We take the Bible and turn to 1 Corinthians, 4th chapter, 1st verse. I just want to say something about that verse on the wine bottles. I don't know if you've ever read anything put out by some of the people that use grape juice. They speak of that, that they didn't cork their bottles. And I don't know if you've ever read that article or not. And the reason that you can't put new wine in old wine bottles, because when you put the cork in, When it ferments, it'll burst. If you put new wine in old wineskin and don't cork it, it will not burst. And if you know someone that that is their argument, those parables really reveal what they're saying is absolutely wrong. I thought I'd just throw that in. I don't know how much contact you've had. People use grape juice and some of the reasons they get for using it, and that's one of them. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 1, Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart, and then shall every man have praise of God. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos, for your sakes, that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. Let's pray together, please. Most gracious Heavenly Father, we do thank Thee for all Thy blessings in Christ Jesus and for Your mercies that are everlasting. We just thank Thee how How much you cared for us and loved us in everlasting love, and how Christ suffered and died for us. We just praise thee and thank thee for thy greatness and thy mercies toward us. We just pray that you would have mercy on the services this morning, everything be done. in a way pleasing in thy sight, that ye may have mercy upon each one according to their need. Those without Christ, ye might open up their understanding, and that they might believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and with your people, that we be edified and strengthened today. And we just give thee praise, and honor, and glory, this do unto thy name. For in Jesus' name, amen. Faithful stewards entitled to message and Ecclesiastes 7, 8, and 9 says, Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. And so the end is better than the beginning, because the end shows what the beginning really was. And some people make a profession of faith, but at the end, they have proven that they didn't make a true profession of faith. They fall away. And by the end, they're no longer, some of them don't even claim to be Christians that had made a profession of faith. Some things that we might start, and after a while, that the end of it, the start of it seems like it's grand and great and wonderful, but the end of it reveals what the beginning was, whether it was good or not. When we think about our stewardship in the things of the Word of God, the end of the matter is the proof. Paul proved himself to be a good steward of the Word of God. And as many of the others in the Bible, we know like Demas and those, did not prove themselves to be the ministers or the witnesses that they claimed to be early on. And so it is the long haul that determines the good steward. Sometimes we have stewardship campaigns, you know, and really, we don't usually do that, but some do that, and get all, you know, moved up and all that, and two weeks, it's gone. You know, it's come here, they did that, and gone on. It is those that endure, those that last on, and are good stewards of the Word of God. God has given us certain things, and as He's given us those things, we're to use them to His honor and glory. and as good stewards. And we think many of the things that churches do, I remember that I was in a group one time and they go out and survey the community and figure out how many people that you could get into the church and then go back and figure out if your church building was big enough to hold them. And then if it wasn't, you tore that down or just moved somewhere and built a new building. And then you'd fill that up, you know, go out and fill it up. The problem with that was as many of them went bankrupt. Some of them went completely under, and some did prosper, but the point I'm making, they were not good stewards of what God had given them. we're not to, if you will, intrude on the things of God. There's things that we are to do, and we cannot go out and think that we go, well, we get 20% of this, we get 5% of this or whatever, and think that's going to really work. And because in the end, it is God that that is the one that gives the increase. And so we're to be faithful in whatever our situation, condition, and account of us as ministers of Christ, stewards required of faithfulness, which shall be judged with God's judgment. And if you will, if we think about the stewards, the steward is good, worthy, sick, or well. A steward is to be faithful whether things are going His way or not going His way. Steward is to be FAITHFUL, and if everything seems to be against Him, or everything is FOR Him. We are to be stewards in good times, bad times, and good situations, bad situations, we are to be good stewards of Christ. Now count of us as the ministers of Christ. Verse 1, they were to count these, Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and ministers of Christ. They were to be faithful men. They were to be good stewards of the Word of God that God gave them. And these men were not leaders of different factions in the church, but the servants of Jesus Christ. And some