Called to Be Saints

well good to be in his house today among faithful saints of God so glad that you are here today for this Bible class and Morning worship time and good to have guests with us. We welcome you. Just invite you to join in worship with us. And we're going to look to the word of the Lord this morning. I've got a very short text.

I'm going to read one verse. So it's a little different what I usually will do. Romans chapter 1. I'm going to read verse 7. It says this.

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm going to lift those four words out of the middle of that verse. And that's going to be the title of this lesson today. And that is called to be saints.

Called to be saints. Today we're going to wrap up our study of what I termed minor characters from the book of Acts. And that means everybody except Peter and Paul who get all the the ink, if you will. And we've looked at lives of the ministries of Stephen. We looked at Barnabas.

We've looked at Cornelius, Luke, Quill, and Priscilla, Apollos, Timothy. Dr. Carden taught a lesson on Felix and Fesus and King Agria, the response to the gospel message. And we've looked largely at those stories where the narrative of Acts provide us with a little bit of detail, maybe not a whole lot, but where we were able to glean a little bit about their ministries and what they did, where they went, the things that they were involved in. and we got what we could out of each of those.

However, when reading through Acts, you can come across a lot of other names. In fact, I found going through it myself just looking 33 additional people in Acts alone who ministered in the early church. They're just mentioned in in passing. Uh they're miss me mentioned in lists of people. And then uh looking even further, I went through Paul's epistles which would have covered the same time period and the same places that Acts talks about where he write to the churches that he'd been to or wanted to visit.

I found 28 more that aren't mentioned in Acts in the book of Romans chapter 16. And I found 20 other 29 more unique references in the remaining of his letters. So all in all, that's 90 people that are listed by name in the book of Acts and in Paul's epistles. So I think the point for us in today's lesson is God's church is bigger than just a select few. Amen.

It takes everyone working together to build the kingdom of God. And those listed in Acts and the epistles were people that Paul sent to establish churches. They were women who opened their homes to house a a church there in their own house. There were companions who traveled with Paul on his missionary journey, no doubt attending to his needs and helping out with with the mission. They were men who actually wrote down the epistles that Paul would give as he would dictate them to him.

They were people who visited him in prison and sometimes spent the time in prison with them. And they were those who supported them with their sustenance. The truth is that Paul could not have been nearly the minister he was without a huge network of what he would call fellow laborers who accompanied him everywhere he went. And God has called each of us into his service in his kingdom. While few will be a Paul, for every Paul, if we take this as an example, there are 90 others working behind the scenes to achieve what Paul did.

There's there's a passage we read when we studied we read it when we studied the ministry of Barnabas in Acts chapter 13 verses 1 and two that says this. Now there were in the church that was Antioch certain prophets and teachers and as they ministered to the Lord and fasted the Holy Ghost said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work when wherein I have called them. I think two words jumped out to me as relevant for this this lesson. The first is separate. separate unto me.

Separate me Barnabas and Saul. The Greek word there is defined is to mark off from others by boundary. In other words, remove them from this group and put them over here. Put a separation. I've got a purpose, a calling for them to appoint or to set apart for a particular purpose.

I'm going to set them apart for the work of the gospel, for the ministry of missionary journey. The second word is called, which literally means to call to oneself. Not just a call out in general, but a call that says come unto me. A call that says I'm calling you. It's kind of like going like this, you know, or as they do in some countries like this, just come here.

I want to talk to you. That that kind of a calling. the Greek words there when we look at that God's calling go calling specifically to Barnabas and Saul was first off a personal calling to God and his work come here I want you to do a job for me but inherent in that calling was a separation and that separation is one that we have as from the world to the work of God and like manner we too are called and separated God has separated us from the things of this world and he has called us for a purpose.

Peter would say it this way in 1 Peter 2:9. You are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. God has called us out of darkness of this world. He has placed us into the kingdom of light. So we see both this calling and this separation in this act of God's calling us. Paul uses similar words when speaking of that in Colossians 1:12 and13.

He said, "I'm giving thanks unto God the Father, which hath made us meet or enabled us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. He hath delivered us from the power of darkness. and he has translated separated if you will moved us from one place to another into the kingdom of his dear son. So we see there again these metaphors of darkness and light of of leaving the world and coming to the things of God and he has called us and then Paul uses another word and that is saints delivered us made us partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

The Bible uses the term in our King James version, the word translated saints in both the Old and New Testament. There are two words in Hebrew that are translated saints. One is the word which often means holy. In fact, it it's the same root word is holy. When it says God is holy, when it talks about a saint, it talks about one who is holy. But the unique thing about that word holy, it implies a separation. God is set apart from sinful man. He is set apart from the corruption of the world.

