Watch “The Rewards of Faithfulness” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel.
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ever get discouraged on your job if you
ever get discouraged in your family if
you ever get discouraged in the call of
God on your life you need to remember a
hero in the Bible that I’m going to
preach about his name is Matthias he is
mentioned by Luke who wrote the book of
Acts in this one passage his name comes
up and it is in reference to the
prophecy in the Book of Psalms of one of
the Apostles that would betray Jesus and
have to be replaced and that is what was
happening they had been in the upper
room about seven days after the
resurrection of Jesus Christ
the disciples a hundred and twenty of
them were assembled praying and on
around the seventh day they said you
know we’ve been praying and we need to
fill the slot there’s one missing place
and according to the scripture we should
we should put someone in the place of
Judas who hung himself and betrayed the
Lord and that’s exactly what was taking
place in this scripture and they begin
to pray they begin to say Lord you know
the hearts of men you know who we need
to choose and I want you to notice the
the qualifications that it took to be
named and notice the word Apostleship
this was not just a leader in the church
in the first church this was Apostleship
this is same status as Simon Peter and
James and John and Matthew and all of
the Apostles all twelve of the Apostles
of course Judas hung himself and now
somebody is going to be elevated to that
position and here’s the qualifications
for it where for finest men who
accompanied us all the time through the
in and out of Jesus and who were with us
listen to this from the baptism of John
till
was taken up in the resurrection 40 days
after he rose from the dead and he went
up on a on a cloud into heaven to sit at
the right hand of the Father that was
the qualifications and only to fulfilled
that criteria and it was a man by the
name of justice and it was a man by the
name of Matthias and when they had
prayed they this is this is almost funny
but they cast lots they rolled the dice
that’s like some of you do when you buy
your lottery ticket in the name of Jesus
and and they actually said now God we’re
picking a leader and we need you to
leave this is this funny innit and they
cast lots and they said now if you get
that I don’t know if they use toothpicks
or what but if you get the short
toothpick you’re the loser and the guy
with the I don’t know how they did it
but it was basically a natural contest
that they used something and many
believe it was dice or something like
dice and one of them chose a number or
whatever and whoever got it welcome to
the exclusive 12 of the Lord Jesus
Christ but the real the real
qualification was they had to be
faithful they had to be there from
beginning to end I’m preaching tonight
on the rewards of faithfulness it really
didn’t matter they were saying no it
really doesn’t matter one is about as
good as the other because they’re both
faithful and so just roll the dice and
see see see who God wants to choose
tonight and so they chose an apostle and
it fell on Matthias and he was numbered
among the eleven apostles the only place
that he’s mentioned in Scripture he’s
chosen to be an apostle and what was the
qualification why did they choose him
notice that it wasn’t about his
preaching notice that it wasn’t who
could sing the best it didn’t have
anything to do with
his leadership qualities it was simply
the fact that he was looking for they
were looking for an apostle and this
person had to be faithful through the
ins and outs of Jesus
it speaks of faithfulness it speaks and
denotes of being there in and out doing
serving behind the scenes with no
recognition with nobody praising him
never coming up in the scriptures
neither one of these men they weren’t
doing it for any other reason they were
serving in their place we don’t even
know what they did but they followed the
disciples around they hung around they
were not talked about they never
performed a miracle they never preached
they never sung they didn’t do they
might have built a campfire or something
like that
but they did nothing that caused them to
be recognized in man’s eyes
qualifications not based on talent not
based on skill not based on education
God’s trying to tell us that when I’m
choosing my last apostle I’m not
choosing based on their knowledge or
even their scripture quoting or their
ability to get up in front of people I’m
choosing on the basis of faithfulness
and loyalty I’m choosing on the basis of
whether or not they’ve been there and
they were consistent and they were
faithful and I’m saying to you that God
has called you to do things that may
seem small to you but I don’t care how
small and insignificant it seems he will
not overlook your faithfulness if you
give a cup of water in my name I will
reward you one day at the judgment seat
of Christ you may not be able to rub
shoulders with great people all of that
stuff but one day one way you can be
