God

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Gods FaithfulnessNo matter what we have done,
God always loves us
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The Holy Spirit produces faithfulness in us by
focusing us on HIS faithfulness.
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Hebrews 121-3 - Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to
the life of faith, let us strip off every weight
that slows us down, especially the sin that so
easily hinders our progress. And let us run with
endurance the race that God has set before us.
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We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom
our faith depends from start to finish. He was
willing to die a shameful death on the cross
because of the joy he knew would be his
afterward. Now he is seated in the place of
highest honor
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beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all he
endured when sinful people did such terrible
things to him, so that you don't become weary and
give up.
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What does faithfulness look like?
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Matthew 2514-30 - Again, the Kingdom of Heaven
can be illustrated by the story of a man going on
a trip. He called together his servants and gave
them money to invest for him while he was gone.
He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of
gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last
- dividing it in proportion to their abilities -
and then left on his trip.
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The servant who received the five bags of gold
began immediately to invest the money and soon
doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold
also went right to work and doubled the money.
But the servant who received the one bag of gold
dug a hole in the ground and hid the masters
money for safekeeping.
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After a long time their master returned from his
trip and called them to give an account of how
they had used his money. The servant to whom he
had entrusted the five bags of gold said, Sir,
you gave me five bags of gold to invest, and I
have doubled the amount. The master was full of
praise. Well done, my good and faithful servant.
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You have been faithful in handling this small
amount, so now I will give you many more
responsibilities. Lets celebrate together!
Next came the servant who had received the two
bags of gold, with the report, Sir, you gave me
two bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled
the amount. The master said, Well done, my good
and faithful servant.
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You have been faithful in handling this small
amount, so now I will give you many more
responsibilities. Lets celebrate together!
Then the servant with the one bag of gold came
and said, Sir, I know you are a hard man,
harvesting crops you didnt plant and gathering
crops you didnt cultivate. I was afraid I would
lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and
here it is.
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But the master replied, You wicked and lazy
servant! You think Im a hard man, do you,
harvesting crops I didnt plant and gathering
crops I didnt cultivate? Well, you should at
least have put my money into the bank so I could
have some interest. Take the money from this
servant and give it to the one with the ten bags
of gold. To those who use well what they are
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given, even more will be given, and they will
have an abundance. But from those who are
unfaithful, even what little they have will be
taken away. Now throw this useless servant into
outer darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
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The Faithful Servants
- Know what the master expects of them
- Do not make excuses or procrastinate, but get
to work at once
- Work according to their own abilities, not
comparing themselves to others
- recognize that their resources and skills
come from the master
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The Faithful Servants
- Remain true, even when the master is away a
long time
- Trust the master to reward their work fairly
- Are rewarded with increased responsibility
and the privilege of sharing the master's joy
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The Unfaithful Servant
- Lacks faith in the master, viewing him as a
hard man
- Does not care what the master will think if
and when he returns
- Is lazy
- Is fearful
- Hides his master-given talent
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The Unfaithful Servant
- Is worthless to the master
- Is rebuked and punished by the master
- Has his responsibility taken away from him
because of his unreliability