Speaker 1: It's a privilege to be here.
Speaker 1: It's a privilege to be up here sharing the Word of God, the message that I'm going to share with you today.
Speaker 1: God put in my heart several weeks ago and I had about half, maybe two-thirds, done, and I got a text from Pastor Phil saying hey, if you could, I need you to preach for me on this date.
Speaker 1: I'm like that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1: God Put a message in my heart that I've been working on and almost have done, and now I have a place to share it.
Speaker 1: You know, isn't that just like God?
Speaker 1: Well, today I want to share a message with you that I have titled Well Done Now, well done can have multiple meanings.
Speaker 1: Okay, now, let me ask you a question Does anyone in here like a good steak?
Speaker 1: Anyone?
Speaker 1: Okay, whether it's a sirloin, whether it's a prime rib, whether it's T-bone, whether it's a filet or if it's my personal favorite, whether it's T-bone, whether it's a filet, or if it's my personal favorite, chicken fried.
Speaker 1: Come on now.
Speaker 1: Regardless of what kind of steak you like, it needs to be ordered and cooked.
Speaker 1: Well done, okay.
Speaker 1: I'm getting a mixed reaction from you out here, okay, now.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm getting a mixed reaction from you out here, okay, now, okay, just work with me here.
Speaker 1: If we are talking about cooking, according to Webster's dictionary, well done is defined as cooked thoroughly.
Speaker 1: Okay, what that means is when I put my fork in my steak, it's not mooing at me.
Speaker 1: Okay Now, because I know there are some people here that disagree with how well done a steak is to be cooked, I have good news.
Speaker 1: The good news is we live here in America where we don't have to agree.
Speaker 1: It is okay for you to be wrong.
Speaker 1: Okay, you have that right.
Speaker 1: But see, this morning we're not here to talk about stakes.
Speaker 1: We can talk about that after the service, amen.
Speaker 1: But this morning I want us to turn in our Bibles to the book of Matthew.
Speaker 1: We're going to start with verse 25, and I've already apologized to all of our folks in the back because we've got a lot of slides that we're going to be going through, and one of the reasons is because I have chosen a font for our slides that you could probably read from outside the church.
Speaker 1: So you know, that's okay, they're going to be earning their money today.
Speaker 1: But we're going to begin with Matthew 25, verse 21.
Speaker 1: And this is going to be kind of the verse that we're going to springboard off of with everything else that we're doing today.
Speaker 1: And this is what it says in all of the verses that I'm going to be reading today are coming from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Speaker 1: It says His Lord said to him Well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: You were faithful over a few things.
Speaker 1: I will make you ruler over many things.
Speaker 1: Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Speaker 1: I like the way that sounds.
Speaker 1: Now, as a Christian, one day I'm going to stand before God, and even if you're not a Christian, one day you are going to stand before God.
Speaker 1: So the bottom line is eventually all of us are going to have to stand before God, and what I want to hear from God is well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: Servant.
Speaker 1: Now, in this verse, well done means rightly or properly performed.
Speaker 1: Okay, I want to do life right.
Speaker 1: I want to perform, or not necessarily perform, but to do things in a way that honor God, amen.
Speaker 1: Now, this saying well done, good and faithful servant, comes from Jesus, telling a parable of the talents.
Speaker 1: Now, according to Webster's dictionary, a parable is defined as a short story that usually illustrates a moral or a religious principle.
Speaker 1: So, staying in the book of Matthew.
Speaker 1: We're going to jump back a few verses to the start of this parable and we're going to go back to verse 14.
Speaker 1: And this is what it says, and this is Jesus talking for the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1: It's like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them, and to one he gave five talents, to another two into another one, each according to his own ability, and immediately he went on a journey.
Speaker 1: So what we have is we have three servants, okay, and they were all given talents or money.
Speaker 1: Okay, they were given, each were given a sum of money, and this money was to be invested.
Speaker 1: Each one of them did what was good in their heart.
Speaker 1: The first two took the talents that had been given to them, invested the money and doubled what the master had given them.
Speaker 1: The third guy he was scared of the master.
Speaker 1: He was terrified that he was going to lose what the master had given him, so he chose to bury that money in the ground, guaranteeing that he was not going to lose it.
Speaker 1: Okay, everybody's going to do life the way they're going to do life, right, we all have choices that we're going to make.
Speaker 1: What are we going to do so.
Speaker 1: When the master returns, it's time to settle accounts and we see the first two servants come in and tell the master that they have doubled what they have been given.
Speaker 1: And this is what the master replies to them.
Speaker 1: Well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: You were faithful over a few things.
Speaker 1: I will make you ruler over many things.
Speaker 1: Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Speaker 1: But then we come to the third guy.
Speaker 1: Third guy, he's making excuses.
Speaker 1: The third guy gave back the master the one talent that he had been given and he he receives a much different response from the master of the house.
Speaker 1: Look over in verse 26.
Speaker 1: But his Lord answered and said to him you, wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
Speaker 1: So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
Speaker 1: Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents, for to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have abundance.
Speaker 1: I like the way that sounds.
Speaker 1: But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Speaker 1: Not the well done that the other two got that.
Speaker 1: The other two got Servant number three.
Speaker 1: I don't want to be that guy, Amen.
Speaker 1: I don't want to be the wicked or lazy servant.
Speaker 1: That's not what I want to hear God tell me and that's not what I want to hear God tell me, and that's not what I want to hear God tell you.
Speaker 1: That would be a very, very bad day.
Speaker 1: So let's take a look at what it takes to not be that guy.
Speaker 1: Well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: That is the part of the verse that we're going to take a look at.
Speaker 1: We're going to break this down just a little bit.
Speaker 1: First, we're going to start with the well done.
Speaker 1: I said earlier that well done is defined as rightly or properly performed.
Speaker 1: Now, when I hear someone say well done, I think of a job that was done right.
Speaker 1: Good job, that was well done.
Speaker 1: You did a good job there.
Speaker 1: We need to be willing.
Speaker 1: Regardless of the job that we're doing, we need to be willing to do the job right and, in addition to doing the job right, we need to be doing the job with the right attitude.
Speaker 1: Come on, that was a great place for someone to amen.
Speaker 1: I'll just amen myself.
Speaker 1: And we need to do it right the first time.
Speaker 1: Amen, that was better.
Speaker 1: Thank you guys.
Speaker 1: Amen, that was better.
Speaker 1: Thank you guys.
Speaker 1: Throughout the Bible, god tells us the right way to interact with Him and with others.
Speaker 1: The Bible tells us how to approach God, how to talk with God, how to follow God, how to trust God, and a whole, whole, whole, whole lot more.
Speaker 1: So we should want to do a good job in every area of our life, do you agree?
Speaker 1: We should do want to be the very best that we can be right.
Speaker 1: So I want us to look in the book of Colossians.
Speaker 1: We're going to be jumping all over.
Speaker 1: I'm going to keep you guys jumping today, chapter three jumping today, chapter 3, verses 22 through 24.
Speaker 1: It says this bond servants obey in all things your master according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.
Speaker 1: And whatever you do, do it hardly as in men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of your inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ.
Speaker 1: We need to remember that we are God's representatives and we need to represent Him well in what we do.
Speaker 1: That means in your job, regardless if other people are sloughing off or not.
Speaker 1: We shouldn't.
Speaker 1: Okay, and I'll tell you a really good reason why because there are going to be a lot of people at the job that are sloughing off.
Speaker 1: They're going to watch you because you're claiming to be a Christian, or they heard from somebody that knew, somebody that heard something, that you were a Christian and they want to know if you're going to follow suit.
Speaker 1: Hello, whether you want to believe it or not, you're being watched, amen.
Speaker 1: They're not watching just what you say.
Speaker 1: They're watching what you do.
Speaker 1: They're watching what we do.
Speaker 1: We're also taught how to approach God.
Speaker 1: Psalm 100, verse 4, says Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, be thankful to him and bless his name.
Speaker 1: We need to remember that God is the creator of the universe, everything, amen.
Speaker 1: And as a result of that, he is the supreme authority and we really need to give God the respect and the honor that he's due.
Speaker 1: We owe him that.
Speaker 1: We owe him that we talk to God.
Speaker 1: 1 Samuel 2, verses 2 and 3, say no one is holy like the Lord, for there is none beside you, nor is there any rock like our God talk no more.
Speaker 1: So, very proudly, let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed.
Speaker 1: God knows the real us, he knows the real us, the ones without the mask, the one that maybe nobody else sees.
