Outward Reflection of Inward Heart

Okay. Back in action. Did you know that this is a working feast? Pull that up a little bit. Did you know that we're not here just to play? Now, we are here to play. Oh, I play. I love to play. Just ask my family. However, here, this feast is to actually rejoice in working. And what is our work?

I mentioned it briefly last night. But I want to show us something about our Father and about Jesus Christ. The fact that they are very diligent. They're always on the job.

They always work. John 5 and verse 17. John 5. Let's turn there and read it. John 5 and verse 17. Read from the NIV. And Jesus said to them, My Father is always at His work to this very day. Always on the job. And I, too, am working, Jesus said. And we are to become just like them. So what is our work at this feast?

Today, if this is your first feast, then this may be news to you. If this is your 15th, 20th, 50th feast, this is not new to you and it's not new to me. But it is so relevant. We need to review this every once in a while. I need to review this every once in a while. And we need to remember, in order to keep the feast and have it be a very fulfilling feast, you need to be working and working as what?

Matthew 6 and verse 24. Matthew 6, 24. And then Jesus said to the disciples, Any of you who wants to be my follower, you must put aside selfish ambition. If you want to follow Jesus Christ, and I would say, if you want to have a fulfilling feast of tabernacles, you must put yourself aside. When you shoulder your cross and follow me, if you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it.

But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life and how you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process. Anything worth more in your soul or your life, in other words? For I am the Son of Man, he said, verse 27, will come in the glory of my Father with His angels and will judge all people according to what?

According to their deeds. According to what we do, what is the Father and Jesus Christ doing? They are working. What are they working at? What's our job? What are we supposed to be doing? You know, brethren, you and I, by nature, and this is not to put us down, it's to discourage us, it's just to note the reality of the state that we are in. We are born selfish. We are born that way. By nature, you and I take care of ourselves first and other people maybe second. The way we are, in Romans 7, verses 14-25, we won't read it, but in Romans 7, verses 14-25, the Apostle Paul explains we're slaves to that.

We're sold to sin. We're actually shackled by this human nature. God and Jesus Christ are working. You know that they are serving us. I would the great creator of the universe, I would God and His Son serve us. What can we do for them? We can barely lift over a couple hundred pounds off the ground. They've created the entire universe. What can you or I do for them? What can we collectively do for them? What could you take the strength and ability and intelligence of every human being on the planet, bind them together, and what could we really do for God in return?

Not much in my estimation. We could not altogether bend down and even pick up the earth. We couldn't do it. Absolutely impossible. I could do that with a thought. What can we do for them? And yet, what are they doing every single day? They are serving us, sustaining the universe, answering our prayers, forgiving us when we sin, guiding us, and helping us along the way, and they're always on the job.

So what is our job? Well, serving other people. Overcoming that selfish me that's inside. Esteeming others better than ourselves, as it says in Philippians 2 and verse 3. We'll read that a little bit later. So I'd just like to walk through a few points at this Feast of Tabernacles to kick things off. How can we serve other people? Can we do it? Because, you know, when you hear these service sermons, a lot of times you go, well, that's nice, and I'll try to serve other people. And like I mentioned last night, I'll give a good tip to the waiter, and I won't be overly cranky when they get my order wrong, because sometime during the feast, somebody's going to get your order wrong, or there's not going to be enough towels in your room, or something's going to go wrong.

You're going to feel like getting cranky, and you'll realize, well, okay, I represent God, so I'm not that important. I'll be kind when I tell them they got the order wrong, and I'll still leave a good tip. I'll try to help them have a good day, too, because they matter. Okay, that's great.

That's good, but not nearly enough. Let's go through what it really means to serve other people. A lot of people say, you know what? I really don't have the ability to. And you fill in the blanks, and you look to other people and what they're doing in service, and you think to yourself, well, that's okay for you, but that's not good for me.

Like, giving a sermon, for example. Why don't you march up here and give a sermon? Well, a lot of people, a lot of you would do it. But most of you would not. Most of you would not do that. And you would say, well, you know, and it's true, everybody has their gift, and everybody has their God-given talent, but you think to yourself, you know, I'm not really here to serve. Because God didn't give me, and whatever it is, and you look around to other people, and you see their gifts, and God didn't give me that.

