Living in Light of Eternity: Why Your Work Matters

All right, well, let's wrap this up tonight.

As I said, I was.

I was getting ready to come down here.

I said, I'm glad I don't have to tote a bunch of stuff down here

tonight.

The notebook is finished, and we're going to just wrap it up with,

I hope, a message that'll be a help and a blessing to you.

I really labored honestly in thought and prayer over what to preach.

Probably for the last three weeks, I had several messages that

I thought I wanted to preach.

Here's the thing.

I didn't want to come across as trying to guilt you into anything.

I didn't want to come across as trying to shame anybody into doing

anything.

Here's what I know.

I know that if you do anything out of guilt, it's only, well, number

one, it'd be the wrong motives.

And then number two, it won't last.

So I didn't want that to happen.

And so I just kept praying, lord, what can I do?

What can I say?

And so the Lord laid this upon my heart, and I hope that it'll be

a help and a blessing to you if you would go ahead and open your

Bibles into First Thessalonians, chapter 4, 1 Thessalonians,

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention 1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

And when you find your place there, just hold it and then Turn

over to First Corinthians, chapter 15, 1 Thessalonians, chapter

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention 1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

4.

Find your spot there and then go over to First Corinthians 15.

A pastor has referred a few times in the past to a sermon that

I preached once on the subject of living in light of eternity.

While I don't remember the specific message that he was talking

about, I've preached on that subject many times, as most preachers

have, but I don't remember the specific message that I preached.

But that particular truth has been a really a tremendous source

of encouragement as well as a catalyst for many things in my Christian

walk over these past 40 years that I've been saved.

The truth and the realization of eternity has brought me back from

a backslidden condition.

And while I wish I could say that it has 100% of the time kept

me from sin, I can say with a great deal of conviction that many

times, many, many times, the realization of eternity has definitely

kept me from sin.

The realization of eternity is what drives me to keep on keeping

on.

That's what drives me to keep on for Jesus.

It's what.

It's when things aren't pleasant, just keep on doing it.

When I'm tired and I feel like hanging it up.

It's knowing that there's an eternity that just keeps me going

for Christ.

When people disappoint, when circumstances are far less than ideal,

that truth, that living in light of eternity, that's what I

try to focus on.

And I want to focus tonight as we ask and answer the question found

in First Corinthians 15.

Are you there in First Corinthians 15?

All right, look with me in verse 58, First Corinthians 15:58.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know

your labor is not in vain in the Lord, I claim Psalm chapter 40,

Psalms 40:1–3

verse 1 through 3 is my life verse.

I identify with that so much, but I identify with this particular

verse for ministry and if any.

You know, throughout the years I've had people ask me to sign their

Bible, and I'm always honored to do that.

And this is the verse that I'll always put underneath my name.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord.

For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the

Lord, I want to focus tonight as we ask and answer the question,

why should I remain steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord?

I like it when the sermon gives its own title, because I'm

not real creative either when it comes to things like that.

Why remain steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord?

While this particular verse is used many times in many sermons out

of context to convey different true principles.

And it's not wrong to take it out of context to convey a principle

that's true as long as you're not trying to twist it and make it

say something it doesn't mean.

But the strict interpretation of it is found in verse 51 through

57.

You'll find the context of this verse in 51 through 57.

I'm not going to read all of those, but I want you to look at

verse 51.

Look at verse 51.

The Bible says, behold, I show you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep in death, but we shall all be changed

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump.

For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,

and we shall be changed.

Now go ahead and turn with me to First Thessalonians, chapter 4,

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

and let's read verse 16 and 17 again, we're looking at.

We're getting the context of First Corinthians 15:58.

1 Corinthians 15:58

So he says, for the Lord himself in verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians,

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God.

And the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together

with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Now, if you just put those together, same thing.

It's the context.

Go back to verse 58 in 1st Corinthians 15.

So reading all of that, he said, we're going to meet the Lord,

and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Therefore, therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast,

unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, because he's

coming.

He's coming back.

And it could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be next

week.

He is coming.

He said, look, it's on the horizon.

And I know they've said this in every generation, but, brother,

it is closer now than it's ever been.

Look, we might be.

We might have been looking for trump, but I'm listening for the

trump.

