Okay, so Luke chapter 5, and I just want to focus on the story from verse 4 really, let's
start in verse 4, Luke 5-4.
Now when he had left speaking he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep and let down
your nets for a draught.
And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken
nothing.
Nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net.
And when they had done this they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net
break.
And they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship, they should come and
help them.
And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, depart from me for I am a sinful
man O Lord.
For he was astonished in all that were with him at the draught of the fishes which they
had taken.
And so was also James and John the sons of Zebedee which were partners with Simon.
And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, for henceforth thou shalt catch men.
And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed him.
And the title of my sermon today is Working His Way.
Working His Way.
Let's have a quick word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word, I thank you for the many lessons we can get
from your word.
Please just fill me with boldness, fill me with the Spirit to preach your word clearly.
Help people to have open hearts, open ears to hear your word as well.
In Jesus' name we pray all of this, Amen.
Okay, so there's also a similar story in John 21, we're not going to go there, but because,
look, if you're going to take instructions from anyone, who are you going to take from?
From the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now he is an expert on absolutely everything, isn't he?
Absolutely everything.
There is nothing that he is not an expert on.
And Jesus has given us instructions about many things in life, hasn't he?
He's given us many instructions, but how many Christians want to ignore his way and do it
their own way?
So many.
So many of us can do that in many situations in life as well.
Now verse 4 there, it said,
So Simon at least does it, but it's pretty begrudgingly, isn't it?
It's pretty begrudgingly that he does that, but look at the result.
Verse 6,
And they beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship that they should come
and help them.
And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink.
So they've been toiling all night by their own strength, haven't they?
They've been doing their own way all night.
Look at the difference when Jesus is involved.
Jesus comes along and look at the difference when you follow his command there.
Now verse 8,
Now we could all take a leaf out of Simon's book there, couldn't we?
In basically acknowledging our weakness, yeah?
There he's just acknowledging that he is nothing, that he's acknowledging his own weakness.
And we should all be doing that, shouldn't we?
We should all acknowledge our own weakness and put everything on to the Lord Jesus Christ
doing it his way.
Because verse 10 there,
Right, we also need to be prepared to forsake all and to follow Jesus, but that includes
forsaking our own preconceived ideas and those of others as well, other people's preconceived
ideas in many areas of the Christian life, yeah?
That's something that we should do.
We need to forsake all of that and follow what Jesus Christ says, right?
Jesus said,
Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
The title of my sermon today is Working His Way and let's start with the most important
area.
Number one, that's the area of soul winning.
The area of soul winning.
Yep, that's right, soul winning.
Soul winning, yeah?
Not outreach, not visitation, not tract dropping, not tract distribution, posting invites or
any of the rest of it, soul winning.
Going out, winning souls.
That's getting people saved, isn't it?
Getting people saved.
Wait a minute, doesn't Jesus do the saving?
I'm sure most people have heard this, who have been in those types of churches, Jesus
does the saving.
Well, he said here, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Talking to Simon Peter here, he didn't say, Fear not, from henceforth I shall catch men.
He said, Thou shalt catch men.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 1 while I read Proverbs 11.30.
Proverbs 11.30, famous verse, says, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he
that win of souls is wise.
Talking about the righteous there.
He that win of souls is wise.
We win souls, don't we?
I thank God that Jesus did the hard part.
Jesus sure did do the hard part, didn't he?
But someone still has to win those souls to Christ by preaching the Gospel, don't they?
For sure now.
1 Corinthians 1 and verse 21 says, For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom
knew not God, but it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
The foolishness is in the world's eyes, isn't it?
And sadly, it seems also in our soft-centered remaining, well, we'll just about call them
church's eyes.
Yeah, and for them, they think it's foolishness, it seems.
Foolishness preaching the Gospel, because that's what they tell themselves, or at least
that's what they probably convince themselves when they're out dropping tracks and giving
out flyers on the high street, or if they even bother doing that.
But no, we're told to preach the Gospel, aren't we?
That's how God wanted it done.
In 1 Corinthians, go to chapter 9, 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 22, 1 Corinthians 9, 22.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak.
I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
So Paul said that he might by all means save some, yeah?
And I don't think anyone here is probably in doubt of that, but in case you are, in
case you get that pressure sometimes, that, oh, well, Jesus does the saving, you know,
you don't do, well, no, Paul said that he might by all means save some, didn't he?
And how did he do that?
He did it how Jesus told all of us to do it, didn't he?
How Jesus has told every single Christian to do it, turn to Mark 16, Paul didn't sit
in a church at Antioch preaching the Gospel every week, did he?