Point number one, trust God to help you overcome your limitations, and ask Him to show you how to serve. It has to come from God. He's the one who gives us all good things, and He gives us our talents and our abilities. And you probably have very little idea of what He has in store for you, the Millennium, not the Kingdom of God, which is after the Millennium, but even in the Millennium itself, you are going to have a big job.

And guess what? I don't know what that job is going to be, not even for me and not for you. God does. God is what He called you for a reason. You, in faith, answered that call, and you came here. You don't waste the opportunity. Take this piece of Tabernacles to learn how to serve.

Ask God to show you specifically how you can serve, because it will be different for you than it is for me. But it will always be outward, not inward. It will always be serviced from you to other people. That's the way it flows. Abraham and Sarah thought they were too old to have a family, a nation from them, but can do anything He wants to do.

He doesn't even have to lift His little finger. Just think it. That's how powerful He is, and that's what He can do in you. Moses had a speech impediment. He, God through Him, brought down the most powerful nation on the planet. Think of my own challenges. Think of your challenges. David thought he was the runt of the family.

When Saul was discredited as king, uninstructed Samuel to go and pick another king from the sons of Jesse. They lined up all the sons of Jesse but one, the runt of the litter, the young one. Somebody's got to watch the sheep, and he's never going to be king. And they lined up all the boys, and the oldest one? Oh, he was handsome, and he was big, and he was strapping.

Samuel said to himself, surely, king stands before me. Saul was a big, strapping, handsome guy. Oh, that's the kind of guy God picks? So Samuel thought. And God told him, don't look, and don't trust your eyes. I don't look at people like you do. People look on the outside, but God, he looks at the heart.

And King David was just a runt. But he had a heart God was looking for, and God used him to become the great, great, great, whatever granddad of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That's a pretty high honor for a runt of the litter. God can do anything through you. Pray to God to show you what to do. Ask God and Jesus Christ to help you to serve.

And do not take the attitude. Might I be a little critical and say the selfish attitude says, I have no talents. Can't serve. Because remember our heart, Romans 8 and verse 7, the enmity against God in Jeremiah 17, 9, deceitful above all things. And who do you think we trick the most? We fool ourselves. And we say to ourselves, I don't have any talent. And what we might really be saying to ourselves is, I don't really want to serve other people. I don't like other people. You don't have to like them to serve them, brethren. Some people aren't likable. That's just reality.

You should have seen this guy who was driving on the streets this morning as I was out there. Oh, nobody would have liked this guy. Oh, wait, that was me. I don't know this island at all. Oh, I was cutting people off. They were honking at me. Sometimes people just aren't likable. God doesn't judge us for how other people treat us. He might be mistreated all the time. God judges us on how we treat other people. That's what he's looking for. Don't say to yourself, I have no talent. I cannot serve. Rather, in faith and confidence and trust in God, ask him to help you to serve in the way he wants you to do it. And then the next point, how do you serve? Brethren, you just do it. Point number two is start. Give, serve, care of other people. Oh, she just wanted to come up and preach.

My son did that one time. I was so proud of him. He got away from me. He was really little, my oldest son. And we were coming back from the bathroom and he saw Mr. Petty was up speaking. He just looked up there, just made a beeline for him. Mr. Petty told me later he was going to do an altar call. Anybody come to Jesus!

I caught him right at the front of the stage. He was so fast. That was... That's my boy. People ask, how can I serve? All the jobs are taken. You know, look for opportunities. Brethren, this is easier done than said. Take about an hour to give the sermon. It'll take you two seconds to figure out how to serve if you pray and face the God. This is actually easier done than said. Oh, maybe just taking somebody out to dinner. What are you doing for dinner? Would you like to come with me? Well, I don't know. Hey, no, it's on me. My treat. Really?

Help somebody in or out of a car. Say hello! Would be surprised! Sometimes it's just an encouraging word. We'll get to a scripture in a minute. It's not enough to just say encouraging words. Action is required. But hey, sometimes it's just a matter of having concern for somebody else. Really helps them through. You never know. Take an interest in other people's problems. Develop a relationship with somebody that you don't know. Probably the biggest thing we can do of all. James 2. James 2 and verse 15. But it is not enough to just use your words. It's a free service, brethren. How was your week? Oh, good. Yeah, mine too. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Is mom and dad okay? Yeah, good, good. How's the family? Oh, great, good. Be warmed and filled. Have a great day. Oh, I feel so good. I've served everybody today.

