Serving The Lord Will Payoff

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: Come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

But it’s hard to serve with gladness and singing when there’s wolves in the pasture.

Paul tells us today that the church, isnt that different then the church in his time.

The church at Corinth was a church fraught with problems.

There were divisions in church;

sin was being tolerated;

false doctrine abounded and strange, fleshly practices dominated their worship.

Paul wrote this book to address their problems and to bring the Corinthian believers back into line with faith and practice.

The chapter before us today is an example of what I am talking about.

According to verse 12, there were some in Corinth that denied the reality of the resurrection.

Paul had to Serve with a Spirit of Meekness and Humility during the most challenging of times.

He stated after giving the most clearest definition of the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:9–10 KJV 1900

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

1 Corinthians

Paul said I remained humble and I kept serving.

Rev. Willie Morganfield in his album Serving The Lord said:

“Serving the Lord (serving the Lord)

Will pay off (will pay off)

After while (It will pay off after while)

Serving God ( serving God)

It will pay off (it will pay off)

After while (it will pay off after while)

Verse I

Just keep working, every day

Whatever is right

God said He would pay

Serving the Lord

I know it will pay off Oh, yes

After while (it will pay off after while)

Well Brother Pastor If serving the Lord will payoff after while then give me the recipe for the endurance that I need.

You Have To Be Part of The Family.

The People who serve...

Paul calls them “my beloved brethren”.

The People who serve

He is referring to the children of God. Not just the believers in Corinth, but the saints of all the ages. He is talking to you and me! We, those who are born again.

You have to be born again to serve in God’s Church.

The word “therefore” draws our minds back to all that Paul has said in these verses.

He is telling us that the hope we possess is a motivator to spiritual action for God’s glory.

Being saved, sure and secure does not mean that we can just sit back and rest in what we have, to wait on the rapture or death.

Being saved means we are to get to work for the glory of God!

Knowing the truth about God and salvation is a powerful motivator for service.

You see, belief always affects behavior! Believing the right things about Jesus and about the future will cause us to get busy for His glory.

When you find bad behavior you can track it back to belief.

Because you are part of the family there are three things that you must do.

The phrase “be ye” is in the imperative mood. It signals a command! We have no choice in these matters!

Paul Counsels Us To Be Stable – The word “steadfast” means “to be seated; settled and firmly situated”.

It reminds us that we are to be rooted and grounded in what we believe and hold true to who we serve.

We are to be “seated firmly” in what God has called us to do.

Paul Counsels Us To Be Stubborn – The word “unmovable” means “not moved from a place; firmly persistent; motionless.”

There are many times when stubbornness is not appropriate, but in the Lord’s work, a good dose of bullheadedness is perfectly in order!

We must allow nothing to move us from our determination to serve the Lord!

Paul Challenges Us To Be Strong – “Abounding” has the idea of “exceeding a fixed amount; overflowing; exceeding”.

When we consider what we have and who we are by grace; we will be motivated to go all out for the Lord.

He “lavished” His grace on us when He saved us,

Ephesians 1:7–8 KJV 1900

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Ephesians 1:7-8 , the least we can do is to go “overboard” in our service for Him! If we must err, let us err on the side of doing too much for Him; of going to far for the Lord; of being too on fire; of being overly fanatical for Him.

The least we can do is to go “overboard” in our service for Him!

If we must err, let us err on the side of doing too much for Him; of going to far for the Lord; of being too on fire; of being overly fanatical for Him.

Theres a Promise for Serving the Lord

We Can Serve with Confidence – Paul tells us that “we know” that our work for Jesus matters.

There is no sacrifice, no struggle, no self-denial, no valley, no work goes unnoticed and none will fail to pay eternal benefits.

So, keep praying, keep serving, and keep living for Jesus.

What you do for Him in His name is “not in vain”.

That is, it is not a “waste of time”. It is not an “exercise in futility”.

He sees it all,

Proverbs 15:3 KJV 1900

3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good.

Proverbs

Proverbs 15:3 KJV 1900

3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good.

. He knows it all. One day, He will reward it all, . He is watching, and if we are doing all we do for Him and His glory, we can be sure that He sees it all. That should give us the confidence to continue serving Him regardless of what life brings our way.

He will reward it all,

He will reward it all, . He is watching, and if we are doing all we do for Him and His glory, we can be sure that He sees it all. That should give us the confidence to continue serving Him regardless of what life brings our way.

Revelation 22:12 KJV 1900

12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

He is watching, and if we are doing all we do for Him and His glory, we can be sure that He sees it all.

. He is watching, and if we are doing all we do for Him and His glory, we can be sure that He sees it all. That should give us the confidence to continue serving Him regardless of what life brings our way.

That should give us the confidence to continue serving Him regardless of what life brings our way.

We can Serve with Consolation – Sometimes the road we walk is hard.

Sometimes the burdens we bear are heavy.

Sometimes the work we are called to do seems endless and unrewarding.

The word used to describe it here is the word “labour”.

This word means “intense labor united with trouble and toil”. It has the idea of “work that results in pain and agony”.

Sometimes our walk with the Lord is just like that! There are times when it seems that no one notices and no one cares. There are times when you may feel unappreciated and that you are carrying out a thankless task. In those times walk in confidence because the Lord is watching and when He comes, He will reward you. He will say “Thank you!” If we walk with Him; work for Him and wait patiently for Him, the day will come when He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” I don’t know about you, but that is what I want to hear!

Sometimes our walk with the Lord is just like that!

There are times when it seems that no one notices and no one cares.

There are times when you may feel unappreciated and that you are carrying out a thankless task.

In those times walk in confidence because the Lord is watching and when He comes, He will reward you.

If we walk with Him; work for Him and wait patiently for Him, the day will come when He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

I don’t know about you, but that is what I want to hear!

1 Corinthians 15:57 KJV 1900

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.