To Each His Work

Over the last month we have taken a look at how we can discern/know God’s will for our lives. We discussed three major areas that we can concentrate on and ultimately practice, to accomplish this task. Notably, all three of these disciplines are closely related if not intertwined. What are they? Does anyone remember? First, the necessity of being in the Word of God. Carol has distributed the Bible in one year. How are we doing with that? I hope you will continue to try to make Bible reading part of your daily routine.

What was the second discipline? That’s right prayer. Are we carving out time to pray? Too busy? Remember, we are too busy not to pray. When you get home please do a simple exercise. Compare the time you spent in you Bible and prayer this last week to your screen time on your device(s). I think we will find that we do not have shortage of time, but rather, a problem prioritizing it!

And what was the most recent discipline that we discussed. Spending time with other believers. Let us schedule some time with someone in our church family that you would like to get to know better.

I have been moved to share with you today a message that is near and dear to my heart and brings tears to my eyes. It was originally penned over 120 years ago. It has never had more relevance that it has today.

As many of you know, I received my master’s degree from Moody Theological Seminary formerly known as Moody Bible Institute. The school was founded by Dwight Lyman Moody. He is the author of the work we are about share. The original sermon has been edited for a couple reasons. First, DL Moody never finished school, so the poor grammar has been corrected. Some of the detail that does not have direct relevance to today has been omitted. I ask your forgiveness in advance for reading a great deal of this work in an attempt to represent the original sentiment as accurately as possible

Let’s Pray!

And now Dwight Lyman Moody’s sermon entitled TO EVERY MAN HIS WORK.

"To every man his work." Mark 13:34.

I want to call your attention to a verse you will find in the 13th chapter of Mark, part of the 34th verse—" To every man his work." "For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter (door keeper) to watch." Now, by reading that verse carefully it doesn’t read, "to every man some work," or "to every man a work; but "to every man his work." And I believe, if the truth were known, that every man and woman gathered here today has a work laid out for them to do. For the Bible says: "Every man shall be brought unto judgment, and everyone shall give an account of the deeds done in the body.

And it seems to me that every one of us ought to take this question home today: "Am I doing the work that God has for me to do?" In the parable told by our Lord in Matthew 25:14, the man who had two talents had the same reward as the man who had five talents. He heard the same words as the man who had five talents. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." But if we take the talent that God has given us and lay it away carefully in a napkin and bury it away, God will take even that from us. God doesn’t expect a man that has got one talent to do the work of a man that has ten. All a man has got to answer for is the one that God has given him. If all of us were to do the work that God has for us to do, don't you see how the work of the Lord would advance? I believe in what John Wesley used to say, "All at it, and always at it”. That is what the church needs to say.

What are we all down in this world of sickness and sorrow for, unless it is to work for the Son of God? Now, there isn't a father or a mother here that would not think it a great misfortune if their children shouldn't grow any for the next ten or fifteen years. That little boy there, if he shouldn't grow any for ten or fifteen years, his mother would say, "It is a great calamity." Yet I know some men of my acquaintance who make the same prayers they made fifteen or twenty years ago. They are like a horse on a treadmill—it is always the same old story of their experiences when they were converted.

Let us do all the business we can. If we can't be a lighthouse, let us be a tallow candle. If the people of this city should do that now, if each one should come here with our candle, don't you think there would be a good deal of light? Let all the gas be put out in this hall, and one solitary candle would give a little light here. If we can't be a lighthouse, let us be a tallow candle.

You are all the time receiving these grand truths, but never giving them out. When you hear it, go and scatter the sacred truth abroad. Instead of having one minister to preach to a thousand people, the thousand ought to take a sermon and spread it till it reaches those that never go to church or chapel. Instead of having a few, we ought to have thousands using the precious talents that God has given them.

Andrew got the reputation of bringing people to Christ. He went about it in the right way; he began right. I imagine that when Christ wanted mighty deeds done, he went out and hunted up Andrew. Andrew inquired of the people, "Have you seen anything of Peter?" And when he found him, he brought him to Christ. Little did Andrew know of the importance of the day when he brought Peter to Christ. Little did he think that on that day he did the greatest act of his life. What joy must have filled his heart when he saw three thousand brought under the influence of the Spirit by that holy man.

