Pastor Dwight at Living Word Church - Brisbane Australia

Pastor Dwight Hicks talks about faithfulness to God and the importance of serving Him in daily life.

He shares personal experiences of serving God from a young age and the meaning of faithfulness.

The passage in Matthew 25 is discussed, highlighting that God measures faithfulness by the smallest actions.

The body is considered a temple of the Holy Spirit, and faithfulness involves glorifying God in all aspects of life.

Hello everybody, my name is Wayne Clarice and welcome back to Living Word Church. No, I'm actually not at the church, I'm actually outside in my patio area. But I want to tell you about church. Now, my family and I, we've been going to Living Word for about two years. My friends, it has changed our life. You know, you find faith there, you find freedom there, you know, you're not condemned. You know, we have a great pastor, Pastor Dwight Hicks. You know, my friend, we love you. The Clarice family loves you very much, you and your wife. and we just love coming to church. Now, I want you guys to be so enthusiastic about watching Living Word as much as we love going there. Now, don't you go anywhere. I'm going to see you at the end of the broadcast. I'll see you there. Before you start watching, I'd like you to hit the subscribe button. That's it. The red button right there on Living Word Church. Thank you. Praise the Lord. You may be seated. God is so good. Last week the Lord spoke to us through tongues and interpretation I listened to it because usually when you're giving it you're just sort of going on and then I lose the impact of what the Lord's saying and one of the things that he said in the tongues and interpretation that was for quite a while for a number of times he used the word faithful so I'm breaking into what I was teaching about and I want to talk about to the faithful he used the word faithful and this passage came to me in Luke I believe it is, no it's in Matthew and I want to go to Matthew 25 first of all now as we start our teaching on this but to the faithful quite often our messages are about people that are not here we talk about church attendance well we're talking to the people that are here we talk about offerings and to be faithful with our finances and the people are here that are faithful with the finances and quite often we're not we're preaching to the converted when we are no we're talking to those who are not here when we should be talking to those that are here to the faithful it's an interesting passage as far as Matthew 25 here that I believe it's verse 21 I'm just going a different way that's the reason why I'm stumbling a little bit at the moment and it said here in verse 21 his Lord said to him well done good and reliable servant you have been faithful over a little and I'll point you over much into into the master's joy now it's interesting it talks about talents which could be finances it talks about gifts and that and it could be other things that we do with our life and that which we just do for the Lord and we do not just at church but in our daily life also and what happens a lot of times we people will say well I just count the money at church but I want you to notice there that it says here I will appoint you over much enter into the master's job because you've been faithful over little so you see when God measures it up in a container he isn't measuring it up in how much it's done how many souls you won to the Lord how big a church that you had or what you did as far as the Lord was concerned as long as you were doing something he says here, it's interesting, it says if you are faithful over little so he goes right down to the smallest little bit So whatever you do for the Lord and are doing for the Lord, we may consider it or people may consider it very, very small. Oh, well, it's just something that I do. No, no, no. You're actually being faithful and you're being faithful doing it. So we quite often think this and we say, well, you know, well, I'm doing it for the church. I'm doing it for the Lord. But we don't really, because we don't look too much in the scripture about it. What is it talking about being faithful to the Lord? I want to give you the meaning of the word faithfulness here and this is what it means it actually means it means that there's a price being paid and you are returning to the Lord for a price being paid that's the first part of it when I first met Geraldine I promised her that this is just me and we all did this as far as our marriages were concerned and that I promised and we stood at a podium with a marriage celebrant, our pastor, Pastor Reg Clemonop and we made a confession to each other. Our confession was that we would be faithful to each other. Our confession was it would be, it didn't matter if it was in sickness or health or richer or poorer that we would be faithful and in those days you'd say forsaking all others I join myself to you that we might be one now whatever has happened in your life in the past is one thing in our lives let's just move on let's not just stay with past mistakes we might have felt that we might have made in whatever but when I gave my life to Jesus I didn't really understand too much I was only 14 years old I really didn't go on for a few years of that till I got filled with the Holy Spirit but when I got filled with the Holy Spirit all I wanted to do you know I was 17 no I wasn't I was 16 all I wanted to do when I got filled with the Holy Spirit was just serve God but I didn't give you what it was I wanted