Hoping that someone unsaved might turn up.
He didn't get the best men he had and went out posting flyers through letterboxes, did
he?
Didn't get a load of flyers made up.
He didn't stand in Corinth town centre handing out tracts, did he?
I assume he didn't.
Anyway, it's not recorded, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I'm sure he
didn't.
Mark 16, 15 says, and he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel
to every creature.
What a verse, eh?
Go.
That means move your lazy backside out of your comfy church and preach the Gospel, doesn't
it?
Go.
Don't wait.
Go.
Yeah?
Go ye into all the world.
How many people don't like to follow that?
They like to wait for them to come in and track them in, find a way to get them out.
No, he said go ye into all the world.
Go.
All the world.
He said all the world, didn't he?
Not just some members of your town that come through the church doors.
He said go ye therefore into, sorry, he said go ye into all the world.
All the world, not just Israel missions.
Not just missions to Israel, is it?
He said go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
Because how many churches are refusing to do that?
They might support the odd missionary in Israel, maybe a couple of others in a real dangerous
place where they don't speak the language, where they just kind of languish there, maybe
slowly learning the language and doing pretty much nothing while they're getting sent money
every week for their holiday.
But no, he said to go into all the world, didn't he?
And obviously that starts with our local area though, doesn't it?
He said go ye into all the world.
He said to preach.
Preach the Gospel.
Preaching's done with your mouth, isn't it?
Isn't it?
Preaching's done with your mouth.
Not done by a tract.
Not done by posting.
I was at a church once where they posted 10,000 New Testaments through doors in the town and
this was a big deal, everyone was praying together over them, we're going to get some
people saved with these New Testaments and they were actually walking up to the doors
and not knocking on them and just posting them through the doors.
What a waste of time, 10,000 wasted New Testaments posted through doors.
What an absolute joke.
He said to preach the Gospel to every creature, not just give it through the door.
Of course, Romans 10.14 says, how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed
and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear
without a preacher?
Not how shall they hear without the Word of God or how shall they hear without a tract,
how shall they hear without a preacher?
He said go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature and he said to
preach what?
The Gospel.
That's the glad tidings, isn't it?
The good news.
People get saved from hearing the good news, don't they?
People get saved from hearing the good news.
Is the good news that people can get saved from turning up from all of their sins?
No way, is it?
No way at all.
Is that good news?
You've got to stop every sin.
Wow, that's impossible.
Or what is it?
The good news that you can just keep turning from your sins.
Oh praise God that now you can just keep turning from your sins.
Well which sins?
How many sins?
Just makes no sense, does it?
Is the good news a discipleship programme?
It's not the good news, it's the Gospel.
Preach the Gospel, not preach a discipleship programme.
Look, nothing wrong with discipling people but the first thing we need to do is go and
preach the Gospel, don't we?
To every creature.
To every creature, okay?
Not just the ones that would bother turning up to church, yeah?
Not just the ones that came into church, preach the Gospel to every creature.
That means go and find people and preach the Gospel.
Now look, you know obviously I'm preaching to the choir here really but we will continue
to get criticism for this and it will come and it will come in waves and there will be
some of you maybe that will get the odd doubt and wonder well look at all these other churches
and you know, look, what did Jesus say?
He said go, go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
Preach the Gospel and that's what we're going to continue to do.
But Tyler in my sermon is working his way and number two, number one was in the business
of soul winning and number two is as a church, as a church.
Okay, working his way as a church, look, there are many different churches all doing their
own way, aren't there?
All doing their own way or how their denomination has told them to do it, how the traditions
have told them to do it or there are many churches that are slowly starting to do things
as the world has told them to do it, aren't they?
Yeah, there's many like that but Jesus said through the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4-2,
you know this verse, preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
It's not just that it's our style of church and again, just to remind you, when you get
the attacks, when they try and act like we're some sort of, you know, maybe we're just copying
that American style of church or we're very American type, I had a pastor trying to say
that, well, you know, that church you were at before is a very American style church,
you know.
Well, no, we're just trying to follow the Bible, aren't we?
Yeah, we're just following what Jesus said.
He said, preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all longsuffering and doctrine because that's what he told us to do.
We want the neck to burst, don't we?
We want the neck to burst.
We want the building to burst open with people, don't we?
We want the ships to sink, the cars to be bottoming out on the way to church with how
many people we're packing into them.
That's what we want and with a real church, that's only going to happen when you do it
his way.
