We'll be singing song number 167, all hail the power of Jesus' name, again that is song
number 167.
We'll be singing song number 167, all hail the power of Jesus' name, again that is song
number 167.
Hail the power of Jesus' name, all hail the power of Jesus' name, again that is song number
177.
Hail the power of Jesus' name, again that is song number 177.
Hail the power of Jesus' name, again that is song number 170.
It's not just meat for man but it also is the vehicle that carries the seed that produces
another tree.
That's the fruit that we want is to bring, get people saved so they can get other people
saved.
You know, and that's a really important way to look at it.
Like think about if we, every single person, every soul winner in here just over the course
of one year got one person saved and baptized in church and made a soul winner out of them.
I mean that, just the first year alone how that would change this church.
You know this side of the auditorium would be a little fuller tonight.
You know maybe we'd have to put another chair down the aisle or something like that.
I mean seriously.
And if you, and then if those people did that I mean you could see how very quickly a church
in just over a year or two could really grow and expand if people have that mentality that
the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.
It's another fruit bearing tree.
So the other thing I want to point out in the story is that Anna is being faithful.
You know if you want that fruit, if you want to be somebody that's going to bear precious
seed and bear fruit in your life, if you want to have something to show, if you want to
bring the mules back in from the wild as it were, you're going to have to be faithful.
We talked about how this was a commandment of Zibi and his father.
He's doing his father's business and we need to be faithful people.
That's how we're going to bear fruit in our lives.
That's how we're going to see ourselves multiply over the years.
Yes go, yes have a burden, but you have to be faithful in doing it.
You have to remain faithful.
Look at Luke chapter 16 and have you go there in verse 10.
He said he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
You know I believe Anna perhaps he was maybe God kind of directed these mules toward him
in the wilderness because he saw him being faithful with the asses of his father.
You know he handled that little bit that was given unto him and as a result God said well
I'm going to give you more.
I'm going to reward your faithfulness right because one you know I can't imagine it's
a lot of fun wandering around the wilderness with a bunch of asses okay.
Because an ass which we call a donkey today is it's known as being kind of a stubborn
mule right a stubborn animal.
Some of you might have even heard someone say that you're as stubborn as an ass right.
That's a saying that's out there and they're talking about the animal okay right.
That's what they're kind of known for being so I can't imagine that Anna this is you know
how he wanted to spend his weekend or whatever you know all the other guys are you know going
into town to spend some shekels or whatever I don't know what they were doing.
You know but he's like no I can't hang out I got to go keep the asses in the wilderness
right and maybe he didn't even have that kind of attitude.
Maybe he was glad to go do his father's work you know maybe he was just a good obedient
son that just did what was asked of him commanded of him and was just faithful right.
Either way that doesn't sound like my that's not my idea of a good time.
You know I like getting out in the woods I like getting out in the wilderness but you
know we only do it for brief moments you know we do it for very short stints right.
That's why camping is kind of like you know kind of an odd hobby when you think about
it.
There's probably a lot of people down through the history you know that we would look at
us like you're doing what.
Yeah we're going to go where there's no plumbing there's no hot water and there's no electricity
we're going to sleep and we're going to let bugs bite us and hopefully we don't get mauled
right and they're like well that you just described my life right.
You just described like the last you know ninety percent or more of human history right.
You just describe how people have been living for the vast majority like why are you doing
that.
I mean think about it camping is kind of a silly thing to do.
Now I'm for it right.
Now I've noticed a lot of military guys are not for it I don't know why.
It seems like every military guy I run into is like camping no like brother Segura former
marine not interested in camping okay.
You know I've known other marines other military guys are just like nope no thanks I think
I don't know if it's boot camp what they what they did to you but maybe they maybe they
beat some sense in you I don't know maybe you've got a better view on things than the
rest of us right because it does seem like kind of an odd hobby.
Let's go hang out in the wilderness you know.
It's probably not what Anna was really looking forward to doing.
