Count the Cost, Serve Willingly

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ch for foru for for go you you [Music] for [Music] [Music] fore by by [Music] fore [Music] [Music] for [Music] is [Music] [Applause] for [Music] spe [Music] [Applause] [Music] fore praise be to our Lord dear brothers and sisters you know it's truly a blessed day that we have this opportunity to be in Lord's House you know today we had a funeral of our dear sister Tana Alex I know Guk family they just came back from their trip because their mother passed away there was another person that we know confeder family mom also passed away this morning time goes fast time goes quick you know today during the funeral I had a conversation with Victor [Music] savitz we kind of know each other but he wouldn't let me go and he ask a question so tell me about your life you know it turns out he already has 12 grandchildren his youngest one is 26 years old six no no uh son one of the kids and I remember them being in the youth and I was like wow time goes so fast that's how life is and I would like for us to turn to the word of God it's going to be written in Matthew chapter 19 we know this story very well it's chapter 19 I'm only going to have my brother Serio read two vers 21 and 22 you know we know the story very well from the word of God this man young man came to Jesus and says I would like to inherit the kingdom of God Jesus tells him have you follow all the Commandments he says yes I did and he said one more thing in order for you to be perfect and he says go and sell all your possessions and Bible says this man was very sadden with this he walked away why because he was very rich man I would like for us to think for a little bit when this man he approached Jesus he was really looking for this closer life with Jesus and Jesus told him you need to do something but for some reason is sad in his heart the reason why this sad in his heart because what Jesus asked him to do he needed to put on a scale and I'm sure for a few moments he was thinking about this he was examining his heart and asking many different questions but if I do this what how my family is going to live what if I do this what my future will be and I'm sure in his mind he was a lot of different thoughts and Bible says he didn't talk to Jesus back he just walked away you know when I'm thinking about this story this applies to mine and yours life everything in yours and my life we put on a scale every single decision that we do we put on the scale we say if I do this what will I get in return what if I do this step how is it going to turn out and this is very similar in our own life on a daily basis we put everything on the scale what's interesting when we read this story let's open up verse 27 of the same chapter it says there verse 27 chapter 19 verse 27 Peter he is asking Jesus after this story and says Jesus okay I just heard what you shared with us uh I just heard the ex example that you share with us Peter thinking to himself and we just heard the story about this rich man that you Shar with us and I'm sure Peter and all the disciples they immediately started to think they started putting things on the scale in their own mind and Peter being outspoken he speaks for everyone and says but Jesus we did all these different things what we going to get in return you know there's no question for you and me when we follow Jesus Christ we need to pay a price but here's what happens when we do pay the price in our life just like Peter we start doubting he says did we make the right decision here do I make the right sacrifice in my life am I doing the this the right way and look what Jesus replies and verse 28 through 30 if brother can read on the screen this is the reward for you and me brother and sister when you may be doubting in yourself maybe this doubt overcomes you and you're not sure because everything around you would be saying something otherwise but the word of God is encouraging you and me and he said the price that you pay you cannot even imagine the reward that you will receive you're going to be sitting on the throne by The Throne of God and you will be judging with him and all those material sacrifices that you made in your life you will receive a h hundredfold oh no your resources is not a waste of resources your time is not a waste of time because there's going to be a great reward for that and you and me we need this encouragement we need this encouragement when we come to church we need this encouragement when we separate ourselves from this world we need this encouragement when we separate oursel and we live a life differently because everything around us is going to be telling you you're a fool you could have done it differently but you doing this way and there's a great reward for that do not doubt do not doubt you know Bible says when you do good things and for some reason it says do not get discouraged why why does it say when you do good things it says you can easily get discouraged people don't appreciate it people don't see the same value that you do people don't see that it it's as important as something else but Bible says do good and do not get discouraged do not doubt you know we know the story of from um from Luke 10 verse 41 and 42 you know there was this one time I remember I was thinking and I said I do this I do this thinking in my mind that I do this for the Lord and I'm thinking I'm doing this for the Lord and in my heart I had this question and I said Lord how much of this really counts in your book how much