He is set apart from those things. And so he is holy. But he has also called us to be separate. And so he calls us holy. That holy is that separation. And so yes, that that is one of the terms for saint. The second word that is often used uh in the Hebrew at least for saint is translated saint literally means faithful ones those who are faithful. I think those go hand in hand. God has called us to be set apart but he has also called us to be faithful.

In the New Testament the word's meaning is holy just as it is uh in part of the Hebrew. It is the word for holiness or separated to God's service. It's interesting that religion um has often reserved the term saint for those that lived, died, maybe lived a what they consider a good life and they look back and say, you know, we're going to elevate this person to a person as a saint and from now on we will call them saint whoever. But that's not the biblical idea or the scriptural definition of saint.

Because in both Old Testament and New Testament, when it talked about the saints, it was not talking about those that had gone on to a reward, it was talking about those living in this life that were living a separated life and a faithful life unto the Lord. So the scripture calls those who are serving the Lord in holiness and separatist and faithfulness saints. So, in this lesson, we're going to look at these people that were called to be a part of the body of believers. As saints, we can be certain that God loves us.

Aren't you thankful of that? But not only that, but we are to love him and one another. And anything short of that relationship falls short of this idea of saints. Saints are called to serve. Called for what? To serve one another as fellow members of the body of Christ. And as example of this, we will see how these players in the early church helped many others and in turn were helped by fellow believers. And all of that together should remind us we are laborers together with God.

This call to ministry, this call to saintthood, if you will, is for every believer regardless of your ministry in the church. Whether it's pastoral lay ministry, whether it's any other kind of thing, it is a ministry that we are called to. The case of many of these that we will look at, their ministry in the body of Christ supported the ministry of Paul. But the ministry of each was important to the progress of the church. You know, some people feel that ministry is just wrongly reserved to those who are in the pulpit or a pastoral ministry.

But we're going to see in this lesson that there is a need for every member within the church, whether in a prominent role or a supportive role or whatever role they are in. And so they are important to this. Now, I'm not going to look to Acts today because we'd be flipping all over. But if you do have a Bible, turn to Romans chapter 16 because we're going to look at some of these that Paul lists. We already mentioned there there are some there's actually, I believe, 35 people listed in this chapter.

Um, some of them were listed in Acts already, but most of them have not been. And so, we're going to look at these people. And as we look through that, I think we'll see the rewards of saintthood. What it means to be a saint of God. Paul greets the church, as we read in our text, to all in Rome, beloved, called to be saints, called to be holy, called to be separation. The call to be a faithful saint is to all believers. Regardless of your particular ministry, regardless of what you do in the church, to pastors, Sunday school teachers, bus drivers, maintenance staff, administrators, we are all called to be saints.

And it is a call that offers us really, it's a challenge enough to keep us busy for the rest of our lives, right? Till Jesus comes again. This calling allows us, yes, to fulfill our responsibility of a child of God working in his kingdom. And as believers, there will never be a greater challenge than being faithful and continue to serve God. Whatever office, whatever work, whatever ministry we're called to perform, we understand that we are the body of Christ. Paul would write in 1 Corinthians 12, he said, "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we're Jews, Gentiles, bond, free, we've all been made to drink into one spirit." So when God puts his spirit in our life, he separates us to his work.

He separates us to that calling. Being baptized into the church makes us not only washes our sins away, but it makes us a member of this church that is open to all people. We are members of God's body. We're members of that church. All other clubs and associations, institutions, they come and go. But God's church, Jesus said, I will build this church on this rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. There is nothing like this church. And the God who loved the world doesn't find it difficult to love you and I.

I think that's hard sometimes for people to understand. But he gave his life for the lost and the saved. Those of us that have accepted that salvation that he has offered, that have taken on his name in baptism, that have repented of our sins and that walk in the power of the spirit. We enjoy the benefit of his love for us. And so Paul writes in Romans 16:8, it's just a very short verse, but he said, "Greet Amplas, my beloved in the Lord." Now, who is Amplus?

I don't know. There is nothing else in the Bible that talks about him. I don't think there's anything in history, and if you look through ancient history and try to find his name, you will find anything. But here's what we know. He was a Christian in the TR church in Rome. And because Paul referred to him as my beloved in the Lord, evidently we understand that Paul knew this man and there was there was a kindred spirit and a love for him. And we know of course that God loved him.

