MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
TEXT: Matthew 25:21; 2 Timothy 4:7; Matthew 7:20-23
ILL. Several years ago in KY a man walked into a Dairy Queen, placed his order & paid for it with a $200 bill. The cashier gave him $196 in change & he drove away.
Sometime later the manager noticed that something didn’t seem right about the $200 bill, maybe because it had a picture of President George Bush on one side, & a picture of the White House on the back. Fortunately, police were able to track down the man & he was arrested for theft by deception.
As you probably know, real U.S. currency has a number of features designed to make it harder to counterfeit. If you have a $10 or $20 bill you can hold it up to the light & you’ll see that there’s a strip embedded in the paper that has the denomination of the bill printed on it. That strip also glows under ultraviolet light.
And there are several other features that you need a magnifying glass to see as well.
Here’s another example. Companies that make the products we use every day spend lots of money creating what’s called “brand identity.” That means they create a logo or identity for their company or product that is easily recognizable.
And these companies spend lots of money to keep others from duplicating their product or their identity. Despite that, there are plenty of counterfeit products being produced all around the world.
For example, authorities have found clones of a popular brand of expensive down-filled jackets for sale on the internet. When the jackets were examined, it was discovered that they were not filled with down at all but with chicken feathers swept up from the floors of poultry houses. This can aalso pose a real health risk by carrying bacteria & disease.
Another problem involves counterfeit medications. I think it’s obvious how harmful those could be since they may not have any of the needed medication in them. (Adapted from a sermon by Chip Blackshear on Sermon Central)
In the same way that we can be fooled by counterfeit products or money, we are also in danger of counterfeit religion. To be more specific, we are in danger of having a counterfeit faith.
ILL. Webster's dictionary says that a counterfeit is "something not genuine, but made to resemble & pass for something valuable."
A. If so, a natural question for us would be, "Are there any counterfeit Christians?” Jesus answers that in Matt. 7:20-23, "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."
"Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
SUM. If a counterfeit is something that is not genuine, but that deliberately tries to resemble or pass for something valuable, then Jesus is saying that there will be counterfeit Christians.
Is it possible that some prominent entertainers & politicians are “counterfeit Christians”? They proclaim their Christianity, & yet, in their words, their lives, & their public actions they are deliberately ignoring Jesus & His teachings.
And Jesus clearly tells us that no counterfeit Christian will ever hear God say, "Well done, good & faithful servant… Come & share your Master's happiness." (Matthew 25:21)
B. Now, I don't want to be a counterfeit Christian, & I trust that you don't want to be one either.
In fact, I would really rather be able to approach the end of my life with the confidence of the Apostle Paul who wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7) In other words, I want to be found a good & faithful servant of my God. Don't you?
C. “Faithful servant” is what God called Moses in the O.T. And today, Moses stands out as one of the greatest leaders in all of recorded history.
But you & I know that Moses didn't start out that way. In fact, when it comes to making excuses to God, Moses sounded a whole lot like most of us. Yet God was finally able to count on Moses. And I believe that the outstanding characteristic of Moses' life was his spirit of service.
And once Moses was committed to serving God, it didn't take him long to discover that God specializes in the impossible. The more he was willing to do, the more God made it possible for him to do.
PROP. God helped Moses overcome obstacles that he would never have been able to conquer alone. And I’m convinced that God can do the same for us too.
I. GOD HELPED MOSES OVERCOME TREMENDOUS OBSTACLES
When God first called Moses, Moses faced 3 tremendous obstacles.
A. The first one was his feeling of inferiority & inadequacy. When God said, “Moses, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt," the first thought that came to Moses was, "Who am I? I'm a nobody. They won't listen to me. Besides, I'm not very eloquent. I wouldn't make a good spokes-man at all. Send somebody else."
APPL. I wonder how often Satan has used our feelings of inadequacy to try to keep us from doing what God would have us do?
As a young preacher, preparing for funerals really bothered me. I felt so helpless. But today I can think of nothing that ministers more to the needs of people than ministering to them in a time of grief.
