Where Is Your Reward?
Notes
Transcript
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ 14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
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I’ve found recently that the word “investment” can be used a couple different ways. 2 in particular. Firstly, there’s the investment we’re all familiar with, the kind that requires some cost of us on the front end, but then over time returns to us with interest. It’s the investment with measurable and evident gains at the end. Secondly, there’s the investment we just call an investment to help justify the purchase of something we want.
Growing up in Minnesota there was plenty of snow to shovel, but there was hardly ever a year where we needed to rake the leaves. For one, a lot of the trees are pines, for two the snow usually covered the leaves before long anyway. I move to Louisville, Rachel and I get married, and we move into a house with two massive trees in the backyard. After about an hour of raking and looking at the measly dent I’d made in the leaves we had, boy did I want to make an “investment”. You can ask Rachel, I’m sure I made some kind of sales pitch every fall about how much time I would save with a leaf blower, the other projects I could work on, and on and on looking for every benefit to help justify that “investment”.
I’m sure some of you can recognize your own “leaf blower investment”, but you can see the big difference between those two uses of the word.
A traditional investment usually requires some patience. It’s not a quick run to Home Depot for an immediate reward.
A traditional investment usually has some visible gain at the end of the day. Let’s be honest that leaf blower is a cost. Some reward sure, but I’m probably not getting back what I put into it much less any kind of interest.
I could go on, but you see the point. Very often costs with immediate rewards aren’t the best of investments. On the other hand for those willing to wait and take some risks they will more often than not find a greater reward in the end.
As Jesus continues his teaching on the nature of righteousness in the kingdom he gets to where true Christ-like righteousness finds its reward. It’s not like the righteousness of the Pharisees who find their reward in the immediate in the praise of men. The citizens of the kingdom, the disciples of Christ are called to wait for their reward, make a real investment if you will that will find it’s return from God. It’s a heavenly reward that will put the honor and praise of men to shame.
The approval of men and great earthly treasures are nothing in comparison to the approval of God and the treasures that await us in heaven.
The approval of men and great earthly treasures are nothing in comparison to the approval of God and the treasures that await us in heaven.
Our reward in giving
Our reward in prayer
Our reward in fasting
Our reward in heaven
Before we even get to the reward of giving let’s remember where we are in Jesus’ sermon. We’ve just wrapped up getting to the heart of true righteousness. The righteousness of those in the kingdom is going to be more than the white-washed exterior of the Pharisees it’s going be found rooted deeply in the hearts of the disciples. They’re going to treat one another with love and purity form the heart, they’re going to be people of integrity, they’re going to respond to evil in a way that the world will never understand because they love their enemies.
You might say we’ve covered the character of righteousness: What is it, where is it found? , but now we come to the motivation, why do we do it?
Jesus’ introductory line to this section lays out two motivations. One consistent with the white-washed Pharisees and one consistent with a righteous disciple. The parallel runs through the whole text this morning.
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
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Why do Pharisees wear their righteousness on the outside? Well it’s so they can be seen. To the Pharisees their reward is found in the praise, honor, and approval of men.
You may have noticed but this point is what ties much of this text together. Three times Jesus makes this point he begins with.
Look with me if you will at vs. 2
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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There’s a lot in our passage this morning even the Lord’s prayer, but there’s really one point to it all. Where is your reward? Is it here with the praise and honor and approval of men or is it with God?
Right there in verse 1 the warning points to a greater reward.
“Otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”
The implication being we cannot have both, but for those who lay aside an earthly reward there is an assurance of a heavenly reward. Following each of these warnings declaring, “the Pharisees have their reward in full” is this encouragement for the disciples,
“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
It’s there in verse 4, vs. 6 and again in vs. 18.
And the theme continues in verse 20, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...”
I admit there is too little time this morning to say all that could be said about giving, prayer, fasting, and money, but I don’t believe that’s Jesus’ intention here. He’s making one simple point. Ensure your reward is in heaven! If we’re to ensure our investment’s return is a heavenly one as Jesus calls us to we must consider our motivations. Why do we do it? Is it done unto the Lord that He may reward us in time or is it done for men for some earthly reward?
As we go we’ll maintain a focus on those two simple questions: Why do we do it? and Where is our reward? They’re closely related.
