Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000051
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00:19 Hello, friends, and welcome
00:20 to another Wednesday night Bible study 00:22 here in Thompsonville at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:25 We thank you for tuning in to A Sharper Focus. 00:28 And as you know if you've tuned in before, 00:30 our theme or let me just check with our audience. 00:32 Our theme is how to live a spiritual life in a... 00:36 Natural body. 00:38 In a natural body. That's our challenge. 00:40 That is the commission that the Lord has given to us 00:43 until He changes these vile bodies 00:46 to be fashioned like into His glorious body. 00:49 This is where our Christian life 00:50 is to be lived. 00:52 And so get your Bibles, get your friends, 00:54 invite your family members to sit down for the next hour, 00:58 and we're going to walk through the topic 00:59 of the servant's life. 01:01 Now we began this a number of weeks ago, 01:03 but we were in India. 01:04 We're now back and we thank the Lord 01:06 that He kept us safe. 01:08 So invite all of those who are with you 01:10 if you are church, thank you for joining us. 01:12 If you want to record this 01:13 and share with your family and friends, 01:15 we encourage you to do so. 01:16 And right after prayer 01:18 we'll tell you how to get a copy. 01:19 Matter of fact, let me just tell you now, 01:21 if you'd like a copy of the lesson, 01:22 go to our website, don't put www, 01:25 put ASF.3abn.org, 01:29 and download lesson number 15. 01:32 Now, you may have done that before. 01:34 But this is in addition to the lesson 01:36 that you may have already downloaded. 01:37 There are an additional 12 or so questions. 01:42 If you have less than 15, 01:44 you may have only nine questions. 01:46 But we now have up to 21. 01:48 So go download that again 01:49 and follow along with your Bibles 01:51 as well as your syllabus. 01:53 Before we sing our song tonight, 01:54 let's bow our heads and ask for the Lord's presence 01:57 to be with us. 01:59 Our Heavenly Father, we thank You 02:00 that we can open our hearts to study Your Word 02:03 that we could not only open our hearts, 02:04 but we pray as we open Your Word tonight 02:07 that You will speak to us 02:08 in a very clear and distinct way 02:11 that our understanding will be broadened, 02:13 but also that our willingness to follow You 02:17 and to be that servant that will bring glory to You. 02:20 We pray that You will give us that desire may it burn 02:24 in our hearts, in loving service for You, 02:26 we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 02:29 Now, we're going to sing the song here, 02:31 "Victory in Jesus," it's on our screen. 02:33 You won't be seeing it. 02:34 But I know you've heard us sing it before. 02:36 And if you'd like to join us, I appreciate that. 02:38 Let's sing the song, "Victory in Jesus." 02:49 I heard an old, old story 02:53 How the Savior came from glory 02:57 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:01 To save a wretch like me 03:05 I heard about His groaning 03:08 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:12 Then I repented of my sins 03:16 And won the victory 03:19 Together 03:20 Oh, victory in Jesus 03:24 My Savior forever 03:27 He sought me and bought me 03:31 With His redeeming blood 03:35 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 03:39 And all my love is due Him 03:42 He plunged me to victory 03:46 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:50 I heard about a mansion 03:54 He has built for me in glory 03:58 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:01 Beyond the crystal sea 04:05 About the angels singing 04:09 And the old redemption story 04:13 And some sweet day 04:15 I'll sing up there the song of victory 04:19 Key change. 04:20 Oh, victory in Jesus 04:24 My Savior forever 04:28 He sought me and bought me 04:32 With His redeeming blood 04:35 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 04:39 And all my love is due Him 04:43 He plunged me to victory 04:47 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:51 He plunged me to victory 04:54 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:01 Amen? 05:03 That cleansing flood is baptism. 05:06 Bible talks about the Old Testament baptism 05:08 all passed through the fire, all passed through the water. 05:12 In New Testament baptism, which prepares us for service 05:16 in the kingdom of the Lord here and in the kingdom to come. 05:20 Now when we visited this lesson last time, 05:24 we ended on question number nine. 05:27 And so if you have your syllabus with you, 05:28 don't start on question one. 05:30 We're going to catapult the lesson tonight in 05:33 by going to question number nine. 05:35 Now let me lay a little bit of foundation 05:38 because one of the challenges we have 05:42 when we become Christians is what to do with our hearts. 05:47 We know our hearts, that's the seat of affection, 05:49 the place where we have our convictions. 05:52 You know, when we say if we see a sign, 05:54 it's very common nowadays, if somebody loves someone, 05:57 they'll say, I heart you. 05:59 Or you see this big red heart on Valentine's Day, 06:03 a symbol of somebody's endearing, passionate love. 06:07 But there's an issue in the human heart, 06:10 because the Bible says, according to Jeremiah, 06:13 that the heart is deceitful above all things, and what? 06:18 Desperately wicked. 06:19 And then Jeremiah says, "Who can know it." 06:21 And so that same heart as the Lord is rebuilding us, 06:25 as the Lord is remaking us after His image, 06:27 as the Lord is taking out all the old heart issues 06:31 and putting in the issues of the heart 06:33 that will prepare us for eternal life. 06:35 The filtering process leaves some division there 06:38 between what we ought to do and what we ought not do. 06:42 And so when we begin tonight, 06:44 as we go to question number nine, 06:45 we're going to see 06:46 that one of the issues of service 06:48 was the condition of the heart of the Apostle Paul, 06:51 he talked about the battle that took place 06:54 on a day by day basis. 06:55 So tonight, let's go to question number nine. 06:57 And the title of our topic is how to live the servant's life. 07:02 But go with me to question number nine 07:03 tonight as we begin. 07:05 And this question is, how does Paul the Apostle 07:09 describe the battle of service, the battle of service? 07:14 As you go to Romans 7:25, 07:17 keep that in mind the battle of service. 07:20 And the reason why we call it the battle of service 07:21 is because the majority of churches, 07:23 the people are not serving God, 07:25 in active service, they're coming to church. 07:28 But there is a battle that's very real 07:30 because the majority of Christians 07:32 are not actively involved in service of some kind. 07:37 Most Christians are not actively involved 07:39 in evangelism of some kind 07:41 in day by day sharing their faith. 07:43 So Paul is saying that there is a problem there 07:46 and he's talking about what that problem is. 07:47 So let's see where the question leads us 07:50 and what our answer is. 07:51 How does Paul the Apostle describe the battle of service? 07:55 Notice what he says in Romans 7:25. 07:58 Matter of fact, since this is our first text, 07:59 let's read this together. 08:01 He begins by saying, I do what? 08:03 "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 08:07 So then, with the mind, 08:10 I myself serve the law of God, 08:13 but with the flesh the," what? 08:16 "Law of sin." 08:17 He sees two laws at odds with each other. 08:21 And when he refers to the law of sin, 08:24 I want to make this clear. 08:25 He's not talking about the Law of Moses. 08:28 This law of sin is the nature that each of us has, 08:32 the nature that we were born with. 08:34 You know, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:22, 08:37 "As in Adam all die, 08:39 even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 08:43 So as the old Adam is being cleared out 08:46 and the new Adam is being installed, 08:49 there are residual battles that are going on 08:52 in the very same way we clean our house. 08:54 You know, not too long ago we put down wooden floors 08:57 in our house in one of our rooms, 08:59 and I wanted to tell you the dust, 09:00 we're still getting rid of the dust. 09:03 Anytime you cut wood in a house, 09:06 the dust particles go in directions 09:08 that you really don't consider 09:10 that they will go until like weeks later, 09:13 you find residuals on the top of the shelf, 09:16 on some something in the house. 09:18 There's dust and you say, 09:19 "Well, that's so far away from the initial room. 09:21 How did it get there?" 09:23 In the very same way, 09:24 when God is cleaning at our lives 09:26 and putting down wood, new floors, new ways of life, 09:30 the dust of that old clearing out 09:32 gets to be passed around 09:34 in various avenues of our lives, 09:36 and it often affects our service. 09:38 So here's the answer you want to put. 09:40 How does Paul the Apostle describe the battle of service? 09:42 He says, "The mind and the flesh are at odds." 09:46 You want to put that down, 09:47 the mind and the flesh are at odds. 09:50 That's what he in essence says. 09:52 So let's define that. 09:55 He's in essence saying 09:56 when we give our lives to Christ, 09:57 we want to do something for the kingdom of God, 10:00 isn't that, right? 10:02 We all want to do something. 10:04 But when you get up in the morning and you think, 10:07 "Oh, somebody may reject me 10:10 or the doors may be slammed in my face, 10:13 or somebody may take the track that I give out 10:15 and throw it on the ground, or people may not want to hear 10:17 what I have to tell them, 10:19 or my friends may think I'm strange, 10:21 people may look at me as odd and in a square. 10:24 We look at all the rejections that come into our mind 10:27 to sometimes hinder us from being effective 10:30 in the service of God. 10:32 So the mind becomes the seat 10:34 that causes the flesh not to move forward. 10:37 With my mind, I want to serve God. 10:39 But man, to get my body to do it 10:42 is something altogether different. 10:44 And so one of the things we have to keep in mind 10:47 is now we understand what the Lord means 10:48 when he says... 10:50 Let me see if you could follow me. 10:52 You shall love the Lord your God 10:54 with all your heart, 10:57 with all your mind, and with all your soul. 11:00 How much? All. 11:02 So when all, you know, that song, 11:04 all to Jesus I surrender. 11:06 When all is surrendered, if our minds, and our souls, 11:10 our affections, our feelings, 11:11 and our hearts are surrendered to Christ, 11:14 it's easy to serve somebody 11:15 that you are completely in love with. 11:18 I mean, it's easy to do something for someone 11:21 that you have an abiding growing relationship with. 11:23 And so right away Paul is saying 11:25 one of the challenges of service 11:27 is what I refer to as the divided life. 11:30 My mind wants to do it, but man, 11:32 my body just doesn't really want to. 11:34 And that's why sometimes when we have training seminars 11:37 and we say, "Okay, well, carry Bible tracks in your car 11:42 or carry something in your car 11:43 that you can give to your friends. 11:45 And there are people that are on the streets 11:48 that are beating us by the thousands." 11:50 Sometimes I go to cities like New York City, 11:53 or I remember being in Las Vegas 11:54 once we went there with 3ABN, 11:57 and we went there to do a rally weekend. 11:59 And as you're walking down the streets, 12:01 there are people with backpacks. 12:03 And in that they have thousands of little pieces of paper. 12:06 And they're passing out left and right as you go by me, 12:09 there's not missing anybody. 12:13 But the people of God are sometimes absent 12:15 because we fear that somebody may not take 12:18 what we have to offer, 12:20 so we have to settle the issue of 12:21 if our mind is with the Lord, 12:23 we care less about those who are going to not take, 12:25 but our concern is about those who will accept 12:28 what we have to give. 12:30 And those who accept what we have to give 12:32 are more to be concerned about than those who reject 12:35 what we have to offer. 12:36 Let's look at the other one. 12:38 Question number 10. 12:39 Go to question number 10. 12:42 Here it is. 12:44 What else does the Bible list 12:47 as a hindrance to the servant's life? 12:50 What else does the Bible list 12:52 as a hindrance to the servant's life? 12:54 This one is huge. 12:58 We were in the country of India 13:01 and we saw there a two kinds of society. 13:05 On one hand, the very wealthy, 13:08 on the other hand, the very poor. 13:10 And we noticed that were wealth was highest, 13:13 God was absent most. 13:16 And this is not something that's new. 13:18 This text recognizes that. 13:20 What else does the Bible list as a hindrance 13:23 to the servant's life? 13:24 Matthew 6:24, go there with me. 13:28 Matthew 6:24. 13:30 I think you're already there, I don't hear the pages turning, 13:32 but you know, it's going to be on the screen. 13:33 Okay. 13:35 Now, what are the first two words 13:36 on the screen? 13:37 No one. 13:39 Say one more time? No one. 13:40 So are there any exceptions? No. 13:41 "No one can serve," how many masters? 13:44 "Two masters, for either he will hate the one 13:48 and love the other, or else he will be loyal 13:52 to the one and," what else? 13:54 "Despise the other. 13:55 You cannot serve God and mammon." 13:58 Does anybody know what mammon is? 14:01 Money, riches, wealth, you'll discover that 14:04 when the Lord gave the parable of the sower. 14:09 In one of the instances 14:10 where the Word of God was choked, 14:12 he said, one of the reasons why the Word of God was choked, 14:15 he says, "The deceitfulness of riches." 14:18 And so there are those who 14:20 and we see this in the Christian world 14:21 nowadays. 14:22 I mean, unfortunately, many, many people are involved 14:26 in Christian ministries for the wealth, 14:30 for the opulent life, for the lavish lifestyle. 14:33 And the Bible says, Paul the Apostle says, 14:35 they don't serve God, they serve their own bellies. 14:38 And so we have to keep in mind 14:40 that we cannot let success hinder our desire to serve God 14:45 because one is going to be, 14:47 one is eternal, the other one is temporary. 14:51 Which one is temporary, somebody tell me? 14:53 Which one is temporary? Mammon. 14:55 Mammon, the name for money, the god of riches, temporary. 14:59 Money is going to lose its value. 15:02 You know, when you go from one country to the other, 15:03 and you see the money exchange, 15:05 we always want the most for our money. 15:07 Don't we, right? 15:08 But money fluctuates every day. 15:11 Yet the God we serve is the same 15:14 yesterday, today, and forever. 15:17 So if you want to put down what else does the Bible list 15:20 as a hindrance to the servant's life? 15:22 What can we put down? 15:27 What can we put down? 15:29 The love of money. 15:32 Okay. 15:33 Not money, but the love of money. 15:38 Somebody once says, if you think money is evil, 15:40 I'll pass the offering plate. 15:43 Money is not evil. 15:44 It's the love of money is the root of all evil 15:48 as the New King James says. 15:49 The love of money is root of all kinds of evil. 15:52 And then the Bible talks about those who desire to be rich. 15:55 They fall into many, many temptations. 15:58 So they get their bearings and all of a sudden 16:01 they get involved in ministry and they say, 16:02 "Well, how can I make money in this ministry?" 16:06 Well, my wife read something to me yesterday, 16:09 I want to see if I remember it. 16:13 Yeah. Okay. 16:15 On earth, 16:17 people love gold and walk on people. 16:21 In heaven, they love people and walk on gold. 16:26 Isn't that amazing? 16:28 Which one would have more wealth? 16:30 Heaven. 16:31 And the Bible says, "By loving service, 16:34 by giving to God what belongs to Him, 16:35 we are laying up for yourselves treasures where? 16:38 In heaven, where moth and rust does not corrupt 16:42 and where thieves cannot break in to steal. 16:45 So when we allow money to distort our service, 16:48 we're serving God for the wrong reason, 16:50 never allows service to be for financial gain, 16:53 because that's where it gets all distorted. 16:55 That's where many people and we know that 16:57 I don't want to mention names, 16:58 but in America there are some televangelists 17:02 that have gone down the wrong road. 17:03 They began with the right intentions, 17:04 but all of a sudden money took over. 17:06 And it bore them down a road that brought them pain, 17:10 and jail time, and heartache, 17:12 and all the things that they never intended. 17:15 But God is saying, 17:17 one of the hindrances of service 17:18 is the love of money, not money itself, 17:22 but the love of money. 17:23 Okay, so which one is first, money or God? 17:25 God. Okay, remember that. 17:29 Number 11. 17:31 Number 11. 17:32 How should the servant's life parallel that of Jesus? 17:37 How should the servant's life parallel that of Jesus? 17:42 Jesus left many examples, you know, 17:44 if we follow the examples of Jesus, 17:45 we will discover that you'll never be lost 17:49 if you do what Jesus did. 17:52 You know, there's an acronym, a WWDJ, what, 17:57 am I saying it correctly. 18:00 What WW, what would Jesus do. 18:03 Yeah, WWJD. 18:05 What would Jesus do? 18:07 I like to put WDJD. 18:09 What did Jesus do? 18:11 Because oftentimes, 18:13 if you look at the life of Christ, 18:14 you get all the evidences of the life He lived. 18:17 And this text in Matthew 28:20 shows us 18:23 the kind of life that takes us from pew sitters 18:28 to working in the vineyard of the Lord, 18:32 from those who are sitting on pews 18:34 to working in the vineyard of the Lord. 18:36 Notice what this text says. 18:38 Matthew 20:28 reads as follows, 18:43 "Just as the Son of Man 18:45 did not come to be served, but to serve, 18:49 and to give His life a ransom for many." 18:52 Now we may just think of the part of 18:55 didn't come to serve and be served. 18:56 But you know that 18:57 when you are involved in service, 18:59 your life is somewhat of a ransom for many. 19:01 You know, what the ransom means? 19:02 What's a ransom? 19:04 If somebody gets a ransom, what do they want? 19:06 They want money. 19:07 Okay, so when you say, 19:09 I'm laying all on the altar of sacrifice, 19:15 the best investment you can make 19:18 is a life of service for someone else. 19:20 The best investment is using your energies, 19:24 your gifts, your skills, 19:27 all that God has given to you in the life of service, 19:30 because that's the investment. 19:32 People can easily give money. 19:33 There are many people that when you say, 19:35 "Okay, we have missions offering," 19:37 people will rather... 19:38 Let me just use an example. 19:39 Something that's kind of been overlooked 19:42 in the evolution of the Adventist church 19:46 is in gathering. 19:49 How many remember ingathering? 19:51 Now the purpose of ingathering was not to raise goals, 19:55 but to reach souls. 19:58 And so a lot of times people say, 19:59 "Well, what's your ingathering goal?" 20:01 And somebody may say, "My ingathering goal is $50." 20:04 So instead of going out 20:05 and passing out tracks to reach souls, 20:09 they rather write a check and reach their goal. 20:12 Notice what's happening there, 20:14 a division between the mind and the life. 20:18 Why knock on doors? 20:20 Why have people slam the doors on my face? 20:22 Oh, I tell you, growing up ingathering was fun 20:25 in the city of New York. 20:31 I mean, if you can ingather in the city of New York, 20:34 then living in these out of towns 20:36 where the challenges are not as great 20:38 and where sometimes the challenges 20:40 are not as threatening as it could be 20:42 in any major city, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, 20:44 wherever that may be, 20:46 I don't want to single out New York, that's my city. 20:48 But if you can live a life to reach souls, 20:51 then the Lord will also allow you to reach your goals. 20:55 But if souls is the first focus, 20:58 then goals will come in accordingly. 21:00 The Lord says, and if we put the answer there in verse 11, 21:03 how should the servant's life parallel that of Jesus? 21:07 We should desire to serve and not just to be served. 21:11 In every two years 21:12 we enter into a process here at our church 21:16 of selecting offices and positions for people 21:18 to be involved in Christian service. 21:20 And one of the things that I often 21:24 don't want to hear people say, 21:27 I served for the last two years, 21:29 can I rest this year? 21:31 And I'm thinking, "Don't ask me, ask Him." 21:35 Right? 21:37 Because I'm not the one that's hiring anyone, the Lord. 21:41 Matter of fact, go with me to Ephesians. 21:47 Like somebody once said to me, 21:49 when I was working in New York City, 21:50 and I was challenged to work on the Sabbath. 21:54 And the company supervisor said, 21:58 "I mean, can't you ask God for a like make an exception 22:01 this weekend?" 22:04 And I'm thinking, 22:06 I'm going to ask God to make an exception. 22:08 No, I'm asking you to make an exception 22:10 because with God, He's the same all the time. 22:13 Some people say, "Well, can't your God make 22:15 an exception for you this weekend? 22:17 No, He already made an exception, He died for me. 22:21 See, so when it comes to that, I say Ephesians 2, 22:25 when it comes to exceptions, 22:26 it should be man that's willing to compromise, 22:29 where man is willing to align him or his life 22:32 with God's requirements 22:34 than God aligning His life with man's requirements. 22:37 Ephesians 2:10. 22:41 And this is the text. 22:43 We always like verse 8 and 9, you know, 22:45 for by grace you have been saved through faith 22:48 and that not of yourselves, 22:49 it is the gift of God not of works, 22:51 lest any man should boast and we often stop right there. 22:53 But verse 10 tells you that God has not called us to occupy, 22:59 but to be involved. 23:00 Notice verse 10, "For we are His," what? 23:04 "Workmanship." 23:05 In other words, He's designed us. 23:07 He's put us together for what purpose 23:10 created in Christ Jesus for what? 23:13 For good works. 23:14 And here's the catch, 23:16 which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 23:21 I like to think of this as going to a shoe store. 23:24 Do they make the shoes when you walk in? 23:26 No, they prepare them beforehand 23:28 that you should walk, get it. 23:31 They prepare them beforehand, that you should walk in them. 23:35 So in the same way before God calls us, 23:37 He's got a whole shoe store of service 23:40 and He wants us to put on... 23:41 Okay, the shoe of witnessing, 23:44 the shoe of whatever the ministry may be. 23:47 Whether it's prison ministry, whether it's local ministry, 23:49 whether it's evangelism, 23:51 whether it is passing out tracks, whatever it may be, 23:53 God has called every one of us to be involved 23:56 in certain facets, 23:58 something that we can do to advance the cause of God, 24:00 isn't that right? 24:02 Whether you're young or old, it doesn't really matter. 24:04 The age doesn't matter. 24:06 Everybody is involved. 24:08 Everybody is called to be on the front lines 24:10 for the Lord. 24:11 So the answer is to number 11. 24:15 How should the servant's life parallel that of Jesus? 24:18 We should be motivated to do what? 24:20 Serve. 24:23 Okay, let's go to number 12. 24:25 Number 12. 24:26 All right. 24:28 In what way does Jesus describe 24:32 the blessing of service? 24:35 You know, people often ask the question, 24:36 what's in it for me? 24:38 What's in for me? 24:39 What am I going to get out of that? 24:41 And oftentimes, people do things 24:42 because they want to get the benefit. 24:44 They want to find out 24:46 how it's going to enhance their lives. 24:48 What difference is it going to make in their lives? 24:50 Well, look at this. 24:51 This is very wonderful text, and we are going to John 12:26. 24:57 And you guys are so much ahead of me now, 24:58 you already turn there. 24:59 If you have your Bibles go there with us. 25:01 John 12:26. And it reads as follows. 25:05 This is beautiful text. 25:07 Jesus says, "If anyone does," what? 25:09 "Serves Me, let him," do what? "Follow Me." 25:12 In other words, let me be His example. 25:15 "And where I am," what? 25:18 "There My servant will be also." 25:21 And here's the beautiful blessing. 25:23 "If anyone serves Me," what? 25:26 "Him My Father will honor." 25:30 Now, how many of you want to be honored by God? 25:33 You ever heard of an honor service? 25:34 When people I think my brother-in-law, 25:36 I don't think, I remember my brother-in-law, 25:38 my wife's brother, 25:39 they went down to Miami, Florida, 25:41 he was being honored for community service, 25:43 outstanding service in the community. 25:46 NSS service where they select people each year. 25:48 And they say, "Well, we're going to honor 25:49 this person in the community for outstanding citizenship, 25:53 for outstanding neighborhood watch, 25:55 or outstanding service to the community 25:58 in one capacity or the other." 25:59 And it's an honorable service. 26:01 And people there, you get a plaque, 26:04 you get some kind of gift, you get a certificate. 26:09 And when you come up and they mentioned the things 26:11 that you've done, 26:13 you feel a sense of fulfillment, 26:15 a sense of belonging, 26:17 a sense of I do make a difference. 26:19 And the Lord is in essence saying here, 26:20 when we give our lives to make a difference, 26:22 who will be the one that's going to honor us? 26:25 And how's he's going to honor us? 26:28 He's going to honor us with long life. 26:30 Matter of fact, Revelation 20... 26:32 What you said? 26:34 He's going to honor us with everlasting life. 26:37 Revelation 22:12 says, "Behold, I come quickly, 26:40 and my reward is with me, to give to everyone 26:42 according as his work shall be." 26:46 So if we want to be honored by the Lord, 26:49 we need to be servants of the Lord. 26:52 And I like the way that this is put 26:54 because Jesus makes it clear... 26:56 And let's read the first verse again, "If anyone serves," who? 27:01 You got to remember that. 27:03 Remember Jesus said, "As much as you've done it 27:05 to the least of these, you've done it," what? 27:07 "To Me? 27:09 So in serving others, we're actually serving Christ. 27:14 In reaching out to save others, 27:16 we're actually reaching out in the same way 27:19 as if we're seeking to affect the life of Christ. 27:23 So as we seek to do those things 27:25 that will change a person's life. 27:27 It's in the same way we're ministering to Christ. 27:29 Go with me to the Book of Acts. 27:31 Acts Chapter 1. 27:33 And the answer I would put here... 27:37 That was question number 12. 27:40 In what way does Jesus describe the blessing of service? 27:43 It's an honor. 27:45 It is an honor. 27:46 I don't want us to look at the fact 27:47 that the Father will honor us alone, 27:49 but serving God is an honor. 27:52 Who can be greater to be honored by 27:55 than the Lord Jesus Christ? 27:57 An honor. 27:58 I mean, can you imagine in eternity 27:59 your name is mentioned. 28:01 And when your name is mentioned, 28:02 did you come forth to receive your crown 28:04 as we know there's not going to be 28:05 any crowns in heaven without a star. 28:07 And what does that star represent? 28:10 Each soul brought to Christ by your service. 28:14 I've seen some people 28:15 that have been so busy serving the Lord, 28:17 I'm thinking, "Man, 28:18 they're going to need a shopping cart 28:19 to carry their crown." 28:21 If what I see is it actually 28:22 what's happening in their lives. 28:24 But the honor really is in serving the Lord. 28:27 Acts Chapter 1 is that what I said? 28:29 Look at what Acts Chapter 1 points out. 28:33 Because a lot of times we think of this as people, 28:35 we've got to see Jesus in the picture here. 28:38 Acts Chapter 1 and look at verse 8. 28:42 Acts 1:8. 28:50 "But you shall receive power 28:55 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, 28:58 and you shall be witnesses," what? 29:01 "To me." 29:02 Notice, "We are serving," who are we serving? 29:06 "We're witnesses to the Lord not just for the Lord, 29:10 we are witnesses to Him. 29:11 In other words, who's examining our lives? 29:14 Who's examining our lives? The Lord is. 29:17 He's looking at the service that we do. 29:19 He's looking at the service that we render to His kingdom. 29:21 When He says, "You shall be witnesses to me." 29:24 That willing services in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, 29:27 and the uttermost parts of the earth. 29:29 But the power is coming from Him 29:31 and the services to Him. 29:33 You'll find in the Book of Colossians. 29:35 And let me see if I included it here, I may go back to that. 29:38 Yes, go with me to Colossians Chapter 3. 29:40 Colossians Chapter 3. 29:41 This was in one of our earlier questions. 29:44 Colossians Chapter 3. 29:51 And look at verse 23 and 24. 29:56 All right. 30:00 Evidence of the fact that we are serving the Lord. 30:04 Okay? 30:07 When people do things heartily, I mean, 30:08 they just do with all their might. 30:09 I just... 30:11 It always troubles me when I see lethargy involved 30:13 in Christianity because it just doesn't match, 30:15 it doesn't match. 30:17 I think when lethargy and Christianity meet, 30:20 it means that the person doesn't understand 30:22 the great call on his or her life, 30:24 or the great blessing, 30:26 or the great honor connected to serving God. 30:28 I mean, there is no greater honor. 30:30 If we got call 30:31 from the President of the United States 30:32 to serve, we'll say, "Do you realize 30:34 who I got a call from this week? 30:36 I've been invited to Washington, D.C. 30:39 to serve in a specific capacity 30:42 for the President of the United States." 30:44 And we'll say, 30:45 "For the President of the United States?" 30:48 Man, that be everybody... 30:49 "How did they pick you? 30:51 What does you do it makes you so different?" 30:54 Well, forget about 30:55 the President of the United States. 30:56 I say that not in the lack of respect. 30:58 But how much greater to be chosen by God 31:01 to serve Him? 31:03 Amen? 31:04 But the reason why we don't see that... 31:06 The reason why it doesn't catch us that way 31:09 is because we're looking for the present honor 31:13 rather than the honor that will be bestowed upon us. 31:17 We've got to see the honor ceremony in the future. 31:21 We can't just see the honor ceremony right now. 31:23 Because those who are honored right now, like the Olympians, 31:26 they put that gold medal around their necks 31:28 and everybody says, "Oh, an Olympian. 31:30 Oh, the servicemen." 31:32 When we see people on the airplane, you know, 31:34 when you go on the airplane they say, "First class," 31:36 and then all servicemen. 31:37 And when they go on in, you know, 31:38 sometimes you see people say, "Thank you for your service." 31:41 And sometimes people go like that 31:42 or other veterans will go like that and salute them. 31:44 And we know that these are the people, 31:46 the men and women that are on the front lines 31:47 serving their country, giving their lives. 31:50 But what greater service to be involved in 31:53 than service for the King? 31:55 That's why this text is the way it is. 31:57 Look at verse 23 of Colossians Chapter 3. 32:03 "And whatever you do, do it" lethargically. 32:08 How do it, what? 32:11 Say that word? "Heartily, heartily." 32:12 Say what? 32:14 Let me hear the word heartily, heartily. 32:16 Heartily! That's right. 32:18 "Do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. 32:23 Knowing that from the Lord you will receive," what? 32:29 "The reward of the inheritance for you serve," who? 32:33 "The Lord Christ." 32:36 Witnesses to me. Who are we serving? 32:38 We're serving Jesus. 32:39 We're not in service just for Him 32:42 but we're actually serving Him. 32:44 Whatever you do, do as unto the Lord 32:47 because in fact, that's who we are serving. 32:51 Let's go to question number... 32:54 What number are we up to now? 32:55 Number 13. Moving right along. 32:58 Moving right along. 33:01 What does Paul the Apostle tell us 33:04 is a part of serving God? 33:08 What does the Apostle Paul tell us 33:10 is a part of serving God? 33:13 We're going to go to Acts 20:19. 33:16 Acts 20:19. Okay. 33:20 This is kind of the thing we all want to avoid. 33:23 We wonder, now when is He going to bring this up? 33:27 Because truly, 33:28 it is a great honor to serve God, 33:30 but don't think that 33:31 you're going to serve God easily 33:33 while we live in enemy's territory, right? 33:37 If you go to overseas to the battlefield, 33:41 and you complain that you're being shot at, 33:42 then you not live in a reality. 33:47 We are living in enemy's territory, 33:50 serving the Lord will bring with it some challenges. 33:53 So what's the Apostle Paul say? 33:55 Look at Acts 20:19, he says, "Serving the Lord with," what? 34:00 "All humility," that be the humble, 34:04 don't boast about it, "with many," what? 34:06 "Tears and," what else? 34:08 "Trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews." 34:13 It's amazing that that statement 34:14 is even connected there 34:16 because God had entrusted the gospel to the Jews. 34:19 And by rejecting the Lord, by rejecting the messenger, 34:23 by rejecting the gospel, they then began to persecute 34:27 those who carried the torch that they decided not to carry. 34:31 And what did he say? 34:32 He served the Lord humbly, but he had a lot of what? 34:35 Tears, and a lot of what? 34:36 Trials, that comes. 34:38 And Jesus said, "If they persecuted Him, 34:42 if they do to Him, who's the green tree?" 34:47 What would they do to those of us 34:48 who bear no fruit, right? 34:51 Is the servant greater than his Lord? 34:52 Yes or no? Absolutely not. 34:55 And those who are sent are not greater than the one 34:57 who does send. 34:59 Look at 2 Corinthians 6. 35:00 So you're going to put the answer 35:01 down here for number 13. 35:03 What does Paul the Apostle tell us is a part of service? 35:05 Tears and trials. 35:08 We must serve God humbly. 35:10 But what's a part of it? Tears and trials. 35:14 And I know that for a fact, 35:15 because there's so many people that say, 35:17 "I've been praying for years for my family, 35:20 and I just can't get any reaction from them. 35:23 I've been praying for my family to accept the gospel. 35:26 I've been leaving tracks. 35:28 I've been sending them Bible studies." 35:31 I know what that's like, and some nights you'd say, 35:34 "Lord, give so and so more time." 35:38 Please Lord, just please give them more time 35:40 and through tears and trials, 35:43 we pray that they will come to understand. 35:46 And so sometimes things don't happen 35:48 in that person's life 35:49 if they're not happening in our lives. 35:51 So we have to live the life of a constant testimony 35:53 so that by our lives, hopefully they'll be convinced 35:56 that it is worth serving the Lord. 35:58 2 Corinthians... 36:00 Did I tell you what chapter? Chapter 6. 36:03 I want you to see something here. 36:06 Paul talks about this. 36:07 2 Corinthians 6. 36:11 And I'm going to kind of go through this list 36:14 because this really outlines the kind of life 36:17 that Paul had when it came to service. 36:20 He made it very clear. 36:21 Don't think that you gonna put on a uniform 36:24 and you're in the army of God 36:25 and there's not going to be some kind of challenges. 36:27 He starts in verse 3, 36:28 "We give no offense in anything, 36:31 that our ministry may not be blamed. 36:34 But in all things we commend ourselves 36:38 as ministers of God..." 36:40 Now notice these, "In much," what? 36:42 "Patience in," what else? 36:44 "Tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, 36:49 and in imprisonment, in tumults, in labor's, 36:53 in sleeplessness, in fasting, 36:56 by purity, by knowledge," by what else? 36:59 "Long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, 37:04 by sincere love, by the word of truth, 37:07 by the power of God, 37:09 by the armor of righteousness on the right hand, 37:13 and on the left, by honor and," what else? 37:17 "Dishonor, by evil report and," what else? 37:20 "Good report, as deceivers, and yet true, as unknown, 37:25 and yet well known, as dying, and behold we live, 37:30 as chastened, and yet not killed, 37:33 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, 37:36 as poor, yet making many rich, 37:39 and is having nothing, and yet possessing all things." 37:42 What a list? 37:44 I mean, that's the kind of service 37:46 that we must expect. 37:48 You're not going to get one without the other. 37:50 Sometimes people say evil things about you. 37:55 Well, Paul said, that's going to happen, 37:57 but on the other side of that terrible report is a what? 37:59 Good report. 38:01 On the side of the chastening, many people are becoming, 38:05 he said, "I became poor 38:06 that others might become wealthy." 38:09 It's a life of service, it's a life of challenge, 38:12 it's not a life where it's going to be easy. 38:14 But we must accept the fact 38:17 that Jesus said in this world you will have what? 38:20 Tribulation, but be of good cheer I've overcome the world. 38:24 And so for those who want to serve God and think, 38:26 I'll have no opposition, it's not realistic. 38:30 That's the reality. Huh? 38:33 So send I you to labor unrewarded, 38:35 the song we often sang, to serve unpaid, unloved, 38:37 unsought, unknown, to bear rebuke to suffer, 38:41 scorn and scoffing. 38:43 So send I you to toil for me alone. 38:46 You find in the lives of all the apostles. 38:49 They went through persecution. 38:50 And John, the faithful revelator, 38:53 they tried to boil him, 38:54 but he was so on fire that the oil was not enough. 38:58 You'll get that tomorrow. 39:00 He was on fire by the Lord. 39:02 The oil was of no value. 39:03 God will make us invincible until His work is done in us. 39:07 Amen? 39:08 Now, let's go on to the next one. 39:10 Number 14. 39:12 Moving right along. 39:14 Question number 14. 39:16 Trials, and tears, 39:17 and tribulations are a part of it. 39:19 But here it is. 39:21 What does Paul list as distractions 39:26 to serving the Lord? 39:28 What does he list as distractions? 39:31 This is pretty interesting. 39:33 I want to bring this one out. 39:34 As I was studying for this, I thought, 39:36 I never thought about it that way. 39:38 You know, the Pharisees made Christianity a burden. 39:44 Matter of fact, some of what they did is still cited today 39:47 as reasons why people 39:48 don't want to honor the Sabbath. 39:49 This is what the Pharisees did, what the Pharisees did. 39:52 Well, they did many things to bring dishonor 39:54 to the truth of God's word, 39:55 but this is a pretty interesting one. 39:58 Go with me to the Book of Romans 14:17 and 18. 40:03 What does Paul list as distractions 40:06 to serving the Lord? 40:08 All right. 40:10 Pretty interesting here. 40:13 Okay. 40:15 And I'm turning to Romans. 40:16 I already have the text in front of me, 40:18 but I want to turn there 40:19 because I may want to expound or expand on it. 40:22 Okay, here we are, Romans Chapter 14. 40:26 And the Bible says, 40:27 "It's follows for the kingdom of God 40:32 is not," what? 40:34 "Eating and," what? 40:36 "Drinking, but righteousness, 40:39 and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 40:43 For he who serves Christ in these things 40:47 is acceptable to God and approved by men." 40:52 Now the reason I brought this one up 40:54 is because the Pharisees had connected burdens 41:00 to the service of God 41:01 that were never intended to be burdens. 41:05 Matter of fact, go with me to the Book of Matthew. 41:07 Look at the Book of Matthew, this is an example. 41:10 Matthew Chapter 23. 41:13 And you have to be very careful when people make certain tests, 41:17 tests that God never intended to be a test. 41:22 Did you hear what I said? 41:24 Oh, yeah. 41:25 When there is a lack of balance, 41:27 you'll find people that make certain tests 41:29 tests that God never made a test. 41:32 And this is how he illustrated that in the Book of Matthew. 41:36 Matthew Chapter 23. 41:38 Is that where you all are? 41:40 I'm there now. Here we are. 41:42 Matthew 23. 41:44 Jesus characterized the Pharisees, all right? 41:48 I'm going to read from verse 1-4. 41:50 Not to take the whole thing, 41:51 but it's a lot more he covers in here. 41:53 But it says, "Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, 41:57 and to his disciples, saying, 42:00 the scribes and the Pharisees sit in," what? 42:04 "Moses seat. 42:06 Therefore, whatever they tell you 42:10 to observe, that observe and do..." 42:13 But listen to what he says. 42:15 "But do not do according to their works, 42:18 for they say, and," what? 42:21 "Do not do, for they bind heavy burdens, 42:25 hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, 42:30 but they themselves will not move them 42:33 with one of their fingers. 42:35 By all their works they do to be seen by men. 42:40 They make their phylacteries broad 42:43 and enlarge the borders of their garments. 42:46 They love the best places at feasts, 42:50 the best seats in the synagogue, 42:52 greetings in the marketplace and to be called by men, 42:55 'Rabbi, rabbi.' 42:58 But you do not be called Rabbi for one is your teacher, 43:03 the Christ, and you are all brethren." 43:06 And as I go on further there's a lot more, 43:08 but what I want to point out is particularly verse 4, 43:11 "For they bind heavy burdens hard to bear, 43:14 and lay them on men's shoulders." 43:16 And you find in the Church of Rome, Paul the Apostle, 43:19 and this is sometimes often misconstrued, 43:21 and I want to make this very, very clear. 43:24 We are a church that believe in health reform. 43:27 What phrase did I just use? 43:29 Health reform. 43:31 But if you put health 43:35 in the place of the gospel, 43:38 then you're causing a hindrance 43:41 where God never intended for there to be a hindrance. 43:44 One of the examples I want to share with you 43:45 something that I read and this came to me 43:48 because when I was growing up in New York City, 43:50 I ran into a pretty adverse group, 43:53 and when I say adverse, 43:55 I mean a group that was an offshoot, 44:00 claiming the name, 44:01 but disconnected from the church 44:03 and binding burdens on members 44:05 that had nothing to do with salvation. 44:07 And they came up with certain tests. 44:09 And they misused the writings of Ellen White 44:12 to substantiate their views and said, 44:14 "Well, if you do this, and you do that, 44:16 and you do this, and you do that, 44:17 then you are saved. 44:19 But if you don't do this, do that, and do this, 44:21 and do that, then you are lost." 44:23 And they made certain tests 44:26 that were not tests, tests. 44:30 Can I read a quotation to you? 44:32 This is one that's very interesting. 44:35 And I want to go ahead and read it to you here. 44:36 Let me just go back to my reference here. 44:38 Okay. Okay. 44:43 And this was in reference to tobacco, 44:48 tea, coffee, and alcohol as compared to butter, 44:53 milk, cheese, and eggs. 44:56 Now get the categories, tea, coffee, tobacco, 45:01 and alcohol and then the other category, 45:04 butter, milk, cheese, and eggs. 45:08 And what happened was, 45:11 as I read the quotation you'll find... 45:13 Well, let me go ahead and read it. 45:14 Could I just read it? 45:16 Okay. All right. 45:17 The question whether we shall eat 45:20 butter, meat, or cheese 45:22 is not to be presented to anyone as a test. 45:27 But we are to educate 45:28 and to show the evils of these things 45:31 that are objectionable. 45:34 Those who gather up these things 45:36 and drive them upon others, 45:39 do not know what work they are doing. 45:42 The Word of God has given tests to this people. 45:47 And here are the test, the keeping of God's holy law. 45:50 The Sabbath is a test, 45:52 a sign between God and His people 45:54 throughout their generations forever. 45:56 Forever, this is the burden of the third angel's message, 46:01 the commandments of God, 46:02 and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 46:04 And we finish it. 46:06 Tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol, 46:09 we must present as sinful indulgences, right? 46:14 And that is caffeinated, specifically. 46:16 We cannot place on the same ground 46:19 meat, eggs, butter, and cheese 46:22 as such articles placed upon the table. 46:25 These are not to be borne in front 46:29 as the burden of our work. 46:31 The former tea, coffee, tobacco, beer, wine, 46:34 and all spurious liquors are not to be taken moderately, 46:38 but discarded altogether. 46:40 The poisonous narcotics 46:41 are not to be treated in the same way 46:44 as the subject of eggs, butter, and cheese. 46:48 When I was a young man in the church, 46:51 I had compiled all these lists together. 46:55 One of the reasons I've presented the message 46:56 how to live a spiritual life in a natural body 46:58 is because it is to avoid extremes 47:00 on one side or the other. 47:02 Now, the issues of health 47:05 are the issues of health, 47:08 the issues of salvation, are the issues of salvation. 47:12 When you mesh 47:15 egg, butter, and cheese as salvation, 47:17 that is not the message. 47:20 That is not the message to be borne. 47:22 And that was in fact, 47:23 what had happened during that time. 47:25 And when you find, 47:26 there are many, many references here. 47:28 As a matter of fact, 47:29 what is the proper setting of that is as we learn 47:32 and this is the proper setting, 47:34 as we are educated to the evils of what it does to our bodies, 47:39 we are to abstain from those things, 47:41 but not to present them as an issue of salvation 47:44 and a test to fellowship. 47:45 Dan? 47:47 I bet you didn't mention ice cream. 47:50 Well, she talks about milk also. 47:52 But in fact, I understand what you're saying. 47:54 But these are issues of health 47:57 and here's the key where you benefit. 47:58 When you are healthy your mind is able to be communicated 48:01 too much easily than when you're unhealthy. 48:04 I've seen people that have gone overboard and say, 48:05 "Okay, well, since it's not a test, 48:07 well, let me eat as much of that as I can. 48:09 No, you hinder yourself, 48:10 you injure yourself in the very same way. 48:12 So we must understand the difference 48:13 between health reform and salvation. 48:16 And that was one of the issues here. 48:18 And I was putting that in the context here. 48:20 So when you think about it, 48:22 be careful of those things 48:24 that are not issues of salvation, 48:26 that hinder the service of those that God calls 48:30 to be servants in His work. 48:32 So here's the answer to number 14. 48:34 What does Paul list as distractions 48:38 to serving the Lord? 48:39 Here's what you want to put down, extremes. 48:43 You want to put down extremes, 48:45 and that is the biggest emphasis 48:47 of what's being talked about here. 48:48 Extremes. 48:50 That's the issue that the Lord brought out. 48:52 And earlier, he also says, 48:53 beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees. 48:57 And except your righteousness 48:58 exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, 49:01 you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. 49:03 All right? That's number 14. 49:06 So you want to put the word extremes. 49:09 Don't think we'll get to 21 tonight. 49:10 But let's go to 15. 49:12 Okay, let's move in right along. 49:13 Okay? 49:15 What should our aim become 49:18 when we give our lives in service? 49:21 What should our aim become 49:23 when we give our lives in service? 49:28 And we're turning 49:29 to 1 Corinthians 7:35. 49:35 1 Corinthians 7:35. 49:39 What should our aim become 49:41 when we give our lives in service? 49:43 Here it is. 49:45 And in the interest of time... 49:47 Oh, we have enough time. We're moving right along. 49:49 I thought we had less time than that. 49:51 Praise the Lord for the eight minutes 49:53 we still have. 49:54 Amen for that. 49:55 I didn't want to end too quickly. 49:57 But here it is. 49:58 1 Corinthians 7:35 reads as follows. 50:01 "And this I say for your own profit, 50:05 not that I may put a leash on you, 50:09 but for what is proper, 50:11 and that you may serve the Lord without," what's the last word? 50:15 "Distractions." 50:16 Now that word distractions, 50:18 I'm segueing from the last one to this one, 50:20 distractions come in far 50:23 broader range than just food. 50:27 Anything that hinders you 50:29 from serving the Lord is a distraction. 50:33 And I don't want to say it this way, 50:35 but sometimes even family 50:37 could be a distraction from serving the Lord. 50:40 Sometimes friends could be a distraction 50:44 from serving the Lord. 50:46 So that word distraction is broad. 50:49 Sometimes the views that you have that conflict 50:51 with each other 50:52 can be a distraction in serving the Lord. 50:55 So when we try to put the principle together here, 50:58 here's what I want you to put down. 50:59 What should our aim become 51:00 when we give our lives in service? 51:03 Avoid distractions. 51:05 Avoid distractions. 51:07 I give an example. 51:08 I used to ride this hobby horse quite often. 51:11 I remember in times gone by... 51:14 When I say times gone by, 51:16 it sounds like centuries ago, doesn't it? 51:18 I'm talking about my lifetime. 