"Rebellion - Left, Obedience - Right"
It is a joy to come to you with the Word that the Holy Spirit has inspired. Today�s message is not meant to condemn, but to hopefully cause each of us to examine ourselves. We are truly living in perilous times that the Word of God warns us of. A time that Jesus could call out His Church at any moment. I�ve never witnessed such a time of selfishness and self-preservation attitudes, as now! This attitude is the total opposite of the attitude of love, compassion and servitude set by Christ. A lot of people (souls) will spend Christmas alone, hungry, homeless and in a state of hopelessness. My friends, this ought not so to be! Ministry is more than standing in a pulpit. Ministry is compassion � feeling the need and burdens of others. It is love in action, giving of ourselves, our resources, denying our own flesh and doing something about the needs we so often hypocritically pray about. It is love in action! The very example set by Jesus Christ. There are two types of people: those who obey and those who rebel. The obedient at judgment will be placed on the right, making Heaven their eternal abode. The disobedient will be placed on the left and cast into hell for eternity. Either we are obedient, the followers of Christ, or rebellious and disobedient, the followers of satan. There is no place in the middle of the road, no fence to straddle here! As you read this message, I ask that you pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal your heart to you. I plead with you to examine yourselves and decide where you stand: �Rebellion � Left, Obedience � Right�.
This word is so important that I have decided to record each scripture word for word right here for you. I don�t want you to miss out on anything. Each scripture is taken from the King James Bible, the only Word we use. Our first scriptures are Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents: �For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 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 hid his lord�s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoned with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His 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 thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: 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 unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.� Jesus uses this parable for a warning to us. It warns that our very place in Heaven is dependant upon faithfulness combined with our service here! Each talent represents the opportunities we have to serve God on earth. They represent our finances, skills and abilities, and our time. Each is a trust from God that we are responsible to use at all times in the wisest manner possible. You see, just because a deed, bank account or pay check has our name on it, doesn�t mean it belongs to us. All we have belongs to God! Yes, we are bound to pay 10% to the storehouse, but truly we must apply everything possible toward God�s Word, delivering the Gospel. That means reaching out, getting out of our comfort zone and putting Christ�s example to work. We can put our resources into the WORLD, or we can invest in God�s kingdom. Where is your investment? In the things of the world or in following Christ�s example? Where will you be found, �Rebellion � Left, Obedience � Right�?
Now we�ll look at the judgment of the nations where Christ divided goats to the left and sheep to the right. Our scriptures are Matthew 25:31-46. �When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered. and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever-lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.� The scriptures here refer to the judgment that will occur after the tribulation, when Christ has returned to the earth, before He begins His reign here. When Christ returns, the sheep and the goats are still living together. This judgment will separate the rebellious from the obedient. Final resting places will be decided according to how they treated those that belong to Christ. What it all comes down to is this: did they feed Him? Give Him drink? Did they take Him in or clothe Him? Did they visit Him? You�ve read the scriptures. The obedient (sheep) didn�t realize when they did those things for Him! No, they did for others because it was their nature to do so! They had the very nature of God in them, and it came out. The rebellious (goats) didn�t know when they failed to do those things, because the nature of their heart was wrong! True Christians don�t just do for those who look good, smell good or have high social standing. No! They don�t meet the needs of people because they want to be seen or rewarded or because it looks good to others. True Christians do for others because they love God. Remember when Jesus fed the multitudes? He didn�t pick out certain ones � He fed them all! He continually ministered to everyone�s spiritual and fleshly needs. Jesus has the same answer for some of you today, if you do not change: �Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.� The unprofitable servant and the goats all received the same reward in hell! This is not a place that God prepared for any of us, but if we choose to maintain an attitude of rebellion by overlooking the needs of others, guess what? It will be home for all of eternity, right there in torment with the devil and all of his angels. I�m so glad Jesus prepared a place for His sheep! He bought a special reward for all those that will accept it and follow Him. Following Him means taking on His nature � it�s your choice: �Rebellion � Left, Obedience � Right�.
I want to share with you three very important scriptures that this ministry stands on, Hebrews 13: 1-3. �Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have enter-tained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.� We are to conduct ourselves like the New Testament church. We have a mutual relationship with God as our Father. This is possible because of the grace extended to us by the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We are family, regardless of how we may view the scriptures or our doctrine. We are all sons and daughters of God. We must extend love to one another. We must be careful how we treat everyone because we may entertain angels unaware. We must not forget those in bonds, whether it be prison walls, bonds of affliction or bonds of social standing. We must always minister in every way to every one by the very nature of Christ. I hope that we all leave in the rapture. The Word is clear that some won�t. Where will you be found, on the left or the right?
As I put pen to paper and write you, I am blessed. I�m not talking about finances or material things, but about my wife and children, our health. We have family in Christ that we cherish. I have fond childhood memories of Christmases in an old farm house, bursting at the seams with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and more cousins than I could count. Always a place at the table at Ma and Pa�s, running over with food for whoever was hungry. I come from a simple background where money was little, love was big, and everyone was fed. It didn�t have to be Christmastime for someone in need to get a meal. These gifts, memories, talents are what God has entrusted me with. For them I am thankful. I have not forgotten those simple things � they were planted deep. I was a prodigal son, but God has restored me through Christ�s awesome work at Calvary. For all those who have turned away from me, God put one of His there to love me. I am blessed this Christmas and every day. The George family and House Upon A Rock wish you all a merry Christmas and a New Year for Christ!
In Christ's Service, Bro. Don George
