God's Purpose for Our Physical Life

Well, thank you once again and again, brethren. Happy Sabbath Day! As we approach the fall Holy Days this year, I believe it's very important for us to remind ourselves of God's view of the purpose for our lives. It's easy for us to get wrapped up in the cares of this world. It's easy for us, as we heard in the sermon, to be pulled into the agenda of this world.

And if we don't step back every once in a while and view our lives from the purpose and from the way that God does, then our perspective on why we're here will be distorted. We will seek comfort. We will seek material stuff. We will seek the kind of things that long-term don't really benefit us in this lifetime. So it's important for us every once in a while to step back and look at our lives, the purpose of our physical existence, the way that God does.

And if we do that, it will change the perspective that we have on life. It will change everything and how we perceive everything that happens to us. So let's go ahead and begin looking at that today. We're going to turn to 2 Timothy chapter 1 and beginning in verse 8. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and beginning in verse 8. If you will be kind enough to turn there with me. Paul is writing a letter to the evangelist Timothy.

Paul is in prison at this point in his life. And here's what he says. Chapter 1, beginning in verse 8. He says, therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. And where it's appropriate, we certainly should never be ashamed of the fact that we keep God's Sabbath, that we keep God's Holy Days, that we respect the Ten Commandments, that we don't eat unclean meats. There's a proper environment and a casual discussion with a friend or someone who brings up our religious beliefs. There are areas in which it is certainly appropriate for us not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, of the knowledge of the good news that God has given us.

Now, again, that's in balance, and that doesn't mean we should be in people's face, or we should wave a huge flag or walk around with this placard all day long and trying to irritate people and provoke them. But in balance and in the right kinds of discussions in our lifestyles, we should never be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, continuing, Nor of me as his prisoner, some were ashamed in the church that Paul was in prison.

They were embarrassed by that. And he wrote later on that some had even abandoned him when he was experiencing a prison sentence. Continuing, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. Brethren, this isn't just any calling. This isn't something that just happened by accident. What God has given you, what he has revealed to you, is a sacred calling because God planned it a long time ago, long before you were even conceived.

God had you in mind for a holy calling. Let's continue. Not according to our works, not according to anything that we could do, but according to his purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ, Jesus, before time began. Now, that shouldn't shock us. If he is the Alpha and the Omega, if he's the God that knows the beginning from the end, let me stretch out here on a limb, let me walk in the plank and say that he's probably the God who knows what happens in between.

Right? If he knows the beginning and he knows the end, he knows what's going to happen in between. He lets it play out according to his plan and he may intervene at times when he chooses to do so, but my point is is that things don't happen by accident. Continuing here in verse 10, "...but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Remember, one of the conditions, one of the reasons for the gospel that I mentioned last time was that Jesus Christ is not only a king, but he is also a Savior.

Continuing in verse 11, "...to which I was an appointed preacher, an Apostle, and the teacher to the Gentiles." So Paul is telling us here that we have a holy calling, a divine purpose, before time even began. Your life is not an accident. You were born for a far greater cause and a plan than simply a male sperm fertilizing a female egg. Your calling, your conversion were not an accident. The fact that you were here is not an accident. You now live according to a new purpose, a new reason for being, and that purpose, that reason for being, is to become a new creature in Christ.

To fulfill the purpose that God made for us, we need to get beyond our own ideas. We need to step beyond our own desires and our own opinions of why we think we were born, and we have to look at our lives from God's perspective. So today what I'd like to do in this sermon is look at three qualities or metaphors that the Scriptures tell us are God's view of physical life.

How does God view the purpose of physical life? That is very important because, again, if we know that, if we understand it deeply, it will change our own perspective of each and every day that we live. So I'd like to talk about the three qualities or the three metaphors that the Scriptures tell us are God's view of physical life, and they are briefly life is a tryout, life is stewardship, and the third one is life is a short-term mission.

So let's begin with number one. Life is a tryout. If you were to go to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, here's how it defines a tryout. It says, quote, it's a test of the ability to fill a part or meet standards. Again, a tryout is the test of the ability to fill a part or meet standards.

If you ever tried out for track, maybe when you were in school or college, or perhaps you've tried out for the band, or perhaps you decided you wanted to be in a play and you go and you try out at the local community theater. What happens during a tryout? You're being evaluated.