Speaker 1: God sees See, prayer, just broken down to its most simple, simple deal is prayer is talking to God and then taking the time to listen to what God has to say back.
Speaker 1: For me personally, I find myself oftentimes being willing to do the talking, but oftentimes come up short on the listening side of things.
Speaker 1: And I know better.
Speaker 1: That's the sad part.
Speaker 1: I know better, better, but you know what.
Speaker 1: God is gracious.
Speaker 1: When we talk to God, we need to talk to God about things that matter to us.
Speaker 1: And here's the thing If it matters to you, it matters to God.
Speaker 1: Whether it's something huge or whether it's something insignificant.
Speaker 1: If it matters to you, it's not insignificant.
Speaker 1: God has the time.
Speaker 1: God is able to take care of the small things as well as the big things.
Speaker 1: Amen, we need to remember that.
Speaker 1: And not only is he able to do it, he wants to do it.
Speaker 1: He wants to.
Speaker 1: And this is just kind of a side note.
Speaker 1: Did you know it's okay to talk with God and not ask for anything?
Speaker 1: It's okay to just be thankful.
Speaker 1: As I was going over this lesson this morning, when I came to this part, I was reminded of something that I had heard several years ago.
Speaker 1: If you were to wake up this morning and the only thing you had was what you had thanked God the day before for, what would you have?
Speaker 1: The only thing you had was what you had thanked God the day before for what would you have?
Speaker 1: There are days I wouldn't have much.
Speaker 1: Now if you had everything you complained about.
Speaker 1: I might have a bunch of stuff, but God didn't call us to be complainers.
Speaker 1: God called us to be His children and as His children, we need to be thankful to Him for what he has given us.
Speaker 1: Amen, amen.
Speaker 1: He also talks about following God.
Speaker 1: John 14, 15 says If you love me, keep my commandments.
Speaker 1: Following God.
Speaker 1: John 14, 15 says if you love me, keep my commandments.
Speaker 1: We need to remember that God gave Moses the 10 commandments, not the 10 suggestions.
Speaker 1: Okay, he is telling us this is what you need to do Now.
Speaker 1: We still have a choice.
Speaker 1: We can make the choice to go.
Speaker 1: Eh, I'm okay with one and two, but three through ten, no, that's not what we do.
Speaker 1: Or that may be what we do.
Speaker 1: It's not what we should do Be more accurate.
Speaker 1: But how many of you know that before you can live by God's commandments, you need to know what they are?
Speaker 1: I've heard some people a couple that I used to work with that told me well, I don't go to church, I don't do this, I just live by the 10 commandments.
Speaker 1: I don't do this, I just live by the Ten Commandments.
Speaker 1: I said, okay, name them.
Speaker 1: We're not supposed to kill nobody.
Speaker 1: We're not supposed to take stuff that don't belong to us.
Speaker 1: And those others, what others?
Speaker 1: I'll have to get back to you on that, and I'm thinking, if your eternity is dependent upon you keeping the Ten Commandments, don't you think it would be in your best interest to at least know what they are?
Speaker 1: Amen, the Ten Commandments.
Speaker 1: Don't you think it would be in your best interest to at least know what they are?
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: Now, for us to know what God wants us to do, we're going to have to spend some time reading in our Bibles.
Speaker 1: We're going to have to spend some time studying our Bibles Because, for me personally, there are some things that I know that I should be doing, that I don't do, and there are some things that I do do, not going there that I shouldn't be doing.
Speaker 1: Okay, we need to spend some time in God's Word, and part of following God is following the example that Jesus gave us.
Speaker 1: How many of you ever heard the term what would Jesus do?
Speaker 1: Now that in our day and time, that may sound corny, but it's still good advice, and Jesus gives us so many examples of how we should live life.
Speaker 1: Facing a familiar situation that Jesus finds himself in, we can read about it and go well, what did Jesus do here?
Speaker 1: And sometimes, just as importantly, what did Jesus not do here?
Speaker 1: I want us to look at a couple of those.
Speaker 1: Okay, we'll get to those in just a little bit.
Speaker 1: Next we're going to jump over to trust.
Speaker 1: We want to talk about trusting God.
Speaker 1: Psalm 91, verse two, says I will say to the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress, my God.
Speaker 1: In him I will trust.
Speaker 1: Psalm 31, 14, says but as for me, as for me, I trust in you, o Lord.
Speaker 1: I say you are my God.
