0:07 There are many things that we don't see the reality of. But one thing that we have as a goal is that we have no regrets when we stand there in eternity. Each one of us will stand before the Lord one day. And we don't want to have any regrets on 0:26 that day. We may have understanding of things which may be incorrect. If you turn with me to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. 0:59 Verse 6. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. There is a certain time where he can be found and where he is near. And it says, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return to the Lord 1:18 and he will have compassion on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. Verse 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor my your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as high as the heavens are higher than the earth, so 1:36 are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. And so the way I be I'm thinking may be completely different from the way God thinks. As high as the heaven is from the earth, is so high his thoughts and his ways. 1:55 And so the people that I think on that in eternity are going to be in the front of the line when God gives out his rewards may be very different from the people that I'm thinking of. And the people that I thought, "Oh, this 2:10 person may not be at the front of the line." may be at the front of the line. And so I want to know man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. And these are This is one of the areas where I think I don't want to be surprised on that 2:30 day. Many who are last here on Earth, who appear to be last here on Earth will be first on that day. And sometimes as I I there was one one night when I had a dream and I was picturing this line and I saw all these people in a scene 2:48 so many people in front of me and I was like, "Lord, I'm thankful, Lord. All these brothers and sisters were faithful even though they did not see the recognition on this side of eternity. They were faithful in a hidden ways. And 3:08 today they are there in the front of the line. Young person here, every single person remember God's desire for you is to be at the front of that line, not here on this Earth but there. But how will you be first in the line on 3:26 that day when God is giving the rewards? We want to see that today. It says many who are last shall be first. It doesn't say all who are last will be first. There are going to be a few people who are first who will also 3:41 be first there. But uh if you turn with me to Matthew 19 Matthew 19 verse 30 so that we can read this verse together. Matthew 19:30 but many who are first will be last 3:59 and the last be first. Sometimes Jesus tells a parable in response to a question. And Peter had a number of questions that he asked Jesus. And this parable 4:18 was a parable that Jesus spoke in response to a question that Peter had asked. Two chapters earlier in Matthew 18 there was another parable that Jesus spoke in response to a question that Peter asked. And this was the question that he 4:37 asked. Verse 21, Matthew 18:21, then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often should I shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Verse 22, Jesus said to him, "I do not 4:55 say to you up to seven times, but up to 70 * 7." And then he spoke a parable. Today, if you came to this meeting and you have this question should I forgive my brother or sister, my friend, my co-worker? I'll tell you the answer. 5:17 The answer is yes. You must forgive your brother or sister, anybody. Forgive them from your heart. And if there is somebody that has hurt you or you have hurt what should you do? 5:35 At the earliest opportunity go find that person, write to them, email them, call them and set that matter right with them. Go and apologize. Jesus said 5:53 that parable about a unmerciful servant who would not forgive someone who had wronged him. And it says verse 34, Matthew 18:34, "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed." Verse 35, "My 6:13 heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." I've also people who have wronged me and I've wronged others. And so I've had to forgive others. I've 6:33 also had to ask for forgiveness from others. And sometimes the question comes, "Lord, how do I know that I've forgiven them from my heart? I remember what they've done. I said I'm sorry." And these were a few things that 6:49 had encouraged me and I feel it's important that each of us who someone's hurt us in the past or we've hurt, that don't put it off. You know, when we think about setting matters right, we're kind of hesitant usually. At least I'll speak for myself. 7:08 It's usually a hesitation to go and set matters right. Do you know a group of people who are longing to set matters right? Think of a person a group of people who are longing. They would They'd give anything to be able to go and set 7:25 matters right. People in hell. People who are in hell today, they would give anything. They would be so eager. They'll be like, "Give me one more chance to go and set matters right. I'll do anything." And when I think about that, Lord, 7:44 I want to set matters right with everybody. When I have the opportunity today, I want to go with all eagerness to set every matter right. And so it says here, the first thing as we forgive people from our heart. I wanted to share some 8:01 things that hopefully will be an encouragement for you as has been for me. Second Corinthians chapter 2, Lord, I want to forgive this person, but I don't know if I've done it from my heart. It says here in second Second 