Your strengths are becoming clear because the spotlight is on you, and your weaknesses are also evident to the coach or whoever is watching you during that tryout. God continually takes an assessment of our loyalty, our faith, our obedience, our love, our character. Like any sports or music tryout, our strengths and our weaknesses are revealed by the way we respond to challenges. Something happens we didn't expect. How do we respond to that? Do we respond to it negatively? Do we get aggressive?

Or do we believe in the unspoken beatitude that, blessed are those who are flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape? How do we respond to unexpected things that occur to us in our lifetimes? You know, over 200 times words in the Scriptures, like refining, testing, temptation, and trials are found in the Bible. Over 200 times those words are used. Virtually every biblical character faced these kinds of trials, these tryouts, these tests continually on a regular basis.

We are always being tested because character is refined, is revealed, when we're under some kind of stress. Either physical distress or sometimes emotional distress. During those times, the real us during that tryout comes through and is revealed to God and revealed to the world. To God. Every day is an opportunity for our growth and development. Let's see what kind of a great God we worship, who at times is willing to see how we're doing in our tryouts. Let's go to Chronicles chapter 32 verse 27. Well, 2 Chronicles chapter 32 and verse 27. King Hezekiah's achievements. And let's see what God did to give him a little tryout.

Just to see if there was balance going on in his kingship and in his life. 2 Chronicles chapter 32 and verse 27. It says Hezekiah had very great riches and honor and, catch this, made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items. Store houses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil, installs of all kinds of livestock, and folds for his flocks. Moreover, he provided cities for himself. Notice, he didn't make for God treasuries of silver. He didn't make for the benefit of the people treasuries of silver. He didn't provide cities for God or for the people, but for himself.

And possessions of flocks and herds in abundance. And why did he have these things? Why did he achieve these things? Because he was king? Because he was so smart? No, it says, for God had given him very much property. God owns everything. God gave him this king everything he owned.

Everything he possessed was because God loaned it to him on this earth. Verse 30, this same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of the upper Gahan and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the city of David. I believe they've even found remnants of that tunnel. If you're into archaeology, I think they found remnants of this tunnel. Continuing, Hezekiah prospered in all his works. However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him in order to test him.

That he might know all that was in his heart. God says, does he think he has all of these things because he's so great?

Did he do these things for the benefit of the people? Did he do these things for my glory? Or did he do all these things for himself? You know what? There's one way to find out, God says. I'm going to step back from him and I'm going to test him and I'm going to know everything that's in his heart because it's tryout time for King Hezekiah. We're going to find out what he's really made of on the inside. Verse 31 from the New International Version, "...but when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart." Again, this was tryout time for Hezekiah to see if his blessings were the result of relying on God and giving God the credit or if he was interpreting those blessings and turning them into carnal vanity and pride and making it all about Hezekiah.

God steps back to see how faithful and committed Hezekiah was to him. And you know, God does the same thing to us in our own lives. Sometimes to find out during a tryout if we're going to move closer to him, God is going to withdraw from us. And he's going to see if we take a step towards him again. If we want to remain close to him, when he withdraws himself, do we move closer to him? Or do we step back and create a barrier? Do we begin to avoid God because we feel alone or abandoned? Or maybe we begin to feel that God isn't hearing our prayers.

It's a test. It's a tryout. That's what it was here for King Hezekiah. Job also went through a tryout. Do you remember Satan when he told God about Job in Job chapter 1, beginning in verse 9? Satan says, does Job fear God for nothing, in other words? Does he hold you in awesome awe for nothing? Satan said, of course he holds you in awe because you've given him everything. You have blessed him in so many ways. I'll read it here what it says in a New King James.

Have you not put a hedge about him in his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land, but stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. That was Satan's opinion. By the way, Satan was wrong. Job had his problems, and he certainly struggled through the things that happened to him, but he never cursed God to his face.

The rest of the book of Job is, you know what it's about? It's about Job's tryout. So how are you doing in your tryouts? You know, I've known people who received a blessing from God, something unexpected, a incredible blessing, and then immediately proceeded to fail in their tryout. I've known people that were unemployed for a long period of time suddenly got a nice job, then went off the deep end. People who looked for a spouse, so I'm going to search the continents of the earth, to find myself a spouse.