51:19 I used to battle as a young pastor 51:21 to get people to come 51:22 to Wednesday night prayer meeting. 51:24 And one person said, "Pastor, didn't you know that tonight 51:26 was the final episode of Dallas?" 51:29 And I'm thinking, "Dallas that was way back, 51:32 you know, who shot JR," remember that all stupidness. 51:35 I said, "Dallas?" 51:37 You want to find out who shot JR instead of... 51:41 With the Word of God, the truth of God. 51:42 Didn't you know tonight is a final episode? 51:44 I wonder where is everybody? 51:45 Tonight was a final episode. 51:48 What do we call that, come on together? 51:50 Distractions. 51:51 Anytime you put amusement, 51:54 and worldly pleasures, and convenience. 51:58 Oh, you know, I'm so tired. 52:01 I worked so hard all week. 52:02 I'm just going to take this one hour out of 168. 52:08 I'm going to make sure that the hour I choose to rest 52:10 is one hour prayer meeting, 52:12 not the hour before or the hour after. 52:15 It's amazing with the excuses we make. 52:17 And all those things 52:19 are summarized in simply one word, 52:21 and that is distractions. 52:23 Avoid distractions, 52:25 do not allow, as the Bible says, 52:28 "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, 52:30 the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, 52:32 all these things will pass away, 52:34 but he who does the will of God abides for," how long? 52:37 "Forever." 52:38 Avoid distractions, that also is a hindrance 52:41 in the life of a servant, whatever that may be. 52:45 Okay. 52:46 So let's go to number 16. 52:48 Number 16. 52:51 As we approach the work of God, how should we pray? 52:57 How should we pray? 52:59 As we approach the work of God, how should we pray? 53:04 Very interesting way that I've framed this text 53:08 with the word pray 53:10 because the prayer that we pray should also be in harmony, 53:13 in harmony with the prayer that Christ prays. 53:16 Luke 10:2 is where our answer is found. 53:20 Luke 10:2, and it reads as follows. 53:24 Here it is. 53:26 "Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is," what? 53:30 "Great, but the laborers are," what? 53:33 "Few, therefore," next word, 53:35 "pray the Lord of the harvest to do," what? 53:39 "Send out laborers into His harvest." 53:43 So what should our prayer be Lord, do what? 53:46 Send out laborers, or should we just pray that prayer, 53:50 or should we be saying like Isaiah? 53:52 What did Isaiah say? "Send me." 53:55 Don't just say, 53:57 "Lord, send someone out to be a labor in Your harvest." 54:00 We should pray what, Lord, do what? 54:02 "Send me" 54:04 Why let the other person qualify for all the rewards 54:08 when we are going to be blessed when the Lord comes 54:11 by saying, "Well done, 54:13 He's going to bless us with the well done. 54:14 We want to hear that. 54:16 Not just saying, "Well done brother, so and so. 54:17 Or well done, sister, so and so. 54:19 Well done, Ferro, well done." 54:21 We want to say, "Well done me too." 54:25 So don't just pray that, but we must pray 54:27 because there are harvest, 54:29 we just came back from India where I tell you 54:32 there's so much tradition there, 54:34 so much of the religions of that land 54:37 that in certain parts to try to share Christianity 54:40 is almost forbidden. 54:42 And the prayer is, 54:44 "Lord, send out laborers into the harvest? 54:47 Find a way to reach the people. 54:49 And I praise the Lord how it's being done over there 54:52 through some of the ministries like Asian Aid and Maranatha, 54:55 how they're finding other ways 54:57 to carry the gospel into their field. 54:59 Because you can't just set up a tent in the middle of a town 55:02 that were Hinduism is great because it's just forbidden, 55:05 just can't do it. 55:07 But you can lay the seeds down 55:09 through the hearts and lives of individuals 55:11 who can carry out the proclamation of the gospel, 55:15 and they go out into the harvest, 55:17 and they become the labors at a very significant time. 55:20 So as we approach the work, how shall we pray? 55:24 "Send out laborers into the harvest." 55:26 Okay, look at number 17. 55:28 Number 17. 55:29 What kind of attitude 55:32 should we present in our life of service? 55:37 What kind of attitude 55:39 should we present in our life of service? 55:41 This is very interesting because, you know, 55:43 the Lord says, by their fruits, you will know them. 55:46 And a lot of fruits, 55:50 we've got fruits and nuts in the church. 55:54 If they're not in harmony with what they suggest, 55:57 they could be a fruit 55:58 not a Holy Spirit fruit, and a nut. 56:02 But let's look what Paul says here to Timothy. 56:07 Here it is. 56:09 He says, 56:11 "The servant of the Lord must not," what? 56:15 "Strive" must not be quarrelsome, 56:18 "but be," what? 56:19 "Gentle unto all men, and," what? 56:23 "Apt to teach." 56:24 And what else? "Patient." 56:26 Mustn't strive, must be gentle, must be patient. 56:30 You know, when you carry the gospel, it's frustrating, 56:33 especially when you don't see results right away. 56:35 And you almost want to say to people sometimes 56:37 "What's wrong with you?" 56:38 But you can't do that. 56:40 Can't you see the Sabbath? 56:42 What's wrong with you? 56:43 You want to do that. 56:44 Do you know that people don't die and go to heaven? 56:46 Can't you read the Bible? Are you blind? 56:48 But you don't do that. 56:50 You got to be, what? Patient. 56:52 You cannot be quarrelsome, even when people come at you. 56:56 I sat in the forum once where there was a pastor 56:58 who was just coming at me 57:00 with all kinds of objectionable terrible... 57:03 I said, "You know the Lord 57:04 wrote the commandments with His finger." 57:06 He said, "Which finger? 57:07 The first, second, or third? Which one? 57:08 Pinky? Which one was it?" 57:10 And he's a minister and I'm thinking, 57:11 "What I want to do right now? 57:13 What I'm thinking I should do is quite different. 57:15 And you know what? 57:17 When the program was done, 57:18 I was in a studio that was not 3ABN, 57:20 that was a different denomination. 57:22 And you know what they said to me, they said, 57:24 the cameraman and the people behind the scene 57:27 in the control room, he said, 57:28 "What impressed them more than anything else 57:30 is the attitude that you maintained 57:32 while you were under attack." 57:34 And so, my brother and my sisters, 57:35 when you're involved in the service of God, 57:37 although you get frustrated at times where you feel like 57:40 you want to gnash your teeth, and do something objectionable. 57:43 You've got to be patient. 57:45 You must not argue. 57:46 You must not strive. 57:47 You must be gentle. 57:49 You must be patient because you know what? 57:50 It's not about you, 57:52 it's about the Lord Jesus Christ. 57:53 And when you work for the Lord, and you're in the field of God, 57:57 and there are things that you just don't understand. 57:58 Keep on serving God. 58:00 And one day, 58:01 it'll all come into a sharper focus. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2018-12-24