Beyond this information, we don't know a whole lot anything else about this member of the church. But here's the thing. There are many members of our local churches, good people that are faithful in their attendance and their finances in their living for God and those kind of things. But possibly like Amplus, they'll never do anything that says here's what they did or here's where they went. But they're beloved. Don't ever feel like, well, I'm just invaluable. I'm not or not valuable that I'm useless. You are part of the body of Christ and members of his body.

Members in particular, their local assembly. Jesus loved th those believers and so should each and every one of us. So should each and every one of us. Paul wrote this to the Ephesians. He said, "Be ye kind one to another. Be tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sakes forgiven you." Jesus said it this way in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." So, we've got Jesus saying it.

We've got Paul saying it. And Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:22, "Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit, you've separated yourself from the world." You, that's that separation, that calling through the spirit and obeying the truth, that unfeign love of the unto. Here's what you've done it to, unto unfeign love of the brethren. Isn't that interesting? He said, you purify your souls. You're obeying the truth for this reason, for an unfeign love of the brethren. Unto that, for that purpose.

See that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently. It's not difficult to conclude that the churches are comprised of believers who love their fellow believers throughout the church. It's only natural for for what what would a church be without faithful members? From the pastor to the greeters at the front door to the person that mows the lawn, whatever it is, a church without saints would be like a store without customers. Saints are the separated ones, separated world unto God to be the body of Christ, to love one another.

Church members naturally should love and will love their fellow believers. In fact, it says, "How can you love the Lord whom you have not seen if you can't love your brother whom you have seen?" This normal and natural characteristic of brotherly love reflects the Lord's command that Pastor Brad has said many times. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Sometimes we just need to work on that one because when our love is as it should be vertically toward God, it will be what it should be horizontally to our fellow believers.

And if it isn't, then we need to check this relationship out because it's right, this one will be right. He goes on to say in another, he begins to talk about those saints who are called to serve. Now serving we understand that one of the duties one of the responsibilities of a saint is to serve others. In fact Jesus said it this way whosoever this is Matthew 20:26-28 whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister. Doesn't mean you're a preacher means your servant.

Whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant. Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus understood his position wasn't to exalt himself and say you know what I am the master. You all just cater to my every need. He said no I came to minister not to be ministered unto. Sometimes when we get so wrapped up in ourselves well minister unto me. Somebody help me out here.

But the recall is for us to minister to others. Paul said it this way. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But here's what he did. He made himself of no reputation. He took upon him the form of a servant and was made in likeness of men. Paul said, "Let that same mind be in you. Have that same kind of attitude." If Jesus took upon himself the form of a servant and if we're to be like him, then it stands to reason that as saints, we're called to serve.

We're not called just to come to church and get a blessing and go home. We're called to serve. You know, Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Bible says. And as King of Kings, he could have come to the earth as a king and say, "You know what? I'm going to reign on my throne and that will happen at a certain time in history." But right now he didn't come and say you know what treat me for who am I am. He is going to be the one all judgment is given to him.

And he could have come condemning sinners but instead he chose to suffer the blame for their sins. He lived in the could have lived in the highest estate but he chose the lower. He knew he alone could pay the price for our sins and so he took the path of a servant. Matthew 20:28 the son of man came not to minister but to minister unto. And then he added in 2311, he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And so Paul in his list in Romans 16 contains a list of servants.

Beginning in verse one, he said, I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church within centuria. She is a servant that you receive her and the Lord has becometh saints and that you assist her in whatever business she hath need of for you for she hath been a securer of many and of myself also. She came as a servant one to help. Now that's an interesting word to securer. It's a key word there in Romans 16. It simply means to set over or to protect.

She was someone that was set over or there to help and to advocate for other people. Perhaps it uh is when others would come help others that we come closest to filling Christ's intentions for us. He became a servant. We must be willing and ready to serve. Phoebe was a servant to the church. The word choice as we said there is interesting. The the Jews use this term translated secur to describe a wealthy patronist patron or patronist of the community. someone that had had resources and and was wellconed, if you will, in the community that they lived in.

To the Greeks, it would also include the idea of helping with the affairs of others. So, an overseer or someone that could could step in and help when you needed to go to someone to get help for a situation. All we know for sure is that she served, that she helped others. She was a securer of many. And then Paul specifically mentioned that he had she had been not only a securer of many but of myself also. Now I don't know how the Bible doesn't go into any details other than Paul mentions it.