equal with everybody is
they they make an outdo me and other
things but you need to say they can
outdo me in faithfulness they were there
from the baptism to the resurrection and
I’m saying to you that if people never
recognize what you do for the Lord the
real boss is upstairs and he sees and he
knows Matthias had to be with them
constantly what does that mean from the
time that Jesus went in and out the
verse said you know there’s times when
Jesus is in and it feels like revival
and it feels like whoa I got chill bumps
on top of my chill bumps and it’s
awesome and God is here and that’s
awesome and people love that but
sometimes it feels like Jesus has left
the building
but he said the people that are in that
are there with the ins and outs of Jesus
so you stay faithful in the word whether
you feel like it or not and you stay
faithful in prayer and you stay faithful
in your commitment to God into his house
you just stay faithful you’re there and
when Jesus is in and you’re there when
Jesus is out you’re there and I know
he’s always with us
but the tangible presence of God you
don’t always feel so sometimes you’re
going through a valley you’re going
through a dry spell you’re going through
a wilderness but you stay faithful
through the ins and outs of Jesus you
just keep praising him whether you feel
like it or not and sometimes you feel
like lifting your hands and other times
you just do it cuz the Bible said do it
and you worship God I’m telling you that
is faithfulness and loyalty to God and
he will not let it go unrewarded there
are too many green house Christians they
bloom in a protected environment only as
long as they have no wind they have no
rain they have no storm they’re faithful
to God but when the elements hit and the
storm hits and the rain falls you find
them weak and you find them in
situations where they lose the
faithfulness to God because things are
not going perfect but he’s looking for
people who will stay with him through
the ins and outs because the truth is
he’s using those times to expand your
faith in your trust he’s using those
times to teach you that you don’t always
have to feel God to know that he’s with
you but there is a settled confidence
and a peace in your soul that says come
what may he will never leave me he will
never forsake me I’m not afraid of the
future I’m not afraid of tomorrow I’m
not afraid of any bad report because the
Lord is with me there will be times in
your life when you feel like Jesus has
exited the building where did he go
what’s wrong with the church why aren’t
we having a move of God but what I’ve
found is if I’m faithful through the ins
and outs
he always rewards my faithfulness if you
get discouraged like that and say
where’s God you have to remember if
you’re involved in nothing but just
being faithful and I may be preaching
somebody who feels like quitting tonight
you can’t quit this is no quitting place
you’ll have no pleasure in you if you
drawback we’re not of those who drawback
set your face like a flint put your hand
to the plow and double up on your your
your dedication and make up your mind I
will not stop reaping the harvest it’s a
matter of fact I’m gonna give more than
I’ve ever given of my life to the
kingdom of God because one day the
trumpets gonna sound and the Lord is
coming back and his reward is with him
the scripture said everybody take a
praise break and thinking if you found
that there’s power and just being there
I’ve watched some of you you’re my
children in
I’ve watched some of you and you came in
struggling and you came in with stuff
going on but I’ve just watched you you
just keep coming and you just keep
coming and your barrage just might have
been weak but they just keep coming in
and out in and out in and out and you
know what they’re strong in the Lord
they’re they’re seeing the blessings of
God on their life God will do it for
anybody in this room who be faithful to
him with this wishy-washy stuff this hid
skipping this stuff that didn’t work in
the kingdom
you just disqualified yourself from high
places God would have taken you to he’ll
overlook somebody that’s a lot smarter
than you and give it to you if you’re
faithful the highest calling in the New
Testament church is Apostleship and all
that God did to get it was I was I was
there
I love that don’t you love that that
kind of gives us hope
you know I’m looking back on my life in
the past 25 years if I hadn’t done
nothing else I’ve been here in that
right shout about it praise God
hallelujah sometimes we let the devil
just put us down and tell us how sorry
we are but you need to remind him you
couldn’t be faithful when you were in
God’s presence looking at it and I’ve
been faithful I’ve never seen in
hallelujah but one day I’m going to see
in one day I’m going to behold him you
got to learn how to hang tough you know
that’s a surfer term that when the
pressure of the waves my son-in-law Ben
is a surfer and and he said the Hang Ten
the way you hang ten is you have to have
strong pressure on the back of the board