Speaker 1: Now, trust is defined by having assured reliance on the character, the ability, the strength or truth of someone or something, or to place your confidence in them.
Speaker 1: Do you rely on God or do you rely on yourself?
Speaker 1: Or have you ever said the only person I can depend on is me?
Speaker 1: That's a scary place to be, but here's the truth, and I was talking about this earlier this morning.
Speaker 1: If we put our trust in people, they will always let us down sooner or later.
Speaker 1: Okay, chances are.
Speaker 1: They're not going to mean to Some people might they may just look at you and go.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not doing that, but I really need you.
Speaker 1: Sorry, buddy, I'm not doing that and our expectations of what we thought we needed or wanted don't go met or don't get met, and we're disappointed and we have a choice.
Speaker 1: Do we get bitter or do we turn to God and get better?
Speaker 1: A lot of times, we just get bitter, or do we turn to God and get better?
Speaker 1: A lot of times, we just get bitter, and that's a sad, sad place.
Speaker 1: God wants us to be dependable.
Speaker 1: God wants us to be compassionate towards the needs of others.
Speaker 1: Bottom line is he wants us to be compassionate towards the needs of others.
Speaker 1: Bottom line is he wants us to do our best.
Speaker 1: He wants us to be our best, but even in my best, there's going to be times that I have let people down.
Speaker 1: I have let my parents down.
Speaker 1: From time to time, I've either done some things or not done some things that was disappointing to them.
Speaker 1: I have said or done some things that have disappointed my wife and, if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I've said and done some things that have disappointed my own self, because I knew better, but still I chose to do something else.
Speaker 1: God wants us to be our best and we're also to interact with others the way God wants us to.
Speaker 1: John 15, 12 says this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.
Speaker 1: That's good.
Speaker 1: Jump over to 1 John 4, verse 11.
Speaker 1: It says Beloved.
Speaker 1: If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Speaker 1: Okay, jumping back to Matthew, chapter 7, verse 12.
Speaker 1: Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
Speaker 1: So here's the question Do you want others to treat you good?
Speaker 1: Maybe we should treat them good.
Speaker 1: Do you want others to respect you?
Speaker 1: Maybe we should respect them.
Speaker 1: Seems simple, doesn't it Seems simple In our country today, how many of you know, there's a lot of hate going around for a lot of different folks.
Speaker 1: I keep hearing that we have a race problem.
Speaker 1: I'm here to tell you today we don't have a race problem.
Speaker 1: In our country there's only one race.
Speaker 1: That's the human race.
Speaker 1: Where we have the problem is with people's different ethnicities and different skin colors.
Speaker 1: Am I right?
Speaker 1: The problem comes when you don't look, smell or act the way I think you should and that comes right back at us.
Speaker 1: Here's the thing From my own life, I've had two particular black men that took the time, were patient, were giving and poured into me when they had no reason to.
Speaker 1: It didn't have anything to do with my skin color being different from theirs.
Speaker 1: It had nothing to do with our backgrounds being radically different.
Speaker 1: What it had to do with they love God and God had told them to take some time with this not-headed white boy and speak love and speak truth to them.
Speaker 1: I can honestly say that I would not be standing here today without their influence.
Speaker 1: That's not a race problem, okay, and we can overcome the ethnicity or the skin tone, but we have to make the choice to do so.
Speaker 1: Amen, amen, well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: We Amen.
Speaker 1: Well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: We talked about the well done.
Speaker 1: Let's look at the good.
Speaker 1: Second good is defined as a favorable character, bountiful or fertile, suitable or fit.
Speaker 1: That's Webster's dictionary.
Speaker 1: The Webster's dictionary definition Okay.
Speaker 1: Now theary definition Okay.
Speaker 1: Now the Bible definition for good is a little bit different.
Speaker 1: If we look way back in the book of Genesis Okay, that's the first book of the Bible when God was creating the world, the earth, the animals and everything that he created.
Speaker 1: When he was done creating for that day, the bible says he looked at it and saw that it was good.
Speaker 1: Now, when god says it's good, it's not webster's definition.
Speaker 1: Webster's definition falls way short.
Speaker 1: God's definition for good is perfect.
Speaker 1: Perfect, that is God's definition.
Speaker 1: Now, I have met quite a few people in my time here on earth who thought that they were perfect.