of this really counts because what I realized God because I asked this question God answered me God showed me that sometimes I had wrong motivations sometimes I would doing it because I I just like doing it maybe because I did it because I want other people to see this it is very important to ask this question because when we do ask that question God allows in our life to calibrate this scale in our [Music] life you know when Mary was doing and Martha they been doing all these different accepting Jesus in their home and Martha was so focused she was doing these things thinking I'm doing this for the [Music] Lord but Jesus was so lying and he says Martha Martha he said you are being trouble with those things but your sister she chose a better part and I ask some of a question Lord help me when in my mind before I do anything when I put this on the scale help me to put this on the right scale that I'm calibrated correctly because in my mind I might be thinking Lord this is the right way but God says no there is a better way it is so important brothers and sisters to make sure that our scale is calibrated you know this same woman later she brings this bottle with perfume she broke it she pour it on Jesus and look what happens immediately after that people who were present there this says what a foolish act she could have got a lot of money for this but we could have fed a lot of poor people for that why is she doing that why is she wasting something that is so expensive but Jesus replies he says I see value in this you cannot even compare your actions against what she did for me what is the lesson for us when you sacrifice your life when you sacrifice what God has given you people around us immediately start to notice that and they put the same action in their own scale and it says I would never do something like this I would never do the following way and that's exactly what happens in our life immediately when you put your life on this on this scale before the Lord people notice around you and he says I don't think it's the right way I don't think it's the way should be done but God noticed that he goes deep in there remember similar story when people were bringing their Tiding and offerings to the temple when they were ringing their coins to see what they give and this woman she gave only one two I'm sorry and people immediately started to judge but Jesus says no she gave the most God sees that there's two lessons for us one lesson is for us God sees that God sees that and the second one let's not judge because people do it for the Lord people sacrifice for the Lord another good story from the word of God I would like to read from 2 Samuel CH 24: 24 and 25 2 Samuel chapter 24 24 and 25 we know the story from the word of God David he decided to count the nation of Israel and it was did not please the Lord and God punished but David wanted to bring the sacrifice to fix the situation so he was looking for a place and a sacrifice and this man or Aran he offers says listen no cost to you I'll provide the sacrifice the place just go ahead and bring it before the Lord you know and you might think at first it sounds like a good idea you know still there's going to be a sacrifice nothing's wrong with that but David being a man after God's heart he was able to see a little further this situation he says I will not bring the sacrifice to the Lord that cost me nothing he knew he needed to pay the price how many times in our life we think maybe somebody else can pay the price maybe somebody else can do the following thing but David says no this is for me I'm bringing sacrifice I'm paying the price and how many times devil fools people and he thinks they can ride on somebody else's back but this lesson that for you and me you pay the price I pay the price that's what God is calling us to do you know really touches my heart is because in that same chapter you really see the heart of David when God tells him you know pick your punishments there's three of them and what he replies he says it's better to fall in the hands of the living God than into the hands of people he has the close relationship with him he says Lord I would rather be in your hands even if it hurts even if I deserve this but it's in your hands Lord and then he continues he says Lord I will not foolish fool myself I will pay the price that I need to pay you know that really says something about the character of David he didn't want to kind of like sneak around just to make sure he comes out clean out of the out dry out of the water and that's the lesson for us that we need to pay the price and this last passage that I'm going to read for you I'm going to read ask brother to read it the the entire um it's going to be seven verses it's going to be luke 14 chapter uh Luke 14 uh verse 26-33 for my in other words if you were to summar this passage Jesus says you cannot be my disciple without paying the price a work with Christ we put everything on a scale look how it continues it says listen if somebody tries to build a tower the first thing they do the first thing they do they count the cost they put things on the scale how much is it going to cost them and then he gives another example if somebody were to go to war and prepare the Army the first thing they do they count the soldiers how many people they have with them they put it on a scale is it the right thing to do can I win the war and that's what Jesus is talking about us when we become his disciples we put our life on a scale every single day every single day because we have