followers. What is the procession? It is the war that God fought through the person of the Holy Spirit to free men and women from bondage and then leads us as slaves of Jesus as He parades us around to say, «Look—Philip belongs to Me. Nadine belongs to Me. Tiana belongs to Me. Danielle belongs to Me. Kenny belongs to Me. Lena belongs to Me. Look—I won them from the enemy. They are the spoils of warfare.»
I am the spoils of warfare. Somebody shout «Oh yeah!» If you’re saved, you’re the spoils of war. For it was God who went to battle—and I’m gonna tell you, He wins all battles. There’s no winning against God—so waste of time.
It was God who went to battle through the person of the Holy Spirit, who rolled into the deception of your mind, who tapped you in your hard-hearted conviction, and you responded to that conviction and said, «Yes, I will.» That’s why Paul calls himself a bondservant—because he knew he was the spoils of warfare being led in triumphal procession behind Father God on display for Jesus Christ.
That’s why real followers who are bound servants of Jesus become a great fragrance to other people: «Look how they are living for God on mountaintops and in valleys. Look how they’re standing for truth and going through trouble—they won’t turn back from following Him. Look—trouble comes, and they don’t hit unfollow.»
They become the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. «Man, I can’t believe you’re living like that. I smell something on you—it smells like Jesus.» What’s this fragrance? Service, caring, giving, praying, fasting, loving, clothing, helping, running after—"I was naked, I was hungry, I was in need.» Every act of service is a fragrance to other people in my life. I’m living for the good of others, and I’m not just living for me.
You can see in my life I’m laying down my life for the good of others because I understand the mission. As a bondservant, I am bound to God the Father, and I’m in His procession. I am the spoils of warfare, the fragrance of Jesus Christ to my family, to my friends, to everyone who knows me on social media. I am the fragrance of Jesus Christ.
And when I feel tempted to run, I can’t—because I’m bound. And when I’m in a valley and I want to hit unfollow, I can’t. And when things are not working good enough, I start to look back to where I came from—I can’t because I’m bound. And when I’m hurting, I want to run, but I’m bound. And when He leads me from a mountaintop into another valley, I want to run, but I’m bound.
And when I get a call to help someone else, I don’t want to go in my pocket, but I’m bound. I feel tired, I don’t want to serve my people, but I’m bound. I don’t want to serve when He won’t answer this prayer, and when I’m still battling with the sickness, and when the marriage is not the way I want it to be—I’m tempted to hit unfollow. But yet, when I think about the cross, I’m filled with this burst—I realize I’m bound. I’ve been captured by His love. He didn’t capture me with brutality—I’ve been captured by love.
Triumph Over Sin, Satan, and Judgment
And now that I have been captured by love, He leads me in triumph over three things. Number one: triumph over sin—because now that I am bound, I belong to Him. Sin may agitate me, but it will not destroy me in the coming judgment. Because the Scripture says all have fallen short of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, every one of us—and that sin is going to come with a high price.
And the only reason we love sin is because the wages are not paid right now. But if the wages were paid right now, we would run from sin. And the only reason we love it is because the wages are deferred—and it’s on credit. And it’s coming for the goats.
But when I’m bound in triumphal procession and I belong to Him, I’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb—so now my sins have been paid for. And so now I have triumph over sin. It may harass me because I’m in the flesh, but it will not destroy me in the judgment because I’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb.
If I’m in Christ, I have triumph over sin. If I’m in Christ, bound, I also have triumph over Satan. All this talk about cursing the devil—you are no match for the devil apart from Jesus. There is no human being on the face of this earth a match for the devil apart from Jesus—no match. The devil would destroy the lives of human beings.
He walks around, the Scripture says, like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and tear apart. He destroys relationships, destroys marriages, destroys families, destroys minds, destroys bodies, destroys souls. His primary weapons: deception and temptation.
Without Jesus, everyone is under the deception of the enemy. It doesn’t matter how wealthy they are, how much business they have, how many degrees they have—he owns them. That’s why God has to go to war to lead us as His spoils—a battle against that deception.
