Your Serve!

[0:00] You have awesome superpowers, believe it or not.! And so do I.

[0:11] We need them. We need God's superpowers, as it were.! To live your life with a godly purpose, that's something special, isn't it?

[0:34] To live your life like that. I want to show you how to use your superpowers. I'm talking about you serving in how God has gifted you.

[0:48] What has God gifted you and how to serve? I'm talking about your serve. Now, I'm not a tennis coach here tonight, but I'd like to show you how you can strengthen your serve.

[1:00] Now, some tennis coaches work on the serve. Talking about your serve. Your serve. Your service. Your spiritual gifts. Your abilities and callings.

[1:12] How can you grow them and show them? How can you realise your God-given potential? What God has put in your hand to be, to do, for your life ahead. For your life in the now.

[1:25] Realise your untapped potential. It's a shame, I feel, that for many people, they don't realise their potential. It's untapped.

[1:35] It's like this huge hydro power of a waterfall that could be tapped into that's just not realised. It's like you hear about tidal wave energy.

[1:49] It's a massive resource of energy. I know where we live, there's wind power. And you wonder whether we could put a wind turbine up. Or you'd see people that live in the sunny parts of our nation that don't tap into the solar power that they could have.

[2:08] But more so for God's people, for you and me, we have an untapped power, an untapped potential at our call, the power of God.

[2:21] You have been given superpowers. But I think sometimes as Christians we don't really draw on God's power as we could. What a shame if we have superpowers that we do not put into action.

[2:36] What if we have God-given abilities that we haven't even unpacked yet? Those gifts are still wrapped up in their containers, as it were. Those callings that we can find and fulfil that are untapped, unopened.

[2:51] And I put to you it's about finding what are those gifts and callings that God has put on my heart, on your heart, that you can fulfil, that you can activate for his glory.

[3:05] It's a really personal question to consider that for your own self, your individual abilities and the areas of service that you could extend into that perhaps you haven't yet done.

[3:19] And a big factor is where does your strength come from? Sometimes we feel limited but that's because sometimes we look at ourselves and not at our Lord.

[3:31] In Isaiah 12 verse 2, the prophet Isaiah says, Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid.

[3:42] For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and song. He also has become my salvation. Isaiah says, Isaiah 12 verse 2.

[3:56] In fact, I look to this phrase, my strength, and if you take a concordance, you know, one that can search for two words, the two words, the phrase, my strength, there's many references to that.

[4:08] Of course, the psalmist crying out, the Lord is my strength. My strength. So my strength, your strength, is not our own strength.

[4:21] My strength is the Lord. He is my strength and my song. That's where our superpowers, our spiritual superpowers come from, from our Lord. And I put to you the question, do our spiritual superpowers need some replenishing?

[4:38] I know it's like electronic gadgets. You've always got to kind of keep a watch on them because right when you need them, it's like yesterday I was travelling and the, no, it was the day before?

[4:54] Was it yesterday I was travelling? No, it was Friday I was travelling. Very late Friday night I was travelling. And my battery on my phone was running out and I scarcely had enough charge to call Julie.

[5:07] And so when you really want to use that power, you need to make sure it's replenished. And it's the same for our spiritual power, isn't it?

[5:19] For our spiritual strength, it can wane. We need to draw from God's strength, I put to you. We know that our righteousness is imputed.

[5:32] So it's not our righteousness, it's really his. And in a way you could reflect that our strength is really his strength. Likewise, his strength is imputed to us.

[5:45] His spiritual power is imputed to us. We draw from his strength. Because I know for myself, my strength is quite lacking.

[5:56] I need to draw from his strength. I need to draw more from his strength. For his strength, for his righteousness, for his spiritual power. Likewise, however we serve, our superpowers are derived from God.

[6:10] It's he that gives us the strength to serve. It's Christ who gives us the strength. It's his ability that makes us able. And he in his mercy grants them to us.

[6:22] I saw lately this video of a fast-flowing stream, a fast-flowing fountain. And to me this picture's for us the unlimited resources of God that are at work for us.

[6:36] You think of huge waterfalls like the Niagara Falls and such things. This huge, torrential, fast-flowing fountain that's flowing and gushing.

[6:48] And that's the picture of the overflowing sense of our God, of his great strength, of his great resources for us. As the word speaks about the Holy Spirit as being rivers of living water.

[7:02] Those unlimited resources of God that are at work for us. And I did a bit of a search again using the Strong's concordance.

