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Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Brother Corbin, as a man of God and as a preacher of the word of God, and I appreciate his friendship. Let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do thank you for allowing us to gather together tonight. Lord, we pray that you bless the offering. We ask that you bless the gift and the giver. And Lord, we do thank you for Brother Corbin and the work he's doing as the deacon of Faith Forward Baptist Church. We pray that you would anoint him with your spirit tonight, that he would speak to us, and that we might draw closer to you as a result of what we hear today. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen. ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Amen. Well, it's a real pleasure to be here. It's a real honor. I really appreciate the warm welcome. Just standing out there in the foyer, getting all the handshakes and the smiles. I feel right at home. I appreciate all the kind words from Pastor Jimenez. I really appreciate that. I trust everyone here appreciates him as a pastor. In case you didn't already know it, you've got a great man of God there, so I continue to support him and pray for his family again. Thank you for the opportunity to preach here, Pastor Jimenez. As he mentioned, I'm the deacon there over at Faithful Word Baptist Church, but also recently, just this last year, my family and I moved down to Tucson, bought a home there and put down roots so that we could better run a church that we've been running for the last three years, a church plant there in Tucson, Faithful Word Tucson. Like I said, it's been there for about three years now. We are averaging about 40 to 50 people on a Sunday morning. We started out with probably in the single digits, and we've grown from there even in just these three years. Just this last fall, we expanded the space. We doubled the space. You guys know a little bit about something about that around here, knocking down walls and getting into bigger spaces. So we've been in there for a while, and we got in there, and it's exciting, of course, to get into a new space. But what's really exciting in Tucson is to see the spiritual growth that I've seen and the people that have stuck around and been there and the people that have listened to the Word of God, listened to preaching the Word of God, have gotten involved in their church and have grown spiritually. That's the real excitement, of course. And we got a great group, just a core group of people that want to go out and preach the gospel, just like you guys do here, go out and reach their community for Christ. And it's great to be here in a church that has that same goal, that same mission. So the title of my sermon tonight is You Had to Be There, You Had to Be There. And of course, that's a common expression we're probably all real familiar with, and it's an expression that's used to say that people cannot understand something because they did not experience it or see it themselves. It's something you have to experience firsthand. Maybe this hasn't happened to you, but I know it's happened to me, where I've told something, a story that I thought was very funny or humorous and kind of had the person look at me at the end when I got done and they weren't laughing, and you just kind of say, well, you had to be there, right? And that's something that I think we can apply spiritually to. That's something that we can apply to the Christian life, that there are some things in the Christian life that you just have to experience firsthand. And that title will make more sense as we get towards the end, but the reason why I'm preaching this tonight is because even in the short time that I've been leading a ministry for three years now, and I've been saved and in church for 20, something I've noticed in that time is that it just seems to me, and maybe I'm wrong about this, but it just seems to me that there's more spectators than participants in Christianity. There's more spectators than there are people that are just getting involved in the work of God and participating in the work of God. And I think I have some proof of that because of the fact that we have been given a great task to go out and preach the gospel to every creature, right? Now, has that happened? And we've managed to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. We haven't. That's not something that we've succeeded in. That's something we strive to do. And of course, no one church, no one person can reach everybody in the whole world. We all try to reach as many people as we can. Hopefully, I know this church trying to reach Sacramento. I'm trying to reach Tucson. You've got a faithful word, Tempe, trying to reach the greater Phoenix area. We all do what we can. But the fact is that if Jesus wants us to preach the gospel to every creature, then why isn't it being done? Well, it's because I believe that there's more people that are just spectating, sitting on the sidelines, and watching in the Christian life, and not actually getting involved in the work that needs to be done. I mean, he did give us that great commission. He said, truly, the harvest truly is great, but what? The laborers are few. There's a great harvest. There's a great work to do. There's plenty of work, but there's not enough people to get the job done. This is something I believe that Jesus experienced in his own ministry. If you look there in John, chapter 6, verse 1, Jesus, I believe he had spectators in his ministry, people that just wanted to come and just see what was going on, see what he was doing. What was he going to do next? What was he going to say next? But not really get involved, not really get into what it is he had for them to do. If you look there, verse 1, and after these things, Jesus went over to the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude followed him. And why did they follow him? Because they were just eager to get involved in the work, because they wanted him to turn around and tell him what to do and give him a job to do. No, because they saw his miracles. And look, there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong. Of course, if I was there and I saw those miracles, I'd be following him, too. I'd be a spectator, too. Who wouldn't want to see that? But I also believe that in Jesus' ministry, we see in this passage that not only did he just have spectators, but he had people there who were just there to take and not to give. They were just there to take and not to give. If you look there in verse 22, he says, The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none of their boat, save the one whereunto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples were gone alone. Jump to verse 24. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took to shipping and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled. So even these same people that came to just see the miracles, Jesus is even going further and calling them out and saying, You know what? You didn't just come to see the miracles. He just came because I fed you a meal. He just came because you wanted to get more bread. You were just there because you did eat of the loaves. And were filled. You know, and I know I'm not real familiar with Verity Baptist Church and the people here, but even in a great church like Verity Baptist Church, it wouldn't surprise me that if there were people that came here just to spectate. People that only came here just to take. People that only came just to see what Pastor Jimenez was going to preach next. Just to see, you know, what was going to take place next. And look, there's nothing wrong with that. And it's great. We were just talking about at lunch, how are we going to, you know, how are we going to get out there and be more visible to people on YouTube and social media. We want people to see what we're doing. We want people to know that there's churches like this here in Sacramento and in Tucson, Arizona, that we're there. We want to be seen. Well, you know what we want more than that is when people see us and they come and see what's going on, that they show up and they don't just take. They show up and they actually participate. And look, I understand that people come to church and they need to take. They need to show up and they have needs and we need to help them with those needs and help them along. But at some point, people have to decide that they're going to get involved in the work of the ministry and not just be spectators, not just be people that are going to sit on the sidelines. And even in a great church, like Verity Baptist Church, which is doing a great work, I'm sure that there are people that might come and just decide to be, well, I'm just going to spectate. Just see what's going on here. People who are there just to observe and receive. And you know what, I feel confident saying that because that's the way it is in all ministries. That's the way it really is in all ministries. There's always going to be certain people that are just there just to spectate. Even in Paul's day, you know, there's further proof of this, that Paul experienced this in his own ministry. If you want to keep something there in John, chapter 6, turn over, if you would, to Colossians, chapter 1. Colossians, chapter number 1. This is something that Jesus experienced, as we saw in John 6, and I also believe this is something that even Paul himself experienced. If you look there in Colossians, chapter 1, verse 1, Paul, an apostle to Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, which are at Colossians. Now, when I read that the other day, I thought, is he talking about the same group of people when he calls them the saints and the faithful brethren? You know, I believe that he is here, at least in this example of Colossians, that he's saying, hey, not only are you saints, but you're also faithful brethren. But I got the thing, I said, you know, I know there's a lot of people that are saints, but just because you're a saint doesn't make you a faithful brother. You know, there's some people that are saints, they're saved, they're going to go to heaven, they're blood washed, they've been born again, you know, they've been redeemed, but that doesn't necessarily going to make you a part of, you know, a faithful member of a church. That's something you have to decide to do. That's not something that just happens automatically because you got saved. That's something you have to say, you know what I'm saying, and actually get involved in the work of the ministry, not just be a spectator. You know, I wonder, was Paul greeting one group of people or two there? I would like to assume it was two, but when you read some of his other epistles, you can see that, you know, there are two different groups of people that he addresses throughout the scripture. He said in 1 Thessalonians 5, I'll read to you, he said, we beseech you brethren to know them which labor among you and over you in the Lord and admonish you. And then he goes on and says in the next verse, warn them that are unruly. He's saying, look, you know, you need to know them that labor among you and admonish them and esteem them very highly for their work's sake. You know, and then the other people who are unruly. He said there's some people that are working not at all. They're not even working in the church. You know, there's always going to be these two groups of people in these ministries. But also, you know, there's going to be people obviously who do work, you know, and I believe that's probably the vast majority of people in this church. And that's in most churches that I've been in lately, you know, in faithful word and in churches like this that that is the case. You know, most everybody goes soul-winding. Most everybody is involved. Most people are going to take that prayer list home and actually pray through it. And Paul had that too. He said in Romans 16, greet Mary who bestowed much labor on us. Now, why did she get that greeting? Because she wasn't just a spectator. She was somebody who did what? Who bestowed much labor upon them. He said in Romans 16, salute Tryphina and Tryphosia who labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Perseus which labored much in the Lord. I mean, they're getting these shout-outs. How would you like to have that? You know, you say I want my name in Scripture. Well, you know, maybe and maybe not. I guess it's what's attached to that name. You know, how he's using that name. He uses some other names. You know, Hymenaeus and Alexander. You know, those guys didn't want their names in there. You know, they've been delivered unto Satan. They may learn not to blaspheme. But you got these people here. They're getting a shout-out from the Apostle Paul. But why did that happen? Because they bestowed much labor. Because they labor in the Lord. If you would, keep something in John there, John 6. But go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 16. This is a real, you know, familiar passage. You know, I've heard this passage preached a lot. I don't think I've ever, you know, preached on it. But it says there in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 15, I beseech you, brethren, you know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first roots of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, that you submit yourselves unto such, and to everyone that helpeth us and laborerth. You know, Paul seems like he's singling out the people that labor, the people that