Let me just go out there by myself with a bunch of stubborn animals and you know wander
around in the woods and just you know keep them fed or whatever take them to this pasture
take them to that pasture and just feed these wild animals you know he's a younger man perhaps
maybe he doesn't you know maybe he's more interested in other things maybe he's got
other things on his mind but you know what my point is this is that he's being faithful.
He's being faithful to that which was asked of him commanded of him.
He's being faithful as Jesus said here and that which is least right and as a result
he's given more right he goes out there being faithful doing something that perhaps not
everybody was going to sign up to do it's not a really a volunteer position probably
and he's just faithful to it and he ends up coming back with more mules and I gotta imagine
that put a big smile on his dad's face like you go went out with these asses and you come
back with these mules and you know if they are different animals I mean think about it
the donkeys or asses are typically the smaller animal from my understanding you know from
the pictures I saw on Google when I googled this less than a few hours ago is that is
that mules are the larger animal right they're bigger I mean you think he's getting more
he's coming back with perhaps an animal that's capable of doing more work is going to you
know be maybe less stubborn than an ass maybe he's going to be able to pull a larger plow
or you know have a bigger pack put on it and serve a greater purpose you know he was faithful
you know and that which is least he's and he was faith and as a result he was faithful
also and much that's how we if we want to be given more you know we have to be faithful
with what we have we have to be faithful with what we have been given it doesn't do any good
to sit around and think about why we don't have more why we aren't this or why we aren't
like that doesn't matter what we need to be worried about is are we being faithful
with what we do have right look at verse eleven if you have been not been faithful in the
unrighteous mammon which is money who will commit unto your trust the true riches verse
twelve and if you have been not been faithful in that which is another man's who shall give
you that which is your own now this is a verse I think about I don't want to say a lot but
it's definitely one that's on my mind you know we hope and aspire to be an independent
church you know but if we want that which is our own we need to be faithful with that
which is another's right you know we're a satellite church you know we're we're under
you know the the leadership of Pastor Anderson you know and I'm not saying we haven't you
know we have I believe been faithful and this church is a success you know and if we remain
being faithful you know we eventually in due time we'll have that which is our own we'll
have our own name you know we'll have our own decal on the front or whatever whatever
you know and that's probably all that'll change but you know it'll it'll be ours at that point
obviously it's all Christ's but we want to be faithful now if you would go to go to first
Corinthians chapter four I can't believe I'm running out of time already but I guess that's
a good thing you know we want to be faithful the Bible says in Proverbs 20 verse 6 most men will
proclaim every one his own goodness a lot of people want to tell you how good they are a lot
of people want to tell you just how they're the best at this and they're the best at that they're
like the brag right but a faithful man who can find who can just find somebody that doesn't need
to be acknowledged that doesn't need to hear you know his own praise that just wants to serve that
doesn't need recognition that just need just wants to do the work that's put out in front
and put in front of him and just be faithful the Bible says that's a rare person that's a hard
thing to find you know but that's the attitude that we have to have if we want to be given which
is more you know if you want to go out and find the wild mules you have to be faithful you have
to be faithful if you want to come back with more if you want to be increased if you want to be
given more be faithful and part of that means you know you're not doing things just to be recognized
I mean that's what we looked at last week when we were going through mark 12 is that you know some
guys you know and then he warned them to not be like the Sadducees which you know make broad
their phylacteries and wear long garments and for pretense make long prayers standing in the
marketplace love to be called rabbi verily I say unto you they have their reward that's what he
said of those type of people you know they got what they're looking for and we just want to
proclaim our own goodness and here echoed back to us you know that's all we're gonna have but what
we want to be is the faithful man because the faithful man who does not need recognition is the
guy that in the long run is going to be blessed of God and it's gonna be given more okay did I have
you go to prop where did you went to first Corinthians right Proverbs 28 I'll read to you
again you know from verse 19 of Proverbs 20 why do we want to be faithful because that's how you
lead to being blessed that's kind of what's in the story right Anna is just sent out in the
wilderness by his father and he's just faithful and he's blessed because he finds the mules I