[7:15] Looking at some Greek words that had the prefix hyper. Hyper. As we know hyper, it means kind of super.

[7:25] It means over and abounding. Over and above. Hyper. Hyper. And it's interesting the numbers of times that in the word of God we see hyper in conjunction with other words.

[7:43] And again, to me it speaks of God's supply. Of God's overflowing. Of God's giving to us. Like for example Luke 6.38. It speaks of an overflow.

[7:55] A hyper. Of pressed down, shaken together, running out all over. As in the sense how God supplies to us. Luke 6.38. Another one is 1 Timothy 1.14.

[8:08] Where it talks about faith and love. Abounding. Hyper abounding. This sort of super. This sense of a super abounding. This of super faith.

[8:19] Of super love. Then we see in Romans 5.20. It talks about grace did much more abound. This prefix hyper is in there too.

[8:30] Grace did much more abound. God's grace is super, isn't it? Isn't it? 2 Corinthians 7.4. It talks about joy. Exceeding joyful.

[8:41] This sense of it's hyper joy. It's super joy. It's above and beyond a joy that this world can give. Romans 8.37 tells how we are more than conquerors.

[8:54] We're hyper conquerors. We're super conquerors. We've got that higher level as it were. That super abounding of conquering. Of victory. That we know as Christians.

[9:05] We've got a great victory. An overwhelming. Over and above kind of victory. 1 Corinthians 12.31. Prior to the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13.

[9:18] It says, I showed you a more excellent way. Talking about love. And again, that's this sense of hyper. It's hyper excellent.

[9:29] It's a more than excellent way. It's a more excellent way. It's over and above. It's God's overflowing. And God's excessiveness towards us.

[9:39] And then another one is 2 Corinthians 9 verse 14. A hyper grace. Exceeding greatness of the grace of God. The exceeding greatness of the grace of God.

[9:52] So in a way, there's lots of super things in the word of God. There's lots of things where there's a hyper. He takes us to a kind of an over and above. An overflowing kind of a higher level.

[10:05] It's quite a study. You might want to check that out for yourself. Check in your Strong's Concordance. Those words. It's around the 5,200 mark in the Strong's Concordance.

[10:18] And there's numbers of words that are hyper. Just to repeat. God's supply. Running over. Faith and love. Abounding.

[10:29] Grace. Much more abounding. Joy. Exceeding joyful. More than conqueror. More excellent. Love.

[10:41] And exceeding greatness of the grace of God. You've got so many superpowers. Of course, we know the word of God tells us about spiritual gifts. Romans 12.

[10:51] 1 Corinthians 12. Ephesians 4. The things that God has given to his church, to his people. Of course, within their context of history. But so much that we've been given to employ, to be activating, to be engaging and putting into action.

[11:10] You've got many, many spiritual superpowers, as it were. And I put to you tonight, to draw from God's dream. We see Paul cries out in 2 Corinthians 12 about his thorn in the flesh.

[11:23] How he besought the Lord three times. Take it, Lord. And God says to him in 2 Corinthians 12 verse 9, that familiar one, My grace is sufficient for thee.

[11:33] For my strength is made perfect in weakness, most gladly. Therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

[11:48] My grace is sufficient for thee. That's a promise, isn't it? And my strength, his strength, is made perfect in weakness.

[12:02] Sometimes it's when we're weak that he is strong, isn't it? When we're not relying on our own knowledge or intellect or capacity, but it's hyper. It's over and above.

[12:13] It's more than any of our strength. He adds his strength. He enables. And it's his strength made perfect, fully realised in our weak and inadequate person.

[12:29] It's his power. Brother, it's his power. Sister, it's his power in our weakness that is strong. His strength in our inadequacy.

[12:42] It's a mind-boggling concept really, isn't it? Realise your untapped potential. And another thing about your serving, your serve, to strengthen your serve is to serve right.

[12:55] Serve right. Now, when I stepped out of bed this morning, it was still dark. I got up rather early and I slipped on my Ugg boots. And I put those Ugg boots at the side of my bed as I obviously stepped into it.

[13:11] But then when I stepped out of my bed, I somehow put my left foot in the right boot. Actually, it was the wrong boot. I put my right foot in the left boot and then I put my left foot in the right boot, which was the wrong boot again.

[13:29] Now, we can do that, can't we? And it's an easy mistake to make. I just couldn't be bothered. I just walked around in the wrong boots for a while. But, you know, sometimes we can, a point I'm trying to make here is that sometimes we can try and serve in something that's not the right fit for us, can't we?

[13:48] It's finding the right fit where God's fitted you to serve. And we can all too easily put the wrong boots on and just keep stumbling along and it's really, it's not the right fit.

[14:02] We need to switch things around. And it's like that in areas of service and ministry and giftings and abilities. Sometimes it's just not the right fit. Switch to another area of service.

[14:14] It doesn't mean God doesn't want you to serve. It means there's other service areas. It's like what happened to young David in 1 Samuel 17, 38. Of course, the familiar story where Saul, it says, 1 Samuel 17, 38, Saul armed David with his armour.

[14:35] Saul armed David with Saul's armour. And he put a helmet of brass upon his head. Also he armed him with a coat of mail. And, of course, it reads on to say that Saul's armour did not fit David.

[14:48] It was not fitting. He ended up not wearing it. He cast it aside. Likewise, you need to wear what fits for you. So when we think about spiritual service, spiritual gifts, what fits for you?

[15:02] What's the right fit? Find what God has enabled you to do and do that. Improving your serve. Serve as pleases God.

[15:14] As pleases God. Are you working on your serve? Your service. That it would please him. That is the ultimate question.

[15:26] What is God's will for your service? What would be his will for you? Do you know a godly purpose? Get a godly desire. Desire spiritual gifts, we read.

[15:37] In 1 Corinthians 14, verse 1. Desire spiritual gifts. It's got this sense of a really yearning for them. A hungering and a pursuing of them.

[15:48] A searching and a seeking after them. Spiritual gifts. Spiritual superpowers, if you like. Not meaning to make this sound too irreverent in any way, but these are superpowers.

[16:02] These are hyper and above what this world can give. Hyper and above man's abilities or training or experience or knowledge. These are God-given.

[16:14] They're given from God. His spiritual empowerment. And why does he give us such callings and abilities? For the betterment of his kingdom. So we can be better employed for the glory of God.

[16:27] Desire what you can and apply it and put it into action for the kingdom of God's sake. 1 Corinthians 14, verse 1. Follow after charity and desire spiritual gifts.

[16:38] Pursue them with this godly motive. With not a selfish one. Take it seriously. Cultivate your calling. Serve God acceptably. We read in Hebrews 12, 28.

[16:50] Wherefore we, receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. We want to serve God and we want to serve him right.

[17:04] With reverence, with godly fear. And as you serve the Lord, in whatever capacity, in whatever sense or section, in whatever department, in whatever need that you can meet, serve him in a way that pleases him.

[17:26] Let that be your motive. With a godly motive. A godly attitude. With a desire to please him. With a godly heart. With that sense of eternity in mind.

[17:38] And I know sometimes it can be a drudgery. I know, for example, the children's program. It can be, wow, it can be hard going, can't it? Hard, hard work. And I know, I was really encouraged actually, I should have got my, let me see here.

[17:54] I can read this text message to you. I should have had it handy so I didn't have to flick around to find it. But Julie and I have been really encouraged of recent days to hear from one of the youngsters who attended our children's program.

[18:14] And I was kind of hoping I could read the exact words but I can't find it just at, oh, here we go, this might be it. No. I'm sorry but it's a youngster who attended our children's program some ten years ago.

[18:31] It would be about ten years ago, I think. And she would have been about ten years old. And she contacted us and she said words to the effect that she was so glad she's re-contacted our church.

[18:47] She had been in contact with us, as I say, as a ten-year-old, this ginger-haired, live-wired. She might be watching but at that time she was a rat bag.

[18:59] She was a rat bag then. In a way, she was a lovable rogue of a girl and she would come to our youth group and our children's program and she trusted in the Lord.

[19:13] And she was baptised in expression of her faith. And we've lost that contact with her. She's since moved away and she's sent this email to the effect saying, thank you.

[19:26] Thank you for driving the bus and picking me up. Thank you for the lengths that you went to support me and the children in the program. And thank you for baptising me.

[19:40] And I'm still following the Lord. And she talked about how her faith is still growing and she's still got a heart for God. And she's really enjoyed watching our live streaming.

[19:53] So if you're watching tonight, please don't be offended when I call you a rat bag. But that's what I was once too. I'm sure you might say, yes, I was a bit of a rat bag.

[20:05] We think God can work wonders, can't he? Even in that which might seem like a drudgery. And it can be hard yakka, working with children. It can be quite a handful. It can be hard work.

[20:16] And you think, oh, the parents are just sending them as a babysitter service. You can have that thinking, can't you? And you can think, is it all worth it? What's the point?

[20:27] And you can feel down and think, this is just not worth my energy and expending my life into this. But there is a fruit to show. There is a fruit to show.

[20:38] And even when some of the guys yesterday, we didn't have much responsiveness from the witnessing time. But we're sowing seeds. We don't know when those seeds will germinate. It might be down, might be years away that those seeds germinate.

[20:52] And so serve God acceptably with a heart for him. It's his doing. It's his work. And he will bring the increase in his time. Serve him with a godly motivation.

[21:04] He has given the ability to serve. Even your ability to serve is his God-given capacity. He has given you a willingness to serve. He has filled you with an awe of him, a love for him, a godliness, and a worshipful heart.

[21:22] He has given that to you. A big question is, what is it that you have set your heart upon? The Colossians 3 verse 2, it says, set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

[21:35] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. It's where we set our affection helps to activate those superpowers.

[21:47] Are you holding back from what the Lord has convicted you to do? Are you allowing yourself to be a living sacrifice? That means lay it down on the altar, all of it, all of yourself.

[21:59] Are you willing? Is there a missing ingredient in what God is putting in your heart to do? Imagine having, and I know it can be quite an astonishing difference when you have a beautiful meal cooked, but it's lacking that missing ingredient, that vital ingredient.

[22:19] What about your Christian walk with God? Is there a missing ingredient? Is there not enough prayer going in? Is there not enough seeking after God? Are we not responsive to God?

[22:30] Are we lacking godly fear? Are we lacking a reverence? Are we lacking a dependence upon him? Are we seeking carnal energy and power instead of trusting in his hyperpower, his superpower?

[22:47] Is there a door that we're closing that the Lord wants us to open? Oh, I can never do that. Serve. How is your serve?

[22:59] Serve right. Set your affection on things above. Seek after God. Serve faithfully is another one. Serve faithfully. The Bible, of course, we know it tells us of sowing and of reaping.

[23:12] You know, I took that message as a bit of reaping happening. Serve faithfully. God will reward your labours in his time. I urge you today that you cannot reap what you do not sow.

[23:25] Now is the time to sow. As it were, engage your energy. Invest your life. Put your capacities in while you've got them.

[23:35] I know mine seems to be getting less and less these days. For me to just go blank thinking about what the times of the meetings are, I think, boy, I'm starting to lose it here. Pray for me.

[23:47] Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth that also shall he reap. What you sow, you're going to reap. Let's not be weary in well-doing.

[23:59] For in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Results come from application. Growth comes from stretching. Do good and you'll get back what you give.

[24:12] There will be a return, a harvest. But for the harvest to come, we must sow, as it were. And it's the sense of apply yourself now and there will be results.

[24:27] Persevere now. Persist. You will reap if you faint not. It feels a bit like fainting. A bit like, oh, I'm weary, whatever it be.

[24:39] Oh, it's, you know, it's easier to join the club of the weary who are fainting and failing. And we can all feel times when we're flagging.

[24:52] Our energy flags. But keep on keeping on. No matter the challenges. This is not for the faint-hearted. You shall reap if you faint not.

[25:05] Friends, there's many enemies set against us. We know that. There's enemies. There's fightings within, without. Even within. Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

[25:18] For you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Do the faithful work. Sometimes it's about being a plodder. Don't you reckon? The tortoise who won the race, isn't it?

[25:29] After all. Sometimes we've got to be a bit like a tortoise, don't we? Just a plod, consistent, persevering. It's like how the snails got to the ark, isn't it?

[25:40] They just kept going. Took them a while, but they got there. You know, be relentless. Be relentless. Serve cheerfully. Serve with your heart too. With zeal.

[25:52] With gladness. I know Julie tells me this one all the time when I'm a bit grumpy. Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100 verse 2. Amen. I've got to confess that one, don't you?

[26:03] You might say, yes, me too. Serve the Lord with gladness. It's a glad thing to be in the house of the Lord. It's a glad thing to get together with our brothers and sisters. Serve the Lord with love in your heart.

[26:15] Overflowing. Hyper. Abounding. We are here because we love people. That's why we go witnessing. That's why we want to be an evangelistic church.