Our reward in giving
Our reward in giving
Ok, let’s get to the details and talk about giving. Jesus paints this scene right from the get go that appears quite dramatic at first.
(vs. 2) “when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets.” Jesus is painting a pretty clear picture as a form of open rebuke. These men go into the most public and crowded of spaces to be seen by men. They might as well be sounding trumpets so that everyone will look at them as they put their offering in the plate.
What’s the motivation? Why do they do it? “So that they may be honored by men.” It’s not really about the poor at all is it? Forget loving their enemies for a moment they don’t even love the poor. In truth they love themselves. They love their position in society. They long to be honored by their peers and they’ll use the plight of the poor for their own personal advancement.
Things probably look differently today than they did back then, but there remains the same search for honor among men. Today you may not see a gift given with grand display, but you’ll see people’s names in a grand display. It may be a plaque placed somewhere prominent. It may be on the side of a building. It begs the question, did they believe in the cause or did they like the idea of their name in a prominent place? How often do we see charitable efforts posted on social media? Ordinary people like you and me, major companies, all the way to politicians posting to let everyone know about the good deed they did that day. Again, it begs the question, why did they do it? Would they have done it if it didn’t advance their reputation, their public image, or their campaign?
It’s not just out there either, it’s something that churches and pastors need to be careful to avoid. There’s a difference between the pastor who’s there to serve the sheep and the pastor who’s there to be seen by the sheep. There’s a difference between the church that wants to meet the needs of souls in their congregation and in their community and the church that simply wants to appear attractive to those who attend.
As the church of Christ and as a pastor myself we must be careful we don’t drift into an exclusive concern with how we’re seen. There is so much that characterizes a healthy church and a healthy pastoral ministry that will simply never be praised or admired by anyone. And that’s how God intended it to be!
Those who are exclusively concerned with how their seen as they give or what people think of them as they minister: Jesus says, they have their reward in full, so what does that heavenly reward look like?
3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
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Again, Jesus uses hyperbole to emphasize the opposite of the trumpet blower over their. The godly and righteous giver, the godly and righteous servant is so discrete that their left hand doesn’t even know what their right hand is doing.
Now this doesn’t mean you need to sneak your offering into the plate on Sunday. “If anybody sees me then I might be deprived of my reward.” The point isn’t secrecy it’s motivation. Are we content with no honors or accolades in our care for the least? Are we content with going unseen in our service of the church? Does our genuine care and concern for the least and the needy lead us into areas of private ministry that may never be seen by our brothers and sisters? It may be giving monetarily , but it may also look like giving of ourselves: inviting someone over for dinner to love them and encourage them apart from any formal fellowship event. It may mean going to those who might have needs and asking, “Is there anyway I can help?’ apart from any invitation. It may mean doing discipleship with someone without a formal teaching role in the church. It might include evangelizing the lost in your workplace apart from signing up for an outreach event. And might I say all those things go for me too. Pastors by nature have public ministries, but I would argue that for every public service a pastor leads that may receive the praise of a congregation there ought to be a private service people don’t see.
Let’s be a church that seeks the greater reward that comes from God. It’s a reward we will have to wait for, but it will be well worth it! Let’s seek those out those simple opportunities to serve one another that may very well go unseen and unrewarded. For those of you who do that already, thank you! It may go unseen, but there’s very real kingdom advancement in those unseen efforts that no program or event could accomplish. I truly believe those unseen, humble works of service will put many pastors to shame when we're ultimately rewarded for our work.
Added to those rewards for unseen acts of service are rewards for unseen acts of prayer.
Our reward in praying
Our reward in praying
This you might imagine would be one area you wouldn’t need to worry about putting on a public display, but even prayer Jesus has to address.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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The fact that Jesus has to address this only exposes just how empty the righteousness of the Pharisees really is. The word hypocrisy is appropriate. The nature of prayer itself is to seek some good from God Himself and yet there are those who would use it to seek accolades from men. It’s a complete misuse of what God intended prayer for. Can you imagine if the priests in the temple or the tabernacle had taken the altar of incense and placed it at the entrance of the tabernacle for the people to enjoy rather than at the entrance to the holy of holies for God to enjoy. It would be a complete misuse of what God intended for worship.
