today it's found seven times in scriptures and the word is unprofitable it's not good to be unprofitable all right and so it's seven times in scriptures I just want to look at it for the first look at the first place it's found is in Job chapter 15 Job chapter 15 And it's something that I just couldn't get my mind away from when I was thinking about Sunday school. When the Lord gives me a message, I know what the message is going to be about, and then I work it all up. But Sunday school, there's so many things to talk about, you know what I mean? So many things. But one thing I just couldn't get away from was this one verse, and it's about being unprofitable. And I want people, when I go soul winning and talk to people, and we're going to look at that verse in a minute, the Bible says that we have all become unprofitable. And so therefore, if you have something in your house that's unprofitable, what do you do with it? You throw it away. And I just want us to think about that a little bit. I don't want to be unprofitable to you. I don't want to be unprofitable in the world. You know, what good is a life that has been created by God and you use that life to be unprofitable for anything good? You know, it's just a waste. It's a waste of life. Well, anyway, let's look at a few things that are unprofitable in the Bible. Like I said, it's only found seven times. Let's look at Job chapter 15. Are you there? In verse 3, it says, should he reason with unprofitable, what's that word? Talk. Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good. So the very first thing the Bible talks about that's unprofitable is unprofitable talk. You know, we do a lot of talking. We say a lot of words in our life. If each word was counted, if each word was numbered, At the end of your life, you looked at how many words you spoke. Job 15 verse 3. If you looked at how many words you actually spoke, you'd be blown away. And then if you looked at how many words were actually profitable, good, and how many words were unprofitable. And that's why, you know, I'm a man, the Bible says that in the multitude of words, there lacketh not sin. The more you talk, the more you're gonna say something wrong. And my job is to talk, and I like to talk. I'll be honest with you, I only like to talk when I have something really important to talk about. I don't like to just jabber. You get me on the phone, I want to get off the phone. Tell me what you're calling for, okay, bye. It's a waste of my time. And I just don't like being on the phone. That's why I kind of like texting. You know what I mean? But if it's something important, I want to hear it. I mean, and I think that's also what God is. God has given us something so important to talk about. And yet, how much do we actually talk about it? You know what I mean? And so let's let's look at that. Look in Matthew chapter 12 with me. So we know the very first thing the Bible talks about that is unprofitable is talking. Talking is unprofitable. In Matthew chapter 12, say amen when you're there. Look in verse 36 with me. Jesus is telling us about talking and he says, but I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Some pretty powerful, serious stuff right there. That's kind of why I look to Terry and I say, Terry, you're a man of few words. You're smart. The Bible says that he that keeps his mouth shut is counted wise. He that doesn't talk, you're in a room, and the one that's jabbering and talking all the time, that's the one that's counted as a fool. The one that's the one that keeps his mouth quiet, whether he's a fool or not, nobody knows it, and they think he's wise, just because he's not talking. So these teachings are things to listen, to learn about. I want to learn about that. I don't want to be the one that's just talking, talking. When I'm up here, it's my job. I talk, but I hope I'm not saying things unprofitable. I hope the words that I'm speaking are profitable. And that's what I want tonight. Look at me in Proverbs chapter 14. There's a good little verse. I like it anyway. In Proverbs 14. Like I said, I'm using a new Bible without any marks, so I have to find the verses as fast as I can as well. Let me know when you're there. Proverbs 14.23, here's a good little verse. It says, in all labor there is what? Hard work is profitable. In all labor, the Bible says, every hard thing, every hard work you do, Anton, Matt, Brian, Bob, everything you do, Tone, it's profitable. But look what he says. He says, but the talk of the lips tended to pennies. The talk of the lips means profits, hardly anything. You know where we get that from? Talk is cheap. Talk is cheap. Say it with me. Say, talk is cheap. Let me tell you something. I've met a few people, not many, thank you Jesus, but a couple that are all talk. You ever meet one that's all talk, no action? You meet somebody that's all talk, no doing, and at first they sound good. I think they talk to hear themselves talk, to build themselves up, but in all reality they're unprofitable because they don't do anything or back up anything that they say. and yeah they are very insecure when they have to talk about how great they are and how this and all I can do that and this and then you find out none of that they say is true well