God Keeps Good Records | Pastor Paul McGee

Forevermore, Amen we're going to be turning I'm going to read

from the Old Testament and the New Testament tonight just

because I am Exodus chapter 37 going to read from Hebrews

Exodus 37 · chapter mention

chapter #6 as well. Amen.

So thankful for God's people, thankful for all of those that

diligently work around here to keep God's house clean.

And those that show up for practices for for singing on

Sunday morning and Sunday night. Musicians that come to practice

and teachers that prepare lessons throughout the week to

teach children and invest in teenagers.

And Brother Alex and Sister Grace Mason that put together

things on Friday nights for those that will show.

And just on and on and on. Amen.

Exodus chapter 37. I'm just going to read the first

Exodus 37 · chapter mention

phrase of verse 17 and then skip down to verse #23 just kind of

give you an idea where we are. This is the listing of all the

different instruments and furniture that was to be made

for the Tabernacle that was in the wilderness.

And this particular section concerns the Candlestick.

And so that's reason want to read the first phrase it says.

And he made the Candlestick of pure goat.

That's the phrase I want just so you know what we're talking

about. Verse 23 then says, and he made

his seven lamps and his snuffers.

All right. This is King James language.

This is a little archaic tongs like type things like stuff that

you would trim a Wick with and his snuff dishes.

All right. And of of pure goat, of a talent

of pure goat made he it and all the vessels thereof.

So we have all with the Candlestick is made of a talent

of pure goat, along with all those things that pertain into

the Candlestick. I want to turn over to Hebrews

chapter #6 and read a few verses of scripture starting with verse

#10 Bible says for God is not unrighteous to forget your work

and labor of love which you have shewed toward his name, and that

you have ministered to the Saints and do minister.

We desire that everyone of you do shew the same diligence to

the full assurance of hope to the end, that you be not

slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience

inherit the promises. For a little while tonight I

want to preach this title and it's something that I say over

and over to this congregation. I want to preach, God keeps good

records. God keeps God keeps good

records. Let's pray tonight.

Father, I love you. Got to thank you Jesus today for

your spirit that we have felt in this building all throughout

today. God through every song, through

Lord, every key that has been struck on the piano or a beat

that's been laid to a drum. I pray, O God tonight that you

have to encourage your people, strengthen them, God, empower

them, Lord, by your word. I pray Jesus tonight, God, do

your work your way, God, and we'll be satisfied and we'll be

comfortable, Lord, with the outcome.

Lord of it, the lovely name of Jesus Christ that I pray, Amen

and Amen in the church, say Amen, Amen.

You may be seated tonight, Amen. This minister here with me just

for a little while tonight. This, this is maybe not the

regular fair of what Pentecostalism calls a Sunday

night sermon to blow in, blow up and blow out.

All right, but I want to. This is what's been on my heart,

that God keeps good records. And if you have been here for

any moment of time in this church, you have heard that

statement come across this pulpit on several different

occasions. It's something that you should

be acquainted with. Whenever I say that as OFT as I

do, I mean that even when no one else sees what you are doing or

what you are involved with, and perhaps even when they do see it

and don't even acknowledge it, that God, that God keeps good

records and he sees and He knows the affairs and the involvement

of our life. I'd like to admit to you

tonight, after years now being in the ministry, that the joys

of ministry are immeasurable. Joys of ministry are

immeasurable. But in my lifetime, I have

understood that I can lay a yardstick behind beside the the

hardships of ministry. I can put it seems like I'm put

a measuring tape upon the hardships of ministry, have a

good grasp on what it costs, but sometimes not as equally measure

how it benefits me. We have ideas, no doubt, yet

even the extent of those ideas fall short of the reality of the

benefits of ministry. Somewhere along the way, and

unless someone thinks I'm not talking to you tonight, I'm only

talking to preachers, ministry encompasses us all.