So what does God-honoring prayer look like?
Fundamentally it’s oriented toward God, but this too is to be done in secret.
“go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” True piety isn’t interested in living up to some worldly standard or for some earthly approval. “Look at what I do in my quiet time...” True piety merely seeks the good pleasure of God by the means he has ordained.
There’s a proper use of the means God has provided, but there’s also a proper heart and motivation behind those means. We might use prayer in it’s proper place, but Jesus goes further.
What should the content of our prayer actually look like?
The content is based on the premise that God is the rewarder of those who seek him. This isn’t some formulaic process that treats God like a machine. “If I recite the same formula enough then surely God will have to respond.” There’s something to knocking with persistence, but that’s different than the meaningless repetition Jesus speaks of here. God doesn’t hear us any more the second time than the first time.
The heart of prayer is one of faith believing that God cares for us.
Jesus gives us this simple truth, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Meaningless repetitive prayers aren’t any more effective. God is not unaware of our needs, nor is He forgetful. I need that kind of reminder at times, but God isn’t like us. We come asking precisely because we know He’s aware of our need! We come in faith believing God has the provision we require and desires to give it to us! But what is the substance of that need?
You’ll notice the list is quite short. Sincere, God honoring prayers are often quite simple. Many of us may be familiar with this prayer, but let’s see it in the context.
Jesus is warning against being like those who seek their own glory before men, and how does Jesus call them to pray.
Firstly, keep it simple.
Secondly, pray for God’s glory.
“Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done.”
If you like to underline in your Bible’s you might underline “Your” there as it’s repeated 3 times.
The background here is those who seek the reverence of their own names before men, but Jesus says revere and hallow the name of God above all.
Jesus warns against those who would advance their own kingdom and their own position among their piers and calls them to pray for the kingdom of God to come.
Jesus warns against those who seek to advance their own will and satisfy their own desires, and calls them to pray for God’s will.
God’s glory, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. If we desire any kind of lasting reward this the heart we need, and if this truly is our heart’s desire and we love to see God glorified, we love to see His kingdom advanced, and His will accomplished then we will not be disappointed. We will most certainly see it all! Our almighty and infinite God is ambitious for His own glory and rightfully so! We need but wait and we will see His glory. Let’s pray for it! Let’s pray for the sure reward.
Christ has established his kingdom in His church, a kingdom which cannot be shaken. Let’s pray for the advancement of that which cannot be destroyed and we will not be disappointed. We may be dead before our prayers are answered, but we will receive the reward we prayed for.
Who’s will is more sure and more good than our sovereign and gracious God? He who works all things for our good and His glory. Why would we pray according to our own will and our glory which is faulty and fading. Let’s pray for God’s will to be done knowing our reward rests in His good and perfect will being accomplished.
The rest of the prayer does attend to our needs, but there’s nothing glorious about it. It’s quite humble actually: A humble and sincere plea for the basic needs of the body and the soul.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
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Those seeking a heavenly reward do not pray for earthly glories. They pray for what they need to continue glorifying God. Bread to sustain our bodies. Forgiveness to restore our walk with God, and deliverance from evil that we may continue to walk with God.
I think it’s appropriate for us to ask, “How often do our prayers for our needs include the restoration, and preservation of our walk with God? How often do we address our own sins and our persuasion to sin? When Jesus calls us to pray in a way consistent with what God knows we need, he addresses our sin and our persuasion to sin as the lion’s share of our need. We can take this too literally, but Jesus seemingly thought we should pray for the condition of our souls more than the needs of the body.
1 line is given to the needs of the body.
2 lines given to the needs of our souls
3 lines given to the glory of God and His kingdom advanced.
It’s the kind of prayer that clearly displays where our reward is.
Our greatest good and reward is found in God’s will accomplished in the glory of the kingdom of heaven: Jesus Christ dying and rising again to be seated at the Father’s right hand that we might be redeemed through the proclamation of the gospel.
Today we are apart of the kingdom of heaven as redeemed saints as much as we may not see it fully, and yet we live in the righteousness of that kingdom by repenting of sin, and resisting evil by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And of course we steward our bodies as much as we are able, but our reward is not ultimately found in this life.