Look, we're not going to be a worldly church here.
Okay, yeah, that's a packed worldly church, but when you're a real church, it's only going
to be built, it's only going to grow when you do it his way.
He said, preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all longsuffering and doctrine.
The only people that get reproved or rebuked in the churches in this country, sadly, are
the soul winning pastors that they're envious of, it seems, doesn't it?
Constantly rebuking and reproving soul winning pastors, the only doctrine being taught, it
seems, is Zionist doctrine.
That's all I generally hear in these churches or have heard and that's the one still preaching
the word and not some false perversion of the word.
Absolutely wicked, isn't it?
His way is for a preacher to preach and, again, it's not, oh, well, we're just copying some
sort of church, no, we're doing what the Bible tells us to do, we're doing what Jesus told
us to do, we're doing it his way.
In Isaiah 58, he told Isaiah to cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet
and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.
It's not because, you know, the preacher just wants to get on people, it's not because he's
just irritated and wants to wind people up, oh, I found something I could preach about,
it's because the Bible tells him to, it's because we're trying to follow what the Bible
says, aren't we?
Okay, a preacher should shout, lift up his voice, preach on the sins that affect his
people, shouldn't he?
Okay, it's not that we're just copying, it's not that, oh, well, we just want to, you know,
like make this particular church and this, no, we're just trying to follow Jesus Christ,
aren't we?
We're trying to follow exactly what he told us to do throughout his work, because he is
a word, isn't he?
Not just tickle the ears of the congregation, we're not here to do that, are we?
That's not what a church is for.
Turn to Romans chapter 16, because this is something else we'll get criticised for.
Romans 16 and verse 17, his way is for a church to call out the false prophets, isn't it?
Look at verse 17, now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences
contrary to the doctrine which he have learned and avoid them, for they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive
the hearts of the simple.
Mark them is to label them, okay, if you're going to label them, people need to know they're
labelled, yeah, a label can be seen, can't it?
Okay, mark them, label them.
Good words and fair speeches, they sound so holy, don't they?
So kind, so loving, the false prophet, and a lot of the time, that's the same with the
infiltrator, that's the same with the church divider, yeah, they want to sound so just
holier than thou, they're, you know, so much more spiritual than everyone else in the church,
you know?
Oh yeah, finally, you know, they're just so mean, got such a mean spirit, you know, they're
just always rebuking people, just always, always just cussing out people, they love
to sound like that, and all the false prophets are the same, aren't they?
Every single one of them, every single one of them, with good words and fair speeches,
and if it's not the holier than thou attitude, it's, oh, they're so eloquent, aren't they?
Oh, they've just, you know, got such a way with words, they're so intelligent, have you
heard how long those words are that they used, wow, wow, yeah, I'm going to learn off, you
know, John MacArthur because he's an intelligent guy, you know, I'm going to learn off whoever
the latest personality is because they're so clever, they're a doctor, they're a doctor,
why wouldn't you learn off them?
Good words, fair speeches, but what they will say is that churches like ours, we're so unloving,
we're so unloving, always preaching about false prophets, well, if evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse, then there's likely a lot of false prophets to preach about, aren't
there?
There are a lot of false prophets to preach about, and it's to warn people, isn't it?
It's not just because, oh, well, we just enjoy just cussing people, you know what, it's quite
fun to preach loving sermons, you know, it's nice to preach sermons where people feel good
and where you feel good going through it, but we're told to do this, aren't we?
We're told to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.
What is his way?
Ephesians 5 and 11 says, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them.
So what are we told to do?
We're told to approve them.
His way was to name and shame Alexander the coppersmith, Hymenaeus and Alexander, Philetus,
Diotrephes.
I mean, these guys have gone down in history, haven't they?
Imagine being them.
But his way was and still is to expose false teachers, isn't it?
Because we'll get attacked.
Time and time, all you're doing is preaching on this person, preaching on that person,
you know, being so mean, calling people out, oh, that sort of, that pastor, all he does,
he's just constantly telling people that they're burning in hell.
Well, too right.
Too right they are.
Because we need to know that, don't we?
Because we need to be warned about these people.
And when they do end up infiltrating and breaking churches, they need to be preached about.
Of course the people that have done that in those churches are going to get preached about
regularly.
And that's a warning as well, isn't it?
It's a warning.
His way was and still is to expose their false teachings, isn't it?
Expose the false teachings, preach about the false teachings.
Show people what they are.
Because with time, you know, don't you, those of you that have been saved for a while now
and been growing for a while, with time you start to just forget certain doctrines or
slip a little bit, you start to, it just goes out of your head a little bit and that's where
they just start to deceive you.
