Am I a Profitable Servant of God?

Am I a profitable servant of God? It's a question I've asked myself from time to time, and honestly, it's a question that would be good for all of us to ask ourselves from time to time. Am I a profitable servant of God? This week, Darla and I completed the purchase of a horse that we've been negotiating on from Canada up in southern BC, and that deal closed, and we hopped into the vehicle, and we decided to take a run north on Monday and Tuesday. That tends actually to be my weekend, because I work through Saturday and most of Sunday pretty often, and Monday-Tuesday tends to be a little quieter with some more flexibility, so if there's something we need to get done, it'll generally be on those days. We hooked up the horse trailer, hopped in the vehicle, and went up north of Seattle into southern BC and picked up this horse. But prior to that event, prior to sealing the deal, we had that most important conversation, will this be a profitable venture? There are things to consider when you're considering profitability and actually when you're having to rely on profitability, because frankly, we can't afford to run a hobby farm, and frankly, things have just become to such a point that you have 10, 12, 13 horses at any given time. Then each one has to be profitable at some level. So we have this conversation. Is this going to be a profitable venture? After all the time and expense to pick the horse up, to bring it home after the purchase, after the time you feed it through the winter, you care for it, you put training into it, and maybe you're going to sell it, maybe you're going to keep it then to raise foals out of it, but you have to calculate that in advance and consider, is this a venture that will be profitable? Because like any other business, if it's going to survive, it needs to turn a profit. Now, ultimately, we decided the horse would be worth it, hopefully. You know, it is livestock. And there's always a degree of risk when you're dealing with livestock. Animals get injured, animals get sick, maybe it doesn't turn out to be exactly what you thought it would be. But again, there's a degree of risk to that, but still the potential outcome for us made it seem worth it, that this would be a good purchase for her business and to move forward. So, frankly, it's this trip and this conversation and the run-up to that that got me thinking on this topic for myself. Am I a profitable servant of God? And that's the title of the message for today. Brethren, God has invested so much in us, He sent His only begotten Son who died for our sins, personally. He called us out of this world. He extended an invitation to you and to me, personally. He gave us His Holy Spirit, His presence, His mind within us, personally and directly. He forgave us our sins upon repentance, an incredible investment, frankly, that God has made in us. And in doing so, God expects a return on His investment. God expects increase. God expects profitable servants.

I want to begin today in Luke chapter 17 because here Jesus Christ gives a parable as to what an unprofitable servant looks like. And by looking at this in other scriptures, we can then begin to see what a profitable servant should be. Luke chapter 17, and beginning in verse 7, again the words of Jesus Christ, He says, In which of you, having a servant, plowing or tending sheep, will say to him, when he has come in from the field, come at once, sit down to eat? He says, But will he not rather say to him, prepare something for my supper? Engurge yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk, and afterwards you will eat and drink. This is how a man would direct himself towards his servant. Verse 9, it says, Does he thank that servant? Because he did the things that were commanded him. Jesus said, I think not. In His master-servant relationship, there was an expectation of what the servant would do and what it was agreed to do.

This is maybe a little different than what slavery in our mind would consider. This is servitude. But even in Israel, people sold themselves into servitude to their brother to work off a debt, to cover in some other way. And you had laws and regulations by which you treated a servant. But still, this is a servant doing what was expected to be done. It was the servant's duty and responsibility. And Christ says, well, after He's done all these things that He has commanded him, does He thank that servant? Because I think not. He did what was expected. Verse 10, He says, So likewise you, when you have done all the things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

Now, this description of an unprofitable servant might seem a bit odd to us, and it might seem a bit surprising to some. Because, after all, we read through this passage, and we see the servant as someone, in this case, who actually did everything that was expected of him. Maybe he went out and tended the sheep, plowed the field, worked the crops, came in then, served the master a meal. He did what was expected of him to do. Very active, very rigorous work. And afterwards, then he comes in, and the expectation in our mind is you would lavish praise upon this. What a good unprofitable servant. But Jesus Christ chose to take this example, actually, to highlight and illustrate a point of being an unprofitable servant.

