The Lord's imminent return calls believers to diligent, faithful service, as illustrated by the parable of the master returning to his servants. This responsibility extends to every individual, regardless of their specific role or gift within the body of Christ. The sermon emphasizes that while salvation is assured, believers will ultimately stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of their works, which will be tested by fire for reward or loss. Therefore, believers are urged to live in anticipation of Christ's coming, actively fulfilling their God-given tasks with watchfulness and dedication, lest they be found sleeping and suffer loss.
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Mark chapter thirteen verse thirty four. Mark thirteen thirty four. For the Son of Man is like a man taking a far journey who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to every man his work and commanded the porter to watch. And this is in view of the return. watch you, therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh at evening or at midnight or at cock-crow or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
In view of the coming of the Lord, a responsibility to each every man. Now, I realize that this passage is, in connection with the epiphany, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. You notice in verse twenty-six of the previous chapter, or this chapter, the twenty-six of the thirteen, then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And yet, as I think of the passage and the implications, I realize that this is applicable to the coming of the Lord for which we are waiting. For one of these days, what a joy it will be, the word's voice calling us to go into His presence.
And in the meantime he's given to every man his work. Because after all, whether it's in assemblies or on the mission field, there is the individual responsibility. And for this we are accountable and the Lord is coming. When I think of other portions of Scripture that have to do with the coming of the Lord, like, for example, the First Thessalonians chapter four, which is a thrilling passage for us all, the Lord is coming. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shunt, First Thessalonians four, sixteen, and the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, that we who are alive and remain shall be caught together with them in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
When the Lord is coming through the clouds and he's going to call us up to himself and we'll meet the Lord in the air and we're going to be with the Lord from then on. Wonderful joy and expectation that those who leave us, who are dear to us, they're absent from the body and they're already present with the Lord. Great expectation that we'll all be there before alone. But in the meantime, through every man is worked. And in this passage in First Thessalonians, And other passages in Scripture, we haven't time to look at them, rooted how frequently the rock, the work, the spirituality, the godliness, the care in individual lives is emphasized together with the coming of the Lord.
As in this chapter, for example, this fourth chapter of First Thessalonians, you start out by saying in a reading... I exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God. And then he goes on speaking about the commandments that he's received, the will of God, your sanctification, to know how to possess your vessel in sanctification and honor, and honesty with brethren. Verse six, and then on, not through uncleanness, but to holiness, one thing after another in view of the coming of the Lord. For example, in verse thirteen at the end of chapter three, to the end you may establish your hearts, unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of the Lord Jesus with all his saints.
And so we have the expectation of the coming of the Lord Jesus and its effect in our daily lives, in our yieldedness to the Lord in lives of holiness. Or as verse nine says, touching brotherly love, That you love one another. And in verse ten, let you increase more and more the matter of abundantly. As in verse one, it says, to walk unto peace, God, you would abound more and more. Growth in your spiritual life and godliness and holiness, subjection to him, and drawing more to him in that fellowship, knowing the loveliness of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and reveling in the joy of his fellowship.
to every man his work. And his work will be in the accomplishment of that objective and that task which has come to all, and that is in obedience to the Lord's commission for us all, that we preach the gospel, we disciple all nations, preach the gospel to every preacher, to the uttermost parts of the earth, and that we preach the word of God, that they may hear and be saved. Then we baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we teach them the word of the Lord, the commandments of the Lord. And all of this is a task we have and the objective that's before every one of us on a local level and on a world level.
And we would be exercised about it. To every man is work. Individuality and spiritual organic unity working together. Now look at First Corinthians twelve, which is of course another passage that's very parallel to this, and we just mentioned very briefly, while our time is limited, mention something about every man, his work and our responsibility before the Lord. First Corinthians chapter twelve. You might start by reading a verse. Well, let's... made from verse four.
Diversities of gifts, the same Spirit. Differences in administration, the same Lord. Diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit. There is some spiritual gift that you have, that I have, that the Lord has given In what way to profit? To profit in the work of the Lord. To profit in the assembly. To profit in connection with the mission field. Whether it be a home field or a distant foreign field. To every man. Given to every man. To every man his work.