work, and he's making sure, look, you need to, you know, honor those people, you need to help those people, you need to show some respect for those people, because those are the people that are actually getting the work done. But here's the thing, that could be any of us. Any one of us could be these people. Any one of us could be somebody that have addicted ourselves to the ministry of the saints, if we've decided to not be just a spectator in the Christian life, but actually be a participant, if we'd actually decided to actually be there when it mattered. To not be a, you know, so to not be a spectator, you know, obviously you have to be a participant. You know, that's really the two choices you have in the Christian life. You can either be somebody who's, you know, up in the stands, on the sidelines, cheering on the team, real excited, and look, that's great, you know, that's good to have that, but, you know, where we really need people is down on the field. We really need some people down there to, you know, take that, you know, throw that Hail Mary, you know, I don't know if we can say that in a Baptist church, you know, throw that touchdown pass, get that interception, whatever. I don't watch a lot of sports. I'm trying up here, all right? That's what we need. We need some people, you know, take off that big foam finger and put it down, you know, number one, and actually get involved in the work, not just be a spectator in the Christian life. So to be a spectator, you must, to not be a spectator, you have to be a participant. Let me give you some reasons why not everybody is a participant. You say, why would that happen? It just seems like everybody, you know, if you got saved, you'd be so grateful to have gotten saved, and you just want to just jump headfirst in the Christian life, you just want to, you know, dive right in and get involved. Well, why is it that some people just never get there, some people just never do that? Well, I believe one reason is because they get offended very easily. Some people just get offended very easily, don't they? Go back to John 6, where we were in John chapter 6. You know, this is something that's just getting worse and worse today. You know, and every time I touch on this, I park it for a minute, because it's getting worse, that people are just getting so touchy, they're becoming such snowflakes today, they get so easily offended. And then they come to a church where someone actually gets up and says, Thus sayeth the Lord, and doesn't apologize for what the Bible says, and they get all offended, and off they go. And you know what they end up being? They just end up being a spectator. They end up just watching online. They end up just, you know, going to some other church where nothing's going to be asked of them, where no one's going to ever, you know, give them an opportunity even to serve. They get offended easily. That's what we saw in John 6 and verse 59. He said, These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum, many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is in hard saying, who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Oh, I'm sorry, let me explain. You know, I know that was a hard saying, but you know, he didn't backpedal. What does he say? Doth this offend you? I just love that statement when he says that. Does that offend you? Does this offend you? What if you shall see the Son of Man has summed up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth, and so on and so on. Jump down to verse 65. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man could come unto me, except were given him of my Father. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. I mean, can you imagine being there? I mean, seeing Christ, seeing the miracles, right? I mean, that's the same chapter. Seeing the miracle of bread, you know, feeding the thousands of people, seeing all the things that he did, just being firsthand witness to the ministry of Christ himself, and then you hear something that you don't quite like, that kind of rubs you the wrong way, and just turn your back on him and walking away and say, Well, I'm not going to be part of that ministry. We say, Well, I'd never do that. I would never do that. If Jesus were, I would never do that. Yeah, but that's exactly what happens in churches. Well, I know it's not Jesus getting up here, but it's a man of God preaching Jesus' word. It's him getting up and preaching some hard sayings, and people go, Ah, you know, I know this church is soul winning, and I know this church is King James only, and all the other churches around here aren't, and I know they've got a lot of good things going. They're family integrated. I like that. You know, I mean, I just looked at the bullets, and there's all kinds of extra activities going on. I mean, you're getting popcorn and candy corn and everything else, right? There's always something going on here. There's a lot of great things in that church, but sometimes that pastor, he just says something, and I just don't know if I can go there anymore, and they turn their back on a good, soul winning, King James only, independent, Baptist church, and a lot of times it's the only game in town. It boggles my mind what happens in Tucson. We've got some other Baptist churches, praise God, but I don't know that any of them are trying to knock every door in Tucson. I know there's one that goes soul winning, and I know for a fact that they limit themselves to the zip code. I mean, I guess it's something, but it always surprises me, but you know what? It really shouldn't when you read a passage like this, when you see people who would turn their back on Jesus himself because of a hard saying. If you're going to be a participant, you have to accept the fact that things aren't going to go your way, and being a good team member. I'm not saying you have to come to this church and agree with everything. I'm just saying you have to, if something bothers you, now look, obviously there's some things you have to agree with, and if you're questioning one of those things, speak to the staff, but people come and they get offended over really minor things. Well, he put a Christmas wreath up. At Christmas time, he put a wreath up on the pulpit. They decorated it for Christmas. I don't know how I feel about that. I don't like the color they painted the wall. People get bent out of shape over the most petty things. Look, you don't have to like the color of the wall. You don't have to like the decoration. You don't have to like something that the church is doing. You don't have to like the direction that the pastor's taking it. But you know what, you could just go along to get along, especially when that church is the only game in town. Why wouldn't you just go along to get