to deny ourselves we have to pick up the cross and follow Christ you know I was today during the funeral you know one more time I was confirmed why it's important to go in the in the house of Sorrow we heard the story of our dear sister taana how she grew up in a large family only two out of eight or out of nine three survive three three out of nine three out of nine children survived she's one of them they had such a difficult life she was uh almost the oldest in and the youngest one in the family and when I was listening to that testimony I thought to myself these people they pay so much price so much price and they did not complain we know as sister Tana she was always filled with joy she would call beautiful names everyone she would hug everyone but then I look at the time that we live in everything is complaining they drive to church within like five minutes and they complain it's it's this it's that it's always something and I said Lord we're not used to paying price but I tell you what just like one American Pastor said we are living in the days of Apostles when God is going to be pouring out his holy spirit in a mighty way but church will be paying a great price for that they will paying a great price for that fire they will they will be paying great price for that blessing because we cannot just come to Christ and and expect that's how people do these days all right I'm fine but when I have Jesus I'm GNA have more because when I read the word of God it says differently it looks when you're going to follow Christ you're going to start losing things you are giving up certain things in your life those are the words of Jesus but again those are not losses he's not making us poor he's not making us miserable all he's saying just store your Treasures in Heaven your great reward is there your joy is there there your celebration is there you're not losing anything when you give up on this Earth this is the lesson for us this is the lesson for me we need to pay the price but again it's not a painful one because the great reward is waiting for us this is not to put us down but to encourage us that the great reward is waiting for us I would like to invite you to prayer let's get up on our knees and pray Allelujah hallelujah allelujah B for [Applause] for for for for S amen for for is [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Applause] [Music] she [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] fore [Music] [Music] [Applause] for said d [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] fore [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foree [Music] [Music] fore [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foree SL for fore for for for dear brothers and sisters I greet you all with the love of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior peace be with you we thank you for the word of God that we heard today and for the beautiful poem and I want to thank our operators for helping us how to put three translations on the screen you know know what's the most important people when they're punctual when they come on time when they do what they are told when they pick up the phone when they're called and when they send text message and emails on time so I thank our operators and our administrators for solving this problem very quickly today we will be learning from the word of God and I like how Sergey said is we will learn from we will learn not just study that we'll repeat it we'll remember it we will look deeper into it and next Wednesday our our services will change a little bit what do we want to do and we want to announce that Wednesdays will be the prayer and fasting days of church we really need prayer in our church and absolutely we need fasting we need more prayers and of course the brothers will be teaching us the word of God and I want to continue to study from the word where we left off it'll be in First Peter chapter 5 I'm going to read a few verses uh you know earlier when the Bible was written it wasn't separated into books chapters and verses it was just like one letter and those that separated it into the verses and the chapters sometimes they kind of lose the thought and they just skip ahead and you're like at a different thought but I want to share with this interesting text that we're going to read for praise be to God [Music] one time they asked me in one region in Ukraine to host a uh Pastor seminar and the seminar was called three Temptations of the pastor but since we don't have many pastors here today I want I want to explain it in such a way that it was edifying for each one of you and so you could take something from this text here we'll put three questions first we'll ask who wrote this message to whom was this message written and what did he want to say through this message and I want and we're talking about the text that I just read so let's listen very carefully what does Peter [Music] say and Peter says I am a a servant with you I am also a witness to Christ suffering and it's interesting Peter didn't say that I used to be a fisherman but he said I'm a laborer with you the work that I'm doing it's very important and he said I'm a witness of Christ's suffering I saw all those things and truly Peter did see all those things and he's also one of those that saw the resurrection of Jesus [Music] Christ so what he's saying it's a person that went through all of these things it has a lot of authority so he turns to the pastors and tells them these words to care for God's fla watching over them not because