Faith Is Faithfulness Series #5
Pastor David T. Elms 3/18/2025
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44:34
Summary
In this teaching on Luke 17, Pastor David T. Elms explores the true definition of faith as faithfulness, challenging believers to move past the need for recognition and adopt the heart of a humble servant who finds strength in simply doing the Lord's will.
Key points
- •Faith is not a mindset but a call to action, rooted in the Hebrew concept of steadfastness, reliability, and obedience.
- •The command to forgive is absolute-it requires the tools of the fruit of the spirit to overcome personal feelings of bitterness or entitlement.
- •True faithfulness means serving beyond the point of convenience, doing one's duty without the constant need for human validation or accolades.
- •Jesus transitions us from having a Savior to acknowledging Him as Lord, which demands self-denial and unwavering commitment.
- •Being an 'unprofitable servant' is an internal disposition of humility, recognizing that meeting God's requirements is simply our duty and privilege as believers.
Scripture
Faith
Service
Forgiveness
Lordship
Humility
Life application
Identify one area of service or obedience this week where you feel unappreciated or tired. Reframe your effort as an act of devotion to Christ your Lord, choosing to find joy in duty rather than waiting for human recognition.
Reflection questions
- How does defining faith as action rather than just a thought change the way you read the Gospels?
- In what ways does our 'Western mindset' of entitlement conflict with the biblical description of a servant?
- Pastor Elms spoke about being a 'summer soldier' versus a faithful servant. Where in your life are you tempted to retreat when the 'sunshine' fades?
- What does it mean to you personally to transition Jesus from being your Savior to being your Lord?
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Full transcript
0:00or how to how to buy a dragon
0:00whatever is but uh Hallelujah Lord Jesus
0:00you know I love you you know these
0:01people love you thank you for this Full
0:03House and thank you for all the teachers
0:05and kids that are dispersed over our
0:07campus teaching children in this Joy
0:10University complex teaching them the way
0:12ways of godliness that will stand them
0:14through no matter what tomorrow brings
0:16we will not March forward in fear but we
0:19have great anticipation that the future
0:21belongs to God and that's why we are
0:24here gathering on this midweek service
0:26having pressed through traffic and
0:28through all the different things to get
0:30into your house and I'm so thankful for
0:32the people that are in the place tonight
0:34let your word minister to their heart as
0:36we get deep into it in Jesus name I pray
0:40and let the house Say Amen
0:43all right I have been reading from our
0:45text in Luke the 17th chapter and we
0:47have been marching through what I think
0:50could be very potentially one of the
0:53most clarifying distinctives of how
0:56Faith should be defined and uh we have
0:59learned through this process and our
1:01text today as I will read it to you is
1:04essentially beginning at Luke the 6 17th
1:07chapter the sixth verse we'll start and
1:10the Lord said if you had Faith as a
1:13grain of mustard seed ye might say unto
1:15this sycamore tree be thou plucked up by
1:18the root and be thou planted in the sea
1:21and it should obey you that's pretty
1:25formative statement there now here's the
1:27most I would say challenging to our mind
1:31part of the scripture to get a grip on
1:33because Jesus is the one Speaking
1:35everybody say Jesus is
1:37speaking you know I've literally heard
1:39people that say that they only believe
1:41the red print in the
1:43Bible it's so it's just based on true
1:47ignorance okay and and I'm not calling
1:49people names I'm describing a condition
1:52when when you say I'm only GNA believe
1:53the red words you don't know your Bible
1:56you don't even know who Jesus is even
1:58though you're quoting him you don't know
1:59him uh but here he is he's the he's the
2:02one talking he said which of you having
2:04a servant plowing or feeding cattle will
2:08say unto him by and by when he has come
2:11from the field
2:12go and sit down to
2:15meet and will not rather say unto him
2:19make ready wherewith I may suck G
2:22thyself and serve me till I have eaten
2:26and drunken and afterward Thou shalt eat
2:29and drink everybody say Jesus said
2:32this doth he think that servant because
2:36he did the things that were were
2:37commanded
2:39him King James says I Trow
2:43not it means of course
2:46not so likewise ye when ye shall have
2:49done all those things which are
2:52commanded you the subject is Faith is
2:55faithfulness the subject is forgiveness
2:58and forgiven people seven times on the
3:00same day the subject is if you just keep
3:04doing it even if all you feel is the
3:06energy of a mustard
3:08seed he said if you'll do that which is
3:10commanded of you
3:13uh so likewise you he's talking to his
3:16disciples and they're called Apostles
3:19here when you shall have done all those
3:22things which are commanded you say we
3:25are unprofitable
3:28servants we have done that which is our
3:33or was our duty to do and so we're going
3:36to unpack this here and of course it
3:39says you say we are unprofitable
3:41servants
3:42which is a statement of
3:45disposition but he was
3:47describing a profitable servant all
3:50right as we have uh walked through this
3:53I don't want to take too long replaying
3:56everything uh you can buy the the series
3:58or go on YouTube and it's for free
4:02um we have talked about how the Hebrew
4:05word translated faith in English carries
4:06a richness that really is deeper and
4:09broader uh and transcends Western
4:13understanding when it comes to Faith the
4:15root of faith in the Hebrew biblical way
4:19always attaches to action not just
4:23thought processes and it means to
4:26support to confirm to be firm and it
4:31carries steadfastness and reliability
4:34and is trustworthy it is an active word
4:37and it must be lived out it has loyalty
4:41in it and obedience and action a part of
4:44it so when you say well I've got great
4:47faith you you need to realize it doesn't
4:49mean I'm thinking good thoughts it means
4:52I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing
4:55and the first illustration of this which
4:57we covered was the story about the Lord
5:00speaking to his Apostles and saying if
5:03you offend one of these little ones and
5:07we are very clear that in the context of
5:10this he's not pointing to children here
5:12he is pointing to the scribes the the uh
5:17herodians the people that were round
5:19about and he's pointed to those that
5:21were essentially young in the Lord and
5:25he said if you hurt one of these little
5:27ones it would be better for you if you
5:30had a millstone tied to your neck and
5:33you thrown over the side of a boat into
5:36the depths of the sea he said that would
5:39be your win the lottery option uh um and
5:42so this is very stunning and and
5:45sobering and we need to pay attention to
5:47that when Jesus gives a a a metaphor
5:51like that it must be attached to
5:54something that he feels fervently about
5:57once again this isn't the the bombastic
5:59Peter speaking this is not the uh the
6:03scholarly Paul speaking this is Jesus
6:07who speaks with word pictures that are
6:09powerful and dynamic and this is maybe
6:11the most uh gripping description he has
6:15offered so this is why the church if
6:17we're going to have faithfulness unto
6:18the Lord we've got to always be
6:21Guardians of The Young and that includes
6:24children but it does not exclude mature
6:28grown adults that the Bible would liken
6:31to as young in the faith uh and then the
6:35next thing he says that we covered in
6:37lesson number three was that the level
6:39of forgiveness would be both person and
6:42sacred but it was not a suggestion that
6:45you carrying forgiveness in your heart
6:48was a command that no matter uh the the
6:51Tranquil times you were in or the
6:53tempestuous times you were in you are to
6:56forgive no matter what your personal
6:59situation is you have got to obey the
7:02command of the Lord and forgive that
7:04forgiveness has uh steel and tensil
7:07strength in it it is not a weak
7:10description of the those who have
7:12everything worked out just right no the
7:15fruit of the spirit does not include
7:18forgiveness the fruit of the spirit
7:20gives though the tool belt to forgive
7:23the fruit of the spirit love joy peace
7:26gent patience kindness goodness
7:29faithfulness gentleness self-control
7:32these eight fruit are the tools that
7:35Empower one to forgive and if you cannot
7:38forgive it's because you have not
7:40transacted enough with the fruit of the
7:43spirit and then the fourth lesson was
7:46about how the disciples asked the pithy
7:49question that caused me to start this
7:50series Lord increase our faith will you
7:55do that please do it and he told them
7:59you got all you need if you have faith
8:02the size of the smallest seed that is
8:06available that could be lost in the
8:08creases of a hand if you have that much
8:12action faith not thought not thinking
8:16well maybe you'll show up no you act on
8:19your decisions then you will have the
8:21power and no one's done this yet that I
8:23nobody's done this yet but this I
8:26believe is a manifestation of the world
8:28that is to come that we will literally
8:31construct universes and I'm telling you
8:34I I've got I've got a new book that I'm
8:37just diving through I've got actually
8:39four new books that are just so amazing
8:43to me and they're all authored by
8:47scientists and nature and one of the
8:49things I cannot bring to you because
8:51it's just my dizzy nerdness uh but it's
8:54how the universe is so much bigger than
8:58anything they've ever thought before and
9:00we're just discovering this with the
9:03Advent of the James web is that it James
9:07web telescope the newest one that has
9:10gone out in the space that they they
9:12have absolutely realized that it's so
9:15much bigger and they can't comprehend
9:20the bigness of the universe because it
9:22breaks everything that physics has ever
9:25described to this point now I don't mean
9:28to blow your mind because gravity still
9:29works on us but I'm just telling you
9:32once you think uh it could have been
9:34what brother Foster preached Sunday uh
9:37but I I don't know where I got this it
9:39was sometime the last three days who
9:41knows brother Shawn might have said
9:43something in our office devotion that
9:44inspired me he does that once a month um
9:48but I something about the greatness of
9:51God is
9:53greater W pardon me while I have a till
9:57little spell it's greater than we've
10:01ever
10:02imagined we're not a part of some small
10:05thing we're not we're not a part of some
10:07little thing it's us on a Tuesday night
10:10I get that I understand that but you
10:12don't know the the the thread you're
10:15holding on to a crimson thread that
10:18starts all the way back in a garden came
10:21Eden and it's going to take us to the
10:23city of God I'm not trying to preach
10:26right now I'm just telling you that this
10:28thing is larger than we can comprehend
10:30and he said if you if you have that kind
10:33of faithfulness you'll be able to see to
10:35say to the most uh robust root system
10:38tree that existed in the Middle East
10:41you'll be able to say to that
10:43tree be thou removed go to the Sea and
10:48it should do
10:52it wo Glory I wish the weeds of the
10:56mother's Garden did that for me when I
10:58was growing up but it
11:02didn't but it was a call to action not
11:05to an attitude the disciples needed no
11:08more faith but a Continuum of action
11:12not surmising but stepping not a posture
11:15uh not just the posture of ownership but
11:18the stride of action not just saying
11:21this what I am no it's this is what I
11:24am you see the difference not here I
11:27stand no what what did the Lord say to
11:30Moses when Moses was stand still and see
11:34the salvation of God stand still but but
11:37but when that was said it was always in
11:40a forward leaning statement because he
11:43said what are you doing standing
11:46there
11:49raise oh man I wish I I don't need it
11:52right now nobody needs to go get it but
11:54I got that staff brother Harry scalon
11:55carved for me and I preached years ago
11:58about Moses leaning on his staff and the
12:00story of the staff Lord maybe I need to
12:03preach a message on the story of the
12:05staff but when God saw him standing
12:08still he said lift up the staff that is
12:11in thy hand he didn't ask him to think
12:14about that have a Karma moment I don't
12:17even know what karma is but have a
12:18moment of of spread no no you need to
12:22act you raise that staff and when he
12:25raised the
12:29staff now you guys can go
12:33action and so here we are at this story
12:38of the UN or the profitable I'd like to
12:41say the profitable servant this is the
12:43servant who does what he's commanded to
12:47do and uh this is something that is very
12:51very different in our modern
12:55day um Thomas Payne was a key figure in
13:01the revolution of this great nation that
13:04you and I call our home and in America
13:081775
13:11there was war declared in
13:141776 or Independence declared and so the
13:18British came and as I talked uh in the
13:21home team last or a couple weeks back
13:24that a stunning story about George
13:26Washington being a a forward-leaning
13:29technologist in his day not satisfied
13:32for the Fast Cash of a tobacco crop
13:35decided he would diversify how many
13:38remember this
13:39story okay I got okay I needed to be I
13:42needed more in here to remember that so
13:45y'all didn't go to home teams
13:48that okay all right I love you still I
13:52still love you uh but he he
13:57decided that he would not tax the soil
14:00by keeping the same crops in the soil
14:05this he he was given his parents uh Farm
14:09because his older brother died very
14:11young
14:11and so as a Young Man George Washington
14:13worked the fields of Virginia there at
14:15Mount Vernon but he was worried about
14:18the taxing of the soil and so uh he
14:21decided I'm going to diversify the crop
14:24but the British in 1775 and 76 knew that
14:28the majority of the farmers in America
14:32fell for the fast cash crop of tobacco
14:35we thought the Gold World wants to buy
14:37our tobacco and so all the fields were
14:40covered with toac Toco crops in the 13
14:43colonies of America and that's where
14:45Fast Cash because the old world liked it
14:48the Fast Cash came over but when the war
14:51happened Britain said ah we've got them
14:54logistically blocked because they fell
14:56for the fast
14:59cash so what we're going to do is go
15:02back and see how they can eat tobacco
15:05leaves we're going to march in and put a
15:08blockade on the food that we send over
15:10for them to eat eat and they'll no
15:12longer be able to stand up to the war
15:14very long at all because any war is w
15:17and this is what the Romans understood I
15:20hate to give you all a history lesson
15:22most of you all know this the Romans
15:24conquered the world because of their
15:25roads and their roads conquered the
15:28world because it wasn't a matter of
15:30building roads and everybody melting it
15:31was that they built the road to get the
15:33food to their army before they started
15:36fighting so they built the road where
15:38they were going to fight and when the
15:40road was built now they started fighting
15:43and an army runs on its
15:46belly runs on its food Wars are won
15:50because of logistics of the sea bees oh
15:53man I'm really showing my nerdiness
15:55right now but the SE bees won World War
15:58I and World War II for us these were our
16:01soldiers that went in with back hes and
16:03and and shovels and and got the food to
16:06the soldiers anyway I
16:09digress I got to get back on track uh
16:13but General was he was not General
16:15Washington George Washington decided
16:17that he was going to diversify his crops
16:19and so he began to grow wheat and corn
16:22and when the Romans I mean when the
16:24Britain turned on America to say oh yeah
16:27we're gonna pound you boys back down
16:28you're not all that to us that was when
16:32General Washington he wasn't General yet
16:33George Washington showed up and he said
16:36not only he showed up in his old uniform
16:39but he didn't just show up with a
16:40uniform form that's part of the story
16:42you know he also showed up with barns
16:45full of grain and the revolution Army
16:48was fed by the grain from George
16:51Washington's barns in that initial war
16:55of
16:571776 but in that story there was a time
17:00when the battle was getting tough and
17:02the winter of
17:041776 was
17:07extraordinarily terrible it was frigid
17:10it was cold it was rugged and there were
17:13many soldiers who in that the fall and
17:16the winter of 1776 that were abandoning
17:19running way the Brit Brits had come and
17:22had taken full control of New York City
17:25they had driven uh General Washington
17:28and his soldiers across from Long Island
17:31they had to get across and get out of
17:33the way there were several moments where
17:34it looked like they were going to lose
17:35the battle and so in December of
17:391776 Thomas Payne wrote what is known as
17:42the wartime
17:44writings I'm on this servant message
17:47okay may not sound like it but I want
17:49you to learn some things right now he
17:51wrote 13 papers known as the American
17:55crisis series and they were numbered
17:58pamphlets the first pamphlet was signed
18:01with a pseudonym and he signed most of
18:04his papers with this pseudonym instead
18:06of saying Thomas Payne he signed it
18:10common
18:16sense and here's what he said in
18:18pamphlet number one on December 23d
18:221776 it was so cold the soldiers did not
18:25have a lot of food they did not have
18:27very good equipment and the the Brits
18:30looked like the Red Coats looked like
18:31they were winning everything and so
18:33Thomas Payne and Jordan R George
18:35Washington had it set up that before the
18:37Battle of Trenton they would stand up
18:39and read aloud the writings of Thomas
18:42Payne and when he stood up and read them
18:45he said these it starts with these words
18:48these are the times that try men's
18:52Souls the summer Soldier and the
18:55sunsight shine Patriot will in this
18:59crisis shrink from the service of their
19:03country but he that stands by it now
19:07deserves the love and thanks of men
19:11and women and that beginning statement
19:17affected what is known as the 10 most
19:19critical days in the history of this
19:22country America those 10 days those men
19:26ran on the fuel of the challenge to not
19:29be a summer Soldier and a Sunshine
19:33Patriot and those words we may not
19:36understand in the year of
19:372025 but let me tell you what they mean
19:40it's easy to stand tall when the money's
19:44flowing and the Sunshine Of Summer is
19:47shining and everything's easy but it's a
19:49whole different animal when you stand on
19:52a principle that's bigger than your own
19:53comfort and this story that Jesus closes
19:58his story about faithfulness is not
20:01built for Sunday Morning Saints and for
20:04people who are just there for comfort
20:06and convenience and they're only living
20:09from the blessing of the Lord no it's
20:12for those who understand that Jesus said
20:14he that would follow me must deny
20:18himself take up his cross and follow me
20:22in other words following Jesus would be
20:25a matter of sacrifice and
20:28self-denial so in our text the Lord's
20:31words about the unprofitable servant
20:33really are a description of his
20:36disposition because he's describing a
20:39servant who did exact ly as he was
20:42commanded he just wanted his attitude to
20:45feel like I'm still giving I'm not
20:49almost at the end of my giving and
20:52that's the way you're going to make it
20:53when you serve the Lord if you give the
20:55Lord and you put God on a clock and you
20:58say Lord I'll give you till 5 to give me
21:00a word today you may walk away if you
21:03think you can put God on your pay scale
21:06and decide if I'm not making this much
21:08money until this day then I'm going to
21:10walk away way then goodbye see you later
21:13saara because you can't put God into
21:17your place of command he is Lord and we
21:21are his disciples we are his Apostles we
21:26are his people and only here in the
21:29Gospel of Luke does this story come
21:32forth as this and it reveals an
21:35intrinsic connection to faithfulness I
21:39understand it CH challenges our Western
21:41idealism and our feeling of self-
21:43autonomy and our sense of entitlement
21:46that comes from being an American but it
21:48will give you a
21:50transformative perspective on the cost
21:53of consecration which will free you up
21:57from the people pleasing kind of living
22:00that will always keep you in the halls
22:02of anxiety and the anxiety that's
22:05brought about of continually trying to
22:08please people will make you have a con
22:11need of validation that you'll never
22:14have fulfilled this is why Paul and
22:16Silas can say I'm still going to preach
22:18his name even though prison is ahead of
22:21me this is why philli can preach no
22:23matter what they say and they might
22:26Stone him while Saul is holding the
22:28garments but it's not about Comforts and
22:31entitlements and self appeasement it is
22:34a matter of knowing this cause is
22:37greater than I am and it's worthy of my
22:41whole life if it ends today or if I live
22:44until a wise old age I'm going to give
22:47what I have to God it is a
22:51clarifying description of order and
22:54place in the kingdom of God he was not
22:57speaking in this scripture to Disciples
23:00of Jesus here we see them referred to as
23:04Apostles of the Lord the most formal
23:08term to describe the followers of Jesus
23:11is used in this Greek moment and it's
23:14not just Disciples of Jesus it's
23:16Apostles of the Lord that mean that may
23:19say like sound like it's just word play
23:21right now but I'm not trying to show you
23:22word play I know to us that are here in
23:24the middle of the week disciple of Jesus
23:27is all we need to hear I love him like
23:30that but if you're really going to serve
23:32him you've got to move from just having
23:34a savior
23:41to having a
23:46lord he didn't just save
23:49me he's not just sweet to
23:52me he's
23:56my
23:58Lord and my
24:01God I'll
24:03go where you want me to go dear
24:07Lord or mountain or plain or sea
24:14I'll say what you want me to
24:17say dear
24:21Lord I'll be what you want
24:25me to
24:29be I have sung that song A Thousand
24:31altar
24:35Services I've sung songs of
24:38consecration I've sung songs that I'm
24:41not for
24:42sale that I'm
24:45his I'll trade Sunshine for
24:49rain comfort for
24:53pain that's what I'll be willing to
25:00do and whatever it
25:06takes for my will to break
25:12that's
25:22what brother Foster was here Sunday and
25:24I talked to him he was he was the youth
25:26president when I yielded myself to
25:31preach and I remember talking to him
25:33about that day he had no clue that it
25:35was Thursday of the day session of that
25:39camp of 19
25:431985 already accepted North Carolina
25:45State University very prestigious and it
25:47I knew it was prestigious I knew it was
25:49a big deal I knew among the brainiacs of
25:51my class I was one of the three I
25:55believe that made the engineering
25:57school it was big to you whatever but we
26:02all have big moments you know what I
26:04mean and I I was going to go and I was
26:07going to be a success and I was going to
26:09be a great Saint I was going to pay a
26:10lot of I was going to make a lot of
26:12money I was going to be one of the most
26:14generous givers to the
26:18church I'd never seen my dad walk into
26:20the blessing of ministry I have walked
26:23in so much more blessing than my dad had
26:26by the time I was 18 I had never seen it
26:28I had never seen it brother Foster knew
26:30about it because we laughed about it
26:32talking about those days you know he
26:34told the story about his trailer with
26:36bullet holes in it he he said remember
26:39how I Circle I thought
26:41you're telling me
26:44that so when I told the Lord after Keith
26:47Lane
26:51preached and I went to the left side of
26:53the platform and I bowed over I said
26:57Lord pardon me while I get emotional
27:00okay
27:03Lord it doesn't
27:05matter if I don't ever get much
27:10I will give myself to
27:17you I give myself
27:21away so you can use
27:25me give myself
27:30away so you you move him from
27:34savior to
27:38Lord whatever you say Lord
27:43wired to be an engineer I can't help
27:45it Daddy was an awesome engineer
27:49couldn't help
27:51it but I don't
27:53care because when I bowed to him and I
27:56said it again when I was praying here
27:57before
27:58church matters not what I could have
28:00been none of it would have been as good
28:04as what I
28:05am and I'm not the best I could be but
28:09I'm not the worst I have been but I'm on
28:12my way as a
28:15servant of Jesus
28:17Christ in a tough place that doesn't
28:21like the top torch of truth but I'm
28:24standing in the midst of a bunch of folk
28:26who have determined no matter what hell
28:28blows against you what hell lies to you
28:32you will not believe the lie and when
28:35bitterness walks up and bangs on your
28:38head you've decided I reject bitterness
28:42I reject the blows of hell some of you
28:45have had to go through several Church
28:47experiences because you wanted to stand
28:50in truth and churches stood and then
28:52they crumbled leaderships Rose and then
28:55they were brought down and yet here you
28:58are tonight still believing the same
29:01gospel message walking in separation
29:03from the world singing the songs of the
29:06of the redeemed why not because you just
29:09needed a savior but because you crown
29:12him
29:14[Music]
29:14[Applause]
29:18Lord Jesus offers this stunning
29:22Parable and it it it defines the precise
29:25nature of a relationship with the Lord
29:27he he asked two poignant questions two
29:31questions he said first of all which of
29:33you having a
29:35servant um plowing a field or feeding
29:39cattle if you say unto him by and by
29:43when he comes in from the field come on
29:45and eat with
29:46me now it's Americans we might think
29:49that way that's Western boy he's been
29:51working all day for me come on let's eat
29:54but that's not what servants do because
29:56what he was saying is the obvious answer
29:59rhetorically is I trow not which is King
30:04James in means of course not that's not
30:09what servants do who
30:12servants serve you serve all day and you
30:16serve after dark and you serve until the
30:20master is
30:22through and then stunningly these are
30:25words of Jesus so for all of those who
30:27just believe the red words I'm glad
30:30you're listening to me
30:32now he asked a second question he said
30:36if you are the
30:37one come in
30:40he thank that servant because he did the
30:44things that he was commanded to do now
30:47in our
30:49Western mindset we say oh man you've
30:53gone the extra mile and fed
30:57me for all of you that believe the words
30:59of Jesus that's not what you're supposed
31:02to
31:03say for all of you red people Red Letter
31:06People you're not even supposed to say
31:09thank you to the servant who does what
31:12he does now I know I'm punching the bear
31:15but I'm making a very big point isn't it
31:17interesting how people conveniently
31:19choose what they want to believe and
31:20then obviously Overlook other words that
31:22Jesus did speak as
31:24well and this is why Thomas Payne stands
31:27up and said I know that summer soldiers
31:30and sunshine Patriots might melt at this
31:33moment but when you realize the cause is
31:36bigger than you come
31:38cold come high water or H double hockey
31:43sticks you stand up and fight and serve
31:47and give and go and love in the middle
31:51of a crowd or in the middle of being all
31:54by yourself because the cause is bigger
31:57than you the point is is the absolute
32:01superiority of the master of whom the
32:04servant says I'll go where you want me
32:06to go I'll do what you want me to do and
32:09I won't do it sitting around seeing if
32:11I'm going to get a trophy or a
32:13participation
32:14ribbon if the master commands the
32:17servant just does it since he knows that
32:19that is the only proper disposition a
32:21servant can assume before his master
32:24it's a simply absurd to for for the
32:28servant to act like he deserves a thank
32:31you that's
32:34absurd and so he gives this and the
32:37point cannot be clearer you disciples
32:39and he talking to his disciples remember
32:41that he's not talking to the little ones
32:43he has just told his disciples some
32:46very powerful
32:49commands you don't hurt the little
32:53ones you forgive one
32:55another even if they sin against you
32:58seven times in the same
33:00day three critical words some people
33:03won't remember is in the
33:05scripture if they repent remember that
33:10there's some people that demand you
33:11forgive them and they've never repented
33:13so I'm G to stay Bible I don't know
33:15about you I'm G to stay in the Bible but
33:18I'm not going to let their brazenness
33:21make me bitter I'm just going to walk
33:24on I don't demand a repent repentance no
33:27but the Bible says if they repent it's
33:29talking about to
33:30you if they repent to you then you have
33:33to forgive them seven times in the same
33:34day if they do the same
33:36thing and then it cannot be stated
33:39better than Jesus stated it or clearer
33:42he said these words so also you when you
33:45have done all that is commanded to you
33:49that is when you have practiced
33:51forgiveness just as I had commanded you
33:54say these
33:56words we are unworthy
33:58servants we have only done what is our
34:06duty listen I need to repent right now
34:11because those words convict
34:14me how often do
34:19us I don't want to include you in this
34:23so often do
34:24I look for some sort of
34:29recognition of cognizance of my
34:32consecration of somebody noticing that
34:35I'm being real and yet the Lord said no
34:41no you're
34:42mine that's just who you
34:45are it's just what you do I don't need
34:50extra attention because I've shown up I
34:54don't need an extra handshake because I
34:56did what was supposed to be done now I
34:58know we're American and I got to work
35:00with the police that I planted but this
35:03is biblical and this is the aspiration
35:06of every child of God we need to be
35:08striving to get to the this place where
35:11we can say Lord whether I get recognized
35:13or not whether I am seen or I feel like
35:17no one sees me I know what is the
35:19righteous servant of Jesus Christ thing
35:23to do and so I'm going to do it today
35:26and I'm going to do it tomorrow and it
35:28doesn't matter what happens on the next
35:30day I'm going to do it on the next day
35:32until he comes I'm going to do
35:35it faithfulness is costly sister Elms
35:38come past selfishness even
35:42self-interest the cause is
35:44greater than my comfort I don't want to
35:48gravel for Applause I don't want to
35:51whine for attention my duty According To
35:54Jesus very raw and unvarnished is the
35:57fire that is supposed to be in my bones
36:00I do it because he's
36:03Lord so Easter season's coming and we're
36:06going to sing he is Lord he is Lord of
36:10100 times and I say that figuratively or
36:12y'all would leave the church if we sing
36:14it that
36:15much but when you say
36:17it I hope your mind will float back to
36:20this night and say
36:23Lord I'm not a sunshine Soul a summer
36:26Soldier or a Sunshine
36:28Patriot I'm not just here to see the
36:31pluses in my bank
36:33account I'm not giving that I might keep
36:38score I'm doing because you gave me
36:40strength to work and so 10% of my
36:43increase goes to you and I'm going to
36:47give offerings on top of that
36:50because you are Lord not because I like
36:54Pastor not because I believe in the
36:56vision of the church but because you
36:59told me I've got to give it to the
37:02storehouse you're lord it's not my
37:05convenience it's not my negotiation with
37:08my budget
37:11Lord you're not just my savior I'm not a
37:14summer Soldier I'm not a Sunshine
37:18Patriot I am
37:20here until you're finished with
37:24me so we have had to grit the plow all
37:28day and then come in and prepare the
37:31porridge all
37:33night I don't need the master to say
37:36thank
37:37you my strength is in doing the will of
37:40God knowing I have answered the call of
37:45the king the Jesus Built
37:49church is forged for more than
37:53codling we're built to serve to sweat to
37:58give not because we're slaves driven by
38:01a whip but because we're servants bound
38:05to a Lord and when you see it like that
38:09it flips the measurements of the world
38:12upside down it's
38:15transformative and when the world sees
38:17you give and go and love and forgive and
38:22reach and teach Bible study after Bible
38:24study during lunch breaks and see why
38:28does she still do it when the last one
38:30that did it turned on her a week later
38:32when the last one that did it to him is
38:35gone after six months why do they still
38:37do it because we we're not doing it for
38:41the response of the
38:44crowd the week my dad
38:47died I was trying to I didn't I didn't
38:51think he was going to die obviously I
38:52mean there were signs he was losing
38:56weight but you know I
38:59I applied for my dad to be put in the
39:01order of the faith and I've yet to
39:04receive confirmation but I've got subtle
39:06confirmation that he made it and I was
39:09able to share that with him which
39:10ordered the faith it's like the Hall of
39:12Fame for the United Pentecostal Church
39:13International and so it it it's hard to
39:16get in they only allow two living and I
39:19think five dead every year to get in
39:22this order of the faith and so uh it was
39:26going to be hard anyway because they
39:27don't allow a lot of the living to get
39:29in and uh from what I understand my dad
39:32made it on first
39:34B it's just I mean you all always
39:37treated my daddy like you was great
39:40thank
39:43you because he
39:48was and when brother Hil comes thank you
39:51for SP teaching treating him like he's
39:53great because he
39:57is but the week my daddy ultimately died
40:01I was telling him dad
40:03listen I'm Gonna Get You General
40:06Conference and you don't have to go to
40:08the whole thing all I need to do is will
40:10you in on Monday night because it's
40:11Monday night before that they have the
40:13banquet for the Hall of Fame and it's a
40:17banquet that you always can go to once
40:19you're in you know how hall of fames are
40:21over
40:23whatever uh I said so let's make it to
40:29the end of
40:30September and I'll get you there no
40:33matter what I have to do we'll get you
40:36there as long as it's something that you
40:37want to do and then we'll leave after
40:40that take a slow trip home and we might
40:44stop in I think general conference is in
40:47St Louis and I I told him we might can
40:50go down by he loved Branson we might can
40:53go to Branson eat it the home of the
40:56throw roll or
40:58something I said but I want you to see
41:03that day so let's get to
41:05that and I guess he was preparing us
41:08even then he said David
41:12all I want to
41:13hear is well
41:15done th good and faithful
41:19sir you have been Faithful over few
41:22things I will make you
41:24ruler over
41:27many so when the day
41:30done when the fields
41:33plow when the supper
41:36served when the Lord has left the room
41:41we still
41:42kneel not in
41:44shame but in
41:46awe and we say oh
41:49Lord I've only done my
41:54duty shall We
42:00Stand keep loving the
42:03Lost keep reaching the
42:06broken keep being kind to your neighbor
42:11the one that you had to scold for
42:12letting their
42:15dog on your
42:18yard waved to him the next time I did it
42:21just this past week I'm not a good man
42:24though the one I had to scold for his
42:27dog on my yard I waved at him as he was
42:30parking in front of
42:34me you think I wanted
42:37to no I want wanted to
42:44say every one of you have a thousand of
42:48these same things happen to you every
42:50day we are not in the show business
42:53folks we're not to come on Sunday and
42:56see how good the singing is and how good
42:58the preaching is and go home and think
43:00I'm a part of a good
43:02church be so proud of your church that
43:05you get people to your church if you're
43:07only bringing them to the show then
43:08nobody is going to get the Holy Ghost
43:10because they're just coming to a show
43:13you got to let them know why they're a
43:15soul and why the church is necessary
43:18because they're going to spend forever
43:20somewhere and that's that Bible plowing
43:23in the day and feeding them after dark
43:27and loving them because we're in the
43:29soul
43:32business don't want to h a little
43:34one want to always forgive those who
43:37seek repentance no matter how many times
43:40want to know that I've got enough Faith
43:43to do what he commanded me I want to
43:46remember I'm transformed by
43:49realizing
43:52he
43:54is
43:58Lord I'm open this Altar for a little
44:01concluding time and season in the
44:03presence of the Lord let's just let our
44:06spirit soak in some consecration for a
44:09few
44:11moments just for a few moments let our
44:14spirit
44:15soak in some
44:18recommitment let our Spirits soak in the
44:22realization of his
44:24goodness his grace
44:27[Music]