They just want to weaken you, shake your faith a little bit so you're not as effective for
the Lord.
They're not going to lose your salvation, are they?
But they're going to make you weaker.
His way was and still is to hate them that hate the Lord.
To hate them with a perfect hatred.
That's love, isn't it?
That's love.
How can you love people if you don't hate those that are poisoning them?
Poisoning their people, poisoning their families, poisoning their people.
Because that's what they're doing, they poison them with fair speeches, don't they?
They poison them with that.
His way was to laugh at their calamity, wasn't it?
He laughs when their fear cometh.
He mocks when their fear cometh, he laughed at their calamity.
So if we're going to be more Christ-like, surely we'll be doing the same, won't we?
Yeah?
That's love.
It's not the world's version of love, but it's God's version of love, isn't it?
Is anyone saying that God isn't loving?
God is love.
And God laughed at their calamity.
That's the wicked, the evil, the people that are trying to destroy everyone in this world
and send them to hell.
Sure thing will you laugh at their calamity.
But that's doing it God's way, isn't it?
Turn to Colossians 3.16.
That's a love for the victims of these people, that's a love for the truth, that's a love
for God, that's a love for the people of your church who can have their heads turned by
these wicked people.
Turn to Colossians chapter 3 verse 16.
The Bible says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in
your hearts to the Lord.
Doing it his way in church is singing hymns that teach and admonish us, which is to caution
us.
Okay?
That's why we don't sing one line on repeat hymns.
That's why we don't just sing, you know, Jesus is great, Jesus is great, and just sing it
through.
No, we're trying to teach each other, admonish each other.
That's why the words, the doctrine is more important than a catchy tune, isn't it?
Yeah?
Much more important than the, oh, I just love this one because of the tune, but what do
the words actually say?
Because the words and the doctrine are what are important, aren't they?
And don't get me wrong, it's great if then there's also a lovely tune that goes with
it.
Yeah?
Amen to that.
Okay, but because what?
Because music sticks in your head, doesn't it?
Doesn't it stick in your head like something else?
I was thinking about this the other day, I was thinking maybe you're memorising verses,
if you could put it to some sort of musical melody as well, probably make it a bit easier,
because certain hymns where they do actually have verses in them and passages of scripture,
wow, it sticks in your head and in your heart a lot more, doesn't it?
Because it does, it sticks in your head, you don't want to listen to false doctrine in
hymns, do you?
You have to be just as careful when you're going through YouTube looking for hymns, oh,
it's a hymn, I'll just play that, I'll just play like this list, or try this guy out,
oh, well this sounds good.
You have to be careful of that, because that false doctrine will stick in your head more
than if you just heard a preacher preach it.
Okay, it's a pitfall, it's a massive pitfall.
Okay, music is dangerous, but music can be great, but it's dangerous as well, isn't it?
But that's why, especially, we want to avoid all forms of sinful music, because anyone
here that has spent a while listening to, and there's some wicked music out there, some
wicked words, some wicked lyrics, sometimes that stuff will just pop in your head.
I mean, it's absolutely horrendous, isn't it?
Some of it is literally just wicked, blasphemous, filth, you know, and that's why, where possible,
you just need to avoid it, and look, that can be hard at work sometimes, can't it?
So at a workplace that can be hard, but where possible, avoid it, avoid that music.
There's something I do, is if I do hear something and something goes in my head, play a hymn.
Get your phone out, play a hymn straight away and get a hymn back in your head, because
music is dangerous, isn't it?
Music is dangerous, but wicked thoughts in your head as well, get it away.
Romans 12 2 says, and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
of God.
That's why we don't have a worldly band in our church, okay?
That's why we won't have the drums and the electric guitars and the flashing lights and
everything else, okay?
It's not because we're boring, it's not because we're fuddy duddies, although if you want
to call us that, you can, but it's not, is it?
It's because worldly music we should avoid, we should not be conformed to this world,
should we?
We're not trying to fit in with the world, we're not trying to do it the world's way.
God's good and acceptable and perfect will is not for us to try to sound like the world's
popular music, is it?
He's not saying, try and sound as much like the world as you can, where it's all coming
from the devil, isn't it?
Every single bit of it is.
He told us to come out from among them and be separate, didn't he?
And that's what we have to do in everything we do, as much as we possibly can, okay?
And again, look, a lot of you here might be thinking, you know, we know all this, brother
Ian, you know, you don't have to tell us, but you know what, you'll get tempted by this
sometimes, some might, some might not.