Amen.

I mean, it is around the corner.

I really believe that.

And so with that, with knowing that my beloved brethren, be steadfast,

unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, Forasmuch as

you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, it is the

reality of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

More to the point, it's referring to the first phase of the

second Coming, known as the Rapture.

It could happen.

I mean, that quick.

I mean, it will happen that quick in a blink of an eye.

So why should we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord in light of his coming?

Number one, because the night comes when no man can work.

I want to give you six quick points, okay?

And then we're going to shut it down.

Nothing you haven't heard before.

But I think that in light of.

On the heels of the entire last eight or nine weeks that we've

been covering personal evangelism, you already know we have

a mandate to win souls.

You know that.

I don't have to keep reiterating that.

You know that.

We have a mandate from God to witness.

We have a mandate from Jesus Christ.

We have a mandate from the apostles.

We have a mandate written for us in the Word of God, the church

has a mandate in Matthew 28, Mark 16.

Well, you know that I don't have to keep saying that, but what

I hope, I encourage us to do is to live in light of eternity,

live in light of the fact that Jesus could come back tomorrow, he

could come back tonight.

And if we'll live with that thought in mind, I think being a

soul winner, witnessing to people, will take care of itself.

And hopefully now you're more prepared to do it.

The night comes when no man can work.

Our days of opportunity to have done something for the Lord

will be gone forever.

Can I say that again?

Our days, our days of opportunity.

Our opportunity to have done something for the Lord is going to

come to an end.

And we don't get a do over.

When it's done, it's done.

That's the thing about wasted time.

You can't reclaim it.

You can't recycle it.

Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

Can't do anything about it.

John 9:4.

John 9:4

Jesus himself said, I must work the works of him that sent me.

While it is day, the night cometh when no man can work.

Our opportunity is fleeting.

This life is fleeting.

What is life?

James said, it is but a vapor that appears for a little time and

then vanishes away.

And I can say that with every passing year with more conviction.

I am shocked.

I can't believe that I'm 61.

In another week or two.

I mean, I can't believe it.

My mind just says, no, you're not.

No, you're not.

And then I try to do those things that I did when I was.

And then you've heard the stories, and some of you can actually

say, amen.

Amen.

I can't believe it.

And some of y'all are out there saying, 70 and 80, and you're

like, son, you're just a pup.

I don't feel like a pup.

But I'm here to tell.

I just want to tell you, man, it's gone so fast.

I can't believe how quickly it's gone.

Life's a vapor, and I believe it.

We don't get a do over.

We get one opportunity at this thing.

One chance to make a difference for Jesus Christ.

One opportunity.

We are created beings and we're limited by time and space.

We're not gonna live upon this earth forever.

We're just not.

I know.

We think we're bullet the younger we are.

We think we're bulletproof, man.

I mean, 20 years seems like eternity.

Psalm 90 says, verse 10 says, the days of our years are threescore

years and 10.

And if by reason of strength they be fourscore, yet is their strength,

labor, and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away.

He said threescore and 10.

That's 70.

That's nine years away from where I am.

You know what I'm thinking?

I'm thinking if I'm going to do something for the Lord, I better

get her done.

Because I realize how quickly I got to 61 and 10 years.

Nine years is going to come quick.

It's not going to take any time at all for me to get to 70.

And if I'm going to do something for Jesus, I better get

to doing it.

Hebrews 9:27.

Hebrews 9:27

As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the

judgment.

So why should we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord?

Because the night will come when no man can work.

Secondly, because no other work on earth matters in eternity.

No other work matters in eternity.

So what if you gave your life, your entire life, what if you gave

your life to a career and you were the very best in your field

and you achieved all the accolades and the honors that you

could get, all the awards that you could possibly get.

I mean, if people sought for your expert advice because you were

a professional in your particular field and then you died

and you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and he says, give an

account, what could you say?

I mean, if you spent your entire life working at your vocation,

which could be honorable this side of eternity.

I'm not saying having a particular career for 40 or 50 years

is wrong.

I'm not saying that at all.

Please don't misconstrue what I'm saying.

But what if that's all you did?

We will give an account.

We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

All of us will to give an account for the things done in this

body.

Whether it's good or bad, all of us will.