Why would he do that? Why would he bring this illustration out and then say, in your case, if simply you fulfill your duty, you are unprofitable? Again, maybe it's a little different than how we would explain it. But Jesus says this because the servant did what was commanded him. He did what it was that was his duty to do. He met the basic requirement, but what we find in the end is that that standard doesn't make a servant profitable. The duty to fulfill the basic requirement is not profitability, according to the standard of this parable.

He just simply met the minimal standard. Let's consider for a moment who it is as giving this parable. It's Jesus Christ. It's the greatest of servants, the most profitable servant that has ever lived. Consider how much he worked, how much he sacrificed, how much he did and gave up for the sake of those whom he served. His service was not just to meet a minimal standard, was it? He didn't just come and did what was his duty to do.

Therefore, okay, you fulfilled the minimum requirement. No, Jesus Christ came and laid his life down. As we heard, he laid it down as a living sacrifice, and we, Romans 12, verse 1, as Stuart said, are to be living sacrifices. In response to what has been done for us. Jesus Christ went above and beyond what is possible by human means alone. He invoked the power of God's Holy Spirit, which helped him to succeed in his service.

He was, again, the golden standard of a profitable servant. He did more than what was simply required. That's a righteous example. This example we're to take and move forward from this point. To find the unprofitable servant, we would say maybe at the top tier level, because he did his duty, but it didn't go beyond that. Jesus Christ set the example that we look to. I think we all appreciate that. I appreciate profitable servants, at least in terms of the standard in the world around us. I appreciate people that go above and beyond in their appointed service. Have you ever been in a grocery store and not been able to find an item?

I think when I do that, I tend to wander around with a deer-in-a-headlight look or something, because it's supposed to be there and it isn't. I know it's probably somewhere else on the end of an aisle or some other location, so now I go looking for help. You find that store clerk, that employee, if you can find them. Some places you hunt and hunt, and maybe never find somebody. But when you do, perhaps they say, oh yeah, it's aisle three on the bottom to the right.

If it isn't there, then I guess you're out of luck. But they don't step away from what they're doing. They don't take the effort to walk across the store to guide you over there or say, well, there may be an alternate location. And that's not very satisfying, is it? I've actually switched locations in the past of where I would shop, because I haven't received very good service when I'm looking for something at another store.

I can't even find a clerk. When I can, they're not very helpful. We like profitable servants. We like a profitable grocery store clerk who would go above and beyond. He would cheerfully say, leave what they're doing, walk with you across the store, go and check, and be like, huh, I guess we are out here, but let's go over here and look.

We might have it on this other aisle, or if it's not there, they say, let me go look in the back. We might have some, back there, some extra merchandise that we haven't unpacked. And if it's not there, they may say, okay, give me your number. I'll call you when it comes in.

We'll hold some. We'll set it aside for you. That's a profitable employee, isn't it? They've gone above and beyond. And frankly, they're not just profitable to me. They're profitable to their employer as well, because I come back. I shop there again, and I assume other customers do as well.

So we all appreciate people who are profitable, who go above and beyond just the minimum requirement. You know, one clerk would just say, yeah, well, it's on aisle three. If you don't see it, I guess we don't have it. And that's the minimum standard. But again, that's not really fulfilling, and that doesn't rise to the level of profitability. When I ran my landscape business, I was never thrilled with an employee that just stood there until you told them to do something.

You know, pick this up, take it over there, set it down, and then they'd do it and just kind of stand there waiting for the next command. And they could only seem to function from command to command. Now, you wanted somebody who took initiative, who could wrap their mind around what was going on and, frankly, be profitable to where you turned around and say, oh, wow, it is done! And I didn't even have to ask. You know, that's what we look for in profitability.

You and I, brethren, are not called to do just the minimum standard in our Christian lives. There is a standard that is set. There is a benchmark we must achieve. But the minimum standard is not what we're called to. We're called to be profitable servants of God the Father and Jesus Christ. People who go above and beyond the minimum. People who look at the example that was set and seek to emulate that in their life as well. If we're only doing the minimal, like show up on the Sabbath day, right? Because, one, two, three, four, five, six, oh, it's the seventh day, I have to be somewhere.

Or show up for the feast and the holy days, you know, a date on the calendar. Or pay tithes, ten percent, but, you know, not one penny more. Let's just be careful. You know, these are things we must do. We must pay close attention to do. But if we're only doing the minimum, then we're missing out on so much more that could be realized in our spiritual lives.