everything God had when I heard this guy talking in tongues in a prayer meeting I said to him are you talking in Hebrew and he says no I'm talking in tongues I said what's tongues he said it's the gift of the Lord I said well I want it I want it it's as simple as that so I've always been hungry for the Lord I'm not saying that you're not I'm just saying I've always been hungry for the Lord have I done things always the right way a lot of times not the right way but the one thing that I wanted to do was always sort of serve the Lord and do what I could possibly for the Lord even in the early days it was just picking up the hymn books that's where we had hymn books and her books hymn books and stacking them and putting them in their right place for the next to be done and I didn't mind locking up at church at night time in the day time turning all the lights off and I really didn't know what I was going to do in life was concerned. I just wanted to serve the Lord and do whatever I could at whatever age and that. And I found this passage, and I want to go to this passage here in 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, it is 6 verse 19. It's an interesting passage again. And it says here, when I gave my life to the Lord. And it says, or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? You know, he's not just interested in our spirit, but our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that dwells within you. So the Holy Spirit dwells within you and I. Which of you have of God, and you are not of your own, for you have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, because they belong to God. Now, I don't think any of us have glorified God in our body to the fullest potential that we possibly can, and we've probably made some really big blunders in our lives of that. But that doesn't stop God from dwelling in us. You know, God doesn't sort of, if you do something or go to a place that's not right, God sort of doesn't, okay, I'll just get out for a little while and step over here while you enjoy yourself and when you're ready to repent of it, I'll just come back in again and then we'll get on the path again. God's not like that. God is very, very well able to deal with any mishaps that we find ourselves in in life or anything that we do. He keeps maintaining, our body keeps maintaining being the temple of the Holy Ghost. We're talking about faithfulness. And you might think, well, you know, what is faithfulness for? It's doing the right thing. Yes, it is. Well, I'm faithful to Geraldine because there are benefits by being faithful to Geraldine. Geraldine's faithful to me because there are benefits just in the natural of being faithful in reverse the same way. but you know as far as the Lord is concerned when the Lord said you know it said there that well done thou good and faithful servant enter into the master's joy or enter into the rest of the Lord why are we being faithful for what are you coming to church for have you ever thought you know when I get to heaven oh it will be okay when I get to heaven let's just forget about heaven at the moment let's just forget about heaven because heaven really doesn't start stay with me now heaven really doesn't start the real heaven doesn't start till after a thousand years when there is a new heaven and a new earth come down and a new Jerusalem come down and there we spend eternity with with God from then on that's then when there is no such thing as age or years but before that there is there's a thousand year reign of Christ now I want you if you have ever ever thought because the book of Revelation and except for chapter 21 and 22 is not talking about us in heaven. It's actually talking about after the seven churches of that and then just on the next chapter after that, after that it's talking about the thousand year reign of Christ. Now, when it talks about the day of the Lord, we're talking about faithfulness. That's what we're talking about. Why am I, what will happen to me when I, after the seven years when we come back to the earth we are being faithful today for the Lord and we will be doing things for a thousand years. People will live and people will die. People will be born and people will die and people will also get saved. But they won't get saved like us. We will be not in heaven but we'll be on the earth for a thousand years. Now that is actually called and you will see that in the scripture. That is called the day of the Lord. the thousand years is called the day of the Lord that's the reason why in context of that passage where it says there in Peter in second Peter I believe it is it says that a day with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day with the Lord and then after that it talks about the new heaven and new earth so so what happens is it's saying here it's saying in if when it talks to the seven churches that we're just going to have a quick look at not the seven churches but the rewards of the faithful in the seven churches. Now there's a church down the coast, true? And there's a church here at Springwood. Now if Jesus has got to write a letter, he would say the church down the coast. Now it wouldn't be talking about me, would it? It would be talking about the church down the coast So when he talking about the seven churches he not talking about the present day churches He talking about the church in Sardis the church in Tyotira the church of Philadelphia and all of those churches He talking about the churches in a local area seven churches in a local area that are going downhill