Worldly Labour

We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love, for Jesus who died and is now gone above. Alleluia, Thine the glory. Alleluia, Amen.

Alleluia, Thine the glory. Revive us again. We praise Thee, O God, for the Spirit of Light, who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night.

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, who has borne all our sins and has cleansed every stain. Revive us again. Fill each heart with Thy love.

May it so be rekindled with fire from above. Alleluia, Thine the glory. Alleluia, Amen.

Alleluia, Thine the glory. Revive us again. I am missionary Richard Yerbe in Japan, speaking to you from Japan on a series of sermons on Job, taken from his declaration in Job chapter 3, verse 26, where Job said, I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet, yet trouble came.

These audio sermons are on my website. That URL is christisall.us. Separate the three words with two dashes, christ-is-all.us, and open up the audio sermon link and tell everyone you can, please, to listen to these sermons. I pray they will greatly honor God and do Christians most good.

I closed my previous sermon telling of the man who came out of the Tammuning post office on Guam and criticized me standing outside because the three Christian girls I was in charge of were singing praises to God out front in a rain shower that just blew in, and he rebuked me saying they'll catch a cold out there and seemed highly displeased with him singing praises to God. I think that was his problem instead of him so worried about their health because that man is a sinful hypocrite, and likely you are too if you think those girls were foolish to endanger their health by singing out the praises to God out in a rain shower in warm tropical Guam. Just suppose you are cheering your high school football game on a chilly fall night, a chilling rain shower starts, are you going to stand up and yell, hey get those players and those cheerleaders in out of the rain, they might catch a cold out there.

You or someone might stand up and yell out that, but I doubt it. Often in such a case the game continues if the rain is not extremely heavy, fans keep cheering under their umbrellas or pulling their coats tied up against them, and teenagers keep cheerleading and playing ball, and if a teenage ball player or cheerleader caught their death of pneumonia out there in that cold rain, likely practically the whole town would boast on their sacrifice and make a martyr out of them. Why is that? Because they love a little pigskin, the skin of an unclean animal, much more than they love God in heaven, sinful idolaters they are.

Here in Japan I watch the Buddhist and Shintoist carve a statue out of wood or stone and then bow down to that little lifeless object that their hands have made and worship it as God, and I marvel in unbelief at that sin, stupidity and ignorance. But then I observe Christians in the U.S. fervently worshiping a little zipped up bag of air more zealously than they worship the true God in heaven, and I marvel even more in disbelief at their sin, stupidity and ignorance. Yes, I know that now footballs likely aren't made from actual pigskin, still that is what they're called.

Christians who live to play are dying a spiritual death. She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth, the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 6. The church that plays is also dying a spiritual death. It is a downhill slide with each succeeding generation of the church delving a little deeper into pleasure and recreation until they are soon destroyed spiritually by it.

Some members will become like those Wednesday night church gymnasium teenagers I previously spoke of who could not listen to nine short words I read from the Bible. Wake up fellow Christians, it's your own funeral. If we are not like Job regarding rest, we can expect God to send persecution our way.

Neither had I rest, Job proclaimed. God in heaven help us all to be like Job. The Lord God must marvel over our hypocrisy.

Many Christians exhaust much of their time and energy in a mad frenzy chasing after fun, fame, and fortune while neglecting God and family as the fast pace of life brings on heart attacks, nervous breakdowns, mental illnesses and such. Lost and saved people alike applaud each other for doing so just as they will unite in pouring cold water on a zealous Christian. Take heed that God is a God who judges hypocrites.

Get your heart right in this matter and prepare to meet God in judgment. Let's pray. Lord Jesus please search my heart to show me if I love earthly and worldly pleasures more than I love thee.

Please save me from making an idol out of any of these things. By thy power work in my heart to keep any of these things from ever becoming between me and thee. Work mightily in the hearts of all Christians who are taking their church body deeper and deeper into playing and socializing as a church group, a church body.

Give them a heart to perceive how displeasing this is to thee. Make Christians aware of just how far their children and then their grandchildren are departing from thee in their mad chase after sports and such pleasures. Awaken them anew to see the need to labor long and hard in the spiritual battle against evil and in winning lost souls to thee.