8:19 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 10, something I learned from Paul. But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive it also, for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for 8:37 your sakes in the presence of Christ. When I forgive someone, I say, Lord, to the best of my ability, best of my knowledge, I've forgiven this person, and I want to do this in in your presence. Before you, I say, Lord, I 8:53 have forgiven this person completely from my heart. So that's the first thing I do. I want to forgive them in God's presence. The second thing I learned from how God is towards others. If you turn with me to Hebrews 6, 9:13 there's many people who've harmed Jesus, but even though they've harmed him and had may have done things to him, it says here, if you turn with me to Hebrews chapter 6, verse 9, but beloved, we are not we are convinced of better things 9:31 concerning you and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. Verse 10. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown towards his name in having ministered 9:50 and in still ministering to the saints. God is not unjust to forget all the things that you have done for him in the past. And when I think of people who may have hurt me in some way and when I need to forgive them I do what I learned from this verse. 10:12 Jesus, even though they had done they may have done harm to him today. He still remembers the good that they had done in the past. He is not unjust to not forget the things that they had done in the past. And for people that may have harmed me 10:27 in some way I think back to the things that they may have done in my life. Some good that they have done in the past. Just like Jesus, just like God does. He remembered the things that they had done in the past. Many people, maybe they may have done 10:43 something by mistake, hurt us. But it's good to think back. Has this brother or sister done something good for me in the past? Let me be remembering those things and be thankful to them for all of that. Yes, maybe they hurt me 10:59 consciously or unconsciously. Let me forgive them. If anyone has a complaint against anyone we must forgive. Sometimes it might not be a major thing. It might be a small thing, a small complaint that somebody did something. 11:19 Forgive. Because if we don't forgive it when it's a small complaint guess what's going to happen? It's going to bear roots and there's going to be a root of bitterness that springs up in our heart. So, the first thing forgive in the presence of God. Before 11:37 the Lord, I forgive them. Second thing, think about the things that they've done good to you in the past. The third thing is we might remember some things over again. We might be reminded of things. I'm sure that Paul, all the things that 11:54 he had done to persecute the church, those thoughts may have come back to him. And haunted him. What did he do? I believe he tells us, if you turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Verse 5, 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 12:26 5. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thought rising against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We can always get thoughts. We will always have thoughts. Jesus had 12:45 thoughts. But I I picture thoughts as birds that fly around all over they they come to our minds and they put in thoughts. We have thoughts that come around. But I take that thought and I just say I don't I don't let it to do whatever it 13:03 wants. I don't let it to come and land on my head and build a nest. Even as we go out today and we're walking around, there's going to be birds all over. We can't help it. Just like we can't help the thoughts that come. 13:19 But we can prevent it from building a nest and finding a home in our minds. And when you're reminded as I am reminded of things in the past. It's good to take every thought captive and keep it in its proper place. Put it in that cage and lock it up. 13:36 Don't let those thoughts take you captive. You take the thoughts captive. So I I share that because many of us may be struggling with forgiving others or asking for forgiveness. And if you were seeking Lord, should I 13:55 forgive or not? You heard it now. Go and set that matter right right away. But that was the first question that was one of the questions that Peter asked and Jesus said a parable about it relating to forgiveness, but this was 14:10 another parable that Jesus said in response to a question from Peter. If you turn with me to Matthew 20 Actually, before that, the question that Peter asked was in response to this rich young ruler 14:28 who when Jesus said gives give up all that you have, your possessions, and come and follow me. He went away sad and departed. And then Peter, in response to that man who left when Jesus called him to follow him 14:46 says these things in verse 27. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you. Unlike that man who didn't want to leave everything and follow you, we did. We left everything. And these are all the things that we 15:01 left." "Truly, I say to you," this is Jesus telling him in response, "that whoever is following me in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, and you also shall sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of 15:19 Israel." Verse 29. "And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, our father, our mother, our children, our farms for my name's sake will receive many times as much and will inherit eternal life. Verse 30, but many who are first 15:35 will be last it. And the last be first. And then he goes on to tell this parable. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Verse two, when he had agreed with the laborers for 15:53 a denarius, that's one day's wages, he sent them out to the vineyard. And he went out at the third hour and he kept on going at different hours of the day looking for people who work in his vineyard. And the ones who worked all day from 16:09 early in the morning to night, there were some of those, some who worked only a few hours, and at the end there were some who worked only only one hour. Only one hour. They came at the 11th hour and then they came. And verse eight, when the evening came, 16:27 the owner of the vineyard said to the foreman, "Call out the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group." That means the ones who worked only one hour to the first, the ones who worked all 12 hours. 16:42 When the hired ones about the 11th hour came, each one received a denarius, that's a full day's wages for only one hour of work. Verse 10, when those who came first 17:00 thought that they would receive more, each each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner saying, "These last men have worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the 17:17 burden of the entire scorching heat of the day. But he answered and said to them, "Friend, I'm not doing you any wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take it and go. But if I wish to give the last man the same as 17:33 you, is it not lawful for me to do with what what what I wish to do with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I'm generous? So, the last shall be first and the first shall be last." So, Jesus is saying on that last day, 17:51 the people who served for that 1 hour will be getting their reward first. And there's going to be people who are looking at that and having a complaint. I gave up so much to serve you and you're giving me the same reward as 18:06 the other one who's at the front of the line. And I say, "Lord, I don't want to have any ounce of that in my heart today. You're a gracious God. You've been merciful to me and you've been merciful to that person. 18:24 And I see God's lavishness. So many people on this side of eternity do a hidden ministry, nothing, young children. You come here in the morning before the meeting starts, 18:44 you pray. That was something that God has given you the ability to do and you take the opportunity to pray. You get the opportunity to come in, say your memory verse. You come in, say your memory verse. And you might think, "Oh, I'm just doing 18:58 some small thing here in the church. How am I contributing? I'm doing that 1 hour of work, not like the others who are doing the 12 hours of work. I'm just doing 1 hour. I came here and at the end of the meeting, I share 19:12 what God has taught me in my Sunday school. I pray. I learn my memory verse. I do my school. I obey my parents. Just small little things. Did you know that God is going to 19:31 give you a reward on that day just like he did for these? There's a fire alarm going on. That's why everybody's room Maybe this is alarm for us as well. Get ready. But as I think about these 19:55 each of you young ones and others who may feel like I only have a small ministry. Remember this parable. That God is waiting to give you your reward first. If you stay faithful. And that's why I say that people in this 20:14 world they will say, "Oh, the one who did 12 hours of work they will get the reward first." But in God's kingdom, it's not like that. It's the one who did that one hour of work faithfully to the Lord 20:31 will be getting their rewards first. And so I wanted to share another parable. Of one who they got a single talent. A parable of a one a man who got a single talent talent. So if you turn with me to Matthew 25. 20:49 Matthew 25. Verse 14. For it is just like a man about to go on a journey who called out his slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. Verse 15. To one he gave them 21:08 five talents, to another two talents, and another one talent, according to his own ability. And went on a journey. And then he comes back and says in verse 19, "Now after a long time the master of those slaves came back and settled accounts with them." 21:27 Verse 20, "The one who had five received five talents came up and brought five more talents and said, 'Master, you have entrusted five talents to me. See I have gained five more talents.'" Verse 21, "His master said, 'Well done, 21:44 good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things and I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.'" And then the one who had two talents made two more talents and the Lord said 21:57 the same thing. Then verse 24, "And the one who had received one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.' Verse 25, 'I was afraid and I 22:16 went and hid your talent to the ground. See, have what is yours.'" Verse 26, "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I 22:33 scattered no seed.' Verse 27, "Then you have ought to have put the money in the bank and on my arrival I would have at least received the money back with interest. Therefore, take the talent away and give it to the one who has 10 talents. 22:51 And so this man had one talent. Just like that man had those group of laborers had one hour. Did a small thing was entrusted to them. But he said took that one talent that God had given and said, "You know what? I'm going to 23:09 bury it. I'm not going to do anything with it." And I see that this man who could have been at the front of the line when God was giving the rewards missed out completely because he said, "Oh, you know what? I just got one talent." And I 23:27 don't know why he did not do anything with that one talent. Maybe he was discouraged or maybe he was comparing himself with the one who had five talents or the one who had two talents and said, "You know what? I just got one talent." 23:42 And you see this in another parable as well. The one who got the one talent didn't do anything with it. When he could have got such a great reward. And sometimes do you know when you read this one talent, what do you think of when you think about the one 23:57 talent? I think, "Okay, one talent." I think about it kind of like a penny. And then I said, "Okay, you know what? He got one penny. Yes, I feel sorry for him. He just got that one little thing. Yeah, he buried it." Until I understood what a talent was 24:13 worth. If you think a a talent is like a penny or something and then yeah, okay, it's just a small thing. I feel sorry for this man who got one talent. But one talent was not worth a penny. It wasn't worth $100, $1,000. 24:30 It was 15 years of salary. That's how much one talent was. So, it was approximately a million dollars that that man got. The other one got two million, another one got five million. But the one who got one talent it was not a 24:49 a little amount. It was one nearly a million dollars that he was given. Now do you feel sorry for that man who got one talent? I don't. He got one talent. That's a lot of money. Probably more than a lot of people. $1 million 25:06 given to that man and entrusted. And so, when you say, "I've come to this church and God has given me only one talent." God has given you entrusted with you a very big sum of responsibility. The equivalent to a million dollars that 25:23 he's given to you. Every single one, young and old. Every single one he's entrusted a million dollars to you spiritually. And he's going to ask, "What are you going to do with that $1 million?" Some people will say, "You know what? 25:38 I'm not going to do I'm going to compare myself with the one who got $5 million to dollars and I'm not going to do anything with it. I'm going to be discouraged with that one talent that I Why didn't I get the two talents? I'm going to be 25:50 discouraged." And think of what that man with one talent missed out because he gave up and didn't use that one talent that God gave. And so, I was kind of wondering, "You know what? Lord, is there any example of a person who got 26:08 one and was faithful with it?" I see this example of these people who got one and got discouraged and they didn't do anything with it. Is there any examples of those who got one talent and made use of it?" And there is. 26:24 Do you know where it is? Where do you find someone having one and using it? If you turn with me to Luke chapter 19. It's a similar parable. Luke chapter 19, verse 15. 26:43 Or we can read verse 12. So, he said, "A noble man 19:12 went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then returned. And he called out 10 of his slaves and gave them 10 minas. So, each of them got how many? 26:59 One mina each. And one of them came back and he said, verse 15, "When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that his slaves, to whom he had given the money, he called to them so that he might know what business they had done. Verse 16, 27:19 the first appeared saying, 'Master, your mina, your one mina that you had given me, you entrusted me with has made 10 minas more.' You gave me one. You gave me one mina, which is what's about $10,000. You gave me one. 27:38 And I was faithful with that one mina that you gave me. I didn't bury it. I didn't get discouraged that it was only one. I was faithful. Why do I say that? The Lord has brought each and every one of you here to this church family, young and old, 27:56 for a purpose. And even if he has given us one mina or one talent, every single one of us has something to give account for on that day and say, "Lord, you gave me this one thing to do in your body." It was saying the memory verse and I said 28:14 it, Lord. Lord, you keep your word. I want to see that you were pleased with me even in that simple thing that I did all through this. I didn't compare myself with the one who had 10 talents or five talents or two talents. You gave me one talent and I 28:31 was thankful for it. How many will be faithful with the one talent that God has given them? And as I see the ones who finish at the end 28:51 and get a reward from the Lord the first are the ones who start off unworthy and the ones who end their walk with the Lord unworthy. Those are the ones who are at the first. The one who says, "You know what? I just did 1 hour. I don't deserve anything." 29:11 God says, "You know, here you go." And as I think back when I came to know Jesus as a teenager I remember Lord, I've made a mess of my life. I sinned. I failed. I feel guilty. There's 29:29 nothing good in my life. Thank you that you've died. I want to confess my sins before you. I want to set matters right. Go and restitute. Return back what I've taken. I want to set everything right. And that day I didn't I didn't know much 29:48 of the Bible. I didn't know much of it. I was just thankful. God, thank you for having mercy on me a sinner. Like that man in Luke 18 who hit himself on his chest and said, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner. I'm not worthy even to look 30:04 up. I'm going to look down and pray because I don't feel worthy to look up and pray." He went back home justified. God meets with those who are un- unworthy. They They recognize, "Lord, I don't have anything." John the Baptist said 30:24 "Unless someone receives something from heaven he cannot get it." What do you have that you have not received? Each one of us, whatever we have, even the life we have is something that we freely got from God. The salvation that we received is 30:42 something we got from God. What is there for us to say, "You know what? I did something." Around the throne of God, there's only one song that's going to be sing sung. Thou are worthy. Thou art worthy. There's one that is 30:56 worthy. That's God. All of us can do things in this earth with our But at the end, we say, "Lord, I'm I'm worthy, Lord." You gave me something our talent that you gave me, I used it for your glory, Lord. The Canaanite woman, also another 31:16 person. If you turn with me to Matthew chapter 15. You might remember during the days of Joshua, they said to go to Canaan, all of the Canaanites. And somehow this woman, I don't know, she's kind of like Ruth and others. 31:36 Uh Rahab, I mean. Rahab was there. She was there. She knew that she was not an Israelite. She knew that she didn't have all of the privileges. But she came. Jesus went and met with her. So, if you turn with me to Matthew 31:53 15:21, Jesus went away from there and withdrew into a district of Tyre and Sidon, and a Canaanite woman, not a Jew, from that region came out and began to cry out and say, "Have mercy on me, Lord, son of David. My daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." 32:13 "Have mercy on me. I don't deserve it, but have mercy on me. Not for myself, but I have a child. A child who's in need." Verse 23, but he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and implored her 32:30 and said saying, "Send her away because she keeps shouting at us." It's interesting it says, "But he said." And then it says, "But she said." And but it keeps going back and forth between Jesus It says verse 20 32:48 4, "But he answered and said, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" Verse 25, "But she came up and began to bow down before him saying, 'Lord, help me. I don't deserve it. I'm unworthy to receive anything from you. 33:06 But just have mercy and help us. Help us. Help my child. My child is desperately in need. I don't deserve you to do anything for me or my child. But I plead with you. Help me.' And for each of us as well. Not because we deserve it. 33:25 But we too, I believe many of us have needs. Maybe it's for a relative of ours, a child of ours. Something from this woman. She came and pled not for her own need, but for her child. Pleading. Saying, "Lord, have mercy on me and my 33:43 child." Verse 25, "But she came and bowed down and said, 'Lord, help me.'" And verse 26, "He answered and said, 'It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'" Verse 27, "But she said, 'Yes, Lord, but 34:03 even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table.'" Lord, just the crumbs is good enough, Lord. Just the crumbs from the table is good enough for me. I don't deserve the bread. The bread are for the children, 34:20 but give me the crumbs. You see the humility and the brokenness, the unworthiness that this woman came to Jesus with. She recognized what is the proper place for a human being to be. And I say, "Lord, I want to learn 34:38 something from this woman." When I was first born again, I knew that I was unworthy. But how is it today, brother and sister? When we first came to this church or the churches we came to, "Lord, if I get a chance seat here 34:52 somewhere in this church, I'll be thankful." A number of us have come from different places to be a part of this church. And I remember the first day coming here and saying, "Lord, thank you, Lord, for being allowing me to come here and 35:09 be a part of this church." But as time goes on, what happens? Do we still feel that way? "Lord, thank you, Lord, for all these brothers and sisters that you've given me." Or do we see small little things? "Oh, this thing happened there, that 35:25 thing happened here, have a complaint here." Did we forget all the the way it was the first day we got here? A danger we all face. "Oh, woman, your faith is great. It shall be done for you as you wish." 35:43 And her And her daughter was healed at once. May the Lord do this in our midst as well, as he finds those of us unworthy coming for others in our circle that God has placed in our circles. Lord, do this for us as well, for our 36:02 children, for our relatives, for our co-workers, for those in school. Lord, meet with them as we come to you unworthily to have some thing from you. The other one was the centurion as well in Luke 7. 36:20 The centurion came. And it says that he sent the synagogue officials to Jesus because he says, "I'm unworthy to come and meet you, Jesus. So, I sent these people there to talk to you on my behalf. 36:38 I'm unworthy for you to come. For me to come to you." And it doesn't stop there. When Jesus decided that he was going to come to his house, he goes and sends his friends and says, "Jesus, the reason I did not come was I felt 36:57 unworthy to come to you and ask for help. Now that you're coming towards my house, I want you to know I feel unworthy that you even come to my house. So, I'm sending my friends to tell you don't come here." Think of it. Jesus wants to come to your 37:14 home and you're actually saying, "No. I don't want you to come to my home because I'm unworthy." How many people would have longed, like Zacchaeus, to go and see Jesus? And this man has the opportunity to to see Jesus. Says, "No. 37:27 I'm not worthy for you to come into my house." And I believe all of us or most of us would have been in that place the first day we came to know Jesus. Lord, I'm unworthy. The prodigal son as well, what did he say? "I'm unworthy to be 37:47 your son. I'm unworthy. What I deserve is to be a servant if you will give me that privilege." But as time goes on, what what happens is I see, if you turn with me to Luke 15, verse 27, 38:15 Luke 15:27, and he said to the older son, who has been serving faithfully, "Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound. Verse 20 eight, but he became angry and 38:31 was not willing to go in and his father came out and began pleading with him. Verse 29, but he answered and said to his father, "Look, for so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours. 38:45 And yet you have never given me a young goat so that I might celebrate it with my friends." I'm not unworthy. I'm worthy. I've served you so much all these days. I've not neglected a 39:04 single command. Where is my reward? I deserve something for all this hard work I put in. And I see that danger for each one of us as well. As time goes on, we started off unworthy. 39:24 But as time goes on, Lord, you should have done this for me. They should have treated me better than this. I should have not received that correction from But I see those like Peter who was willing to get corrected you and I even 39:39 though he was one of the pillars in the church. In Galatians 2, he gets corrected from a younger brother, Paul, and he's able to receive it. Why? Because he still was humble till the end. He was able to receive a correction. 39:54 Him being one of the pillars in the church did not change that he remembered, "I'm unworthy, Lord. You took me up. You picked me up. And the reason I can stand today is because you're holding me. To him who can keep us 40:14 from stumbling. The testimony I pray for each one of us is should be this one. Luke 17:10 Luke 17:10 So you too, when you do all the things 40:34 which are commanded you, say, "We are unworthy slaves. We have done only that which we have ought to have done." I have a quick question. You've heard that expression, "I am a nobody." Who in the 40:51 New Testament says that? You can shout it out. Okay. Well, you're all very well well versed in your Bibles. Yes, it is Paul. I I didn't realize that Paul said this. We hear it in the church so much. I thought But it says here, 41:10 if you turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 11, "I have become foolish. You yourselves have compelled me. Actually, I should have been commended by you. For in no respect I was inferior to the most eminent apostles, 41:30 even though I am a nobody." I am a nobody. And that's why Paul, Peter, I believe they were among those who were first here on earth and also first in eternity. 41:48 He says, "I There is laid hold a crown for me when I step into eternity." Peter said, "There is abundant entrance for me when I enter in." They were first here on earth, and they were humble enough till the end, unworthy 42:04 servants till the end, so that they could also be first there. >> In each of us many of us may have a hidden ministry in this church. 42:20 A hidden member of this church family. And it's important at the end of this life we know what our one talent is that God gave us. There's many people who are going to do a lot of things that they thought 42:39 was something that God wanted them to do. But they get a big surprise on that last day and saying those are good things. I'm not going to deny they were not good things. But it was not the things I asked you to do. If you turn with me to Matthew 7 42:55 Jesus speaks of two groups of people. Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my father who is in heaven will enter. Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord, will enter into the king of 43:15 kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven." So there's going to be two groups of people. People who've done miracles in Jesus' name who cast out demons in Jesus' name, who prophesied in Jesus' name. 43:28 They were good things. But they were not the father's will. It wasn't the talent that God had given them. And brother, sister, young person we must know what God has given us to do. The father's will. 43:46 There's a father's will for each of us. And we must know what it is. Or else we will also end up on that day saying, "Lord, I did all these good things, Lord." And the Lord would say, "I told you. Doing good things is not the important 44:01 thing. Doing my father's will is the important thing." And I think about Mary the sister of Lazarus who sat at Jesus' feet to find out what Jesus had for her. 44:20 She sat down, listened, listened, listened, listened to know what the Father's will was. And there came a time and if you turn with Mark with me to Mark 14 Mark 14 the same Mary 44:47 verse three Mark 14:3 while he was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper reclining at the table there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard and she broke the vial while and poured 45:06 it over his head. And they there some there was a complaint, why did you do this? And this is what Jesus replies in verse six. But Jesus said let her alone. Why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me. 45:27 Verse seven, for you always have the poor with you and whenever you wish you can do good to them but you do not always have me. She has done what she could. She has done what she could. She was given one talent. She didn't go 45:44 and write scripture, she did not go and plant churches. She had one thing to anoint the body of Christ with the alabaster oil. That was her one talent in my mind. One talent, she