Maybe her wealth or her influence helped Paul through difficult times. Maybe there were times that you know she had to appear with him when he was being uh before a judge or before something. Maybe there were times when he just needed a little financials. We don't know. But whatever her capacity of servant according to scripture, she was willing to help. And as Paul helped, as Phoebe had helped many and helped Paul himself, Paul asked the church of Rome. He said, "Then why don't you help her in whatever she needs?" The biblical text doesn't get hint to what her need for assistance may have involved.

But whatever it was, Paul believed her contributions to the work of the Lord servant to the Lord's service merited reciprocity. And so in in like manner he writes in Romans 16 this verse he says this salute urbane our fellow helper in Christ. So he is looking at those who help. Helper here means literally a fellow worker someone who works alongside to help another person. I don't know how Urbane helped Paul. The Bible does not say we do not know. But the important thing is to understand that Paul needed the help of others.

He needed someone to step in beside and work to him. The Bible said this way, "We are laborers together with God." You are God's husbandry. You are God's building. Not only are we laborers together with God, but we're a team working together. Anyone who feels, well, I'm the only one in the vineyard. I'm the only one doing the work, fails to understand the body of Christ. Reminded of Elijah hid in a ca in a cave. Lord, I' I've been very zealous for you. I've done a great job.

I you know we we just saw fire fall down from heaven. Just saw the sacrifice being burned up. We saw the slaying of prophets of Baal and prophets of Asharoth. All those things has happened and now I'm hiding and I'm running from Jezebel and it's I I'm the only one. God, I'm the only one working for you. God said, Elisha, get up. I got 7,000 other people you don't even know about that are zealous for the Lord working for me. If you feel like you're the only one, no.

get connected with the body of Christ. Then he goes on talks to a couple about a couple more. Salute Triphenia and this is verse 12 and Trifosa who labor in the Lord. Salute above beloved Periscus which labored much in the Lord. It's interesting he talks about these that labored and labored much. I will point out that working for God at times is difficult because the word labor here does not just mean work. It means to grow weary and to grow tired and to grow exhausted with toil or burdens or grief.

They didn't have an easy way. I don't know what they did working for the Lord. Now they were from Rome. There was at times persecution in Rome. I don't know what all they went through. But he said they labored. They labored. There was grief. There was things that happened. And these three went went to the extremes maybe of their physical strength for the cause of the kingdom of God. Maybe grief and sorrows and other things, but there were still there for the kingdom of God. Maybe their mantra was Galatians 6:9.

Let us not be weary in welloing for in due season we'll reap if we faint not. Don't give up, child of God. Yes, sometimes the work grows difficult. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes it is stressful. Sometimes we look at it and we say, "What is going on?" And I feel like I'm labored. I'm weary. I'm tired, exhausted. I'm overcome with burdens and grief and all these things trying to live for God and going through this life living for God. But there is a reward for our efforts here.

Aren't you thankful to know that? Amen. Don't grow weary in welloing. Keep living faithful to God. that called that called and separated and faithful unto God. Paul also cited Priscilla and Aquilla in this particular passage. He called them in verse three. They were my helpers in Christ. He knew this couple um Acts 1:18. He had lived there and worked with them in Corinth while they were tent makers and he joined them and and they helped establish the church there in Corinth. We talked about them in one of our lessons.

But how wonderful it is to walk work with people who have this kind of a long-term relationship. And Paul could look back writing to Rome, thankful for Priscilla and Aquilla that were there to help me. Saints, as saints, we mentioned and we've mentioned several times, but they are called to be faithful. And I look over this congregation, I see people that have been faithful for many, many years. As long as I've been here at APC, some of you have been here and that's o over 35 years now.

You've been faithful to the things of God. You've been there faithful. And Paul writes to them. He said in verse 15, "Likewise, greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved." Going to pronounce it wrong. Epatus. Eponyus. Epanetus who is the first fruits he said of Aaya unto Christ. He is the first fruits. In other words, he was one of the first ones when Paul went there and ministered the gospel. He was one of the very first that received the Holy Ghost. So one of the first, no doubt that that was baptized and became a Christian in Aaya.

And telling the church at Rome to salute him indicated he was still serving the Lord that he had not given up. He was still faithful. And Paul was rejoicing over the faithfulness of this man. Faithfulness sometimes is the most challenging requirement of a Christian. If we can be faithful to the Lord, one of these days we will hear the words, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant." Faithful means consistency. And consistency means a person continuing in spite of ups and downs of things. We're not called to be perfect, but we are called to be faithful.