along? Look, if you want to be a participant, and I hope that you do if you're not, understand this, that if you're going to participate, if you're going to be a good team member, things aren't always going to go your way. I mean, isn't that true at work? We that go out and you work, and there's probably some guys at your work that you don't really like, that maybe say things or do things a certain way that you just say, that bothers me. Do you run to the boss every time that happens and say, I don't like what they did, I don't like what they said? You know what would happen if you kept doing it? You'd just get fired. That's not what the boss doesn't want to put up with. He wants people who can just show up, do their job, and get along and play well with others and be a good participant, and understand they don't have to have everything their way. If you're there in John 6, look at verse 67. He said, Then Jesus said unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And that's what I wonder about people that quit great churches like this. For no good reason. I just think, where are you going to go? And you know what they're going to do? They're going to go to another church, and they're going to find something there that they didn't like. Then they're going to go to another church, and they're going to find something there they don't like. Then they're going to go to another church and find that there's something there that they don't like. And then maybe they'll make their all the way back around to us and say, I still don't like this place. But maybe they'll stick, maybe they'll learn, maybe they won't, I don't know. But that's one reason why I think a lot of people choose not to be a participant and just remain a spectator in the Christian life. Because they're too easily offended even by little trivial things sometimes. Another reason why people choose to not be a participant and remain spectators is that they can't handle hardship. They can't handle hardship. Because here's the thing, if you're going to get involved, if you're going to be a part of the local church, if you're going to go out and do the work that God has given us to do, there's going to be some hardship. We know the promise in 2 Timothy that, yea, all they that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Now maybe you shall. If you would, go over to Matthew chapter 14. This is a parallel passage over in Matthew chapter 14. I'll begin reading in verse 19 in Matthew chapter 14, verse 19. Matthew 14, 19, and he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass and took five loaves and two fishes. And looking up to heaven he blessed and break and gave the loaves to his disciples and the disciples to the multitude and they did all eat and they were filled. And they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men besides women and children. And don't miss this in verse 22. And Jesus straightway, excuse me, and straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship. And that constrain means to force or to compel. You know, he was saying, look, you guys need to get in the ship. And we know what happens next, right? He says get into the ship and go to, to go before him on the other side while he sent the multitudes away. And he went up and when he had sent away the multitudes away he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was come he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea tossed with waves for the wind was contrary. So he sends them out and, now let me ask you this. Do you think Jesus knew that storm was coming? Do you think that caught him off guard? I mean, he could speak to the sea and it still. I mean, he's the creator of all things. He knew that this storm was coming. And yet he still forced them to get in that ship. And I think what he's trying to do here is, you know, or at least what we can glean from this is the fact that if you're going to follow Christ, you know, he's going to lead you into some storms. He's going to lead you into some rough waters. If you want to follow Jesus, if you want to be more than just a spectator in the Christian life, if you actually want to participate, if you actually want to get involved in the work and follow Christ and do the work, you know, there's going to come a time where you're in a storm. Where the winds are going to be contrary. And I love it here in verse 25, it says, In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were troubled. It is a spirit, they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying, and get his response here, be of good cheer. I mean, consider what the situation that they're in. They just got forced into the ship. They're out in the night, rowing, toiling in a storm. Jesus shows up, the guy who forced them into the ship and told them to go, and says, hey, be of good cheer. It is I. Not, oh, yes, sorry about that. I didn't realize the storm was coming. Are you guys okay? Are you wet? You didn't apologize. Hey, be of good cheer. It's me. You know, and I'm surprised at the response you were going to see in a minute, but you kind of wonder, what did they think at that moment? Like, oh, it's you. Yeah, you, the guy who sent us out into this. Who, if he had been here, could have stopped this any time he wanted. Maybe they could have got a little indignant at the Lord. You know, we don't see that, but in fact, we see the complete opposite here. Instead of complaining about the fact that Christ had sent him out in the storm, you know, instead of complaining about it, Peter does what? He participates. Instead of complaining, Peter participates. Look at verse 28. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come on the water. That's pretty bold. You know, we pick on Peter a little bit, don't we? That's pretty bold. And he said, come. And when Jesus, and when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. I mean, this is one of the, probably the most famous miracles that you read about in Scripture. This is a very well-known story. And it only happened because Peter was willing to participate. You know, the eleven are still in the boat. We know how it turns out. He sees the winds and the waves, and he doubts, and he begins to sink, and he cries out, Lord save me, and the Lord lifts him up. But I doubt he got back in the boat and everyone's like, way to go, Peter. What's the matter, Peter? Couldn't stay on the water? You know, they were like, wow, they had to have been just blown away. They're probably thinking, I wish I could have done that. I wish I could have, you know, instead of just sitting here kind of murmuring myself and being upset about the fact that Jesus sent me out here in the storm, maybe I could have taken an opportunity to actually do something great for God and got involved and