Not so much. James 2 and verse 15. Brother or sister is naked in destitute of daily food. You says to them, Depart in peace. Be warmed and filled. Oh, those platitudes that we are so good at saying. Oh, have faith in God. He'll take care of you. You betcha.

Depart in peace and be warmed and filled. What's wrong with that? Nothing. It's just not enough. Nothing wrong with a kind and encouraging word. It's actually quite necessary. It's just not enough. Take deeper. Give more. Be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body. What does it profit? Also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Don't say you're a member of the house of God. You don't do anything for anybody else. That is dead faith. We're here at the Feast of Tabernacles to be reminded not to learn for the very first time. Our lives are not about ourselves. You were not just called for personal salvation alone. Oh, that's part of the deal. That's not the whole deal. You were also called to help other people along their way. Make their journey easier. And what, brethren? It has to be just people in our congregation.

It doesn't have to be people in the church. We are a light set on a hill. We are the firstfruits. And every single person that we encounter is a future child of God. And our job is to serve them. That cranky boss that we have to go back to after the Feast of Tabernacles. He says in verse 17, Thus faith by itself does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Love this next line, the sarcasm in it. Show me your faith, out your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. How can you show anybody anything if you don't do anything? Okay, you have faith without works?

Show me! We're not a hand-raising kind of church. I like Tim Hawkins. He tells a lot of jokes. He talks about hand-raising. There's different kinds of hand-raisers. The ones that, when they raise their hands in church, they just sort of get started with the wings, you know, just flapping the wings. And there's this, you know, the light bulbs, and then what my fish is this big, and then touchdown, you know, all those. And he goes through this whole comedy routine about hand-raising in church, and some churches do and don't.

He says, all of those who aren't hand-raisers, give me your, show me your hands. Obviously, nobody raises their hands. And that's kind of like what James is saying here. What are making a joke? Show me your faith without works. Okay, I'm waiting. Let's see. You can't. You can't show anybody anything if you don't do something. We're not called to just have a good time. God and Jesus Christ are working. What are they doing? They're serving.

So what are we supposed to be doing? Serving. If we don't, James says we don't even have faith. Faith is dead. Flatlined. Third point. Want to serve other people? Strive to become a better person yourself. What will you be in the millennium? Will you be a first-fruit with all of the bad habits that you have right now?

No. You have to overcome them. Some of the things that we do just by nature, just because that's the way we are, offends other people. I'll tell them myself. For example, I'm not exempt from this. I have a really bad habit. A lot of people like to come up and talk to me.

Sometimes they don't notice. I happen to be talking to somebody else. I'm sort of an inclusive person. If somebody else comes up, I'll take my attention off of the person I'm talking to, and I will greet the other person. Hey, how are you doing? But that interrupts the conversation that I was just having with the person I was talking to. And if three or four people come in, pretty soon the circle gets quite large. And yet, the original conversation that I was having hasn't ever happened. I have allowed somebody else to interrupt that conversation, and it's rude! And I have to overcome that. Do you think I'm going to have that habit in the millennium as a first-fruit?

No. I have to overcome that. What habits do you have? Ask yourself, how do I offend other people? Oh, I've got a lot more than that on myself. I'm just not going to tell that up here.

How do I offend other people? That's what we're here to overcome. Building relationships with other people and overcoming corrupt nature that's inside us. You know, a lot of us, most of us, maybe even all of us, justify our bad habits. I could justify that habit. I could totally justify it. Who would go something like this? Oh, it's just my personality. I'm an optimist. I'm not an optimist. I'm not an optimist. What word am I looking for? An extrovert! Thank you! I'm definitely not an optimist. I am an extrovert! I'm a Romans 828er, by the way. Not an optimist. Optimists, to me, are unrealistic. Everything's going to work out fine. That's an optimist. Everything doesn't work out fine until the end. But all things do work together for good. So even when bad things happen, it's going to work out. Now, you might call that optimism. I don't. I call that Romans 828. Because an optimist thinks that everything, all the time, is going to be fine. I do realize bad things happen constantly. For I am an extrovert. And an extrovert tends to have the ability to justify being rude to other people. They do. Now, introverts tend to think that extroverts are very, what, flighty and they're not deep thinkers. No idea why they think that.