would say, well, you know, in 1 Corinthians where it says, I'm baptized with this one, I was baptized with that one. When I come out of the convention in independent work, I was surprised that somebody said, I was baptized by Brother Clark. I was baptized, but now I thought, what in the world's this? If it's not of the Lord, by authority of a church, then it's not baptism. If it's done under the authority of a church and is of the Lord, then it's baptism. And it doesn't make any difference which one puts you under. These men were answerable to Christ for their ministry and were not answerable to the church. Ministers answer to the church in certain things, but in their ministry is that it is their answer to God. And some will tell preachers, don't preach this, don't preach that. And I've never had anybody that bold, a friend of mine did, and he didn't know what to do. I have had them say, well, preacher, I think you should do this. And I went to a Dickens meeting one time, and they said, well, a preacher said, you're just preaching. We think you need to preach more on love. And I said, is that right? And he said, yeah. And one of the guys said, yeah, well, it's what we think. And I said, well, you write me out a sermon. Give it to me before Saturday. I'll read it over. If I can preach it, I will. And if I can't, I won't. And he said, what? I said, write me out a sermon. Give it to me. And I'll look it over. And if I can preach it, I will. He said, well, I'm not a preacher. I said, well, I assume you trust me that I'm following the leadership of the Lord and preach those things pleasing His sight. Stewarts were not those, were those, excuse me, that presided over the affairs of a family and made provisions for it, Luke 16, verse 1. And He said also unto His disciples, there was a certain rich man which had a steward, and the same was accused of unto him that he had wasted his goods. Now, in their days, there'd be people that are rich today, have similar, have bankers, or somebody invest their money and takes care of it and sells stock, buys stock, or whatever it is that they're doing. And this is the way the stewards were. kept account of everything, and they would lend the master's money out, and they would charge the interest and get the money back. And so this was the way a steward did. He helped build up his master's goods. And a good steward, the master, just left them to it, like Joseph in Potiphar's house. He's over the house, and he's seen that God has blessed them, and he didn't really pay any more attention to his household things, if you will, and part of that would have been taking care of his finances. And he trusted Joseph completely, because he seen that God was blessing him, therefore Potiphar was blessed, and every part of his house. It's just not that they was happier. Somebody said, well, you know, they've blessed Potiphar's house, and there's just a lot more happier. That's not what he's talking about. He was a good steward, and he was able to take care of things, and God blessed him and increased his goods, and so Potter says he didn't look on any of it. I mean, he just left Joseph with him, and he was the good steward in his house. The primary duty of his steward is God's Word, the Gospel, and the care of the Lord's churches. There in I Corinthians 2.7, 1 Corinthians 2, 7, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world to our glory. And so part of this mystery is that all people of all kinds could be saved. That was part of the mystery. Today we look at that and say, Well, what's the mystery about that? Well, the mystery was Jews thought only Jews could be saved, and then they had started their prostolate program, and so those that would come and be Jews, then they could be saved. And this was a big thing in Antioch, whether they had become Jews or if they just believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that was sufficient. Of course, the church at Jerusalem said that's all they had to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They baptized Him to the church there, and so they were members of good standing. So they didn't have to become Jews first and then be saved by Jesus Christ. So this was a mystery. that they didn't understand, even to the day, if you will, in the first century, this still was a problem among some. Part of the mystery is that all kinds of people can be saved. Romans 1.16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, also to the Greek. So you didn't have to kill the lamb. You didn't have to keep the Sabbath day. You didn't have to be careful of what you eat and be careful not to touch an unclean thing or a dead body. And if you did, then you had to be separated and do the sprinkling and separation and all that. The Gospel supersedes, does away with all of that. It just says, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's it! He didn't say you had to show up at church so many Sundays in a row in order to be baptized. He didn't say that you've got to read your Bible every day, maybe three or four times a day as I've heard some say, or read it every morning and evening or whatever to be saved. It has nothing to do with what you and I do. It has all to do with what God has done through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brings the conviction upon us, reveals our sin, we repent. You say, well, yeah, look, preacher, we're repenting and confessing. That's absolutely true. But if the Holy Spirit doesn't do the work, you have nothing to repent of, you have nothing to believe in because natural man just cannot save himself. If God doesn't intervene in your life, then you cannot be saved. This is part of the mystery that salvation is of God. It's not a man. We can't control it. Now, we might say, well, I think if he's really saved, he wouldn't do this or that like sometimes we do, but that doesn't count for nothing. The church might say, well, we think you're not saved. We're going to treat you like you're not saved because you've done these things like Matthew 18. That's exactly what it says to do. But if they're saved, that doesn't change their position for Christ. And if they are saved, they will come back. They WILL repent, and they WILL, if you will, get back in good graces with God Almighty. There in 1 Corinthians 10.32, and it says there, Give not offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. So we're not to be about arguing and tearing down, throwing down, and saying bad words about this person or that person. We're to give honor unto everyone and show respect for everyone. We're not to denounce, degrade, or tear up. When they're in error, we need to point out the error, but we need to be very careful how we do it. We are, after all, the servants of God. God entrusted them with the responsibility of revealing all these things that God had hidden from the foundation of the world. You say, well, preacher, a lot of part of the New Testament comes from the Old Testament, and clearly Isaiah 53, you know, the gospel is right there, preacher, right there it is, but they didn't understand it. They didn't comprehend it. They didn't know when the Messiah would come that He was going to be able to save them apart from the Law. They just thought that He would come in some way or another to lead them in and through the Law, but they didn't understand that He would remove the Law, that He would absolutely do away with it. And so that's one of the problems that Jews have today with the gospel of Jesus Christ, because they still think you ought to have these certain feast days. And when you read the Old Testament, if they skipped their feast days, God would bring judgment against them. If they quit doing their Sabbath day, God would bring judgment against them. And so they're very concerned about all these holidays. And there's Christians for Jews or something, I forget what they call them, Do Hanukkah service in the church building or one of these others at all? Why in the world would a church do that? We've been set free from touch not, taste not, handle not. Our salvation is based totally, completely on God. They were not to make a name for themselves, but God would give them fame. And of course, Paul in some places had fame, and in some places he had sorrow. Nonetheless, we're not to go out to build a name for ourselves. Even the church is not to go out and say, well, what we need to do is get our name promoted and all that. Yes, we would be good witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. And sometimes I know churches, they say, Well, he can just bring Brother so-and-so over here, and I believe he can build something here, as if God can't do it through anybody else. Sometimes you can build something. Sometimes it's hard to see if it's really a church. But it is something that man can build. God blessed them with gifts, especially apostles, to confirm the word preached. Hebrews 2, 3, and 4, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation when it is that the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness both in signs and wonder and diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will. Now God didn't leave them without a sign. Because Jews require a sign. And throughout the Old Testament, they said, well, what is the sign? And Isaiah, when the king would speak, what is the sign? You want it to go forward ten degrees on the step, or the sun go backward ten degrees on the step? And Christ said, well, go down ten degrees. That's nothing. Now God calls it to go backward ten degrees, or however many steps it was, and so that's what happened. The sun went backwards. How'd that happen? God controls the universe. It's just like how could Joshua pray and ask God that the sun not go down? And it didn't go down for practically another day or day period. How'd that happen? Sun stopped there, and the moon stopped there, and Joshua had another day to chase his enemy. So how'd God do that? Because He's God. Our problem sometimes, we do not have a big enough God. Or God sometime, we try to put in a container and try to describe God and put it in a container or put it under something, you know, and say, this is what God is, but God's greater and greater than that. Now, there'll be a lot of Christians that say, well, really the sun didn't stop still. Really the moon didn't stop. Yes, it did. God said it did. It absolutely did. That's the reason, where did they go across the Red Sea? Where the reeds were in the knee-high deep water? Or was it where the water was gilled up beside them and they went through the middle of it? Those confirmations given to them are still relevant today because it gives validity to the words of Christ. The miracles they've done, the things that happened. So why don't we have that today? We don't. Why? Because God hasn't given it to us. And in the Old Testament, we've just seen a prophet here and a prophet there that would be able to do miracles, but most of them was renowned for their preaching. Ephesians 2.20, "...and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." So that's what we have here. This is word once delivered unto the saints. And this is what we have. I'm always critical. Some have said I've been too critical. I'm always critical when people start saying the original autographs. I get listening. These ears start listening pretty close to what they say. My question always is, do we have the word of God? If we don't, then we have no reason to meet. Because the church is built upon the Word of God. If we have no Word of God, then we have no principle, we have nothing that the church can exist on. How do we know that the church is supposed to do this, that, or the other? Because we open the Word of God and that's what it tells us. Do I think that this is inspired as the original? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Do I think it�s a faithful word of God? I absolutely do. Do I believe God�s preserved His Word? I absolutely do. And I�m not going to preach it again, but God�s put checks in the Scriptures We might read one scripture and say, well, if we take that literal, it means this, that, and the other, but it may be if we read something in the Old Testament or other parts of the New Testament, we'll find out that doesn't agree. You say, well, then there's error. There's not error. You just misinterpreted it. It's just like one thing can be interpreted several different ways, but when we compare all the scriptures as God has commanded us to, we'll have the truth. God's requirement for stewards is faithfulness. Verse 2, what is required? What is the main requirement? What does God require? To be educated, be well thought of, be a whiz in the stewardship. No, the first requirement is that he be found faithful. The idea of being found faithful is that his books balance. And there are no improprieties in his accounts. When you go to check a storage, you say, well, show me the books. So when you check out a ministry, show me your ministry. You check out a church, you say, where is your ministry? What do you do? Is it according to God's Word, or is it according to man's Word? It is what God has described in His Word what a church is and how it's to operate. Or as that man has sat down and said, well, we ought to do this, that, and the other. Which isn't. A church that is faithful to the Lord will have a church that's faithful to the Word of God. And so if we're going to be faithful to the Lord, then we'll be faithful to His Word. We'll not say, well, this is this, that, and the other, and it means this instead of that, and go on down the road, you know. And before you know it, the church is doing all kinds of evil things. A true steward is a minister of God and chosen to present His mysteries. They must be devoted to the Master and faithful to their trust, not abusing or violating that trust. They stand or fall according to their Master, not by other stewards. are those entrusted to keep good books. Each man, each person stands before God as a steward, and we all have responsibility as members of this church to be good stewards of the Word of God, for the church is the pillar and ground of the faith. It is that which is built upon. We're the one that presents Jesus Christ to the world. If we don't present Him according to the Word of God, then we are false or bad stewards. Paul in verse 3, speaking of the stewardship of the gospel ministry, the word judge is to investigate a matter, to find a problem, to determine a matter, judge of an estimate, determine excellent defects or whatever. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment, yea, I judge not my own self. Now sometimes we might judge one another, might judge a pastor or might judge a missionary. There's grounds which that can be done. Somebody's preaching heresy, you've got it right there. God would judge Paul's stewardship, not by the church, not by other apostles. Some of the Corinthians questioned Paul's apostleship, his authority. However, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that God had given him was evidence of his office. As we already read Hebrews 2, 3, and 4. There in Matthew 7, Matthew 7 and 1, Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged with that measure ye might. It shall minister you again But why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, and considerest not the beam that is in thy own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out that mote out of thy eye, and behold thou hast a beam in thy own eye? Hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thy own eye, that thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. So you can see somebody. I've got this fist in front of my eye. And I'm saying, you've got a molt in your eye. You say, how can you tell? I've got this big beam in my eye looking at you. And so you've got this little molt, or you've got a little stuff at the end of your eye that needs to be taken care of. When we stand as judge, we're standing in God's shoes. There are things the church is to judge, and the scripture clearly showed us that we are to. And I mentioned one in Matthew 18, and each passage speaks of church discipline, is speaking of church has to make a judgment. And things that we do and those that we reject or accept or whatever is the judgment that God has given us to do. He stands or fall in the judgment of the Master, after all, that's who counts. And Romans, Romans 14, 4. Who art thou, judge, as another man's servant? To his own mastery standeth a folly. Yea, he shall be beholden, for God is able to make him stand." So I mentioned a while ago, we said, well, I just don't think they're saved. They do this, that, and the other. That's not your judgment. That's God's judgment. Every time I read about Lot, Iíve said this too often before, but every time I read about him, I say, ìThat guyís lost!