you must but because you are willing listen to me very carefully to force a person to work in the church is impossible and it's not very good a person must serve God willingly and it's interesting when I think about what happened for us in Ukraine in my area when they would ordain a pastor in that time I think brother pko and Andre sasak they they remember the these things and those pastors that were ordained awaited them not a great future they were put down in their [Music] work they were in wrong [Music] situations and a lot of them sat in prisons for the word of God and they took that ministry as a pastor willingly they knew what awaited them they paid a very great price today to be a pastor sometimes it's the cool thing they call you a pastor Pastor right now it's not the same services that used to be before the pastors that used to be they would work they would go to work from morning to evening they had the family they had the services they would lead and it wasn't very comfortable or easy and Peter is writing and reminding again and I want to remind you again you have to serve God the Lord willingly you know the operators are willingly serving the church the choir members are willingly serving the church the ministers the deacons different people in the church are willingly serving you can't buy them by money they're doing it willingly and that's very important and so Peter for wrong gain not for the wrong gain uh not for dishonest gain what could be a dishonest gain serving as a pastor you know in their life it could be them being prideful of their ministry that's a dishonest gain you know they might think I always have to be respected I always have to be put in the high place you know some pastors even demand a paycheck they say if I'm not paid this this much I'm not going to serve that's a dishonest game and everyone must check thems why do I serve the church for what purpose and every minister in our church must check themsel and think why am I serving the church and Peter continues to write says they have to be eager eer to serve and later he continues to right to not Lord over the flock and those entrusted but be examples to the I met some Pastors in Ukraine and I want to go back a little bit I got to visit very many churches and I saw very many different pastors and even in America I saw different pastors and I saw how I could take an example from all of them and I saw a pastor that goes into the office and two secretaries are with one's carrying his uh his stuff his and the other one is protecting him with holy water and I'm sitting in a restaurant asking where's that brother that brought you here and he said that's my security he's sitting in the car will eat without but I saw some pastors that truly serve once I went with an American we had a different seminary in a different place we had a seminary in and you know how Americans want to see and um see everything so we had the seminary in the church and we had lunch in between the [Music] services and so the people that came to the seminar they were grabbing lunch that was prepared for them and they would sit in the Halls wherever they could find room but for us with the pastor they put a table in the pastor's office very beautifully they set the table just for us and the American Pastor is asking why are those people standing in line I said they're waiting to receive their food but we'll eat right here and you know what the American pastors did he got up from our table he went into the hallway he got very last in line and he was waiting so they gave him that same then he took his plates and he came back into the pastor's office can you imagine and then we were in a different place in and he didn't know any Ukrainian at all all he knew was the word good good and every time they would ask him something he would say good good and in that City we were in you know the sisters would come up to him and we had a table with sweet food and he grabbed some Ukrainian pastry and began to eat it and they say do you want to have some more and he says good good so they gave him a lot of this sweet he didn't know what to do with this so he put it in his pocket and he came and everything stuck together in his pockets and so I taught him another word I don't want it and so now then he knew some more words and I saw the difference between ministers some Minister and serve the people but then there's some pastors who need to be Ser everything's for them everything's for them for them that's not right and we go [Music] further and it says when the chief's Shepherd appears you will receive the Crown of Glory the Crown of Glory will be a special reward I was a missionary in Ukraine for 9ine years when I came back to America I said these words now I really will respect Mission I know what a missionary is those that left everything and left to go serve another Nation it's not that easy trust me it's not that easy and you know I said I'll come back to America and I'll invite the missionaries to my home I will bless them financially I will really respect them and now when I have to be a pastor in our church for the mon now I said another thought now I will respect the pastor so much and now I will think and pray about them so much believe me it's such a very difficult job different thoughts different calls different wishes different questions and it's very hard to explain to people we try to make a night service to not hold up the people some people are rejoicing over and then someone comes to me and says why are you shortening why can't you