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Oh, that's great singing tonight.

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You are really doing well.

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I think it would be good for us to acknowledge the presence of a special friend here this

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evening, a man that I've heard about for a number of years, but only this morning had

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the privilege to meet him, and that's Pastor Bill Stewart, who is the Associate Pastor

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for Youth at the First Baptist Church in Modesto.

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Pastor, would you stand please, along with your family who's here, Doris Ann's brother-in-law,

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and we're just delighted you're here today to share with us.

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God bless you and your ministry out there.

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First Baptist Church Modesto has a very special, unique ministry in that whole part of California.

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How many do you run in a worship service on Sunday morning, Bill?

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Forty?

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Twenty-two hundred.

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And an exciting youth ministry.

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This gentleman here, God, is used to train and disciple youth pastors all across the

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United States, and we're just so pleased that their family could be here to share this

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Lord's Day with us.

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And we're glad all of you are here.

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I'd like to ask you to remember in prayer Susan John.

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Susan and her husband David served the Lord for many years faithfully as missionaries

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in South Africa.

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They are retired now under Sudan Interior Mission and live in Florida, but Susan had

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open heart surgery this last week.

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She and David were with us just about a year ago.

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I think that she had a quadruple bypass, if I understood it correctly, and perhaps some

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valve work in addition.

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So we need to remember her in prayer during these very critical days of her recovery.

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I know she would appreciate that a whole lot.

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She's in the hospital in Lakeland, Florida.

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Tonight we're going to talk about God's prerequisite for service.

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When we were under construction of this building, I learned some of the lingo of builders, and

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I found that there is a little phrase that I shared with some of you this morning that

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describes the things you'd like to have in a building as opposed to the things that you

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have to have in a building.

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The would-likes and the must-haves.

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As we talked about the various things we could or might or wished that we could put into

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the building, we began to divide the list into those things that we would like to have

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and the things that we had to have, the must-haves.

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We're going to talk tonight about God's must-have requisite for service.

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We find that in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 2, not an unfamiliar verse at all, we're

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going to talk about faithfulness.

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And I'd like to say initially, just starting out, that this message is not intended to

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be a brick bat to hit anybody over the head, although some of us, indeed all of us, may

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feel a blow here and there, including myself.

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But I hope this evening, rather than feeling beaten down by what we're going to say regarding

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faithfulness, that we will actually be stimulated and encouraged to good works, to be faithful

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to the Lord Jesus Christ.

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It says in 1 Corinthians 4, 2, in this case, moreover, it is required of stewards, it is

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required of stewards that one be found trustworthy, that one be found faithful.

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Let's pray.

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Father, as we bow together as a church, I do want to lift before you the name of Susan

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John.

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Again, we pray that your hand would be rest upon her for healing and complete restoration.

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We ask that her recovery will be rapid and that she will be out of the hospital soon

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and able, along with her husband, to continue their ministry of visitation.

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Thank you for the many years of faithful service that they have performed.

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Certainly they are among the faithful stewards.

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Tonight as we study that theme, we would want to emulate them and others who have served

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you faithfully through the centuries.

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May we be your faithful stewards today, in this day in which you called us to live, for

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Jesus' sake, amen.

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I'd like to read to you the parable of the ball team.

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Behold, a ball team went forth to play a game of baseball.

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Just as the umpire was saying, batter up, the catcher for the home team arrived and

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took his place.

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The center fielder didn't arrive until the end of the first inning, and the second baseman

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did not arrive until the second inning.

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The first baseman didn't show up at all, but later sent his regrets and said that he

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had to go to a chicken dinner at his Aunt Mary's.

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The third baseman likewise failed to come to the game, having been up late the night

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before and desired to spend the day in bed.

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The left fielder felt a need to visit another ball team across town.

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The shortstop was present but left his glove at home.

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Two of the substitute fielders were away on a little weekend trip and couldn't make it,

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but they were there in spirit.

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Verily when the pitcher went into the box, he looked around for his teammates, and lo,

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his heart was heavy, for their places were empty.

