Focal Point

Dave Drewy: Today on Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: C.S. Lewis was right when he wrote this about God's rewards. He said if we would just consider the unblushing rewards, the staggering nature of the rewards that Christ promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires for our own good and our own hope of enjoyment not to be too strong but far too weak. We don't want it enough. If Christ held this out for us, why aren't we ambitious to get it?

Dave Drewy: Welcome to Focal Point with author and pastor Mike Fabarez. I'm Dave Drewy. Glad you can join us today as we conclude our series called A Closer Relationship with God. For the past few weeks, we've been studying biblical motivators for a deeper walk with Christ. We've seen how to be inspired by the work of Jesus, the encouragement of believers, and the seriousness of sin. Now, Pastor Mike shares one of the most powerful incentives in the Christian life. He calls this message Motivated by Christ's Rewards at His Return.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Here's the thing about the return of Christ. He wants us to not be surprised. And the only way not to be surprised is to always be expecting it. That means we got to live with the urgency on the balls of our feet, ready to go, serving him and faithfully doing it so that when he comes back, he finds us in that state.

Now I got to turn you to one passage. There's several that Jesus threw out to his disciples, but let's turn to one, Luke chapter 12. Jesus is trying to get that sense of urgency in his disciples. And they're all sitting around there listening to the teaching. Christ says in verse 35, drop all the way down to verse 35, Luke 12:35. He says be dressed, ready for service, which again, unfortunately, the graphics sometimes lead us to thinking that it's all about some emotional internal feeling and I want to connect with God on a mountaintop with my hands raised up.

Drawing near to God involves that, definitely an ardent devotion, an earnest seeking of God. But when we earnestly seek God, you cannot get close to God's heart, your heart with his, without him burdening you, lading you with that sense of what his heart's agenda is. Therefore, he's going to push you into service. That's why in verse 36, back in Hebrews 10, it was all about when you've done the will of God, it's a doing thing.

And so the text says, be dressed, ready for service. Keep your lamps burning, keep working at it. Don't turn the lights out and go to sleep as Mark 13 says, don't let him find you sleeping. Like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, immediately you can open the door for him. Why? Because you were expecting it. You were anticipating it. Now look at the concept of rewards intertwined in this passage.

It will be good for those servants who the master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve. Who's that? The master will. And he will have them, who's them? The servants, recline at the table and he will come and wait on them. You want to talk about rewards? Just try and get the master of the universe, the God of the world, the creator of riches and power and pleasure say, now I want to serve you. That's going to be an amazing thing.

Peter asks, verse 41, Lord, are you telling this parable to us or to everyone? Which by the way is a great question about eschatology and that's a whole another sermon, but you got to figure that one out. Luke 12:41. The Lord answered, not directly, and often he's that way, a bit elusive in his answer. And my answer to that is in this text, there's really both in view. Both those who were in the disciples group and those that weren't, as the parable goes on to say.

Because there's both a positive example and a negative example. But he says this, he asks this rhetorical question, who then is the faithful and wise manager, who the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? Now there's two people in view here. There are some that would be called to do it and do it well, and there'd be others that were abdicating their position.

And Jesus, I think's going to have the Pharisees in mind later. I could prove that in another sermon, but he's going to be thinking about those Pharisees. And they were blowing it. Guys like Nicodemus, they should have known this stuff and they didn't. It's like you're not in the word, you're not studying those Isaiah scrolls. You don't know these things and you're a teacher of Israel? Remember those slam words from Christ in John 3?

But then there was Peter, who would stand up and be a faithful pastor in the church. And after that little denial thing in John 21, remember what he says when he says, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? And Peter says, well, I like you a lot, I like you a lot, I like you a lot. Remember every time Jesus responded to him? Well, if you like me a lot then, what was it? Feed my sheep.

So he says, with that in mind, it will be good, verse 43, for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Doing what? In this case, giving the food allowance, teaching the people. So those that are gifted and equipped to do that stuff, it will be good if when Christ comes back, he finds you doing the stuff you're gifted and equipped to do. That applies specifically to me if I'm a teacher.

If God has gifted me to teach then it would be good for Christ when he comes back to find me in the process of either studying, putting a sermon together or teaching. That will be good because the Bible says, verse 44, here comes the reward, I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all of his possessions. Here comes the reward. He's going to give riches to those people.