They found themselves a spouse, and they went off the deep end. No one ever saw them or heard of them again. People who have come in windfalls of money. I've seen many, many people, brethren, who received a blessing from God. That was their tryout to see if they could handle it, to see what they would do with it, and immediately proceeded to fail their tryout. The blessing changed them into someone who was undesirable to God instead of someone who had character.

On the other hand, I've known people who lost a blessing. Maybe they lost a job suddenly, or their spouse left them, or they had financial issues that they hadn't planned on, and became bitter with God, and also proceeded the fail in their tryout.

So how are we doing? This physical life is a training ground of tests, trials, challenges. We should not be surprised at any of these things because the same thing happened to Jesus Christ Himself. And I want you to think about that the next time you go through a trial, a test, a challenge, that I'm going through exactly what Jesus Christ went through because He experienced those things to be an example for me.

God wants us to pass the test, and He'll never give us a test without His grace and His Spirit to complete it, to get through it. But we have to do our part. Let's go to Matthew chapter 3 and verse 13 and take a look at an incredible event that technically didn't have to happen, the baptism of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ wanted it to happen because He wanted all of His followers in generations to come to know that you should repent, that you should be baptized, that you should receive the Spirit, and then something else is immediately going to happen. He wanted this model to be in His Word for all history, for the history of the church.

Matthew chapter 3 and verse 13, then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized for Him, and John tried to prevent Him, saying, I need to be baptized for you. And are you coming to me? You're the Son of God, John says. You should be baptizing me, not the other way around.

And Jesus answered and said, Him, permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. In other words, this is God's will. Yes, technically, I'm the Son of God. I have not sinned. There's nothing for me to repent of. But this is for something far deeper and more meaningful than that technicality. This is something I want people 2,000 years from now, even in a small church in Grafton, Ohio in the year 2017, to read these words and learn from this example.

Then He followed Him. It says in verse 16, when He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately out of the water. He was baptized by immersion, as this shows. And behold, the heavens were open to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and aligning upon Him. Suddenly, a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

So Jesus is setting an example. He is setting a model for the Church of God to understand the importance of our repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit. But there's something else that's going to happen. Do you know what that is? So what do you think happened here? Jesus Christ was the perfect model, and the voice of God came down and said, You are my beloved Son. And by the way, that's the same way God feels about each and every one of us when we come out of that baptismal tank, and hands are laid upon us, and prayers are made that we receive the Holy Spirit. God thought and thinks the same way about you. So what do you think happened after that? Did Jesus receive a free airfare to a resort in Panama City Beach as a result of all of that happening? Well, let's see what happened next. Matthew 4, verse 1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. You see, that's also part of the example. That's also part of the model that he set. When you make that commitment, when you put your hand to the plow, when you look forward, from that point on, it's tryout. It's character development. It's a test of how well are we doing, brethren? This Greek word that in English is tempted is the Greek word parazo, and it means to test, to scrutinize, to entice, to examine, to prove the worth of something. How long did it take for Jesus to be tempted or tested after his baptism?

There's a reason that the Scriptures are laid out this way. There's a reason that right after the praise from the Father happens, the very next verse is by the will of God, by the Spirit of God, he is led to tryouts. And thankfully, prayouts, and prayouts, and praise God, he passed the tryout. So what do you think was the purpose of this tryout for Jesus Christ? After all, he was perfect. What do you think the purpose of this trial was? This testing of the Son of God of Jesus Christ? Let's now go to Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 5 and find out. Allow the author of the book of Hebrews to tell us. In chapter 5 verse 5, if you'll turn there with me. Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 5, the author of the book of Hebrews, which may have been Paul, says, so also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest, but it was he, referring to the Father, who said to him, You are my son, the day I have begotten you. As he also says in another place, You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with the eminent cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear. Remember his example there in Matthew 26 and the eve of the death? Three times he prayed, Father, if this cup can be removed from me, if there's any other way, aside from the torture that I have to experience, please, go back to the disciples to have a conversation and be encouraged by them, they'd be sleeping. He said, Wake up! And he'd go back and he'd pray again. He did that three times because he was in the flesh. He didn't want to die any more than you and I want to die. He didn't want to be tortured any more than you and I would physically want to be tortured. Continuing here in verse 8, Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. You see, brethren, his experience of living in the flesh and overcoming his own human desires, that's what made Jesus Christ the perfect High Priest. His obedience reinforced his perfection. That try-out showed that his character was firm, that his values were godly, that his commitment was absolute.