But the man has not launched on his own strength. He has given the manifestation of the Spirit to every man. And I might say that the... dividing to every man severally as he will in verse eleven by the same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. I don't know what your ministry is, what your special gift is, but it's good for you to consider your life before God and find out what your special gift is from the Lord. The Lord's given us all responsibility. He divides to every man severally as he will. The Lord has given us different responsibilities, but the purpose, our objective is one, that the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in our local communities, in our neighborhoods, and to the uttermost part of the earth.
And it's by the Holy Spirit. Of course, we know that from Acts. One is that they should receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon us, and we have the Holy Spirit. Verse thirteen. Now one spirit, where we're all baptized into one body, Jews, Greeks, Bond, Frank, we've all been made to drink into one spirit. The same spirit, one body, baptized into one body. We've been incorporated into the body of Christ when we trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. We're in the body of Christ, and we've given to every man his work. Now some people have gotten...
the work as in the body, the human body. We've got different works. And notice verse eighteen. God has set the members, every one of them in the body, as it has pleased him. We have a job. You have a job and I have a job. Every man has his work. And here's his difference, perhaps, than mine. But nevertheless, every one of us, every member of the body of Christ, man and woman, has a responsibility and a job to perform for the Lord Jesus in the church, in the body of Christ. And if everyone is functioning, that's fine.
There's going to be body growth. And we have a concern. We're affected by the functioning of every part. There's spiritual unity, verse thirteen. We're all baptized into one body, but we have different responsibilities as the body has different members and the different things to perform. But we are also concerned about one another. Look at verse twenty-five. There should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care from one another. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.
One member is honored, all the members rejoiced. with the body of Christ and members in particular. When you heard, I'm heard too. When I'm on the mission field in trouble, if you understand the thought of the Lord as we're members together of the same body, We're going to be exercised about that, too. If you have this information, you're going to be on your knees praying to the Lord. And I know this is true because I can see the results of it in the blessing that the Lord has given in answer to prayer in so many ways. To every man is work. And in the body of Christ, in the local assembly, every person has a responsibility. And we should pay much attention to it.
When you're hurt, I hurt, you're all hurt. you in the assembly affect the assembly, you affect the commended missionaries, you affect the body universal. If you suffer, or if spiritually you're hurt, or if you're cold and weak and sinful, we're hurt our children in Africa. We are one body, and we're a member of the one body, and you're a commending assembly, and you're on the mission field, the one body, you're one. by the same spirit, and God has given us our gifts that we might function together as one body. The missionary spiritual life, his effectiveness, affects his commending assembly, as well as the work which engages him.
His spiritual conduct affects the growth of the whole body, affects the home assembly, affects the body as universal. whole body is a spiritual organism that means the efficient functioning of every member. And that's how the body, the local fellowship, the local assembly, and the body universal grows. Ephesians chapter four, well-known passages, but how very precious to each one of us. Chapter four, verse fifteen, Ephesians four, fifteen. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, make an increase of the body unto the building of itself in love, the edifying of itself in love.
Every joint supplies every part of the body, even the unseen parts, those that don't come into the headlines, right? And those who do, will all affect one another. And the purpose is spiritual growth. The purpose is growth of the body. And that includes the local church. And while there may be things in the local church that... Earthworm, perhaps repetitions and cliches and things of that kind that are worrying sometimes. Remember that you're there to help that situation too. You're there to do your work. To every man his work. I'll read this again these two verses in Ephesians.
Speaking the truth in love may grow. up unto Him in all things who is the head in Christ, from whom the whole body swiftly joined together, because God's put us that way. He's the one that's decided what part we are in the body and what our function. Every joint supply us, according to the effectual working, that's the thing, are we working effectually as individuals, because after all the body, the union, the united... United in the body of Christ, we depend on one another, and each member has a function to perform. Are you performing the function the Lord gave you to do locally? Because locally you're contributing to the health of the body worldwide, the body as a whole, universal body of Christ.
