Five Quick Sermons

Volume I

Reward

(Wide-spaced for notes)

Created on 6/21/2010

E. Marie Seltenrych

1
Marie Seltenrych lives in Margate, Queensland
Australia near the beach with her beloved
husband Henry and two cats, George
and Mildred.

2
 Copyright page:

All rights to this work to be attributed to

E Marie Seltenrych

3
 Permission page:

I hereby give the interested party

p e r m i s s i o n t o u s e these sermons as they
feel the need, without charge or obligation to
me:

Mrs Eileen Marie Seltenrych

Bachelor of Ministries
[Malyon College, 2004]

“Freely freely you have received; freely g i v e . . . ”

Jesus‟ words, recorded in Matt 10:8b

Sermons are in double spacing to leave you room for

your own words or editing to suit your situation. Use
your own favourite translation or if you are happy to do
your own „words‟ I pray you will enjoy God‟s blessing
abundantly as you move in the Holy Spirit to bring
God‟s word to your brothers and sisters in Christ and
those coming closer to God.
Contemporary translation mainly used to avoid any
copyright conflicts
©marieseltenrych, 2010
Contact author:
[email protected]
http://www.aussieoibooks.com.au/

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 Contents:

Topics: Reward Page

SERMON 1 “Eternal Reward” 6

(Christmas message with historical information)
[1 x 40 minutes or 1 x 2 @ 20 mins = 40 mins.]

SERMON 2 “Reward for Service” 20

[The way God rewards his servants now and later]

SERMON 3 “GET STUCK ON JESUS” 32

(Topical = reward when we resist temptation;
understanding „believe in Jesus‟ and strengthening faith,
[Short = 15 – 20 mins.]

SERMON 4 “GET REALLY RICH” 38

(Topical – rich reward from God. importance and pitfalls
of riches from Biblical perspective with spiritual
emphasis) [Short = 15 mins.]

SERMON 5 “MUD PUDDLES” 44

(Topical – reward for eternity - avoid getting your feet
dirty by sinning with crowds)
[Short = 15 – 20 mins.]

5
 ETERNAL REWARD

Christmas message:

Created by Marie Seltenrych 1

Principal Scriptures:

Matthew Chapter 1 & 2: Luke Chapter 2

Central theme:

God’s Eternal reward to those who love Him

Introduction: Use the bustling and activity

surrounding the Christmas season as an

example of preparation: how folk go to extreme

lengths to make everything „just so‟.

What about God? Is preparation important to

Him?

Primary Message: Preparation is very important

to God: God must have spent eons [in eternal

before time thinking] working out the fine and

1
Hilltop Gardens, ( Normanby) 21/11/2007.

6
painful details of Jesus‟ journey far away from

home [Heaven].2

I have a huge question for God:

Why was Jesus born in a stable in Bethlehem?

Did God forget about Jesus and then it was too

late to find a more appropriate place fit for

God‟s only begotten son?3

This question puzzled me for some time, even

though I could always appreciate the story: little

animals, baby in the hay etc; it sounds quite

„romantic‟, even fictional! But the reality is truly

pragmatic and wonderful. When we read that

Joseph and Mary could not find anywhere to stay

and baby Jesus was about to „pop‟:4 as a mother

you cannot but feel compassion for Mary

2
Jn 17: 4
3
Jn 3:16
4
Lk 2:7

7
[Mariam].5 It was a dreadful situation and I

cannot imagine any woman wanting to step into

Mary‟s shoes at that moment? She had made

herself available for God‟s mighty plan; nine

months later she is about to give birth and the

couple cannot find anywhere civilized to deliver

the baby; [today we have clinically clean hospitals

or homes prepared, Mary had none of these

available].

