[0:00] That was a good year, by the way. Did they have any issues with the church? No. It was out there.
[0:11] It was in some of the blockade. People were first to be had. It was from 174. All of them. Watch it.
[0:26] I just said that was a good year. I didn't say I was alive. Come on. That's a year, neighbors. Anyway. Then they answered Peter and said, Now, you know, behold, we have forsaken all that follow thee.
[0:43] What shall we have therein for? Jesus said unto them, Very, I say unto you that he which hath followed thee, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, he also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
[1:04] Never one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, wife, children, or lambs, for my name's Savior, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit from God.
[1:20] Whatever I can find. Now, what's this last statement? Many that are first shall be last. Huh? And the last shall be first.
[1:33] Look at chapter 20, verse 16, right there across the table. So the last shall be first, and the first last.
[1:46] Many are called, but few chosen. Many are called salvation, but few chosen. And he's saying here, those leaders that have always been first, on that day, that all the common people that never were the leaders, yet they're due, and be first in mind, or recognition.
[2:17] That truth from the lips of Jesus came four times. Nobody else ever said it was always from him. I want to talk about that very quickly tonight, hopefully.
[2:31] I know that some of you sometimes feel that no one knows what you're going through. Sometimes you feel no one cares. Sometimes you wanted to give up and quit.
[2:45] And it was like it. My dad informed it was a tough time, once and I'm out of opposition. Somebody asked me, how you doing? He said, I'll retire.
[3:04] But since I'm not with the church, I don't know. Next Sunday, I'm ready to do it. Many of us have felt something like that, I think. Really trying?
[3:16] Just discouraging sometimes. Don't quit. Don't ever quit. You will be glad you did it one of these days. You don't feel unappreciated.
[3:30] You do your job at home or at church, week in, week out, year in, year out, nobody seems to know. We went over to Popeye's and the drumsticks was that long and hot.
[3:51] Somebody was telling me they were all there and you thought you were getting a pity for that. And it was cold. Not mine. It's always good cheap for all when I do it.
[4:05] There was a woman who was about a nine-year-old girl who really had a family with that girl. I think that she had done it. She was shocked. She was saying at the top of her voice, I want any other Taco Bell.
[4:26] I don't want enough in my life. She kept that up for a few minutes. The woman didn't know what to do. She said, you know.
[4:38] She was probably thinking, my dad is it going to get any better? No. It ain't worth when he gave his 14, 15 children from a shooter brother.
[4:54] Better get a hold of them before they're nine or ten. And you're going to have a mess in your hand. But you never know. There's so many people out there with so many problems.
[5:04] We have no idea about it. I tried to help her out. I got behind the mother so she couldn't see me and started making faces to my girl.
[5:18] And I was here's where I was I was trying to shame her like acting at me.
[5:33] She's like a girl like this. Like a three year old. She stopped and started to me. And then my order got here.
[5:46] I didn't hear nothing. I didn't hear nothing. Finally, the mother got her piece of tube. And she said, shut up. Hey, come on.
[5:58] It's shaming her. That mother needs some help. You ever need any help? She might nobody care. You do.
[6:10] I know you do. In a perfect world, every good deed we do would be printed in a big bulletin passed out to everybody we know. Everybody would come dozens up by you and just praise you and say, wow, we appreciate what you're doing.
[6:29] My goodness. And your spirits would be lifted out of silence. But that's not a perfect word. That's not going to happen. But I wish sometimes that I didn't get all afraid and all that.
[6:49] All of you have a birthday every year too. If I don't know what we can do with that birthday of mine if we can leave you in jail there. It's true.
[7:03] And then my birthday comes on my birthday and you pull out all stocks and lay down in the bed car and there you do. I feel I wish we could pass it around.
[7:15] You're going to have a birthday sometime this year and they're not going to make a great big cake for you. And I really feel bad about that sometimes. I honestly do.
[7:26] Especially when brother griffy. I mean. Just kidding. I want to just talk to you tonight about the first big last morning day and the last big birthday.
[7:40] I want you to hang on because it's not over yet. I've known so many, many great, great Christians that weren't out front and they weren't noticed much.
[7:53] They weren't praised and recognized. I knew what they were. were. And the church would not make it without those people.