Let’s be found praying consistent with our reward.
“Father give me what I need today to live a godly life for your glory and the advancement of your kingdom. Sustain me today that I would live like Christ, and boldly proclaim Christ.”
Jesus actually doubles down on the prayer for forgiveness and makes the point that such a prayer ought to be backed by a forgiving heart.
14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
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A sincere prayer of repentance seeking forgiveness comes from a heart that is merciful to others. It comes from a heart that desires the kingdom of God and the gracious will of God for our brothers as well as us. Someone who is unwilling to forgive his brother cannot honestly pray,
“Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.”
The unforgiving spirit wants their own name to be revered before men. They demand respect and justice before their brothers and sisters.
The unforgiving spirit cannot honestly pray
“Your kingdom come.”
The kingdom of God is established in mercy and grace extending citizenship to tax collectors and sinners. How can one pray for the kingdom to be advanced and openly want their brother to be held to account for their sin? Forgive me, welcome me into the kingdom, but not him.” It’s hypocrisy!
The unforgiving spirit cannot honestly pray
“Your will be done.”
The unforgiving actively ignores the will of God and advances their own will desiring their own agenda to be advanced with their brother. “I want him to pay in full what he owes me.” Meanwhile he prays for God to overlook his debt according to the kind intention of his will. Again, it’s hypocrisy.
The theme running through this section is, “How will God hear us?”
Jesus started with the hypocrite who uses many words, but it’s more than the many words and the self-righteous display it’s his heart toward his brother that undermines his sincerity. God is not prone to hearing the prayer of a hypocrite who puts on a fine display. He gives ear to the broken and contrite heart. He gives ear to the merciful, those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, the humble, and the peacemakers. He gives ear to those who realize they cannot secure their own reward and come to God with a humble faith knowing only He can provide the reward we ultimately desire.
By way of application, might I encourage you to begin your prayer time by looking at God. How often I find myself beginning my prayer time with my material needs and the problems that are right before my eyes. David often does the same, but in keeping with Christ’s instruction here, try beginning with God. Find a Psalm that points your eyes to God. Lay aside life’s concerns and troubles for a moment and pray that Psalm. How often the Psalms lift high the name of the LORD and proclaim the advancement of His kingdom and His will. Let’s be praying the Psalms letting them show us the reward we have from God in His glory.
The remainder of the passage sets out two extremes that can both be misused . One is putting away life’s basic needs in fasting. The other is storing up treasures trying to secure our needs.
Our reward in fasting
Our reward in fasting
16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
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You might say we’ve come to a third dimension of hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is found in how people treat others in giving to the poor to be honored by men.
Hypocrisy is found in how people treat God with elaborate prayers to be seen by men.
Hypocrisy can also be found in how people treat themselves as they neglect their appearance so they will be noticed.
Fasting had apparently become a ritualistic outward display in which people would intentionally neglect their appearance in front of everyone to let everyone know, “I’m fasting today!” You might imagine the respect that this public self-neglect would receive. “Look our brother is on the third day of fasting. What sincerity! What piety!” “Brother I’d invite you for dinner, but I know you’re fasting.” It’s lost it’s purpose entirely and become a means of social advancement… Which begs the question, “What is the biblical motivation behind fasting?”
Let’s start with a definition:
I really appreciated this definition by Ken Jones
“Fasting is an act of longing and desire, specifically a longing and desire for a fuller sense of God’s power and presence.”
Throughout Scripture we see examples of people longing for God to act in response to some tragedy, sin, even a need for leadership, but they all have that one thing in common, We need God to provide! We need God to preserve us. We need God to forgive us. We need God to lead us. Whatever it may be, fasting is an outward expression of the heart’s longing for God.
You can see the contrast here. What is the desire that Jesus is identifying in this self-neglect? They don’t want God. There is no heart desperate for God. It’s a heart longing for the approval of men, and for those who seek their reward in the approval men, they’ll find it. Anyone pragmatic enough can find that reward, but what does Christ call us to? He calls us to a greater reward and true sincerity.
17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
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Put very simply, if we desperately need something from God.. we go to God...