When the gospel comes, it comes against deception, it comes against philosophies, it comes against pride. The gospel goes out into warfare and comes against everything that I believed and troubles my soul to say, «Follow Jesus.»
The Scripture tells us in the book of Colossians that Jesus triumphed over Satan by defeating him on the cross. He disarmed him. All he has now is his mouth—the accuser of the brethren. He’ll just lie and deceive you, lie and tempt you.
Satan has no real power over the believer—why? Because with every temptation, He’s already given you an exit. And with every lie of the devil—"You’re not good enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not this enough, this is gonna happen to you"—Jesus leads you toward truth about Himself, about yourself, and about reality. And the closer you get to that truth, the less damage the devil can do to you because your perception is: you belong to Jesus now.
So you have triumph over sin, triumph over Satan, and this last one—I’m going to land the plane with this—you have triumph over the sentence.
You want to hit unfollow? Not after this message. You want to keep being goats? Not after this message. To know and follow hard after Him—this one will make you follow hard after Him. That if we are in Christ, we have triumph over sin, over Satan, and over the sentence.
The Great White Throne and Eternal Triumph
Let’s just make this really simple and you can do what you want with what I’m about to tell you. One of the eyewitnesses of Christ, the last apostle alive—because the other eleven had been put to death for the faith. They had died horrific deaths for the faith. Peter was crucified like Jesus, upside down. James had his skull bashed in. Another one of them was dragged to death. And each one of them was brutally put to death except John.
John—they boiled him in oil, attempted to kill him, and he survived that. And being alive, an old man, preacher of the gospel, they banished him to a prison island called Patmos. And he was there, the Scripture says, for the preaching of the gospel.
Now alone on that island, Jesus came to him through an angel with a revelation and told him, «Write down everything I’m about to tell you. I’m about to tell you everything that’s going to happen in the end.» This witness I’m about to give you, Jesus said, is faithful and it is true. You can take it to the bank—it’s gonna happen. It doesn’t matter what they teach—it’s gonna happen. It doesn’t matter what they write—it’s gonna happen. There’s no matter what they say—it’s gonna happen. This thing I’m telling you, John—write it down and put it on paper—it’s going to happen.
You know what that was? John wrote down—it was the last book in your Bible called Revelation. That’s what Jesus told John to write down. And He said everything I put in it is going to happen no matter what anyone says. It’s going to happen. Everyone will either believe it or reject it, but He said it’s going to happen.
And near the end of that book, John wrote these words from Jesus—Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 through 15: «Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the sky fled from its presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.»
Everyone in this room has a forecast: a day is coming when you’re gonna be standing right there. How about that? Let’s pause before I shut the sermon down—just let that sit on you for just a second. If you’re watching, let that sit on you. Every person watching, listening, every person seated in this room—just I want you to get a vision of your future. Every one of us is gonna be standing right there.
Here’s what Katrina, here’s what Harvey, here’s what Irma—here is a forecast. All of us: enjoy your life, but you’re going to be standing right there because death is going to divorce all of us from this life. We’re all gonna be standing right there.
And as we stand there before Jesus, He’s gonna have books opened. And the Bible says the books were opened. Another book was opened, which was the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades—hell, because hell is a temporary holding place—gave up the dead who were in them. All the people who went to hell right now—they gave up out of hell to stand before the Judge. And each person was judged according to what he had done.
Then death and Hades were tossed into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. It’s one thing to die; there’s another thing to die twice. Everyone in this room is going to die once, but I do not want to die twice.