that's where it says talk is cheap put your money where your mouth is right talk is cheap look at me in Ephesians chapter 4 please Ephesians chapter 4 Ephesians 4, look in verse 29. It says, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. But, and he tells you what should, but that which is good to the use of what? Edifying. That it may minister grace unto the hearers. See, just because you know the Bible verses, you're going to hell. That's not, that's not going to edify people. You're a reprobate. You're no good. You're, that people, that isn't helping them. That you should use the, your Bible says that your mouth may edify, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Because the Bible says that some words are like a piercing sword. It hurts people. Words hurt, you know that, come on, words hurt. And when you try to take a stand. And when people use the Word of God to help people, what they're really doing most of the time is hurting people. They don't know it. They have good intentions. They're just not wise enough to understand what the whole counsel of God is. And so therefore, what you need to do is you need to learn to listen twice as much as you talk. You have two ears and one mouth. But that said, I want to look at something that's important to me. Look in Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3, look in verse 12 with me please. It says this, it says, they are all gone out of the way. They are all together become unprofitable There is none that doeth good, no, not one. I want you to see something here in this verse. If we would just look starting in verse 10 and read down, it says, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. That means you too, right? Verse 11, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no not one. And he tells us something. 13, their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have used deceit. And a poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. You notice all the phrasing? Mouth, tips, lips, tongue. It's all about words. I mean, this is important stuff. It's really all about words. And knowing that Jesus said every idle word that you've ever spoken is going to be somehow talked about or judged. So we need to understand some things, but I want you to think, he says throat, he says tongue, he says talk, he says lips, and he says mouth with cursings and bitterness. I just want to share with you this morning, and I don't think we have anybody in this church right now would do that. If any cursing comes out of your mouth, you are in really bad trouble. You know why you're in bad trouble? Because you got a cancer in your stomach. you have sickness in you. Because the Bible, Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And if curses ever comes out of a Christian's mouth, I'll be honest with you, I'm not saying this in any way to like prop me up, but when I first got sinned, I was a roofer, okay? Everybody cursed around me. And when I got saved, I realized it just didn't feel good, didn't sound good, I didn't like it, I didn't have a church, I didn't have a pastor telling me, just the Holy Spirit. I remember when my pastor used to come by on Thursdays, and he would stop, do a visit, and stop, and I knew him and my friend Tommy Milk were coming at my house and visiting us, and I remember getting all nervous and going, oh no, I hope I don't curse, you know what I mean, I hope I don't. say something in front of the pastor. And I remember after a while, I was looking around my house like, I hope there's nothing here that he shouldn't see. I hope there's nothing there that I... And then after a little while, very little, I realized I don't say anything that I have to worry about. And then I realized there's nothing in my house I have to worry about. And it was a really good feeling. And it's really a feeling when you realize I haven't cursed in 30 years. 30 years I haven't cursed. Not one curse came out of my mouth. You know why? Because that's not in my heart. And Jesus tells us that how you can tell what's in your heart is by what comes out of your mouth. And cursing, not only is it unprofitable, but it actually does the opposite effect. It's an evil. We're not going to talk about cursing, how bad cursing is. The Bible just says, how can one fountain, which is your mouth, give forth good water and poison at the same time? It can't. So with your mouth you want to help people and be profitable and tell them about Jesus, but yet you poison the water with a curse word coming out. You ought to watch, be very careful what you say. I'm going to say a word that, and I don't know how else to do it, but I'm talking to adults. You know the word that people substitute for the word, the S word, the poopy word, right? That people use that S word. I would never use that S word, but sometimes people like to use the word crap instead. That is disgusting. It's the same word. You shouldn't use it. It's disgusting. And the F word. How many people think the F word is disgusting? It's disgusting, it's vile. But people say, okay, well, instead of saying that, I'm gonna say, frig it. That is disgusting. That's the same word. Just phrase it in a different way. And I hear children saying it. Because they hear their parents