really quick. So the letters have been written to them and he's saying there, if you overcome, if you overcome, if you overcome. Now the church itself didn't overcome because 17 AD the earthquake came through and destroyed all the area, all that area. The churches were not rebuilt. What happened to the faithful Christians? Well, the faithful Christians just kept being faithful. It's as simple as that. You might say, oh, what was happening in the churches? The churches, it wasn't just small things happening in the churches. There were major things happening in the churches. There was false prophetesses who were sleeping with the people in the church, with the leaders in the church. There was all sorts of idol worship and fornication and adultery and everything going on in the worst state in the church. And that's the reason why the letters were written. They had left their first love. They were neither hot nor cold. They were lukewarm. There was no attitude of going anywhere. Gnosticism and a lot of things had crept into the church. And the church was going downhill. So there were seven letters written to seven churches. Now there is a thinking that the seven churches are seven periods of time that the church will go through before Jesus comes back again. That could be true, but it's not in context to believe that. So we look at this, and this is where it uses the word, to he that overcomes. We could use the word there, to those that are faithful, this has happened now. The rewards that we are going to look at are actually the rewards that will go to Christians, us today, that go to us for our job or our position that we will do for being faithful for a thousand years. We will live for a thousand years with Christ and we will reign with Christ over the earth for a thousand years before the great white throne of judgment at the end. And then all unrighteousness is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. and then the earth, the old earth and the old heaven is burnt up of a consuming fire and then a new heaven and a new earth comes and then eternity. There'll be no more years or time after that. But until the end of the thousand years there still will be such a thing as time. There'll be no need of sun, there'll be no need of anything as far as the new heaven and the new earth because God will be in us, we'll be in God and whatever we will be doing it is not mentioned. but it is mentioned what we'll be doing for the thousand years. It's interesting. Before we go there, just have a look at another passage in 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 8 and 9. And this is what it says. Who will also strengthen you to the end so that you may be blameless in the day of the Lord. Now notice the day of the Lord. It's interesting. and this thing day of the Lord comes up a lot and people think oh it's the day of the Lord when the Lord comes back but it's actually not in context of scripture it's not talking about that because they all know about a heavenly kingdom and they all know about things that will be happening in particular times and it says here who will strengthen you in the end so that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ now God by whom you have been called to the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord is trustworthy King James is faithful so God is faithful what is God faithful in God is faithful to perform his word in you and I as we exercise faith in him God is not unfaithful now because God is faithful that means that he remembers and he records everything that we do for him for a purpose you might say well for what for what purpose you know well you know i'll just get to heaven it would be good enough but it says that if you're faithful over little you'll be a ruler over much doesn't it that's what it says in matthew there we looked at so you get to you get to count money here in the you're doing it faithful to the lord until you go to be with the lord and that and for a thousand years you get to rule over much because you've been faithful over little because people say well you know i'm not a i'm not a billy graham and i'm not this or not it's not talking about that it's talking about being faithful for what is in your hand now today you know a lot of people want to be faithful and the stuff that they're believing for but it's not about that it's what you've got in your head today that you and I are faithful in. And God sees that, not as little, but as much. That's what he does. So for the sake of the term faithfulness, I want to go over to Revelations. And I just want to read these out to you so that you understand them. I'm not going to read them through the scripture of that because I'll end up getting swayed onto something else in here. So it says here, today's message is about you. And to let you know that there are rewards for you because you have been faithful. I wrote after this, you little ripper. Okay, so you don't get to heaven and he gives you a palm leaf or something and you get to hold a palm leaf for a trillion years. No, does it? Jesus said in John 14 verse 2, it says, I go to prepare a place for you. in my father's house are many rooms now you hear the term terminology in the King James and it says this I go to prepare a mansion for you in my father's house are many rooms it's not talking about a mansion people said oh they've gone to heaven and seen their mansion I'm happy for them but that's not what that's talking about he says here I go to prepare a place for you in my father's house are many rooms It's actually