That's what it showed. His perfection gave him the right to be the author of salvation. And why did he do this? He did this to model an example for us, because the same way that it works for Jesus Christ, he was physical, he was walking, he was walking, he was walking, he was walking in the flesh. The same purpose that God had for his life and reason for being physical is the same purpose that God has for us and our lives of being physical. Now, let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 6, and hone in a little more on why this try-out that we call life, because it begins the moment that we receive God's Spirit, and it doesn't end until we give up the ghost and have the last breath before we fall asleep waiting for the first resurrection, or if we should be so fortunate at the return of Jesus Christ that we leave this earth and are transformed in the twinkling of an eye. 1 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 6, and this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while if need be you have been grieved by various trials. Oh, Mr. Thomas, he doesn't understand. I've been in chronic pain for 50 years. Really? Well, 50 years compared to eternity. You know what that's like? That's like someone saying to you today, tell me what happened on the fourth day after you were born. I don't have any memory of it. I have no idea. Exactly! And in compared to the glories of eternity, that's what suffering and pain for 50 years is like when you're a physical human being. That's why he uses this phrase for a little while.

You have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, your tryout will tell God how genuine you and I are. The level of character that we have will be clearly revealed to God when we are grieved by various trials. That's the purpose of it.

Continuing, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. None of us have physically seen Jesus Christ, but yet we love Him. He says, though now you do not see Him, yet believing you rejoice with joy, inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the fulfillment, the conclusion of your faith, which is the salvation of your souls, the resurrection when Jesus Christ returns. So we suffer because it makes us stronger. We go through trials. We go through grieving as we face things in life, and that is the tryout. That is to test the genuineness of our faith. Are we all words of no action? Are we all talk? Or are we a genuine people who when we're under the pressure, when we're under the gun, do the things that we should do? I want you to please realize that your Heavenly Father is our biggest supporter, and He has great favor for us. You're not a mistake. You're not an embarrassment to God. He believes in you even more than you believe in yourself. God wants to transform us, and He loves us in spite of our weaknesses and our challenges. So one way that God views our physical existence that we need to be keenly aware of is that our lives are a tryout for eternity to see how we can handle glory and power and eternity. Why would God give us glory, power, and eternity forever if during our tryouts we show that we just collapse and fall apart over silly, physical, mere physical trials? Or we allow our heads to play with us? We allow our self-talk to take over and take something that's this big and blow it up as if it's as big as the world? Why would God dare to give us power and glory and the gift of eternity until we're able to take over and take over and take over and build up and build up and build up and build up the world? By our tryout, we show that we can handle it. James wrote in James 1 and 12, Blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love him. The Dealer show if Conduct, our perception, the way we handle adversity shows God very clearly if we are approved, or if not where our weaknesses are, where, and what areas growth needs to occur.

It's very clear. For most people who have ever lived in human history, they're only going to need to go through another tryout after they're resurrected. Have you ever considered that? You know, lacking God's calling and God's Spirit, the majority of the human race are going to need another audition.

Because they didn't have a chance. Most people who have ever lived in the history of the human race, never heard of a single God in their lifetime, never were taught any religion that taught one true God. The overwhelming majority of people who have ever lived throughout human history never heard the name of Jesus Christ in their entire lifetimes.

So it's coming in the future when they are resurrected that they are going to get a tryout. Because God is going to open their hearts and open their minds and to reveal to them His way of life. But God wants us to develop right now because our tryout is here today.

Right now, He wants us to grow through the tests and the trials that we face each and every day throughout the rest of our lifetime.

So again, that was number one. Life is a tryout.

Number two. Life is stewardship.

Life is being a good steward. Everything we have is a gift from God. I'm not sure that King Hezekiah understood that, the way the Scriptures talk about him. But everything we have is a gift from God. This includes our talents, our opportunities, resources, relationships, our intelligence, everything. As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 7, he said, Paul is just basically saying that we have nothing to boast about because everything we have, we received. It was a gift. It happened to be a gift from God. We don't really own anything.

It's God who owns everything, and he just loans the earth to us during our physical lifetimes.

