Mike Bickle emphasizes the significance of faithfulness in small things, reminding us that our most important appointment is the judgment seat of Christ, where we will be rewarded for our deeds. He highlights the parable of the talents, illustrating how Jesus entrusts us with gifts and opportunities, and how our faithfulness in these small matters will lead to greater rewards in the future. Bickle warns against the tragedy of wasted opportunities and encourages believers to remain diligent and responsive to God's calling, as even the smallest acts of obedience are recognized and rewarded by Him. Ultimately, he reassures that our efforts, no matter how small, are never forgotten by God and will lead to joy and fulfillment in His presence.

Well, the greatest and most glorious day of your life is yet in the future. It's our most important appointment is yet in the future. The day when the beautiful King, the man Christ Jesus returns and that you stand before him face to face and his generosity is manifest as he rewards us with such generosity for the little things that we did. It will overwhelm us with love and gratitude. Again, the most important appointment in your life is yet future. It's called the judgment seat of Christ. Paul describes it here in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. We'll read it briefly. We've looked at this passage many times, but we can't be reminded of it too often. I could read this passage and be benefited from it every day. I don't, but it would benefit me if I did. Verse 8, each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor or his own deeds done in his life as a believer. Verse 11, no other foundation can be laid except for the foundation of Jesus, who he is, what he did on the cross, his shed blood, and our relationship with him by faith. Verse 12, if anyone builds upon that foundation of the blood of Jesus, the work on the cross, we build upon it by our own labors that are either gold, silver, and precious stones in God's presence or they're like wood, hay, and straw. Verse 13, but on the last day, on the day when we stand before the Lord, each person's work, their life, their deeds will be revealed by fire. His eyes are like fire, it says in Revelation 1. I believe as he looks at us, our life, work, our deeds, the very small things that we've done because we love him, they'll come to light. It says in verse 14, this is amazing, verse 14, amazing promise. If anyone's work, the deeds which he's done, which he has built upon that foundation of the blood of Christ, if that work endures, he will receive a reward. Verse 15, talking to believers, but if anyone's work is burned, he'll suffer loss. That's loss of rewards that were within his reach by the grace of God. They were potentially his if he would have lived a life of obedience. He'll still be saved, yet as though by fire. Paragraph B, the idea of eternal rewards, some believers are like, well, I'm not really into that. It's important to understand that this was a theme that Jesus emphasized in his teaching ministry. It wasn't of secondary importance. He made over 50 references to it. There's very few topics that he referred to 50 times in the four Gospels. Hebrews 11 says it clearly, it's one of the foundation principles of the kingdom of God. He who comes to God must believe he is a rewarder to those that diligently seek him. If you come to God, Christianity, kingdom of God 101, you must believe he rewards your diligent response to him. In other words, kingdom of God 101, you must believe that God watches, he cares, he's moved by what you do, he rewards what you do. That's basic Christianity, and yet so many believers are disconnected from this truth. Therefore I don't apologize in bringing it before us over and over again, it renews my own heart to say it. Let's look at Roman numeral two in the notes, Matthew chapter 25, the parable of the talents. It's a very well-known parable. The main message of this parable is the idea that Jesus entrusts gifts, abilities, opportunities, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he entrusts those to his servants. And then at the second coming, he will ask them to give an account for how they responded to the gifts, the abilities, the opportunity, to the ministry, the wooing of the Spirit, the calling of the Lord upon their life, how they responded to it. That's the main message of this parable, but there's two other messages that are highlighted that are under this main message. Number one, it's, oh I love this one, this parable, paragraph A, reveals the generosity of Jesus, how he evaluates us with such generosity. I mean there's no better judge to stand before than the most kind, generous one. But his generosity and how he rewards us, the very small things that we do, the very big rewards that he gives, I love to say we make one step of obedience, he gives us a mile of blessing in the age to come, it's glorious, it's outrageous grace, even though he's responding to our deeds and our works. But the second message is often missed, it's the tragedy of wasted opportunity in the grace of God. For believers, many believers live their life in the tragedy of wasted opportunity by their spiritual unresponsiveness and their dullness, their lack of attentiveness to the Lord and they go decades that way, they're saved, but they suffer loss when they stand before the Lord on the last day of the rewards that were within their reach by the grace of God that were appointed for them. There's nothing that I fear more than regret. To have regret on the last day is the greatest tragedy I can imagine in life. And it's unnecessary. Well anyway, let's look at this parable, we'll look at the first part here, I'll make a few comments and then we'll look at the second part. Now this parable is spoken to believers, he's talking to the twelve