[26:27] Because we love souls. We love people. And our motive for serving is the glory of God. 1 Peter 4 it talks about, As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another.

[26:44] As good stewards of the manifold grace of God. You've received a gift. Isn't that wonderful? Unwrap it. Unpack it. And make it such that you put it into action.

[27:02] As you've received the gift, serve, minister the same one to another. We are stewards after all, aren't we? Everything we have, we've just got temporary stewardship of.

[27:16] We're just, it's all borrowed, isn't it, really? Everything we've got is borrowed. We've only got it for a lifetime. For a season. God has given us strength.

[27:27] He's given us gifts. And it's all for his glory and his will. To serve him with a grateful heart. With a giving heart. In Acts 20, 35, Paul says, I've showed you all things, how that's so labouring you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.

[27:46] And don't you get a buzz out of giving your time to people, giving your energy, giving your love, reaching out, even in practical ways.

[27:57] Now, I don't like to say this because you'd probably get more people, but even I lent my ute to someone lately and they were blessed by that. You know, just have the use of my ute. Mind you, I don't want people doing that all the time.

[28:08] But, you know, we get that point where you get something by giving, don't you? To be able to bless someone that needs something, to give someone something that will help them, to encourage them, to be kind, we serve with humility.

[28:24] As I touched on this morning, Acts 20, verse 19, and I know I referred to it this morning, Paul said, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and sensations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.

[28:40] He had Jews trying to ambush him and attack him, serving the Lord with humility of mind, humbly, with many tears, many trials, and with people trying to attack me.

[28:55] That was ministry for Paul. And that can be ministry for us too. Ministry can be a tough gig, you could say. It could be something that's pretty hard to the flesh.

[29:07] And that can be all kinds of ministry. You might do something, what seems like an insignificant thing in serving the Lord, and you can get attacked.

[29:19] And you can feel like, oh, was that worth it? Serving the Lord. That's who we're serving. It's unto him, isn't it? Serving with humility.

[29:30] And a big problem for all of us, me especially, is pride, isn't it? Psalm 73 verse 6, it says, Therefore pride compassed them about as a chain.

[29:43] Violence covereth them as a garment. This is Psalm 73 verse 6. It said, Pride compassed them about as a chain. It's like, and this is speaking of the wicked, it's saying of the wicked that their pride is like a chain around their neck.

[29:56] It enchains them. Pride chains people up. Pride confines. Pride holds us captive. We need to break that chain of pride.

[30:07] Get a humble heart. Keep a humble heart. But for the grace of God, I would be a dope head. I don't know really. I never really got the affection for such a thing.

[30:20] But I can imagine if I wasn't saved, I probably would have just been as sinful as the next man. Let's face it. But for the grace of God, I would be destroyed.

[30:31] My sin would have destroyed me because I would have known no curtailing of it. What are you passionate about?

[30:43] Some people are passionate about sin. They just brag about their sin, don't they? Some people are passionate about their preoccupation with the lighter, vainer things of life.

[30:58] And we saw some passionate people on the way to church. They've been at their religious services all day today down at the netball courts. You know, there's some people passionate about things that are such a vanity.

[31:13] Sorry if you're a netball fan here tonight. But I don't get passionate about any kind of ball sports. It's just a bag with air in it. Let's get passionate about what matters, about the kingship of Christ, whose loyalty is most important.

[31:33] Now, you might say, Preacher, look, I've tried and tried and I've failed and failed. Get back up again. You know, sometimes we can use our capacity to serve and we get knocked down, we get criticised, it can be hard, we get disappointed, we might fail, and we can feel inadequate, unworthy and just want to pack it in, throw in the towel.

[32:03] The word tells us the righteous will fall. But there's good news. As we know, Proverbs 24 verse 16, Proverbs 24 verse 16, For a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again.

[32:21] There's hope. There's hope for those who have fallen. And look, it's common to man. A just man falleth seven times.

[32:33] Fall, rise, fall, rise, fall, rise, seven times. There's hope. And there's hope for you. Sometimes you will have a crash. It doesn't mean you should stop engaging your service of God.

[32:49] Now I can remember back learning to ride a unicycle. Believe it or not, that's one of my, one of the skills in my kit bag. Mind you, I'm not very good at it. But I can tell you that it can be painful learning to ride a unicycle.