Please create within each of us believers a heart like that of Job who labored for thee without rest. Do grant these petitions Lord I pray amen. Increase our faith the disciples asked to their Lord in Luke chapter 17 verse 5. I've prayed that prayer many times for myself because without faith it is impossible to please Hebrews 11 6 tells us and whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

We read in Romans 14 verse 23 and the just shall live by faith in Romans 1 17 and three other locations in the bible. So for years I often opened my bible to Luke 17 5 and prayed for God to increase my faith when finally the thought occurred to my slow brain that possibly possibly the Lord answered the disciples with some instruction as to how they could increase their faith. So carefully I started reading what followed their request.

It was inspiring to read how that faith as the grain of a mustard seed could pluck that tree up and put it in the ocean reading that scripture and the Lord said if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed you might say under this sycamore tree be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea and it should obey you Luke 17 6. Still this doesn't tell us how to increase our faith so I concluded it likely the answer is found in the following parable uh Jesus gives them then it took days of powerfully prayerfully reading it and meditating on it on my knees to come up with what I believe is the answer. Listen to what Jesus says unto the disciples next in Luke chapter 17 verses 7 through 10 but which of you having a servant plowing or feeding cattle will say unto him by and by when he has come in from the field go and sit down to meet and will not rather say to him make ready for with I may sup and gird thyself and serve me till I have eaten and drunken and afterward thou shalt eat and drink doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him I throw not so likewise ye when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do that's the end of that scripture this servant labored all day for his master that is the first thing we are to do to increase our faith if we're going to have faith to see God work and do great things for us then first we're going to have to work for God and do things for him the things he has ordained that we're doing it the holy spirit leads us to do a lazy christian is one of little or no faith if a christian does little or nothing for God how can he possibly pray to God for the salvation of lost loved ones healing from sicknesses and diseases and for other miracles and have faith to see God answer those prayers not working for God robs us of faith to see God work for us in compassion love mercy and grace likely God at times helps any lost or saved human soul who cries out to him in desperation still this overall principle holds true doing little or no work results in little or no faith in everyday life he who doesn't work a job should not expect to receive a wage increase our faith the disciples asked to the Lord by this parable he shows them that if they are going to have faith then they must be a worker but then the Lord goes even further with this principle uh when the servant finishes a whole day's work of plowing or feeding cattle and comes in from the field he does not go and sit down to meet that is his own evening meal but rather he works over time by girding himself and serving his master while the master eats after ending this over time then the servant ends his day of service so this is the lesson the Lord gave to the disciples when they asked him to increase their faith you are to work overtime for the Lord if you're going to have strong faith to see him work for you in great mighty miraculous ways you are to be like Job and be without rest those with the strongest faith are those who work the hardest and longest for their Lord if you want great faith see mountains moved and trees plucked up and planted in the sea then work overtime for your Lord it's as simple as that and most of us are able to do long hard work this following scripture is intriguing does he thank that servant because he did those things that were commanded him I trow not trow means to think or to say I think not I trow not I say not old english it be that's in verse nine we should joyfully do all that our master commands of us without expecting a word of thanks from him our praise and thanks from the people around us we are so small like little small babies wanting to be lauded by everyone each time we do the least amount of work in the service of God and many people will soon cease to labor if they're not highly praised for it immature spiritual babes such people are think on satan's first rebuttal when God asked him to consider God's perfect and upright servant Job reading Job 1 9 then satan answered the Lord and said doth Job fear God for not we should fear God for not so the devil ponders that likely Job has to have all these riches his many children good position in life and the thanks and praise of man and God to fear God and serve him and if God were to take away all these good things from Job and give him nothing but misery then Job would turn on God and curse him and curse God to his face Job chapter 1 reading verses 10 and 11 satan continues talking to God has not thou made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side thou has blessed the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face but the old devil was gravely mistaken about Job and God greatly delights to use Job to prove the devil wrong and presently God wants to take just as much delight in proving the devil wrong regarding you and me may we be like Job and give God that delight let's pray to him heavenly father I do want thee to have that delight for my life also and I must have thine help to enable me to be firm steadfast and determined to labor for thee over time for naught no pain no reward no thanks no nothing nothing but misery if that be what it takes for thee to prove to the devil that I will serve thee for naught but it is absolutely impossible for me to be perfect and upright like that by my own power I realize that and thou well knowest that also so by thy unlimited power Lord God in heaven please help me to be like that I pray this for brother Richard and for all other Christians also please help us all Lord with the strength and determination that can only come from thee amen back to Luke chapter 17 in verse 9 we see