Now here's the deal. You're saying, I don't know, I'm not a teacher. Great, not everybody is. But you do and you know, you've heard the sermons that I preach from 1 Corinthians 12, you know that everybody has been given some kind of enablement to do something for the kingdom of God in the church and outside of the church. You have been given some kind of enablement from God, a manifestation of his spirit for the common good.

Now you have been given some kind of enabling, I have been given some kind of enabling, and when Christ comes back, I hope I'm laboring in the scriptures, in the Greek New Testament, in a commentary, working on an outline or preaching on the stage. I hope that's how he finds me because the Bible says I ought to be busy doing what God has called me to do.

God has enabled you to do something for the good of the church and for the propagation of the gospel in the workplace too or in your neighborhood or with your kids, and the Bible says it would sure be good if when he comes back you're busy doing that. So how do I get to investing? Well, some of you need to figure out what that enablement is. You need to get to work at, at least start and say, I think it might be.

Well, I think I'm gifted with kids. Well, great, I sure hope when Christ comes back he finds you preparing or spending time with kids at Awana maybe with your vest on, teaching a Bible verse to my child. I hope that's how he finds you when he comes back and not going, well, I was going to get to that, but right now I was kind of busy in my life and trying to make sure I get that raise and advancement, and I'm just kind of working toward the 401k and kind of getting things buttoned up.

He wants you to be found faithful, doing what God has called you to do. It's all about we had that series in Colossians, taking Christ to work. Remember that? I mean, that's a good one to get. We've got to figure out how can I redemptively go about my work? How can I get involved in the local church to make sure that I'm doing what God has enabled me to do in the church?

If you're doing those things and busy about those things, guess what? I love the last verse, verse 44, I tell you the truth, he will put him, that person, in charge of all of his possessions. That'll be a tremendous day. But don't wait. You got to start investing now. You got to step out now. You can't wait. You got to get at it because it could be over in two days, two weeks, two years, 12 years.

I don't know, but the time is not limitless. For in a very little while, he who is coming will come and he will not delay. And when he does, it's all over. 2 Peter 3 verses 9 through 13. If I had time, if it were the two-hour sermon version, we'd go to that passage, but at least jot it down. Just because he's been delayed, it doesn't mean he's not coming.

As a matter of fact, it's all strategic. It's all about him fulfilling his purpose in the church and in the world. You better get to investing now. Okay, well, what's it going to take? Well, there's a key ingredient. Verses 38 and 39 back to Hebrews chapter 10. If you don't have this, you're not going to go very far. You got to have this.

It's interesting we often think of the concept of faith as it relates to justification. You need to know that faith is the key in sanctification. You got to know that. When it comes to the key ingredient to get saved, the Bible says it's this thing called faith. It's trusting that Christ is in your stead as a substitute and that what he has done now applies to you. You got to trust in that.

And then when you turn your sights to this thing called spiritual growth and sanctification, guess what the key ingredient is? It's faith. My servant, my righteous one, verse 38, will live by, there's the word, faith. Bottom of verse 39, we're not those who shrink back and are destroyed. No, we are those who, same word, same word, we have this thing called pistos, faith. This Greek concept of trusting and having confidence and we're saved.

It's not the kind of faith that gets the boat in the dry dock. It's the kind of faith that fuels you every day, every week, every month to keep working on it. Do you see the difference? It's a faith that goes beyond trusting God for heaven. It's a faith that fuels a life that invests in eternal things when everybody else says, why is he doing that? Like they said to Noah, why is he in his backyard building that giant barge? I don't get it.

Because he had confidence in the fact that God had given him a place, not only that would be his salvation, but would be his home for whatever, a series of months. For us it'll be for eternity. So I want to get to work on the boat. I want to invest in eternity. And what I'm going to need is a faith that's more than just I want to trust in Christ to be saved.

It's a kind of faith that says I want to trust in Christ to put in this particular thing called my Christian life a kind of adornment and investment that will pay off for eternity. Not only will it bring glory to God, not only will it bear fruit in this world, it will be something that will be eternal compensation for me and that's a good investment. And all you Orange County-ers who are into investment, this is the best investment you can make.