Somewhere along the way, the passion, the love that that you

had maybe whenever you started in ministry, it's going to be

challenged by struggles, it's going to be challenged by

difficulties. And when all the different

initial Pats on the backs become less and and, and the drive that

goddess into a place of ministry within the church, when that

start to wane, there's sometimes that ministry can start to feel

mechanical rather than purposeful in our lives.

When people who many times rallied around you like, yeah,

let's be a part of that, That's a great idea.

That's no longer rallying around you or supporting you.

And when there's more days than not that you're pulling up on

your own bootstraps, it's then that the medal of ministry has

tried. And then you you heap on that

personal struggles. You have loss of loved ones, you

have broken relationships in your own lives.

You deal with disappointment. All these things begin to

surface and it leaves us as individuals as we are

emotionally drained. It's then that serving God's

Kingdom and others at those such times, it feels like that we

many times are pouring from an empty vessel, pouring and

pouring of ourselves from just emptiness.

It's it's hard during those moments to muster the strength

and the energy to care for others when we may be even

hurting ourselves. We attempt, of course, in this

course of life we want to be a beacon of hope to someone else,

but many times we're trying to be a beacon while we're

struggling with our own darkness.

David described it like this in such a moment.

He said in Psalm 6 and six, this is the voice of David now the

great psalmist that's all the time encouraging uplifting

others with his Psalms. He says I'm weary with my

groaning all the night make I my bed to swim.

I water my couch with my tears. The great psalmist who's put

words and pen to parchment to encourage even the modern day

church that we're still revitalized by his words said

there were times that I went to bed with my groaning and my

agony of life and I cried until I made my bed to swim.

There were many tears and I I let my pillow and my mattress,

so to speak, become wet and we say things sometimes as

ministers in whatever capacity that we minister around the

church. We but the same that I often

hear today is his. Well, thank you for the

opportunity to serve, but there's sometimes that just

continuing to or feels like a monumental task, even when your

service feels like it comes from a place of weakness.

Sometimes we're serving from weakness that the writer of

Hebrews tells us for God, it's not unrighteous to forget your

work and your labor of love. Calvin Miller, he wrote a book

to it was a book called the Letters to Young Pastors.

And his answer to this spiritual depression, his answer to the

ministry doldrums, if you will, as they are, was this.

He says, here's my answer for all of that.

More ministry. He says when you can't find

Christ, he says then play the role of Christ to somebody else

in their life and you will have all the Christ that you desire.

In other words, there's times that in ministry you need

minister to. He said that in those moments it

seems like you couldn't put a pulse upon God in your own life.

Just continue acting as God for somebody elses life.

He says the answer to the dilemma is more ministry and and

then we have and they're not many of them not here.

They watch by line faithfully and in service after service.

But then there's those that are the age that carry on another

dimension and and their age adds them to their feelings of

insufficiency. Their bodies.

I'm not old, but I'm I'm I'm I'm on the slow process of getting

there. But their bodies don't move as

quickly or as easily as they once did.

Simple tasks are more complicated than they were at

once. Fatigue sets in faster.

They they estimate that their physical limitations hindered

the same work that they once loved doing, even works that

they used to do for the Lord. There's the aches and the pains

and the chronic illness that causes them to feel as though

their ability to serve has been diminished.

And the way that they serve is not identical to how they have

served in the past. And it frustrates them.

I tell you, I've talked to my dad more than one occasion.

It frustrates them. It almost creates a sense of

guilt in their life. And so they cling on to verses

like Second Corinthians 416 that reassure that though our outward

man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Let's just get just playing tonight.

Our elders cannot do as much as they once did, cannot do as much

as they once did, and it can cause them to feel as though

they've lost their usefulness. But God values, let me say it

like this, our service at every stage and ladies season of our

life, even in our physical weakness and in our heart, that

God values it. And so you might sometimes even

in your ministry, Amen, entertain the idea of quitting

or entertaining the idea of discontinuing to serve because

you feel inadequate or you feel less than.

Hey man, but let me tell you this tonight we don't need to be

at total capacity for God to use us.

Amen. He works even through our most

feeblest of efforts. The writer of Hebrews is

addressing the believers in that day, the early Christians of

that moment, those that had moved from just Judaism to

Christianity, right, who is identified with Christ.

And the same believers that have been set on fire by the gospel

message of the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost have

finally reached a point in their journey of ministry where they

have underwent some severe trials.

They are in a place now that the revival fires of Pentecost still

exist, but they don't feel the heat of it as much as they did.

And they're at a point where they're needing some

encouragement. They've been involved in acts of

service since they started their life for the Lord.

They have honored the Lord. They have served the Saints.

They have served people. They have observed the unsaved.

Their work and their labor of love, the Bible says, had been

shown toward His name. Meaning this, that their service

to others was ultimately an act of devotion to God and an act of

devotion to His name and to His glory.

Please let me comfort you with this tonight, that when you

minister to the Saints, you minister to God.

That elevates then every endeavor that we have a hand in

around about this church. Everything that we involve

ourself in around about this church.

If the purpose is serving the Saints, then note well it serves

God. Cleaning a mirror at the church

becomes a sacred service. Trimming the lawn becomes a

sacred service. Align the letters on the sign

out front becomes a sacred service.

Teaching, making food, organizing events, playing

music, counting money, all of those things.

Corralling children in a Sunday school class.

When you minister to the Saints, you minister unto God.

My sermon really stems from one of the lesser used words of the

Bible in the King James. Aversion of the Bible and the

Word is snuff dishes. You're probably not going to

find these in your dishwasher. Snuff dishes each of the three

times, and it's only mentioned three times in Scripture.

They're associated with the Tabernacle or the temple, and

particularly with the article of furniture of the Candlestick in

the temple. These were shallow vessels.

The Bible says they were made of pure gold and their purpose was

this to receive the burnt used up fragments of the Wicks from

the lamps. You're just going to have to

this is my this is going to be a journey tonight.

OK, welcome to pastor here. It seems almost extreme this

evening that a charred Wick with seemingly no purpose left.

God would have a priest enter in and meticulously handle that

burnt out Wick and carefully place it into a invaluable

container made of pure go. I'm just telling you, tonight we

have Wick trimmers at our house, Sister Sheila and Wick dippers

to put, you know, Wicks out. My wife's got all those fancy

things for all the candles in the house and we got plenty of

candles to burn and I have trimmed a Wick or two in our

house. Amen.

And when I trim it, the excess either falls in the candle

course that leaves a black spot, or it comes out and it goes in

the trash. If I were responsible, I'd

probably drop that wig that's burnt out and charcoal stained,

probably on the dirt floor of the Tabernacle.

I just scraped that thing off that lamp into my hand and cast

it up into the wind to take it away.

But not God. He ordered that the snuff dishes

to be made because when the wigs are trimmed and when they're

burnt out, they're not going to be thrown away.

They're going to be saved in a snuff dish.

Am I right, folks? I don't know.

I've read the scriptures over and over.

I don't know how many snuff dishes there were.

They are stated in the plural. Snuff dishes.

I don't know how many snuff dishes.

And folks, we're not talking about chewing tobacco either, in

case anybody wonders. Hey, man, that they, they, they

are not. I don't know how many there

were. We're not told the explicit

details of what listen, of what was even done with the contents

of the snuff, different dishes after they became full.

But what we do know is this. They're just storing old burnt

out Wicks who have completed their service for the

Tabernacle. If the Bible says that the

Candlestick and all of the vessels that pertain to it were

made from a talent of gold, a talent equates to about 100 lbs

of goat. So the lamp with its branches

and knops and flowers and all the things that you read in

Exodus, and the tongs, or the snuffers and the snuff dishes,

all these things that pertain it are made from the solitary

talent of pure goat. I know things have different

between now and the value of gold, but just give you an idea

for yesterday's standards. When I looked it up, the value

of a talent of GOAT is tremendous.

By yesterday's gold market rating, gold was rated at

$2561.00 per oz as of yesterday. That means that's $40,976 per

pound by yesterday's value. Have the same Candlestick been

made yesterday? That value of that pure goat

Candlestick with all of its vessels that pertain to it would

have been 4,097,600 dollars. Just fall with me a little bit.

And so Brother Mason and I don't know, but if the snuff dish is

just even amounted to a pound of gold by today's standards, they

would have been worth $40,976. And again, for the Fred, I don't

know how many of them there were.

And so just for easy math, that 40,000 is almost 41.

Let's just say there was 41 of them.

By today's standards, that would be about $1000 per snuff dish.

What do you get that pastor? I'm getting that this and I know

value may increase now, but back then it's all things are

comparable, right? They're in proportion.

All I'm getting that is that they were of great value even

then. And God said, I want you to put

that blackened brittle Wick and store it in that treasure

container. I know maybe you're not like me,

but I'm thinking that is unbelievable, a burnt out Wick

in such a valuable container. Someone saying that.

But when we realize that the blackened Wick that's placed in

that snuff dish, that precious snuff dish, started out as a

fresh garment on the backside of a priest, things start to shift

a little bit. Because the Bible bears out that

the priests were dedicated and consecrated unto the work of the

Lord while they were dressed in their vestments and they were

dressed in their garments. The Bible tells us that Aaron

and his sons, and by implication every other ordinary priests.

We're touched by the anointing oil and by the blood in their

garments of service, and they were dedicated to the work of

the Lord. Look at Leviticus 8 and verse

30. And Moses took of the anointing

oil and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it

upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and

upon his sons garments with him, and sanctified Aaron and his

garments, and his sons and his sons garments with him.

Do you understand understand what is happening right here is

the initiation of ministry, not just for Aaron and his sons and

other priests, but for the ministry of the garments that

are upon the Aaron and his sons and the other priests.

We read in the Bible, in the book of Chronicles, we read

where the priesthood expands to the place of containing 24

courses of priests with thousands of thousands of

priests, every one of them serving at least a two week.

Amen stand in the temple out of the year, serving in a function

of ministering unto the Lord in some type of function around the

House of God. It's quite possible that after a

priest served in one function, he would never serve in that

function again for the entirety of his life.

What he did, he did it for once in a lifetime.

And what was laid then in that snuff dish, We must understand

Amen had been at some previous in season, anointed with oil and

dedicated to God by blood. If I'd say it like this, that

which was taken in place in the snuff dish didn't look like it

once looked when it first started ministry.

It did not look what it once looked when it was first

dedicated. It didn't look like it once

looked when the blood and the oil touched it.

Hey man. When it was initially employed

in the service of God, but nonetheless, it's still precious

at this stage of its life in the sight of God.

Beams of the old, the old man wrinkles and Harry's life.

You know, I love ministry. I've been in it for 10 years.

It's all the truth to that. You don't look like you did when

you started. The Jewish rabbis have writings

around the 12th century. They wrote some things down that

were oral traditions that they even carried on through them

orally from the 2nd century. It can be found in the Toll

mood, which is some some old Jewish writings, that the old

priestly garments were cut into strips and used for the Wicks of

the lambs. To qualify for such use, and I

preached along this lines a little bit before, but to

qualify for such use, the garments had to be tagged.

They had to be frazzled, they had to be worn out.

In other words, they had to be on the back of a priest for some

time as he served at the incense altar, as he sacrificed.

Amen, animals, Amen. They had to be regularly worn

out. They had to be used.

These consecrated garments, though, once they were wore out,

had hose him in, if you will, fraying on the edges.

They weren't thrown away. They weren't discarded.

They were repurposed for what purpose?

For the purpose of making wits for the Candlestick.

Because God is like, this is the practical yet respectful way

that I can continue using an item that's been dedicated.

Amen to God and his service. I'm telling you tonight we have

some elders that in their younger years served in

positions and capacities and they become worn and they become

frazzled and they become tired. But God says, I'm not going to

disregard them. I'm not shoving them off to the

side. I'm going to repurpose them in a

practical yet respectful way where they can be continuing in

their dedication for the service of the Lord.

Those garments were not discarded.

They could no longer serve as the priest various functions,

but they could keep the light burning in the Tabernacle.

Why? They've been dedicated.

They've been consecrated to God. Their work was for the people

and therefore for God. There's a sanctity to their

service and God, as Hebrew says, was not unrighteous.

To forget they have been on the back of a priest as he was a

doorkeeper. They've been there as he baked

bread. They've been there as he offered

in, since you've been there, as he managed the sacrifices.

And now it keeps lit, Amen, In that holy place that would

otherwise be filled with darkness.

It keeps it lit, Amen, along with the lamps, along with the

oil. The Bible says in Exodus 27 and

20, And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they

bring the pure olive oil beaten for life to cause the lamp to

burn always. I don't know.

I don't know if there's a way to do the math or figure it out,

but imagine for a moment the light of the Candlestick was to

burn always. Imagine the number of Wicks that

was used for the light that was always to be kept burning.

And know that they trimmed them. We know according to Scripture,

they at least trimmed them in the morning and they trimmed

them in the evening. There are some that even

postulate that every half hour that they had to be trimmed.

If so, that means every time the trimming happened, that's stored

away in the snuff dish. Every time there's a trimming of

the charred Wick, that's stored away in a snuff dish.

Someone say man, give me a moment.

I really only have something to say and it'll be at the end.

The Old Testament, when you read about the garments of the

ordinary priests, you read about linen breeches and linen pontics

and linen girdles and linen coats and linen tunics, and

there's a great difference. I know today we call cotton and

linen sign like, like they are just a synonyms for one another,

but not so in biblical times. They were not interchangeable

then. The linen that they were

Speaking of, the Old Testament came from a flax plant.

In the garments of the priests were woven flax.

It was flax that was worn together, and therefore when

that woven flax garment wore out, they became Wicks.

A whole garment, if you will please listen to me.

Well, a whole garment is reduced to several Wicks until they are

reduced just to brittle charred Wicks in a snuff dish.

And I say reduced, but in reality each step is a

multiplication of the original. One garment becomes several

Wicks becomes several remnants and fragments of a charred Wick.

And God is attentive to the Wicks purpose, though it may be

weak, though it may be small, though it may be thin, though it

may be feeble, though it might almost be ready to go out.

Isaiah said. And Isaiah 42 and three, if you

can throw it up for me here tonight.

The Bible says these words. Bruce Reed shall he not break?

And the smoking flax he shall not quench.

He's referring to a Wick in a lamp.

He's saying it's expiring this, this lamp Wick is expiring it.

It doesn't have the ability like it used to, to draw the oil

through its capillaries. It's, it's almost finished.

It's it's dying. But God says I'm not going to

snuff it out. I'm not going to quench it

because it's still working. It's still laboring.

I'm not going to forget it. It's fighting for its diligence

to the end. God, God recognizes that, ladies

and gentlemen, and that's exactly what happens in death.

But there are times that even before we die, there are times

in the life of ministry. You're going to struggle.

You're going to struggle with a consistent flame in this life.

You're going to struggle. You're going to have a hard time

performing ministry. You're going to shake your head.

You're going to throw your fist up to heaven.

Hear me? I'm not talking about something

that I read to you about. I'm talking to you about

something I've experienced. You're going to shake your head

to the heavens and say, why is this going on?

God? Where are all those that were

for me before? Where are they now?

I'm going to say, God, I spent countless hours preparing or

doing this and this. You're going to sometimes just

be along the line of almost bitterness with ministry and God

sitting idly by and he sees the smokering of the smoke and he

says don't quench them. Don't quench them.

Don't put them out because they're trying.

They're putting forth some effort.

Not yet. I know they're in a struggling

mode right here, but I'm not giving up on them.

There's going to be a time that you won't want to teach the

class. There's going to be a time you

won't want to prepare the sermon.

There's going to be a time by the Reese, you're not going to

want to use a rag on the Pew. But I'm telling you this that

God in our moments, even of doubt and inconsistency will say

don't quit it because I see they're still working.

I see they're still pushing. I yes, from a priestly garment

to a Wick to a blackened fragment.

God has the priest go in there at some of those final stages,

and he's like, handle that with care.

God, I get it. If it's the newly linen garment

that's been handed to the priest, you understand the

caution. And you almost want white

gloves, you know, to handle something like that.

I can almost guess, God, Even a Wick that's going to burn long

through the night in a lamp. I understand that.

But. But God did the end of the

matter. This, this charred piece.

Yeah. Handle it.

Handle it carefully because it's had devotion at each stage of

it's service. It has been connected to me from

being a priest garment to a Wick to even now it's the fragment of

some rebane. Because hear me, today, nothing

in God's service is wasted or treated carelessly.

Where garments ain't thrown away, their sacred purpose is

extended by becoming the Wick. And when that brutal charred

piece of garment that's just a fraction of what it once was as

being a fragment of a piece of Wick, and it's finished and it

lays there though in a pure gold, priceless snuff dish.

Why? Because God does not.

To think of the hours. That you spend the time, that

you invest your own financial obligation, that you give.

Sleepless nights. That you live prayers that you

pray when no one's in the prayer room but you.

People that you've reached out. To make contact with and you

went out of your way to meet with and hear their concern to

through the ages of life from the novice of it to be and if

you will pretty well settled with it to the point that we

give our last breath and which seems like we have nothing else

to give. God says I'm going to take care

of it even in that moment. Why?

Because it may not seem like much now, but I remember when it

was a priest garment and I remember when it was a Wick in

the Lamb. And I remember the dark nights,

and I remember the bitter tears, and I remember the obligations

they said we got to throw away. Because this is more important.

God does not forget. Oops.

I've stood at various caskets of Saints, some made of just wood,

grandeur, ornate decor, others that were just cardboard that

was covered in fabric. All of it just equalling.

According to their means here below or what they have planned

for, but no sure certainty that whatever the casket was here on

earth, God took their service in mine.

Rather Sheila, Sister Sheila, they might have been in a pine

box here, but God said bring that pure goat's nut dish.

He might have been in some. Some rudimentary things right

here, but God says, I told you to make that gold Pierce snuff

this, you bring that because I'm going to take that life of

service and I'm going to store it right here.

I'm going to put the remainder right here.

I'm going to shelter it right here because God keeps good

records. You may not think it's much, my

wife just recently told. Me.

When she's got back home and I'll mention no names of another

pastor that we know, friends of ours who's had to close down

their church. It's probably the fifth one in

my ministry that I know of, in my ministry that's had to do

with such a thing. Membership fall can't support

the bills or anything that's going on.

Everybody's just pulling the. Straws not talking about other,

I'm talking about Apostolic churches had to close their

doors. You know what that pastor's

wrestling with right now, tonight?

You know what he's wrestling with?

Guilt, shame, failure. What more could I do?

What, what? What more could I accomplish?

But while he's saying all those words, you know what God's

saying? Bring the snuff dish.

Bring the snuff shed. I saw him when he was on

outreach knocking doors, and it was only him and his family

doing it. Bring the snuff dish.

I've seen whenever he was a Wick and he went from a bigger

building to a smaller building just trying to keep their head

afloat. Bring the snuff dish.

You know why? Because God keeps good records.

They might not have all five of them do not have a church today

upon this earth, but I tell you, well, God will not forget their

work or labor of love that they did minister and minister unto

the Saints. God keeps good records.

I'm trying to encourage someone. Here tonight.

Because if you've not met it, you will meet it.

You'll have your struggle. You'll have your dismay.

You'll have yourself down. You'll deal with the demons of

hell. Amen.

Speaking lies into your life, telling you there's no use.

There's no reason to keep doing that.

There's no reason to keep paying.

In that flame. Why don't you just give up?

Why don't you just lay down your armor?

Why don't you just lay down? Hey, man, your ministry.

Why don't you just tuck that aside?

Why don't don't you do something else that seems to have a better

pay off? Why don't you just do something

else that has more notoriety to it?

But I'm telling you today that God sees it at every stage, and

God sees it at every season, and God keeps good records.

You hear? Me.

No one was there. When my wife and I were flea bit

every night holding revivals. Nobody was there when stray

animals you could see Hey man, the the petition and the ceiling

hang down from animals in the night being above us as we

slept. Nobody seen?

Nobody's seen. The mirror having a dollar in

our account and trying to get to the next revival, nobody's seen.

But I tell you who did see. I tell you who didn't know.

He says the garment that's on the priest is turning to a wig.

And even if it's burnt totally out, I'm not going to forget.

I'm going to remember. Nobody's seen the prayers that I

prayed in my trailer at night. Nobody's seen the 3:00 AM and

4:00 AM morning. Nobody's seen the struggle.

Nobody's seen the heartache. Nobody felt the but God.

This all. Right.

Oh, but Brother McGee, look at you now.

My God, you're busy. And they're calling you to come

preach this camp meeting, that conference, and this camp

meeting. Let's pause.

I know it looks. Like all the flamboyance, right?

4 camp meetings in the summer. Hoorah 3 back-to-back with

anniversary service. Hoorah you.

Know what comes with that? Physical exhaustion You.

Know what comes with that? Living under the burden of

seeking God. You know how many times in those

weeks I went to a pulpit of a camp meeting and they were

blowing and going and licking this paint off the ceiling and

God had dealt with me something quite contrary to the weight of

the spirit was going at that moment and there's good old

Pastor McGee honey, they're flopping in a rolling and the

kicking in a bucket and I just entered that pulpit.

I don't raise my voice to a scream, but I'm like, let's turn

to such and such. And I began to preach what I

felt like God gave me. And God would reach sometimes

just one individual in particular in that place in

stories would come back. But everybody thinks it's grand.

But Trevor, they. Don't see the 330 mornings of

trying to hit an airport and it'd be in 24 hours before I

went to bed because I preached the same night.

But God keeps good records. Nobody sees.

The investment that you as individuals made to get us in

here town. Nobody's seen the hours that

these men worked in this church to construct the walls of that

Parsonage. No one's seen the work days in

order to get that middle church up the snuff or this church up

the snuff. Only those that were a part of

it see it and Noah. But know this well that when you

lay down to rest in your life of ministry has somehow begotten

more narrow because your health and your strength just can't

propel you. God's going to say bring the

snuff dish. Bring that thing which is

valuable. Why God?

This is just something in charge, He says.

No, you don't see like I see what I'm putting in it.

It's just as valuable of what it's going inside of.

God, yes. Everybody's looking at that.

Great developed church, but they didn't see it when that pastor

entered that rented building. Had to set up chairs every

Sunday and a sound system and get the guitars going and the

piano going and they'd have service for their hour and a

half. But they had to tear everything

back down after it's all over because it's going to be used

for another purpose. They didn't see that.

They did that for seven years before they could go from that

rental property to property that they bought and then even had to

ask for money to fix the AC. Nobody sees that now that the

running 100, but God does. People don't see the.

Opportunities you turn down. Because you felt like God.

Had you right where he wanted you.

But he does so whether you serving.

In the spotlight or in the shadows, please never forget the

power of the truth, that I stayed over and over across this

pulpit. That God keeps good records.

He sees every effort, no matter how small or how unnoticed it

may seem to you or to the greater world.

Listen when you wipe down pews, when you greet a visitor, when

you prepare meals, when you're mentoring a young believer.

Every act is a sacred service unto the Lord, and your labor of

love is recorded in heaven, not because it's glamorous, but

because it's done to His name. You can stand with me tonight

when your ministry. Feels draining and.

When your strength. Is faltering and when you wander

concerning your efforts, whether they matter, take heart that God

is not unrighteous to forget. What you do may.

Go unseen, but God never forgets.

It's just a old worn. Priest garment repurposed into a

Wick to keep the Tabernacle lamps burning and.

No matter how. Diminished or weakened, it feels

at times. God says it's precious in my

sight, He. Said so I'm going to.

Take these charred Wicks, the most fragile.

You realize you have a Chard Wick in your hand.

It breaks so easily. I'm going to take that.

Fragile, exhausted effort. And I'm going to handle that

with care, and I'm going to store it in a golden snuff dish

because nothing that is dedicated to God's service is a

wasted something. I encouragement to you if we.

Bow our heads. Is this Sir or ma'am?

Keep going. Stay faithful.

Let your flame burn, even when times it's doing more flickering

than it is burning. Because God is not done with

you, Sir. God is not done with you, ma'am.

Age Saints sit in their house listening to me tonight.

God is not done with you yet. When you feel like you're at the

end of your strength, remember that your work has eternal value

and in God's hands, even the smallest act of service is

handled with reverence and will never be forgotten.

And so I stand on this Sunday night.

I know this isn't a typical Sunday night Amen message, but I

stand on this Sunday night and I challenge each individual that's

involved in ministry around this church.

Recommit to the work of the Lord, even in serious seasons of

weariness. Seasons when you feel helpless,

don't stop serving. Even when you feel like your

flame, it's barely burning. Don't worry, God won't quench

it. God won't snuff it out.

He honors your efforts, although they may be feeble.

He honors your efforts. It's hard sometimes to.

Go on when it feels. Like you're going by yourself.

And I want you to. Stop right now whether you work

on the clean team, whether you do the sign where you play a

musical instrument, where, whether you sing, whether you

sing specials, whether you teach, whether you preach,

whether you cook food or manage a kitchen or over a pantry here

at the church, I want you to stop and reflect on where God

has placed you today and. What has he entrusted?

To you. And you need to reaffirm.

Your commitment to those things and offer it up to him knowing

that he keeps. Good records.

So I'm going to press on God, not for the recognition of man,

but for the glory of God. I'm going to press on.

For the glory of God. The one that even treasures the

burnt Wick that he. Places.

In pure goat snuff dishes, pastors trying to tell you

tonight with all the love in my heart that your work matters,

that you matter and. That God.

Does not. Work in I've been with my dad.

When I first started pastoring, we went through to three

hospitals in the same day, one in Vincent's, one in Fairfield

and one in Evansville. This man has lost.

His ever living mind. And I tell my dad often.

I said, Dad, I think you'd be in better help today if you didn't

expend yourself so much in ministry.

That's me as a physical. Son telling him something that I

observed in this temporal world. But you know what?

I. Know now, Sister Brenda, in

spite of it. God.

Saw it. These altars are open.

Tonight for somebody that might feel at a different season of

life right now, maybe you're transitioning from a priest

garment to a Wick and maybe you're a Wick that is flickering

and you're struggling to keep a flame upon you.

But God is watching with a diligent eye and he's saying no,

don't sniff it out, don't quench it.

I think it's going to come out of this I.

Think it's going to come? Out of this, I think it's going

to start burning with a consistency and a purity here.

Don't, don't, don't touch it. Let's just let's just see what

happens right here. I don't know what.

Stage you may be in right now, what season you may be in, I

don't, I don't know the doubts that may fill your mind.

I don't I don't know the things that you might go to bed with

with your spouse and talk about at night concerning where you

serve in ministry, the load or the burden or it seems like the

thankless task that you're in. But please understand that God,

he's keeping good notations, every sacrifice, every

investment, every word, every act, every hand, every voice,

every word. This alter is open tonight for

anybody. God keeps good records.