If you're saved.

If you're not saved, there's another judgment for you.

And we're not even gonna talk about that tonight, but fear it very

much.

The Bible tells of a man who worked hard and he was blessed with

substance and material goods.

And rather than be a blessing to those around him with his abundance,

he said, I'm going to tear down my little old barns, and I'm

going to build me some big ones, and I'm going to put all the

stuff I'm going to put all my goods into this big barn.

And you know what I'm going to do?

I'm going to quit working.

I'm going to retire.

I'm going to just eat, drink and be merry on all the stuff that

I have.

But what did God say?

How did God respond to this man's actions and his attitude toward

all that he had worked for?

He said in Luke 12:20, God said unto him, thou fool this night

Luke 12:20

thy soul shall be required of thee.

Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided?

God called him a fool, not for working hard and being rewarded for

his hard work.

That's not what he called him a fool for, but for being selfish

and for not thinking in terms of eternity, for not laying up treasures

in heaven by being a blessing to others.

That's why he called him a fool.

He lived for the moment.

Listen, the devil wants to ride my shoulder sometimes, and he

likes to say, well, you can't enjoy the moment.

How can you enjoy the moment?

How can you live in the moment?

How can you enjoy the day when your day is constantly filled with

thinking about what's going on next month?

When I have to plan for next month, it's hard to enjoy the day.

That's what the devil wants me to always think of.

He wants me to always think about.

But you know what?

If we spend our day living day to day, I'm just living for the moment,

living for the moment.

Just spend.

I'm just living for the I've heard so many people say that.

Just live for the day.

Don't worry about eternity.

No, we have to live in light of eternity.

That's why God called this man a fool.

For not again, not for working hard and being rewarded for his work,

but for not living in term, in thinking in terms of eternity in

Matthew 25.

Go ahead and turn over there with me.

I'll just read all of this.

It's a lot.

Let's go ahead and read it.

Matthew 25 let's go ahead and read this.

I'm going to go ahead and get started because I'm going to read

several verses here.

Matthew 25, beginning in verse 31 when the Son of man shall come

in his glory, and all the holy angels with him.

Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him

shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from

another, as the shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

And verse 33 says, and he shall set the sheep on his right

hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come ye blessed

to my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the

foundation of the world?

For I was an hungry and ye gave me meat.

I was thirsty and ye gave me drink.

I was a stranger and you took me in naked and ye clothed me.

I was sick and you visited me.

I was in prison and you came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, lord, when saw

we thee hungered and fed thee and thirsty and gave thee drink?

When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in or naked and clothed

thee?

When saw we thee sick or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the king shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto

you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these

my brethren, you have done it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from

me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and

his angels.

For I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat.

I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink.

I was a stranger and you took me not in naked, and ye clothed me

not sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee

a hunger and a thirst, or stranger naked and sick in prison

and did not minister unto thee, then shall he answer.

Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one

of the least of these, you did it not to me.

Why should we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord?

Because the night comes when no man can work and there's no other

work on earth that matters in eternity, nothing else.

You've heard it so often it's become trite.

Only one life will soon be passed.

Only what's done for Christ will last.

It's so simple, but it's so packed with truth.

God is not going to ask you to give account of how great we were

at our careers.

And I'm all for careers.

I regret one of the regrets I have as a, as a 60 year old man now,

well, just life in general was that I never actually learned a trade

in ministry that would have come in really handy.

I never actually learned to trade.

I was in.

I was in electronics before I got saved and then I got saved and

went into ministry.

And then when I tried to get back into telecommunications, all

the technology passed me by, it was all fiber optics.

And when I was in telecommunications, it was still

32 pair cable and 64 pair cable and amphenols and yeah, anyway.

But God doesn't care about my When I get to heaven, he's not going

to ask me to give account of my vocation.

Unless, of course, I had people that I had the opportunity

to witness to.

So why should we be steadfast, unmovable?

Because no other work on earth matters in eternity.

Let me give you another thought.

Number three.

Because we are to store up treasures in heaven, and the only

way to do that is to labor for the Lord down here.

That's the only way.

We can't take it with us.

I mean, I'm gonna say things you've heard forever.

Never saw a U haul on the back of a hearse.