Not that there's a difference between the universal body of Christ and the local body, but it's just a part of the body, and each individual has a part in the body, and the Lord Jesus Christ is ahead. But it goes according to the effectual working in the measure of every part. To every man is work. Now back there in Mark the thirteen, you were speaking about the coming of the Lord, coming with great power and glory, or in the application I'm making, it coming very shortly it could be to call us to Himself. And we'll see His face as He is and be like Him. The joy of seeing the Lord who died for us in all His duty.
And then there'll be joy and constant joy. Well, we don't really have time, and we will attempt it, for the time is rapidly going to come to a conclusion. But... We know about the judgment seat of Christ. In Bermuda, last Saturday, a week ago today, we were in a hotel there, a couple of poor Christians and I, we were having a supper together, and afterwards they showed a moody film to the unknown God. And they showed pictures of Greece. And there, at least pictures in the moody film showing various things And Greece, they showed a picture of stones that were there where the judges in the games and the Olympics, the pre-Olympic games, where they judged and gave rewards, the Bima.
And to know when the Lord Jesus comes, they're going to stand before the Bima. We can't tell how soon, but it could well be shortly after the Lord's coming, maybe immediately after the Lord's coming for us. We're going to come and we're going to give account of ourselves to Him. Now I have down here, one, two, three, four, five different aspects of the Bima, the judgment seat of Christ. Not judgment in connection with souls or being lost. But let's take just one passage, and this has been partially quoted in connection with Paul, the master builder. First Corinthians chapter three, the other scriptures you can easily find and read them yourself.
Here we have the building, and Paul, who calls himself the master builder, First Corinthians three, and verse ten. According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth on it, But let every man take heed how he buildeth upon it. For other foundations can no man lay than that which is made, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, there's the kind of thing you can build on this foundation. If you build with precious stones, and the Lord looks at the precious stone, the work that's been done by the power of the Holy Spirit of God and for God's glory, the Lord looks at it, it just makes the together with purity, and the draughts is gone, and there it is in its beauty, and it remains to the glory of God and to the commendation of the service.
if you build on this foundation, on the Lord Jesus Christ, gold, silver, precious stones, or if you build wood, hay, and stubble, what happens then when the Lord looks at them in his eyes of fire, wood, hay, and stubble, in a moment, poof, they're gone into smoke. And those things that you put your life on, and you fast the years on, and you haven't laid up treasures in heaven, and you've got nothing there to show for your life, then it's gone. in a moment. Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall test every man's work. It's every man's work. Fire shall test every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide, if it's gold, silver, and precious stone, the fire doesn't affect that. It just gleams to the glory of the Lord Jesus Himself. If any man's work abides, which he has built upon it, he shall receive a reward. It's a time of reward, not a question of salvation. A time of reward for good work, good trial, good effort in the games, if you like, as we think about the Bema, but in life and our service for him. But here's the sad part. Verse fifteen. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer a loss. And... He shall settle off, but He himself shall be saved.
Of course you'll be saved. He has eternal life. He'll be saved. But so it's by fire, like a brand pluck from the burning, pluck to the glory of the Lord. They're looking at the Lord's face, and he has there, like in a movie film, he has your whole life that's revealed there as you give inventory, and as you give your report, because we're all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and it could be just after the Lord Jesus returns. There shall be saved. But you may be saved just by fire. You'll be saved, but you have nothing to lay at the fruit of the Lord for the life that's given. To every man is work.
I'll show him if he comes and finds us sleeping. Because that was in Mark thirteen, you know, that was the problem. Yes, he'd come and find him sleeping. I wonder if we're sleeping when we've got work to do. To every man is work. May the Lord help us not to sleep, but to be up and doing. One more verse. And this is First John chapter two, verse twenty-eight. Now little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, I hear you're looking for it. Let's read it together then. I John, chapter two, verse twenty-eight. And now, little children, abide in him, that when we shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before, and that he is coming.
