“Saved to Serve” Pastor Eddie Turner Sunday, October 30, 2016

Matt. 25:14-30(NLT) - 14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what

they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ------------• God trusts us with His mission and resources --------------• God expects growth and increase ------------• Each servant is given a designated amount (talents/gifts/opportunities) • God never compares his servants with another servant ------------• There will be a time of evaluation of our lives and how we used that which we have been given ------------• God dislikes laziness ------------• Reward or Loss will be the result of our stewardship in life ------------“Children, he said, you’re going to die!... One of these days, they’re going to take you out to the cemetery, drop you in a hole, throw some dirt on your face, and go back to the church and eat potato salad. Yep-you’re going to die one day! ------------When you were born, he said, you alone were crying and everyone else was happy. The important question I want to ask you is this: When you die, are you alone going to be happy, leaving everybody else crying? ------------The answer depends on whether you live to get titles or live to get testimonies. When they lay you in the grave, are people going to stand around reciting the fancy titles you earned, or are they going to stand around giving testimonies of the good things you did for them….? ------------Will you leave behind a newspaper column telling people how important you were, or will you leave crying people who give testimonies of how they’ve lost the best friend they ever had?

------------God’s purpose for us in this life is to make a difference in this world. Those of us who carry the name Christian have woven into our very beings the desire to please God and live a life of significance. No sincere Christian should be satisfied to simply exist and wait till Jesus returns. ------------God wants us to take charge of the paddles seek his guidance and launch ourselves into a life of purpose and passion. ------------God has ordained the church as one of the means by which we fulfill our potential and purpose in life. The church is the vehicle through which a Christian can make a difference. The church is God’s organized instrument of world impact and you and I are the agents of that impact! ------------Always try to remember the church is a gathering and group of imperfect people in pursuit of a perfect God. And imperfect people rarely act perfect ------------Prov.18:21(NIV) - The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. ------------Eph. 4:29(MSG) - Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. ------------When I allow someone’s words or actions hinder me from using my gifts and talents for God; it speaks more of my immaturity than it does their imperfection. -------------

The church is God’s organized instrument of world impact and you and I are the agents of that impact! ------------1). When We Serve -We Express Gratitude for what Jesus has done for us: ------------Thankfulness shows appreciation not only for the gift itself, but for the relationship that’s behind the gift. ------------Our gift is a representation of the value we place on our relationship-it means something to us. We don’t expect a gift in return but we do enjoy hearing an expression of gratitude for our gift. ------------When I serve Jesus through my local church-it is one way I express my gratitude for his gift to me of eternal life. -------------Eph. 2:8-10(NIV) - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ------------10 For

we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -------------

We Have Been Saved To Serve ------------Serving is a natural response for a Christian who maintains a heart of gratitude. -------------• A life of gratitude opens the door for blessings: -------------Luke 17:11-19(NKJV) - 11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” ------------The word “well” is the word “whole/ sozo. (Salvation)” ------------Rom 1:16(NKJV) - 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ------------The word “salvation” has a 5 fold meaning. It means: • Deliverance • Safety • Preservation • Healing • Soundness --------------

2). When I Serve I Am Doing My Part to Fulfill the Great Commission: -------------Matt. 28:18-20(NIV) - Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” --------------Luke 14:16-23(NIV) - Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. --------------3). When I Serve in My Local Church, I Am Making a Difference that will Last for a Lifetime: --------------In order to make a difference that will last for eternity, I must break out of my personal limitations and make a decision to extend myself beyond the boundaries of my ability. I must be willing to embrace a vision that is bigger than mine. --------------

My church’s vision and mission is bigger than any one person can make happen. Only through a collective effort of many people can the dreams that really matter come true.