talking about many rooms of authority and positions to rule over. Puts a whole new picture on it, doesn't it? Now, the book of Revelation gives us a little bit more insight into rewards of faithfulness for us. Now, Revelations 2.7, I'm not going to read about all of it if you don't do something. You know, you're going to get a kick in the bum, you know. But Revelations 2, in the first church there, it says there, for being faithful, I'm using the word faithful as far as overcoming is concerned. it says you will eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God you might say so overcome I get to eat a tree well remember the tree of life that was in the garden of Eden Jesus said there or Christ at that time said that now let's get man, drive him out of the garden so that he doesn't eat of the tree of life and live forever so you see he's saying here at this particular time he stopped man as a sinner as a fallen creature from eating from a tree of life otherwise he would live forever as a sinner without any chance to be able to be born again or to have eternal life so he says here to those who are faithful eat of the tree of life in the in the midst of the paradise of God which represents eternal life you might say don't I have eternal life now no you only have sort of eternal life for your for your for your spirit and your soul you don't have eternal life for your body well why do i need a body why do i need an immortal incorruptible body you'll have a body like jesus christ on this earth you'll have a body like jesus christ and on this earth for a thousand years at the rapture exactly the same as jesus had when he was walking with the two on the road to Emmaus and then also in the upper room and also when he was with all of the people for the number of days before he was ascended. What type of body did he have? He had a body that did eat but he had a body that did not need to be located in one place and have to travel to another place by natural means. So as far as a thousand year reign is concerned we will have a body like Jesus. We will be in Brisbane one day and within a few moments because of it's our position, our job, our responsibility we could be in New York just instantly like that. They who are on the earth won't be like that that we rule over. It will be us who have immortal, incorruptible bodies. Death will no longer hurt us because of Jesus. so 2 verse 7 says there that you'll eat of the tree of life in the midst of the power of God that represents eternal life remember we're talking about eating of a tree of life and living forever which is Jesus yes as far as our mind our soul is concerned as far as our spirit is concerned but he wants us to have eternal life with our immortal incorruptible bodies will we have a body like we've got? I hope not you know well what sort of a body will you have well number one first of all if you went to heaven right now and you have an immortal incorruptible body you would look at a mirror and say who's that because you wouldn't recognize just the same as they didn't recognize jesus so you went oh let's say hey darren hey there's darren dorothy out there guys how you going no we won't recognize well how will we recognize each other well you'll just have to wait a little bit further we will know instantly we will know so the second one is there in revelations 2 verse 11 part of those who are faithful is to not be heard of the second death well the second death of course is the eternal separation from god and eternal punishment of a lake of fire we we get we get not to um to heat marshmallows we get not to go to the second death we we we will have immortal incorruptible bodies which death has been destroyed as far as we are concerned because we will have a body like Jesus but there will be people that will be hurt in the second death but we are the faithful we are the overcoming ones we have kept the course so not only do we have eternal life we will not be hurt by the second death which is which happens at the end of the thousand years and Revelations 2.17 and they will get to those who are faithful will get to eat of the hidden manna you might say well we know who the hidden manna is it Jesus it hidden to the world but not to us Now in the wilderness they ate of the manna What was that manna called Angel's food. Angel food, that's what it was called. It was called food from heaven, it was the food that angels ate. Now the trouble is that the eating of the food that angels ate, they ate of it but they still had to collect more to eat again to be able to sustain themselves. so it says here you eat of the hidden manna which is Jesus now in the wilderness in the wilderness they ate of that night again but Jesus came and said if you eat of my body and drink of my blood you will never ever never have to eat or drink again because eternity will be living inside of us we will be given and then it says also it says here this is the interesting parts now now you'll be given a white stone with a name on it whoopee got a white stone with my name written on walk around this is me Darren my name's Bob it's been changed white stone thank you Jesus did a lot for a white stone you know we may think that that doesn't why would you give someone a white stone and write a name on it. The white stone, we might be able to say, but the white stone, which it does, represents innocence and a reprieve from punishment. This is where it really gets good. So you get a white stone with a name on. You walk around showing everyone your white stone. But guess what? All