[Story time]: [Keep the tension high]

I remember hearing a story about friends who

were in Papua New Guinea in the wilderness;

baby was about to arrive and dad drove like an

idiot to the hospital; in the end he delivered the

child in the seat of the vehicle they were travelling

in. How traumatic and even more so for Mary; she

5
Young‟s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, (1982), p 647.

8
was „driving‟ a donkey! Was God out of His mind,

asleep or what? These were my questions and

maybe some of yours too. Can you believe that

God always intended his son Jesus to be born in

this very stable? Jesus: „King of Kings; Lord of

Lords‟6; God‟s ways are past finding out, but if we

look closely at the history of Israel and the

Scriptures we will discover truth; gems that are

priceless and the poignant reasons why Jesus

simply had to be born here!

Education time: Israel, AD 1 - 4BC

First of all the situation in Israel was „hot‟ with

Herod and his family ruling God‟s holy people.7

Secondly, there was already a king in Israel –

Herod, and that was where the magi or wise

men went. They might have thought Herod had a

6
Rev 19:16
7
Matt 2:13 – 15, 22; Lk 2:1-3

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newborn son; and why not, Herod had many sons

by many women, [seven and one about whom we

have little knowledge;] it would not be

impossible for Herod to have another son.8

Now we begin to see at least an advantage of

giving birth to a king in a stable in the

wilderness of Bethlehem? Herod would never

suspect that a baby born in a stable was actually

a king? Here we see God‟s Omniscience; as a

temporary safety issue, Jesus was protected as

a newborn; God knows the hearts of kings and

paupers. We do see here a bit of a twist to the

story: the Magi came, told Herod they were

looking for a king [not Herod]; they found

Jesus.9 Unfortunately their presence brought King

Herod‟s bad side to the fore: he ordered that all

8
http://en.wikipedia.org/Herod/_the_Great
9
Matt 2:9-12

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the babes in Bethlehem be murdered: up to two

years of age; showing his jealous heart. In the

meantime the Magi had given their expensive

presents to Jesus and his mother Mary and the

family had left for Egypt as soon as possible,

being warned by God in a dream.10

HISTORICAL FACTS

We need to go right back in history to find out

other reasons why Jesus was born in Bethlehem

and why it was God‟s preordained location for

the birth of Jesus:

Bethlehem was a special place: the place

where King David was born; where that lovely

story of Ruth was recorded.11 Jeremiah and his

friends stayed on their way to Egypt;12 Rachel

10
Ibid v 12
11
Ruth 1:19
12
Jeremiah 41:17

11
was buried here.13 Check it out online. 14 Use

your Biblical dictionary if you have one: I use

Zondervan‟s Pictorial Bible Dictionary, given to

me by my son some years ago. It‟s in black

and white, so is a bit limiting for those who love

colourful scenes, but extremely useful for

historical information.15

There were special villages in Bethlehem: called

the habitations of Kimham, also called [Geruth-

Kimham] and these came about during his

reign, after he invited his good friend Barzillai to

come and live with him. Instead Barzillai‟s son or

grandson, Chimham or Kimham came over and

were given whatever Barzillai wanted for his

13
Gen 35:16 -18
14
http://www.pilgrimtours.com/mideast/israel/info
15
Merrill C Tenney, Editor, Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary
Grand Rapids, [1967].

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family. The king said to Barzillai, “Come back

with me: I will provide for you.”16

Barzillai answered that he was too old; he was

eighty and wanted to end his days in his own

hometown. He also thought he was too feeble.

He did come over a short distance with King

David, just for company‟s sake. As a result of his

friendship with King David, the famous „Villages

of Chimham‟ or Habitations of Kimham were

established; a place where travelers could rest

their weary bones and their animals on their

journey to Egypt or Nazareth: what a reward for

Barzillai‟s family? Imagine having the Saviour of

17
the world born in your village?

16
2 Sam 19:31-33
17
http://www.bible-
history.com/links.php?cat=39&sub=450&cat_name=Manners+%26+C
ustoms&subcat_name=Inns

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I believe this was a picture of an eternal reward

of God to Barzillai‟s family line; reachable on

this earth. Barzillai never lived in Bethlehem,

but if he could look down from heaven or

through the ages he would have been

astonished to know his hospitality to David,

about 1,000 years before resulted in such an

amazing reward! Remember he was open-

hearted and giving to a descendant of Jesus‟,

David, King of Israel.