participated. I mean, the eleven, they're still in the boat. The multitudes, they're sitting fat and sassy at home. They've got a belly full of bread. They're just, you know, taking it easy. They're nice and warm in their houses. But the guy who decided to participate is involved himself in one of the greatest miracles, one of the most well-known miracles that you read about in Scripture. Why? Because instead of complaining, instead of just being a spectator in the Christian life, he got involved, he participated. You know, I like to imagine, you know, just for application's sake here, that maybe Peter and the disciples, you know, would later describe this to somebody. They'd say, oh, there was this storm and we saw the Spirit walking and, you know, Jesus, and then it turned, and it said it was the Lord. And then Peter, you know, just blows our minds and he just says, well, if it's you, then bid me come in the water. And the next thing you know, Peter's out. And people are just kind of listening, going, uh-huh, yeah. I imagine them telling that story and getting to the end and just saying, well, I guess you just had to be there. I guess you just had to be there to see that. I guess you just had to be willing to go out in that storm and follow Jesus and go wherever he told you to go and put up with the hardship. I guess you just had to be there for that part, if you wanted to actually see something like that firsthand. And say, well, man, storms, persecutions, I mean, I'm all about participating, but who wants any of that? You know, I'd rather be at the altitude. I'd rather be nice and warm at home. Let me give you some reasons how and why you should participate, why you should be there, how and why you should participate. Let me give you a reason how. How can you do it? Here's one. Read your Bible. Read your Bible. Start there. Read your Bible. That sounds pretty basic, doesn't it? And it is. And we preach that all the time. Hey, read your Bible. Read your Bible. But you know what? That's really an important thing. That's something you need to be there for. I mean, it's going to bless you in so many ways if you would just start reading your Bible on a regular basis. You'd be blessed in so many ways. It would help you with your life in so many ways. But consider this, that if you read your Bible, if you're somebody who knows the Word of God well, it just might be that you're one of the people that gets to reign in the millennium. Now have I got your attention? You say, well, we're not going to reign in the millennium. Well, Jesus said that he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. He said in Luke, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in very little, have thou authority over ten cities. I think he was literal about that, that there's going to be some people that are given authority over ten cities and five cities. You say, what does reading your Bible have to do with that? Well, you have to remember that when Christ comes and sets up his kingdom, when he reigns for a thousand years, he's going to rule with a rod of iron, right? And what do you think the rule book's going to be? You think he's going to get here and then call a session of Congress? He's going to get all the world leaders against him. Okay, how are we going to do things? Now that I'm here, let's figure out how I should run the planet, how I should run my kingdom. What do you guys think? He's going to write up a bunch of bylaws and everything else. No, you know what he's going to use? The Bible. That's what he's going to use. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 2, for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. That's prophetic of the millennium. And he's saying, out of Zion shall go forth the law. That's the Bible, friend. And the word of the Lord shall go from Jerusalem. So look, if that's the rule book that God's going to use, that the Lord's going to use to run his kingdom, and he's going to put people in charge, doesn't it just make sense that he's going to put people in charge that know their Bible? The guy that was there for his Bible reading that knew the word of God here on earth, he's the one that's going to say, well, I know what the law says, Lord. I know how to judge in this situation. I know what your will is because I've been reading it, I've been studying it, I've been memorizing it. I was there for the Bible reading. Well, then you're going to be the one who's been faithful in little that can go and reign over ten cities. Now, maybe I'm wrong about that, but to me it makes sense. I'd be shocked if the guy who never read his Bible who never cared much for the things of God is the one that gets to reign over ten cities, over anything. The Bible says in 2 Timothy, if you would, go to Luke chapter 8, Luke chapter 8. He said in 2 Timothy, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. I want to reign with Christ? That sounds cool. And it does. Ten cities? Give me that authority. Yeah, but in 2 Timothy it says, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. Oh, I want to do what Peter did. I want to walk on the water. Well, you've got to go get wet. You've got to go on the boat. You've got to have some faith. You've got to get involved. You can't be a spectator in Christian life. You know, maybe if you read your Bible, you'll get to rule over the nations. Or maybe you'll get to heaven and instead of hearing, be thou over ten cities, you'll hear, guess you had to be there. You had to be there. How about, here's another way to get involved. Look, there's a lot of different ways to get involved, folks. These are the big ones that we emphasize in churches like this, right? Bible reading. How about this, go soul winning. Go soul winning. You know, I had a guy visit Tucson a while back. He's never coming back, if I can say this. He's not listening either. He was church shopping. And look, I get it, people church shop. And he came a couple times and he came and went. And he came one time and he was talking to our members. It was our anniversary Sunday, so we're all sticking around in the afternoon having our potluck. And, you know, and I overhear him and he's talking to his members and he's saying, you know, well, I'd come here, but you guys don't have any kind of a missions program. And I'm thinking, do you see the map hanging in the corner over there that were colored in red? Do you see all the materials that we hand out? Do you see all the invites? But what he wants is so he could just pull out some money out of his pocket, put it in a plate and go, well, I did my part. I spread the gospel. Look, if you want to get involved, go soul winning. And, I mean, and not just, well, I just give to the soul winning. No, I go soul winning. Here's the thing, you'll have some