When we die, he loans it to another generation as we sleep and wait for the first resurrection. We are not judged by how much we acquire in this life, but by what we did with those gifts that God loaned us.

And for each and every one of us, those gifts are different. They're unique. Each of us have different gifts. Different have been presented with different opportunities and resources and different relationships. And we are judged by what we do with those gifts in this physical life that God loans us.

Together, as God's church, we have all the gifts that we need. If you take everyone's gifts and pool them together, and everyone does their part, we have all the gifts we need to finish God's great commission. And everything that we have should be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands. And we should have an attitude to enjoy those things that God gives us and to respect them. It goes all the way back to the Garden.

God told Adam and Eve, I want you to tend and keep the Garden. The Garden was entrusted to them. Unlike mankind today, Adam and Eve didn't abuse the earth. They didn't abuse and ravage the resources. They cherished, they valued, they tended, they kept up that beautiful Garden that God had created for them and loaned to them. It was premade. It was done for them.

And the same is true for all of us, for whatever gifts, abilities, skills, or talents that we may have. Let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 4 and verse 9. 1 Peter, chapter 4 and verse 9. 1 Peter, chapter 4 and verse 9. Peter wrote, chapter 4 and verse 9 be hospitable to one another without grumbling. Verse 10, as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another.

And everyone, as I said earlier, has received special gifts. And your personal ministry is to use those gifts that God has given you to serve one another, to serve as a steward, to take the stewardship of that gift and use it in a beautiful way. Your gift may be, your personal ministry may be encouragement. You may have the ability to talk to someone and brighten their day and encourage them. Maybe they're going through a hard time.

If you're elderly and there's not a whole lot you can do physically, you can certainly pray. You can certainly go through our local prayer list and pray for those who have challenges going on in their lives. You can take our weekly bulletin and you can pray for the people that are mentioned in there.

You certainly can pray. If you have a special gift, maybe you're good at construction. Maybe you're good at repairing automobiles. Whatever that gift may be, maybe you're good at repairing computers. You have all, we have all been given special gifts. Your gift may be organizational ability to take scattered things and organize ideas or concepts or things in an organized way.

It may be financial. You may be very good with money. And you can help in financial ways. You see, we all have different gifts that God has given us. And as he says here, as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards. Because that's the purpose, a purpose, of our physical lives. Good stewards is the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, if you have the privilege and the blessing of being a sermonette speaker or a sermon speaker, if anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.

Speak biblically. Speak the truth. Speak clearly. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies. In contrast to Hezekiah, who did all these things for himself, we are being encouraged by Peter to minister to others, giving God the credit, realizing that everything we have is a loan from God. God supplies those abilities, those skills, those talents to us. That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

Amen. What Peter is saying here is all of us are stewards of special gifts and talents given to us personally, on loan from God. So what are we doing with those gifts? Fellow stewards, are we like the man in the parable to the talents? Have we dug a hole and thrown him in there? Hope no one notices I can play the piano? Heaven forbid, if anyone should ever notice that I'm really good at laying carpet, they might ask me to do something. What are we doing with those gifts and abilities that God has given us?

Are we using them to serve others and give glory to God? That's what good stewards do. Or are we holding back? Are we hiding? Are we dismissing it? Oh, I'm just a loser. I ain't got no nothing. I can't do anything. Stop lying to yourself.

Because it's not true. It's an excuse. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 1. If you'll turn there with me. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 1. Paul wrote to the congregation at Corinth, chapter 4, verse 1. He says, Let a man so consider us, let a person observe what we're doing, as stewards of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. We know the purpose of life. We know the meaning of the gospel.

We know that God is creating a family. We know the major doctrinal beliefs that are very important to God. We want to be obedient. We respect the Ten Commandments. We do many things because we understand the mysteries of what God is doing in this world. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. I'm going to read this from the New International Version. So then men ought to regard us as servants of Christ, and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Brethren, that is not an option. That is a command.

Those who have been given a trust, fellow stewards, must prove faithful. You may recall the parable of the talents. In Matthew, Chapter 25, we won't turn there today for sake of time. Jesus gave three different individuals a certain number of talents. Originally, they were bags of silver. They represent something given as a gift from God on loan. This was given to three individuals. One received five, another two, another one.