Amen.

They're not going to put it in.

If they can put it in the casket, but it's not going to go

any further than the ground, I wouldn't be surprised if you put

it in the casket and the guy who buries you waits till everybody

leaves and takes it out.

If I wasn't a saved man, I'm sure that's what I'd do.

We're to store up treasures in heaven, he tells us in Matthew 6:19

Matthew 6:19

lay not up treasures for your lay not up for yourselves treasures

upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where thieves

break through and steal.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither

moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through

and steal.

He said for as much in verse 58 for as much as you know your labor

is not in vain in the Lord.

Sometimes we think it is because we don't have a immediate

because it's not an immediate evidence.

Sometimes we think, well, I'm wasting my time.

Why do I keep doing this?

Knock doors.

You knock doors for a week and you don't see anybody Knock doors

for a month and no results.

Knock doors for six months, pass out new move in bags for a year,

and nobody comes.

And you think, well, I've just quit.

This isn't doing any good.

Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

I think too often we don't understand the value of our efforts

for God and for kingdom work.

Either we don't consider it, or we don't equate what we do for

the Lord with value, because we don't see an immediate return

on investment.

But we've got to understand that in every little thing that we

do in the name of Christ, we're laying up treasures in heaven.

Inasmuch as you do it to the least of these you do it unto me.

Romans 12:16 says, Mind not high things condescend to men of

Romans 12:16

low estate.

Every tract distributed or given away is treasure.

Every new moving bag left at a door is Is a treasure.

Every gospel witness is a treasure.

Every attempt at a gospel witness is a treasure.

Every kind unselfish act done for the purpose of influencing others.

For Jesus Christ is a treasure.

Everything that we do for Jesus Christ is a treasure.

But we don't want to do them for the purpose of treasure.

We do them well.

I'm getting to that.

But all the blessings that are promised us in the New Testament

are spiritual in nature rather than material.

That's why we need to stay away from the thieves and liars who

say, God wants you to be rich.

Stay away from those guys.

Matthew 10:40 he that receiveth you receiveth me, and he

Matthew 10:40

that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

I like verse 42 Whosoever shall give a drink to one of these

little ones.

Whosoever has given a drink unto one of these little ones, a

cup of cold water only in the name of the disciple.

Verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward

just handing out a cup of.

You ever give a bottle of water to your mailman?

I mean something as simple as handing a bottle of water to your

mailman when it's hot out.

Here you go.

May the Lord bless you.

God bless you.

God bless you.

I mean, if you do it truly, not just to have a little, you know,

a little tag on the end of it, but to really mean, may the Lord

bless you today.

God bless you.

Something as simple as that.

Whatever we do in the name of the Lord, working for the Lord, it's

a treasure.

It's a treasure in heaven.

Why should we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord?

Because the night comes when no man can work.

It's going to be done.

It might be tonight.

And even if Jesus doesn't come back, we're not.

We're going to die.

We are going to die.

Is it appointed unto man wants to die.

We've got an appointment.

Do we want to stand before?

There's an old hymn.

Must I empty handed go?

I can't remember the name, the word of it now, but must I empty

handed go?

No, I don't want to go empty handed.

I want to be able to have crowns, to be able to lay down at

his feet.

I want to have rewards, I do.

Because I want to give them back to him.

Because I just.

I know that he never asked for anything in return, but I can't imagine

living this life that he saved me to live and not doing anything

for him.

The night will come when no man can work.

Why should we be steadfast, unmovable?

Because no other work on earth matters in eternity.

And then number three, because we are to store up treasures in heaven.

He told.

He told us to lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth,

but lay up treasures in heaven.

How do we do that?

The smallest thing in the name of the Lord.

Number four.

Why should we be steadfast?

Because we don't know when our last day on earth will be.

Kind of.

Kind of stepping over myself there.

But Matthew 24:36, he said, but of that day and hour knoweth

Matthew 24:36

no man, Know not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

And now I skip down to verse 42.

He says, watch therefore.

Watch therefore.

For you know not what hour your Lord doth come.

You know not, but know this, that if the goodman of the house

had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched,

and he would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Therefore be ye also ready for such an hour as ye think not the

Son of man cometh.