You'll hear the odd thing, you'll wonder now and again, or you'll see, you know, the church
party going on, or maybe you won't, but maybe you'll have someone else who is wondering
and needs explaining to him, okay?
Number three here, working his way, working his way in our jobs, in our secular jobs,
working his way.
These men were plodding along at work, doing it their way, weren't they?
Okay, Jesus comes along, they listen to him, and basically, if they hadn't jacked their
jobs in for the ministry, they could have probably cornered the market with that catch,
couldn't they?
I reckon they could have cornered the market, I mean, they had two fishing boats sinking,
the net, okay, they might have had to pay for a new net, or at least get it, I'm sure
they would have mended it, not like now where we just throw everything out and just buy
a new one.
They probably would have mended that net, wouldn't they?
And they had a big old catch there, they probably could have reinvested that, but that was doing
it Jesus' way, wasn't it, yeah?
Jesus' instructions, that will benefit us in everything we do, especially in our secular
jobs.
What's his way for us to work in our jobs?
Turn to Ephesians chapter six.
Okay, Ephesians chapter six and from verse five.
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear
and trembling in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.
We're told to obey our boss, aren't we?
We're told to obey our boss with fear and trembling, why?
Because really, really, we're working for God, aren't we?
The fear and trembling is as unto Christ.
Because really, when we work, we're working as if we're working for God, aren't we?
And that's how we should be at work, to our boss.
I bet the way some here might talk about their boss at work isn't the way you talk about
Jesus Christ, or I hope not.
And we shouldn't, you know, hopefully no one is like that here, but sadly, that's the way
of the world, isn't it?
The boss is usually the one that's just getting much maligned, isn't he?
Getting talked about, getting whispered about, people just constantly getting the hump with
the boss.
Well, verse six said, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ
doing the will of God from the heart.
We're not working to be seen by the boss or our co-workers, are we?
Okay, so when we're at work, it's not about the boss, it's not about who sees us, it's
not about the eye service because we're working for God, aren't we?
A good thing to do is get the image of God watching you, watching over you while you
work.
Get that in your head while you're at work, just think, God's watching you, God's your
boss, God's your taskmaster, that's how we should be at work, shouldn't we?
And you know what, it's one thing when you're at work and you have a boss that does keep
an eye on you, it's harder when you're self-employed, maybe.
Maybe you're self-employed, maybe you don't feel like you really have a boss and you're
just working yourself.
Well, then sometimes the discipline can be worse, can't it?
It can be harder.
You need to make sure that when you're doing your secular work that you feel as if God
is, and he is, because he is watching you, but get that image in your head, he's watching
everything you do.
Put the work in, work hard, not with eye services, men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart.
From the heart, we want to please it.
He's given you that ability, he's given you that job.
Verse 7, with good will, doing service as to the Lord and not to men.
Okay, we need to get our hearts right with it too, don't we?
Okay, it's to the Lord.
Get our hearts right.
It's not about, oh, how much can I make?
It's not about how much can I please this person or that person.
No, it's pleasing God.
Verse 8, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of
the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
God will reward you for working properly, won't he?
God says he will reward you.
The same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Verse 9, and ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing
that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him.
And if you're a boss, because some people are bosses at work, some people have people
underneath them, some people employ people, you need to be a good boss, not a bully, don't
you?
Okay, be a good boss, not a bully, because there are many bullies in the workplace.
We've all seen bullies in the workplace, haven't we?
But it's horrible working for bullies, isn't it?
Okay, now all of this applies to women guiding the home, doesn't it?
Every single bit of that, I would say, applies to women guiding the home as well.
It's not to be seen of your husband.
How many women, sadly, when the husband's not there or when it's not something that
he might notice, maybe they're not working as hard then, maybe they are being a bit lazier.
It's not only when you get visitors, you know, and it's, you know, it's a bit of a, you know,
we have a running joke in our house, oh, when someone comes round, we'll really get some
stuff done.
But it should, you know, it's a bit of a joke as well, but the Bible says it's not about
that, is it?
It's not about that, you know.
It's not, oh, well, I'd better do the Lord now, because I've got someone coming round,
you know.
And really, like, that's not how it should be.
Everything we do is as unto the Lord.
It's not for our service, is it?
It's not just when you're showing off, because there are some people that have this, oh,
it's a picture Christian life, isn't it, when people come round.
But the kids know that ain't the case, don't they?
It's a picture Christian life when they're at church.
But the kids, the husband knows that's not the case, is it?