of the faithful people are going to be having white stones with their names written on it. You might be able to go, oh, that's my name. It might be like a talking hand, won't it? You know, a white stone. When I get to heaven, I do not want to get to heaven because of what I've done on the earth and have a pebble with my name written on and it's white. It's got to mean more than that. Well, as far as in those days we're concerned, a white stone with a name written on in the Roman Empire meant that you were sentenced to death, but the government gave you a reprieve and the white stone with your name written on was a guarantee that the soldiers couldn't take you. You could pull it out of your pocket and go, that's what it meant. Oh, okay. But not only that, you didn't get the sentence of death, but it also meant that you had, that you actually, if you touch them, then the Roman government would actually deal with you. It's like us, isn't it? The devil touches us, guess what? He has to deal with God. Amen. Here's the deal with God. And it says that no man will know it except you. So I've got a name written on it. What's the name written on the white stone? No one will know it except me. Well, what benefit is that? This is just a little bit confusing, Jesus. But it isn't for that time that it's written. They know exactly what it's talking about. They know that if they can go anywhere in the Roman Empire and they have freedom to walk. They'll never be judged for their crime. they have a sentence of freedom they cannot be arrested they cannot be anything well then okay what does that mean it talks about authority as far as it as far as heaven is concerned in the earth because the next one in revelation 2 verse 26 he said that i will give you authority i will give you authority over the nations to rule it says there to like a potter does to break the claim, to rebuild it again. It means judgment. It means control. It means authority. So those who are faithful, I will give you authority over nations. So we, us, the Christians, who continue to be faithful, will be given authority over nations. You might say, well, I don't want to be authority over nations. I think when we get to heaven for the seven years at the marriage supper of the land and everything is explained to us what we'll be doing for the next thousand years because at the end of the seven years while there's a whole lot of stuff happening on the earth we get to come back with Jesus I know the Bible says we come back on heaven's steeds, horses and ride back with him thousands upon thousands of rain back to execute judgment upon the earth to set up a millennium rain now it's interesting to know these things because that's what the Roman government wanted to do and not only that that's what Hitler wanted to do he wanted to set up a thousand year reign I didn't know if he thought he was going to live for a thousand year or not but he said he just listened to the voices well it was the same voice that spoke to the Roman Empire and then it says here I'll give you authority of the nations to rule and he says I'll give you the morning star so I've got a white stone with my name written on the only thing I know about it. And not only that, I've got authority over the nations, but now I've got a morning star. What is the good of a morning star? No, I've got a stone and a star. I feel like the Statue of Liberty. It says here, I will give you authority over the nations, the world, and I'll give you the morning star. The morning star represents the revelation of Christ's coming at the end of the thousand-year reign. So as far as the earth is concerned, they won't know when Christ is going to come back the second time at the end of the thousand years. Now we do know that Satan gets a little bit ahead of it because he's locked away for a thousand years. And at the end, Satan is let loose for a season because he knows his time is short. So he deceives the nations for a very short time and they say that short time is three to six months. and then at that time then Christ comes and we get with Christ to rule and to judge all those that have been alive and have died since time began you might say how long will they take I don't know but I think that we'll know at that date so the revelation of Christ coming at the end for a thousand year reign Revelation 3.5 says we're clothed in white so I've got a white stone I've got a morning star and I've got white clothes on. What does all this mean? Everyone's going to have a white stone. Everyone's going to have a morning star. And everyone's going to have a white robe on now. Does this really mean anything? Yes, it does. Because to be clothed in a white robe as far as the Roman Empire was, was the highest honour of purity. You had immediate entrance to any of the Roman special events. and festivals and all that saw you with the white robe on saw that you had authority and that you have privileges that came from the Roman government so for a thousand years they will know they will know yeah you won't be running around for a pair of white undies on you know and that but that they will know that you have authority they will know your name means something they will know that you are who Christ says that you are you will be not like them that are on the earth again clothed in white was the highest authority of purity and honour the Roman special festivals and events all would see and know that you had special privileges then you get to this one where you can swap it around a little bit to make people feel guilty and I