heard what Lord, what is your one talent for me? 45:59 Go anoint the body of Jesus. That's your talent. That's what you can do. And she It says that she did what she could. That one talent she took and she blessed Jesus. Jesus appreciated. I believe that she's one of those who did the 46:16 Father's will for her life. Her life, it was to anoint the body of Jesus. She heard what Jesus had to say. Like we heard our memory verse, listen to me, waiting, watching daily at my gates, finding out what God's will was for her 46:35 life. And then when the time came, sensitive to what God's will was, she did it. For 40 years, that was what God taught the children of Israel. Look for that cloud, and wherever that cloud goes, follow it. Today, we also listen to the voice of 46:55 the Holy Spirit. And wherever the Holy Spirit tells you to Whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do, do that. Find out what God's will is and do it. And as we close, I wanted to share the testimony of another man, which I believe 47:13 I've been encouraged by this man's testimony. If you turn with me to Colossians, and I believe this is another man who probably had a one talent. If Colossians chapter 4, verse 12. Colossians 4:12. Epaphras, who 47:33 is one among your number, a bondslave of Jesus, sends you your his greetings. Always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers for you, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. And so, he was in prison with Paul, 47:56 and this was his ministry. He prayed for the church. He didn't come to the meetings. He couldn't come to the meetings. He was at home. He was praying for the church. And this is what he prayed for. That they would be fully assured in all 48:11 the will of God. That all the people in the church, every single one of them, would know what the Father's will was. They would know what the Father's will was because he knew that not just doing something for God is going to matter on that day. 48:28 They had to do the Father's will. And so that's what his burden was. He said, "On that day, I don't want any of my brothers and sisters to stand there having done something good for the Lord, but not God's will." And so he prayed, "I pray that every 48:44 single brother, sister, young person will know God's will for their life and fulfill it." I ask a question to you. Do you believe God answered this prayer? It's not a trick question. Do you believe that God answered this 49:01 prayer? That Epaphras was praying, laboring, praying for this church. Do you believe that God answered this prayer? I believe I believe the answer is yes. I heard it feebly somewhere. Yes. God answered it and that's why he wrote 49:17 it down here in scripture that this man was praying. I don't know how much recognition Epaphras got on this side of eternity. But my belief is that when he entered into eternity, all these brothers and sisters from 49:36 Colossae, Laodicea, and would have been coming there and saying, "Brother, thank you. We didn't realize how much you were praying for us. We were thinking of doing all these wonderful things for God. And somehow God was prompting us in our 49:50 heart, 'Make sure you do the one thing that's needful. Make sure you do his will and not your own. Find out, sit at his gates, find out what his will is, and then do it. And we believe that it was because in answer to your prayer that you were 50:06 praying in that prison cell that God did that. One talent, but he was faithful. And I believe brother, sister, young person, as you pray in this church, hidden ministry, nobody knows about it, just like the heart. Just like this heart, the most 50:26 important, one of the most important parts of the body is a heart. But if you're a healthy person, if you're a healthy person, guess how many times in all your life you'll get to see your heart. Guess how many times will you see your 50:40 actual heart in your entire life? If you'll never see it. You'll never see it once if you have a healthy life. You'll never see your heart once. Yet it's one of the most important things. Epaphras, Mary, all of these people, 50:59 many hidden ministries. And brother, sister, young person, God has a ministry for you like that heart in this church. And as you're faithful and you don't get discouraged, you do that one thing that God has called you to do, 51:16 remember, on that day you will receive your reward right at the front. God will honor you in front of everyone, and that's the reward that is worth it. The applause of man and everything is not worth it. Getting your commendation and your 51:34 recognition from Jesus on that day is what's worth it. And may each one of us know God's will for our lives and fulfill it, not get discouraged, so that we will have that reward on that day. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for every single 51:51 one of us here, Lord. I pray that we would know your will. And on that day, we would have no regret when we stand before you, Lord. You reminded us again that it's not doing wonderful things for you that matters. It's finding out, 52:08 Lord, the one thing that you want us to do and being faithful to it, not being discouraged, not comparing ourselves with another, but being faithful to that one thing that you've called us to be and waiting patiently for that day when 52:22 we will receive our reward from you yourself, Lord. I pray for each one especially in this local fellowship that we will each one fulfill the purpose for which you brought us here. And on that day, we'll have great joy for fulfilling the work that you've 52:39 called us to do here. In Jesus' name, amen.