Now, look, yeah, of course, we all want to behave in public, don't we?
But it should be the whole time.
We're working as unto God.
God's watching us the whole time, isn't he?
He's everywhere, isn't he?
He's omnipresent.
Okay, so not just when you're showing off.
His way in Colossians 3.23 says, and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not
unto men.
Whatsoever.
And that doesn't mean then, mums, it's okay to listen to sermons all day while the kids
kill each other, does it?
Because he says, and whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, but he's not saying
whatsoever you do, make sure it's just, you know, stuff which is godly in your eyes, okay?
Because raising your kids is something you're doing for God, isn't it?
Raise your kids is something you're doing for God.
Yeah, listening to sermons is good, yeah, listening to preaching, reading your Bible,
but you know, one of your jobs there is to raise your kids, isn't it?
Whatsoever ye do.
And look, let's add children into this too, because children, people at studying, people
at college, kids doing their homeschool, whatever it is, same thing, isn't it?
Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men.
Kids should be doing their utmost, their best with every single thing they do, yeah?
And that's a great lesson to get into, because when you do that, when you go into the job
place, you'll find life a lot easier, you'll be a lot more successful, won't you?
If you train in that from young, because for many people it can be a hard shift to them
being from in the world and doing things as the world does things and then suddenly trying
to do things as God does to it.
But Ephesians chapter 6 there, from verse 1, because this is something else, kids, you
should be doing, children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
So his way, his way is for children to obey, yeah, to obey your parents in the Lord, obviously
unless it contradicts God's law.
Honour thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may
be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth.
And when we do it his way, you get a long crack at this one-off life here, don't you?
Kids, you do that, you've got more chance, more time to earn rewards, to earn treasures
in heaven for eternity.
And I think sometimes we can forget it is eternity, it's eternity, it's forever and
ever and ever.
In fact, first there's a thousand years, just a thousand years is a time, isn't it?
A thousand years of millennial reign, to be able to earn things for that and to earn things
for eternity, and so often we're so just swamped down with this life, aren't we?
Worried about this life, what about eternity?
And kids, the first part of that, you want to have the time to earn that, you need to
obey your parents.
Verse 8, verse 8, back in where we were, sorry, I think it was Ephesians 5, was it, or 6?
Ephesians 6, verse 8 said, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Proverbs 34 says, the soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing but the soul of
the diligent shall be made fat.
Diligent are people that are basically working hard, putting their all into their work.
When you're a Christian man in the workplace, they should know that you're a Christian,
for starters, shouldn't they?
Okay?
Wherever possible, you should, at the very beginning, aside from trying to get the Gospel
to everyone, you get a chance to do that too, and make a chance, not just get a chance,
make sure you make a chance to give people the Gospel, they should know you're a Christian,
shouldn't they?
Okay, they should know you're a Christian, and that means you're either going to be a
good testimony or a bad testimony, aren't you?
You're going to be one or the other, really, okay?
If you're slack or dishonest, a bad worker, shame on you.
Absolute shame on you.
In the workplace, shame on you.
In the same, if you're not in the workplace, or at least you're like, well, I'm not, you
know, employed by someone, it's the same thing, isn't it?
Anyone that sees you in your life is first, they know you're a Christian, they're looking
to find fault in you anyway.
And if you're slack, you're dishonest, you're sneaky, you're trying to get away with not
doing work, you're trying to, you know, do something, you know, away from the eyes or
anything else, you know, you're constantly calling in sick, you're turning up late to
work, shame on you.
Shame on you.
You're a disgrace.
You're a Christian.
If you're a bad boss, you're bullying, you're taking liberties with your staff, getting
them to do your job instead.
Shame on you.
Absolute shame on you.
You're a Christian, they should not, and if they don't know you're a Christian, shame
on you.
If they do know you're a Christian, shame on you.
We should be working harder, we should be that shining light, shouldn't we?
We should be in the workplace, working as unto God, and as well, because we are a testimony,
aren't we?
If you're a lazy wife or mum, shame on you.
Shame on you.
Oh, but no one sees, no one sees though, as a wife or mum, well firstly, God sees, doesn't
he?
So God's watching you, for starters, secondly, your kids see, don't they?
Your kids are watching you.
Thirdly, when the visitors come, the meter reading, the neighbour, the delivery man,
whatever it is, they see hopefully some scripture on the walls or something, you know, maybe
they get an idea, maybe you even try and give them the gospel, you know, at least something,
maybe get the conversation started.
They see the bibles around, maybe, and then they see the mess, and then they see the squalor,
then they see the filth everywhere.