Are you hospitable? My husband has this gift

but sometimes it seems like a hard gift to

activate to me because I have different gifts,

but I go along with his hospitality ideas as much

as possible, gritting my teeth and asking God

for tolerance and patience! I know that if we are

hospitable to others‟ we will be rewarded; we do

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not work for a reward on earth but in heaven 18

so the reward is a double-surprise when it

manifests because God is generous and

mysterious; we may never know what the huge

reward is until we meet Him in eternal places. If

we sum up the „why‟, we realize that this was a

special place and the offspring of Barzillai

continued to be involved in the hospitality

industry and the family is rewarded in a way

that is far above rubies or money.

For me, these are answers to my questions

about why Jesus was born in Bethlehem; you

may have even more information about this

matter, so go on and do share it with someone

who does not know the facts of the historical

side of God‟s preparation and purposes.

18
Lk 22:26-28

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God’s invitation:

When we check out more facts about Jesus, we

will also see God‟s invitation list is precise when

it comes to His Son, Jesus. Let‟s see who came

to visit the newborn king in Bethlehem?

Jesus

To find this newborn king, people had to have

special invitations, from angels who appeared to

the shepherds, to a bright new star that appeared

and led the wise men to the scene. Everything

was prepared and everything worked out.

Because of their location, Joseph, Mary and Jesus

could travel quickly to Egypt, with their expensive

gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh, and stay there

until it was safe to return: In Zondervan‟s Pictorial

Bible Dictionary, it says:

16
 19
In Jeremiah’s time, [597BC]; (Jer 41:17);

the caravan inn of Chimham near Bethlehem

was the usual starting-place for Egypt.20

If you want to link the death of Jesus and God‟s

preparation with Jesus‟ promise, use the

following verses:
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“I am going to prepare a place for you...”

He has promised us a place in his father‟s

house, an eternal place to live, where we can

enjoy God‟s presence for evermore. If this place

has been prepared even remotely as well as

Jesus‟ journey on earth, it will be full of surprises

and much more fantastic than we can imagine.

Commit:

19
ESV Study Bible (2007), p 1365
20
Zondervan‟s Pictorial Bible Dictionary (1967), p111
Matt 2:13-22; http://www.bible-
history.com/links.php?cat=39&sub=450&cat_name=Manners+%26+C
ustoms&subcat_name=Inns
21
Jn 14:2

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If you are speaking to folk who have resisted

God‟s grace until today, plead with them now to

accept Jesus‟ offer of an everlasting place in

God‟s Kingdom in Heaven. Allow the Holy Spirit

to convict as their hearts are opened and they

receive the Lord as their Saviour. 22

Not only is there a place for you and me being

prepared in heaven, but Jesus will personally

come and take you there when your

apprenticeship down here is concluded.23

Final word: Remember, every service done for

Jesus and his loved ones will have an eternal

reward.24

© E Marie Seltenrych, B Min, 2010

22
Rom 10:9
23
Jn 14:3
24
Mk 9:41

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Notes:

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 SERMON 2

Reward for Service Now

©E Marie Seltenrych, B Min, 2010 25

Gain insight into Jesus‟ immediate response to

service; its unbeatable reward here and His
promise for our future. [This sermon can be
used in conjunction with Sermon 1.]
Primary Scripture text: John 14: 2 – 6.

Central theme: the unbeatable reward of

serving God.

Introduction: Do we as Christians get

rewarded here on earth or do we have to wait

until we die?

Let‟s examine the Scriptures and see what has

happened in Biblical history. Take our Bibles

and read the Gospel of John, chapter 14:2 - 6

(Primary Message)

25
Hilltop Nursing Home, Brisbane, Sunday Service message,
21/11/2007

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Jesus said: “I am going away to prepare a

place for you; if there was any other reason I

would tell you about it because you are my

friends; and afterwards I will come back and

take you to be with me, so that you and I will be

together forever. You do know where I am going

to.”