make the service any longer and we have to do it on time and it's not so easy and the word of God says they will receive a crown and who else can receive a crown you can receive a crown it's written who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet if you will respect and receive the pastor you will receive his reward if you'll be in church serving and you'll be very good very good sheep you will receive that reward my question to you is you give yourself an answer in your heart do you pray for the pastor of the church or not just give yourself an answer if you don't pray for the pastor and the Ministers of the church you won't receive anything from you will you won't receive anything from any you know you can send you Billy Graham y Cho you can send you Apostle Peter and you will still be upset you need to pray for the ministers please do this and you will receive the reward of the P you will be together with him in a very good Ministry and I want to say three points for what a pastor will receive the reward They will receive the reward for preaching the word of God second Timothy chapter 4 ver chapter 4 verse 2 to 5 2 Timothy Chapter 4: 2 to 5 the pastor needs to preach the word of God second second Timothy second Timothy chapter 4 verses 2 to [Music] 5 today like never before we need the healthy for the pastor to have a healthy word the church needs to pray for him and he needs to pray to God for word and secondly the pastor has to take care of the church and the church's spiritual growth Galatians 1 verse 10 amen the pastor must serve the people of God to help and feed them healthy food and I'm talking about all the Ministers of the church and all departments and the third is the shepherd must be an example for the sheep in all and all that serve in the church they must be an example because the pastor and the shepherd they don't work for money but for the reward in the book of First Timothy 5 Verse 18 let's read that place let's go back to verse 17 please turn back one verse for I'm not saying that the pastor should receive a double paycheck talking I'm saying that we need to respect the pastor we will talk about it a little bit later on but we will continue to read the word of God 1 Peter chapter 5: 5 and six the biggest culture I noticed that respects the pastor in the world it is the Korean culture they very greatly respect the ministers in their Church they really turn to them with such great honor they really understand what it means to [Music] honor and in my Seminary I had my replacement ehor [Music] and for nine years I worked with him in one office we had 25 year difference in our age I never had any conflict or any disagreements with him and I was thinking it's eigor he's a Ukrainian man can I not not find any until I found out one day he studied in a Korean Seminary and the Koreans taught him how to honor the ELD and he honored them uh and in my life I very respected and I want to say you know living I respected many people I never had a conflict with my brother maybe he had a conflict but I didn't I very respected the elders I still remember when I was very young my mom me to respect and it was a great blessing from God all my life was blessed and in America I met with elderly and they brought me a great blessing from God and I understood that you need to honor the there's two reasons you need to honor that because the word of God teaches secondly they they lived longer they know more and they have a lot they could teach you so I invite all the young people in our church to respect and honor your parents your leaders in the church honor them and you will find God's blessing and why did Peter write these words that godos the proud but he shows favor to the humble and favor it will lead you it will guide you will cover you but if you don't have the grace of God then God stands against and you can't do anything it won't work in your ministry in your family in anything so God opposes the proud but shows favor it's hard and difficult to Humble ourselves but we have to do this verse seven is very interesting it just says cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for us we just put everything on Jesus because he cares for and then what I'm going to read next is very important Peter says for amen I don't know to who Peter Peter was actually writing this to the churches and if we're looking he was writing to pastors and to all that he was writing to there's a lot of information and all great information that when we were that we need to keep going and why we need to resist because our enemy walks around like a roaring lion the fact that we're saved is one thing but our path still here on this earth and the devil goes around like a roaring lion to destroy us and we know that a lot of people have fallen in their Ministry and in their walk before God and that's why Peter writes to resist and be aware because the enemy wants to put you down do you want to know what's the biggest tactic of En the biggest thing he does is he shoots arrows you know you're sitting here in service and all of a sudden boom there's an arrow that comes and all of a sudden the arrow sticks in you and you're thinking of that till the end of service and all of a sudden the problems come in this if you think about it for a long time you know the devil can't um read our thoughts it's not given to him but he sees our reaction what we do and he pays attention to what you do and what you say but what you think he cannot read and if the devil could read our thoughts I don't know what