He expected growth from what they had been given. The man with five talents doubled what he had been given. Well done, now good and faithful servant. The individual with two talents received the same reward for doubling what he had been given, even though he added only two instead of five. The same reward. You see, the judgment was centered upon what they did with what they had been given.

The judgment was not a comparison of one to the other. It was not some competitive race of who gained the most. The judgment was based on what we do with those gifts, those talents, those abilities, those opportunities that are given to us in this life as a loan from God. What did Christ say to the two stewards? He said, well done, now good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. By doing a few things well, you proved that you can do great things well. You can do many things well because you were faithful with what little I gave you.

Well done, good and faithful servant. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Now sadly, the individual with one talent was a poor steward of his gift, and he even lost the way he had been given because of his lack of effort. As the metaphor teaches us, he was given gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities in the form of one bag of silver.

What did he do? Because he was motivated by fear. By the way, God does not give us the spirit of fear. He was motivated by fear. He buried it. He hid it away. It's a good lesson for us to recall. Christ encourages his followers to use money, to use possessions as a form of positive influence rather than for greed. And if we are given the gift of a good income, the gift of a nice home, the gift of a car that runs mechanically, whatever gifts we are given, unlike the people of this world who strive for those things for all the wrong reasons, Jesus said that we should use those things to have a positive, beneficial influence on others.

Let's turn to Luke 16, verse 10. We're not going to go through this whole parable, but in the parable an unethical steward is fired by his master, and he shows by his shrewdness, by his deceit, frankly, how he's a pretty shrewd individual. And Jesus says that his followers are not that shrewd. And then Christ encourages his followers to use money and physical possessions as a positive influence rather than for greed, like this unjust or unethical steward had. Luke 16, verse 10.

He who is faithful in what is least as faithful also in much. If I can trust you with a few little things and you're faithful in that, then I know, God says, as a steward, that I can give you much, much more. That I can trust you for having a lot more responsibility, a lot more authority, a lot more wealth, a lot more glory, but you have to show me first that you were faithful in the little things.

Continuing, and he who is unjust in what is least is also unjust in much. If I can't trust you to responsibly take care of these little things that I give you, to be a good steward, to develop those gifts and talents, to use them to serve others and give me glory, then I can't trust you with eternity. I'm sorry. I can't trust you with eternal life.

Continuing, verse 11. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you couldn't take some material things and use it in the right way and use it responsibly, not allow it to change you, to change who and what you are, he says then, how can I commit to your trust true riches, which are treasures in heaven that Jesus Christ brings with him? Give us as a reward upon his return. Verse 12.

And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? If we can't responsibly use the gift from God, on loan from God, then we show that even if we developed in our own abilities, that we wouldn't give God the credit, that we would allow it to change us, that we would allow the things that we do to go to our heads and literally destroy us.

Continuing here, verse 13, no man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon, worldly possessions, worldly riches. Christ Jesus is saying that God knows that if we can be trusted with little blessings, we can be trusted with little responsibilities. If we can be entrusted with gifts that come from God, then he knows that that responsible behavior of ours will show that we can be trusted with immortality, with glory, with great responsibility.

But again, on the other hand, if we can't be trusted to value the little things, frankly, we are not capable of leadership in his kingdom. So we want to be good stewards, because life is stewardship. Are we being good stewards of the gifts and talents and resources that God has loaned us in his lifetime, or are we selfish and possessive of what we have? Do we have, perhaps, an attitude of entitlement?

The world owes me, God owes me, the church owes me? Are we showing a lack of appreciation for what we have been given? Basically, never enough? God gives us a blessing? Is that all? How come there's not more? What kind of stewards are we?

Brother, in everything we do, even simple tasks may have eternal implications according to how well we have handled what God has given to us. It's that important to be a good steward. How many parables of Jesus Christ talk about good stewardship?