Oh, you cannot tell what results will follow, if you just improve the talent God has given you by bringing one Simon Peter to Christ. Then we read that when the Greeks came and wanted to see Jesus, Andrew met them and brought them all to Christ. Andrew had a reputation of bringing sinners to Christ. That is a good reputation. I would rather have that reputation than any other. Oh, the joy there is in bringing people to Christ! This is what we all can do, if we will. If God has not given us but half a talent, let us make good use of that.

When Jesus told the people to take their seats by fifties, he told Philip to get food for them. "What," says Philip, "feed them with this little loaf? Why, there is not more than enough for the first man." "Yes, go and feed them with that.", our Lord said. Philip thought that was a very small amount for such a multitude of hungry men. He broke off a piece for the first man and didn't miss it; a piece for the second man and didn't miss it. He was making good use of the loaf, and God kept increasing it. That is what the Lord wants to do with us. He will give us just as many talents as we can take care of.

There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord; but few of us willing to do little things. The mighty sermon on regeneration was preached to one man. There are many who are willing to preach to thousands but are not willing to take their seat beside one soul, and lead that soul to the blessed Jesus.

We must get down to personal effort—this bringing one by one to the Son of God. We can find no better example of this than in the life of Christ himself. Look at that wonderful sermon that he preached to that lone woman at the well of Samaria. He was tired and weary, but he had time and the heart to preach for her. This is but one of many instances in the life of the Master from which we may learn a precious lesson.

If the Son of God had time to preach to one soul, cannot every one of us go and do the same? If people, instead of merely coming to these meetings, folding up their arms and enjoying themselves, without personal effort, would wake up to the fact that they have a work to do, what a wonderful work could be done! We want ten thousand men and women that are willing to say, "Lord, here am I, use me." Ten thousand of such people would revolutionize this city. Look at the work of the mighty Wesley. The world never saw a hundred such men living at the same time. The trouble is, we are afraid to speak to men about their souls. Let us ask God to give us grace to overcome this man-fearing spirit. There is a wife, but she dares not speak to her husband about his soul. There is a father that dare not speak to a son about his soul. What we want to do is to speak to our neighbors about these things. We call it a little work but let me say to you it is a great deal. If we would do this, we might turn ten thousand to the Son of God.

I remember once, while preaching at a meeting, of noticing in the congregation a lady who had a class in a mission school. I knew that it was the time for them to meet, and I wondered what she was there for. When I got home, I said: "How did you happen to be at the meeting this afternoon? Haven't you a class that meets to-day?" "Yes," she said; "but I only have five little boys, and I didn't think it would matter if I didn't teach them to-day." "Have you five little boys?" "Yes." "How do you know but among those little boys there may be a Knox; there may be a Wesley, or a Whitefield, or a Bunyan? There may be a man there who will go out and revolutionize the world." If you have five little children come to you, thank God for that, and start with your work.

I heard, some time ago, of a young lady that went out to a boarding-school. Her parents were very wealthy and sent her to the best school they could find. They were very anxious that their daughter should shine in the highest circle of society, that she should become refined and educated. Among her associates at school was a lady who loved and worked for Christ. By constant labor she won this young girl's heart and pleaded with her to become a Christian. She succeeded, and the young lady became a worker in the vineyard of the Lord. She taught her the luxury of working for Christ. She labored with her schoolmates, and God used her in winning quite a number of young ladies in that school to Christ.

One day, as she was walking up the street, she saw a little boy running out of a shoemaker's shop, and behind him was the old shoemaker, chasing him, with a wooden last in his hand. He had not run far until the wooden shoe form was thrown at him, and he was struck in the back. The boy stopped and began to cry. The Spirit of the Lord touched that young lady's heart, and she went to where he was. She stepped up to him and asked him if he was hurt. He told her it was none of her business. She asked him if he went to school. He said, "No." "Well, why don't you go to school?" "Don't want to." She asked him if he would not like to go to Sunday school. "If you will come," she said, "I will tell you beautiful stories, and read nice books." She coaxed and pleaded with him, and at last said that if he would consent to go she would meet him on the corner of a street which they should agree upon. He at last consented; and the next Sunday, true to his promise, he waited for her at the place designated. She took him by the hand and led him into the Sabbath-school. "Can you give me a place to teach this little boy?" she asked of the superintendent. He looked at the boy, but they didn't have any one who looked like that in the school. A place was found, however, and she sat down in the corner with the boy and tried to win that soul for Christ.