God instructing us to do what he commands of us without any thanks for it why that answer is in verse 10 so likewise ye when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do end of that reading we are not to expect thanks because we are unprofitable servants whose righteousness is as filthy rags the bible tells us we're simply doing our duty anytime we do anything for God in this parable Christ plainly teaches us that putting in over time for him is simply doing our duty and it is not something for which we can expect thanks to be heaped upon us may God help us to serve him for naught may he have may he help us to serve him over time without any thanks for it at all may he help us to labor without rest may he help us to be like Job Lord please grant all these requests I pray God help us to never lose sight of how unprofitable we fallen creatures are to him our creator our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in his sight therefore it behooves us to clearly understand to firmly believe and to readily confess to others that it is our just duty to do all the things which our Lord commands us to do in this parable the servant was commanded to work overtime therefore it is no more than our duty to do the same we are duty bound to God to be like Job and to lay aside rest at times to labor long hours for him and please rest assured that God is not a cruel taskmaster to demand this of us consider our Lord's example he joyfully left his throne of glory and came to this sinsick world while on earth he rose early rose up early to pray and at times he prayed alone all night he would continue to receive and heal the multitudes of sick when he and his disciples had grown weary finally he poured out the last drop of his life's blood to provide a ransom for us lost sinners because he did all that and much more for our sakes we should count it a great joy and also the most honorable privilege to work overtime for him not just a duty but the highest privileged to be allowed to serve him working to the extent of our abilities and instead of expecting praise and thanks for doing so we should simply count it a precious privilege and a just duty to be allowed to do all the work for him that we possibly can working overtime for God and having this proper attitude toward that long hard work is essential to having strong faith toward God let's pray it again heavenly father please help me to have the proper attitude toward serving thee with all my might please teach me all thy truth concerning what brother Richard is saying here give me a heart that will listen to thy instructions to me personally regarding this then give me a will to zealously put into practice in my life what thou teaches me i pray these things for all other people who hear this amen in december 1995 when i went back to alabama from japan for a short time i requested volunteer help amongst my friends with uh some light work there a christian friend asked me concerning the much work i was doing is our lord such a hard task master that he makes us work so no ten thousand times no he's certainly not a hard task master he never drives me nor forces me to work for him rather i gladly do it purely of my own free will with a heart overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to him for showing such great mercy to me by giving his own life so i could be saved from the eternal punishment my sins in hell and i can have the privilege of serving him here on earth and enjoy eternal bliss with him in heaven after this life oh what abundant mercy grace that be for which we should all be most thankful and to think that he allows each of us redeemed the wonderful privilege of telling other lost souls about his salvation taking the good news to them about his salvation available to them truly all of this is joy unspeakable and full of glory and something would be terribly wrong with me if i didn't get more excited about working overtime for the king of great glory and people get excited about a ball game or other such worldly pleasures the greatest privilege you have on this earth that is that of serving your creator and bringing pleasure to him doing so will also give you the most fulfilled and most happy life you can have i have learned that from wonderful experience let's pray again lord jesus have mercy on me and help me to never ever consider thee a hard task master just because thou has given such an unprofitable servant to as me the privilege of serving thee the one true god of great glory who created me please give me the spiritual maturity to understand that all else i do in this life is nothing compared to what i do for thy glory help me not to grumble help me not to complain rather help me to be a bright and shining testimony before all those souls around me as to what a rich joy life is when one serves thee with all one's heart help other christians also to realize just what a wonderful privilege it is to serve thee holy and help all of us believers to do so lord i pray amen no ten thousand times no our lord is not a hard or unreasonable task master and don't you ever dare to consider him as such don't ever dare accuse him of being that because he certainly is not his yoke is easy and his burden is life he tells us in matthew chapter 10 verse 30 that is most true of our lord jesus christ david asked is there not a cause we're talking about witnessing the lost souls headed for eternal doom and perdition and torment in the lake of fire doing what we can to snatch them out of that before it's too late but i can give you some good examples of creatures who definitely are hard task masters many human employers are such but people keep right on working for them in return for unrighteous mammon while they hypocritically consider god a hard task master because he has ordained that we unprofitable christians christian believers work for him over time many educators are hard task masters as they push your children to excel and rise up in this world especially here in japan they are but we almost never hear any criticism of them rather we hear them greatly praised as they are held in such high esteem for feeding your children the knowledge of good and evil and in many cases the harder a task master a school teacher is the more he or she is praised for being such may we see what our priorities should be may we get our priorities in order may we love our lord god with all our heart till the next time god richly bless you