I am convinced that if we will let Him, God will help us & equip us for our service to others, whatever it might be.
SUM. Moses said, "I can't speak. I can't lead." Yet, when he let God lead the way & Moses followed His commands, it wasn't long until Pharaoh let His people go.
B. The second obstacle he faced was about 2 million grumbling Israelites. They weren't two days out of Egypt until they started complaining.
"Moses, what is your plan for getting us across this Sea?" Moses answered, "I don't have a plan. God told me to follow the pillar of cloud by day & the pillar of fire by night, & that is what I am doing. You mean you led us all out of Egypt & you don't even have a map showing you the way?"
Then again, "Moses, what's on the menu for today? What are we going to eat? We had melons & cucumbers & meat in Egypt. Moses, it's hot out here. Our throats are parched & the water tastes terrible."
SUM. They were constantly grumbling. Moses spent a lot of time talking to God about them, & I imagine he became discouraged many times over.
Now I really think that on the judgment day God is going to deal harshly with people who have been a source of discouragement to other Christians.
SUM. Moses had to deal with that, & God strengthened him through it all.
C. The third thing that Moses had to deal with was his own stubborn will. One day Moses said to God, "The people are complaining because there is not enough water." God said, "All right, Moses, go over to that rock & speak to it & I will provide plenty of water."
So Moses went over to the rock, but in the midst of it all he lost his temper. He let the Israelites know just what he thought of them.
And instead of speaking to the rock he struck it. The water came out all right, but instead of showing the people how much God cared for & provided for them, Moses displayed his own anger & disobeyed God. As a result, what the people saw was Moses doing it his way instead of God's way.
APPL. For whatever reason, I wonder how many in the church reject God’s will? God gives us His plan & His program & He says, "Now this is my will in the situation."
But we say, "God, we don't want to do it that way. This is the way we think it ought to be done." And our will gets in the way of God's will.
SUM. Moses faced three great obstacles – feelings of inadequacy, difficult people, & his own stubborn will. And yet God helped him through it all.
II. OUR SERVICE WILL BE REMEMBERED & REWARDED BY GOD
A. Finally, we are told that our service will be remembered & rewarded by God.
Moses must have wondered about that. Moses started out at age 80 to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He went through all the struggles in the wilderness for 40 years. He saw the hardships & the pain. He loved the people. He prayed for them. He interceded with God on their behalf.
Finally he stands on the border of the Promised Land. High on a mountain, he looks across at the land flowing with milk & honey. God shows it to him. Then God says, "But Moses, remember, you're not going to lead them in." And it is Joshua who leads them into the Promised Land.
APPL. How often it seems to happen that way! David made all the preparations for building the temple, but it was Solomon who built it. Oftentimes God uses one person to plow the ground & get it ready, & someone else to harvest the crop & see the fruit of all the labor.
B. It would only have been human for Moses to wonder if his service would ever be rewarded. Then one day, in a different century, on another mountain, Jesus was transfigured; & Moses was there too.
He saw Elijah & he saw Jesus in all His glory. He looked down & saw the worshipful gazes of Peter & James & John as they looked at Jesus & Moses & Elijah together. Moses must have thought, "It really was worth all the sacrifice & all the pain. It was worth it all."
But the glory of the Mount of Transfiguration will be as nothing compared to the glory when we will see Jesus. When we see Him on His throne & we gather there with Moses & Elijah & Peter & James & John & all the others, then we, too, will know that it was worth it all.
You see, Jesus calls us not to a life of ease, but to a life of service. So as His followers we keep on serving. We keep on working. We keep on giving.
You see, there are still mission fields that need faithful workers. There are still pulpits that need to be filled. There are still classrooms that cry out for teachers. There is still a place for every worker in the service of our Lord.
And one day we, too, will know that it was worth it all!
A beautiful hymn expresses our anticipation:
“And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory.
O we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord.”
INVITATION And Jesus is still tenderly calling, calling us home. Will you come as we stand & as we sing?