Speaker 1: Okay, I've met some people that may have been close, but nobody really qualified.
Speaker 1: Okay, um, and as Christians, we should strive to be righteous, and by righteous I mean being right standing with God.
Speaker 1: Okay, cause I don't want to be on wrong standing with God, I don't want to be opposing God.
Speaker 1: That's a bad place to be.
Speaker 1: But without Jesus there's a problem, and that problem is made very clear in Isaiah 64, 6.
Speaker 1: And this is what it says.
Speaker 1: But we are all like an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.
Speaker 1: We all fade as a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Speaker 1: And what that verse?
Speaker 1: My best shot at righteousness is filthy, nasty, dirty, smelly rags.
Speaker 1: That's my best shot.
Speaker 1: I don't even want to talk about the worst shot.
Speaker 1: So then, what do we do?
Speaker 1: Well, we go back to God's Word.
Speaker 1: We look at Isaiah, chapter 1, verse 16, and it says this Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, put away the evil doings from before my eyes.
Speaker 1: Cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Speaker 1: Come now, let us reason together, says the lord.
Speaker 1: Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Speaker 1: They are, though they are red like crimson.
Speaker 1: They shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Speaker 1: If hang on now, if you are willing to and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.
Speaker 1: So we still have a part to play.
Speaker 1: Are we going to be willing and then are we going to be obedient to what God wants us to do.
Speaker 1: It's conditional.
Speaker 1: So what does this mean?
Speaker 1: There are some things that we are doing that we need to stop doing.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's between you and God.
Speaker 1: Okay, that little secret pet sin that you keep over in the corner and sit there and pet when nobody else is watching?
Speaker 1: Oh, me and God, we've got this thing worked out.
Speaker 1: He knows who I am.
Speaker 1: Okay, there are no deals with God like that.
Speaker 1: Sin is sin and, as pastor said earlier, it's ugly and it's hurtful and we need to get rid of some things.
Speaker 1: There are also some people, maybe that you've been hanging out with, that God's been telling you you need to get away from.
Speaker 1: And I want to tell you this from my own experience when God started telling me, there were some people that I needed to get away from, I didn't want to do it because we had been friends for a very long time, but it was what I needed to do, because these folks were were dragging me down, whether I knew it, realized it or wanted to admit it or not, and what I had to do was ask God to send me new friends, godly friends, that were going to help build me up, not tear me down.
Speaker 1: Amen, amen.
Speaker 1: And we need to talk to God and ask him to know the difference between the two, because we don't want to throw away something or somebody that God has put in our life on purpose, but at the same time, if it's not God's best for us, we need to be willing that's the willing part in obedient to let it go.
Speaker 1: And I'm not going to lie to you.
Speaker 1: That can be hard, that can be very stinking hard, but we still need to be doing it.
Speaker 1: We need to be willing to live life God's way, amen.
Speaker 1: Okay, we've looked at well done.
Speaker 1: We've looked at good.
Speaker 1: Let's look at the faithful part of it.
Speaker 1: Faithful is steadfast in affection or allegiance, or, in other words, loyal, firm in adherence to the promises, or conscientious.
Speaker 1: Second Timothy 2.15 says it this way be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Speaker 1: In other words, we need to do our part to be genuine.
Speaker 1: Okay, we need to do our part to be dependable.
Speaker 1: We need to do our part to be the loving people that you would want to come into contact with.
Speaker 1: And that can be hard because, how many of you know, there are some people that God will put in our lives that are just a little bit harder to love than others.
Speaker 1: Okay, we used to call these people EGRs.
Speaker 1: Extra grace required and I guarantee you, every one of y'all sitting here today, every one of y'all listening online, somebody just popped in your head going and that person or persons, when you get around them, you feel like it's just sandpaper, just rubbing, just rubbing.
Speaker 1: And the question that I asked God was God, why do you keep putting them in my life?
Speaker 1: And the answer was that came back to me You've got some rough edges that I'm working on on you and I'm like, whoa, wait, wait, no, we're talking about them.
Speaker 1: God, no, you've got the rough edges, they're helping me sand and I'm like, oh God, can you help me learn what I need to quickly so we can move on?
Speaker 1: Okay, just hey, I'm just being honest with you.
Speaker 1: Next, we look over at Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 24 and 25.
Speaker 1: It says this and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a manner of some, but extorting, exhorting.