To every man is work. The Lord Jesus is coming, and the beamer is ahead. We are just perhaps a very little time. What are we going to do with our lives in view of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, lest he come and find us sleeping? and we have lost at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Oh, I'm interested in the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our brother J.B. has mentioned the name of Ezekiel Inguera, Yosea Buzzo. Some of those men of God, whom he knows and his father knows, came out and visited us personally and his mother as well, and so they know them. And when I see some of those people, I feel I'm going to have the privilege of saying them at the judgment seat of Christ.
And here the Lord says to them, Well done, good and faithful servant. Oh, we seek the Lord's commendation that day as we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Thank you. Well, as we come to the close of another conference, we can say again, the Lord has been gracious to us. And I trust that our hearts have been receptive to all that has been presented to us from His Word, whether we're younger believers looking to Him for guidance for our service, or others who have responsibility in these areas in the local church.
I suggest that you reread the outline so kindly provided to us by the speakers today. and look up all of the scripture ever forgiven, and I'm sure that that will be a very profitable exercise. We look forward to seeing you all at some of the conferences next year if the Lord tarry and trust that the Lord will continue to bless each one. We've asked Mr. Jeffers to close our conference with prayer, please. Shall we bow in prayer? A blessed God and our loving Heavenly Father. We do indeed lift our hearts and praise and thanksgiving to thee for all that we are and all that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank you, our Father, we are all members of the body of Christ. Thank you for the privilege we have of working in one with another. We trust our God that all of us may be used in the building up of thy people. We are especially mindful at this time our Father, thy servants, and the regions beyond the seas, those that have left the compass of home and have gone to serve thee in a different culture, in a different land. We pray, thy rich blessing upon them, our God. We pray, our God, that thou will let them see some blessing for their efforts, that they might be encouraged, that they might be challenged to carry on and continue to faithfully give out the word of God to the end that souls will be won to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the New Testament assemblies will be established.
We pray, for the national believers, our God. Many of them are carrying on now in a way that they never dreamed they would have to. They're on their own now. We pray, our God, that thou will encourage them and bless them and help them. We pray for our assemblies here at home. Exercise our hearts, O God. Exercise all our hearts with the concern for the spread of the gospel, both at home and abroad. Encourage those that serve as elders to. Challenge the young folks. Encourage them to go out and provide the means that they may develop the gift that they have, the gift that thou hast given to them. We thank thee, our God, again for this blessed time we have had sharing together the things concerning thy service beyond the seas. We just pray, our God, that thou will bless every aspect of this meeting today that will be with us for some time to come and challenge our hearts.
We pray that as we separate that thou will go with us, thou will watch over us and care for us. Be with us all, we do pray. And bless us as we assemble tomorrow in our various assemblies. We come to worship the one who gave his life for us all. on Calvary's Cross, and we thank thee in his own worthy and precious name. Amen. First, I don't agree with that. I feel that anyone who's doing pioneer work unisolated for long periods of time I'm absolutely convinced he should be married and have his wife along with him.
I think that that is important. It's possible to lay down regulations, but when it comes down to practical things, I think we have to look at these things in the face. We have seen a good many tragedies of people who are isolated for long periods of time. and then they have fallen into a trap for him to leave the work. So, person, I believe, that a missionary doing pioneer work in isolation should be married and have his wife along with him. Brother, there are areas on some mission fields where a man is suspect morally if he's out there alone.
So, just remember that now. Did I leave an assistant when I've gotten there? Have you got two that I... Are you two, Bill? Could each? Yes. May I have them in August? Ernest, you? I think they're very good ones. Could some brethren on the panel give examples of God's call to them to the mission field? Ernest, we don't have... I shouldn't say Ernest. I like to say Mr. from the platform. Mr. Wilson. Would you just sketch out very quickly how the Lord led you to the mission field? You had to go to work at the age of thirteen in the shipyard, etc., and the shipyard train used for the mission field, etc.
Just give us a little bit of that, would you? There's something about a call that's sacred that it's almost impossible to speak about.