î I mean, look at all the things that Lot did, pitched a tent towards Sodom, went in there and lived. When they say, ìGet out of there,î he didnít want to leave. They had to drag him out by his neck and pull him out there, and he didnít want to go in the mountain where God told you to go. So they said, ìLook at this little city over here, just set me there.î Called it Zor, little. And then the people in the city got mad at him, and he had run to the mountains where God told him to go the first time. He's fathered his own grandchildren. So, in my estimation, I'd say he's lost. But in God's estimation, he's as righteous as lost. Why? Just like it's not what you do that saves you, it's not what you do that keeps you. God saved you, then He'll keep you. If you saved yourself, then you've got to keep yourself. So you're kept in the same way you're saved. But the trouble is, if you're saving yourself, you'll never make it. Only those whom God saves will make it. Paul did not even judge his own self in the matter, for he knew his own imperfection, his self-love, failures, and victories, but which was which he did not judge. That's a problem with all people. Compare yourself with other people. I mean, here's Apollos. Compared to Apollos, Paul, just a mealy-mouthed speaker. Cephas had fame all over. I mean, there probably wasn't any place in the world where the Gospel had been preached where Cephas or Simon Peter wasn't known. If the notoriety comes from God, then He'll bless it. If the notoriety comes from man, He'll curse it. When you make yourself to seem big, And you don't depend upon God, and you judge this. Well, if I'll do this, that, and the other. I had a preacher come to me. He said, I'm trying to decide between them. I'm not going to tell you what they were, because you might think it was absolutely wicked. But he said he was trying to do these two things, and he thought if he'd done this one, the people might think more of him. I want to know what I thought. I told him he was on the wrong page. What I'm making is, we cannot even judge our own selves. If you get into self-judgment and all this, there are some things we know, as Paul did, that these things he ought not done, and he did them anyway, and he had to repent of them, and just like David, he did things he ought not do, and he had to repent of them, but none of us are perfect. This does not mean Paul questioned his calling of God, Galatians 1 and 1, Paul an apostle, not of men, neither by men, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead. His question here is stewardship. He said, How good a steward am I with what God has given me? The more God has given you, then the greater your responsibility. If you can't do math, you know, then you're going to have trouble being a good steward. If God calls you to it, then you're going to have to learn math. But you may never, ever be great at it. And the point I'm making, God calls. He gives some more gifts than He does others. Some people can preach. Some people can't. Some people can teach and they can't preach. And some preach and they can't teach. And we could go on and on and on. But the end is what God. determines what God gifts you with. Paul does not here refer to the whole of his life, but that is only as his apostleship. When he speaks about him being of God, who raised him, speaking of God, who raised him from the dead, of Jesus Christ, if you will, he had given the answer to him. My own mind does not condemn me of ambition. Now, I'm going to read this. I'm going to have to hold it up. My vision's a little problem this morning. Paul does not here refer to the whole of his life, but only to his apostleship in the sense as, I am conscious of integrity in this office. My own mind does not condemn me of ambition, of or unfaithfulness. Others may accuse me, but I am not conscious of that which should condemn me or render me unworthy of this office. This appeal Paul elsewhere makes to the integrity of his faithfulness of his ministry." And that's Barnes' notes. They're in Acts 2018. Acts, 2018, 19. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after that what manner I have been with you in all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptation which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. Then in 26, same chapter, wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. free of the blood of men." Well, not turn to Ezekiel, but God tells Ezekiel, if you see a good man, if you see a wicked man first, if you see a wicked man and you don't warn him of his wicked way and he dies in his sin, then his blood I'll put on your hands. That way his hand would be bloody. And that's Ezekiel 3, the third chapter. And then if there's a good man, and he's been doing that which is good, but then he does that which is evil, and you don't warn him of the evil that he's done, and he dies in his sins and trespass, God said, I require his blood at your hands. What Paul was saying, I'm free of all man's blood, he meant that he had preached to everyone that God gave him to preach to. He witnessed to everyone that God brought before him. He did that which was right and proper in the eyes of God as God led him by His Spirit. And so therefore, if you will, he was free of all man's blood. We are to be free of all man's blood. We're to be very careful. that we don't say, well, I'm not big enough, I can't speak well enough, I'm too shy, I'm too bashful, or I'm too this, or I'm too that. God didn't say nothing about that. If God brings you into their contact, and you're not supposed to go out and grab them by the shirt collar and say, let me tell you something. We don't ever see that in the Scriptures. But when we have the opportunity and God sets it all up for us, we are to warn them. And Ezekiel and Paul is talking about warning people of their sins and trespass and the result of that is the lake of fire. He did not have this new system of preaching where he only preached on love, blessings, Let me lift you up this morning. He preached on judgment. He preached on the gospel of Jesus Christ that without the gospel, then you will be judged and cast into the lake of fire. He preached to the saints of God what their responsibility was to Almighty God. When He said He was free of all man's blood, He meant that He done exactly what God called Him to do. Paul was not justified as a steward even though he was conscious of his failures, his duties, but he knew that his imperfections. Final analysis, God would be the one to say, thy good and faithful servant or not. Only God's judgment carries any weight. Verse 5, Judge nothing before the time. Well, when can we judge something when Jesus comes in the air? Judge nothing before the time! When we get to the beam of seed of Jesus Christ and He passes out judgment there, then all judgment will be taken care of. But we are not to judge another man's steward or servant. Some judge that because they're themselves better than those in our past, or that which would have been done if I'd been there, and I'd done it this way, and I'd been a better way, it would have been a more successful thing had we done this, that, and the other. Somebody says hindsight's always better. We're not to judge things before the time. Matthew 23, 30, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them and the blood of the prophets. This is the Pharisees speaking to Jesus. If we had been there, we wouldn't have done that. We wouldn't have killed those prophets. We wouldn't have laid them. We wouldn't have burned them. We wouldn't have hung them. If we had been there, Of course, Jesus' response is, then you know that you're the sons of these people that done that. Many will say of times past that I was there or done this or whatever. Sometime you don't know the whole story. Sometime maybe you was supposed to be there and you were not. Then that's against you. In the judgment, things will also be known in Acts 7.51, You stiff neck, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, do ye not always resist the Holy Ghost? As your fathers did, so do ye." I want to give an account of our stewardship, going back to Romans 14, 14.10. But why didst thou judge thy brother? And why didst thou say it not thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God, so that every one of us shall give an account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this brother, that no man put a stumbling block or occasion to fall in his brother's way." What is that? Stumbling block. Well, you know, if the kids play around, you know, and maybe throw out a stick or a little log or a little something and somebody trip over it and everybody laugh, you know. I wonder what kind of judgment he's talking about this. What kind of stumbling block can that be? When you tear a saint down, you're putting a stumbling block in their path. When you tempt them to sin, when they say, I don't think the Lord had me to do this, you say, well, you're just a baby Christian. If you really was a good Christian, you'd KNOW you could do this. Of course, Paul completely rejects that ideal, and we'll have to give him account for being a stumbling block in somebody's path. Paul said he would not eat food or drink wine all his days, if you will, until he died if it caused his brother to stomach. So we're not putting stomach in water. 2 Samuel 22, 27, When the pure thou shalt show thyself pure, and with the forward thou shalt show thyself unsavory. We are responsible for what we hear, Mark 4, 24, and said unto them, Take heed what ye hear, with what measure ye might, it shall be measured to you, and to you that hear shall more be given. Well, I don't believe what that preacher said is correct. I don't believe what that teacher said there is right, so I'm just rejecting that and I'm not going to pay any attention to that. Now, why was the people of Berea more notable than other people? Because when Paul preached to them, they went home and searched the Scriptures to see whether that thing was true or not. And we're going to be judged according to what we hear. You say, well, I don't agree with Brother So-and-so. I don't agree with this. I don't agree... It doesn't make any difference whether you agree with them or not. What matters is if you agree with God or not. Now Brother So-and-so may have taught heresy. He couldn't. The only way you know that is to get into Scripture and see what he said was true or not. You say, well, I never heard it that way before. It doesn't make any difference. Get in and search it out. I'd still be a two-pointer in a convention church. if I hadn't heeded what God put before me. Now I can say like the rest of them, I don't believe in that sovereignty of God. That means that man is saved by God and he doesn't save himself. We know man has to do this, that, and the other. But all they have to do is just search the Scriptures. I mean, it's not like it's something hidden underneath a bush and you've got to cut the bush down to get to it to see that God saves sinners. James 2.13, For he shall have judgment without mercy, that showeth no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. This should cause us to be more gracious to others. I think about standing before that beam of seed of Jesus Christ. Standing there, and He said, now, I'm going to judge you like you judged everybody else. You say, wait a minute, that's not fair. That's what Jesus said He was going to do. That's what he said he's going to do. They say, well, no, he's talking about now, preacher, he's talking about in this life, he'll judge us as we judge others in this life. Well, sometimes that doesn't happen. Those hidden things of the heart can be revealed. Those idols, secret idols, and live in the lust and devotion to God or Jesus Christ or something else. that which we have put above Christ, that we rather do that than serve Jesus. Nothing can be concealed when we stand before Jesus. When the Lord judges, He already knows exactly everything about us. Ever think what that means when we think about So when we live here, we should live with good conscience. If we�re angry, have an angry spirit. I�m telling you right now, if you have an angry spirit, then you�re judging others that you should not judge. If you have a complacency, then that which you should stand for, you�re not standing for, so you have to give an account for that. When you say, well, I think they should have done this rather than that, we just go on and on and on. And so when Jesus gets there, so you should have done that instead of that. And I believe it's literal. I think when we stand there, it depends on clear conscience, clear mind, faithfulness as a steward. and that we're not those that judge anything before the time. We're to judge with not unrighteousness, ungodliness, but we are to judge with righteousness and holiness. When we judge somebody else, especially a brother or sister in Christ, we should do it with holy fear. We should double check everything that we think we know. I've had people to call me and say, this preacher's done this, that, or the other. And one particular person, he told me, I said, I said, how do you know this to be true? I said, did you hear this? He said, no, said, my cousin told me, because he has a friend that goes to his church and is third or fourth. Passed the word down the line. If you ever played that game, whatever, I can't remember what it's called, where you start out with a phrase and then you see what they end up with. It says before we bring an accusation, we should have two or three witnesses. Not two or three witnesses that talk to their cousin, that talk to somebody else, that talk to a member in their church. That's not a witness. A witness is that somebody that knows for sure. When I was in a situation, I'm going to take just a minute, where they was talking about a preacher and some of his beliefs from the Lord's Supper, and he was a grape juice man. And he was just going on and on and on. I said, are you sure that's what Brother Gormley believes? And he said, yes, sir, that's what he believes. I said, he told me himself. So I got up, and I said, I'll go call him, see what he believes. And he said, what? I said, I'm going in the office, and I'm going to call him and ask him what he believes on this. He said, wait, wait a minute. Well, now that's what Brother so-and-so said he told him. I practiced that on my ministry after one time I spread a false rumor against a fellow brother in Christ that wasn't true. But after the Lord got through whipping me, I learned from that. When somebody tells you something about another saint, you better make sure that's the truth. Some things you don't need to tell even if it is the truth. Some things NEED to be revealed if it has to do with the ministry or something else. But the point I'm making, you better be DOUBLE sure. Because when you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, now I don't think He's going to do this. But just think if Jesus says, Well, SOMEBODY told me you did this, that, or the other. So I'm going to condemn you or judge you or your stewardship on what they said you said. Now He's not going to do that. But he says, with the same judgment you judge others, so shall you be judged. We need to be careful how we judge one another. And then each one of us had to give an account for our stewardship before God. Are there any perfect stewards in the world? There was only one. His name was Jesus.