Speaker 1: Not extorting, exhorting, hello one another and so much more.
Speaker 1: As you see, the day approaching, the exhorting part is the lifting up.
Speaker 1: We want to be those that are lifting up, not those that are tearing others down, because truth is, if we were left to our own devices, especially if God was not playing a part in our lives, we would be just as sorry or sorrier than anybody you could think of.
Speaker 1: I know I would be.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm not going to speak for you, I mean, that's between you and God.
Speaker 1: But deep down in your heart you know I'm right.
Speaker 1: We need to make sure that our church attendance doesn't drop off and folks drop out.
Speaker 1: Now I realize, with the COVID stuff going on, that a lot of people can't be here, and I get that.
Speaker 1: I have no problem with that.
Speaker 1: But when we just quit coming for the sake of it's no longer a habit, we're going to find ourselves in trouble.
Speaker 1: Come on, we're better than that, right.
Speaker 1: It takes all of us coming together as a church body, working together, for us to be the most effective that we can be for the kingdom of God.
Speaker 1: Everybody has a part to play and if you're not in your spot, if you're not in church, you're missed.
Speaker 1: You're missed the gifts and talents that you have that aren't being used are missed by someone, don't be the one that's missing out.
Speaker 1: Matthew, chapter 5, verse 16, says this Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
Speaker 1: Now I've got a tough question I want to ask you Do you have any quote non-believing friends, non-believing coworkers, non-believing people that you come into contact with on a fairly, you know, often time getting together?
Speaker 1: Do you have any of those people that can honestly look at you and see a difference from anybody else in the world?
Speaker 1: They can look at you and know by your actions, know by your speech, know by your dependability, know your speech, know by your dependability, know by the way you live your life, that you are different from what the world is offering.
Speaker 1: That's a hard question to ask, and you know by our actions, by our speech, by our attitudes.
Speaker 1: We should look, smell and sound different from the world, right, we should?
Speaker 1: The question becomes are we being loyal to God?
Speaker 1: Are we even trying to live a life that is God honoring?
Speaker 1: And that might be a question that all of us need to go home, stand in front of a mirror, look eye to eye, with that person, staring back at you and ask that question God, am I being loyal to you?
Speaker 1: God, am I trying to live a life that brings you glory?
Speaker 1: How many of you know it's okay to ask yourself those hard questions.
Speaker 1: It's okay Well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: We've looked at well done.
Speaker 1: We've looked at good.
Speaker 1: We've looked at faithful.
Speaker 1: Lastly, here let's look at servant.
Speaker 1: Servant is defined as one that serves others.
Speaker 1: Galatians 5.13 says it this way.
Speaker 1: For you, brethren, have been called to liberty Only, do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another.
Speaker 1: If I can get my eyes off my own flesh, off my own self, I can better see when the opportunity comes along to help somebody else.
Speaker 1: But the problem comes when all of my focus is on me Me myself and I, the three of us.
Speaker 1: We're going to get together and we're going to talk about me.
Speaker 1: We're going to do what's best for me.
Speaker 1: We're going to do what's best for just me.
Speaker 1: We've got to learn to get our eyes off of me.
Speaker 1: More times than I want to admit, I want to think that it's all about me.
Speaker 1: Anybody else identify?
Speaker 1: Okay, what did Jesus have to say about serving others when the mother of two of his disciples came to Jesus and said Jesus, I want to ask you something.
Speaker 1: I want to ask you a favor.
Speaker 1: I want to ask that you let one of my boys serve on your right hand, one of your boys on your left hand, when you get to heaven, I want their thr, that you let one of my boys serve on your right hand, one of your boys on your left hand.
Speaker 1: When you get to heaven, I want their thrones to be sitting right there by yours.
Speaker 1: Now, this question didn't go unnoticed by the other disciples, and do you think their reactions were a pleasant one?
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, they weren't.
Speaker 1: And they were arguing and bickering back and forth.
Speaker 1: And Jesus said hey, hey, hey, come here, we need to have a talk.
Speaker 1: And it says in Matthew, chapter 20, verses 25 and 28,.
Speaker 1: It says but Jesus called them to himself and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.
Speaker 1: Yet it shall not be so among you.
Speaker 1: But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave, just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
Speaker 1: Now, if anyone deserved to be served, it was Jesus.
Speaker 1: Right, jesus had established himself as the teacher, not a teacher.