[8:05] And your life would be much worse if somebody like that were praying for you all the time. They get their prayers answered when you and I come down. And thank God, Jesus kept on saying it over and over.
[8:20] He said, for instance, if you give a cup of cold water in the name of the disciples, you're not going to lose your Lord. They like to tell that over and over.
[8:32] Just don't give up. Your day is coming. Your brother is going to be fun someday when you and I sit down and these people are parading to draw while we wait and watch.
[8:48] And they're going to have a committee to applaud them. We won't even mention until everybody is packing fine.
[9:05] And I think me and Jesus are going to say, by the way, packing. And I can't wait. I'm honest. I can't wait.
[9:18] Some of you ladies, you go all the way home and that old guy, you get a burp and a holy grunt out of it. You feel like it's good week.
[9:34] You heard every preacher that ever heard preach long enough. He would say he knows some guy where he went to eat. He bragged on the meal. He knows I liked it.
[9:53] I ate it. Didn't I? Every preacher has a story like that. And we all cringe when we see people not getting their duty.
[10:05] know, at the least you do, sir, it makes your life feel like you appreciate it. one day, you'll take your back seat and she'll take the front seat.
[10:17] And the Lord is going to tell everybody what you were. And what she put up in. Are you going to sell? That's what I think about.
[10:33] And then it's going to be straight down. We selfish human beings are not very good. Seeking out people that deserve it. And praising them. I don't know how many times I mentioned how nice that lawn was.
[10:50] And I told you brother Jeff does a great job. You never have to worry about it. It's all there. And I wonder how many individually have known up to him and told him.
[11:05] Now you believe him and you appreciate him, he's not good at telling it all. And everybody that does something here needs a whole bunch of love to tell him we appreciate it.
[11:19] We really do. But the Lord knows we're not going to do that much. We're not turned that way. So he's going to fix it one of these days.
[11:29] Jesus is going to make it right. May not ever be made perfectly right down here. But he says one of these days everybody's going to be recognized for every good thing he's done.
[11:42] Everybody's going to be first and always by us. While the folks that got recognized have to take back soon. All right.
[11:53] Let me give you two or three points here. I know there are literally thousands of faithful Christians. I know many and I know hundreds of them.
[12:06] believe I've seen hundreds of them. They bring in obscurity. Never getting some of them are invoked. Some of them are really bad things to take.
[12:19] I told you about Waterville every Christmas. A guy that had an heart ride in position! never got out of that room except somebody hauled him to a doctor once a month.
[12:35] You've never seen a Swedish spirit. Never seen a Swedish spirit. And he could not. I couldn't say to him and him for a praise and he didn't come and see it that day.
[12:47] I mean you don't know what it does to me for a preacher. Busy preacher. to take time out of his schedule and come here and see him and say you have no idea this is going to make my whole week sir.
[13:07] Nobody knows the guy except for me running around the country telling you about him. He walked out with a healthy body and his story is totally worth while all of those preachers stand by there are many people like the little lady I told you about that I said I wish I could take your place under that cross!
[13:38] I said talk to you! I said! said why? I like to give you a little relief to to to!
[13:57] to hear that I could hear that I know what you do! I can't sleep because of my pain I can pray all night that is a spirit hundreds of people like that I want them to get recognized this thing is on my heart I am sincere about it let me give you a scriptural example when Moses had to hold his arms up for the battle to go their way and if his arms got tired and fell then the battle went against Israel I remember that story Joshua was!
[14:44] Moses they set Moses on rock and two people held his arms up as long as they held his arms up the battle was won Aaron was one of them he was plenty of phrases H-U-R!
[15:06] His name was called Three Thang Two in that story and he referred to one other time now somebody surmised he was Miriam I can't find that anywhere but that guy out of the thousands of Israel showed up when Aaron needed a buddy to help hold up an arm didn't ask for anybody to pray didn't say I got even a hundred dollars I knew that he was the only one there and you know he was behind the scenes all the time someday when you're going to sit there his name will be called we'll find out about you there's a prophet named Micah one of my favorite people in the world he's mentioned in one one incident
[16:08] Jehoshaphat the crazy king joined up with Ahab Jehoshaphat the king Judah divided the kingdom Ahab the king of Israel and Ahab said you know the reign of Gilead that city both were our city and the Syrians have had it for years I think we're going to take it back when you helped Jehoshaphat now let me say something to this don't ever hook up with Ahab it's always wrong it's always wrong you care what you run with and make leads with so anyway Jehoshaphat is a Christian man they have the devil in the sky Jehoshaphat said I'm not going unless we have some reason and so they have tried out in 450!