apostles, several days before he dies on the cross, he's in the final week, he's in Jerusalem, he's got the apostles alone private and he's teaching them about the nature of the kingdom. So he's talking about discipleship and how to respond to him as his servants. The reason I say that is because I've read a lot of commentaries on this parable because there's a negative dimension we'll look at later of the servant who doesn't respond right and he's in big trouble and a lot of leaders, they don't know what to do with that so they say well he's got to be an unbeliever because a believer couldn't be in trouble like this. I think he's talking to believers about believers, that's my personal opinion, because it matters. You lean into this parable way more intensely if maybe he's talking to you, but if he's talking to unbelievers out there somewhere we don't really heed the warning. This parable has a glorious promise and an ominous sober warning, it has both together, it's a very important parable. Verse 14, the kingdom of heaven is like a man, and that man is Jesus in this parable, traveling to a far country because in a few days he would die and he'd go to heaven. And he said and he called his servants, of course the twelve were there a couple of days with him before the cross, he's teaching them, he delivered his goods to them. Now the Lord gives to every believer, I call it a life assignment and I don't know if that's the best word, but all of us have an assignment in our life, it's not one thing, but I mean in one part of our life we have these kinds of opportunities, struggles and difficulties, later we have these other opportunities, struggles, difficulties, breakthroughs, and the overall of our life the Lord has a plan, and in that plan he's given every one of us certain abilities or lack of abilities, strategically. Physical abilities, spiritual, emotional, economic, family situations, some have really strong amazing families, others are in very challenging even destructful and hurtful families, that's part of your life assignment wherever you're at. Now some of those gifts we develop them, and others their abilities are outside of our scope and our reach of the grace of God, and the Lord says every one of you are unique, and I have a unique assignment, the combination of all of these features over decades of your life, but on the last day I want you to respond to me according to that life circumstance that I put before you. All of us are different, that's why I can't look at you and fully grasp all the complexities of what you're dealing with, and you can't do that to another person in an accurate way, because we can't really grasp the combination of the emotional, the economic, the family issues, the personality, the mental capacities, they're just all different and they even change in the different seasons of our life. Well, he delivers to every one of his servants his goods, a certain life situation, abilities, opportunities, a certain amount of impact, etc. Verse 5, 15, and to one he gave five talents, now a talent was a unit of economics, a talent had several different definitions, but it's a certain unit of money. He gave to the next guy only two talents, he didn't give him as much ability, gifting and opportunity, and to the third guy he gave only one. Again everybody has a different situation, a different entrustment from the Lord. Verse 18, no, no, verse 16, then he who had received the five talents, just call it ten thousand dollars, the commentators all, many of them disagree with the value of a talent and money, and that's not the real point, how much it was worth back in that day. He gave him, let's say ten thousand, that guy went and traded it, meaning he bought some more property or grew some crops and he invested it in certain ways and he doubled it and he got twenty thousand, I mean he doubled his money. Verse 17, likewise the man that was given two units or two talents, two units of gifting, of opportunity, of blessing, in that circumstantial way of abilities and gifts, etc., he doubled it as well. He took that couple thousand dollars, he doubled it, and when the master came back he had a hundred percent increase, just like the man with five talents. Verse 18, but the third man, this is where the trouble came. The first two are a picture of faithfulness, they're a picture of diligence, but verse 18, this third man, he only received one talent, he's a picture of unfaithfulness. He's the picture of the servant that was entrusted with a commission, an ability, a stewardship from the Lord, but he wasted, he squandered the opportunity. Verse 18, he had received one, instead of investing it, he dug a hole in the ground and he hid the money. He didn't walk a mile down the road to the bank and put it in the bank and get interest and the Lord, Jesus mentions it a few moments, He goes, you should have at least, you know, walked down the road and put it in the bank and made me some interest over all those years. Because the master was away for many years. Verse 19, after a long time, the Lord, or the master, came to settle the accounts. Beloved, there's a day the master is coming back. It's not far from now, we don't know when, but when he does, he's going to settle accounts with all of his people. That's a glorious day, because it's a day where his generosity is openly displayed and again the overwhelming joy and gratitude that his servants will have on that day. Those that were diligent and seeking to obey him, even in their weakness and their brokenness. What a glorious day, the day when the master comes back to settle accounts. Top of page 2, verse 20, so now the man that had five talents, we already know, he brought five more, he doubled it. He was given $10,000, but after this period of investments, now he has $20,000. Again that's a hypothetical number. Verse 