will not blot your name out of the book of life thinking that oh my God if we don't overcome he's got to get the big eraser you know and then a couple of names then like blot your name out of the book of life it's sort of like this this is what they say and I believe this is more true in relation to grace and what we understand he's actually saying he says I'll never blot your name out of the book of life I'll never blot your name He said, I will not block your name out of the book of life. Not saying that I will block your name out of the book of life, because he just said, no, I will not block your name out of the book of life. And the reason why I will not block your name out of the book of life is because I've confessed it before my father and before his angels. Is that what the Bible says? That's what it says. It says, I will not block his name out of the book of life. and this is because he will confess his name, my name, your name before my father and his angels and when Jesus says something and when Jesus does something we have to realise more and more that God knows about the future he knows about things we know about time his future isn't stuck in time it is an encompassing time that's the reason why we want everything done now and we pray to God and we want it all now and God doesn't do it now it's as simple as that because a lot of times the ecclesiastes says there's times for everything and it's in God's time Revelation 3.12 says and not only that I'll be a pillar in the temple of God I've got a white stone I've got my name written on the stone that no one knows except me and I'll turn around but you won't know I'm dressed in white and now he's going to make me a pillar in the temple of God things were really exciting for a while and to us it doesn't mean anything but when he wrote this when he wrote this and in the process of time especially after the earthquakes came through and destroyed all of those seven churches in Turkey which is Turkey now and that you will understand more what he was talking about this is what it meant I'll make you a pillar in the temple of my God he shall not go out again meaning that God's presence will be on him wherever he is now I will write upon him the name of my God the name of the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven which is the beginning of the reign of the thousand years and I'll write upon him a new name Now, because the temples that were in those days and the structure in those days were like the big colisee and big round things, a lot were left standing after the earthquakes. And what they did in those days those that survived would write their names on the pillars would write their names on the pillars so that when people come through they knew that those people had survived the terrible earthquakes of that Oh, right. They didn't die, they survived. So, he will write our name upon the pillars of God. Our names are so important that he will write our names, and people will know. Remember, a thousand year reign now. people will know that you were saved during the time before the rapture of the church that we were saved through the blood of Jesus Christ that we have eternal life living in us and around us and it says he shall not go out again meaning God's presence will be on him wherever he is we're talking about the thousand year reign these are things he talks that we will be doing for a thousand years in a shrouded way, a covered way in that. Revelations 3.21 And I'll grant him to sit with me on my throne, even as also I overcame and sat down with my father in his throne. So after the thousand year reign of Christ, it says that we will sit with Christ on his throne and judge all of the earth and all of those that have died and have lived before the thousand years and after the thousand years, during the thousand years. So we get to be really privileged. We get to be really privileged for our faithfulness. God says he does not forget our faithfulness. We might say, well, look, I just got saved. I came to church. I helped. I just washed the dishes. I just helped out and did things that needed to be done. And people think, well, you know, the pastor, he's done this, he's got a big reward of doing this. No, because I could be last and you could be first. Because it's about faithfulness of what we have in our hands that we do. It's not about how smart we are, how spiritual we think we are, or the world thinks, oh, look at all the scriptures you might know, or whatever people know. No, it's about just being faithful for God. And God really looks at a church. He looks at it extremely, extremely heavily. And he wants to remind you. He wants you to know that he doesn't forgot anything that you've done for him. And that you were doing for him. And he wants you to encourage yourself in that. He wants you to know that when you get to heaven and because you have been faithful doing what you have been doing, now we're talking about that he has places for you in that thousand year reign, Christ. Incredible, important places. You know that you will be amazed. You know that some men and women that feel they have a ministry to do this or to do that today, it's actually not for today. It's for the thousand years. You see, they'd never thought of that. Some people have thought they'd never thought about that. I remember once a very good friend of ours, she was 48 when she died, a man that helped us a lot in the early days in the Assemblies of God, and we did some mission trips with him. His wife died of cancer and she was 48, and she said