If we had a guaranteed 7 or 80 or 100 years upon this earth, we

would.

We would put off all the unpleasant and sacrificial things

and hard things that we need to do in life until the very last

minute.

If we knew.

If we had a guaranteed 70 years or 80 or 90, we would wait.

We would wait because those things, the spiritual things, the

things that aren't pleasing to the flesh.

Just about everything that we do for God is not pleasing to the

flesh because it typically involves some kind of sacrifice,

whether it's sleep or time or money or strength or effort takes.

We don't.

We would put that off if we could, but we don't know when.

We don't know how long we have.

Everybody in this room knows of somebody who died way too early,

at least in our estimation.

Christians.

Surely you.

I know.

I know some.

Surely you know some Christians who have taken their lives

even.

And we just don't know.

We just don't know when our last day on earth will be.

You ever watch I'm guilty.

I'll watch videos on YouTube clips, and I hate watching the ones

that are supposed to be like.

You ever watch, like the funniest home videos?

And then they get to the ones that just aren't funny?

I mean, they.

People getting hurt like kids Jumping through a trampoline or something.

I don't.

I can't let.

When I see people, like somebody riding a bicycle and they

crash their bike or doing a skateboard, and it's really bad,

I get a.

My stomach.

I get a pit in my stomach and I'm like, oh, it hurts.

Just hurts me.

Well, I watch on YouTube sometimes even crashes, crashes,

truck crashes and people that are.

Can I use the id 10t?

You can spell that out and you'll get to it.

I watch id 10t videos how people drive because they didn't

take driving classes from me.

So they all suffered from ID10T error.

And while I'm being comical, honestly, some of those are real.

Some of those are.

They're just.

And I think to myself sometimes when you see some of those

people crashing and you know it's fatal, and I think to myself,

I wonder how old they were.

I wonder how many were in that car.

I wonder where they're at now.

And they wonder where they were headed.

I wonder if they were on their way to vacation.

I wonder if they were going to work.

I wonder if they were heading home from work.

I wonder if they were going to their daughter's birthday party.

I wonder if they were on their way to the wedding.

I wonder if they were late for their own wedding.

Nobody expects to die in an accident.

And nobody in here knows at this point.

Right now, nobody in this room knows the day of your death.

We don't know when our last day on Earth will be.

I have a couple of things I want to read to you real quick.

Just some things.

I actually tape these into my Bible.

Jonathan Edwards wrote this.

Resolved.

Resolve to live with all my might while I do live.

Resolve never to lose one moment of time, but improve it in

the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolve never to do anything out of revenge.

Resolve never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if

it were the last hour of my life.

John Rhodes wrote this.

Do more than exist, live.

Do more than touch, feel.

Do more than look, observe.

Do more than read, absorb.

Do more than hear, listen.

Do more than listen, understand.

Do more than think, ponder.

Do more than talk.

Say something I quoted the other day, I think, in Sunday school

class.

I can't remember who the author was, where it came from.

I don't know who said it.

I think it was Jonathan Edwards or David Brainerd said, I'm

wherever you are.

Be all there.

Live and live with a purpose.

And our purpose is Jesus Christ.

And nothing else matters as much as that why should we be steadfast,

unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord?

Because the night comes when no man can work.

Because no other work on earth matters in eternity.

Because we are the store of treasures in heaven and because we

don't know when our last day on earth will be.

And then number five because there will be a day of accountability.

There will be a day of accountability again in 2nd Corinthians

5:10.

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

everyone may receive the things done in his body according

to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

If there are no eternal ramifications or consequences of

what we do in this life, then the motivation for selfless service

and holy living would be gone.

We would just eat, drink and be merry.

Just party on.

But the fact of the matter is we do give an account.

We will give an account.

We will stand before God and you know, we should always be abounding

in the work of the Lord.

Abounding carries the idea of exceeding the requirements or overflowing

or overdoing something.

This is being the second second mile Christian.

You know I've often said this, I've said this many many times because

I know how oppressive a guilt trip a that's not what I'm looking

for.

A guilt trip a performance based Christianity can be.

I know how oppressive a performance based Christianity can

be.

I've said this many times, many many times.

And I want to say it again because after coming off of that

nine or however many weeks it was of going over soul winning.