His disciples looked puzzled. They had no idea

what he meant; Thomas spoke up, really

speaking for the twelve. One thing they did

know, Jesus was leaving them and they were

worried.26 Jesus had been their leader for close

to three years; they had experienced life as

they had never dreamed it could be; miracles on

land and sea, people raised from the dead, a

tree dying, thousands fed; simply put: they could

26
Jn 14:1

21
not come to terms with Jesus‟ impending

departure.27

“Hey, we haven‟t a clue where you are going

to, so how can we follow you there if you don‟t tell

us the way. Give us a map maybe?”

Jesus smiled at his vulnerability; how he loved

Thomas.

“The way to the Father in heaven: that is me! I

am the way, the truth and the life. There is no

other route or map or direction; the way is just

through me.”

These astonishing words were said by Jesus;

even so, the closest disciples did not fully realize

Jesus was soon to die a very humbling, cruel and

painful murdering on a cross;28 we can only

surmise what they were thinking from what we

27
Jn 16:6
28
Jn 18:10,11

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have on our Scripture shelves. Did his apostles

think Jesus was just going into another hiding

place? Was he leaving without them? Bear with

me and we will uncover wonderful insights into

Jesus‟ rewards for his friends for serving him,

even during his final hours in fellowship with

them.

[Story time] HARD WORK

Preparation is hard work! Two and a half years

ago Henry and I renovated a house we use to

rent. We have spent money, cleaned, painted,

replaced things, re-carpeted the house, curtains,

kitchen, tiles, new taps, mirrors, removed a

faulty footpath; hired people to help: I wondered

who the important person or persons were that

we were preparing the place for? We have

become friends with the people who now live in

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that house and yesterday (12th June 2010

enjoyed a birthday party for one of our happy

tenants who turned 82 years of age – this is our

reward!)

[Put your own experiences here, i.e. preparation

for sermons, moving, a trip, a wedding, funeral,

birth, a holiday, tax time, etc.]

Education time: [Learn by reading the

Scriptures quoted]. God is always working;29

Working is good for us if we are able to work; in

the very beginning Adam and Eve were given

work to do in the garden.30 If we don‟t work we

shouldn‟t eat, etc.31 God finished his work of

creation on the Seventh day and rested.32

29
Jn 5:17
30
Gen 2:15
31
2 Thes 3:2
32
Gen 2:2

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Jesus claims that His Father has worked until

Jesus came;33 doing the same work as Jesus is

seen doing on earth. God the Holy Spirit works

today.34 Through God the Holy Spirit we work

for the Kingdom. 35 God never stops working

and will not do so until that final resting day.36

We just know that when we are trying to make

sure that things are ready for someone‟s

appearance or visit, we do make an effort, be it

little or much; we sweep the floor, put the dishes

away; make the beds, plump up the cushions,

vacuum; clean the windows, shop, etc.

[Application: How does this relate to us

today?]

33
Jn 5:17
34
Jn 16:7-10
35
Jn 16:17
36
Ps. 121:4; Matt 28:20; Rom 8:28

25
Some years ago I heard a story from a

tradesman who came to replace some glass in

our house and I said we were expecting visitors

from overseas. As we chatted he told me that

his wife bought a new house when visitors from

her home country came to Australia for a

holiday! I think she was trying to make an

impression and I can understand her actions. At

stake was her own and her husband‟s reputation

and what they would repeat to their friends and

family back home: “They live in a beautiful

house, right near the ocean. Yes, they made a

good decision to come to Australia.” That would be

the hope of the woman in the story; she could not

bear it if her house was inferior to their homes in

the country they had left to make a new life in

another land; it could be seen as a „disgrace‟.