I’m sure you’ve heard the old excuse, “Mom, I’m too sick to go to school!” Now if you were homeschooled or homeschooled your kids you know that one doesn’t work, but you get the idea. Kids can put on a bit of a show of desperation in order get some reward out of it until Mom calls their bluff and says, “Ok, if you’re too sick then I’ll take you to the doctor.” All of a sudden everyone’s feeling fine again.
Jesus in a certain way is calling the bluff. If you’re so desperate, go to the doctor. That’s what sick people do. They don’t flaunt it around and try to get something else out of their sickness. Jesus says, go to God. Go to the doctor. That’s where your needs will be met! That’s where you find your reward.”
For us what does that mean?
Firstly, let’s not be those who manufacture hardship. That may not be a temptation for some, but for others it may be. Sometimes we can turn little things into big things in order to gain a little extra attention here and there.
Secondly, when we do have real hardship or a desperate need, when we do have something to fast about let’s take it to God. He is our provider! He is our sustainer! He is our Good Shepherd. And yes, do tell someone! Let’s take it to God together. As the church we ought to bear burdens with one another, but I believe Jesus addresses the heart of even that sharing of burdens with one another. We share that trial with one another not for pity or praise, but for prayer and provision. There’s a difference between complaining about hardship for pity and praise and sharing hardship that asks for provision and prayer. “I need help, would you go to God on my behalf?” There’s a godly sincerity and humility in that request.
I’m still amazed by how well this church prays for one another. It’s essential to the life of the church. Thank you to all of you who are intent to pray for one another, and for those of us who have needs let’s take advantage of what the Lord has given us here in a praying church.
Let’s not grow content with, “Look at me in my hardship” searching for pity or praise.
Let’s go on to, “Pray for me in my hardship.” in search of God’s provision through His church.
At the end of the day if you want to fast, that’s between you and God. If you don’t want to fast, that’s fine too. Our Father rewards the one who comes to Him sincerely. There is no amount of fasting that can add to the sincerity of our hearts just like repetitive words don’t add to the sincerity of our prayers. If we do fast, let it be an expression of our desperate need for God and in that God will be pleased.
...
Jesus addressing fasting really wraps up the rewards found in the approval of men, but he really closes the point with the most tangible example there is: Money.
Our reward in heaven
Our reward in heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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If I could step back for just a moment, once again we get to the very literal heart of the matter. Just like the blessings of the kingdom they’re found in the heart. Just like the righteousness of the kingdom, it’s found in the heart. Now we come to the reward of the kingdom, and we see again, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This is more than just good kingdom investment advice. “Put your time and energy and money in something that will last.” It is that, but more importantly it asks a question of the heart.
Do we love the things that will last? Do we cherish the eternal things? … or
Do we love what is fading? Do we cherish what will ultimately be destroyed?
It’s an echo of everything that Jesus has already said.
Do we love the praise of men who will ultimately die themselves
or do we love the praise of God who is eternal?
Do we love the rewards of earthly status and position
or do we love the honor of serving the Lord and His kingdom?
Scripture has a lot to say about the destructive potential of loving wealth. “The root of all evil” is nothing to be trifled with, but such warnings are more than a call to abstain from loving what is temporary and fading, it’s a call to love what is worthy of love! Love God! Love His kingdom! Love His church. Invest in the things which will one day be made perfect and welcomed into glory by the power of God!
Emphasis here is on Jesus’ positive call: “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven!”
The man given a single talent may very well have refrained from the love of money and investment in treasures on earth, but he also didn’t seek a reward from His master. There was no investment at all! He buried it.
The truth is there is no neutral ground.
Jesus says as much as he closes his argument.
If I may sum it up, Jesus says we’re going to be looking at something. Is it going be darkness or light?
We’re going to be serving something, Is it going to be God or wealth?
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
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That’s quite the fork in the road isn’t it?
There’s a dark path with glory today,
or a bright path with glory tomorrow.
The path of serving God may not promise glory and riches today, but it promises an unfading treasure when we gather together with Christ in glory!
Let’s be a people with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the light of the world that we may serve God for His glory and a truly everlasting reward.
Let’s Pray.
Membership: Wayne and Vicki Carver
Gospel Baptist Church: Pastor Bill Edwards, Pastor Seth Cusson, (Elder) Japeth Bear