[33:02] Prepare for pain if you want to learn how to ride a unicycle. It took many crashes for me to learn how to. And believe me, I'm still learning. But it's the same with serving God, isn't it?

[33:17] It's not always easy. And it can be hard. It can be painful. And we have to get back on the bike when we fall off. And this can happen spiritually where someone fails miserably.

[33:31] And they can even feel unfit, unqualified. And strictly they may be unqualified to serve for a season. unicycle but they can rise again.

[33:43] They can be restored. They can feel that God can use them again. I know there's people on my heart. I know God can rise them again. He can. You are not too broken for God to fix.

[33:57] How's your serve? How can you improve your serve? Keep sharp. That's what I need to do. I need to sharpen. This old brain here as the grey cells get less and less.

[34:09] Keep sharp to improve your serve. Sharpen yourself. As Ecclesiastes 10 verse 10 it says if the iron be blunt and he do not whet the edge then must he put to more strength but wisdom is profitable to direct.

[34:26] Quite an interesting little scripture this one. Ecclesiastes 10 verse 10 if the iron be blunt now I've got a few axes in the shed back home and a lot of firewood to cut up and I know most of my axes are blunt let's face it.

[34:39] Mind you I just got a log splitter lately so that's going to make it a whole lot easier. We've got some blunt axes at home and if the iron be blunt bang just bounces off bang bang bounces off.

[34:53] If he do not whet the edge if you don't sharpen the edge of the axe then he must put to more strength. If your axe is dull it's going to take more work to cut the tree. How about spiritually speaking?

[35:05] Are we blunt or sharp? Sharpen your spiritual gifts. How can we improve our serve? Grow your gifts.

[35:16] We can all be challenged about what can be lacking and what we could deliver for God. You can grow your calling. You can grow your gifts. You can increase as God helps you you can expand your gifts.

[35:31] Sometimes we never grasp what it is that God wants us to do and we can miss out. It's something we've never tried to do. As I've mentioned before an older man in our church gave a word from the scriptures for really the first time in his life at the age 70 plus.

[35:53] You know sometimes we can think oh I could never do that. There's always the first time. The first time. We may never take the first step. I can remember distinctly way back the first time I rode a bicycle.

[36:08] You remember that day? Who can identify with this one? I can remember that day distinctly and I remember my dad running behind me and I was feeling very safe because he had a hold of the seat as I was riding the bicycle furiously down the road and I knew that my dad was holding the seat keeping me from falling over and then he let go.

[36:29] You know it's the first step isn't it? The first step or the first time you ride a bike and then it just comes naturally doesn't it? It's the same with spiritual serving God and serving the Lord and using what he's given you capacity to do it's just the same.

[36:46] Jump on the bike do something new just know that God is watching over you. Improve your serve start serving start serving.

[36:58] In order to step onto the water we have to get out of the boat. Sometimes getting out of the boat is the hardest thing. It's harder getting out of the boat than stepping on the water isn't it? Another thing about improving your serve is serve now.

[37:12] Serve God now. Seize the moment. Maybe there's a way you can serve a ministry that you've never ever tried but you know hey I could do that.

[37:24] You don't have to ask permission so much. You don't have to kind of get some authorisation. You know sometimes people just do things without being told.

[37:38] Wow that's a blessing for me. Step out take a leap of faith trust the Lord to open doors do what's in your capacity to do and live for the Lord.

[37:51] Go to work today. In John 9 verse 4 our Lord says I must work the works of him that sent me. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day today.

[38:05] The night cometh when no man can work. John 9 verse 4 work his works do not delay. Another like scripture is Matthew 21 28 where a man had two sons he came to the first and he said son go work today in my vineyard work today in my vineyard work today in my vineyard.

[38:31] We know one said yes I'll go and he didn't one said I won't go and he did he changed his mind and sometimes we can say first we can say the gut feel oh no and then think oh yes I did that today actually because someone asked for my help and I said no and then I reflect and I said no I can do that.

[38:52] God says work for me today my son in my vineyard Spurgeon tells how easily we can have the I cannot do something and Spurgeon puts it out there that really when we say I cannot it really means I will not.