before she died, She said, I really believed, I really believe with all my heart that God actually had called me to Japan to do a work for him. You know, so in our mind we think, in our mind, this is that we try to assess and to think what we're doing on this earth. And the things that we have secretly in our hearts, what we may like to do for God or that we may think that we will do for God. and then we die and we think, oh, I didn't fulfill that. But yes, you will. Because those dreams, those dreams are not just dreams like we dream. We wake up in the morning and they just disappear. Those dreams are real to God and they mean something. And every one of you, no matter who you are, and the Joannes to me who preaches the gospel, or every one of us, that we are faithful, faithful to do what is in our hand, what we can do for God. And if we are faithful, that's what this word faithfulness is all about. That's what it means to overcome. God may not have been talking to the church at Springwood when he was talking to the seven churches, and he wasn't. He wasn't talking to any other church in the area, those seven churches. But there are lessons that we can learn. We can read that and think, right, yep, that's true, that's true, I will do that, I'll keep that. And why do we keep that? Why do we put offerings in? Why do we do these things? We don't, we think, oh, it's nothing, I just did it because it needed to be done. No, because there's nothing that you do, nothing that we do that Jesus does not take record of. Nothing. the slightest little thing because he says if you're faithful over little I'll give you much to rule over much I don't want to rule over much and I don't really care too much about the thousand year reign or whatever I will be doing or we will be doing but he does want us to understand what faithfulness means how important faithfulness is let me give you the finish of this meaning of the word faithfulness Let's just see if I did write it down here. This is what it means. The meaning of the word faithfulness, the quality of being true to one's word or commitment, as to what one has pledged to do and the process to believe in and to perform one's duties, even though they may be diverse from each other. Let me read it to you again. The quality of being true to one's word or commitment as to what one has pledged to do and the process to believe in and to perform one's duties that they believe, each one of us I believe, that we are called to do. I'll read one more passage to you and I think it's in chapter 21. It says here, this is the end of the thousand years. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city in New Jerusalem coming down from God, prepared as a bride adorned for a husband. Everything before that is about up until the first couple of chapters is about the thousand years. and it's done symbolically and it's done in shadows and it's done in other forms of that and we say well what does it all mean? I don't really want to try and work it out have ideas but I'm not really interested I want to live life for today but I want to read this other passage to you in 2 Peter 3 verse 7 and then we'll close and this is what it says and it says here but the present heavens and earth This is the same as Revelation 21. But the present heavens and earth are sustained by his word and are reserved for fire on the day of judgment, which is the day of destruction of ungodly men. It says here, but my beloved, do not forget this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as of one day. the Lord is not negligent concerning his promises as some men count negligence but as long suffering toward you not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night when the heavens will suddenly pass away and the elements shall separate as they burn and the earth also and the works that are in and shall not be found now since all these things are to be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in your holy conduct and godliness looking for and longing for the coming of the day of the Lord of God wherein the heavens being tested with fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat nevertheless we according to his promise we look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness. Therefore, my beloved, while you look for these things, be diligent that you may be found by him in peace without spot and blameless in his love. Heavenly Father, we love your word. We love the book of the Bible. Father, I've endeavored to convey what has said to us to be faithful. and that it is worth to be faithful because you are not slack concerning your promises to us. You will keep your word to us and we will endeavor to keep our word to you, Father, and you will make up the difference for us. In Jesus' name. Everyone said. What a great broadcast. Thank you so much, Pastor. As I said, we love coming to church and we can't imagine not coming to church. Now, friends, before you leave today, I would say, could you please subscribe? Could you please like? And you can also comment. That's right. You can leave comments down the bottom of this video. Now by subscribing and commenting and liking these videos, I believe it gives the YouTube algorithm a kick. And so we'd like to promote the channel. We want to promote God, number one. Amen. So friends, I pray you enjoyed today's broadcast. As I said, my name is Wayne Clarice and you have just watched Living Word Church all the way from Springwood, Australia. I'll see you next week.

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