There's so much more that is required of us by the standard of Jesus Christ in His own parable. If all we do is show up and fulfill the assignment of the duty, we are unprofitable servants.

So, I would say something we must consider day to day. God has called us to do these things. Again, ten commandments are there. The command of the Sabbath is there. The holy days are there. We must do these things. But if that is all that we do, then we're falling short of the standard that has been set for us to follow. We're falling short of what it means to be profitable. God seeks a profit. God seeks a return on His investment. Let's go to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew 25. We're going to spend the majority of today looking at Jesus' words throughout the Gospel accounts.

Matthew chapter 25. We need to understand, brethren, that God invests in us with an expectation of increase. He's looking for that. Matthew chapter 25 is the parable of the talents. It concludes the previous chapter, which was the Olivet prophecy. Jesus Christ had just gone through with His disciples. The sign of His coming and the end of the age. All those things that will take place prior to His second coming, because we need to be prepared. We need to be thinking and preparing ourselves for His return. But as He follows then now into this parable, the question is, what are we doing in the meantime? In the time of His absence, what are we doing to prepare ourselves? And are we indeed profitable or unprofitable during this time? Matthew chapter 25 and verse 14. Again, a parable. Jesus says, For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. The symbolism of this parable is Jesus Christ. He's the King. He's this great noble who's going to a far country to be gone for a while. But before He leaves, He entrusts something to those who are His. And that's you and I today. Verse 15 says, And to one He gave five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to His own ability. And immediately it says He went on the journey. So each individual that's called of God, we need to understand, has the ability to do something. And we've been given an investment by God. It's not all the same for each of us, but each according to His ability. God looks down and Jesus Christ knows what our ability is. An investment has been made with the hopes of return, with the expectation of return. Verse 16 says, again, 15, He went on the journey. Verse 16, Then He who had received the five talents, it says He went and He traded them and made another five talents. Likewise, who had received two, gained two more also. So these two servants went out and doubled their return. And by today's standards, a very good degree of profitability. I think we'd all love to take our investment and double it, especially in this day and age. Verse 18, it says, But He who had received one, He went and He dug in the ground, and He hid His Lord's money. After a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. Again, this parable is like the kingdom of heaven, and the point is the King will come. The Lord and Master will come, and He's going to be seeking what has been done with the investment He made. And there's going to be an accounting. Verse 18 says, He who had received one, again, He went and dug it in the ground. Nineteen, after a long time, the Lord came to settle accounts. Verse 20, So He who had received five talents, He came and He brought five other talents, saying, Lord, You delivered to me five talents. Look, I have gained five more talents besides them.

And the Lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

This was a profitable servant to His Master. Right? He took what the Master entrusted to Him, and He didn't just sort of set it aside. He took it, He put it to work, He matured it, He increased it in His Master's service, so that when the Master returned, He says, Look at what I have produced. Indeed, with what it is you have given Me. And He's referred to here as a good and a faithful servant. And the result is, He's going to receive a reward, and that of abundance greater even than He had at this point.

Verse 20. Let's go to verse 22. So also, He who had received the two talents, He came and said, Lord, you delivered to Me two talents. Look, I have gained two more talents besides them. The Lord said to Him, Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

Luke 16 and verse 10. Jesus states that He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. So there's a spiritual principle of character at play here, which is, we've been entrusted with something. And God the Father and Jesus Christ are watching to see indeed what it is we do with what we've been entrusted with. If we are faithful in what is least, they recognize we're going to be faithful in much and we will be given responsibility in much. But even if it seems like, you know, the other guy got five and the other guy got two and maybe only you got one, this is very little, the responsibility to be faithful in what has been invested in you by the Master is great. Verse 24. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew that you to be a hard man. He says, reaping where you have not sown, gathering where you have not scattered seed. He says, I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. And look, there you have what is yours. But the Lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. You know I come looking for increase when I make an investment. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. You see again, when Jesus Christ returns with the kingdom of God, he is going to be looking for increase to have been made in our lives. Those that will reign with him must be profitable servants, must be people who take what is invested in them by God and grow that and are profitable to their Master.

Verse 28, he says, Therefore, take the talent from him, give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has shall be taken away. And cast that unprofitable servant into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This was an unprofitable servant.