Now we're ready for the third, and that is physical life is a short-term mission. Physical life is a short-term mission. This existence we are experiencing together is only a small stepping stone to the plans that God has for us throughout all eternity. It's just the first small baby step. We were never intended to live this physical life for even 125 years. So I encourage you not to get too attached to it. I believe the oldest... I could be wrong, but I believe the oldest documented. That is where there's literal documentation of the person who lived the oldest was an old French lady, Jean Clomette. I think she was 122 years old when she died. So our expiration date is long before 125 years. But as human beings, that's what we cling to, because it's all we've ever known. It's the only existence we've ever experienced. There was a time when we knew nothing, we had nothingness, we existed in nothingness, and then we had awareness. Awareness of life! I'm alive! And there are these two really big people looking at me, trying to tickle me, and do all these things. That's all we've ever known, and because of that, we grasp for it. Psalm 39 and verse 4. I always find this to be a very, very powerful scripture. I can tell you from personal experience that if you have ever had a life-threatening illness, in other words, the doctor said you do a cancer or a heart condition, or maybe you've had a stroke or whatever, that you could die from this. This is really serious. It changes you. When you face death, it really does change you. For most of us, for the first time in our lives, we stop blowing off the thought of what death is, because for most of our lives, it's something that happens to other people. We just want to pretend like we're immortal. We don't even want to think about the possibility of death. But I'm telling you, when you confront a life-threatening illness, you have plenty of time to think about what life is all about. Here's what the psalmist said, chapter 39, verse 4, Lord, make me to know my end. Make me take the time to ponder that I'm not going to be here forever. That no, life is not an entitlement. Each day is a gift. The next breath that I take is an absolute gift on loan from God. Help me to understand and accept that, because I will change my behavior if I realize that my physical time on earth is short. And if I do that, I'll glean a little bit more out of each and every sunset, out of each and every day, because when you have faced death, when you've been confronted with your own mortality, you appreciate the gift of each day a little more. He says, Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, you have made my days as hand-breaths, and my age is as nothing before you. What's a hundred and twenty-two years of the lifespan of Frenchwoman Jean Clement to eternity? Let's see, a hundred and twenty-two years versus forever. Well, I guess maybe he's right. It is as nothing before God. Certainly, every man at his best is but vapor. Not really a very encouraging statement, but it's true. James himself said, the Apostle James, chapter four and verse fourteen, for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. So again, I want to ask the question, what are a hundred and twenty-five physical years compared to eternity?

Yeah, as human beings, think of all the things that we do to prolong life for even a few more. We think of what is spent in health care, prolong life another few months. Think of what we do in our funeral rituals in our Western civilization. We put people in a box, and we have them go someplace, and they have makeup, and we want them to look like they're alive, only sleeping. They're dead. But we want them to appear as if they're just sleeping, don't we? It's part of our Western culture. That's the only existence we've ever known. We tend to cling to it. We grasp it to be just a little bit longer. But the truth is that our physical lives were only intended to be that very first baby step to a long, long journey of immortal existence. And again, as I said earlier, this is easier to understand and appreciate if you had a life-threatening illness. Philippians 3, verse 17. Turn there with me if you would. Philippians 3, verse 17. Paul himself experienced people who gave up the walk to walk in a different direction. Because the choice is, is we either understand that life, physical life, is a short-term mission, and that changes who and what we are, and it changes what we desire and what our goals are. Or, if we don't get that, we take a different kind of walk. A walk that's all about the world and all about the flesh. He says, brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk as you have for us a pattern. Paul said he tried to be a good example, and other ministers in the congregation tried to be good examples. He says, verse 18, For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. Read the newspaper. What's it all about? The finest foods. The most exotic drinks. Vacations and paradise.

Huge homes. A brand new car every year. A new trophy wife every couple of years. That's what the world is all about. It's all setting their mind on earthly things. Impressing other people. Keeping up with the Joneses. That's what people live for in this world. But Paul continues, verse 24, Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior. We eagerly wait for Him to return to this earth because He is bringing that citizenship with Him. As was mentioned in the sermon at Jesus Christ, we have treasures in heaven. He is bringing that reward. He's bringing those treasures with Him when He returns to this earth. Continuing. Again, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior. Again, that's His return to earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body. That it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able, even to subdue all things to Himself. I'm going to read this from the translation of God's Word for today. It says, Through His power to bring everything under His authority, He will change our humble bodies and make them like His glorified body.

Now, if you have the right attitude, go home and take a look in the mirror. What you will recognize and understand, if you're honest with yourself, is that right now you have a humble body. It probably doesn't look as youthful as it did five years ago, unless you're four years old. But for most of us, it doesn't look as youthful as it did five years ago or ten years ago. Our body is becoming more humble each and every day. But Paul says there's something better, and that is His—that is Jesus Christ's glorified body. Brethren, God views our physical life as temporary, but with a grand purpose. Our minds should not be fixated on wealth or celebrity or fame or power, of all the things that we see in the world today.