Number three on your outline, what do you need? You need an ambitious faith. Let's cultivate that. Cultivate an ambitious, tenacious, go-after-it kind of faith. Cultivate a kind of trust in God that says it's not enough to be in the Holy of Holies, I want to draw near to God. And to do that is an uphill climb in the Christian life where we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling, where we're striving to be obedient, to be fruitful, to be productive in the Christian life.

And that means that you and I are going to need to work at it. And to work at it, people are going to look at you going down the dry dock, and unfortunately though we see it, they don't see it because they don't have those eyes of faith to realize that what you're working on for eternity makes sense. Makes more sense than you working even on your earthly and temporal pursuits.

And they don't get that. Why's he leave the office early and put on that funny jacket and go down to the church and teach those kids Bible verses? They don't understand why you'd miss a promotion or miss a client for that. They don't understand that. But you say I'm building the boat, I'm building the boat, I'm building the boat.

I'm building the boat because if I invest in this, I know this has eternal dividends. I know God has gifted me with kids. I'm going to be there on Thursday nights leading in an Awana program. Do you see how that's a simple decision? But it's one that your coworkers are going to go, I don't understand it. He's taking his tie off, putting on a funny shirt and teaching kids Bible verses.

I don't understand why he'd do that when he could advance so much more in this company if he'd just put his head in the game and be just like the rest of us, cutthroat to go and making advancements in this world. I don't understand that. It's an ambitious faith that has eyes to see things that your coworkers and sometimes your own family members won't see.

2 Corinthians chapter 4, great example of this, by the way. Be a good one to jot down and be a great one to turn to. Let's turn there once you jot it down. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 16 through 18. Sometimes when you study passages, especially like 2 Corinthians, you've got to remember the context. "We" doesn't always mean all of us. Paul has co-written this book with a guy named Timothy.

They were co-laborers and missionaries out there advancing the kingdom of God. And in this passage when he talks about his ministry, he's talking about him and Timothy. He and Timothy were the focus of the "we," not the Corinthians. So note that and keep that in mind as we read verses 16 through 18. Therefore, we, me and Timothy, we don't lose hope.

Though outwardly, me and Timothy are wasting away, yet inwardly, me and Timothy are being renewed day by day. For our, me and Timothy's light and momentary troubles that are caused by all this investment in advancing the kingdom as missionaries and trying to help people grow in the Christian life, they're achieving for me and Timothy an eternal glory that far outweighs all this struggle and problem we've had.

So me and Timothy, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what's seen, you know what? That's all temporary. But what's unseen, that's eternal. And that's the problem. And it's not about corneas and rods and cones and eyeballs. It's about our focus, our priorities. And by that I mean metaphorically, my schedule, what I'm putting my time into, my investments, my dollars into, my effort into.

And I fix my priorities on those things. Because the things I can see physically, all that's going away. But investing in a kid's life, teaching in the youth group, being a counselor in our children's program, a small group leader, reaching out with the gospel to my neighbors, all of that is achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them. I gotta focus on stuff that people won't understand.

And you're going to walk out to the dry dock and you're going to see it, but your neighbors won't see it and they're going to go, man, he's piddling around in his backyard, I don't understand why he doesn't engage in Orange County life like the rest of us. You know it's going to take that kind of faith. An ambitious faith to see what is unseen. And people don't see it and they're going to call you crazy.

And family members are even going to go, he seems kind of over the top, kind of zealous for this thing. But remember when we're shooting up to meet Christ and now he's going to gird himself to serve and he does it based on what we've done, you and I are going to say, man, that was the best investment we could have ever made. It will be worth it. Cultivate an ambitious faith.

How do I do that specifically, Mike? Help us. All I can say in regard to that is that I think sometimes we can learn from those that have it. As a matter of fact, that's where we're going in chapter 11, right? I mean, I think that's the rhetorical place where we're left. Chapter 11 says look at these guys. And it's not about them, hey, they had saving faith too.

No, these guys had faith to step out of the crowd and do things with a tenacity and ambition other people didn't. Look at this. They call it the Hall of Faith. I'm going to call this ambitious faith. As a matter of fact, that's what we're going to do and that's the next series: Ambitious Faith. That's the title of it, parts 1 through 13. How do you like that? Parts 1 through 13.