Again, brethren, the point is when God calls us, when he forgives us of our sins, when he gives us his Holy Spirit, the fact that he invested the life of his only begotten Son for us, we receive a treasure indeed given to us by God, but he wants to see a return.

He wants to see us go above and beyond, just holding on, just bearing that talent. He wants us to grow and produce. It is very purpose of our calling.

And it is what we must do if we're going to be profitable. The unprofitable, well, it's like the salt Stuart was talking about that loses its flavor.

It's just thrown out on the ground on the street, or in this case, unprofitable servant in terms of the human being. Ultimately, if they do not repent and respond to God, it says we'll be cast into outer darkness, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So this is real. And this is serious in our life.

It is a very, very valuable investment that God has made in us, and we must be all about bringing return.

Knowledge not acted upon can be deadly, and an investment not increased upon is unprofitable to God and Jesus Christ. The outcome here, again, the profitable servants inherit a reward of great abundance, and they'll serve in the kingdom with God and Christ.

The unprofitable servants will have even the initial investment taken away and will be cast out, removed, miss out on what it is they could have partaken of.

It's a very strong warning. It's a very strong admonition for all of us at the people of God not to take lightly what God has invested in us.

Not to say, get on with our lives in other ways and forget or put on the back burner the fact that we are recipients of the greatest investment that has ever been given to mankind. The Son of God and the Spirit of God. And what we do with that is essential.

And God is watching day to day.

So again, for us, these verses should be somewhat of a wake-up call and bring us back to that question time and time again. Am I a profitable servant of God? Do I go above the minimum? Am I bearing fruits? Am I producing for His kingdom?

It is indeed what God is looking for again. Our God invests in us with an expectation of increase. And it's an increase that, in some ways, can be individual. And in some aspects of our life it is individual, but in other ways it is collective as well. See, God is looking for something from me. And He's looking for something from you. But He's also looking for something from all of us collectively.

Are we a profitable body of Jesus Christ? Are we a profitable congregation? Are we a profitable church of God?

We won't turn there today, but I'll give you 1 Corinthians 12. Jot it in your notes. If you want your homework for this sermon, go and read 1 Corinthians 12. It talks about the diversity of gifts that God gives by His Holy Spirit. And what you find when you study through that chapter is that what He's given you is very likely different than what He has given me. And yet, what I'm given, I'm not just to turn around and bury and not bring out for use.

God designed the body that we need each other. We need the gifts that each other offers. And you know what? Our responsibility to the body of Christ is to take what God has given us and be profitable in its use. Again, not just for ourselves, but for others. So I need what you've been given by God, and you need what I have been given by God, by His Spirit. He's given it to us for the edification of us all.

In Luke 12, verse 48, Jesus said, "...to whom much is given, much will be required." That's a very, very high calling, brethren.

It, again, should cause us to stop and take evaluation of our lives. It's a very sober calling.

It's not enough to simply do what we are commanded.

Obedience is important, right? And we must obey.

And God gives His Spirit to those who obey.

God will give eternal life to those who obey.

But if obedience to the letter of the law is the minimum standard that we rise to, indeed, we are unprofitable servants.

God has invested in us for the production of righteousness, for fruit born unto increase.

And indeed, that is our calling. John chapter 15, verse 1.

Again, the words of Jesus Christ, John chapter 15, and verse 1, Jesus says, "...I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes that it may bear more fruit." And you think in terms of vineyards, there's actually a number of them around our region, right?

And what's popular in our area? Well, it's tours around vineyards, wine tours, right? They load up buses of people, and they may stop place to place and place, because people like, not the vine specifically, not the leaves on the vine, what do they like?

The fruit that is produced.

Right? That's increase. That's profit off of that plant. It's the fruit that is sold. It is fruit that is turned into wine and enjoyed, and it is profitable. But apart from the fruit on that, what would you see as you drove by?

That would be a pretty field. You know, the crops are beautiful when they're out there, but I wish Dale and Laura were here today, because I was going to ask them, what do you do with a field that is not producing something? Maybe you planted a crop for production, and all you have is these plants with no fruit that is yielded on it. What would you do with that field?

You would make it productive, right? You would plow it under, and you would plant again, and seek to bring an increase.