The last thing I want to do is make someone feel guilty or feel

like you're in a performance based church.

I know that pastor and I think alike on this.

If we had to choose one, we would rather you be a soul winner

than to go soul winning.

Because if the only time you passed out a tract or a new move

in bag or even mention the name of Christ was on Tuesday night

or Saturday morning, it's the point.

I would whole lot rather you get up in the morning and spend some

time with the Lord.

And it may not be much time, but as much time as you can.

Maybe you can only do five minutes.

Maybe you can talk to the Lord on the way to work.

And then when you get to work you just you bubble over for Jesus

Christ and you live a life that is pleasing to him in the sight

of everybody else.

And I promise you, and you probably you've already experienced

this, but if you work among among a bunch of heathen there sometime

somebody's going to come up to you and they're going to say, hey,

Ephraim, man, I'm having it at home, man.

Would you pray for me?

Why?

Because they see and then you can be a soul winner without even

going soul winning.

And if we would be sensitive to the spirit of God when we're going

about our day, he can say, steve, give that guy a try.

And you're being a soul winner and not going soul winning.

And I think that yields so much.

I'm not saying that we should forego soul winning.

It's great.

It's a great tool and we should continue to do it.

But if you can't make it out on Tuesday night, I don't want you,

man.

I wonder what they think about me.

Please don't do that.

But for your sake and for the sake of those that you have the opportunity

to influence and for the sake of the gospel, live for Jesus when

you're on the job.

Live for Jesus when you're in the grocery store.

Live for Jesus.

Somebody.

I was so glad I was behaving myself the other day.

Not that I don't, but honestly, I mean, you know, how easily,

how easy could it have been for me to been looking at a magazine

or the wrong kind of magazine because they have them at Walmart,

right?

So how easy could it have been for me to be looking at the wrong

kind of magazine?

And unbeknown to me on the other side of the store, Little Eddie

said, I think that's Brother Stone.

Let's go get him.

And so in the cart, they stalked me through Walmart and came

up behind me and tugged on my jacket and little Abby standing there

and little Eddie in the cart and Ms.

Rachel.

And I'm so glad that Jesus Christ is in my life and the Holy

Spirit gives me conviction to live for him.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I'm so glad that it.

That I'm just living right.

I mean, that I'm not trying to pat myself on the back.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

I hope that that is a motive for you to live right.

Just go out into the world and live right.

Because you never know.

My wife and I many times have had people come up to us on deputations

and they literally, they would come up to us, they would see our

kids, the way we act, and they would say, are you guys believers?

Are you guys Christians?

We would have.

We would have strangers pay for our meals in the restaurants

because our children acted Like Christians, they weren't repressed,

they weren't oppressed.

Our children weren't.

You know, we didn't keep them under it.

Well, we did, but they didn't act like it.

They didn't know it.

They just grew up.

As you know, people say, let them be kids.

So I let them be kids.

But they're going to be Christian kids.

And Christian kids don't run around the restaurant terrorizing

everybody else.

Amen.

Christian kids don't walk up and down the aisle or sit in the

car and say, maya, I want that.

I want that.

I want that.

Not my little heathen.

I'm sorry.

I got off track.

There will be a day of accountability.

God has so abundantly overdone Himself for us who deserve nothing

from Him.

We should determine to overdo ourselves if that were possible,

in service to him to Whom we owe everything.

He owes us nothing, but he did everything.

We owe him everything, but he asks nothing, except, be ye holy,

for I am holy.

So on and so forth.

Let me wrap this up by giving you my last thought.

Why should we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the

work of the Lord?

Because the night will come when no man can work.

Because no other work on earth matters in eternity.

Because we are to store up treasures in heaven.

Because we don't know when our last day on earth will be, and because

there will be a day of accountability.

But then, for the most obvious reason of all, because the love of

Christ constrains us to do so.

The love of Christ constrains us.

2nd Corinthians 5:14.

For the love of Christ, Paul said, constrains us, compels us.

We're driven by his love for us.

How do we repay love?

He doesn't ask us to repay.

Isn't it amazing thing that he died and he did what he did with

no.

No guarantee of reciprocation.

No guarantee.

How do we repay love?

We pay re.

We repay love with love.