But what about those sheep that will stand on the right? They come in the next verses. But what about those goats that were standing there on the left hand? If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, anyone—my cousin, my mother, my father, my co-workers, my colleagues at college, my next-door neighbor, the people in Walmart, the people sitting on my row who are goats, people who wouldn’t really follow Jesus, pretenders, the people who never took this serious, those whose hearts didn’t take root—the proud, the boasters, the wealthy, the registered, powerful, the ignorant, those who blasphemed Jesus, the atheists with all of their blogs—if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
To know and follow hard after Him—is there any temptation to let Him go? Well, what am I gonna go through in this life that’s worth that? Is there anything I’m complaining about when what am I gonna go through in this life that’s worth that—worth hitting unfollow? Is anything I will enjoy in this life worth hitting unfollow?
Is it just church or is it a mission? Is it just services or is it a mission? Am I just on a welcome team or am I smiling for those walking in who might end up here? Am I just ushering or am I trying to love on those who might end up here? Do I just go to service and go home and eat bread and during the week I have nothing to do with it? So is it just church or is it a mission?
I’m not concerned about those who are gonna end up here. I’m not concerned about the goats on my row and the goats in my neighborhood.
How should we end this? He was gonna give us triumph over the sentence. This is the sentence—what is triumph over this? Let’s just close this series with this last passage. This is the triumph that we have in Jesus—He’s gonna lead you out of all of this trouble we have now into…
Give me the next verse—Revelation chapter 21, verse 1: This is what Jesus said when we read in Matthew about «come receive the inheritance, the kingdom that has been prepared for you since the beginning of the world.» He said what Jesus is doing right now—He’s building. Remember, He’s a carpenter. He’s putting together something for you. He said, «I went to prepare a place for you.»
So for those of us who are true followers—how should we end this series? We’ve been called to follow towards truth: truth about you, truth about your calling, truth about what the kingdom is all about, truth about sacrifice, service, running hard after Jesus. We’ve been called to follow towards truth about areas I need to change. Yeah, I’ve been called to follow truth about society—that it is dark, it is deceptive, it is evil. I’ve been called to follow through trouble—no matter hills, valleys—towards truth into triumph.
Call to follow towards truth through trouble into triumph. «Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.»
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, «Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.»
We sacrificed for nothing? We suffered for nothing? We served for nothing? We ain’t giving for nothing? We laboring for nothing? And every time I feel weary, I get a glimpse—sometimes taking me, I’m sitting on my back deck, and I look out into the clouds, and I get a glimpse of where He’s taking me. And every time I feel beat down and tired and I’m tempted to hit unfollow, I get a glimpse of where He’s taking me.
How could we hit unfollow? How could we complain about anything? And I’m giving it all—I’m giving everything I got as a father, as a husband, as a pastor. I’m giving everything I got in response to what He has done for me because I know where He’s taking me.
I don’t care if He doesn’t give me another house—so what? If I don’t get a better car—so what? I’m driving my old 752,000-mile Maxima—I don’t care. So what if He doesn’t heal my body now? And what if I don’t get the big church now? But what if I don’t get to do—you fill in your blank—now? So what? What is that in comparison to the triumph He’s gonna lead you to?
So I follow hard after Him in responsive gratitude because it’s not just about the cross and my life of purpose—I know where it’s gonna terminate. It’s gonna end up here—ultimate triumph.
«I saw the city prepared as a bride beautifully…» And I heard a loud voice from the throne: «People will dwell with them.» I follow Him now with my ears and with my heart, and one day I’ll be following Him with my eyes because He will lead me safely out of this life through trouble, and I will lay my eyes on Him, and I will say, «I see You now.» He will dwell with me, and I will be with Him.
I will have escaped that judgment of the second death because I gave all in this life. I followed Him hard—everything I had, and I gave all in this life for this glory. And because I was a true follower, because I was a true sheep and not a goat, I will have triumph over the judgment. I will end up here.
«They will be His people, God Himself will be with them; He will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain, for the old order of things…» What’s the old order? Things what we’re living right now is gonna end.
Are you trying to build utopia here? You should be running after Jesus with everything in you, sacrificing everything for His glory, learning your body, your talent, your gift, giving all for His glory—it’s gonna matter. That’s why I always say to you: what are you doing now that’s gonna matter a thousand years from now? You clutching your dollars—so ignorant. You clutching your gifts—that’s so ignorant. You clutching your time—that’s so ignorant.