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But the game was announced and the visitors were there in the stands, and there was nothing

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to do but to pitch the ball and hope for the best.

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So the pitcher tightened his belt and stepped into the box and did his best to put the ball

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over the plate.

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But he was not at his best, for he had to serve his pitcher, first baseman, and third

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baseman.

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There were loud boos from the stands while the home team was badly beaten.

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It was a disgrace to the noble game of baseball.

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When the absent members of the defeated team heard that their team lost, a decision was

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made to get a new pitcher.

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That parable points to a crisis that is facing altogether too many churches today, and that

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is a crisis of faithfulness.

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The writer in Proverbs said, many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man,

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who can find?

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How might we define faithfulness?

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Well, it means in the negative sense not to fail, to come through.

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It means to do what is right despite whatever the cost may be.

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I think that that definition is reflected in what Jesus said about Antipas.

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Do you remember Antipas?

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You would be a rare person to remember him, for as far as I know, he's only mentioned

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in one place in all the Bible and then only in a phrase very quickly in Revelation chapter

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2 verse 13, where Jesus speaks about Antipas, my faithful martyr.

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Antipas was willing to do what was right even though it cost him his life, but Jesus commended

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him because he was a faithful martyr.

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Faithfulness means to keep on doing what is expected of me even when I don't feel like

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it.

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Perhaps the greatest, the hardest, and yet most noble faithfulness of all is faithfulness

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to one's local church, the work of God in this world.

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I believe that there are at least three reasons why we should be faithful to the work of Jesus

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Christ.

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I believe it's an imperative that we be faithful.

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The first reason I'd like to suggest is the propriety of faithfulness.

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After all, it's only fitting, it's only proper, that we should be faithful.

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It's only proper in the first place because of what Christ has faithfully done for us.

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In Hebrews 3, 2, the Holy Spirit says through the writer regarding the Lord Jesus, he was

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faithful to him that appointed him.

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He was faithful to him who appointed him over his house, which house we are.

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In the previous verses in chapter 2, he expresses the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus in his

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present ministry in heaven as our High Priest.

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For he is a merciful and faithful High Priest.

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He does not fail.

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He is always there, dependably interceding on our behalf.

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Because of what the Lord Jesus has done for us and because of what he is doing for us,

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I believe it's only fitting that we too should be proper, should be faithful.

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Remember the chorus that we used to sing?

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After all, he's done for me.

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After all, he's done for me.

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How can I do less than give him my best?

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After all, he's done for me.

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I know it wasn't written by Michael W. Smith, but it still is a good chorus.

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The younger people will catch that one.

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Some of the golden oldies say something.

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After all, he's done for me.

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How can I do less than give him my very, very best?

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It's only fitting that you and I should be proper, should be faithful when we remember

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that the Lord Jesus was faithful in going to the cross for our sakes, and he is faithful

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in his present intercession for us in heaven.

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He sets for us an example of faithfulness.

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Therefore, it's proper that we should be faithful.

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But I believe it's only fitting we should be faithful secondly because of what others

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have done before us, because of what others have done before we lived.

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Think of the line in which we follow.

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It's sacred.

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There's Noah, a man who was righteous in his generation, a man who walked with God in an

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age that was ungodly, an age not unlike ours today, an age that is similar to the days

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of Noah as we believe Jesus said it would be.

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Think too of Abraham, faithful Abraham, not perfect, a man known to sin, but a man that

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God calls faithful because he believed God.

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Then there was Moses.

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Moses trained in all of the wisdom of the Egyptians, a man who had all of the power

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of the Egyptian leadership coming to him eventually, by faith forsook all of that and was willing

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to accept suffering with the people of God, with the Christ, in order that he might serve

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the Lord.

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Moses is a faithful example.

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We follow in his train.

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Then there's Daniel.

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Daniel, the gifted advisor of kings, a man who was willing to stand before the most powerful

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Gentile rulers of his day and to give them counsel even if it was counsel they did not

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want to hear.

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We follow in the train of Daniel.

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Then there's Peter.

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Yes, I know Peter denied his Lord.

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I know that Peter made his mistakes.

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Peter is the one who faithfully went to his own execution according to tradition and being

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unwilling to be crucified like Jesus, demanded to be crucified upside down.

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It was carried out.

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We follow in the line of Peter and of Paul, who having served the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully,

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said, I have finished my course.

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I've run my race.

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There's laid up for me a crown.

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And then he was willing to go out and lay his head down on a block and allow the executioner

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to chop it off.

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We follow in the train of Paul and then of John.

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John, who did not die by execution but who died apparently of old age.

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John, who those long decades after other apostles were gone from the scene, represented the

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Lord Jesus Christ as the last one of his twelve alive on the earth, a faithful man, who at

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the end of his life or near the end of his life received the great book of the revelation

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of Jesus Christ and penned it for us.

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You and I follow in the line of John.

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But then we follow in the line of the Christians who've lived since then.

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Even down until the day in which we live, think back of those faithful men and women

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of God who have been used of the Lord in your life.

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Some of them, perhaps many of them, now gone on to glory, now with Christ.

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Think of the investment of their lives in yours.

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Boy, there have been some people who have been precious to me, people who have had a

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major impact on my life, who are now in heaven.

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And I look forward to seeing them someday.

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I think of one preacher who was on our staff, like a grandfather figure to our staff, and

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a man who had been in the ministry some forty years and then came on our staff as an associate

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pastor and taught us young bucks an awful lot.

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I think of that dear saintly woman of God who never stood in a pulpit in her life, who

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I think I've shared the story with you before, prayed for her husband to be saved for fifty-six

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years before one day he trusted the Lord Jesus Christ while plowing out in the field.

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God gave them about ten more years or about eight more years together, and then she had

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several years alone without George.

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Boy, I think of the prayer support she was to me and the encouragement of hearing words

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of counsel from that woman whose face looked like a road map because of the years' wear

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upon her.

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She's been in heaven now since the late sixties.

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The last thing she said to me was, I'm going to stand up there beside the golden stairs

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and wait for you to come.

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Well, I don't know if there are golden stairs there or not, frankly, but I know this.

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She's there and someday I'm going to see Mrs. Wills again.

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When I think of the people who've gone before me, it causes me to say within my heart I

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want to be faithful to Jesus Christ.

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Because of what they were, what they stood for, because of this sacred line in which

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I am privileged to follow, because of what some people have done in my life and they're

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now in glory, I say to the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to be a faithful steward.

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I want to serve you whatever the cost may be.

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Even when it's tough, even when I don't feel like it, I want to do the right thing, Lord,

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because of those who've gone before me.

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One writer put it this way, am I a soldier of the cross, follower of the lamb, and shall

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I fear to own his cause or blush to speak his name?

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Isaac Watts went on to say, must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease while

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others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?

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Good questions.

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It is only fitting that you and I should be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ because

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of those who have served him and gone on before us.

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But I want to say one more thing about the propriety of faithfulness.

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It's proper, it's fitting that we should be faithful to the Lord Jesus because of what

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the future generation deserves.

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I'm thinking of the boys and girls and the young people who are here tonight.

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They deserve, frankly folks, something better from us than a half-hearted, lukewarm example

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of Christianity.

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The future generation deserves to see what it is to be all and all out for Jesus Christ

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from us who are older.

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They deserve that from us.

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I think we need to ask the question, what legacy will we leave by our example to those

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who are coming after us?

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As our little boys and little girls look at us, as moms and dads, as they look up to you

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who are teaching Sunday school and leading junior church and working in the nursery,

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what are they seeing?

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Are we showing them by our consistency, by our faithfulness that serving the Lord Jesus

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Christ is a priority in our lives, that we're faithful to him, and whatever price, whatever

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inconvenience it may be, that it's worth it to fulfill our service for him?

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Are we leaving that kind of an example for them?

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I hope so.

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I believe that faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ is required.

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The propriety of it would say so.

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But secondly, the practicality of faithfulness tells me that we should be faithful to the

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Lord Jesus Christ.

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Faithfulness is pragmatic.

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It's a practical thing.

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And to get to the root of what I'm saying, I'd like to ask three questions.

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Question number one, if we aren't faithful, what will happen to God's work?

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That's a practical question.

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If you and I who are responsible for the work of God today are not faithful to do it, if

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we take it carelessly, casually, half-heartedly, what then will happen to the work of God if

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God in this world?

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You say, well, it's God's work.

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It's going to go on.

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I recognize that at the end of his great revelation of God, Job said, who can thwart your purposes,

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Lord?

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You are God.

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And you know that's true.

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There is not a purpose of God that will fail to be achieved.

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But that's not exactly what I'm pointing at.

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I'm pointing to the work of God that we're involved in.

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God's purpose will not fail.

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My friend, all of us have been exposed to churches which have failed.

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Why?

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Well, in some cases it may be because there was a similar experience to the ball team

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parable that we began with.

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Because you see, if we are not faithful to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, what will

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naturally happen is that it will slowly but surely die.

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It will cool.

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It will become lethargic.

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And then eventually it will die.

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Well, you say, well, listen, here, I'm an older Christian and I've served the Lord for

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decades and I'm in my retirement years.

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You know, I appreciate that.

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And I know as one gets older that one cannot do what he or she used to even though the

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desire may be there.

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One cannot be as actively involved.

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I visited one of our shut-ins yesterday and she hasn't been able to be out at church since

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we became Grace Church and was asking some questions about what's happening in the church.

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She cannot be here like she'd like to be.

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But listen, let's get rid of the idea that as Christians there's a point we come to in

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our service for the Lord where we just put it on the shelf.

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And we say, well, I've done my thing.

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Now it's up to the young people in the church.

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Now what we do may have to change because of the years, but our service for Jesus Christ

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does not need to stop.

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Indeed, it must not stop.

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We must keep on keeping on being faithful to serve the Lord as best we can in the circumstances

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that He permits in our lives.

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I want to talk to you younger people for a moment.

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Some of you say, well, it's up to those who are older to do it.

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I'm just a new Christian or I'm a young person.

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Listen, God wants you right now where you are to prepare yourself to assume the leadership

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of the church because you are the future of the church humanly speaking.

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God wants you to be faithful in that youth group where you are and that campus where

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you are and that office where you work as a career young person.

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He wants you to learn faithfulness in that home of yours, those young children, so that

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you can be prepared to assume leadership in His church.

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It's important you be faithful.

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It's practical, you see, to ask this question.

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If we aren't faithful, what is going to happen to God's work?

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There's a second question.

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If we aren't faithful, what's going to happen to us at the judgment seat of Jesus

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Christ?

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I don't know of a more practical question than that.

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And the awful, sad, terrifying answer is that it's possible that at the judgment seat of

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Jesus Christ we'll have to be ashamed.

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For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that we may receive according

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to the things done in our bodies, whether it be good or worthless, says Paul.

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And so, greater one, as he said, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

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I believe we ought to look forward to the coming of Christ, and I trust we do, and we

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want to see Him.

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But there is that aspect of it that absolutely terrifies me, and I think it does you, and

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that is that we're going to stand before Him in judgment for rewards, not to determine

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whether we be saved or lost, because at that point it's already determined.

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We won't stand at the judgment seat of Christ if we're lost.

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That's only for Christians.

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It's not for heaven or hell.

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It's for the degree of reward we have in the future.

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The question is, if we aren't faithful now, what's going to happen to us then at the judgment

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seat of Jesus Christ?

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I need to think about that.

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I need to keep that before me as a motive for serving.

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A third question, if we aren't faithful, what is going to happen to the lost?

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You say, oh, well, I believe in election, and those who are going to be saved are going

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to be saved, and those who are going to be lost are going to be lost, and it's all cut

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and dried, and that's it.

