It's been a real joy to be here these days. I'm grateful for this church and for the testimony of it and what the Lord is doing in this place. I certainly want the Lord to continue to do His work. We don't want to be in any wise restricting the Lord or hindering the Lord from working in our heart and life. And I was thinking about the song, I'm Redeemed. S.A. Gayness wrote that song. His wife was my sixth grade school teacher. That's been a long time ago. But his older son's name was Gene. And he and I made many visits together and saw several folks saved by the grace of God. But Gene had a younger brother named Allen. And Allen was saved, but Gene wasn't. Alan kept witnessing to his brother Gene and tried to get Gene to go to church with him and so out of frustration Gene said, if you'll just leave me alone, I'll go to church with you on Sunday. He said they had a double date on Friday night and it had been raining and the ditches were filled with water and he was coming around what they call Dead Man's Curve at Kathleen, Florida. lost control of the car and it flipped over into the ditch. And his brother Allen had it cut across his wrist. Gene said, I had to hold my brother up out of the water until the medics got there. And said they took us to the hospital. He said, doctor, look at my brother Allen. Said, well, we'll take care of that. We'll sew that up, take care of it in just a little while. Said, you go back home. and get him some clean clothes, because he was bloody all over. So Gene went back to their home, probably 10 miles away, and came back to the hospital. And he got to going through the emergency room trying to find his brother. He couldn't find him. So he inquired about where his brother Allen was. And they said, oh, he's down in the morgue. And the truth was, they let that boy bleed to death in the emergency room. of Lakeland Regional Hospital. This is Gene's testimony. He said, I promised my brother I'd go to church, but I didn't realize that I'd be going to a funeral. But Gene got saved as a result of Alan's witness in his life. And when I think of that song, I think of my school teacher and I think of my good friend Jane Gayness. And I want to say, I praise God, I'm redeemed by love divine. Glory, glory. Christ is mine. You know, when we get saved by God's grace, God places us into his family. He doesn't have two families. He only has one. And he has no stepchildren. Every blood-washed child of God is placed into his family. We're part of the body of Christ. We're part of the bride of Christ. And when we trusted him as Savior, we become sons of God. And so we're sons of God. Many designations as to the identity of a child of God He calls us ambassadors. He said, Paul said, now then we're ambassadors for Christ and we beseech you be reconciled to God. We are servants of the Lord. And by the way, could I tell you, it'd be a grand day in our life when we realize this, that's an important issue. We realize we are servants of the Lord. And as servants of the Lord, we're to be in his hands doing what he's left us here to do. Missions is the heart of God, and the Bible is a missionary book, and God's left us here to let our light so shine that others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. I want to invite your attention to a text verse in the book of 1 Peter chapter number 4. In 1 Peter chapter number 4, and I'll begin reading in verse number 1, and I'll read down through verse number 10 at least. The Bible said, For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us, in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin, for he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lust of men. but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when ye walk in lasciviousness, lust, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatry. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excesses of right, speaking evil of you. Who shall give an account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was a gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand. Be you therefore sober and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, For charity shall cover a multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. And he said, as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. For if a man let him speak as of the oracles of God, If any man minister, let him do it as the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion forever and forever. Amen. I'm interested particularly in the last phrase of verse 10, where Peter's saying, he said, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. I'm gonna talk about being a good, that's a good name. That's a name that God gives us as believers, we're to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Would you pray with us? Heavenly Father, we thank you tonight for the good songs that's blessed our heart. We're grateful for the testimonies We thank you, Lord, for these faithful people who've been in their place and how you've blessed and used them through the years. Thank you for every missionary they helped support. Thank you, dear Lord, for the mission projects that they've been involved in for years. And dear Lord, I pray that you might sober our hearts tonight and help us to realize that we're not home yet, and until we get there, we're to be faithful, be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Rebuke the enemy, get glory for yourself, we pray. in Jesus name and for his sake alone, amen and amen. And so every Christian is a servant. Every Christian is a servant. And so, but he is also a steward. And I say this, there is a distinction between a servant and a steward. A servant is one who serves as a, as in subjection to his master. He is our Lord, he is our master, he is our sovereign God. And so a servant is one who serves and is in subjection to his master. So in our service for the Lord, we're to be in subjection to our master. We can either be good stewards or bad stewards. Now, a steward is also a servant, but the word steward includes the idea of a special responsibility. Could I tell you that the devil will crawl up your sleeve and whisper in your ear and say, you're not important. What you're doing is not that valuable. I say to you, he's a liar. and the father of it, every blood-washed child of God is important in the family and the economy of our God. And so God has entrusted us with certain things He's given to us, and we are responsible for the use of them. And so it is this, I'm not aspiring to be like some other man, I want to be like the Lord Jesus, amen? And could I remind you that the Bible said that we're to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It is God's good pleasure for me to be a good servant and a steward of our Lord Jesus Christ. I go back to the Old Testament, by way of introduction, I can think about in Genesis 15, when Eliezer was the steward of Abraham's household, and Abraham had placed all the affairs of his household and his property in the hands of a capable man, and he made him responsible for managing all his affairs. And so I'm saying, he holds, are you listening? He holds us responsible. We're not only accountable to God for what we do, but what we could have done. Thank God for the past, what the Lord has done in the past, but I'm glad I serve a God that's alive and well, and He's still able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think. And so I want to be reminded tonight, He holds us responsible for our life. James said, what is your life? It's a vapor that appeared for a little time, and then it vanished away. We understand that. The Bible said it's appointed a man once to die, but after this, a judgment. And there's a lot of folks that joke about hell, but I tell you, hell is no joke. They laugh about eternity. No, no, no, it's a serious matter. One of these days, we're gonna give an account to God for our life as we has lived for him. And so Abraham had placed all the affairs of his household in the hands of this faithful steward. And so God holds me accountable for my life. And could I say what a tremendous gift that is. God has placed us, he holds us responsible for our life, and that's a gift that is of God, that God has bestowed upon us. The poet said, in him we live and move and have our being. I'm saying he's bestowed upon us life. I believe God is the author of life. I don't believe man evolved from a tadpole. No, no, no, I don't believe he's ascended from a monkey, although I've seen some that made me suspicious. I say to you, God created man. God made man in his likeness and breathed into his nostrils a breath of life. But God, what a tremendous gift. Now, the body he's given us. We're to be good stewards of the body he got. The mind to think. I'm grateful that we have the ability to comprehend the truth. And by the way, Jesus said, ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. He wants me to know the truth about him. He wants me to know the truth about me. He wants me to know the truth about my responsibility as a blood washed child of God, a servant and steward of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he gives us a body and he gives us a mind to think, gives us hearts to love. I'm saying he gives us a will to choose. And so either, and by the way, God did not make us robots. You'd be just as close to God as you will to be. You'd be just as spiritual as you will to be. Our problem is not that we don't have the truth. The problem is that we're not yielded to the truth. The problem is that we're not willing to accept the truth. We're good about accepting the truth about some things, but not all things. I'm saying I'm grateful for God's gift of life for me. And so do we recognize our responsibility tonight of stewardship in regards to our bodies, in regards to, and 1 Corinthians 6, 19 and 20, we're not our own, we've been bought with a price. Our body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. And as stewards of our body, we must discipline them so that they will be fit, for the service that God has assigned us to. And so that's why Paul said, when I preached to others, I don't want to become a castaway. He said, I keep my body in subjection. And so notice that God has given us a body to live in. This is not our body, it's his body. And so we understand this, that he holds us accountable for our life, but he holds us accountable for our influence. And the scripture said, no man liveth unto himself and no man dieth unto himself. Whether man live or die, he's the Lord's. And so I'm saying this, this matter of influence is a trust that God has given you. And so your influence in others, whether you know it or not, your influence is a trust that God's given us. Others are influenced, are you listening? They're influenced by the way we live. They're influenced by the way we live. And so God has given us, each one of us, some power over the lives of others, our influence. I'm grateful for those that have influenced my life in the days gone by. I'm thankful as a young Christian, as a babe in Christ, there was those that influenced me. They taught me, they set the example. It's one thing to say, it's another thing to do. And then I've been disappointed by some that had some influence upon my life early on, but they've changed direction and they're no longer influenced for good or for righteousness, but they're influenced by the world. And so I'm saying that we're to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. God's given each of us the power over others. This imposes man upon man, a great responsibility. And so it's the matter of realizing this. Sometimes the way we conduct ourselves, the way we live, speaks so loud that others cannot hear what we're saying. And so we are influencing others. Have we influenced someone today for the Lord? Have we had in our mind to realize this, that God has left me here in 2023 to this day, and I'm not just here to mark time, I'm not just here to go through, I'm here to be a servant of the Lord and a steward of the manifold grace of our God. That means this, that we recognize this aspect in our daily living, that we are stewards of the Lord. And so again, we are responsible for the monies that he places in our hands. He's right, we're responsible for all our possessions that God's allowed us to have. I've been involved in mission giving for a number of years, almost 60 years I guess by now, but I've never had the Lord say, don't give, no, you're giving too much, but it's always been giving more. And I found this, what God impresses my heart to give, God supplies the need. I'm not sufficient on myself, I can't handle that. But listen, it frightens me when I think about what figure God lays upon my heart to give. But listen, that's between me and the Lord, not between me and you, not between me and any other preacher. It's between the Lord. And so God impresses my heart. And so here's what it did. Our church had their commission meeting. And the Lord impressed my heart, and I made some commitments to the Lord. And the first day, it wasn't two days later, that there was a church out in Louisiana that said, God puts you on our heart. And they sent a good-sized offering that took care of just about the whole year of commitment I made to the Lord. I'm saying that's not coincidental, that is God. So you ought to keep in mind that as we think about the monies that comes in unexpected into our life, is that monies that God has given to you to give to mission. I believe this, I believe God will give more through us than he'll give to us. And if God knows that he can trust us to give it to missions and give it to the work of evangelism around the world, I believe God blesses that over and over again. So we're responsible, God, for the monies that comes in our hand. All we have is God's, and we are only stewards of it. It is this. I'm saying God entrusts us with things for His glory. not to be seen of men, and not to be patted on the back by man, but for his glory, the house we live in. I'm grateful for the house. It's not as fancy as some, not as big as others, but it's home. I thank God for a good home. I thank God for the house that he's given me. That's a blessing of God for our life. And then again, the automobile I drive, I'm thankful that God, I wouldn't have it had it not been for God providing. I'm saying that the matter of the business that you have, the shop you have, we are just caretakers. We're just caretakers or managers. And so do we recognize this truth in regards to the matter of our possessions? Amen, y'all all right? I'm saying we have an influence, we're to be good stewards of our children. I just have one. And she has a special need and I'm burdened about that. But listen, I know God knows that need. And I know God's able to change that. I don't know why this is transpiring, but God has a plan and God has a purpose. And I recognize God's given us as parents, We are entrusted with a wonderful gift when we think of our children. They might not always do what you think is right, and they might not always please you, but I'm telling you, they'll always be your child. Amen, and so I've had some preachers whose families have gone astray and they've been very bitter about the fact that their son or their daughter has gone to the far country and they've made some brash statements about their children. And I've said to many of them, I've said, listen, always leave the door open where they can get back home. Always keep the door open. You don't condone their sin, you don't support their way of living, but they're still your girl, they're still your boy, and thank God there's a way back. Amen. Aren't you glad that God gives us a way back? Thankful, thankful. And so our children, as parents, we are entrusted with a wonderful gift of children. Christian parents, this is a holy trust, a holy trust in God. As a true steward, we rejoice in the prospect of his son or the prospect of his daughter being in the Lord's work. That's one of the greatest thrills of our life, to realize that God has used your child to be a blessing and to be involved in the work of the Lord. My daughter's played the piano probably over 25 years in the church and been very proficient with it. But I'm saying, that doesn't make her anything or mean anything, but I praise God for the wonderful trust that he's given us, amen. I'm saying, again, some Christians have rebelled and they've tried to turn their children away from the mission field or any type of Christian service. No, what a great honor that is to have your own family involved in the work of our God. And so notice again, we're accountable to God as stewards. We're accountable to God. We want to be good stewards. Accountable for the monies and possessions we have, accountable to God for our family, our children. As parents, we're responsible. And our time, in Ephesians 5, 16, we'll do what? We'll redeem the time. Someone said, I don't have time. You have as much time as anybody else. You do what you want to do. Amen. And so we're accountable to God for our time. We all have time on our hands to use it as we wish. And I'm thankful. I become convicted in my heart of the time that I find I just waste. And so we must be careful. We have time on our hands and we're gonna use it wisely. But how do we use it? When Christians begin to recognize that the time is the Lord's, then there will be no scarcity of dedicated workers. And I'm saying it's a sad thing that we need The need for workers is so great. You said we've got all the workers we need. Well, this is a rare church then. I suspect that there is some areas of need as far as workers are concerned. And so again, opportunities of our services are so glorious and we are, and time is so short. I believe his pastor has already related several times in this meeting. I believe Jesus Christ could come tonight. I believe the next thing on God's calendar is the rapture of the church. And I want to remain faithful to His promise. I was thinking about it, and I bless the Lord for His faithfulness to us. He's faithful when we're not faithful. But I'm grateful for His faithfulness to us. He's faithful to His promise. never made a promise that he could not fulfill. Somebody said, well, you know, where's the promise of his coming? It just means this, God's not operating on your time schedule. He'll come at the appointed time. He'll come when that's all filled. And by the way, I'm grateful. I want to buy up every opportunity I have to do something for God. I don't want to waste my time. I don't want to waste your time. And so opportunities for service are so glorious. Time is so short. So few people are willing to give much of their time to the things of the Lord. When I pastored, we'd have meetings and I'd try to encourage folk to be in the meetings. And I, sometime I'd have some folks say, well, you know, we'll do our best to try to get out in there one night. We're only going to be there a week, you know, and said, we'll try to get out one night. And I think to myself, oh boy, don't strain yourself. Listen, it's not the matter of trying to get there. We ought to be in our place unless providentially hindered. And that doesn't mean what a lot of folks call providentially hindered. And so I say our priorities can easily be mixed, mixed up at the time that we should be investing for God. We fill the time away on secondary issues, on secular things, and sometimes even sinful things. Amen. And so I'm talking about being a good steward. And so the talents that God's given so much, I don't have any talent. I believe God's given everybody some talent. the talents or the gift that God's given. God has endowed all of us with some special talent, and these are gifts from God. And we ought to use it for the glory of the Lord. It might be in song, it might be in speech, it might be in hospitality, but then God has given us the gospel of the grace of God. Paul said, we have this treasure in earthen vessels. It's not about the vessel, it's about the treasure. And I believe the Lord saying, son, if you take care of the treasure, I'll take care of the vessel. We're just vessels that God might use and get glory for himself. And so I'm saying, you said, well, we're not that important. Oh, yes, you are. Every child of God is important. The gospel of the grace of God. What did Paul say in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse number 1? He said, therefore, seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not. And, but he said, better have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, committing ourselves to every man's conscious in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hidden in their loss. and in the God of this world have blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who have an image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. I'm saying, I am what I am by the grace of God. And I want God to get maximum glory through my life. And so he's given God. We have the responsibility to give out the gospel, but we have responsibility to live the gospel. It's this, to preach the gospel, to be a witness, to send the gospel to the ends of the earth. And by the way, you don't know how far that will go. And by the way, I think we ought to be witnesses to people everywhere we go. But you know, and I know, if you're listening to God, the Holy Spirit, there'll be some time the Spirit of God will give you a definite urge in your heart to give a track or speak a word to an individual that maybe God's been dealing with in some way. You didn't know it, but God placed you there for that. My friend, Watson Thompson, used to run the print shop at Tennessee Temple Schools. He said, I was in there running the press. I was behind my schedule. And a paper salesman came in. And he said, the Spirit of God said to me, Watson, talk to that man about the Lord. And he said, I got so busy and I was so wrapped up and said, I shunned that. And the Spirit of God said, Watson, tell him about the Lord. And he said, I was so busy that I ignored that. And the paper salesman left. left that basement down at Tennessee Temple, the French House, and before he got across town, he was in an accident and his life was snuffed out just like that. Watson said, listen, I believe before God that I'm gonna stand and have blood on my hands because I did not do what God said to do. I'm telling you, it's a serious matter to listen to God and do His bidding. And so there's some folks, and I know that you know other illustrations, but we have a responsibility to live the gospel, and we have a responsibility to give out the gospel. I owe the gospel to my family. I owe the gospel to my friends. I owe the gospel to everyone. I'm to get the gospel to every creature. So I'm a steward of the gospel. I have been put in trust with the gospel. No greater message. It's the only message that'll keep sinners out of hell. the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the death of Beryl, the resurrection of the Lord. I'm glad that Jesus died. I'm glad he said it is finished. And when he said it's finished, then salvation's plan was complete. Amen. The blood purged out the sin. I'm saying, thank God for what he did for me at Calvary. Every Christian is a steward. And so I'm reminded if we are Christians, then we are stewards and God has entrusted us with responsibilities for which we are accountable to him. We're gonna be held accountable to God. And so Christians may be good stewards or they may be bad stewards. Peter using that qualifying word, he said to be a good steward of the manifold grace of God. And so I find also that the Bible, we're told that there are two kinds of Christians. There's spiritual Christians and there's carnal Christians. Now, I know there's old folks who believe there's no such thing as a carnal Christian, but I read it in the Bible. Paul said you're carnal. And by the way, I don't know how many of them are present tonight, but we're either a good Christian or we're a spiritual Christian or a carnal Christian, two kinds of servants. We're either faithful servants or we're unfaithful servants. There's two kinds of vessels. There's vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. There's two kinds of stewards, good stewards and bad stewards. What kind of steward are you? I'm saying that the good steward is a bachelor. And so the period in which we are to exercise our stewardship is that we're to do that until the Lord comes. We're to be faithful in doing what's God. And so we are only here for a limited time. We don't know. We know that we have an appointment with death, but we don't know when it's going to come due. I facetiously say, I'm not looking for the undertaker. I'm looking for the upper taker. I'm expecting the Lord to come in my lifetime. I believe Paul was expecting him to come in his lifetime too. He could come tonight. He might be tomorrow. It might be that. And so we look back over last year and said, we expected the Lord to come last year, but didn't come. So I'm gonna be looking for him to come this year. And we ought to be actively involved in our stewardship for the Lord. It is this, our period of time to exercise our stewardship is until the Lord comes. We are only here for a limited time. I don't know why my mom died at age 53. And I don't know why Priscilla's mom died when she was in her 30s. And so we have no lease on life. I sometimes wonder, and I've had people say, why is the Lord leaving me? As long as you're breathing in and breathing out, God has purpose for that. And our lives ought to count for God as good stewards. And so we are only here for a limited time, one day, and it could be very soon. Our earthly span will be completed. The Lord will come, and then the opportunities for exercising and fulfilling our stewardship down here on earth will be over. It was Jesus said, I must work the works of him that sent me, for the night cometh when no man can work. My older brother is very, very sick, and he keeps telling me, he said, I want to die. I'd like to die and go to be with the Lord. And I said, son, you've got to realize this, that our times are in God's hands. God's in charge of that. And he said, boy, I'd like to do that. And sometimes he's even talked about taking his own life. And I said, you can't do that. You can't do it. By the way, could I address this just a second? Those who take their life, don't be careful about what folks say about when folks take their life. I've had people say, well, if they take their life, they go to hell. Could I say to you, if they take their life and they know Jesus, they go to heaven. And listen, a Christian can never, ever take their life in the will of God. But out of the will of God, they're capable of doing anything anybody else has ever done. Our times are in God's hands. I had a lady down in the hospital in Tallahassee, Florida. She was out of our church in Thomasville. I visited her, and they put her in the extended care area, and she had cancer. And she was trying to win her husband to the Lord, and he died as far as I know. I think I'm the last person that witnessed to him on Thursday night, and on Sunday morning, he woke up dead. But she's down in that assisted living place, and she said, pastor, would you pray that God would just take me on home? And I said, Ms. Hanredi, here's what I'll do. I'll pray for God's will to be done. And a few days later, I was back visiting, and God still extended her life. And she told me then, she said, I've come to grips with the fact as to why the Lord's letting me live this long. and she had won about four of the nurses to the Lord in that assisted living. I'm saying God has purpose for life. We don't know how long we'll be here, but hey, want to keep my hand on the plow, my eyes on the go, saying no turning back. I've decided to follow Jesus. And so we're to exercise our stewardship in light of the coming of Jesus Christ, of the judgment seat of Christ. Now, I believe this. I believe we're going to give an account of ourselves. I'm not going to give an account of you. You're not going to give an account of me. We'll give an account of ourselves. And it'll be based upon our own rewards. It'll be determined by what we've done in the flesh, the deeds done in the flesh. And listen, it's going to be tried by fire. and if it survives a fire, there'll be reward. If not, there'll be suffering loss. We'll be saved, yes, so is by fire. But we understand that after the rapture, after the catching away of the bride of Christ, there's a time given that is called The bima, judgment of Christ. The bima, that is for believers, not unbelievers. The final judgment is a great white throne judgment, and that's the judgment of the wicked dead. And by the way, that's not to determine any degree of reward. That's to determine the degree of punishment they'll receive in hell. Could I say tonight, we are to exercise a stewardship in light of the coming of Christ and the judgment seat of Christ. And by the way, that adds a little bit more urgency to the matter. I want to be involved. I want to do what I can while I can so that when I cannot, I'll not wish I would have when I could have. I want to do what I can. I want to do the will of God. And so I want to be a good steward of the manifold grace of God. And so that special requirement for a steward is not success. I was talking to a pastor today and a couple of pastors yesterday, and they're bemoaning the fact that their attendance is so little and it's gone down and down, and they have recovered from the COVID, and I tried to encourage them just by saying, God does not hold us accountable for the matter of saving souls or reaching souls, but he does hold us accountable for our faithfulness in being the one to give out the message. So I said, keep on preaching, keep on giving out tracts, keep on praying, keep on trusting God the Holy Spirit to convict in the heart and bring them to the Lord. And so I'm saying that special requirement, that it brings upon us a urgency. And so it says, the Lord will not say, well done thou good and successful servant. Amen? And by the way, I don't buy the world's a major matter of success anyway. There's a lot of things that's called success that I don't, but it adds urgency to the matter. And, and so the Lord will not say, well done thou good and successful servant, but he'll say, well done thou good and faithful servant. It was out of non-judgment that labored those many years, seven years without any converts, but he was faithful. And, and by the way, They're using the Judson Bible today on the field where he labored. And so the Lord will not say thou good and successful, but thou good and faithful. He stayed on the job in spite of discouragement. He stayed on the job in spite of difficulties. He proved himself to be a faithful steward. And may God help us to do the same. The special mark of a steward is that he must be without blame. We're to be without blame. Perfection is not a requirement because that's an impossibility. There was only one person that was perfect and that was our Lord Jesus Christ. And so it's to recognize this, that means that we are to live day by day in such a way that no one can point a finger of blame against us for our inconsistencies in our life. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you that's easily said, and it's quite another thing to do. But it means that we are to live, not just Sundays, not just Wednesdays, not just special meetings. We're to live our life in such a way that no one would have any right to point a finger of accusation against our... And then faithfulness and stewardship in this life, I believe, qualifies for special service in the life to come. And so the Lord is looking for faithful stewards, faithful stewards. He's worthy. He's a worthy Lord. He's a Lord of the steward. And I say this, so let's give him such devotion and such dedication that in the day when we shall serve him and shall see him face to face, we shall hear him say, well done. Church, I'm saying to you tonight, there's no limit to what God can do. Don't let up. I encourage you as Boaz told Ruth, stay in the field. Don't be caught in another field. Just stay in the field because it's in the field where the blessings are. God saved us. God's called us. God's placed us in this time slot. And we ought to be concerned about being a good steward of the manifold grace of God. So where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. I'm grateful that God spared my friend Gene Gayness and allowed him another opportunity to get saved. And he's faithful to the Lord all these years. But his brother's last wish was, I want you to go to church with me. And he said, I'll do that. But he didn't realize that he'd be going to a funeral service. I'm telling you, we have no lease on life. And only one life will soon be passed. And only what's done for Christ will last. And so what I do, if I'm doing it for the Lord, he's glorified. Every time. And what I do for the Lord, when I do that for His glory, I'm blessed every time. And if I'm doing what God told me to do for His glory, Not only is he glorified and I'm blessed, but others are influenced and blessed by it also. They benefit by it. So God help us to live our life in such a self-forgetful way that even when we kneel to pray, our prayer will be for others. Others, Lord, yes, others. Let this my motto be, help me live for others that I may live for Thee. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. We have an invitation song. What are we singing? 388. 388, if you want to sing along. I appreciate the good message tonight. For the saints, if you're saved, being a good steward of the manifold grace of God. If you're not saved, He by the grace of God tasted death for every man. You can be saved tonight. So the altar's open, whatever the Lord's dealt with your heart about, the altar's open, you come and do business with the Lord. Lord, we do love you tonight and thank you again for the preaching. We'll probably never know in this life, at times we don't even realize how much the preaching's helping us. You've helped us and been so faithful. Thank you for your men that have stood faithfully and preached to us. And I pray, Lord, you would help us to respond and be sensitive to what the Spirit of God would have us to do. Pray for that soul that may be saved, may be lost tonight, that, Lord, they would repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. For that sinner, we do pray, and we pray for the saint as well that may be cold and indifferent, Lord, out of the will of God even. Lord, please help them as well. Comfort the brokenhearted, strengthen the weak. Help us tonight in Jesus name. Amen. All right, if you need to come, you come.