mean that's a blessing to me and you that's probably we probably want to find something
else today right I don't know how to bring that into you know a modern example okay we want to
go and find a plate full of tacos or something I don't know right we want to be blessed some other
way we found a bunch of like literal mules today we probably like you know I don't know how to
butcher that how do you what do you what do you do with this you know we would we wouldn't even
know where to sell them okay but obviously the picture is is that he's being blessed because he's
being faithful why do you want to be the faithful man why do you need to not have you know need to
not make a reward about hearing other people say your name because that's how you're truly blessed
that's what leads to being blessed and look I'm not against people being acknowledged or you know
it's just when we go that's what we're looking for and that's what we're seeking after and that's
what we want you know then then you know that that's not gonna lean to the real blessing the
real blessing is that when we're fate comes when we are faithful the Bible says in Proverbs 20 I'll
read to you he that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread you know the guy that just does
the work is gonna be the one that has the bread the guy that goes to the wilderness and obeys his
father is the one that's gonna find more but he that follow after vain person shall have poverty
enough you know if you're not faithful you just want to be you know you don't want to do the work
you just want a quick fix you want to you know just have a an easy time of it you're actually
gonna end up having poverty because it goes on it says in verse 20 a faithful man shall abound with
blessings I believe those verses are tied in be just tilling your land being faithful being
dutiful that's the guy that's gonna bound with blessings he that maketh haste to be rich shall
not be innocent you know the guy that just either by hook or by crook is gonna just try to get money
quick is gonna actually be the guy that has poverty ironically be faithful because that
leads to being blessed now what does faithfulness look like well it looks like service you know
looks like serving right that's the picture in Genesis 36 in verse 24 is that him going out of
the wilderness that's it's dad's not sending him on a you know all expenses paid cruise in the
wilderness you know you know that that's your your your fare has been paid for via the asses
no he's he's being sent to work right he's serving his father when he goes look at 1st Corinthians
chapter 4 verse 14 he says I write not these things to shame you but as my beloved sons I
warn you for though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ yet he have not many fathers for Christ
Jesus that I have begotten you through the gospel wherefore I beseech you be followers of me for
this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord I love
that he says this about Timotheus because again Timotheus is not his son right we know that
Timotheus was found later on I believe in act 16 is where he after he is split up with with Barnabas
and he then goes on and finds Timotheus might be acts 13 I can't remember exactly but he
refines him being well reported of the brethren right that's what's said about Timothy and we
know that Lois and Eunice were his mother and grandmother you know because they Paul talks
about the faith that dwells in he which dwelt first in my grandmother Lois and that mother
Eunice again goes backwards I think but the point being that this is not literally Paul's son right
but I mean wouldn't you I mean look that would have Paul say that about you wouldn't that be
kind of cool to be endeared to a man of God like that to where he's saying this is my beloved son
you know that that's kind of a special thing Paul didn't probably say that about a lot of people
right now Paul obviously was very affectionate and had a lot of care for a for many people loved
all the churches but he's saying I'm sending unto you to both this to both us my beloved son right
who is fate and faithful in the Lord you know he as a father with the son he labored with me in the
gospel he says elsewhere of Timothy now how did Timothy get there do faithfulness right and that
faithfulness was manifested in service because when Paul found him he says he was well reported
of the brethren meaning was already a faithful man he was already in church already saved doing
the work of God then it says and him would have Paul have to go with him to the and that's who
Paul took he's looking for a companion and travel to go out and preach the gospel and a plant these
churches he says who am I gonna take with me and look and it wasn't just anybody he wasn't gonna
take just anybody remember you know that's why him and Barnabas split up because he thought it
not good to take John Mark with them to the work because he went not to work with them when they
were in Pamphylia you know he flaked out right so he's looking for not just for and he's not
looking for another slacker he's not looking for somebody who's unfaithful he's looking for
somebody who is faithful and for somebody that's going to go to the work with him and do the hard
work of the ministry and serve that's what faithfulness looks like is service and that's
where the blessing comes is when we are faithful and we serve we're blessed I mean this is a pretty
you know this in and of itself to me is a blessing to have this affinity with Paul to have Paul say