[17:06] and they made a big circus about go on you have no men of batter everything is fine just do it and Jehoshaphat the Christian king said don't you have a prophet of Jehovah besides that's a good son the prophet of Lord besides and Ahab said well there's one fellow but I hate him because he never says anything good about me I like him already because you can't find anything good about Abraham and Joshua said call him he liked him too so they brought him in and all he was told all 400 they agreed that this is going to be a successful campaign all we got to do is just go on he said whatever Lord help me say I don't know what he said he said
[18:11] I saw everything scattered on the mountain top without a leader leader go! I will take care of you when I come back in peace and my brother said if you come back at all peace the Lord has broken on you you ain't gonna come back anyhow did you know all those people hate us brothers they take the back don't tell anybody but they have had it back!
[18:49] So he told Jehoshaphat to leave the battle and it's king to go while they have this guide so they would say Jehoshaphat they have it oh he's a great friend didn't he yeah sure enough the other army saw Jehoshaphat and he said oh no no I'm not the man and he took off and they have just one of soldiers and the bible says a bowman an archer just let an arrow go toward the arm he didn't shoot anything different and that arrow was guided between the joints of the armor and they have right in the here and he said get me out of the way of my soul of me time they got him home to pray after he died the preacher didn't say anything about him the preacher was right but before he died he said take that preacher and put him with!
[20:08] and he lived in bread and that was the last first that's the only time we ever hear that first rock how long did he ever have died because the man could have dead God almighty is going to talk about him because I have someone to one of the greatest men ever walked that would not buckle and would not and in the face of death himself still help him he puts her high he sets a high family of people like me we never ever had that kind of hospital as well that's what I'm talking about the last!
[21:05] first first going first not hell I'm going to die out of here before Isaiah gets to his accolades or Elijah or Daniel and the other great and known prophets my God the unnamed servant of Genesis 24 that went for Abraham to get life for Abraham we don't know his name we know how faithful he was when they were all known his name I know when brother heard his name that was the head of Abraham's group four years before I think that was who was and told us his name but he faithful he was going be one of these days one of these days David David one of the most famous men in the old
[22:09] Bible that's a mighty man they will be called on before David last will be first name of that little baby we don't know her name but before Daniel gets his she would get her his!
[22:25] ! The on the cross recognized upon the well the boy was low and fishing before all those thousand got fed the unnamed members of the new desperate churches that we will never know their names church at Philippi the greatest church in the Bible church at Jerusalem at Antioch second greatest church in the Bible Ephesus third grade we don't know their name but they will come out of the pastor this is true of all churches your days coming friend you will get recognized one day alright present day example I'm hurry I'm going to have to step aside for a lot of people first God scores of people in churches that I've had
[23:25] I've had some of the most wonderful people faithful hard working true and true blue I mean at least I know it a lot of times one day in about 1979 or 80 an old raw long looking guy came back other church in Missouri was a man boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom He was just a rough He climbed open for an electric company He was the one out at midnight with stormy trying to put the electricity back together for him that kind of guy just an old rough guy I met him out on the porch and I said sir we're glad to have you what's your name he said my name is
[24:26] Carl Dalton he said Carl he said he said we're looking for a church I said you found one that loved the year and long story short for 35 what if 1980 to today for 37 years Paul got the birthday for 100 dollars it will have 25 dollars for her and I watch pictures that much for me too got it the other day they never did every day of my life I never miss I read the Bible that Chuck and I gave me many years ago to my preacher
[25:28] I hadn't been there preaching since 86 but I was always there preaching they kept going to church and they were faithful that I would always agree I'd like people know that used to encourage me all the time every way they could that kind of people would call it I got all kinds like that JD mine I couldn't lick his boots Jack and Joyce bar were just tremendous encouraging us to me when Jack died Joyce if you know you just lost your best friend Jerry and the
[26:45] He made a decision to do it. And did it. We never got much special conditions. No one doesn't do it. But one day, Scott and Lisa Griffin I thought about them so many times.
[27:01] Scott and Patrick in the church this time. Lisa's got her quality people. They had burned themselves out and used their prime, prime part of their life.
[27:17] Building my ministry to the field. You think God's gonna get that? He doesn't get that. He doesn't get that. And all of you believe that.
[27:35] One that's incredible. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve you. I was very very loyal to what we've been through before. And there's still people around here that they hate me.
[27:51] I don't want to do it. I get that old dirty birthday card every year. Hey, where's the robot? I'm scared. Mr. Martin.
[28:03] I'm scared. Anyway, this year they put to turn the grass back. It had this address on the winter and winter.
[28:15] And we thought, of course, that name, we looked at his number. There's an old name that we get one every year.
[28:27] God makes me know what he did. But you don't do that. You don't hurt me.
[28:39] You want to help me. And for us, a house in my house. You don't think it's a good person. And you just keep on loving it. And you're going to get rewarded.
[28:51] You're going to get rewarded. I'm telling you, I'm looking for it. I'm not kidding. I like to read missionary letters. I wrote some of this down sometime back.
[29:03] One of our missionaries had a person named Marco in his church with me. He said, this guy is an invalid. He's mistreated by his family. He's an invalid. They stood in a room, a small, tiny room, a small, tiny room.
[29:19] And he's got a lot of lights. And no need to prove anything. And I go by and I say, I want you to know that I'm afraid of the Lord.
[29:33] You don't have to come see me. I know you love me. But you've got to pray of the Lord. Now that guy that guy would do anything whenever you want.
[29:47] Except one day it grew up. That same missionary talked about a woman named Gladys. Only one saved in her family, a Catholic family.
[29:59] And they've ostracized her. Turned her out. The late woman turned her out. The missionary's wife went by some grass. They said, she's not here.
[30:11] They picked her up. Found her when she's been from the Lord. And they said, that's what's so funny. God's gonna take care of you. She said, I know.
[30:23] Nothing's happened to me like that. This is nothing. And she said, I've been dinting with these little sweaters.
[30:41] And I could get some threads. A lot of our kids in our town don't have any fun. Winter's coming off. I could take you to find somebody. And then she said, before the pastor's wife left, may I ask you a question?
[31:01] Sure, we're back. She said, I don't have a family in the street. Nobody knows her. She's still there. She's still there.
[31:13] In an old Catholic country where there are few Christians who are. She says, stay in front of us. You know, I could go on and on and on.
[31:27] I tell you. Kevin Wynn, down in Mexico City, his children go forward every week, a couple times a week. And it's dangerous there. People always get kidnapped people.
[31:39] Kevin Wynn lost it one day in the letter. He said, I'm going to have to admit to you. It's something that I prayed for. And I'm having to tell God I'm sorry.
[31:51] I should have prayed for that. He said, for several months, I asked God to give me a card. He was really, really glad. And on. So my kids would go forward.
[32:03] And on. And then it's smoking me that I wasn't trusting you. And I'm apologizing. You and I don't have to send ideas.
[32:17] I can't believe whether I can deal or what. I will know. I am. Don't you think he's going to come up with more trouble? I'm going to go. Yeah.
[32:29] He's got a guy, a girl, a lady named Hilda Guzman, who is a Jewish soldier. They're trying to learn a Jew. Over and over and over.
[32:41] So you find some Jews. You get some saved. You get some of these prayers. Nobody knows what you do. No one knows what you do. Franklin Luther down in Panama, one time he wrote about Mario.
[32:55] He said, Mario is my Joshua. My right hand man. And he said, he is only, he is only less faithful than one of the persons in our church.
[33:07] And that's his wife. His name is Maya. And he said, let me tell you about Maya. She was the only survivor of a plane crash when she was 15.
[33:21] Walked out of that wreckage without a crash. Everybody else died in a plane. A few years later, a missionary comes to the house.
[33:33] She got saved. And he said, that woman cannot do nothing. But that God, that girl is.