and he said and what they have to do to
keep the board from going over they have
to run all the way to the to the end of
the surfboard
and he said the reason it’s called hang
ten is you hang your toes over sometimes
you feel like you’re going through the
storm what do you do you just hang ten
just hang in there through the ends and
the outs through the ups and the downs
tails tell the devil you can’t I don’t
care what anybody says about me they’re
not running me off
that’s what you have to do don’t bail
out don’t give up at the slightest
problem the Bible said if you faint in
the day of adversity your strength is
weak stay strong and especially in
adversity stay strong in the Word of God
put on the whole armor of God that’s why
it’s so important to read this book
because if you’ll read this book when
you think you don’t need it God will
bring it out of you when you do need it
and that you don’t that words you read
tonight may mean nothing to you and you
may think Lance just another word but
you get up tomorrow and here comes the
devil right at you and the Holy Spirit
will bring up that words you read last
night when the enemy comes in like a
flood the Spirit of the Lord will raise
up a standard against it and that’s the
power of just being faithful in
spiritual things now I wanna I want you
to see this so Mathias his greatest
moment you know faithfulness gives you
glimpses of intimacy he had been there
every miracle Jesus had performed he was
there every sermon Jesus had preached he
was there he was an eyewitness he was
there so here’s the great thing about
that if somebody said I don’t believe
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead
I believe that’s exaggeration about
those 10 lepers getting healed I don’t
believe that actually happened I don’t
believe that he rose from the dead and
went to heaven
I don’t believe it watch Matthias here
comes Matthias and he swims up his hand
and he makes his only contribution to
the kingdom of God
I was there oh come on
I doubt Lazarus really was dead for days
I was there
a man with an experience is never at the
mercy of a man with an argument
everybody shout right there boy if you
were there and you saw it for yourself
they can argue and tell you you’re crazy
and it’s not real but I know what I have
experience is real because it happened
to me and I saw it with my own eyes a
[Applause]
man with an experience is never at the
mercy of a man with an argument that’s
why I like old people there’s something
about those gray headed Saints that
they’ve just been there and when stuff
comes they don’t freak out they don’t
fall to pieces something in them rises
up and says well I’ve seen him go take
me through the valley of the shadow
before I’ve seen him let the the cabinet
get empty before I’ve seen the bank
account go down to nothing before but I
have been old young and now I’m old and
I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken
or his seed begging for bread God is
faithful when we are faithful and even
when we’re not faithful he’s faithful
somebody praise somebody praise Him
I go to prepare a place for you that
where I am there you may be also I still
believe in heaven I still believe the
trumpet is gonna sound I still believe
that through the rapture or through
death there is another world and I’ll
never have to face God for my sins
because I have been covered from the
womb to the tomb the blood of Jesus has
cleanse me from all unrighteousness but
I will face God at the judgment seat of
Christ the Bema de Bheema it was an
exalted area where the Romans would
bring their champions and they would
stand like at the Olympics on a on a
pedestal and they would be rewarded
either a silver bronze or a gold medal
the Bible is very clear my salvation is
settled but my reward I’m not working
for my salvation I’m working for my
reward and I’m gonna tell you the a
sobering vault it’s how I live right now
one of the crowns is the crown of
righteousness means right standing it
means you take the right stand it
matters the the life it matters personal
purity and holiness and fighting and
resisting sin temptation all that stuff
matters it matters because one day we
shall stand before the judgment seat of
Christ the Bema the light of God will
shine on us before all of heaven and all
of our works will be examined but I’m
gonna tell you it matters if you’re
doing something in your local church for
the kingdom of God it’s the only thing
that will when the when the Bible talks
about the eye of the needle you know
it’s hard for a rich man to go to heaven
it be is hard for a camel to go through
the eye of the needle and and then we
start thinking well how in the world can
a camel go through the eye of the needle
it’s like a rich man in a Porsche trying
to go through a hotel revolving door in
that Porsche he can’t he can ram into
that door but that Porsche is not gonna
go through that revolving door here’s
the point it’s not that rich people
can’t go to heaven lunch you can’t take
you can go through the door sir but you
got to get out of the car the Porsche