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My friend, I believe in election too, and I believe that those who are going to be saved

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are going to be saved, and those who are going to be lost are going to be lost, but I'll

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tell you what, God has also given us a responsibility.

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We have an obligation to take the message to all men everywhere and to share the truth

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with them.

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We have an obligation to be involved in the work of God in a local church, which is preaching

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the word and supporting missionaries around the world so that the lost can hear and have

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the opportunity to be saved, because you see, they have a responsibility to respond to the

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opportunity.

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This isn't the time or place to get into how those two balance out.

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They do balance out in God's mind.

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He is all wise.

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But don't forget that they have the opportunity to believe or to reject.

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You and I must take the message to them so they have that opportunity.

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I don't know that this will be the case, but it would be an awful thing to come to the

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great white-throne judgment of God, which we may view.

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I don't know of any reference in Scripture that makes that clear.

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It's not a judgment for us.

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It's a judgment for the lost.

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I would hate to think that there would be anybody who would come to that great white-throne

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judgment seat of Christ and would dare say, but no one told me.

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And then who would look over into the crowd around the judgment seat and say, there's

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Galen Call.

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I live next to him.

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He didn't even tell me, Lord.

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I worked with that Christian.

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Or there's one over there who is my family member.

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You're going to judge me, but I was never told.

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Now we know that that will not be a legitimate excuse, for all will be convicted out of the

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books of the works of their own lives and dealt with justly.

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But I think you see the point.

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I would not want someone to go to hell slipping into the fires and say, but that Christian

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back there in life, why didn't he tell me?

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You see, God has put each one of us in touch with a certain group of people.

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Nobody here has quite the same bridge into lives, certain lives, that you have.

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We're unique in that way.

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And God has given us a commission to go and to share the truth with them.

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Folks, if we're not faithful, what's going to happen to the lost?

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What's going to happen to them?

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We must be faithful to Jesus Christ.

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The practicality of faithfulness demands it.

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But there's a third reason I believe that we must be faithful, and that is because the

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preeminence of faithfulness.

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That is, its importance, its importance.

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We see this illustrated for us in a parable that Jesus told back in Matthew chapter 25.

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We'll just look at this quickly and then quickly be on our way.

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It's called the parable of the talents.

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I recognize that it's in a certain context, but I believe what we're going to say is the

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legitimate interpretation and application of it.

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Matthew 25, 14, for it is just like a man, says Jesus, it's just like a man about to

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go on a journey who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

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To the one who gave five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his

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own ability, they went on his journey.

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See the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained five

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more talents.

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In the same manner, the one who had received the two talents gained two more.

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That he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground and hid his master's

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money.

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Now, after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

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The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying,

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Master, you entrusted five talents to me.

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See, I have gained five more.

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His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave.

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You were faithful with a few things and I will put you in charge of many things.

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Enter into the joy of your master.

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The one who had received the two talents came up and said, Master, you entrusted to me two

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talents.

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See, I have gained two more talents.

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His master said to him, Well done, thou good and faithful slave.

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You were faithful with a few things.

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I will put you in charge of many things.

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Enter into the joy of your master.

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And the one who had received the one talent came up and said, Master, I knew you to be

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a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you gathered no seed.

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I was afraid and went away and hid your talent in the ground.

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See, you have what is yours.

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But his master answered and said to him, You wicked, lazy slave.

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You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

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Then you ought to have put my money in the bank and on my arrival I would have received

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my money back with interest.

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Therefore take away the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

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For to every one who has more shall more be given, and he shall have in abundance.

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From the one who does not have even what he does have shall be taken away.

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And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness.

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In that place there should be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Well, we're not going to have time to fully exposit this whole parable, but I would like

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simply to point out to you three lessons for us regarding what we're talking about, the

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preeminence of faithfulness.

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The first lesson is this.

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Jesus seems to tell us here that we, like these slaves, these stewards, are given opportunities

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according to God's will for us and our abilities.