[33:46] Long live. And she'll tell anybody. She goes everywhere and she says, you're looking at a woman who's being held. She wants her God.
[33:59] He can eat me out of hell. He can eat me out of hell. We don't know her. But there are hundreds of people out there.
[34:10] And when Jesus said the first and the last and the last person. That's the kind of thing we have in life. They're everywhere. You can be more than you are. You can be more than you are.
[34:23] But you're already saved. Now they find us the truth about the first and the last and the last person. Know what? Thousands of times more last there are the first.
[34:36] Thousands of times. It's going to take the first. A whole lot of sitting and packing. It's going to take a long time to last. To do the land before we get to the first.
[34:47] Now I believe everyone's tired, Brother Scott. You and I are here. They're going to just say, by the way, here's a bunch of birds. What do you think? Let's go on. And that'll be fine.
[34:58] That'll be fine. We've had ours now. We don't need to be faithful. You just be faithful and wait for your recognition that's coming. Number two, God's keeping accurate records. He cares about all of you in your church.
[35:15] That nobody knows about what you're doing. I got this Bible. I said I've been going through the resurrection of this church. In verse 2, chapter 2, chapter 3.
[35:27] He said, I know your works and your labor and your patience. You know, it goes on to be born with patience. My name's in labor. He had to faint eat.
[35:38] He that hath an ear, let it hear what the Spirit says. The church is to him that overcomes. I give to the tree of life. He is to the prayer house of God.
[35:49] The next one says, he that overcometh, shall not be heard of the second death. You've been faithful unto death. I'll give you crown of life. The next church.
[36:02] He's had an ear interview with the Spirit says, the church is in the door of the country. I will give you the hidden manna. And I'll give him a little white stone. And that stone, you may have written. It's no way to know it.
[36:13] That you can see. Isn't that sweet? I'm going to give every one of you a little stone in your day. And that's going to be just the point of you. Special, intimate thing with Jesus himself.
[36:28] Because those are people that are laboring in obscurity. And then we'll come to the next letter. Keeps my works until the end. With the power of the nations. You're going to help me rule them, you're God.
[36:40] I'm going to let you spit on my phone some day. Help me rule. Every one of those letters will give you intimate details about what he's going to do for the rank of the file I'm going to do. He's practicing what he's preaching to me.
[36:54] That's all of that today. I have some of those results. You can look at them later. Number three, there wouldn't be any first and there weren't last. So then?
[37:05] Paul was first, isn't he? Yeah. He behelphus without barnbots and sidles and leucidus and nemitus and the will of the philipus and philipus and philipus and erasius and tichypus and epithrash and aristarchus and!
[37:20] And mark! Yeah, apathodilus and lonesium. That's what made it ministry. Those lieutenants are there. Yeah, come on. Notice how they named. How they named Demas.
[37:31] So Demas gave it all up. He had the chance, but he loved the world and lived. All these others did. And Paul called them faithful ministers, beloved brothers, companions in labor.
[37:46] He couldn't say enough good about them. He almost died, but God spared me the heartache and let him live. He loved those men because he knew he couldn't be first.
[37:59] There weren't no plans making his ministry work. Jesus evidently had to have the apostle put up the lot and get them on their feet and get them on.
[38:12] He would never have had a church have an apostle come to the front and become what they should have been. Jesus had to have the Mary's and Martha's and the Lazarus and the Josiah and the Joannas and the Mary Magdalene and all the other.
[38:26] And Jesus will step to the back someday and let all those be first. And it's not even 8 o'clock. We were out front.
[38:40] We get the recognition now. And I have time to make a joke about my birthday. I'm not crazy at the back about you remembering my birthday. I know you're going to do it anyway.
[38:52] That's just a little thing that we do for fun. But I'm in a marriage. I'm honestly in a marriage. We'll get the recognition, which we can always recognize you.
[39:04] It isn't fair. One day we're going to sit down and back to you. You can clean and repair and paint and visit and keep the bus and running.
[39:16] Run the bus and teach and keep the nursery and the kitchen. And do a thousand other things that I could possibly name each one without forgetting.
[39:28] You be faithful over your future and Jesus will make you real. He will give you your rewards and your recognition before he calls the name of the Star of the Greek.
[39:46] And I would say,전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전전