«No more mourning, no more pain for the old things this way—here the order things just passed away.» He who was seated on the throne said, «I am making everything new.» I am making everything—you see this is coming? You think this is reality—this is temporary. «I am making everything new.»
Then He said, «Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.» They keep me in the race. They get me to finish. They teach me what is right and what is wrong. They reveal to me deception. They give me a forecast of what’s coming.
See, that’s why your pastor is not ignorant of the devil’s devices in my labor—because I know where I’m going. I have knowledge. Well, you can’t be ignorant with knowledge. See, when you know what’s coming, you know how to live now. And when you know what’s coming, you know how to sacrifice now. You know what really matters now, what does not matter—because you know what’s coming.
«Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.» It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. By this time He already separated the goats from the sheep—the real from the fake. «To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.»
He who overcomes—what does this life say? Faith, trials, trouble, deception—overcomes this life—one will inherit all this. I will be his God.
That’s what we’re gonna do—to follow. And if there was any inclination—"I don’t know about that"—let’s finish with the next verse. «But the cowardly, the unbelieving…"—I don’t want Jesus, I done unfollow—"the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral…"—all that would be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
The call to follow Jesus is a universal call. It goes out to all men. Many are called, but few are chosen. The Holy Spirit is busy convicting everybody of unrighteousness. The call is going out to all men. Those of us who respond to that conviction—we put our faith in Jesus to follow Him.
He calls us to follow Him with no pre-qualifications. He takes me just the way I am, but then He begins to transform me to what He wants me to be—His very image. He transforms my life. He leads me towards truth—truth about Him that He is the Savior, the Lord, the Messiah, the Son of God. He leads me to truth about His calling upon my life, the mission that is above my life. He leads me to truth about myself, truth about society.
He leads me through trouble. And when it’s all said and done, He’s going to lead me safely out of this life and to ultimate triumph.
Following Jesus is not just about church services. Following Jesus is not just about checking boxes off for how much I’ve read. Following after Him is being submitted to His call upon your life, His will, His mission—sacrificing your life in the giving of yourself, giving up your resources, the giving of your talents for the cause. The cause existed before you were here—the mission: winning souls to Christ, making disciples, and doing all we can to be His fragrance in this life until He calls us home.
And to follow Him through everything—trials and tribulations, setbacks, hardships—knowing that, man, I’m bound to Him in triumphal procession. He’s given me victory over sin, victory over Satan. He’ll give me victory over the sentence. A day will come when I will stand before Him. I will reign and rule with Him. He will usher me into life eternal.
For the unbeliever, you’ll have a decision to make. We’ve heard good gospel truth. Whatever you follow is gonna seal your fate in eternity.
My prayer is that you would hear the words of this message, that you will consider very carefully what you are following, who you are following. You would hear the words of Jesus—these words are faithful and true, and they are gonna happen.
Maybe right now He’s touching your heart, He’s touching your spirit. I plead with you to put your faith in Him, to put your trust in Him, to follow hard after Him with everything in you. He’s calling you.
Every head bowed and every eye closed. He’s calling you. He’s calling you. He’s calling you. No matter what you’ve heard about Christianity—it’s not just services and conferences—He’s calling you to follow. There’s a mission. Before the war He won, He paid the price for you. He’s calling you to follow Him—to follow Him towards truth, to follow Him through trouble, and then to follow Him into triumph.
Is that you? Are you a goat sitting in this room right now? Are you a goat watching me on podcast right now? Are you a goat listening to my voice right now? Are you in the car, are you in the kitchen, are you running on a track, are you sitting somewhere listening to this message right now? Stop and stand still. He’s calling you.
It’s deeper than just church. It’s deeper than just Easter and Christmas. Whatever you’re following is gonna seal your fate in eternity, my friend. Hear the voice of Jesus beckoning to you right now. It’s calling you to follow. It’s an invitation into purpose, an invitation into life eternal. It’s an invitation to escape the coming judgment. It’s the invitation to triumph.