saying it. They think it's okay. It's not okay. The words we speak are the most powerful things this world has ever known. The Word of God became flesh. The Word of God. And He spoke the words of life. And they changed the world. They changed me. They changed you. It's by the words. We have to watch what we say, and I'm telling you, because so many of our words are just unprofitable. Don't talk about yourself. Don't talk about your problems. Unless you're paying somebody to listen, then talk all you want. But why don't you use words to edify one another and strengthen one another and help one another? If you look with me, if you would, well, you don't have to look at me, but it talks about your feet in there. It talks about, It says their throat is an open sepulcher, it says whose mouth is full of cursings and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood. Their feet, and I noticed that Psalm 1-1, we talk about in RU, it's where you walk, it's where you sit, it's where you stand. In the way of sinners, in the seat of the scornful, you're with ungodly people. You don't wanna know what's very, very unprofitable for you is hanging around with sinners. I don't mean out witnessing to them, I mean you're with them. You're with them more than you're with church folks. I see it all the time. I know I'm talking to the choir today, at least I hope I am, but it's where you, what way are you in? If you're around people that are cursing, if you're around people that are sinners, if you're around ungodliness and ungod, you know how that's helping you? It's not. It's unprofitable to you. And if it's unprofitable to you, then you're being less profitable to the world, and to God, and to your family, and to your children. So you gotta watch where your feet take you, amen? And it talks about their life. It says destruction and misery are in their ways. I know too many people that their lives are a mess. And that's okay for your life to be a mess, but it's not okay for your life to remain a mess. God didn't come down to save you in a mess and keep you in a mess. He didn't come down and die on the cross to save you from a hell and then you live in a hell. Your life is not supposed to be a living hell. Your life is supposed to not be full of drama, full of cursings, full of this, full of anger. That is not for God's children. That's the old you. Do you understand? That's the one that was done away with. And I see it as a pastor, as a friend, as a person, as just a human being. I see people's lives and they never change because they're always around the same group, they're always doing the same things. It's so unprofitable to them, they become unprofitable in the church, they become unprofitable in their homes, they become unprofitable, period. And it's really hurtful, because I want to lift them up and to help them. And then it says, ways of peace they have not known. And that's the very thing, there's no peace in their lives. Peace is one of the greatest things God has given me. Even in the midst of the most confusing time in our lives, people dying, trying to commit suicide, Children, cancers, horrible things, pain, sufferings. You can't figure it out, don't want to figure it out. The Bible says don't lean on your own understanding, just trust the Lord. But to have peace through times that you don't know how you're going to have peace. Peace is never overrated. Peace is wonderful. Peace in a marriage, peace in a home, peace in a family. My home is my fortress of solitude. My home is my sanctuary. I don't ever let cursing in my home. Don't ever let bad music, rap music, this music, that. My house, every single day, plays Pandora piano hymn radio. So every day, it's like I have my own little guy playing a piano of hymns. The dogs listen to it all day when I'm not there. I just want to keep a spirit of peace in my home. Even Jesus said to his disciples, when you go out into towns and somebody invites you into their house, go on in. And if, if the spirit of peace is there, stay there. If the spirit of peace is in there, get out. And I see people, Christians, That their home, there's no peace. There's no peace in their home. That is not profitable to you or to anybody, especially if there's children in the home. Peace in the home is so amazing, and peace comes from God. I want you to, number one reason it tells you why they're unprofitable, why all these happens, look what it says in verse 18 of Romans chapter three, there is no fear of God before their eyes. The most, the reason, the number one reason why all these things happen, why there's cursing, why there's destruction, why there's misery, why there's this, why there's no, is one, boils down to one thing. There's no fear of God. People don't fear the Lord. Church folks don't fear the Lord. And I'm just talking, when I say people, I mean people. and you can lump them all into one, there's no fear of God before them. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 25, please. Matthew 25. Say amen when you're there. Gonna look at a couple verses in Matthew 25. Look at me if you would in verse 30. We read this verse that Jesus said, it says, and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Very scary verse. But he said, Jesus, and we're gonna look at what he's talking about. I just wanted to give you that verse. If you look with me, you look in verse 13, and we're gonna read down. It says, watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man comes. So we don't know when Jesus is coming back, right? We don't know. You know what the great thing is? He didn't come back yet. You say, why is that great, Pastor? Because it gives us all time to get right. It gives us all time to get right with him. See, God's not concerned about what you did yesterday or last year or the like. He's concerned about what you're gonna do right now and forever for. You can do more for the Kingdom of God in one week of your life than most people sit in church for 30 years because they've done nothing for God. But you can change. Amen? You can turn being unprofitable and start to be profitable. It's like something you find in an attic or a basement. Somebody put it up there, thought it was junk. And then somebody finds it later on and finds out it's worth $50,000. You know what I mean? But it's not worth anything until you find it! Discover it! And that's what I'm hoping you get a little discovery here. And look what it says in verse 14, for the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling unto a far country. Now you know this is a parable. Jesus speaking, wants us to get understanding from it. Talking about himself going back to the Father. He says, who calls his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. And the one he gave five talents to another two and to another one. to every man according to his several ability and straightway he took his journey. And I'm not here to talk about this because I want to get into the lesson, but the truth of the matter is God gives you what you can handle. God never gives you more than he thinks or knows that you're capable of handling. He's not going to say, oh you got to do this and you're like, That was just too much. I don't know how to do that. I'll tell you right now, the simplest thing in the world, the simplest thing in the world for a born-again Christian is to tell other people how you got born again. You don't have to know one verse. You don't have to know Bible, you know nothing. Hey, did you get saved? I'm saved. What do you mean you're saved? Yeah, I got born again. What is that? I was a sinner and I knew it and the Holy Ghost came upon me and showed me I'm a sinner, I'm going to hell. I cried out to Jesus and he saved me. I mean like, there's no Bible, there's no scriptures, it's just something that happened to you. And you know me, people never, ever, ever tell people their testimony. It's just crazy. Anyway, keep reading. It says, And verse 17 and verse 16, I'm sorry. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made them other five talents. And likewise, he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth And he hid his Lord's money. After a long time, the Lord of those servants comes and reckons with them. And so he that had received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou delivers unto me five talents. Behold, I've gained beside them five talents more. And the Lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord. He also that had received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou delivers unto me two talents. Behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. And his Lord said unto him, well done, good and faithful servant. Thou has been faithful over a few things. "'I will make thee ruler over many things. "'Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.' "'Then he which had received the one talent came and said, "'Lord, I knew that thou art a hard man, "'reaping where thou hast not sown, "'and gathering where thou hast not strawed.' "'And I was,' what say a church? "'Afraid.'" There you go. You wonder why sometimes I try to get people, come on, sing. Let's go, sing it again. Let's try it again. Hey, all men, come up here and sing. Let's go. How about you? Ron, Anton, come on, let's go. Why do you think I do that? To bother you? Not so much you. Because there's people out there that are afraid to do anything. They're afraid to sing so someone will hear them. They're afraid to come up and sing when there's 30 men with them. They're afraid to do anything. And that fear is bad, and it's unprofitable, and it's not good. And I'm trying to break people out of that fear. Stop being afraid. Do you understand how deadly it is? Because the fear is not of God. He has not given us that spirit of fear, but of love, and power, and a sound mind. God knows what He wants you to do, and you know what you're supposed to do, but then you just don't do it. because you're afraid. And so I'm here to help. That's why I try to help. Look what it says. It says in verse 26, And the Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked, wicked and slothful servant, thou knowest that I reap where I sowed not and gathered where I not strawed. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers. And then at my coming, I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him and give it to him that has 10 talents. for unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he hath, and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness." See, that's where we start. I just want you to realize that an unprofitable church member does nothing with what God has been giving him. I know people, and please don't ever let this be you, because you have no excuse. People that have been saved for years. People that have been going to church for years, and they still have never led one soul to the Lord. Worse than that, they don't go and even try to win souls to the Lord. Worse than that, their co-workers don't even know they're born again. Their family members don't even know they're born again. Or they say they're born again, but yet what comes out of their mouth is destroying any testimony they could ever have, and they never bear any fruit because of what comes out of their mouth. Unprofitable, unprofitable, unprofitable. Tell you right now, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a hunk of trash. We joke, my granddaughter, Kira, she said to little Connor that something that he did was trash. And little Connor said, Papa, Kira called me trash. I'm like, what? And she starts laughing. I said, did you call? She goes, no. But he kept going, you called me trash. And it was like, you don't want to be called trash. Nobody wants to be trash. You know what I mean? It was funny. She was just talking about something that he did was trash or whatever. But it's like, do you want to be trash? You want to be absolutely no good, unprofitable? Yes or no? I want to hear from you. Well then don't do the things that's making you unprofitable. You can change right now. Let's look. One thing I just want you to understand. He said, I was afraid. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy 4. Look in verse 6. Tell me when you're there. Y'all there? 1st Timothy 4, 6 says, if thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ. So I want to put you in remembrance of these things because I want to be a good minister. I don't want to be trashed. It says, nourished up in the words of faith and in good doctrine whereunto thou hast attained, but refuse profane and old wise fables and exercise thyself rather unto what godliness. It says for bodily exercise profits little bit. But godliness is profitable unto what? All things. Having promise of the life that now is and of that which is come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. Now I just want you to realize godliness is profitable. Can I get an amen? Godliness. So what we should do is obtain... I know, did you hear that? I don't know what that is. Godliness is profitable. So What you ought to do is start to try to be godly. You might say, well, how do I do that, pastor? Well, let's just take our example. Jesus was God. He's godly, amen? What did he do? He cared about other people, their souls. He cared about where people were going. And he did something about it. Something that only he could do. You can't do it. You can't die for their sins. You can't save them. He could. And he did what he could. Amen? Only Him. Only Him was divine. His blood was God's blood. Only He could be a sacrificial lamb. Only He could sacrifice His body. Only He could sacrifice His soul. Only He could sacrifice His life. And He did what He could do. Do you understand that? Now, all you have to do is tell people about Him. That's godly. That's being godly. Telling people about Jesus. Look in 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, look at verse 16, you can remember that, 3.16, right? It says, all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. That means it's God breathed, amen? It says, and what is scripture? It's profitable, hallelujah. It says it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That means to me. It's profitable to me for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. So what is profitable? One being godly. How do you get godly? By scripture. Scripture is profitable. Learn the Bible. Learn it. Don't just talk about it. Don't just have it sitting on your table. Don't just have it. Pick it up, read it, and start reading it, and make it a part of your daily life. Daily bread, all right? He said, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word. It says, our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread. He gives it to you, and you don't want it. I'm just telling you, the word of God is very profitable. I want you to think about this. Look in 2nd Timothy chapter 4. Look in verse 10. Here's something very important for us all. It says, For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica, Cretans to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Look what he says. Take Mark. and bring him with you, for he's profitable to me for the ministry." Mark, very interesting. Mark is the one, John Mark, who wrote the book of Mark. John Mark, one of the disciples of the Lord. But yet there happened to be a time where John Mark kind of left. He left Paul Stranded he went with Paul on the mission and got tired in the way and he went back home And he ditched Paul. I don't use the word ditched, but you know what he did he disappointed Paul He hurt Paul Paul was upset with him because he left him you understand People are gonna hurt you and people are gonna upset you and guess what news flash you're gonna hurt people and you're