Because we learn from those examples. Now let's think outside of the scripture for just a second. Are there any that we've seen in church history that exemplify this? All kinds. And I love to read about them and you should too because those guys exemplify a concern for things that the world just doesn't see.

I love the way William Carey, remember him, used to talk about the issues of greatness in the kingdom. And he said stuff like this, we ought to expect great things from God and we ought to attempt great things for God. Remember that? That is such an important perspective. I look at guys like D.L. Moody who gave his life for advancing the kingdom.

And here's a guy that if you learn anything about him, he's rough around the edges. He's a common guy with an ambition for God. And you know, I love the way he approached life and I love the way he wanted to see that approach cultivated in other people. And I've quoted this before, but I love the fact that near the end of his life, just before he died actually, he received news, he was out of town, he received news of the birth of his fourth grandchild.

It was a daughter. And he cabled a telegraph to them and here's what he said upon hearing the news of his granddaughter's birth. I'll read it for you. Here's what he says. He says, I'm thankful for the good news, he writes to his son in the telegraph. He says, may she become famous in the kingdom of heaven. I love that. May she become famous in the kingdom of heaven. Look at that ambition. That is the prayer of her grandfather.

It ain't about earth, it ain't about stuff, it ain't about I hope she has a nice life. He says I pray that she's one of the famous ones in the kingdom of heaven. And if you don't think that's a godly cultivation, look at how Jesus turned to his disciples and he said you guys are going to sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Think about that.

Think about the patriarchs in the Old Testament and the Bible says on the Jerusalem walls and foundations will be the 12 names of the 12 leaders of the 12 tribes and the 12 names of the 12 apostles. And these are going to be prominent people. And D.L. Moody looks at that and he says there's a lot we can do for the kingdom that's going to result in eternal things.

And when I see a little baby born into my family, you know what I want for her? I want her to be famous in the kingdom of heaven. Look at that ambitious faith. We need that. We got to have it. John Wesley, remember John Wesley? Sometimes he seems so nice and passive in some of his sermons and writings. But you know what he said about people that don't have this ambition?

He called them lazy. Actually his word was slothful. Listen to this one. Not a word we use often, maybe we should. John Wesley says, let not any slothful person say, listen to this, if I get to heaven with that I'll be content. He says in worldly things, you're so ambitious to go as far and as high as you can. But we Christians, we should have an ambition that is far more noble.

Remember the difference, listen to this, remember the difference between the highest estate and the lowest estate in this world and it is nothing compared to the smallest difference in degree of glory that is available to us in heaven. Now think about that. I mean we think about the guy, think about the guy and he's got it all, the cars, the big office, the huge expense account. He's got the boat, he's got the plane, he's got it all.

And then down here we got the person can't even really qualify for the consolidation loan and all his credit card debt. And we look at that and go, wow, what a difference that lifestyle is. I'd rather be here than there. And Wesley said, you know that difference is nothing compared to this difference in the kingdom. And you know one reason why? Because it's eternal. It's eternal.

See I don't want to get to heaven and go, well you know there's your place and here's a little three-cylinder Daihatsu for you to drive and you know I got a motorized scooter for you and we need your help we'll call, but have a nice life out in the outskirts of the New Jerusalem. I don't want that. I want me, my friends, my family and frankly, I want a lot of the people that attended the Compass Bible Church of Southern California back in the 21st century to be prominent people, rich, powerful people.

People that enjoy the pleasures of God to a greater degree because they were investing in building the boat. Gotta build the boat. You gotta cultivate an ambitious faith. C.S. Lewis, he was right when he wrote this about God's rewards. He said if we would just consider the unblushing promises, the unblushing rewards, the staggering nature of the rewards that Christ promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires for our own good and our own hope of enjoyment not to be too strong but far too weak.

We don't want it enough. And we're sitting there again with a simplistic two-dimensional reaction to feelings in our heart saying, oh no, you know, I just kind of want to be a passive kind of flatline Christian, just content to get to heaven. Lewis was right, what's wrong with us? If Christ held this out for us, why are we not ambitious to get it?