He’s calling you right now, my friend. He’s calling you. And if you’re in this room, you know you’re a sinner, you know you’re separated from God, you know you’re a goat, you know that you’re on the left hand of Jesus, and you don’t want any part of that left hand—you know that—they saying «Pastor, pray for me, I want to follow"—you don’t want to pray for you, just lift your hand right where you are now. Lift your hand, and I see that hand here. I see that hand. I see that hand. I see that here. I see that here, my sister. I see that here. I see that here, my brother. I see that here, my brother. I see that here, my sister. I see that hand, my sister. See that hand—every one of you who lifted your hand, just I see your hand still lifted. You really want Him. He’s really coming for you.
Everything, my sister—I see that hand. I see that hand, my sister. I see that hand. I see that hand, my sister. I see that hand. I see another hand. Oh my God, oh my God—I see those hands. Man, you’re about to escape that judgment that’s coming. Jesus is calling you. You’re about to be His son, His daughter. He sees those tears.
Now how about this—once you shame the devil, why don’t you stand to your feet? Every one of you who lifted your hand—not to me, but to shame the devil right now. Yeah, somebody celebrate right now. Yes, yes. Yeah, yes, yes. Heads bowed, eyes closed. Yes, yes—I see you, my brother. Yes, that’s right. Hold her hand. Yes, she’s on her knees—that’s okay. Yes—you know, I’m looking at all of you. I’m just a man—this is for you. Jesus is calling you. Yes, yes—coming out of darkness into the light, responding to the call. This is your invitation into life and the escape of judgment. This is an invitation to triumph and life eternal. Yes, yes—right there.
Every one of you right there where you are—the Bible says if anyone will call on the name of the Lord, they will be saved. You call on the name of Jesus. The words will save you. The sincerity of your heart connected to the words will save you. He’s already watching you. He’s saving you right now.
You see, I want you to just talk to Him because He’s alive—He’s not dead—and He sees you right where you are. You talk to Him for the very first time as your Savior. You just talk to Him—you just say, «Lord…»
Come on, every one of you on your feet—you just say, «Lord, forgive me for all of my sin, all of my transgression, all of my wrongdoing. I repent. I put my faith and my trust in You. I believe You are the resurrected Savior. I put my faith and my trust in You, Jesus. I surrender to You. I give You my life, Jesus.»
Prayer
In the name of Your Son, we pray for all of these ones at the feet. We pray the Word of God over them. We pray the spirit of wisdom and knowledge and the revelation of Jesus Christ would rest on and abide on every one of them. We pray You will give them a hunger and a passion for You, for Your presence, for Your Word.
We pray, God, that You will lead them towards truth about who You are, who they are, about the mission and the plan that You have for their life, about society. I pray You would take the blinders off their eyes and reveal to them reality, God.
In the name of Jesus, deliver them from every false reality, every lie, everything the devil has chained in their life right now—let it fall off in the name of Jesus.
Father, I pray a blessing over them, God, to run after You hard with everything in their heart, to sacrifice their lives for a purpose much greater than them. Jesus, I pray, God, that in Your hands they would never hit unfollow, they would never look back. God, they belong to You.
And what You said in Your Word—when one sinner repents, God, all of heaven rejoices.
We pray, God, that You will lead them towards truth about who You are, who they are, about the mission and the plan that You have for their life, about society. I pray You would take the blinders off their eyes and reveal to them reality, God.
In the name of Jesus, deliver them from every false reality, every lie, everything the devil has chained in their life right now—let it fall off in the name of Jesus.
Father, I pray a blessing over them, God, to run after You hard with everything in their heart, to sacrifice their lives for a purpose much greater than them. Jesus, I pray, God, that in Your hands they would never hit unfollow, they would never look back. God, they belong to You.
And what You said in Your Word—when one sinner repents, God, all of heaven rejoices.