[39:12] Spurgeon says you have not triumphed because you have not tried and sometimes we can get inactive too so long that inaction grows into idleness and Spurgeon gives this analogy that for example if a man was to believe that he could not lift his right hand and he gives up trying it's no wonder that after weeks and months the man finds he has lost the power to use his hand we know that happens in hospitals don't we people can have an operation and they don't limber up and do exercises and they lose the power to use the limb it can actually freeze up why because he will not move it and so likewise your spiritual muscles they can atrophy can't they they can kind of weaken and dwindle and such that you'll lose strength when you don't use your muscles they can lose strength younger ones here tonight you've got a whole lifetime ahead of you wow you're blessed likely many more years to live than me what you can do for God it's just a truly truly blessed thought isn't it mind you we've got no guarantee how long we've got

[40:41] I'm sure some of you fit older people I think you might outlast me but you know there's a sense of put your service into service ability comes with activity when someone is inactive and becomes idle they can lose their strength and ability our spiritual muscles can weaken just through not employing them use what you have and bring the glory to his name I'm getting to a close here consider as we want to improve our serve serve with judgment in view our works will be evaluated of course we know as Christian people here tonight our saving is not in any way from what we do not in any capacity in what we serve in what we do by our own serving and actions our saving is entirely his own work on our part yet as glad believers it's our privilege to serve and one day our work shall be made manifest it says in 1

[41:58] Corinthians 3 verse 13 that day shall declare it it talks of a day of fire that the work shall be revealed and the work shall be tried every man's work every man's work that means all of us they're going to be tried that should make us think shouldn't it one day that day judgment day at the judgment seat of Christ every believer's work every man's work shall be tried shall be revealed of what sort it is of course then we know this word hay stubble some will have for their whole life's living a pile of ashes in their hands like you pull out of the fire when the logs have burnt just a pile of ashes word hay stubble burnt up just a pile of soot and ashes or gold silver precious stones every man's work shall be tried shall be revealed our service will face judgment and evaluation so that should make us want to have something something that we can deliver for his glory not for our own glory but that when that day comes we can say

[43:28] Lord I'm glad I've given this for you it's been our privilege that can be your glad knowledge on that day of what you've given so take the leap today tonight I'll just urge you that there's doaways of blessing step out and step into them step up serve instead of following the fashion or the naysayers or the crowd who would disregard such a calling seize it grab it pursue it desire it with all your heart don't take the by road of inactivity the muscles will weaken eventually the strength will be lost surrender to Christ be a living sacrifice now only you can answer this for yourself what can

[44:34] I do and think beyond what you think you can do what can he do in me amen that's the big one isn't it the big question to surrender to Christ now we've been talking really to Christians here tonight let me say this please I'm not counting as taking for granted that all who hear this are saved are you saved that is the most critical question where are you going to be five seconds after you breathe your last breath do you know that you're saved I trust as you put your trust your own personal trust in Christ as your Lord and Saviour in his working at the cross in dying at the cross for your sin and you're trusting his work on your part that your sin was there that he paid your sin there and you received that transaction on your part that you can know him and receive his everlasting life by faith in that simple step of simply trusting him to save you to forgive you from sin to create new life in your heart and soul and for every believer what a privilege we have you've got super powers you've got super grace super faith super love super abounding

[46:16] God's overflowing supply in so many dimensions of your life he's given you abilities and capacities that are yours to yield to him I urge you tonight to improve your serve those super powers as it were that God has granted you it's all for his glory as you employ them as you engage them and seek after God as I say sometimes we can just think inside what we've always done and not thought hey I could do more I could extend my service to other areas of service I've never even entered before as you jump out of the boat and step onto the water he will enable you because he says my strength is made perfect in weakness it's when we humble when we have a humility of mind and even through much tears and trials and temptations and even facing opposition as

[47:26] Paul did that he can use you for his glory so don't be deterred press on regardless let's pray our Lord God we thank you Lord we are so filled with joy and gladness that your saving power Lord that in Christ you came to pay our penalty our sin to take us shame and guilt Lord to give us new life Lord we're glad glad servants Lord here tonight and we want to serve you with gladness serve you Lord with your enabling of us despite our many failings that you can be glorified in such weak and unworthy vessels as me Lord that you can be our resource because we know our strength is so lacking but your strength is made perfect in weakness Lord open our eyes Lord to help us see how we can serve and what we can do all to your glory

[48:26] Lord so that one day we can see an eternal! result Lord and a blessed welcome Lord not that our works gain us entrance but yet Lord we'll have something there at that doorway of heaven knowing you've saved us by your grace simply that and yet we'll have some measure of blessing that we can take over to the other side we bless you Lord for that in Jesus name Amen