stories to tell. So why should I go soul winning? Why should I be there for that? Why should I show up? Well, you'll have some stories to tell. Look at Luke chapter 8. And I know we know the story, folks, but put yourself in the story. You know, that's why I love reading the Bible is because, you know, maybe it's from all the fiction I read growing up or something that I probably shouldn't have read. It's the fact that I've developed this imagination. I read these stories. I like to put myself there. You know, you're reading the story. You can hear these pigs. You can, you know, you can smell that soil. You can put yourself there. It says in verse 27, and when he went forth to land there met him out of the city, a certain man which had devils long time and wear no clothes, neither bowed in any house, but in the tombs when Jesus saw, when he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him with a loud voice and with a loud voice said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not, for he commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, for oftentimes an economy, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he break the bands and was driven of the devil into the wilderness. And Jesus asked him, saying, what is thy name? And he said, Legion, because many devils were entered into him. This is a cool story. I mean, isn't the world obsessed with this kind of stuff, the paranormal and everything? You know, that's all, a lot of that just make believe stuff. This is a true story. This happened to this guy. Excuse me. Verse 31, and they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was a herd of many swine feeding in the mountain. They besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them, and he suffered them. Then went out the devils out of the man and entered into the swine. The herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked. That's a cool story. You know, there were some guys there that saw that happen. You know, the apostles were there. They were watching all this whole thing actually happen. And, you know, why did they get to see that? Because they were willing to follow Jesus. They were willing to go minister to other people. You know, I don't know if you have an exact story like this if you go soul winning. You know, if you do, tell me. I'd be fascinated to hear it. Right? I'd love to hear that. I might cry a little bit over the waste of all that good pork, but it's a cool story. You know, it makes me think of a story. When we first started down there in Tucson, our first year, we went out soul winning. I was out soul winning with my daughter, Karen. She's here tonight. And we were knocking on these doors, and I knocked on the door and the guy was a homo. And you say, how do you know? Did you ask him? Look, folks, you can tell. All right? If he wasn't a homo, then he was very, very familiar. I mean, he had to list everything going on. But here's how I really know. And I'm like, do I even bother trying to get this guy in the gospel? And I was like, well, benefit of the doubt. And normally I open up with a phrase like, hey, we're from a Baptist church. You mind if I could show you from the Bible how to be saved or something like that? But for some reason that time I specifically said, hey, can I share the gospel with you? Something like that, out of fact. And the guy was being very cordial. And he was well spoken. I mean, as much as a homo can be well spoken. But he didn't have any kind of an impediment or anything like that. I mean, he could speak just fine. But as soon as I mentioned about me showing him how to be saved, and I'll go ahead and try and reenact it a little bit, his eyes just got this big. And he goes, ah, ah, ah. I'm embarrassing myself to edify you. Ah, ah. I'm not kidding. Just like the ah, ah, ah, ah. I'm fine. And I got chills. I mean, because the guy was just talking normal. And all of a sudden it's ah, ah, ah. And he's just like having a seizure up. You know, I'm talking to him. So I said gospel. And I got a chill down my spine. I'm like, this guy has got a demon in him. Now, maybe I'm overthinking things or something like that. But that's the impression I got. I felt like in that moment, you say, well, why was he doing that? Because as he was doing that, he's looking at Karen. Do you remember this? She was chasing butterflies or stepping on ants, probably. But he was looking at her. And I realized what was going on. The devil in him was trying to lash out. But that last little shred of humanity that he had, didn't want to do that to this little girl here with her dad. Freak out and tear this guy. That was the impression I got. You don't have to believe it. It's my story. I'll tell it however I want. The point is this. That's the story I got because I went out soul winning. Now, maybe that's not the best story to encourage you to go soul winning. Maybe I should have gone with the tearjerker from the Indian Reservation or something like that. But the point is this. That if you go out soul winning, you get some cool stories out of it, don't you? But you know what? Some of you look at me like, I don't know about that story. You know what? You had to be there. You had to be there. Look, if you had been there, you'd have believed me. The way it went down, you would have said that guy had a devil. Cool story. And there's, you know what? We could go around to the other soul winners in this room, and we could probably all just start telling stories about when this happened and when that happened. And not just, you know, those far out ones like the one I just told. Look, I don't want to frighten anybody or discourage anybody from soul winning. That's far and few between. Anything like that's never happened again to me. You know, normally it's pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. But, I mean, part of the thrill for me to go out soul winning is, like, I don't know what's going to happen next. I don't know who I'm going to run into. I don't know what. It's exciting to me. Breaks it up. You know, you say that's a cool story. Man, it's a cool story that they got to see these swine, you know, infested with demons, this guy's delivered, and this whole herd just runs violently down a hill and is choked in the sea. I mean, it's a cool story. Boy, Brother Corbin, you got a cool story there. I want one. Well, you know what? You can't be a spectator. And you know what else you have to do? You have to be willing to get uncomfortable. That's why a lot of people say, ah, that soul winning thing, not going to do it. That's not for me. I'm not going to get involved. Why? It makes me uncomfortable. You know, you'll get over it. But, you know, preaching makes me uncomfortable. Did you know that? But you know what? You do it anyway