Christ is bringing with Him our citizenship in His kingdom, and that is pictured specifically by the upcoming fall holy days. His return, His removing Satan from being able to influence the new kingdom, and the establishment of that wonderful new kingdom, a thousand-year millennium, and then what God has planned on beyond. During all that time, you and I will have glorified bodies like Jesus Christ. Right now, we're aliens. We're sojourners. We're ambassadors of His kingdom because it has not yet arrived. We're living in a world in which we know is turning bad, a world that is decadent, a world that is ruled by the prince, the power of the air.

As the Savior Himself stated on the eve of His death, in John 17, verse 15, He said, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world.

Just a few more scriptures. Let's go to 1 Peter 2, verse 11, and take a look at this scripture.

And again, understand that this physical life is a short-term mission.

There's nothing, and no reason to grasp for more. There's nothing waiting beyond, yes, maybe a lucky couple of years. Maybe we'll live as long as that French woman. But you know what? Beyond that is still death.

It's still the end of it all, unless God has in His plan something greater and more wonderful for us. 1 Peter 2, verse 11, Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, Notice those phrases again, abstain from fleshly lust, which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles.

In other words, being a good steward. We just covered that point previously.

That when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. That means Christ's return. Right now they may criticize you. They may not understand you, understand why you keep this Saturday Sabbath in these old holy days, you know, wired, why you don't go to the clambake. They may not understand those things about you now, but if we set the right example, when Jesus Christ returns, and they need to put on sunglasses that they kept from the eclipse, because our brightness is so impactful, is so intense, they'll say, oh, now I get it.

Now I understand why that person believed that way. Now I understand why they wouldn't come to the Christmas party. Now I understand why they didn't color Easter eggs. Now I get it all. I want you to notice in Scripture how we're called sojourners. In pilgrims, we're called strangers. Travelers in this physical life journey, our conduct and good works must be seen and observed by others instead of them seeing our fleshly, carnal human nature, our carnal desires. Let's go to our final Scripture today, 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 17. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 17. Paul again wrote to the church at Corinth here.

He said, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment. Yes, he'd been in chronic pain for 20 years, 50 years. God must have an incredible reward for you in his kingdom. But compared to eternity, it's a light affliction. It's like trying to remember what life was like when you were four days old. So much has passed since then. You have mentally grown and matured and developed so much since then, you don't even remember it. It means nothing to you.

When you live in the light of eternity, that chronic illness, that pain that you suffered, those last stages of cancer, that stage four of cancer that you may have endured before you died, that is simply a light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceedingly and eternal weight of glory. Paul's saying, the glory of God far outweighs any affliction that we could experience in this physical lifetime. Verse 18, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary.

The buildings in this world are temporary. The roads on the earth are temporary. The art that people pay millions and millions of dollars for, this great artist that looks like he threw up on a canvas and they paid millions of dollars for it, temporary. It's all temporary, all going to be burned up and purified with fire. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Can we understand that? Can we grasp that? In comparison to eternity, any affliction, any affliction is light and short.

God's heroes are not those who achieved material success or power or prosperity in their physical lifetime. It's those who regard this life and understand that it is a short-term, temporary mission, knowing that each and every day they are preparing to serve in something that is far greater, far better, and far more wonderful than this lifetime. They are patiently waiting for an eternal reward, not a temporary crown, that will turn to dust and to ashes over a period of time.

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 31, Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them for this world, as we know it, will soon pass away. So, do we understand and appreciate that we are simply on a short-term mission in this physical life? Today we looked at three qualities or metaphors that the Scriptures tell us are God's view of our physical life. If we understand and appreciate it deeply, it will help change our thoughts, it will change our perception of the world, and our role in this physical world.

Everything in your physical life is for a purpose. Your birth was for a purpose. Your calling was according to God's purpose. Your daily Christian walk and the things that you face each and every day is according to God's purpose. Even mundane, everyday events are for a great purpose. They're part of someone's plan, a personal plan for us. For God's elect, nothing that happens to us is too small, too insignificant, or meaningless.

So always remember, in everything that happens to you, in everything that occurs in your life experiences, that life is a tryout. Life is stewardship, and life is a short-term mission. Have a wonderful Sabbath day.