Shame on you.
Shame on you, mums, if that's the case.
His way is for us to work hard, isn't it, and be a testimony to others.
That's what he's called us to do, hasn't he?
He's called us to work hard for them to see our good works and glorify our Father, which
is in heaven, yeah?
Okay, and look, and that goes for every area of life, and like I said, you're in the workplace
and you're just slacking, you're just, you know, trying, and look, when you do that,
it's just an embarrassment.
You'll get chastised anyway, God's going to chastise you, your boss, your co-workers,
you're just putting another probably nail in their coffin anyway, because you want them
to see your good works, don't you, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven on that day
of visitation.
You want your, everyone surrounding you, because don't we have a love for people?
We do, don't we?
What we've been preaching here, we have a hate for the false way, but we do have a love
for the lost, don't we?
We should have a love for the lost, and everyone in that workplace, everyone in that workplace,
everyone who we come in contact with, we're trying any way we can to be a testimony as
well as any way we can to preach the Gospel to them, aren't we?
Okay, and if we're doing that, if we're not doing that, then shame on us.
Shame on us, because we have part responsibility.
Yes, they have a choice to accept or reject the Gospel of course, but we want to do the
best we can, don't we, with people, because we do have a job to go out and preach the
Gospel.
But this goes for every other area of our life, doesn't it?
Not just in the work, not just mums, and like I said, with mums, it's your kids as well,
your kids getting affected by that, because then they're going to grow up and do the same,
because we copy our parents, don't we?
So they're going to grow up, they see mum just doing nothing all day, listening to sermons,
getting their feet up, getting the kids to just occupy themselves, just shove them in
front of something, give them a workbook or put them in front of a computer or something
else and then I'll just do what I like all day.
Yeah, great, you're listening to sermons, yeah great, you might be reading your Bible,
but where's it looking off your kids, where's it being busy doing stuff, teaching your kids?
Train a child up in a way he should go when he's old, he will not depart from it, not
just get him trained.
When they see the mum just doing nothing, what are they going to grow up to do, do you
think?
The chances are it's going to be a lot harder for them not to be lazy, not to not put their
all into their children, not to put their all into their kids, not to put their all
into their housework as well.
You're living, okay well I train my kids, I teach them, but my place is a cesspit, you
know, and it's dangerous anyway.
But again, not just mums, dads as well in that as well, dads come home, do nothing,
have no interest in the kids, no interest at all, just come home, do their own thing,
no interest at all.
Well again, who's learning from that?
Your kids are learning from that for starters, aren't they?
Other people will pick up on that as well, other people with time, family members, unsaved
family, everyone else, they just see dad just coming home doing nothing, doesn't want
to get involved, doesn't really want to do much, he just does his own thing, puts
his feet up, mum's doing everything.
You're a shame unto you.
But like I said, in every other area of life as well, isn't it?
Because he said, whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men.
So that includes soul winning, doesn't it?
Soul winning, who are we doing soul winning for?
Are we doing soul winning to show everyone else that we're soul winning?
We shouldn't be, should we?
But again, that could be a temptation to people, because they start getting competitive.
They want to show people that they're the one soul winning the most, they're the best
soul winning.
That's wicked, isn't it?
That is wicked.
If you've got that on your heart, that's wicked.
You need to repent, you need to get down your knees and say, God, I'm sorry.
Yeah, I should not be...
Like soul winning should be about getting people safe, shouldn't it?
Okay?
100%.
Because whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord whatsoever.
Okay?
If you're in your mind, it's like, well, you know, I'm going to show everyone else I've
got some number.
If I could just get, you know, tell everyone what I've got, wicked, wicked.
Church as well, coming to church.
Church should be about us unto the Lord, shouldn't it?
Okay?
Ultimately, that's what we're doing.
Yes, we should be, there are other things, we should be edifying each other at church.
We're coming here to pray for each other, obviously this thing to God, and obviously
for ourselves as well, and for our families, but ultimately it should be for the Lord,
shouldn't it?
And if we're coming to church, well, just to be saying, oh, I've got to go because,
you know, if I don't, then brother this or sister that will see that I haven't been there.
I want to make sure I'm the one that, you know, never miss it.
If that's a motivation, then that's wicked, isn't it?
That's wicked because that's not, that shouldn't be your motivation, motivation is unto the
Lord.
What about Bible reading?
Bible reading and knowledge.
Knowledge and wisdom.
Are you seeking knowledge and wisdom for the Lord to be able to edify, to be able to be
that testimony, to be what God wants you to do?