Many would look upon her efforts with contempt, but she had got something to do for the Master. The little boy had never heard anybody sing so sweetly before. When he went home, he was asked where he had been. "I have been among the angels," he told his mother. He said he had been to the Protestant Sabbath-school; but his father and mother told him he must not go there any more or he would get a flogging (That was beating). The next Sunday he went, and when he came home, he got the promised flogging. He went the second time and got a flogging, and also a third time, with the same result. At last, he said to his father: "I wish you would flog me before I go, and then I won't have to think of it when I am there." The father said: "If you go to that Sabbath school again, I will kill you." It was the father's custom to send his son out on the street to sell articles to passers-by; and he told the boy that he might have the profits of what he sold on Saturday. The little fellow hastened to the young lady's house and said to her: "Father said that he would give me every Saturday to myself; and if you will just teach me then, I will come to your house every Saturday afternoon."

I wonder how many young ladies there are that would give up their Saturday afternoons just to teach one boy the way into the kingdom of God. Every Saturday afternoon that little boy was there at her house, and she tried to tell him the way to Christ. She labored with him, and at last the light of God's Spirit broke upon his heart. One day, while he was selling his wares at the railroad station, a train of cars approached unnoticed and passed over both his legs. A physician was summoned, and the first thing after he arrived, the little sufferer looked up into his face, and said, "Doctor, will I live to get home?" "No," said the doctor, "you are dying." "Will you tell my mother and father that I died a Christian?" They bore home the boy's corpse, and with it the last message that he died a Christian. Oh, what a noble work was that young lady's in saving that little wanderer! How precious the remembrance to her! When she goes to heaven, she will not be a stranger there. He will take her by the hand and lead her to the throne of Christ. She did the work cheerfully. Oh, may God teach us what our work is, that we may do it for his glory.

It is the greatest pleasure of living to win souls to Christ. Isn't it high time that the church got awake from its midnight slumber? It is time the work was commenced; and when the Spirit of God revives it, shan't we go and do it? Are there not five thousand Christians in this hall, and isn’t there some one among them that can lead a soul to Christ within the next week? If we work, what a great army can be brought in, if we are only faithful! I want to say to the Christians here that there is one rule I have followed that has helped me wonderfully. I made it a rule that I wouldn't let a day pass without speaking to someone about their soul's salvation; and it they didn't hear the gospel from the lips of others, there will be 365 in a year that shall hear the gospel from my lips. There are five thousand Christians here to-night; can't they say, "We won't let a day pass without speaking a word to someone about the cause of Christ?"

Oh, may the Spirit of the Lord come upon us today and may every one of us be taught by the Holy Spirit what our work is, and may we be ready to do it! This concludes DL Moody’s sermon.

Cleary there are not 5,000 people in this church today. But there are enough to accomplish something great for God. Let us recall DL Moody’s challenge to talk to at least one person a day. Can we commit to just once per week?

Here is a personal observation that grieves me deeply. If we don’t have the courage to invite one person a week to our church, we probably are not going to be able to talk to people about their eternal destiny. What is going get us to the point where we are no longer ashamed of the Gospel of Christ? I believe we are comfortable, complacent, and just plain selfish. I am looking for just two people in this room today that will join me in talking to at least one person per day and inviting them to church. That’s right, just two! I am not asking, as DL Moody was, that you share the gospel once per day. If you do that is great! I am asking that you start to plant seeds for establishing relationships so that you earn the right to be heard.

Do we come to this church, or others, and hear these amazing truths, but never sharing them with others? When you hear it, go and scatter the sacred truth around Williston. Instead of having one minister to preach to the lost, we ought to all take the responsibility to share the good news until it reaches those that never step foot in a church Instead of having a few sharing, we ought to all be sharing using the precious talents that God has given us.

Are we as Moody said, merely coming to these gatherings, folding up our arms and enjoying ourselves, without personal effort? Let us wake up and smell the coffee and realize that we have a work to do. What a wonderful work could be done!

Are you the servant that was given 5 talents? Two talents? Or are you the one who was given only one talent and squandered the opportunity to use it productively?

Let’s pay!