But I could easily justify it and say, well, no, it's a good thing that I do. It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. And I'll justify my habit of offending other people. And you know why? Because I'm being, what, inclusive. And that's loving, right? Any plays or nobody plays. Except I'm justifying being rude to the one person that I was giving my attention to. So, brethren, I encourage us that instead of justifying every bad habit we have, we are experts at justifying ourselves. Look in a mirror and overcome the person that you are. You're here to learn to not be that person anymore. This is a working feast. A little personal, I know. Getting down to the nitty-gritty, I know. But we need it. We need to do that. We need to overcome. To become like God and Jesus Christ, who work and serve every day. Become a servant. At this feast, practice. Take it home. Become a loving, serving individual at home by overcoming the corrupt nature that's inside. Dive into the Word of God and let God shape you into the servant He intends you to be. Now, I referred to this earlier. Let's go now to Philippians 2. We'll read this out of New King James for those who are putting the Scriptures up. Philippians 2, start in verse 1. We'll go through quite a bit of it. Because a lot of us read verse 3. We hear verse 3 quite a bit. All has a lot more to say in Philippians 2 than just verse 3. And it is quite educational. Let's read a little bit more than just verse 3 today. Philippians 2, verse 1, Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection of mercy, fulfill my joy, here is the first thing we can do. Learn to overcome our rude human nature. This is the first step. Any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection of mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded and having the same love being of one accord and one mind. Learn to agree with other people. And when you have a conflict with somebody else, 80% of those conflicts happen because you don't understand the other person's point of view. And you're so ready to give an answer from what your point of view is, that you don't get the other person's point of view. What happens? Conflict, offense. Never talk to that person again. Sometimes for years, decades go by. Families are split. This lack of skill, of being like-minded. Can you be like-minded if you don't open your ears? My father used to tell me that old adage that runs around. God gave you one mouth and two ears. Shut up and listen. And he wasn't being rude. He was teaching me skill. I wish I had listened.

So the very first thing Paul says here before we ever get to verse 3, which is the service verse, is learn to communicate with other people and be like-minded. Listen to them. Don't just trust your own opinion. Get their opinion too. Try to find out where they're coming from. Don't be so quick to say that doesn't make sense. It just doesn't make sense to you. Wait till you listen and you hear their entire point of view. We'll find out that your opinion is not the only one on this planet that matters. It will be a very eye-opening and refreshing experience. 3. Then we take the next step. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind with a sense of humility, a sense that you're not the only person that matters. Lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. I know this is a kindergarten-level example, but when you're in a restaurant, and I keep bringing this up because it's an easy one when we're at the feast, we have so many opportunities to interact with the waitstaff. I get so annoyed when I'm with somebody and their coffee's cold or their meal was served is not quite hot, and they're just rude to the waiter like the waiter made the coffee or the waiter fried the fish. The waiter's just bringing the plate out. Why does she or he get your abuse? What are you giving abuse to begin with? Esteem that person better than yourself. Certainly better than a plate of food. And that's kindergarten. First grade Christianity right there. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, esteem others better than themselves. You know why that's step two? Because you can't esteem others better than themselves if you're not first listening to them and of like mind. You don't know where they're coming from. How do you know how to esteem them better than themselves? You've actually communicated with them to do so. You don't know what they need. Communicate, talk, and assemble and esteem them better than themselves. First four, let each of you look out not for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Now, brethren, this is not your first feast, unless it is.

But if it's not your first feast, you've heard this a lot before. This is review. Let it be cliche. Let it be practice. Let it be something we do. Let it be something we become better at this year. Let it be less rude this year than we were in times past. Let it be more serving this year, better at it this year. We have been in times past. Let this mind, verse 5, let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus.

We're talking about a heart issue here. It's a way of thinking. First you think it, then you do it. Change your thinking, you will change your actions. Let this mind be in you, which is in Christ Jesus, who... Listen to the example he set. What's Paul talking about here? Is he talking about not being rude to a waiter? No. That's kindergarten. Listen to the example.

Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. Taking the form of a bond servant. Someone who had no right whatsoever, but was scripted to serve you, as though he had to serve you.

And he is our king and our savior. He bowed himself low. How could he do it? He found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient. Point of death. Even the... not an easy death. The death of the cross. How do we serve other people? Literally by laying down our life for them, if that's what's needed. There's a way to lay down your life and not die. That's to sacrifice yourself for other people.