and all the stuff is gonna be left on
this side you can go through the blood
of Jesus Christ but you’re not taking
any of it with you and it’s not gonna
matter when you stand at the judgment
seat of Christ only what you’ve done for
him will make it through in that
something so that’s why he said be a
joyful Giver because man you’re securing
blessings and eternity and joyfully
serve the Lord with gladness servant so
here’s my point he’s gone to prepare a
place for us and the Bible said that
there are foundations in that city
called New Jerusalem 12 foundations made
a precious stone jewels and it says this
in the book of Revelation and the names
of the 12 apostles are engraved in the
12 foundations so one of the foundations
is Peter and one of the Foundation’s is
John and one of the foundations is named
after Matthew and it goes on and on and
on every one of them have a foundation
can you see the angel work crews
finishing up their engraving names and
they get to the 12th foundation and the
angel work crew with their hard hats
hold up and they say Lord who would you
like for us to put here on this final
foundation the 12 apostles the 12
foundations where all of the redeemed
will live for eternity in the New
Jerusalem no weeping no sorrow joy
unspeakable full of glory but there’s a
name missing on the top foundation what
name would you like for me to put and
the Lord says put Matthias who is that
doesn’t matter if you know their name I
know their name and put their name put
his name let him be numbered among the
Apostles and when I get to heaven you
know where I’m gonna run to I’m gonna
run and put my fingers in the engraved
name of Matthias and say I didn’t preach
like Peter and I didn’t work miracles
like Paul I didn’t write any books like
Matthew but Lord I sure can’t identify
with this man I was there I was faithful
and God has rewarded me for my
faithfulness with all eternity to stand
to your feet and just give God praise
for his faithfulness and thank him for a
moment just to honor him all over this
ring all of you who feel like you’re not
worthy of anything in the kingdom put
your hands together and thank him that
he has a place for you and great will be
your reward
I believe today’s message is speaking to
your heart to just continue to be
faithful God is a rewarder of people who
are faithful to his kingdom you know
we’re never required to be successful
success is only found one time in the
Bible nothing wrong with success and I
believe when you obey God he will make
you successful but our ultimate goal is
not success
it’s faithfulness to God and if we’re
faithful to God he will bless everything
that we do and today why don’t you just
turn that commitment over to him why
don’t you just say Lord whatever I’m
walking through going through take my
life let me make a difference use me for
your purpose and your glory like you did
my thighs and let me at the end of my
life here you say well done thou good
and faithful servant that’s success that
is victory in every way when you are
faithful to God God will be faithful to
you even when you’re not faithful he’ll
be faithful to you because these are
faithful God I want to invite you today
if you don’t know the Lord as your
Savior to ask him into your heart right
where you are pray this prayer and say
Lord Jesus I receive you today as my
Savior just say those words I believe in
you
I put my faith in you and I know you’re
a faithful God and I commit my life to
you today in Jesus name Amen and amen
you know we love to hear the reports
that we hear from all over the world of
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programs just like this one if this
message today has touched your heart if
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we’ve said I wish you would take him on
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communicate with us that way we would
love to hear from you and our closing
moments I want to say thank you for
helping us take this message all over
the world and we simply are just
thankful for those of you who are
faithful faithful to God and faithful to
this ministry into your commitment to
help us reach the world as you know this
quarter we have been raising resources
to go into West Africa and build an
orphanage there and complete an amazing
ministry center that includes a school
and education and get girls off of the
streets out of sex trafficking into this
beautiful orphanage and educational
center we’re sending them two hundred
and seventy five thousand dollars and
we’ve raised a hundred and seventy five
thousand of that but we need the last
one hundred thousand it’s not for me
it’s not for even this ministry it’s for
that orphanage in West Africa what a
difference you can make for an orphan
what a difference you can make in
somebody’s life pray about what God
would have you do thank you for watching
we appreciate you so much pray for us
and we’ll pray for you Jenson Franklin
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oh well Healy
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