of you that he is faithful in the Lord I mean I don't know that you can really say a better thing
about somebody you know you just sometimes you know that's how people are described well what
about so-and-so they're faithful you know I mean what else can you I mean what other great thing
can you say about them you know certainly nothing about their looks oh right you know but I mean
what more what else there's no greater compliment in my book than to just be deemed faithful by
somebody you know these faithful he's steady he's reliable that's a that's a huge compliment if you
want to call it that but it's something that we should want to be said of ourselves because that
is where the blessing comes in blessing comes when people are faithful right that's what Anna did he
was faithful he went out and did probably something that a lot of other people would want to do maybe
he himself didn't want to do it but went and did it anyway because he's faithful and he was blessed
as a result same with Timotheus the beloved son of Paul you know someone who's that endeared to him
is being called faithful in the Lord now if you would go to Luke chapter 6 on clothes there Luke
chapter number 6 made it okay Luke chapter 6 managed to stretch that one I'm just kidding
that's the picture though you know Anna is going into the wilderness just being a faithful man you
know it's a great picture of soul wedding you know we need to be faithful to soul wedding look there's
gonna be times when you don't feel like it you're gonna be in that church van that church you know
in the car and you're proud you might even feel like you're with a bunch of asses you know what
sometimes you actually might be not scared you know you might feel that way but you know you need
to be faithful anyway you need to be faithful and you're with children of God okay you know with
with with God's own people but you need to be faithful that because that's when you find the
mules that's when the blessing comes but that's all done through service which requires what
sacrifice sacrifice look at Luke chapter 6 verse 38 Jesus said give and it shall be given unto you
good measure press down shaking together and running over shall men give into your bosoms
for with the same measure that you meet with all it shall be measured to you again we want to be
an open-handed people we want to be a generous people and not just with you know our resources
but with our time and with our energy and with our you know our compassion you know and we want
to go out there and and care for these people and pull people out of the fire that's that takes
sacrifice it take you know it's a sacrifice of your time to go out there on a Sunday afternoon
it's a sacrifice of your time to go out there and to on a Saturday afternoon to go out there
it's becoming less of a sacrifice now it's cooling off I'm just kidding right but you know it's still
a sacrifice right I mean we all have things that we could be doing every single one of us you know
I've and I've got the yard to prove it okay you know we could all be at home weeding and and
trimming and cleaning things up and fixing this and fixing that but you know what sometimes those
things just need to be we'll get to them there's more important matters at hand you know we need
to get out there and do the father's work and we need to make that sacrifice and it's not like it's
it's not a you know sometimes we might say things like it's a thankless job it's really not though
there's a reward to the laborer that's what he's saying here you know given it shall be given unto
you be like Aina be faithful to the work go out in the wilderness even with those asses if you have
to and you'll find the mules it'll be given unto you you'll be blessed right if you're faithful and
you serve and you sacrifice there is a blessing because what measure you meet it shall be measured
unto you again you know we want people to be generous and kind and compassionate merciful
that's what we need to be the same way with other people you know and and it might not even well
anyway I want to go on and on about that but you know that that's the message tonight you know is
that we you know could look here's a couple lessons one is that don't just gloss over your
Bible reading oh you know Genesis 36 I mean who cares who's the Duke of what I'm just gonna skip
that well you're gonna miss through verse 24 and you know first Chronicles 1 through 9 there's a
lot of that where it's just like the son of the son of the son of and then all of a sudden it's
just like one or two verses where God and it's like wow it's a really cool verse about some
cool people that it's some cool things but it's tucked in there for who for the faithful for
people who have faithfully read the Word of God they're gonna ones are gonna be blessed they're
gonna find you know these other little nuggets that are in there that's one lesson but the you
know the exact application we can make tonight is that you know we have a work to do in the
wilderness and that's to go out and find these wild mules right that are just wandering around
and make them useful for the kingdom of heaven and we do that by being faithful and if we'll do that
we'll be blessed but it's gonna require service it's gonna require sacrifice let's go ahead and
close the word of prayer dear Lord again thank you for this church thank you for these people
that have assembled together
you can see the increase or
you