[0:00] I've developed a sermon on it. Luke 16, 10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
[0:11] And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16, 10 is an amazing thought that dawned on me one day just what it's saying.
[0:31] What we usually say it's saying is not exactly what it's saying. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
[0:45] He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Here's the twist we usually put on that. If we can find a fellow that is faithful in small things, you can trust him to be faithful in bigger things.
[1:01] If you see somebody that fails you in the smaller tasks, he'll fail you in bigger tasks too. And that sounds like that's what it's saying and that might not be a completely false interpretation but it's not what the verse really says.
[1:19] Do you remember Bill Clinton saying is and is means is? Is that what he said? How do you put it? If that's what he is means, huh?
[1:33] Yeah, yeah. It depends on what the definition of is is. Yeah. Well, this is similar. Depends on what the definition of is is.
[1:44] He says, He that is faithful in that which is least not will be not will be faithful in that which is most or best or biggest or something.
[2:01] Much. He that is unjust in the least will be unjust. That's not what it says. It says is right now.
[2:16] Chad, if you're if you're unfaithful in the least God says I'm counting you as unfaithful in big things too. And if you Jeremy are faithful in the small things God's going to give you credit for being faithful in the big things.
[2:39] Now that's a horse of a different color. That's another one that we should have said this morning. Tried to come up with a lot of old sayings in our Sunday school class this morning.
[2:53] We got a bunch in there too didn't we? But that's a that's a that's a completely different thought.
[3:05] Let me let me give you an illustration. Every month or so Lisa's little bus class how old are those kids? Okay eight to twelve. They bring their little offerings to to church every week from just their little change whatever they can get and about once a month they bring a twenty dollar bill in here and give it to the building program.
[3:27] We make a big deal of it and it is great. You even said when we were putting a floor in this new building some of the kids walking around said I helped put that floor in there.
[3:40] Now they might have just given a quarter but in their mind they helped put that floor in and they did. And that's what God is saying. Those little kids were faithful in a little bit and I'm giving them credit for putting that building up out there.
[3:58] And it's fair that's good they're doing the best they can do. The Lord said I'm not watching quantity as much as I am quality.
[4:10] So that's what he means. Sometimes you and I don't have the opportunity to do big things. You do the best you can in the little things that he gives you to do and he'll give you credit for doing big things.
[4:24] You get the same reward that somebody is doing big things. I like to look at it this way. My church is not as big as say Moody's was or Spurgeon's was.
[4:35] But if we're doing the best we can here I'll stand shoulder to shoulder and Brother Griffin and I will stand up with those two guys one day we'll all be treated the same.
[4:47] If we're faithful in our program like they're faithful in there. It's not how much you get done it's how faithfully you do what you have to do.
[4:57] See so whatever your job is there are no unimportant jobs in this church. There are no unimportant jobs in the Christian life.
[5:12] Solomon said it like this what thy hand find it to do do it with all your might and God will give you a reward the same reward somebody that did a whole lot more that had a whole lot more opportunity.
[5:26] I like that. So number one little is much when it comes to service. service.
[5:38] The Bible tells us that at the end of the tribulation period Jesus is going to gather all nations in front of him and he's going to separate the sheep from the goats.
[5:51] Now that's his way of saying the good and the bad. And then he's going to start giving awards and rewards to the sheep who are those that followed him.