If he said you can store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, why are we sitting around going, I don't know, I'll be in, that's all that will matter. No it won't. Trust me, it won't. It won't be okay with you. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 that it will be a day of varied responses from God. And I know we always think, oh I just want to hear those words, well done, good and faithful servant.

No, I think when it comes to the positions and the prominence and the riches and the enjoyment of the eternal state, you're going to care a lot more than just hearing a set of words. Do I want to please God? Absolutely. But God says if you want to please me, just remember this. If you continue on, if you press on, if you go after it with ambitious faith, you will be richly rewarded. It's a godly motivation.

Let us achieve something great for God. Do not be content with saving faith. Let us press on for the sake of the eternal kingdom, for the good of God's glory and for the prosperity of people's spiritual lives. Let us press on to do something great. A kind of ambitious faith that makes a difference for eternity. Let us press on to something better. Let's pray.

God, help us. As people that recognize the truths of this on paper. And God, I know we have to work on the house, we have to live here, we have to worry about a paycheck sometimes, we have to concern ourselves with making sure that we've got enough money in the checking account or something in the 401k. Those are practical concerns. But please let us not be as Jesus said like the pagans who run after all these things.

Help us instead to seek first the kingdom. Let it be the first priority in our lives that we're building something for eternity. And then we know all these things will be added to us. Because we know as we seek the kingdom, you're going to make us disciplined people. You're going to make us people that are guided by principle. You're going to help us to know you and your will better, and that's going to change a lot of things, even about the temporal situation in our lives.

You'll make us wise. But God, ultimately it's about a first priority. A priority that says if I want something for my life, what I want for my life is to serve God faithfully. I want to serve God in such a way as that not only will he be pleased, but he'll respond as the scripture says with a rich reward. God, we want to be richly rewarded. We want to be pleasing, we want to be fruitful, we want to be profitable for the sake of the kingdom.

God, we know that's your will for us, and we don't want to fight that. That's the truth of the scripture, the godly motivation of our passage. So God, help us I pray, not to be content just to be saved people with saving faith. Help us to be people that press on to draw near to God, who press on to do the will of God, that we might see you face to face and you say, that was right, that was good, well done. Now here, let me gird myself to serve you. God, we look forward to that day and we thank you so much for the challenge from this text in Jesus' name. Amen.

Dave Drewy: Well, that wraps up our series, A Closer Relationship with God, here on Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez and today's final message, Motivated by Christ's Rewards at His Return. There's plenty more content waiting for you at focalpointradio.org. Missed part of today's broadcast? Well, the podcast has you covered. Subscribe and get these programs sent straight to your device. Or pull up the free Focal Point app for even more content wherever you go.

Now before we close out, we'd love to tell you about our new featured resource. It's a book that reads like a window into a soul fully surrendered to God, The Journals of Jim Elliot, edited by his wife, Elisabeth Elliot. Jim Elliot didn't just talk about faith, he lived it out with a raw honesty that's hard to put down. If you've been wrestling with what it really means to draw near to God in the everyday, these journals offer inspiring clarity.

Jim Elliot knew what it cost to take God seriously, and reading his words, you feel that. Request your copy of The Journals of Jim Elliot when you stand behind Focal Point with a financial gift or by signing on as a monthly Focal Point partner. Call 888-320-5885 or get started online at focalpointradio.org. You can also reach out through the mail by writing to us at Focal Point, Post Office Box 2850, Laguna Hills, California 92654.

And when you reach out to us for the first time, we want to put something in your hands free of charge. Pastor Mike has just printed a new booklet called Offering Our Best, and it gets right at the question of what it actually means to give God your full devotion, not just the leftovers. It's a short read that hits hard. Reach out today and we'll send your copy of Offering Our Best at no cost. Just call 888-320-5885 or get in touch online at focalpointradio.org.

Well tomorrow, Pastor Mike begins our next series, exploring what all it takes to have an ambitious faith. Don't miss the start of this exciting study, Tuesday on Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez.

Pastor Mike Fabarez: Pastor Mike here. It's an honor to be with you every day helping you explore the depths of scripture. But I want to be clear, no amount of Bible knowledge is ever going to save you. Be sure where you stand with God. Get in touch with us, we'd love to pray with you and for you. Visit us today at focalpointradio.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Dave Drewy: Today's program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries.