Faithfulness vs. Performance

Dr. Michael you sent with the questioner to consider today. Every single one of us has been given spiritual and material assets. Everyone of us have been interested with the management of the spiritual and material assets. None of us can say well I really don't have anything to manage.

I don't have anything to invest. And so the question is how you invest large assets. How large. How faithful are you, how faithful, and stewardship of resources and gifts of God? Including the very breath that we take as a gift from God. Welcome to leading the way with pastor and author Dr. Michael you sent today appointed challenge that could change the direction of your life as you evaluate if you are merely fulfilling a duty with you being completely faithful in your relationship with Christ questions.

Dr. yourself not only challenges you to consider, but also himself in his own walk in his service to Christ. I hope that you're able to listen to this entire leading the way audio message is appropriately called faithfulness versus performance. But if you're not able to stay until the end to remember that you can learn ways to stream.

Dr. yourself messages@ltw.org.

We don't want you to miss a thing. You hear this right now. They listen along to Dr. Michael you sets challenging words. Jesus talked many times about the importance of faithfulness of diligence of hard work, faithfulness without resources prudent with our investments of life of life, not just money, faithful worship, faithful stewardship with all of our spiritual and material assets about moral and ethical lessons regarding hard work and diligence in faithfulness so you can begin preparing by turning to Matthew 25 versus 14 to 30.

In this parable Jesus teaches us that there are two kinds of people. There are those who are faithful and those who are not those who are diligent on hard workers and those who are not, and thus the faithful rewarded and the unfaithful will not. The other kind are not faithful basically. Jesus: lazy and they squander their stewardship and therefore the judge harshly.

Please listen carefully. This parable is going to challenge some of us I hope you're ready for the challenge, but also know by the same token is going to encourage many of you because I know many of you and I know how stressful your so you will be encouraged, but the main point is this single one of us has been given spiritual and material assets. Everyone of us have been entrusted with the management of the spiritual and material assets. None of us can say well I really don't have anything to manage.

I don't have anything to invest. And so the question is how do you invest your life's assets. How do you manage your life's assets. How faithful are you how faithful am I in our stewardship of the resources and gifts of God placed including the very breath that we take as a gift from God, and the fact is that everyone of us is responsible for the management of this asset. Spiritual and material that he placed in our hands. Everything in life is a stewardship everything in life has been given to us. We have nothing that has not been given to us everything in life has been entrusted for us to manage for the owner. Therefore, faithfulness in life begins with an attitude because you are and I are either faithful or we are not.

You cannot be half faithful anymore than a woman can be half pregnant.

It's an impossibility.

Either you are faithful or you're not. In fact, often those who are faithful in their walk with the Lord. There are faithful in every area of life.

Because faithfulness is an attitude. Faithfulness is a total job. Someone was that while I am faithful in church attendance. But if I'm honest with myself.

I'm really not faithful with my money. I'm not faithful with my employers hours and work hours and I'm not faithful here and I'm not faithful here know that it means you're not faithful, just means that you have developed the habit of church attendance. Are you with me.

You have to be faithful because faithfulness is a total job or you're not look at the words of Jesus with me for saying although assets may vary 52 and one stewardship size may vary, but in this parable. We see this example that either you're faithful or you're not the true stewards.

The first two have two different amounts.

The two different size, stewardship, and it doesn't matter. The third one was not faithful. It really makes no difference whether he had one perhaps five or had 100.

Faithfulness does not mean that I don't fumble and stumble and life on occasions.

Faithfulness does not mean that you do not get tired of the times are not able to do some things that you would like to do or you need a break. Faithfulness is not synonymous with performance faithfulness. I'm going to show you the difference because a lot of Christians and churches. They mix them up.

They think faithfulness and performance. One in the same vein, not exact our show you from this parable that the master is not checking on these three people every minute of every day or every week or every month or every year, but rather he waited till the very end because faithfulness is what attitude malice look closely to this parable again and see what Jesus is saying here is saying to all of the three servants had the right attitude toward faithfulness.

The third one did not and the one who had the wrong attitude about faithfulness lost everything that you get that lost everything our prayers to God that he will use this his own words his own parable. The challenge of some of us today, and indeed encourage many of you. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is been talking throughout the context of the chapter about the kingdom of heaven. What is the kingdom of heaven like he said is like a king or a wealthy personal powerful person who went away for a while. His absence from his kingdom and so he assigns the management responsibility to three different people notice they don't all have the same level of responsibility. They don't have equal amounts. They don't all have the exact thing the other one has no 1.51.2. 1.1. Though Mrs. don't miss this master does not tell them how to manage it. The master does not tell them when to manage it.

The master does not tell them where to invest it, but all that the master was looking for is one thing. How faithful were they. With what had given him. How thoughtful were they when what he handed to how diligent they were in investing what he gave to say to get faithfulness is not the same as performance, though lots of churches filled with people who are into performance but not faithfulness if you performance is trying to earn your way to heaven which you come up anyway. But faithfulness is how to use what you been given performance is trying to earn God's love what you cannot do. But faithfulness is recognizing that you are only a steward that you're only a manage yet another Mona performance is an outward expression. Faithfulness is an inner attitude performance is a competition, but faithfulness is a lifestyle. There are four things here. I want to share with you from this parable and they all begin with the letter, our responsibility, reaction, reckoning, and reward. I hope you are impressed. That's my performance. I was impressed with me. The responsibilities that each of us has the reaction that we exhibit toward that responsibility.

And thirdly, reckoning day, which we all will face and finally the reward that some was going to get first, the responsibility Jesus is trying to tell us that everyone of us, everyone of us have been given responsibilities we've been given spiritual assets. We been given material assets. We have been given time assets which we all get exactly the same amount. These acids vary from 12121. God is not a socialist. Did you get that he does not treat us all luck where cookie-cutter sorbent been met by cookie-cutter no, he knows you and me by name, by temperament. He knows everything about us, and he treats us individually as well as socialism is from the devil. I don't get political here, but I'm just gonna level with this. It is a fair God. God is a just God and God will not ask us to be responsible for that which he has not given us with these three servants were given three different majors, even the first two faithful ones were not given exactly the same amount. One was given five Miller was given to and they both doubled what they were given unanimous that master never asked the one who was given to widen your brain size.

That's not our God. That's not the way he will be with us now to some Christians who literally waste their lives thinking about what they don't have what they were not given what they should have received or why they not given what somebody else was given instead of being grateful to God faithful to God is giving you.

Secondly, the reaction that each of us will have to look up responsibility that were given the first two representatives, faithful believers, listen carefully, please those who are faithful know that faithfulness is not a drudgery but enjoy the light you see those who are faithful to them.

Faithfulness is not the UT. Also, I got a get it over and done with, but they can't wait to wake up in the morning and go to serve God, and whatever profession he gave them in order to glorify God and what they do those to whom faithfulness is not a chore or a burden but draw them a feeling of being honored and privileged. That is faithfulness. The first two immediately began thinking how to maximize the blessings that do given how to maximize what the stewardship that God gave the last one spent his time moaning and complaining, soaking and souring and criticizing like someone said those who busy pulling of yours have no time to rock the boat. As a member logs here, but the question is this what is your reaction to what God has placed in your hands is a joy and gratitude and thanksgiving or is it a disappointment and indifference is a delight and diligence. All deflection and disappointment. Please listen to me. Your reaction to your God-given responsibilities is an indication of the level of your faithfulness. If your erection is don't have many gifts I really don't have the right gift. I don't have any important gift at all. I don't have the gifts that so-and-so has been you will sit day after day like that third man in the parable making excuses as to why you cannot maximize your responsibilities.

The responsibilities we all have the reaction we exhibit toward that responsibility. And thirdly, the reckoning that we were all face every one of us.

Jesus does not tell us the link of the time in which the master was absent. He does not tell us how long it's been over how long has he entrusted those three people, so why not why Phyllis and I with his away 10 years, 20 years of failure. Why haven't elephant makes no difference what is important is that sooner or later the day of accountability the day of reckoning is coming to every one of us. One of us. When the master said to the first and the second service.

Well done good and faithful servants.

He was commending them, not for being faithful for a certain period of time where they labored hard more than other times he is not commending them for the times when there are more active than other times. None.

He was commending them for their attitude will faithfulness throughout life; how do you know that well. Glad you asked this verse 23, Matthew 25 make up the stuff he called them what good and faithful consider stewards with good and faithful. He said these are character traits for excellence.

This is the attitude of excellence and excellence of character and attitude is always expressed itself in service number is what I'm going to tell you the holy and righteous charge servants for the faithfulness that always gets to me. He does he opens my eyes to see that I'm a sinner and desperate for repentance.

He saves me he redeems me to give me responsibilities and stewardship to manage an enterprise is mind-boggling to me that we are humble is that we all stumble is that we are yet when we are faithful to exhibit the attitude of faithfulness praises.

Listen carefully, those who are into performance. Those who are into the praise of people doing things for people comprising those who are doing things is supposedly charitable for self aggrandizement. They like to be praised God the praise here for men. Then I got to get it in heaven when the master handed out these talents. He did not say to them here gonna enjoy it and spend it on yourself or you go go play it safe or here you go Don sit on it Nona.

He said you invested grow, multiply, but the something else I want to tell you about the third servant that I don't want you to miss. Please don't miss this this servant. The third one he does not represent to atheists or the agnostics of the reprobates, not on another notice. He recognized the Masters rightful ownership. Sometimes I hear a lot of sanctimonious people say brawl owns everything, but God gets very little of anything going on in general what you doing with guns on the go are you doing living forgot he did not waste his talent that was.

He was given on immoral lifestyle or even selfish pursuits. He didn't. He simply disregarded the stewardship that is been given to me on this one. This man represents the professing Christian this man represents those in the Christian community who may be members of a church or members of our denomination but they don't know Jesus on a intimate level. In reality they have never understood what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Not only that, this servant insulted his master. This servant misjudged his masters character and motive. This servant never knew the master on an intimate level. This servant thought that the master was unfair and unjust responsibilities. We all have the reaction we exhibit to this responsibilities the reckoning that we all will face forcefully. The reward like that off the river receive Jesus often taught that in the church. There are weeds and there are tens in the church. There are sheep and the goats because goats of the closest look-alike sheet city Slickers management can tell the difference were dark and there are true believers who are faithful stewards with everything God placed in their hands, and there are those who are not outwardly is difficult to tell the difference. Outwardly, it is difficult to tell them apart.

Outwardly, it is difficult to distinguish between them outwardly.

All look-alike outwardly came out behavior like outwardly, they appear to be alike, but his faithful stewards will be rewarded by God himself. The counterfeit the unfaithful will lose everything and suddenly one day they would hear those detestable words I never knew you depart from me, you will practice lawlessness, the faithful servants took what they were given and did all they could double their investments, but the unfaithful one did nothing nothing with just dug a hole wrapped it. It told you in the beginning God is not a socialist God is a God who sees to diverse secrets of our hearts knows of faithfulness and Jesus said he was faithful with little faithful much until people for not driving the dollar not going to tie the minute specials@I don't know where you are but I know that many of you are faithful.

Whatever you are as long as you have.

It's never too late to change his Florida.

I have been unfaithful with God's son today. Let that be your decision. What I want to all of the leading the way team praise that you will commit to the faithful servant of Jesus wherever you live, and wherever you have influence.

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