God is bringing increase. And if we're profitable, and if we're producing fruit, then God actually takes steps that we would produce even more fruit.

He prunes us.

Sometimes that's a painful process. But again, it's to produce something and increase into His glory.

Verse 4, Jesus says, Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, and neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, and you are the branches, he who abides in me, and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.

I hope we understand that.

Without Jesus Christ, we can do nothing. There is the standard for a relationship with Jesus Christ in the Scriptures, as well as the Father.

He is the vine, we are the branches, and without Him, we can do nothing. We can produce nothing. Verse 6, if anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch, and he is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. He says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so you will be my disciples.

Again, as God's people today, then that must be our focus to bear fruit, to produce, to increase. The beauty of the Scripture is that we don't do it alone. We have the Spirit of God, we have the example of Jesus Christ, and what it is He provides, because He is the vine. We draw, in many ways, our nourishment to grow and produce from Him. The Father is the vine dresser, the keeper, the tender of the vineyard. He is the one as well who guides and directs our growth, but fruit production, increase, multiplying, being profitable servants of Jesus Christ and bearing fruits, is what it means to be a profitable servant. Again, just meeting the minimal standard.

I showed up on the seventh day, and I sat in a seat, and I heard a sermon, and I went home, showing up on the Holy Days, paying your tithe, doing all the things that God commands. We must do those things, but it is the minimal standard that is set. But when you do those, the point is it then extends out into other areas of spiritual growth as well. Notice what Jesus said to the rich young man in Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10. Again, remember, He said, if you do what is your duty to do, what is commanded of you, say, I am an unprofitable servant.

I've done what is my duty to do. The whole lesson is, we must grow beyond the minimum. Mark chapter 10 and verse 17 says, Now as he was going out on the road, one came running and knelt before him. And he asked him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? One of the best known interactions in the Bible is this conversation between Jesus and the rich young man. You know, all the indications are He was doing the standard, right? He was doing what He should do. This man was conscientious of his duties.

He was faithful and diligent in keeping the law of God. He was obedient in the things of God. And it says, He knelt before Jesus Christ during this exchange. So he had a very high regard as well. For God the Father, for the Word, and who it was that Jesus was.

And His questions were sincere. You know, this conversation could have been a turning point in this young man's life. Verse number 18, so Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good?

No one is good but one. That is God. If you, He says, you know the commandments. He says, Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother.

You know, the Ten Commandments. Right? Love the Lord your God. Love your neighbor as yourself, as it summed up in those things. And He answered and He said to him, Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. He says, I'm doing it. I've done it since the childhood. And He probably thought, you know, I'm a profitable servant because of the diligence by which I do these things. But the question again is, was it enough? His question was, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Is there more than these things? Was it enough? Verse 21, Jesus looking at Him, loved Him.

It's a very interesting phrase. He loved Him. He loved His sincerity. He loved what it was that was in this guy's heart that He was, you know, at least all in on keeping the letter of the law, diligent in His obedience in that way. Jesus looking at Him, loved Him. And He said to Him, One thing you lack.

Go your way, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, take up the cross, and follow Me. Verse 22, But He was sad at this word, and He went away sorrowful, for He had great possessions. This man kept the law. He kept the Ten Commandments, but there was still something that Jesus noticed He lacked. He could see His heart, and He knew what He was all in, all willing to do. Right? The law, the commandments. I pay my tithe.

I keep the Ten Commandments. I'm there for the feast days. But Christ also knew what He lacked, and what it was in this man's nature that He was unwilling to sacrifice above and beyond the minimal standard in order to follow Him. And He had to put Him to the test. Again, if there's something in this life that comes above God the Father and Jesus Christ, it is an idol. And there's times we have to evaluate our own life. Is there anything that would keep me from following Him? Baptism counseling starts with, Christ said, if you're going to follow Me, if you're going to be My disciple, you have to hate your father and mother, and He goes down the line.

We understand that means loveless by comparison. There could be nothing we love more than to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and the Son of God. So we can meet the minimum standard, and there can still be things that are just a bridge too far, a place we're not willing to go. That, if we allow that to be, can be a stumbling block to the Kingdom of God. We must rise above the minimum.

