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Acts
20:18-20
[opening PowerPoint clip from
The Apostle Paul took 3 missionary journeys.
In chapter 20 he’s about to begin the last lap…his 3rd
trip. And in these verses he’s
about to head out for
Let’s peer inside Paul’s heart, and see
what’s in there.
1.
Faithfulness
v. 18
This verse speaks of Paul’s faithfulness over those 3 years.
“From the first day” he hit the ground running, and thru many
hardships in this very difficult city, he was dependable and never quit, and
never slacked off.
Faithfulness is the most important quality
that you and I can cultivate in our hearts as well.
We have such faithful people here…thank you!
“God give us more faithful, dependable people for your work here!”
There may be some things you cannot do.
You may not be able to get up here and sing, or teach a s.s. lesson
like your teacher did this morning, or preach a sermon…but there’s one thing
you CAN do…we ALL can do it…we can all be faithful!
Faithfulness is a quality which I admire…but
it’s a quality which God
requires!
I Cor. 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
faithful.
Areas where
we need to be faithful:
·
To
our family—faithfulness
begins at home. Remember the
’96 presidential election? It
was
Let me add that we don’t have to be
physically unfaithful to be classified as “unfaithful.”
This can happen in the mind.
And some are married to their jobs, some have a love affair w/
shopping or sports. Being
faithful involves establishing and maintaining proper priorities, even
outside the bedroom.
Eph. 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and
gave himself for it;
There’s nothing so precious that we should
not be willing to give it up for our spouse.
No bass boat, no job, no golf outing. [Paul was a golfer for at the
end of his life he said, “I have finished my course!”]
This goes for ladies too:
no friend should come before your spouse…no coworker should know
secrets you won’t tell your spouse!
Our children should not come before our spouse.
Faithfulness is a great quality, and
it begins at home
or it doesn’t begin at all!
Faithful to our family…
·
In
our finances—Question:
what would you do w/ a million dollars?
One guy said, “I’d put it toward my debts, as far as it’d go!”
I know what you’d do with it… exactly what you’re doing with that
$100 you have right now. In
other words, if you don’t put God 1st and tithe now you wouldn’t
tithe if you had a million dollars.
If you’re not generous now you wouldn’t be generous if you were rich.
If you’re not faithful in your finances now you wouldn’t be then!
Don’t believe that?
Here’s a verse:
Luke 16:10
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:
and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
God
says, “If I can’t trust you with a little then I can’t trust you with
a lot”.
Next verse…
Luke 16:11
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who
will commit to your trust the true riches? [things
like wisdom, power, and understanding]
God
says, “The test of your faithfulness in the spiritual realm is what
you do with your finances in the physical realm.”
Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also." It
truly is a heart problem.
Many today are deprived of great spiritual
blessings, frankly, because they are not faithful w/ money…not just the
tithe that God requires, but that which He entrusts us to keep and use
wisely! Some don’t get their
prayers answered because they aren’t faithful w/ their finances.
Some don’t understand their Bible and lack wisdom because they are
unfaithful financially. Some
are powerless in their witness and never win even 1 soul to Christ because
they aren’t faithful financially…they haven’t even passed a simple physical
test, and God says, “You go nowhere spiritually until you pass this simple
test of ownership!”
The money isn’t the real issue…the money is
only the test. Make sure and
pass that test, so God can start sticking gold stars and smiley faces all
over your life!
As a Pastor, and as a Christian, I need
wisdom, power, and understanding, and so I cannot afford to be foolish in my
finances…I must be obedient—letting go and letting God show what He can
do…if only I’ll pass that simple test!
Be
faithful to family, in your finances…
·
To
the fellowship—the Bible
has so much to say about faithfulness to church.
It’s a blessing to see you here today…now will we be seeing you
faithfully?
Romans 12:5
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one
of another.
That means you’re as much a part of me and I
of you, as this arm is a part of my body.
And when the body meets and you’re not here, then part of the body is
missing, and we cannot fully function…we need each other!
Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.
Ever heard someone say you don’t have to go
to church to be a Christian?
Technically, that’s true…but I doubt the sincerity of the salvation of
anyone who knowingly and willingly forsakes the assembly when it’s in their
power to be there.
Some say, “I get just as much out of nature,
on the lake, with my family, at the park.”
And as they say it, they reveal the heart of their problem…you don’t
come to church just for what you can get, but for what you can give.
Even as the Son of
man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.
How many boys and girls can you teach about
Jesus at the lake? What
missionaries can you support and write to in the woods?
Whose babies can you watch at the bowling alley so others can hear
the preaching? How much will
your marriage be helped and your family enhanced while you’re out w/ friends
at a ball game?
Back to Heb. 10:25
“exhorting” = “encouraging”
How many of you enjoy church more when there’s a good crowd than when
it’s half empty and you’re wondering where the rest of your body is?!
I know what a struggle it is for me,
personally, to fight against this world, my flesh, and the devil, and I’m in
church all the time. I don’t
know how some can claim to truly fight the fight w/out the support of the
local church, the way God intended us to do it.
I’m afraid to
I can point to about 10 sermons that have
absolutely changed my life in the last 2 decades…one of them just a few
weeks ago in our revival. And I
was present for each of those life changing sermons.
What if I wasn’t present?
Several of you have said the same thing about a message you have
heard here, and some of you could say the same thing except for the fact
that it was on a Wednesday or a Sunday night and you weren’t there, and
didn’t take advantage of technology to catch up either, and only eternity
will tell what God intended to do in your life!
We ought to be faithful to our church, trusting that God has our
number and His messenger will “ring our bell” if only we follow the basic
command to be faithful!
Every time you come to church you’re saying to God, “you’re important
to me.” But you’re saying more
than that…you’re also saying, “Pastor, you’re important to me”, and you’re
saying to the people you sit near, “you’re important to me!”
It’s selfish to skip church and say, “it won’t hurt ME.”
Truth is, yes it will, and it hurts others too!
To
family, in finances, to the fellowship…
·
To
the faith—now I’m talking
about the Word of God. Many
today are doubting some parts of God’s Word, and approaching the Bible
“cafeteria style”, taking only what you like and leaving the rest
behind…putting question marks after some commands of the Scriptures.
Well, today is no time to be putting question marks down, but
exclamation points!!!
Some who doubt the Word today even call
themselves “theologians”, which I have a problem with.
For that term comes from 2 Greek words:
Theos
= God
Logos
= Word
They don’t believe the logos so they must
not know the Theos! It’s like
Grape Nuts…they’re neither grapes nor nuts!
Folks,
we’re not to judge
the Word of God, we’re supposed to let the Word of God judge us!
#2
Salvation without regeneration.
#3 Heaven without
hell.
Isn’t that the day and time in which we live?
Our generation is lost, most of the modern church is lost, and we
need faithful people who’ll be faithful to the faith!
The first thing we see when we peer into the
heart of Paul is faithfulness.
Are you faithful? To your
family? With your finances?
To the fellowship? To
the faith?
[no skipping this 1st step…but if
you’re faithful, you’ll hear the last 2 points next time!]
Grace Notes Sermon Ministry:
NOTICE! Our sermons are free to download, copy and paste, edit and use as you see fit...but only our free subscribers get the newest messages, featured sermons, and some free gifts we shower on them from time to time! Help keep this service free by recommending it using the links above the sermon
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