and people get blessed, don't they? You get up and just preach it anyway and preach what the Lord's laid on your heart and people get blessed. You know, if you would just get used to being uncomfortable, people would get saved. I mean, look, that's what they had to do here to see this great soul winning story. Look at verse 22. You know, this is, you know, earlier on in the story, this is before he cast the demons into the swine. Now it came to pass on a certain day that he went into ship at his disciples and he said to them, let us go over to the other side of the lake. This is them going to this guy. And they launched forth, but as they sailed, they fell asleep, he fell asleep and there came a storm of wind on the lake and they were filled with water. It just, some about the Lord just put these guys in the middle of the storm all the time. I mean, every time they see a boat after that, they might just have, you know, PTSD or something. You know, but he wants to get them over there. He wants them to experience this thing. But before that, you know what they had to do? They had to go through this storm. We know the story. They wake him up. Hey, we perish. And he gets up and he calms the sea with the word. So, you know, if you want to not be a spectator in the Christian life, you have to be a participant. You have to get involved. Get involved with the Bible reading. Get involved with the soul winning. You'll have some stories to tell and not only that, you'll be rewarded for your labor. You'll be rewarded for your labor. You won't, I mean, besides the fact that souls will get saved from hell, you'll also get rewarded for your labor. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 3, 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Jesus said in Revelation 22, Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give every man according to his work, as his work shall be. He said, Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we know these verses, verse 12, And now if any man build upon this foundation, verse 12, gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereon, he shall receive a reward. You know, you go out and do the work of the Lord, you will receive that reward, it's there. You'll get to heaven after a life of participating, after a life of soul winning, after a life of being uncomfortable and being willing to go through the storms, you'll go through that and you'll get a reward. Or, or you can be told you had to be there. You'll see brother so-and-so and sister so-and-so going by with their crowns, full of jewels, off to rule their cities. Oh, what's going on there? How did that happen? Well, you had to be there. You just had to be there. And at that point you'll probably say, man, I wish I would have gotten involved. I guarantee it. A sermon I heard very early on in my Christian life that has stuck with me all these, this illustration. Every time I kind of touch on this subject, it always comes to mind. This preacher got up and he talked about, he turned to this verse and he read it and he said, you know, there's going to be people there, our works are going to be burned up, and some people are going to go through those ashes and just start pulling out jewels, pulling out crowns. Those are the works that remain, they're going to be there. But there's going to be some people that go to that fire, when it's all burned up and it's burned and it's done, they're going to be digging through those ashes and digging through those ashes and find nothing. You know what they're going to have for all of eternity? A pile of ashes. And I always joke and say, well, you better hope they got Ziploc bags in heaven. You better hope no one sneezes in heaven. You better hope there's no breeze in heaven. Because all you've got is ashes because all you wanted to do in the Christian life is spectate. Spectate, watch other people do it, think about, oh, I could do it better. I don't like the way they did it. But never getting involved. You can have the reward or you can be told you had to be there. My last point on how to not be a spectator, how to be a participant, and I know these are very basic, but this is really where it begins. Go to church. Go to church. And I mean go to church all the time. Every chance you can, go to church. Look, I get it, sometimes people live far away It's harder to get there. Sometimes our schedules, I'm not saying, you know, some people get sick, all of that, I understand. But look, if you're sitting at a church on Sunday night because your team's on, you're a spectator. You're a spectator watching that game at home and you're a spectator in the Christian life. Saying, I'll catch pastor's sermon later this week. You know, and you can, but you know what? There's something about hearing the sermon in person. Isn't there? I mean the best sermons I've ever heard were not on the internet. And look, I've heard some good sermons on the internet. I've gone on YouTube and just heard some great sermons. But the best sermons I've ever heard have always been in person. And it's not because it was a better sermon because of what was said, it's because I was there in person. Because there's just something about being there in person that just makes it better. It has more of an impact. So go to church. You'll get to hear that sermon. Or you can hear it online and just think, oh, I guess you just had to be there for that one. You'll hear a truth that will bless you. Let me close with this thought, is that the spectators in this life, the people that just want to sit on the sidelines in the Christian life, the spectators here on earth, they're going to be spectators in heaven. And look, I don't want that for anybody. I don't want that for myself. I don't want that for the people in Tucson. I don't want that for any of you. I want everyone to be a participant. Don't be a spectator here on earth. Why? Because you're going to end up being a spectator in heaven, watching everybody else with their rewards, watching everybody else get to be rewarded and rule and reign and all of that. In heaven, all you can say is, I got saved. If you get to heaven and say, well, what did you do? Well, I got saved and then I really didn't do anything else for God. I got saved and that was pretty much it. Well, then you're just a spectator. You're a non-participant, right? Go to Luke 8. I don't know if I had you still there. We're going to close there. The Bible says in Daniel 2, They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament. This is talking about the resurrection. And they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. Look, we don't know everything about heaven, everything about glory. We know that. We know that they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament. That