Love is measured by the amount of sacrifice made on behalf of the

one being loved.

What have we done for Jesus that demonstrates our love for Him?

What have we sacrificed for him?

1 hour per week?

2 hours per week?

3 hours per week?

Is that really a sacrifice for us?

How many hours of our life.

How many hours of our life are spent living or even thinking or

serving the Lord Jesus Christ?

How often do we speak of God to others outside of our own family,

outside of our own home?

How often do we speak of God to others?

You might say, well, I'm an introvert well, that's good.

I'm glad you're an introvert, because you know what that means.

That means any effort on your part is a sacrifice to go outside

your comfort zone.

But beloved, listen, you don't have to be directly involved in a

specific ministry of Heritage Baptist Church in order to abound

in his work.

We love for everybody to get involved.

In fact, we love it so much, we put a sign up sheet for Walk through

Bethlehem right back there on the back table.

For those of you who did it last year, your spot's still saved.

We just need you to fill it in.

Amen.

But serving God again is living in such a way that our every

action is done with him in mind.

It's lifting him up publicly.

Every opportunity that we get.

It's being faithful to share your story with someone who needs

a word of encouragement.

It's reaching out to someone in need with what you have.

My brethren, listen, Jesus is coming back.

He's coming back to claim his bride.

That's me and that's you.

If you're saved.

And we don't know when that is.

So we better get busy and not get caught off guard because one

day it's gonna all be over and it might be sooner than we think.

And I.

I just want to stay busy for the Lord.

I want to be a soul winner even if I don't go soul winning.

And now that we said that and over the past eight weeks, now you,

you can apply it.

Well, we can't apply it if we don't purpose to abound in every

work to.

He says, my beloved brethren, to be steadfast, unmovable, always

abounding in the work of the Lord.

One of the reasons that's been such a blessing to me in my life

is because my ministry has been so fluid.

And the Lord didn't say be steadfast, unmovable, Always abounding

in one spot, one ministry forever.

He said, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

I know preachers and children of God, Christians have changed ministries.

And not just change, they just do many things and they can do many

things.

And God bless you.

When you're in the church and you do all kinds of stuff, man, great

is your reward in heaven.

Thank you.

I think about brother.

Think of our brother Johnson right there.

Just the talent that he has to build things and to think of things

and to design things and brother Gidney back there and the

children's church, and we don't stop to consider somebody hung

those flags.

Go up to the Children's church.

How many of you have never been up to the junior church?

How many of you have never been up there?

Raise your hand up if you've never been up there.

There's a bunch of you been up there, but there's several in here

who haven't.

You ought to go up there and see that puppet stage.

Brother Johnson, Brother Gidney, Brother, and a few others

have worked together with them to put that thing together.

That's amazing.

That thing is awesome.

You know what that is?

Treasures in Heaven.

It's Treasures in Heaven.

You know what that is?

It's soul winning.

Because those children are hearing the gospel.

Everything matters.

What I want to encourage everyone to do tonight is just live

for the Lord.

You live for Jesus.

Put him first.

Soul winning will come.

Amen.

Let's stand together and we'll pray.

Let's have a verse of invitation.

Stand together and we'll pray our Father tonight.

There's so many things that were going around in my mind about

what to preach.

And, Lord, I didn't, you know, I didn't want to come across as being

judgmental or pressure or throwing a guilt trip on people.

I didn't want to do that.

But, Lord, I don't think it's too much to ask for us to just live

for you every day in all that we do.

And I think that if we'll do that, we'll see souls come to us

who will have an opportunity to share the gospel, maybe through

a tract, maybe through a spoken word.

But, Lord, use us.

We want that.

We want to make a difference in the lives of others.

That's what you left us here for, to make a difference.

Lord, help us to do that.

Many people here have a great career, and I pray that in the midst

of their career that they'll use it as an opportunity to honor

you and to make a difference in their sphere of influence that

others might come to know you as well.

Lord, use us is our prayer in Jesus name, with heads bowed just

for a few moments as brother Caleb sings through a verse or two

of invitation.

If the Lord spoke to your heart tonight, why don't you come?

Maybe it's been a while since you jumped in and got busy doing

anything.

Why don't you come tonight and say, lord, I want to get involved.

I want to do something.