A Faithful Servant
June 12th 2011 PM
Graham Daly
A faithful servant will be rewarded when the LORD comes back (Matt 25:14-30)
I.
Introduction: The reward of a
faithful servant! (Matt 25:20-23)
a. Servants provided with talents (money) by their Lord
b. One servant receives 5 talents and increased the investment by another 5 talents
c. The second servant received 2 talents and increased the investment by another 2 talents.
d. The third servant received 1 talent and buried his talent
e. The Lord came back and judged the servants – The servants were held accountable for what they did with what their Lord had provided them with
f. Two servants were rewarded for their faithfulness
g. One servant was deemed wicked, lazy and unprofitable
h. Two servants are going to end up in heaven alongside their LORD
i. One servant is going to end up eternally separated from their LORD in the darkness of Hell
j. Which type of servant are you?
i. When our LORD Jesus comes back, will you be rewarded?
ii. What will you have done with all that God has given you?
iii. Will you hear praise coming from the Master’s mouth?
iv. Will you be found to be a faithful servant?
II.
Message:
(Genesis 22:1-18)
a.
A faithful servant is tested
(Genesis 22:1-2)
i. Tests and trials are needed to prove one’s faithfulness
ii. God placed this test before Abraham so that he could see how real Abraham’s faith really was – Where was his faith?
iii. God never wanted Isaac to die, but he did want to come first in Abraham’s heart and life
iv. God’s tests and trials in your life are to prove you, not to break you!
v. When God puts a trial in your life he is either trying to get you to focus on him more or he is trying to refine you – to make you better! (1 Peter 1:6-8)
vi.
Be thankful for the trials in
your life because they are worth more than gold that perishes (1 Peter 1:6-8)
b.
A faithful servant obeys
(Genesis 22:3)
i.
Abraham was a doer! (James
1:22)
1. Abraham did not question God’s commands
2. Abraham served God by doing what he was told
3. Christ’s true servants are doers! (Matthew 7:21)
4.
Promising to do something and
doing something are two different things!
ii.
Abraham obeyed God
1. Servants are not really serving if they do not obey
2. Soldiers in an army have to obey in order to serve (Matthew 8:9)
3. When you do not obey God you are not serving him
4.
Not doing something which you
are commanded to do, is the same as you doing something that you were commanded
not to do!
iii.
Isaac also obeyed
1. He obeyed his father Abraham
2.
Isaac obeyed God’s structure
for the home (Colossians 3:20) – “Children,
obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord”
iv.
Obedience requires total
submission
1. (Hebrews 13:17) – “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves…”
2. (James 4:7) – “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”
3. (1 Peter 2:13) – “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the LORD’s sake…”
4.
(1 Peter 5:5) – “Likewise,
ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder….”
v.
If you do not bring yourself under the
authority of God and submit yourself to him, you will never obey him and you
will never serve him!
c.
A faithful servant prepares
(Genesis 22:3, 5-6)
i.
Abraham gets ready to serve in
verse 3
1. Got out of bed early! – Can’t serve if staying in bed
2. Saddles his donkey – because he will have to travel
3. Grabs the wood - for the burnt offering
ii.
You will never be ready to
serve unless you prepare
1. You will never make it to church if you don’t plan to be there
2. You will never go soul winning with the church on Saturdays if you don’t make the time to do so
3. You will never share the Gospel with someone unless you learn the Gospel
4.
You will never know your bible
unless you study your bible
iii.
You will never be able to
serve God unless you are prepared and willing to serve him!
d.
A faithful servant trusts
(Genesis 22:7-8)
i. Isaac quizzed Abraham about the offering
ii. It is ok to question to God, but you need to trust that he will answer
iii. Salvation starts with trusting in God (Psalms 18:2)
iv.
Service to God is a fruit of
that trust (Matthew 7:15-20)
e.
A faithful servant waits
(Genesis 22:9-10)
i. Abraham waited for God
1. Abraham had bound Isaac on the alter and was ready to kill him
2. Abraham had the fire going and the alter of sacrifice was made
3. Abraham had the knife in his hand and was ready to kill Isaac
4.
Even up to this point, Abraham
was still faithful and waited on God to provide lamb for the burnt offering
ii.
Soldiers have to wait
1. During world war 2, the US Marine Forces had to wait for weeks, sometimes months in the sweaty, stinky and hot conditions of the Pacific Islands for orders to come to them
2.
The soldiers had to wait for
the war to end before they could go home
iii.
If you want to serve God
faithfully, there will be times that you need to wait on him to direct you
1. (Psalms 25:5) – “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day”
2. (Psalms 27:14) – “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD”
3.
(Psalms 37:34) – “Wait
on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when
the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it”
f.
A faithful servant is blessed
(Genesis 22:11-18)
i.
Abraham was blessed!
1. Abraham was willing to perform all that which his God required of him
2. Before Abraham could proceed with slaying Isaac, God intervened and stopped him
3. God was true to his word and provided a lamb for the burnt offering just as Abraham believed and trusted he would
4.
God rewarded and blessed
Abraham because when his LORD came, Abraham was found to be faithful
ii.
Blessings come after the
faithful service, not before!
1. Employees are rewarded wages after they have completed the job, not before
2. God blesses Christians after we tithe, not before
3.
God blesses the Soul Winner
after the gospel was spread, not before
III.
Conclusion:
Will you be a faithful servant?
(Matthew 24:42-51)
a. Jesus is coming back! – But we don’t know when!
b. Will you be the blessed servant who is found doing when Jesus comes?
c. Will you be the unprofitable servant who is cast aside by Jesus?
d.
Which type of servant are you?
i. When our LORD Jesus comes back, will you be rewarded?
ii. What will you have done with all that God has given you?
iii. Will you hear praise coming from the Master’s mouth?
iv. Will you be found to be a faithful servant?