Every day! There's a reward for that. Fine. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name. The name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth. Even the dead will be resurrected and will bow their knees to Jesus Christ. That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that means master, captain. Yes, sir! He will follow you. The glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved. Paul is not chewing us out here. He's encouraging us. He's really on fire for us. He's not angry when he's writing this letter.

He's really, really saying that we will get this. And he says, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. He was so proud of them that even after he left and he wasn't preaching them anymore, they were doing even better than when he was with them. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

And that's what we're doing here at the Feast of Tabernacles. Yes, we are. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do his good pleasure. Remember that if you don't know how to serve, ask God, because he's the one who puts it in you. He's the one who gives you the will to overcome.

But, overcome you and me to overcome me. Call things without complaining or disputing. Don't complain or get out. Fear said, then done. Don't dispute with other people. Listen to them, as Paul said at the beginning of this chapter, when he said, be like-minded. Don't complain and don't dispute. 15.

That you may become shameless and harmless. If I ask you a question, brethren, are you harmless yet? Are you harmless to blameless? I can't make that claim yet. I'm working on it.

You need to work on that. I'm blameless and harmless children of God, without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. It doesn't matter what people do to you. You're not judged by that. It's a crooked and perverse generation. Okay, we get that. It's a bad world. It's an evil world. You don't have to be. And I don't have to be.

Among whom shine as lights in the world. We are here on this island, and brethren, I hope we shine. For our sakes, not for the sake of the United Church of God. No. For God and Jesus Christ alone. 16. Holding fast to the word of life. As I said last night, we're here to learn.

Earn God's opinion. So that I may rejoice in the day of Christ I have not run in vain or labored in vain. You know what? Paul's work is still working to this day, because we get to read what he said to those Philippians, and we get to be the recipients of his work. He will see, boy, howdy! He did not labor in vain. His work that God did through him carried on through the generation, all the way to us, hopefully to our children.

So I'd like to sum it up with just a couple more scriptures. Let's go to Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 13. We do have been called to liberty, Paul says. You know, we have. We have been freed from the penalty of all the mistakes that we have made. We still bear the physical consequences today. For example, if we were an alcoholic and we blew out our liver, we can come in the church and be baptized, but our liver is still blown out.

And if we eat all kinds of bad food and we don't watch what we put our hands in and whatnot and get sick from it, I'd bear those consequences, but in the end, have been forgiven. We're free. So what do we do with that liberty? He says, only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. I hope we rejoice at this feast. I hope you eat the food you want to eat and you fellowship and you have the activities. Oh, we've got some great activities planned on this island. I think you are going to love it. Just absolutely love this feast of tabernacles this year, but this is a working feast. Not just here for that. That's not enough. Holding fast. Nope. Wrong scripture. Do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. Through love, serve one another. But in Jesus Christ, we are always, always working. We have an opportunity to really get busy. One thing. If you get anything out of this sermon, get the one thing that's my point. We are here to overcome our selfish nature. Overcoming that selfish nature is expressed by serving other people. But we could do that only on the outside would not be enough. Oh, let me get that door for you. Oh, let me help you with that. Oh, I'll pay for your meal. That's not the point. We're not overcoming what we are inside. Not getting the point. But if we are, and if we do, overcome our selfishness inside, what makes us rude to other people? What gives us conflict with other people? Are we getting the point? That will be a productive feast of tabernacles. I would like to conclude with Hebrews 6, verse 10. There's a reward for all of this at the end, and it is incredibly encouraging. God really wants us to serve other people. God wants us to overcome our corrupt nature and become just like Him. Someone, He's the most powerful being in all the universe. What does He pay attention to every day, day in and day out? You! Who are you? My! He should even pay attention. We couldn't even reach down and pick up the earth. He can do that with a thought. Who are we? And yet He does serve us every day. And He wants kids! He wants His kids! He wants His kids to be just as loving as He is. How is He going to remember us? What's He going to remember us by? How is He going to judge us by? Hebrews 6, verse 10. God will not forget you, your love for Him by what? By your service to others. God will not forget your love to Him by your service to others. A lot of us have come a really, really long way. A lot of us have gone through quite a bit to make it here today at this Feast of Tabernacles. Let's make it worthwhile. Let's make it a working feast. Let's learn to overcome our selfish human nature. Outwardly express that by serving other people.