gonna upset them You're gonna disappoint them Who do we disappoint the most? Right? But the great thing is, let's look at this for a minute. Look at Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. Hopefully I can fit these next three verses in. Acts 15 verse 39 says. Are you there? It says. Let me make sure I got this right. Acts 15 39 says. And the contention, listen to this, the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from another. And so Barnabas took Mark and set on the Cyprus. See, if we want to read the story, look in verse 36. It says, And some days after, Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we've preached the word of the Lord. And see how they're doing. And Barnabas determined to take with him John, whose surname was Mark. This is John Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them, from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. You see, Paul said, Barnabas said, let's, Paul said to Barnabas, let's go, Barnabas, let's go check out the churches we did. And Barnabas said, okay, let me get John, Mark, let me get Mark. And Paul went, no, no, you're not taking Mark. Mark ditched me. Mark left me. Mark hurt me. No, not Mark. And look what it says. It says, And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from another. And so Barnabas took Mark and set on the Cyprus. And Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren under the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Sicilia, confirming the churches. It was so sharp that God in the Bible had to let us know how bad the contention was. Paul, let's just say, was bitter towards Mark. Paul, I hate to say the words, he was angry towards Mark. He kind of hated Mark. He didn't want anything to do with Mark. And that's a brother in the Lord. And then we go all the way back to where we were at in Acts chapter 15, and he says to Luke, he says, bring Mark with me. Because he's profitable to me. You see, I just want you to know, just because you messed up, and just because you fell away, and just because you disappointed God, and just because you messed up in the church, and just because, just because, just because, as long as you turn things around, you can be profitable again. And that's what Apostle Paul said. He said, bring Mark. He's profitable unto me, he said, for the ministry. Paul probably still didn't like Mark very much. But he knew he was profitable in the ministry because Mark was a good man. Amen? Look at me if you would in Philemon chapter 11. Philemon is right before Hebrews. If you haven't read Philemon, it's one book, one chapter. And it's a great book on redemption and forgiveness. Tell me, say amen when you're there. Look in verse 11, talking about this man, and he says, a great verse, he says, which in time past was to thee, to you, unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me. Now of course, of course he's talking about Onesimus, and Onesimus was Philemon's servant. He was his bond servant. He belonged to Philemon because he had to pay off a debt. Amen? He owed a big debt. And back then, how you paid off your debt is you worked for that person until your debt was paid off. That was called bondmanship or slavery, but it wasn't really slavery. You owe him. You have to work for them and do that. Well, Onesimus took off and ran away. And Philemon hated him. Hated him for it. And what happened was, the way God works, Onesimus ended up in prison. He sold something. He was a thief. Guess who's shell he ended up with? Apostle Paul. Apostle Paul preached to him, witnessed to him. Onesimus got saved. Onesimus became one of Paul's most faithful, trusted companions. Onesimus was Paul's blessing, why he was in prison. So now Onesimus is getting out, and now Onesimus says, Paul says, you gotta go make it right. Every time you mess up, up and do something wrong, you should always go make it right, amen? So he said, but Philemon's gonna put me in prison, he hates me, he this. So Paul writes this whole letter to Philemon, a man that Paul led to the Lord, a rich man that's in this other town, and he writes this letter and it says about Onesimus, anything that he owes you, put it on my account. I'll pay you. I mean, what a great thing. And he says to him, he says, in times past, I know he was unprofitable to you. I know he stole and he ran away, but now he's going to come back to you as a brother in the Lord, and he's going to be very profitable to you. It's great when people go away unprofitable, but come back profitable. Amen? Turn with me if you would, Luke chapter 17. This is a very, very interesting verse, and hopefully, I think we can probably finish here. Luke chapter 17. This is a great verse that Jesus teaches us. Look with me if you would in verse, I guess, let's go with verse 10 first. It says, Jesus is speaking, he says, so likewise ye, that means you, when ye, that means you, shall have done all those things which are commanded you, this is what you're gonna say, we are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our, say it church, duty to do. You see, there's a big difference between being profitable and just doing what you're supposed to do. You know, you get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, maybe take a shower or whatever, you get dressed, you go to work. Some people show up and say, I'm here. You know what I mean? You ought to be happy. I'm here. I showed up. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Or a husband with his wife, maybe he cleans the house for her, cuts the grass, does this. He's like, see all this I did? It's like, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Or a wife says, hey, I cooked and I cleaned and I took care of the kids. You know, look all this I did for you. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? And people want to get accolades and props and be built up. for something, they're just doing what you're supposed to do anyway. And that's how we kind of live. Well, I went to church. Uh, yeah. Well, I read my Bible this week. Uh, okay. I put 10% of my pay in the gym. You know what I mean? Like, we think that's exemplary. We think, man, we are awesome Christians. We, look at what we're doing. And God's like, uh, that's just what you're supposed to do anyway. Look, look, look, well, it'll explain it a little bit. Look in verse seven. It says, which of you having a servant plowing or feeding the cattle will say unto him by and by when he has come from the field, go and sit down to eat. And look what he says, but will you not rather say unto him, make ready wherewith I may sup and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunken and afterwards thou shall eat and drink. You see, he's talking about a hired servant, someone that works for you. When the boss tells you to do something, whatever it is, that's your job to do it. Can I get an amen? There's no questions and no, well, what about the, you just do what you're supposed to do. But when it comes to God, we don't do what we're supposed to do. We listen to bosses. We listen to wives. We listen to children. We listen to friends. We listen to the government. We listen to everybody. But when it comes to our amazing, awesome Heavenly Father telling us what to do, we're like, eh, I don't know about that. You know where I'm getting at, right? Let's finish up. Look what it says. In verse 9, it says, does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? Jesus said, I throw not, I think not, I say not. You see, when you tell your servant or the person that works for you to go here and go there and do something, and they go do it, you don't say, oh, thank you so much for doing that. That was your job. But yet, we are so snowflaked. We are so puffed up of ourselves. We think if we do something, we should get all And we're expecting it. And when we don't get it, we get all bummed out. And then we complain. And then we murmur. You know, it comes out of our mouth. It's very unprofitable. See, Jesus is giving us something here that just straightens us out, shuts us up, and makes us think. And look what he says. He says, verse 9. He says, For we've done that, which is our duty to do. He's not calling you unprofitable. He's saying you, when you do what God commands you to do, and you do it, it changes you. And you realize, you know what? I should have been doing this all along. You know what? I love Him. Look what He did for me on the cross. It's not a big deal. Why did I think that this was so hard? Coming out, helping out, cleaning the church. Coming out and teaching a Sunday school. Going out and handing out a few tracts. Putting up the door hangers, knocking on a couple doors. Like, why did I come into every service? Why did I think that was so hard? You know what I mean? And then when you finally are doing everything you were told, you're gonna realize, I'm not really a profitable servant. I've just done what I'm supposed to do. If you really wanna be profitable, God, win souls. win souls, because that's really what it's all about. We don't have time to quit right now. Luke chapter 15 verse 32 talks about the prodigal son. He was very unprofitable. Wasn't a good son, wasn't a good worker, but he came back a great son, and he came back a great worker. Amen? As we're done now, our time is up. I just hope and pray that this little tiny lesson on unprofitable was helpful to you. Because I'll tell you right now, when I hear the Word of God, it reproves me, it corrects me, it stops making me think of me, and starts making me think of Him, and just doing what I'm supposed to do. Amen? Let's pray. Father, we love You. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for saving us through Your Son, Jesus. He is everything to us. I pray that we would be covered in Christ, that the blood of Christ would cover us, and the clothing of Christ would cover us, and the name of Christ would cover us, because we have nothing good of ourselves. It's all you, Jesus. We love you. Please be with us now. Thank you for the Sunday school lesson. Thank you for this church and the people that are here. Oh, God, help us to be profitable. And I just pray for the morning service. It's about to start. Would you bring the people out and help us to edify them and let what comes out of our mouth be good, like saying amen and praise the Lord and thank you, Jesus, and singing out loud, and let other people being edified by our good mouths. We love you, we praise you, and we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.