21, oh this is awesome. Verse 21, the Lord said to him, five phrases, and every phrase is filled with meaning. We'll look at each phrase in a moment. Well done, phrase one. Good and faithful servant, phrase two. You were faithful over few things, now note the word few, that's the power of this passage. It was only a few things. Fourth phrase, I'll make you ruler over many, note the word many. Number five phrase, enter into the joy of your Lord. He says that to the man that had five talents. But here's really remarkable, we really relate to verse 22 and 23. The man with only two talents, he had less gifting, less ability, less impact, less opportunity, but we find out he had the same diligence, the same faithfulness, and he got the same reward and the same affirmation from the Lord. So there's a big message in this. Verse 22, he who had the two talents, the less opportunity, the less gifting, the less ability, gained two more. It's a hundred percent increase, but the impact and the gifting and the ability was much less. Verse 23, the Lord said the same thing to him, same affirmation, same reward. Well done, number one. Good and faithful servant, number two. You were faithful over a few things, the third thing, I'll make you ruler over many, and then enter into the joy. What a remarkable reality. You know, there's only a few Billy Grams in the world in history that fill up stadiums and a few Reinhard Bonnke's. There's only a couple Bill Gates's that, you know, in the business world, there's only a couple prime ministers over a nation. There's only a couple, you know, presidents of Harvard University. There's not so many that reach that level of outward achievement and recognition and applause of men. Most people, it's nothing like that. But the Lord says, equally to the one with far less talent and ability, gives the same affirmation, that's remarkable to me, and he had the same diligence and the same zeal. First of all, paragraph C, he says, well done. I mean, for the Lord, the faithful one, to look you in the eye and say, well done to you, I can't imagine anything more powerful than that on that day. You know, in Revelation 3, 5, it says, Jesus will confess your name before the Father and before the angels, Revelation 3, 5. Now when it says he's going to confess your name, it means more than he says, you know, Alan Hood, you know, pass, stamp your passport, next, Ed Hackett, next. No, he's not, confessing your name means much more than that. It means he's going to tell your story. You imagine Jesus telling your story to the Father and to the angels, because he was that attentive and that interested and that gripped by your life and your deeds, even as small as they are, that's a remarkable reality. Paragraph D, good and faithful servant. Each word in this phrase is important. When he says good, that points to godly motivations, sincere intentions, it's where it starts. And when our intentions and motivations are ungodly, which we all have them, when we recognize it, we line back up to godly ones and we resist the ungodly ones, and the Lord sees that working of that muscle and he goes, that's good. He's not talking about perfection, but he goes, that's what you reach for and you determined that your motives and your intentions would be good, according to the will of God. Good. Then he says, faithful, it's more than good intentions, there's follow through, there's diligence. Follow through of our intentions in the face of pressure, obstacles, temptation, mundaneness. Mundaneness is sometimes the most painful pressure. You know, I know a lot of folks that are, well, I'm one of them, I believe that there's a great revival, far greater than anything in history, even beyond the book of Acts, is yet coming. And some people, they steward that hope in a wrong way, they're idle, and they're disengaged from the work of the Lord in a diligent way, because they're waiting for the great revival, then they're going to jump in. And that's a completely unbiblical way to wait for a great revival. But many people do. They go, oh, really? Be faithful when the glory of God is breaking out and, you know, the book of Acts plus one is all happening. But the Lord, he recognizes faithful follow through diligence, difficulty, in the face of temptation. You know, Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, the English doctor that went to China in the 1800s said, faithfulness in little things is a great thing. I love that phrase. Faithfulness in little things is a great thing before God. But then number three, Jesus will call that faithful one a servant, because they were willing to sacrifice their comfort, their honor, their personal agendas. See, it's one thing to have good intentions, another thing to really want to be diligent person, but to do it with a servant spirit. Wow. Meaning you're serving, you're in the church, and the people you're serving, they're not only complaining about you, they're complaining about you behind your back, and you hear now. You hear what they said. I'm not going to do it, if that's how you're going to treat me. But the servant spirit says, I'm just doing this thing that's under the Lord. They're staying steady. That's remarkable. The ultimate servant, the Lord Jesus, looking you in the face in the presence of the Father, saying you were a servant, he esteems servanthood and being the ultimate servant, declaring that you in truth had a servant spirit while you were following through in your faithful diligence, and you kept realigning and signing up for good motives and good intentions when you came up short in those areas. What a remarkable statement. Paragraph A, few things. Like I said, there's only a few Billy Graham's and Reinhard Bonnke's and Bill Gates. There's only a few people that make a real big impact that are recognized and applauded by the masses. Most people, their sphere of influence is really small, and that's the will of God. That's not bad. 99.999999999% of the body of Christ in history, God gave them a small sphere. Now, together we can make, collectively we can make a big impact, but individually we touch individuals here and there. Now we want to touch more, that's good. But the reason we need to understand this, this is a very powerful phrase, few things. You were faithful in few things, because many people, they sign up, when they first become a part of the kingdom of God, they get saved. They sign up for big and glorious things that they're going to do. Now again, collectively they're big and glorious, but individually, most of our assignments are small. A lot of folks, they don't get that on the front end, so they're waiting 10 years, the breakthrough doesn't come. 20 years, we're waiting, breakthrough. Now they begin, hope deferred makes the heart sick, they begin to get weary, they begin to get jaded. The third decade, year 30, they're like, forget it. And the Lord says, who told you that your sphere would be big? I don't know, that one Christian conference I went to, they said we're all going to be like Billy Graham. And people get really jaded because they're aiming to have a big impact by themselves, and I mean they've got a little team with them, and the Lord says, no, together it's big, but individually, most believers, it's small, but if you're faithful and small, and you even understand it, I don't mean I'm content with small, I always want more impact, but I've settled the issue that it's a big response to God from my heart I'm after. And whatever the impact outwardly is, that's up to God. But a lot of people would be saved, a lot of heartache, if on the front end they signed up to be faithful and small. And they're not waiting for the day where they finally get on the big stage, where they have the hundred million dollar business, kingdom business, or they're finally the prime minister or the president of the nation, finally they moved over Michael Jordan in the sports arena. Again, those things are good if the Lord gives them to you, but it's so rare. And that wrong perspective sets people on a trajectory of disappointment, they get jaded, and about year 20 or 30, I mean, they're just hard to be with those people, they're like ah, bah, humbug about everything. Encourage them to read Matthew 25. Paragraph F, I'll make you ruler over many things, this is one of the greatest declarations of Jesus' generosity, that our few things translate to ruler over many things in the age to come, in the millennial kingdom. Such generosity. Beloved, the sphere of your authority and your partnership in ruling the nation in the age to come is directly related to your response in this age, it really is, of faithfulness to it. Your sphere in the age to come isn't related to how big of an impact you made, it's how big of a response from the heart you gave. I think a lot of folks are going to be shocked in the age to come when they see the impact the Lord gives them. This is in the millennial kingdom when this is happening, because the parable is about when the Lord returns, they settle accounts, and then he assigns them their lot after his return. It's about what happens after he returns. Paragraph G, Jesus made this same point of giving much for just a little faithfulness in a small sphere. He made the same point in Luke chapter 19. Now Luke 19 was spoken a few weeks before he entered Jerusalem and went to the cross. Matthew 25 is only a few days before the cross, Luke 19, he's in Jericho, he's on his way to Jerusalem, he's a few weeks out. So he's teaching these two parables to the apostles, he's getting them ready, because he's about to go, and he wants them not just signing up for the big fireworks of power, he wants them steady, steady, because all of them are going to go to prison, and most of them are going to be martyred, and they're going to have betrayal and setbacks and hardships, and he's wanting them to sign up to be faithful, not just for fireworks of what happened in Acts chapter 2 where the great revival started. There were moments of great power in Acts, but many days of labor, day by day, facing hardships and setbacks and obstacles. But in this parable, it's a different parable in a different city, he's in Jericho, right before Jerusalem, he said, well done. This time instead of saying a few things, he said, you were faithful in very little. It's the same idea, but very little. Have authority over ten cities. Again, these promises have their fulfillment, they literally are fulfilled when the Lord returns. When Jesus returns and brings the new Jerusalem down to the earth, we will live with resurrected bodies in the new Jerusalem, but we will rule with him on the earth. We'll have physical bodies like you do now, but just with heavenly power and resurrection, the power of the resurrection in them, you'll be ruling over cities, a number of people will. Not everybody will rule cities and nations. But the faithful will. I tell you, there's going to be some moms that are shocked. You know, moms, I like to point this out, they have such an important assignment in the kingdom. You know, here they are, they have their two, three, four, five children plus. They get up, work, work, work, work, drive, drive, drive, drive, clean, clean, clean, clean, work, work, work, drive, drive, drive, yes, yes, and kids go, mom, can you give me more? Can you give me faster? How come? Why not? More, more, faster, faster, and then hubby comes home and he does blah, blah, blah, blah, and then she goes to bed, and the next day she does it again, and it goes on for year after year. And she does it, well, she loves her family, but she's a godly woman, she's doing it in a sense of the Lord, because those children are the Lord's before they're hers. She knows it. I mean, she loves her children, but she's saying, Lord, I want to disciple them. She's making disciples in her home, she's serving Jesus faithfully with a servant spirit. Some of them are going to be shocked, because they're so used to being out of the limelight and not being recognized, not being appreciated by their family, losing out on lots of activities, they're going to be shocked when they meet the Lord face-to-face, and he says, 10 cities, I didn't think you noticed, because I noticed every diaper you changed, every cup of cold water you gave one of my beloved ones, I told you, every cup of cold water I would write down in my book. Well, I didn't think, if they were in my house, it counted, he goes, every cup of cold water, oh my. Billy Graham, move out of the way, here I come. Kidding, I don't know about all that stuff, but anyway, you know, I've talked to ladies over the years, they go, hey, when I raise my children, I mean, I love my family, I'm going to raise my children, then I'm going to really jump into the kingdom. I go, I got good news for you, you done jumped in. You're already serving hard, you're not going to start serving when they grow up, you're in, fully in, and it counts, it all counts. Well done, you were faithful in very little. Paragraph H, enter into the joy. You know, a lot of believers over the years, I love to talk on eternal rewards and the judgment seat of Christ, because it plumb lines my heart, such an anchor in my heart to know that the little things I do, most of my life is not on a platform, most of what I do is little things, small conversation, problem solving, lots of little things, just like you. An hour or two here and there in a week, I'm on a platform, but most of my life isn't, just like your life, just like everyone's life out there, it consists of lots of small things. Anyway, I love the idea that the Lord cares and remembers and looks at these things. But the joy, I talk about rewards, I hear this all the time, it's always a small number, but I don't care about rewards, well, I think you're wrong. Paragraph H, Jesus says you're going to enter into joy, your heart is going to explode when he rewards you. And he knows you better than you know you. And he knows where this is going better than any of us. I look at that, he goes, enter into the joy of what I openly display, the way I felt about the way you loved me. And my desire for rewards isn't to have superiority or status over people, I want to be with him where he is, doing what he's doing, he's ruling the nations, I want to be with him, I want to be working closely with the one I love. That's what rewards are about. Let's look at page 3, paragraph J, I can't emphasize this too much, our smallest efforts cannot be forgotten, are never forgotten by God. Hebrews 6.10, God says, the scripture says God would consider himself unjust, it would be unjust of God if he forgets one act of love you do. It would be unjust of God. That's remarkable. The Lord says my memory is really good, and I'm really passionate about the way you serve. I won't forget one of them. Look at the next verse, Colossians 3, Paul exhorted the saints to remember and to know and lay hold of the fact that he's watching, he rewards, he says, whatever you do, do it heartily. In other words, do it with zeal. Don't do it half-hearted. When the person that can promote you is watching, then when the person that can promote you isn't watching, you cheat. He says, no, don't do it that way. Do it all the way, no matter who is in the room and who can promote you. Because the one that can really promote you is watching all the time. I don't mean do it because you're afraid he's watching. Do it because you know he's watching, and he's going to engage you in the future related to that service. He says, do it unto the Lord, not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive a reward, because it's Christ you're serving. Again, a lot of folks get diligent and focused when the people that can promote them are watching them serve. All over the kingdom, in every sphere that believers are, beloved, we look up, we see the Lord smile. Your boss is far away, but your real boss is there with you, and you're engaging in fellowship and partnership with him, and you're serving. Whether it's in the home, in the marketplace, in the church, whatever, you're doing it because you're doing it unto the Lord. Once you make that readjustment, your life has far greater power in it, because then you're not longing all the time for applause and recognition and appreciation, because you already sense you got it from the main one who can support you and promote you. Changes the whole tenor of your life when you switch over at which eyes you're living before. Roman numeral three. Well, let's look at the next part of the parable. This is the part that is negative, where there's a suffering loss. Verse, paragraph A, Jesus describes the attitude of the man who responded wrongly. Here we see the tragedy of lost opportunity. I believe this is of a believer. Again, I acknowledge a number of commentators say, no, it's got to be an unbeliever, because he ends up in a real bad place at the end. I believe a believer can respond negatively over a period of time and end up in the wrong place at the end. I think it's a real admonition of Scripture. People can fall away from their faith. It's real. I don't think it's easy to do, but it happens. And there's a great falling away at the end of the age. And one camp says, well, they were just people hanging out in the church that were never saved, so they never really fell away, because they were never really in the church. And the other guy goes, no, they really were, and they fell away. Either way it goes, they end up in the wrong place, and they thought they were believers for a while. So I'll let both camps work it out. Both camps agree it was people that thought they were believers, and then at the end found themselves in a really wrong relationship with the Lord at the end. This is ominous. The reason I'm pressing this, because if this is just relegated to people out there who don't really care about God anyway, this parable doesn't have any warning in it that's relevant to us, but I think it's really relevant. But he's preaching this to the twelve, to prepare them, to prepare the church. Verse 24, all three of these men, the five talent, two talent, one talent, they're servants of the Lord in this parable. They're not just hirelings, they're servants, entrusted with abilities from the Lord. Verse 24, then he who had received one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you've not sown. I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you can have it. But the Lord said, you're wicked and you're lazy. And if you presumed that I would reap where I didn't sow, you ought to at least walk down the road and put my money in the bank. You should have exerted a little effort to get me interest. It would have been the smallest amount of effort on your part if you really thought I was that tough of a person, that harsh of a leader. Number one, this is an attitude that finds its way in the church. Starts off with, we all know it, I mean, I'm sure we've all done it, I know I have. Starts off with this kind of subtle complaining about the Lord's leadership. Now we think of it of just complaining about our life is hard, but sometimes it goes beyond that, we're complaining about his leadership. We're saying, in essence, number one, God requires too much and he offers too little help. If he really was going to require this, why didn't he give me more money, more power, more people, more impact, more, more, more, give me more if you're going to ask for more from me. Paragraph one, you're a hard leader, Jesus. You give too little immediate reward for all the work I do. I want immediate rewards. I want to feel it now. You're a hard leader. You don't understand how difficult my life is. What you require of me, the attention and diligence, it's unfair, it's irrational. You're a harsh leader. Beloved, when that subtle complaint morphs into an accusation, it puts a believer into a trajectory of dullness. Their heart gets jaded, takes a few months, a few years, and they're in a real tough place with God, and they don't even know how they got there. Jesus is pointing it out right here. Number two, they said, Jesus, you reap where you didn't sow. You want to harvest in a field that your neighbor planted in. You didn't even plant. You want to go there and take where you didn't invest. You want to take from me, Lord? Invest more in me. Lord says, really, that's the way you want to do this relationship? I'm taking more from you than I'm investing in you. Yes, Lord, it feels that way. And you know, as weak people, we can feel that way, but when we catch ourself, beloved, your spiritual life depends on you getting a hold of that attitude. Say, forgive me, forgive me, I'm just a dumb, silly man. I got a wicked heart. I love you, I love you. Get rid of that. And then if it slips up again, grab it the minute you recognize it. And I tell you, that attitude, I see it all over the body of Christ in different levels. You're a hard man. In other words, your leadership is unfair and harsh. Yes, too much. Number three, I was afraid. So I buried it. Now in the story, he was afraid to take his $10,000 or whatever the number is. Because if I went and invested in business and lost it, and you came back, and you'd be so mad at me because you're such a bad leader, you treat me so unfairly. So I didn't want to take the chance of losing your money, so I buried it. And I know I should have given you interest, but sorry. Beloved, the fear. Fear. Fear causes so many godly men and women to get out of the race and to go camp out and to just kind of isolate in spiritual self-pity. Fear. Fear of failure. What if what I try doesn't work well? It might not. But if you're obedient, that's the Lord, He's gracious. Fear of rejection. If I do it, someone's going to be mad at me for not doing it right. It's going to happen for sure. Someone goes, what if they're mad at me? I go, I promise you, people will be mad at you. I've been a pastor 40 years. I've never had a time where people are not mad at me. First couple years, it threw me off. The last 35 or 40, I thought, okay, this is how everybody. I go, they will. Oh. Fear of difficulty. It will. Fear of mundaneness. It will. Fear of fatigue. Some people are so afraid of getting tired. They spend their life making sure they're not tired tomorrow. Not so many, but I know people like that. They go, well, I got no reserve money. Bro, just set that aside and go for it. Being a little bit tired is not that big a deal. Some are the fear of losing some of their free time. Yeah, you will. Fear of inconvenience. Absolutely, you will be inconvenienced. Fear of criticism and betrayal by Christians. Whisper it behind your back. For sure, they will. Settle it. I'm doing it for the Lord. I love Him. And while I love people, and some won't like the way I love them, and I love them imperfectly, but the Lord's measuring our heart for fear. He had all these excuses in the Lord, verse 4, I mean, number 4. He says, no, that's not really it. Maybe the fears were there, yeah. Really, you're wicked. You're living in compromise in an area of your life. And you're lazy. And you'd rather spend all your time and money on your own comfort, and your own honor, and your own agenda, and not mine. And I'm your God. I'm the Genesis 1 God. I became a man and shed my blood for you. And I've called you to be my eternal companion. And it's not worth it to you. You're a wicked, lazy slave who is afraid as well. Top of page 4. Verse 29. The parable ends with this glorious promise, but very sober warning. Verse 29. And I'm just going to summarize it to you, and then you can read it. I say the same thing like five different ways here on page 4, just so people read it differently. But here's what he's saying. Let's look at verse 29. To everyone who has, it's a cryptic, it's a little bit cryptic. But it's a glorious promise, and it's an ominous, sober warning. And I believe he's talking to his servants. This is the verse where a lot of theologians say he's talking just to unbelievers. Because he would never talk to a believer this way. Verse 29. He says this, by the way, this principle. Verse 29. This promise and this warning together in this cryptic, near cryptic statement. He says it five different times in the Gospels. Different occasions. This is a very important principle. He says to everyone who has. This is good. More will be given. They have the grace of God operating their life. They have spiritual understanding. They have zeal. They have hunger for God. They have faith. They have abilities in the grace of God. The Lord says, you use it, and it will increase. Your hunger will grow. Your understanding will grow. Your tenderness will grow if you engage with the truth. The simple phrase you've heard, use it or lose it. That's true spiritually. It's true spiritually. You're either taking new ground in the spirit or you're losing ground. You're never staying the same. If you're not taking new ground. If you're not growing in understanding and zeal in a sense of a resolve of faithfulness. You're actually going the other way. You're never the same day after day. You're incrementally going one way or the other. He says, if you have and you're engaging, you're going to get more and more and more and more. He says, but if you don't have. This is the cryptic part. Even what you have, you will lose. Like what? If you don't have. He's saying the grace of God was within your reach. The grace of God was wooing you and drawing you. You had introductory stirrings, introductory insight, and you were moving that direction. But you didn't continue in it. And your heart grew cold and harder. Look at paragraph E1. Truth is not neutral. When you hear the truth, it's either slowly tenderizing you if you're responding to it. Or it's slowly, ever so slightly hardening you and it's making you dull. You can't hear the truth and it be neutral. It's moving you ever so slightly one direction or the other every time you hear it. So he's warning his believers. He says, what I've given you, you've got to respond. You're in. Your capacities, your spiritual capacity will diminish. Your hunger will diminish. Your zeal, your interest, your tenderness, your understanding. You'll lose understanding you had three, four years ago if you don't grow in that understanding. I've had people say, well, I came here, I learned about the bride of Christ. I got it. If you're not growing in it, you've lost it. It's just rhetoric now. If you're not growing in that understanding, you're losing the understanding. It's true of me. It's everybody. And Jesus ends it in verse 30 in the worst case scenario. He describes that unprofitable servant cast into outer darkness under eternal judgment. So here's what happens. He's describing a servant. He doesn't respond. His interest in the Lord's leadership is little by little diminishing. His zeal, his hunger, his understanding that he even had before is getting smaller and smaller. The years go by. His bitterness and his dullness and his jadedness is increasing. And it goes to such a point, in some cases, they step across the line and they actually deny their faith. That's the worst case scenario. Paul the Apostle describes a tragedy, but not so severe. It's the believer. They're losing their capacity. They're getting captured in other things. They don't have the hunger they had. They ended up still saved, but they've lost their reward. I mean, they're in the kingdom forever, but he says, but they've lost all the reward that was within their reach. And Jesus ends this parable of such glorious promised rewards of his generosity for even small faithfulness. But he also adds to that the warning. This isn't neutral. This isn't a passive promise. I've given you the promise, but if you don't engage in the promise, you end up on the backside of it. And you will be progressively moving the wrong direction. You won't stay the same. And for some, they will end up completely out of the kingdom. Others, they will end up with no reward at the end. And at one time, they had a fresh walk with the Lord. Maybe a short time, maybe a long time. I don't know. I've seen so many of these kind of things happen in my 40 plus years. Worship team, come on up. I've watched people on fire for 10 or 5 or 10, 15 years. Then you're 30, you're 40. You can't even hardly find a witness of Jesus in their life. There's hardly a heartbeat of interest in the kingdom. They got the rhetoric down. They can say salvation by faith. They can say grace. They can say a couple of the key Bible verses, but there's no movement. There's no heartbeat spiritually in them. And I think, what happened? It's slow. It's slow. He that has, he gets more. His understanding grows. That makes him more tender. Then he gets more understanding. It just catapults. It escalates. It crescendos. Then in the age to come, it gets all these rewards. And all these things that, wow, abundant. He goes, that's the way you want to go. You'll rule over cities. Or you go the other way. Amen. Let's stand. Father, here we are before you. We love your leadership. Now, some of you, you're fearful. You're bearing your talents. You're fearful of getting hurt again. Because a few Christians put you down behind your back and you found out. Beloved, that's going to happen all the way to the end. Just say, okay. I'm not living for that. I'm living for something else. Sign back up and get back in the race. Others, I'm waiting for the great revival. When it happens and it gets exciting, I'll jump in. Forget that. That's a complete distraction. Jump in now. There's a lot happening in the kingdom. It matters now. Others, well, as long as the leaders are watching me, I'll do strong. But when no one is, I'll go do that other life. No. Get rid of that idea. I want to invite people forward. I would like prayer. You're saying in your heart, Lord, I want to reestablish my heart in this. I really want to hear from you, good and faithful servant. I want to hear that from you on the last day. Beloved, that's your life vision right there. Verse 23. Well done, good and faithful servant. You'd like prayer. I want to invite you to come forward. If you got your body sick and you would like healing, I want to invite you to come forward. Or you have another need. But all over the room is, Brenton leads us. Let's re-sign back up. To be diligent, even in small things. And together we'll make a big impact. But we're little spheres. That's okay with me. I'm okay about little. Because Jesus is big. And I'm locking in. His reward is big. His heart is big. Father, here we are before you. Somebody brought you to this meeting and you don't even have a relationship with Jesus. You can receive salvation literally today. I want to invite you to come forward. You can receive the free gift of salvation literally today before you leave this room. Just come forward and when they pray for you, say, how does this work? I want to be saved. I want to be in the kingdom. Lord, here we are. Lord, here we are before you. I want to be faithful. I want to be found steady. I want to be found faithful to the end. I want to live before your eyes. I want to stay before your bed. Father, we want to be faithful. Just keep me steady. I want to be found steady. I want to be found faithful to the end. To the end. To the end. We say yes to your leadership, Jesus. I want to be found steady. I want to be found faithful to the end. I want to be found faithful. I want to be found steady. I want to be found faithful to the end. I would invite the ministry team and anybody in leadership, the mission space, the school, here at FCF, I want to invite you to come with me and a few more words. Pray for people. I want to live before your eyes. Lord, I ask for the fire of the Holy Spirit. Release the fire of the Holy Spirit in this room, I ask. Lord, we say that you're worth it. Jesus, you're worth it. Grace to be steadfast, we say yes. How do we ask you for renewal, for liberty, for strength, even now, to be faithful to you? Everything. I give you everything I have, Jesus. You're worthy, you're worth it, Lord. We say yes, Lord. You would heal bodies, physical healing in this room right now. If you need prayer for healing in your body, raise your hand if you're down here or anywhere in the room. You came and you said, I need my body healed today. Raise your hand up high. Anybody around them, do you see their hands up? Let's move in close to them. Lay hands on them. I want to pray, and I want you to just join in with me. Take a few steps across the aisle and go lay hands on them. The Lord gives more when the church prays for the church. In the name of Jesus, God, I ask you for healing power right now, today. We stand against sickness. We stand against any demonic attacks. Lord, you are a God that heals. We believe you that you will heal bodies today. That you never change. You are the Lord that heals your people. In Jesus' name. We speak to you. Power, healing, deliverance. Let your healing fire be released now. Some of you are feeling the fire of the Holy Spirit on you. Lord, I ask you to release more right now. Release your fire. Demonstrate liberty, power, liberty. Increase the fire. Increase your manifest presence in this room. Resting on people. Fear, tormenting dreams, terror in the night. In Jesus' name. We break the power of the Holy Spirit. You never change. You are the God that heals people. You never change. You are the Jesus of the gospels. You're here today in our midst. I ask for healing power. You never change. Always the same. Stretch out your hand and say. Stretch out your hand and heal. I speak against cancer and tumors and eye problems right now in Jesus' name. God, I ask you for healing and deliverance right now today. Stretch out your hand and heal. Stretch out your hand. Stretch out your hand and say. Stretch out your hand and heal. Stretch out your hand and say. Stretch out your hand and heal. Stretch out your hand and say. Stretch out your hand and heal. Stretch out your hand and say. Stretch out your hand and heal. Demonstrate your power. Lord, I ask for the spirit of heaviness to be broken off of people. Liberty over the spirit of heaviness. Depression and heaviness. In the name of Jesus. We speak against the spirit of heaviness right now. Lord, release the liberty in the heart right now. Liberty in the mind right now. Release peace. Release peace right now and freedom. I ask for liberty right now today, Lord. Not tomorrow, Lord. I ask for liberty this morning right now. I ask for liberty today right now. God of all peace. Restoration, deliverance, rescue, healing. Father, I ask you for eyes that need healing. I ask for torment and fear that comes in the night. I take the power over right now. I speak the name of Jesus over it now. For two births. People that have two births. I speak against it now in Jesus' name. Lord, I ask you to bless all the moms in the house for their faithful labor. Lord, bless all the moms here that are laboring in their homes. That's power in your name, Lord Jesus. Oh, we look to you. We love you. We love to love you, Jesus.