Speaker 1: Jesus had established himself, at least with his disciples, as the son of God.
Speaker 1: And as the Son of God you would think that they would really really be more interested in serving him than serving themselves.
Speaker 1: And Jesus gives us so many examples of how to do life, and I want us to look at one other one here.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 1: This reading is going to be a little bit longer, but, oh my goodness, it is so good.
Speaker 1: John, chapter 13.
Speaker 1: We're going to start with verse 3.
Speaker 1: And it says this and this is right at the time that he, that Jesus and his disciples Are having their Passover meal.
Speaker 1: Okay, says Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and, laid aside his garments, took up a towel and girded himself.
Speaker 1: After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.
Speaker 1: Then he came to simon peter and peter said to him lord, you, are you washing my feet?
Speaker 1: Jesus answered and said to him what I am doing.
Speaker 1: You do not understand now, but you will know after this.
Speaker 1: Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet.
Speaker 1: Jesus answered him.
Speaker 1: If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.
Speaker 1: Simon Peter said to him Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Speaker 1: Jesus said to him he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.
Speaker 1: And you are clean, but not all of you.
Speaker 1: You, for he knew who would betray him.
Speaker 1: Therefore he said you are not all clean.
Speaker 1: So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments and sat down again, he said to them do you know what I have done to you?
Speaker 1: You call me teacher and Lord and you say Well, first I am.
Speaker 1: If I, then your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of another.
Speaker 1: For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Speaker 1: Most assuredly, I say to you a servant, you should do as I have done for you.
Speaker 1: Most assuredly, I say to you.
Speaker 1: A servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
Speaker 1: If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Speaker 1: That's a lot in there.
Speaker 1: Jesus even tells them in verse 15, this is an example.
Speaker 1: In case you're missing it.
Speaker 1: This right here is an example of how you are to treat others.
Speaker 1: Okay, how many of you know that maybe from time to time, the disciples might have been a little hard-headed?
Speaker 1: Okay, how many of you know that, from time to time, everyone in this room, everyone watching online, can be a little hard-headed?
Speaker 1: Okay, if you're not sure, if you can, I just want to assure you yes, you can.
Speaker 1: Okay, in a very loving way.
Speaker 1: Alright, we have to understand that back in the day, back in Jesus' time, the job of washing the feet fell to the lowest, most insignificant slave in the house.
Speaker 1: The lowest ranking person period was the one who washed feet, and the reason is the main mode of transportation back in the day was their feet.
Speaker 1: Wherever they walked and on the dirt roads, their feet would get dirty, nasty and they would be cleaned up by the lowest slave, and that's the position Jesus took.
Speaker 1: Think about that the creator of the universe took the place of the absolute lowest slave, and, on top of that, he washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, along with the other 11, knowing that Judas was going to be the one to betray him.
Speaker 1: Come on, now, let's be honest.
Speaker 1: How many of us would wash the feet of the person we know that's about to literally stab me in the back?
Speaker 1: That's a huge example.
Speaker 1: Ask God to open your eyes and your heart to see clearly who, when and where God wants you to serve.
Speaker 1: God just wants us all to do our part.
Speaker 1: Amen, that's all he wants.
Speaker 1: Today, we've talked about hearing God tell us well done, good and faithful servant.
Speaker 1: There's a lot that we've got to do.
Speaker 1: Okay, and you may be wondering how do we get it done?
Speaker 1: One step at a time, and we need to remember this verse Philippians 4 13 says I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me, and we need to understand this last part right here that being part of the kingdom of God is more like a battleground than a playground.
Speaker 1: The enemy never has a good day planned for any of us, and it's time for us to quit playing church and to start being the church.
Speaker 1: Amen, let's pray and to start being the church.
Speaker 1: Amen, let's pray, heavenly Father, we just thank you so much For all that you are doing in and through our lives.
Speaker 1: Father, if there is anything that I have said this morning that is not of you, let it be quickly forgotten and, father, anything that is of you, father, let it go down deep inside of us.
Speaker 1: Father, I thank you that you watch over your word to perform it and that everything you need your word to do, you will see that it gets done, and we just give you glory, we give you honor, we give you praise.
Speaker 1: And, father, just help us to be the men and women of god that you've called us to be, and it's in Jesus' name we pray, and everyone say it Amen.
Speaker 1: You guys have a great day.