Yes, I know we are to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect and we are striving to that goal. But it is only through faithfulness that that happens. Yes, we may get knocked down. We may fall. We may make mistakes. But faithfulness says, you know what? I'm going to get back up and I'm going to serve God the way I need to be. He said, "Solute Adronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, my fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles who were also in Christ before me." Couple more people being in church before Paul even was.

And this emphasizes the faithfulness of these disciples. Paul didn't overlook ones who had come into the church and who remained faithful for a long time. Bible class, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your faithfulness. You've served God, I know for a long time, and you're still serving him. Now, longevity is not the equivalent of salvation, but it is a necessary ingredient, isn't it? Of faithfulness, staying in truth without losing your relationship with the Lord is tantamount to salvation. It's not the one who begins the race.

It's not the one that that comes in all excited and begins living for God and then a month later is gone. It is not the one that will receive the war. The reward is he that finishes this race. Paul said, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all." When the gun goes off and you're at the starting blocks, everybody's running. There's only one going to cross the finish line. The faithful one receives the price. So run that you may obtain. Don't stop now, child of God.

Elder, don't give up now. Don't quit now. New convert, don't stop. Yes, it's a long race ahead of you, but keep running. Keep establish it right now. I am going to be faithful to God and the things of God. I am going to set my face, as we talked about that Jesus did, as a flint. I'm gonna have that single eye. I'm going to look ahead and say, I am gonna make heaven my home. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 7:17. He said, "But as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called everyone, so let him walk." As however God has called you the gifts that God has given you, walk in those things.

Walk in those truths. walk in those gifts. Use them faithfully. I think one of the one of the enemies of faithfulness is restlessness. When you're restless, you tend to get discontinued. When things happen, you know, we've been doing this same thing for 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, whatever. I've been doing this. And if we're not careful, that discontentment will lead to unfaithfulness. We need to learn to be content wherever we find ourselves in the work of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 9:10 verse very familiar. Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with thy might.

That can apply to a lot of things, but it needs to apply to the kingdom of God. Whatever your hand finds to do in the kingdom of God. Well, it doesn't seem all that important. Well, it's just setting up chairs for some Christian education class. Well, it's just doing this. Well, it's just Do it with your might. Do it as unto the Lord and not unto men. Be faithful at it. Paul said, I don't speak in respect of want. Philippians 4:11. He said, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, I'm going to be content.

I may not have got this role or this position, and I may not have been asked to do this or to do that, but I'm going to be content where I'm at, and just continue to be faithful in that. and let God open the doors that he wants to open and shut the doors he wants to shut. Paul said, "I know how both to be a based. I know how to abound. So I I know when when I'm on top, I'm abounding and everything is going the way I was hoping it was and I know how to be a based.

Well, okay, I didn't get that role and I didn't get that job. That's fine. Everywhere in all things, I'm instructed to be both full and hungry, to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. He's talking about faithfulness. Continue child of God in your faithfulness. And then there are saints who are called to sacrifice. Greet Priscilla and Aquill. We already mentioned them. They were helpers. But he also went on to say this in in verses three and four. who have for my life laid down their own necks on whom not oh I only give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles.

They faced the threat of death. They faced a time where where they actually had to stand up for Paul. Now I'm not sure exactly where. I'm thinking it's probably Acts 18 when the Jews rose up against Paul and brought him uh before the council there before the the legislature there in that country and Priscilla and Aquill risked their lives for the Apostle Paul perhaps when they left Corenth with him to go to Syria decided you know it's getting too dangerous here and if we stick around and and things are really getting hot and we're going to have to leave for a while and so they risk their lives to help Paul get to Syria such sacrifice.

demonstrates the love that believers have for the Lord and one another. And as servants, we are called to serve, but also sometimes to sacrifice. Whatever form of sacrifice God may require, it is his call. It's his decision to make and not ours. He knows all the details and we need to trust him in that way. He said, "Solute Adronicus and Junia. We already mentioned them that because they were fellow helpers, but he also because of their longevity. But he also calls them fellow prisoners. We know that Paul was incarcerated at least three times, three or four times and apparently not always by himself.

He said that Adronicus and Junia at one point were prisoners with him. They were not only willing to serve the Lord with Paul, but evidently they were willing to serve time in jail with him. And finally, there are many other names that Paul mentions. He goes on, we won't read them all. Salute these people. Greet this one. Salute. Salute. He goes on and on. If you look through that chapter, as we said, like 35 names there. He says, "Solute them. Salute them. Salute Rufus. Salute Synus and Hermas and Hermes." And he just goes on and on.