Are you seeking that knowledge and wisdom to be able to show off to others?
To be able to show others that you're the most knowledgeable, to show them how great
you are.
And that goes for preaching as well, doesn't it?
What's the motivation when people get up and preach?
The motivation should be for the Lord, shouldn't it, to edify his sheep.
It shouldn't be to edify yourself, to make yourself look great, to make yourself the
best.
In all areas of our life, our motivation should be, shouldn't it, as unto the Lord.
And that's God's way of doing things, isn't it?
That's what Jesus wants us doing.
And when we do it Jesus' way, what happens?
When we do it Jesus' way, things work out, don't they?
You live a blessed life.
And I'm not saying blessed you get, oh, you're going to have riches, fame, fortune, health.
No, but you know what?
You will be happy.
You'll be more content.
Even in the hard times, even in the trials and tribulations, when you do things God's
way, Jesus' way, and that's what he wants, doesn't it?
That's what he wants in our life.
And look, for a lot of this, you might be thinking, yeah, sure, I'm doing it God's way.
But really, I think things like all those different areas, you can just sit back, take
a step back, and really be honest with yourself sometimes.
What's my motivation for this?
Why do I really do this?
Why am I really?
Why have I gone into this or that?
Why am I, you know, when I'm at work, who am I really trying to impress?
Is it my boss?
Is it my coworker?
Or is it God?
And same with mums at home.
What really are you, you know, what's your real motivation?
And same kids.
What's your real motivation?
Are you working as unto the Lord?
Are you obeying your parents?
Are you doing as you should?
Or are you just doing what you have to do so your parents see, oh, well, I'm good when
my parents are watching me, but wait till I'm in my room or wait till I'm away with
my brother, sister, friends, or whatever else, but again, it's wicked, isn't it?
It's wicked.
So, look, three main areas there, though.
Three main areas where we want to, we need to, we have to follow Jesus Christ, don't
we, to be successful.
Number one, number one in the area of soul winning, let's do it Jesus' way.
That includes, obviously, when we go out as well, preaching properly, preaching thoroughly,
preaching the truth, preaching the word of God as well, and not just trying to be too,
you know, ah, I've got some great illustration, great, illustrations are good, you know, examples
are good, but it has to be based on the word of God, doesn't it, okay?
Preach the word, preach the word, preach, do it Jesus' way when we're out, when we're
out soul winning.
So, soul winning, and like we said, not all this worldly way, not, oh, well, I would just
track drop or anything else, obviously, soul winning, and we've got a church full of amazing
soul winners, so that's kind of a bit of a kind of, you know, well, a good reminder
anyway.
Okay, but number two in the business of a church, yeah, and look, because we're going
to get criticism, we already do, we're going to consistently get criticism, trying to make
out like, we're obviously the cult silliness, which is just ridiculous, yeah, but the rest
of it, you know, like some sort of weird, you know, what sort of church is it?
No, we're just a church trying to follow the Bible, everything we do, we're trying to follow
the Bible.
That's why we don't have long-winded prayers that go on for 20 minutes, half hour, you
know, with each person praying, because we're not praying to be seen in men, are we?
You know, that's why, you know, when we come together, we're just trying to be respectable,
we're trying to just do things properly, we're trying to edify each other, hopefully, you
know, that's why we do all this, that's why we preach, that's why, you know, we follow
examples from the Bible, reading the Bible to people, you know, and I think it's from
Nehemiah, isn't it, with the example of that, and reading the Word of God, expounding the
Word of God, yeah, and look, we're just trying to follow the Bible here, aren't we?
Singing proper hymns, not turning it into a party.
And number three, number three, when we're in our secular jobs, yeah, and for me, like,
that's kind of, you know, as I started writing this, that's something I really want to focus
on because, you know, I'm not here to see that, you know, and guys, you know, it's so
important, isn't it?
It's so important as Christians, it's something, that's how God wants us living, that's how
He wants us behaving.
On that note, let's pray.
Father, I thank You for Your Word, I thank You for the instructions in life that You
give us, and thank You for, you know, giving us all these practical parts of our life that
You give us instructions for, and please help us to follow that more, to take that more
seriously, yeah, we come to church, yeah, we soul win, yeah, we read our Bibles, but,
you know, what about the other areas of our life?
Make it all God honouring.
Help us to do that, Lord, help us to put You first in everything, to do everything as unto
the Lord, and help us to do that, starting with going out this afternoon and preaching
the Gospel and getting some people saved, in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.