[6:01] The goats didn't. And he's going to say you're going to get a reward for visiting me in prison Jesus said feeding me when I was hungry clothing me when I was naked and they're going to say but but but but Jesus we didn't even see you how could we have done those good things to you all of you know the answer don't you what they said what he said to them that's it he said what you've done to the least of these you've done to me and you do some good deed to some needy person and the Lord said I'll give you a reward as if you did it to me do that that's great that's this just grabs me somehow sometimes I feel like I'm not getting much done you know my life is coming to an end in another 30 40 years and
[7:05] I look back over it and wish I had done more and been more successful here and yonder and this kind of encourages me if I take what I'm given and the opportunities I'm given do the best I can it's not how much you get done it's how faithfully you did it and anybody can be faithful we're not to be as productive as somebody else everybody can be faithful to what he does I want to encourage some of you to you go out there on that bus route and work all day in the winter a lot of those parents are not real friendly to you sometimes you get a little bus kid that hasn't had any training and he creates havoc and you have to let him go others the Sunday school teachers wish you'd let him go and you know sometimes you work all day long and ten people get on the bus you say man what's it worth why am
[8:08] I doing this but you didn't get credited by the ten you got credited for the hour you put in and the faithfulness in going see I'm glad the Lord looks at it like that aren't you in Luke 9 48 he said he that receives a little child in my name receives me he that receives me receives my father so little is much when it comes to service turn to Matthew 10 let's look at that for a moment a couple of verses there toward the end of the chapter Matthew 10 41 42 right toward the end of the chapter he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward you may not be a missionary but if you can help a missionary along you'll get the missionary's reward isn't that good maybe you'll never pastor a church but if you help me along you'll get my reward brother griffin's reward they used to have a thing when brother howls was pastoring in hamlin indiana they had a thing called pastor school where all the preachers of the country came and got pumped up man they had thousands of people there i can remember way back yonder way back yonder 70s probably i was up there and and they had a promotion in their in their church that weekend feed the 5,000 and if they could get 5,000 in sunday school that day they had mcdonald's fish sandwiches for everybody and they also said if you do that here church if you work real hard and you get 5,000 in sunday school we not only give everybody that comes a fish sandwich but we will give all of the preachers that come tomorrow a fish sandwich and you know they made that goal and we got to eat mcdonald's fish sandwiches because they made that goal now you go to that big meeting up there and thousands of people gathered and there were a lot of people doing a lot of work behind the scenes and that good pastor made the announcement he said we have doctors and lawyers and business men of all stripes who take a week's vacation during pastor school and do nothing except work behind the scenes cleaning the restrooms sweeping the floors whatever needs to be done a doctor might be cleaning the toilets now that verse says that doctor gets the same reward of the teachers that are teaching thousands of people
[11:46] God is good isn't he when he wants to welcome us in he will say well done thou good and productive servant is that what he says what does he say well done thou good and faithful servant thou have been faithful over these things enter into the joy of the Lord thank God he rewards faithfulness and not production are you faithful have you done something in the name of have you given an offering to you know when we have preachers come in here that are greatly used of God I like to give them a big offering but I like everybody to get in on it because you give an offering to that fellow and whatever he gets done out there you get part of the credit for it and you'll get the same reward he will it's what that says Matthew 10 41 42 that's what it says
[12:49] I think that's wonderful you can't teach well I could never teach we'll bring some kids in for somebody else to teach I can't preach we'll bring some folks in to hear the preaching God will put it all out there evenly you get the same reward anybody else does you have a little notice thankless job be faithful in that you're counted as if you were faithful in a big job that's what that verse says there's no little job for God none one day the dear old saints that are worn out can do nothing except lie in their bed or sit in their wheelchair and tears run down their face because they can't do anything more for God they just get a little prayer sheet pray over those names faithfully the same rewards those people they're praying for will be given to those people that are doing the praying years ago when I came here 20 years ago and I was meeting members
[13:57] Dennis and Cheryl introduced themselves to me as Bartles and I said that's interesting how do you spell that he said B-A-R-T-E-L-S Bartles and I said well I know of a lady that spelled it like that but called it Bartels have you ever heard of anybody in your family call did you really okay so I heard of Bartels and I might have told you this then but Dr.
[14:28] Hiles I'm my mentor for many many years there was a preacher named Bartels somewhere in the country that died and his widow was kind of destitute and Dr.
[14:39] Hiles brought her to Hamlin and gave her an apartment and told her I want to give my schedule to you and all you must do to pay for this apartment and your upkeep is to promise me that every time I'm preaching you're at home praying for me and he loved to tell that story as he went around the country to try to encourage people you know you might just do a little job but it's a big job it's an important job and he and he was very glad that he knew there was at least one person who was committed to praying for him the entire time he was preaching great Spurgeon's tabernacle Charles Spurgeon was an amazing man it happened way back in the 1800s and we don't know it's about faded out now Spurgeon's tabernacle in London England but he filled that thing up four times a
[15:40] Sunday they'd come and fill it up they'd leave and 5,000 more would come in 20,000 a week and somebody one time was up there touring the place they gave tours and they asked him what is the secret of the power of this church it's the most powerful church in the world at that time more people are being reached for the Lord more gospels going out more sermons are being published than any place in the world what is the secret and he said I'll show you the secret he took them to a little room underneath the pulpit and he said early Sunday morning until late Sunday night this room is filled with some of my men who are in prayer during the whole day and whole service and he said it's not this preacher it's that prayer band right there now don't you understand what
[16:41] I'm saying those men are nameless nobody ever heard of who those men are they might not have done anything else but one day when Charles Spurgeon is given his rewards as the greatest Baptist preacher that ever lived there's going to be a band of people that are brought up beside him and they're going to give each one of them the same reward that he got that's what that teaches if you are faithful in that which is least you are also faithful in that which is much in the mind of the Lord you are doing it in my mind as if it were a great big thing and I'm going to reward you as such I don't know it's very encouraging to me that the handicapped can be in the same be the same in the mind of God as the healthy but I must preach the other side as well because that verse has two statements in it you're unjust in the least you're also unjust in bigger things you say well I don't commit big sins
[18:01] I just commit little sins and your God wrote in his Bible in my mind I'm going to treat you like you committed a big sin you know there's a lot of mighty good people that have a lot of bad things happen and they wonder why because after all I've never done anything really bad but what your God treated it like it was something bad and since he wrote that and since that's one of his principles he's duty bound to give you the punishment of the one that did the worst thing is that right I'm not teaching it wrong am I he that is unjust in the least is not shall be but is unjust also in much remember in James it says you're offending one point of the law God God says you broke my law I don't care what the point was I'll tell you what you go out here and run a stop sign and have a cop sitting right there and wave at him when you run through it that's not a very big offense is it but you broke the what law the law book might be that full and you just did one little thing but you broke the law it all stands together doesn't it try it and see he'll be just as snotty and mean to you if you've been a bank robber sometimes
[19:32] I want to sock those guys in the jaw the way they sport around themselves they let it go to their head sometimes I'm telling you the truth years ago I just slid around the corner and there was a stop sign there and I could see five miles in both directions and I was only one on the road and I was in a hurry and I tapped my brake and slowed her down and went around the corner and there was a guy hiding in the weeds over here and his little bubble came on and I said oh brother back in those days I probably have a $25 ticket you know but I mean I was in a hurry by the way it took me longer to get there now than it would have but man he treated me like I just robbed a bank he called me every dirty thing he didn't cuss me but almost did you know he'd come strutting around saying where's the fire buddy I said there's not any fire well you're driving like you're going to a fire
[20:39] I said no sir I don't think it's not accurate oh now you know more than I do about it huh oh he was a smart aleck it's hard you know when you get one like that it's kind of hard to respect the law isn't it if I could have gotten away with it you had to roll your window down back then I wouldn't have got away with it Chris I'd have been looking at you between bars wouldn't I yeah and he knew that the little rascal knew that he's got all the authority the law behind him he's just one little cop little banty rooster but you can't touch him because it all stands and falls together and I got stopped one time on the freeway nicest guy you ever saw the state cop up in Illinois of all places he said sir do you know what you're going and I said really
[21:50] I don't I was going along here and I was we were talking and I didn't have crews back in those days what crews was he said well I think your foot got a little heavier than you think it is I said sir you're probably right he treated me nice and I treated him nice and he said you're a fine dress fella what are you and I said I'm a pastor preacher oh well I reverend I am so glad to meet you where is your church and we talked for a while and he said well I want to tell you something I'm not going to give you a ticket because you're so nice and I believe that you really told me the truth I don't believe you're a liar you were just talking and you let that thing get a little faster than you realized it was didn't you and I said yes sir I really did and I did by the way now you don't get
[22:51] Jeremy you know why are you laughing like that I love to be trusted I tell you that but he changed my mind about policemen from then on I thought they're alright they're nice but you better respect them because they have got that big thing called the law behind them God has it too he says you break one of them and you've broken the whole thing now you be careful about that that's the way the Lord looks at it he says you if you're unjust in a little thing I'm going to treat it like you're unjust in a big thing now that ought to that will ring a bell in you you ought to say you know I better not call these hands anymore I better be careful about that see now let me get a little more detailed Matthew 5 27 28 Jesus teaching he said you all heard that you're not supposed to murder 10 to 10 commandments that should not kill but
[23:59] I say unto you if you if you hate a man it doesn't say hate how does it say that it means hate it's just as bad if you killed him oh my goodness I don't know about that now and then he went on to say okay so you're saying you never committed adultery but I say unto you you men you look on a woman to lust after her you committed adultery with her already in your heart I don't like that I would never commit adultery never you wouldn't either hope and we're sort of proud of ourselves that we can say we've never done that we've been faithful all through did you ever lust after anybody
[25:01] God treated that as the same as the act and your punishment will be as if you did now that ought to make you step it up a little bit shouldn't it I'll be a little more careful shouldn't we and I don't have them right here but I imagine there's some stuff for you women in there too I noticed in Matthew 5 21 22 it says if you commit murder you're in danger of the judgment and if you get angry without a cause that's a lot less than murder it says you're in danger of the judgment same punishment for both of them same thing alright let's go a little further I let's extend this a bit get in your pocket book does God call not tithing robbery
[26:03] Bible says the tithe is the Lord's and so when you use his money you're robbing is that right okay now what if I don't do an honest day's work and I take my paycheck is that any difference stealing isn't it isn't it stealing I think it might be what if you cheat in school kids what if you cheat and get a better grade than you should have you stole that good grade didn't you and God says you're a thief now we need to think like this we Christians are held to a higher standard we gotta live like this it's hard that's what he expects God says you're not gonna be a thief because you're stealing from from your employer you're not gonna be a thief because you're cheating in school you already are you already are you're dishonest now you're wasting your parents hard earned money now you're a thief you're crooked like a bank robber's crooked you're crooked my mother used to teach me this stuff about being honest she really poured that on me when I was a little kid and when I was I don't know between five and ten
[27:35] I went to the town and got something and I was going home counting my change and I counted it two or three times and that sucker had given me a nickel too much change and I counted it again and I counted it again and it always came up the same I have five cents too much and I went on home and I said mom you know that storekeeper and I lived a long way from town downtown that storekeeper gave me five cents too much change she said get yourself back up there and give it back to him mom can I give it to him next time I'm in there no get up there now and explain to him he gave you too much money I had to walk all the way back to town that nickel but now I'm glad she taught me like that the other day I was coming out of the hospital I went to the hospital several times last week
[28:36] I haven't told you this because you'd want it but I came out the door walking across the concrete there and there lay a dollar bill right there now usually you find a quarter or a dime I mean there was a dollar bill laying there I couldn't believe it I looked all around no I was looking for the owner there you go again and I didn't see anybody anywhere so I picked it up and I kept it now was I wrong to keep it how many think I was wrong to keep it how many think it's okay to keep that cash money that you can't tell where it came from right no way you can prove it was yours I mean you can't walk up to a man like that and say well if it's got George Washington picture on his mind you can't do that right so it's okay right okay now you're in a grocery line being checked out and the man in front of you gets his wallet out to pay his bill and drops a 20 and you see him drop it is that different why is it different because you know where it came from is that right
[29:46] I knew where that nickel in my pocket came from didn't I it didn't belong to me did it what would you do if that happened wait wait how many of you put the 20 in your pocket and say finders keepers losers weepers yeah you're a bunch of prudes you're so righteous can't get a hand up anywhere how many of you would tap him on the shoulder and say sir look at the hands go up you're making me sick you'd tap him on the shoulder and say sir you dropped this 20 here how many would do that you had it happen do you really I mean you actually did that and all of you said you would do that ma'am really I remember that we went out to eat on that didn't we go ahead and finish the story then uh-huh wow
[31:03] I bet she appreciated that because when she checks out checks her checks up at the end of the day she's gonna be nine dollars short are you really now you're telling me the truth all the even you jeremy would you do that oh you wouldn't even touch it he's even more righteous than the rest of it he doesn't want to be tempted so he's just gonna pick him on the shoulders there's your money right there what if it's an old woman no you would do that because he's a big man isn't that right and he might catch you getting it that's what you that's what you're accusing me of earlier I heard about a preacher one time was in an airport when they had these pay phones you know hanging everywhere and he was making a call and when he hung the thing up that thing started spitting quarters out of there and he started catching them and he just running over and obviously every coin in that phone came through there and there he is with a pile of money and he's looking around what do I do it's not mine it's not anybody's here how do you find the owner of the phone what do you do yes sir you had that same thing happen how did you know there was an attendant on the first floor if you were on the third