sounds pretty good to me. I don't know exactly what all that means, but I don't want to be on the spectating end of that. Oh, that's what they meant. I want to say this is what they meant. This is what Daniel said. Oh, this is what he was talking about. Oh, that knows what he's talking about over there. And, you know, that wise there, you know, it's talking about being a soul winner. He that win his souls is wise, the Bible says. Look there in Luke 8, verse 18. He said, Take heed, therefore, how ye hear, for whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even at which he seemeth to have. Then came to his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press, and was told him by certain, which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to see thee. So he's in this room that's packed. He's preaching to these people. And his relatives, you know, his blood relatives show up. They say, hey, we need to talk to him. It's like, well, why don't you go inside and sit down? Instead of beckoning the Lord out there. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God and do it. Amen. Look, once you're saying, look, this is talking about his physical, you know, relatives here. But you know what? In a way, we're all blood relatives with Jesus, right? We're all blood-bot. We're all born, you know, we've all been a bot with his precious blood. We're all blood relatives, right? But does that mean we're all in the house? Maybe we're a blood relative that's outside and say, well, let's get the Lord over here on my terms. You know, go in there and get the Lord and tell him, well, we got to talk to him. And he hears that and he says, I'll tell you who my, you know, the people I'm going to talk to. I'll tell you about the people that are going to, you know, I'm going to esteem highly. The people are going to be in my inner circle. The people that hear the word of God and then what? Do it. Do it. Do it. People that aren't just spectators are people who participate in the Christian life. They come to church, they hear they're preaching the word of God, they read the word of God, and you know what? They say, you know, that's what the Bible says and I'm going to do it. It might make me uncomfortable. I might not like it. I might not maybe necessarily agree with all of it, but, you know, I'm just going to go ahead and get along and just do this because I know I'll be blessed if I do. Those that hear the word of God and do it. They say, well, that's what I'm going to do. You know what, Brother Corbin, you convinced me. I hope I have. I hope I have. But I'll remind you, verse 22, Now it came to pass in a certain day, here we go again, that he went into a ship with the disciples and he said, let us go over to the other side of the lake. And we know how this story goes because we just read it. You know, we want to be on the inner circle. We want to be the participants. You know, he's going to say, let's get in the boat. You want to go see something? You want to go have a story to tell? Let's get in the boat and let's head out into that storm. But, you know, you don't want to be the people that draw back and say, I don't know if I'm coming back. Look at how it ends. And they launched forth. I said, let's go do this thing. Let's get after it. Because here's the thing. People who spectate here will spectate in heaven. But you know what? People who participate here, they will participate in heaven. And that's what we should want. You know, a lot of people are going to hear on that day, I hope it's a lot of people, well done, thou good and faithful servant. I mean, that's reward enough, isn't it? You know, I always think of that song, you know, by and by, when I look on his face, that scarred, tattered face, I'll wish I had given him more. You know, you're going to get to heaven and see Jesus. You're going to look back. And even those of us that do work, that do a lot of work, the Lord, we're going to get there and we're still going to say, we're going to take one look in that face. And we're going to say, I wish I had given him more. You know, I just don't want to, and we'll all say that, but I just don't want to be the person that gets up there and says, I wish I had given him something. Anything. But there's going to be some people that hear that. Some people are going to hear, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Other people are going to hear what? Guess you had to be there. Let that not be you. Don't be a spectator in the Christian life. You've got a great church here. Great church. You've got a great man of God. You're preaching the word. Get involved. Get involved in the work here. Don't be a spectator. Be a participant. Let's go ahead and pray. Dear Lord, again, thank you for this great church. Thank you for the folks that have come out here on a Wednesday night, Lord, to hear the preaching of your word. And Lord, I pray that you would speak to their hearts. And Lord, I pray that you would help us all, Lord, to just be involved in the work of the ministry, Lord, that we would be able to hear those words one day when we get to heaven. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. Man, let's grab our songbooks and turn to page number 63. Song number 63. What a day that will be. Song number 63. Let's sing it out on the first. There is coming a day when a heartache shall come. No more clouds in the sky. No more tears within the eye. All is pierced forevermore on that half day. All is pierced forevermore on that happy golden shore. What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. And I look upon his face, the one who saved me by his grace. When he takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land. What a day, glorious day that will be. There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear, no more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there. And forever I will be with the one who died for me. What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon his face, the one who saved me by his grace. When he takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land. What a day, glorious day that will be. Great. See, before we dismiss, if anyone has questions about salvation, church membership, or Baptist and pastoral, we'll be at the door. We'd love to talk to you or direct you to someone who's trained to do that. May I ask Brother Matt, would you dismiss us with a word of prayer? Dear Heavenly Father, as long as you came to the word that takes us to my word, we put in all our hearts that we're about to be spectated. We're getting involved in the work, we're about to miss the loss of you. And Lord, I pray that you bring many out that you're following in the tree. And in the name of Jesus, amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.