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The master knew his slaves.

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Why did he give to the one five and to another two and to another one?

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Because he knew their abilities.

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According to what he knew about them, he gave them opportunities in a few things, not many,

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just a few.

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Likewise, God gives opportunities to you and me in our service for him.

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He knows us.

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He knows which of us need five opportunities to be challenged, which of us are challenged

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with two or just one.

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He knows us, and he's counting on us to be faithful, just as this master was counting

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on his slaves to be faithful to him.

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Secondly, I see that we, too, are to expect an accounting.

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These slaves knew their master was coming back, including the one who was lazy and worthless.

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They knew that they were to expect a day when they would stand before their master and show

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him what they had done with the opportunities that they were given.

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I believe that Jesus is saying to us that we, too, have such a day coming.

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We've already talked about that briefly.

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Then there's a third lesson that I see here, and it is this.

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If we are faithful over a few things, God will make us a ruler over many things.

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In other words, if we are faithful in those few opportunities that we have in this life,

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if we make the most of them, if we are faithful here, then one day when we are with Christ

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and we reign with him in his eternal kingdom, there is some way he is going to reward us

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and we will have many opportunities.

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Our sphere of responsibility will be enlarged in that day according to our faithfulness

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here.

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Notice that the master did not say to his servants, well done, thou good, and occasional

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servant.

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He said, well done, thou good and faithful servant.

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My friend, God blesses faithfulness.

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God does not necessarily bless success as we are so prone to count success, but he does

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bless faithfulness.

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It may be that in the opportunities that you have, you have not seen a whole lot happen.

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I hope I encourage you tonight by saying to you that from one perspective at least, that's

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not really too important.

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All of us want to see more happen.

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But the degree to which you are able to see the fruit now is not so important as is it

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important that you are faithful in that place where God puts you.

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Because if this parable teaches anything, it teaches that that is the important thing.

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One man was able to bring back five additional talents, another only two, but they both received

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the same reward from their master.

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They were doubled because they were faithful.

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That is the preeminent thing.

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That is what God blesses.

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I believe it could be said that when faithfulness is most difficult, it is most necessary.

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It may be that you are finding it more difficult to faithfully serve the Lord Jesus Christ

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right now than ever before in all of your life, then faithfulness is more necessary

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right now than ever before.

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The must-have requisite of God's servants is faithfulness.

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I think we have pointed out tonight three legitimate biblical reasons as to why it is

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important that you and I be faithful to the work of God that He's called us to do.

463
00:34:58,240 --> 00:35:08,960
May we share the spirit of the poet who said, I cannot do great things for Him who did so

464
00:35:08,960 --> 00:35:16,840
much for me, but I should like to show my love, dear Jesus, unto thee.

465
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:24,160
Faithful, even in little things, O Savior, may I be.

466
00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:28,360
Let's pray.

467
00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:38,240
Lord, if we are members of a ball team, I guess some of us would have to say that the

468
00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:44,000
ball team hasn't done very well, maybe.

469
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:54,280
We know that the work that we are involved in is so much more important than an earthly

470
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,160
sport.

471
00:35:56,160 --> 00:36:02,040
The consequences, Lord, of our service are eternal.

472
00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:09,600
Their life and death, how we serve you in this world, is important.

473
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:18,680
Write that upon my heart, upon the hearts of our elders, our staff, our small church

474
00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:27,120
leaders, our teachers, our workers, our singers, our ushers, those who work in the parking

475
00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:38,080
lot, the bookstore, who help out in any ministry, those who are involved in sharing their faith,

476
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:43,200
those who are involved in serving you in little out-of-the-way, almost forgotten places that

477
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:45,320
you still see.

478
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:53,040
Lord, write upon our hearts tonight that what we are doing is important.

479
00:36:53,040 --> 00:37:04,360
Thank you for this reminder, one that I trust we receive from you, to be faithful in using

480
00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:11,480
the opportunities you have given to us to serve.

481
00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:38,480
In Jesus' name, amen.