would be with us but it's not given to him so be very on guard resist with uh firm stand on firm Fai um the word of God repeat the word of God Walk In The Word of God and ignore the arrows of the enemy that he shoots at [Music] you don't repeat those thoughts that he sends into your mind because when you speak those thoughts you materialize them never say those things just fight and wrestle with those in your mind so that the blood of Jesus covers you in your mind and may every one of us stand firm in our faith Peter finishes his uh letter he was writing it from Rome the historians say and I want to finish our studying of the word of God Peter says greet one another with a kiss of love you know the culture has changed we used to practice this in our churches we did it very willingly and then all of a sudden it changed to just giving your cheek and the culture has changed but there's one um Power in this that you would love one another that you would not pass anyone by you would greet one another it's very important to greet one another to bless one another and may God's grace be with all of us and we all said amen if you have any commentary or any question you may ask now or add now this no [Music] for for it says it's written to resist and stand against the enemy who walks around like a roaring lion and stand firm in your faith going through these short sufferings as your brothers are going through them with you in the world and that's what it's written here that it's not just our Temptations but we will have those sufferings from the enemy as well but they will be short these sufferings that we might go through that might be attacks against us there will be short sufferings and we just need to stand firm in faith to go through those so don't be weary when you're going through those sufferings we all go through them you know I I thank you for adding and I want to share a story there's one lady that came up to me at one time and you said can you pray for me I'm looking for work you know already four times I've been fired from my job you know first time uh something went wrong and I say God you want to give me a better job and God gave a better job and again and I think again God you have something even better you want to take me somewhere better and like that three times happened and the fourth time she asks pray cuz I believe and I know God will give me a better job there's no curses praise be to our God our service has come to a close and we will be praying and I want to um add a story that ministers need to serve not that you need to serve the minister but the minister need to Ser you know brother ministers always go without a line when the line already passes by and there's already no more line that's when the minister should go and the American Pastor gave a good example for you and for all of us for us good example you know today as it was already said we had a funeral service and I'm already thinking Nikolai alexovich went um passed away to be with the Lord two years ago and tana Alex just recently went and you know God says um look at those who walked before you and you know learn from them and you know that's a couple that I would watch and learn from them while they were still here and you know many of us might have read his book that Nikolai Alex Alex wrote and you know when we had the funeral for nikolich I didn't have the opportunity to be there for certain circumstances and you know but as I was listening how people testified about him and I myself looking over his life you know I say I was kind of jealous of him I would want the same thing we need to do that as as well so we need to pay attention to the lives of blessed Ministers of God today we had a great service as we went through the last steps of T's life and we want to pray that God would um give peace to the family even though you know my my parents they they um received salvation not long ago they and I was very very worried and I was thinking Lord I'm saved and I might come and my parents my dad and mom won't be there I was worried you know two or three years ago they repented and received baptism by water and you know if the Lord happens to take him away I'm rejoicing because we will see each other there you know it might feel like a loss but it's not a separation always you know we'll see each other again and it's a a great thing that the word of God tells us encourage one another with these words and if you're a saved person you're moving towards the kingdom of God death for you is what it's a reward and a time will come where death will be no more and we will be with him always in heaven and it's a great thing that we can remember and brother Nikolai was sharing that we won't suffer these sufferings for always we will rejoice that we are receiving there and there will be a great reward for us and that's why we need this life here on Earth to make it to heaven and the word of God says if you if you die died with Christ then you believe you will live with him as and if there's any needs we'll pray for needs and any Thanksgiving we'll pray for Thanksgiving we'll thank God we'll pray for the family of H and this Saturday we'll have a Saturday cleanup here at our church so we invite you all and pray for us as we're going to be doing this together you know if you have any needs or any Thanksgiving you could just raise your hand Z Noah okay pray for Noah he has temperature he has a fever Pastor has a very big Thanksgiving to God and their family they have sister has a Thanksgiving for for am amen you may greet