Salute all these different ones without saying anything. There are those who labor in the kingdom of God whose works may never be known to men. And so Paul couldn't say salute salute nearest and his sister because they were fellow laborers or because they went to jail with me or because they suffered or they gave them. He couldn't say that but he said salute them. Greet them. There are many who labor. You may not know what they did or if they did anything that was spectacular. But in the sermon on the mount that we've been studying, Jesus spoke of the things that are done in secret that God will reward openly and there will come a day when all will be revealed.

I don't know what the rest of these people did. I don't know if there was anything in particular other than the fact that they were called and that they were faithful living for God. And so Paul says, "Solute them." But there will come a day, church, and maybe you feel like you're one of those. Well, I can't say that I labored here and I did this and I did that and I I gave to this need and I helped this way and I I was able to go with this one on this journey.

I was able to do this for this. And you may not be able to have that list, but you're faithfully living for God and you're faithfully spending the time with God and praying and those other kind of things and supporting his work. There will come a day that you will be rewarded. Paul writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3. He said, "We are laborers together with God. We're workers together, church. We need one another." He said, "You are God's husbandry. You are God's building." And he said, "According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, I was a master builder, and I laid the foundation, and another built thereon.

Others came in after I started this church and built on it and worked on it." Corinthians, but let every man take heed how you're going to build that on. First off, there's no other foundation, he said, except Jesus Christ. But here's the thing. If any man build on that foundation, so you're built on Jesus Christ, right? That's where you start in the apostles and his doctrine. He said, but what you put on that foundation is going to make a difference. If you add to it silver and precious stones and gold, if you know things things of value, in other words, or if you add onto that wood, hay, and stubble, or things that are useless, every man's work will be manifest or revealed for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire.

It's talking about a judgment. He said, "The fire will try your work, what sword it is. And if your man's work abide which you built, in other words, it's the things that aren't destroyed, it's the gold and the precious stones and the silver. If you built on it things of value for the kingdom of God, you will receive an award. But if reward, but if your work is burned up because you didn't do anything of value, you will suffer loss. He himself shall be saved yet so as by fire.

It's not difficult, I think, for us to think of rewards. We live in a rewards conscious society, don't we? Everybody wants to give you an app so you can get rewards wherever you shop, everything you do. We look forward to a reward on payday. Fact, we probably wouldn't work if it were no compensation. Expect to be paid, right? And although we should work to do the work of the Lord because of our love, I'm thankful we can look forward to a reward. The disciples looked at those that had come to see Jesus and a bunch of them left after Jesus got down to some really nitty-gritty teaching and they all walked away and the disciples looked Lord we've left everything.

Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, there's no man that left house and brother and sister, fathers, mother, wife, children, lands for my sake in the gospels, but shall receive a hundfold now in this time, houses and brother and sisters, mothers, children, lands with persecutions and in the world to come eternal life." He's saying there is a reward. Yes, some of it will come in this life and it may come with persecutions. It may come with trials, but in the world to come, there's a reward that is waiting for us.

Romans 16, Paul had compiled this list, 35 believers, and although they died 2,000 years ago, their names are still there. They continue to be recognized as worthy of reward. writer of Hebrews said it this way. Behold, we are compassed about with such a great cloud of witnesses, people that were faithful, people that were living to God. We can look at this congregation and even in the last 10 years, 20 years, and see seats that are now empty that people that went on to their reward, but they lived for God faithfully.

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. And there are witnesses here today that have lived for God for many years. And you continue to be faithful. You continually ser Don't give up. Don't ever stop. Because the one word reward that we're waiting for and that we will hear one of these days. Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord. Is that what you're waiting for? I am. One of these days it's going to happen. Amen. And I want to hear those words.

Let's stand. Why don't you just lift a hand and say, "Lord, help me to be that kind of servant." Lord, in your name, help us to be able to say, as Paul did at the end of, "I fought a good fight. I finished the course. I've kept faith. I've been faithful." And because of that, there is laid up a crown of righteousness which you will give us. Help us, God, to continue laboring, continue working in your kingdom, not to grow weary and welloing, Lord, but to persevere until the end, the day we see you in Jesus name.

In Jesus name. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Let's take a break, greet some another those that will be joining us, and look forward to what God's going to do in his morning worship service.