Keeping God's commandments, observing the feasts and the Sabbath, keeping the other points of the law. All these are required, and they are our duty. And we must do them. They are the minimum standard, but they don't make us profitable simply by obedience to the letter. Profitability comes from rising above what is simply our duty.

That's why Jesus in Luke 17, 10, said, When ye have done all these things which are commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants. We had done what was our duty to do. Again, more is required to be profitable than simply doing our duty. Matthew 23, notice the rebuke Jesus had for the Pharisees. Again, they adhered to the letter of the law. They did their duty, and they sought to do it to the best of their ability, and yet more was missing. Matthew 23, verse 23, Jesus says, We must keep the law. Absolutely, we must. But if our duty stops at the letter of the law, we're missing out on the greater spiritual aspects that God would have us to learn. The law leads to something greater. It's the starting point. It is not the conclusion. The spiritual elements that it builds in our life by obedience takes us beyond simply the letter of the law. And that's what Christ is telling these Pharisees. You've got to rise above simply the letter to then the spiritual character, and the exercising of justice, mercy, and faith. Those are actually the greater elements that then would come forth from that standard.

Matthew 5, verse 17.

Matthew 5, verse 17. What we're going to find is that, time and time again, all throughout his teachings, Jesus Christ exemplified the law, yes, certainly, but he expressed the need for us to continually go above the letter to the Spirit, to rise above what is unprofitable territory into, indeed, what makes us profitable servants of God. Matthew 5, verse 17. Here the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5, verse 17. Jesus says, Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill, to fill to the fullest, to fill to abundance, to magnify. It doesn't mean Christ died and is fulfilled, and now we can just sort of sweep it away, as some would like to perhaps label that. Verse 18. For surely I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot nor one tittle will by no means pass from the law, until all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Again, we must keep the Ten Commandments. We absolutely must. We must tithe. We must keep the Sabbath. We must keep the Holy Days. We must keep all the aspects of the law in the letter of the law. Okay. And we must teach others to do so as well. If we were ever to stop and say, well, you don't have to keep that. It's done away. Then as Jesus Christ showed us, that puts us into a very unfavorable position with God. I'll just say, beware. Let's beware that standard. But we must do these things and teach them, but recognize the letter of the law is not the ending point. It's the starting point that leads to somewhere spiritually profitable.

Again, the scribes and Pharisees, they were diligent lawkeepers to the letter of the law. In fact, they built a hedge around the law with rules and regulations and all these things that ensured that you did not break the Sabbath or you did not cross this line.

But Jesus said, you and I have to be righteous more so even than that. To understand we're rising above the letter of the law, this is ultimately a matter of the heart and the spirit. That's guided by God's Spirit in us. Verse 21, he says, You have heard that was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be in danger of the judgment. Okay, so that is the letter of the law. That is the commandment that is written. That is the minimum standard, the starting place. If you live there, and we must, you are an unprofitable servant territory. Okay, that's where it starts. But notice verse 22, But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of the counsel, but whoever says, you fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. I don't have time to go through all those words today, but it's essentially, it's like if you call somebody empty-headed and you are worthless even to God, you are drawing a judgment on somebody that is not yours to draw, and you now are in danger of hellfire. But this comes now to a matter of the heart. Therefore, verse 23, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, go your way, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. That is profitable servant territory. That is going above the minimum requirement, above doing your duty to adhere to the letter of the law. This is the spiritual application, and actually where treasure then begins to build in your life, because this is God's spiritual character growing in you. Verse 27, dropping down, you have heard it said, to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. Again, the letter of the law, the starting place. And if you observe that, you must, okay, unprofitable servant territory, just to sit at that standard. Verse 28, but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. For if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is more, notice this word, profitable.

It's more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Ghehanophyr. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you, for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Again, this is profitable servant territory that Jesus is addressing, rising above the minimal standard to the spiritual application. And the change of heart, that then becomes like his. It becomes like the character of his father. Verse 38.

And what profit?

What increase? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, again minimum standard, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.

You know, this whole run of Scripture from verse 38 to 48, our carnal human nature would say that's all unprofitable territory.

Right? In this world, that's unprofitable. If somebody wants to borrow from you and, as it says in other places, give it to them not seeking it in return, you know, willing to just let it go if it's a must. And, you know, turning and helping those who have abused you and letting somebody sue you and, here, here, take this, take this also. By this carnal standard in our world today, that's unprofitable territory. But Jesus Christ says, no, this is rising above the letter of the law to spiritual profitability. And if you are my people, you will develop this character, and you will become profitable servants of mine.

What we're talking about is things that the world cannot do, things that we cannot do apart from God's Holy Spirit. And what makes us profitable is exercising that investment. God said, I forgave your sins. I gave you my spirit. Now, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to be just like everybody else in the world? Are you going to get bugged and respond at the same things in the same ways? Or are you going to rise above the minimal level? Anybody can count seven days on the calendar and be at a church service and fill a seat every seven days. Anybody can look on the calendar and find the feast days and go fill a seat on the feast days. Anybody, if they were so inclined, could set aside 10 percent. These are things that we must do, but what rises us to the level, then, of a profitable servant is doing things that come by the Spirit of God, taking that investment and growing it so that when the Master returns, the increase is there. He says, you've been faithful over a few things. I'll make you faithful over much because you are useful in my kingdom. Indeed, much is required to be a profitable servant. Brethren, you and I are profitable servants when we bear the fruit of righteousness. We are profitable servants when we serve others in need, not considering ourselves. We are profitable servants when we are wrong for righteousness' sake and we take it patiently. We are profitable servants when we love our enemies. We are profitable servants when we bless those who curse us. Is this not what Jesus Christ did? As the greatest servant to ever come, He says, I've come as a servant to all. This is what He did. It's the example of profitability that's been set. We are profitable servants when we forgive, even without receiving an apology. We are profitable servants when we exercise justice, mercy, and faith. We are profitable servants when we use our spiritual gifts for the benefit of all. The list goes on and on and on. You can fill in how you wish in your own studies, but again, rising above the minimum requirement. That is the standard for then moving from un-profitability to profitability in the eyes of God. There's a reason God is calling firstfruits today. There's a reason that the first resurrection is called the better resurrection. He's not calling us today just to simply do our duty, the letter of the law. He could call anybody to do that, I suppose. But God is calling firstfruits who are in training for the return of the Master, who are providing now what was given to them unto increase, and are doing a work in the meantime that will be beneficial not only to this life, but in the kingdom to come. To be a firstfruit means you have spiritual work to do, and it goes beyond obeying the letter alone.

Part of that work is preaching the gospel and preparing a people.

One of the focuses of Mr. Shaby, since he became President of the United Church of God, is to simply go through and examine everything we do. Why do we do this this way? Is there a better way we could do this? Is this productive as we are doing it, and should we make adjustments? You recall he sent out a survey to check on the state of the flocks. Essentially, he received your feedback in that, and that is being evaluated.

Informational reports that I fill out for the international areas and send into the home office have become much more detailed than they used to be. How are the brethren there? What are the applications of preaching the gospel? What it is that the brethren need? How are they functioning? What can we do from the United States to serve and to support them? Everything is on the table for evaluation and, if need be, adjustment. The point is, let us be profitable servants in the work that God has given us to do. Let's make sure we're not taking some aspect of our talent and bearing it. Make sure we have all two or all five, or even if it's one, out on the table, working, producing, growing. In the service of God the Father and Jesus Christ, it is what we've been called to do. Again, showing up on the Sabbath, we must keep the Holy Days, we must. Keeping the Ten Commandments, we must. It is a minimal standard, though, but it is required if you're going to be in the kingdom of God, but what is also required is to rise above our duty and be profitable in the eyes of God.

Let's conclude over in 2 Peter chapter 1.

We'll branch out of the Gospel here for this final verse. 2 Peter chapter 1. Peter here gives us a progression to build upon, and it goes beyond the minimum requirements of obedience. These are stepping stones unto maturity, unto spiritual righteousness. You need to be living these things each and every day. 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 5. Peter says, But also for this very reason, given all diligence, all effort expended, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness, brotherly kindness, love. For these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must go above the letter of the law and grow our faith and constantly add one to another each of these steps of maturity that have been lined out for us. Verse 9. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly and to the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Brethren, let us all seek to be profitable servants of God, so that when his son does return, when the kingdom is established, and he is looking for those who can be useful in his service, we will indeed hear those words, Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.