[32:48] I mean you saw him how did you know he was in charge of the phones and he put all that money in his pocket too and enjoyed it they do but is it your duty to find who owns the phone or hand it to a middle man who's going to keep it does that relieve you wait what wait a minute I'm going to vote again now you heard that you got the scenario haven't you all these coins are lying here at your feet and you who's the owner of that anyway how many of you think it's okay to put them in your pocket and go oh you righteous what brother Scott you know that's my daughter back there you knew better than that before you married that crook he taught you that kind of stuff he ruined you why would you jiggle the handle that was before she married you oh no
[34:25] I feel it's a good thing I didn't find out about you jiggle the handle what were you hoping would happen yeah she figured the Lord gave her some fending money I taught you better than that how many of you would do what Lisa and other crooks did and you would put it in your pocket how many of you do that now we're getting some honest people yes sir you can steal as long as you thank God for it somehow my term is just going to pot here now all you all do you think it's okay for her to keep that money what should she do with it you can't do that what
[35:34] I feel like I need to turn my collar around and let you find a confessional booth here somewhere most some of these people are saying you shouldn't have kept that money should not have don't put it in offering plate put it in the pastor's fund that's where it needs to go you guys are you're killing me y'all are killing me wish I'd been somebody besides my own kid but I'm telling you that now that's that's hard this preacher didn't know what to do with all that money who did he give it to he walked and walked and asked and asked and found somebody that would tell him how to get in charge in contact with the phone company or the people that put it in found the rightful owners and missed his plane now that's going the second mile to be honest isn't it when most of you put it in your purse or pocket regardless of how many hands I'm getting raised here but that's a shady one there that's hard to figure out when you don't know who the owner is and you know it's not you all of you do but Lisa you know it's not your money well then you still stole because you didn't pay for your phone call she said make a real long phone call with us what she said
[37:16] I'm going to get through here one way or another why why does God treat little things like they were big things there are two reasons two main reasons number one the word principle God deals in principles always watch in the Bible for principles a principle is a rule or code of conduct to which all should be habitually devoted a principle for instance honesty is a principle morality is a principle God considers little and big sins by the principle that is broken see if you steal a nickel or you rob the bank you broke the same principle did you not and God works on that basis he can say lust and adultery are the same because they break the principle of morality both of them do see a thief and a student who cheats both break the principle of honesty problem with this is you can get habits you make habits you know breaking principles first thing you know you're a dishonest person and that's the way you live you tell a little white lie and you say it's not as big as a big black lie but you're learning to be a liar and the
[38:41] Lord's trying to keep you from becoming a liar so he is treating you as a dishonest person so the thief the cheater the robber the liar the embezzler the non-tither they're all dishonest people that's the way God looks at it then there's the principle of love God requires us to live by the principle of love by this shall all men know you're my disciples if you have love one another so he who hates and he who murders and he who gossips and he who criticizes and he who judges all are breaking the principle of love so God can treat all these things the same because they break the same principle that makes sense number two and I'm trying to hurry before I lose my voice the second thing is the seed and the fruit principle the fruit is the seed matured and God sees the mature fruit in the seed he sees the end from the beginning does he doesn't he hate is the seed for murder the fruit of hate is murder when taken into its extremity so when you hate God sees it as the seed for murder and treat you accordingly lust is the seed of adultery you never commit adultery until you lust and he says you wouldn't commit adultery if you didn't lust it's the seed of the fruit all right what's some common bad seeds how about greed laziness selfishness materialism jealousy all these are the seeds and
[40:24] God sees what it leads to and so he judges you accordingly okay that's probably enough let me see you folks made me go longer than I meant to it's your fault he says he that is unjust or sinful in the least is also unjust and sinful in addition to that that is unjust and much so God is going to decide that your hate deserves the same punishment as murder and that's the death penalty isn't it aren't you glad that he made a way for us to be forgiven for all this and you need to be sure you be prayed up at the end of every day you need to go to the Lord in prayer and say Lord I probably messed up a lot of ways here and I need forgiveness and he said if you'll confess it I'll forgive it but don't let this stuff stack up on you don't let it stack up on you brother Dale Moody was talking about one time preaching on lying and it got the conscience of a woman and she came to him at the end of the service and she said pastor I want you to pray about something in my life that
[41:38] I'm trying to invite and so he said well sure ma'am what is it she said well I've got this problem of exaggerating things and he said really she said yes I just exaggerate things he said let's get on her knees here he got on his knees and said now Lord this dear lady has come to me to pray for her and I want you to help this liar to get clean and she said what wait a minute pastor you misunderstood me I said I'm exaggerating I didn't say I'm lying and he said okay let's pray now if you want me to pray for you I'm going to pray for you yes sir Lord now this liar is still trying to say she's exaggerating wait a minute I'm not a liar and the pastor said ma'am until you call you're exaggerating lying and be honest about it you'll never be forgiven until you call your gossip murdering somebody's character you're going to be forgiven stand simply his head is about eyes slowly when you do confess call it what it is hur value
[42:54] Please enjoy housing you