26
There might be a bit of „pride‟ hidden in here but

that is not being discussed right now. You could

look up Scriptures about that topic if you needed

an extra session.37

Let us see what was going on when Jesus was

preparing to leave this earth. [John 14:2 – 6;

17:1-6].38

Jesus assured his terrified apostles that he was

about to go away to be with his Father. In other

words, he was returning home after a long and

often painful journey on the earth created for

Jesus.5 Jesus makes it plain that he was not simply

disappearing into the blue yonder but would

prepare a place in His Father‟s great household for

his friends.39 Jesus was aware of the apostle‟s

37
Mk 7:22; 1 Jn 2:16; (there are 54 verses with „pride‟]
38
Jn 1:1- 4,14
39
Jn 14:2; ESV Study Bible (2007), p2052; Greek Monē: places to live
within larger place: ESV Study Bible: http://www.esvstudybible.org/

27
great concerns; would Jesus leave them high and

dry? They had left their work and families to

follow him; now they could no longer tag along

with him. How would we feel if our parents or

leaders we loved suddenly decided to leave us

and we didn‟t know how to contact them? It is

a traumatic time for the disciples, but for Jesus it

was His destiny and His Father‟s plan for Jesus

and for the entire world.40 [Use your own words

here to describe a dilemma when someone leaves

you.] Jesus‟ reward is far greater than our

service seems to be. What about Peter and

John‟s service to Jesus: did they really get

rewarded for their service in preparing the upper

room in obedience to Jesus?41

40
Heb 10:5
41
Lk 22:8

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Jesus rewarded them with a promise of doing

much more for them than they did for him –

preparing a place for eternity and by saying this

it was recorded and now all who serve Jesus will

gain the same reward! What a profound reward

for their seemingly mundane preparation of the

Upper Room: a few cushions, a cooked lamb,

herbs and wine; little did they realize their work

would be recorded for ever in the Holy

Scriptures and we are reading about their work

today; what a lesson for those who do menial

tasks for others.

Peter was axiomatically rewarded by being the

very first preacher of the new Church at

Pentecost;42 John is credited with living longer

42
Acts 2:38

29
than any other Apostle; writing his Gospel, 3

letters and the book of Revelation.43

Do you want this kind of reward? He will reward

us in a spectacular manner that we have never

dreamed of, just like Peter and John.

Conclusion:

You never know where a small task can lead. To

return to our initial question: Do we get

rewarded here on earth?

Yes: If we examine the outcome of Peter and

John‟s reward, they had the privilege of being

primary leaders in the new church announced at

Pentecost. Not only that, their work is recorded

right in our Bibles, so we are continually seeing

Jesus‟ reward for their service. [Do not confuse

43
Jn 13:23, 20:22 1 Jn 1; 2 Jn 1:5

30
reward with salvation, which is a free gift from

God.]44

Do we get rewarded in heaven?

Yes: We read of many different kinds of

rewards; we know that Jesus personally

promised his disciples that he would prepare a

place in His Father‟s household especially for

each of them.

There are many other promises about eternal

rewards, so read up on a few to get confidence

in this area and increase your faith in God and

his unbeatable reward for His servants.45

©E Marie Seltenrych, 2010

44
Eph 2:8
45
Matt 6:18; 10:42; 1 Cor 3:14; Col 3:24; Heb 11:6; 2 Jn 1:8

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 SERMON 3

“Get Stuck on Jesus”

Created by E Marie Seltenrych46

(Reward for sticking to Jesus and how to avoid

falling into sin traps by strengthening faith and
understanding „believe in‟ from Biblical
perspective.)
Key Scriptures: Luke 12: 8 – 13; 24:25 – 36
This is a shorter sermon that could be used as a
Devotional in nursing home or fellowship
meeting; around 20 minutes long.

Introduction:

The product „Araldite‟47 is described as „strong,

slow-setting, long-lasting bond‟, composed of

two parts joined together to create the ultimate

bonding; great for uniting two types of

materials together to make one strong unit. In

this sermon you will find out why glue is a great

46
MBC Bulletin message 14/11/2007
47
Trade name

32
product to use when describing this pair of

disciples of Jesus.

Jesus was quick to rebuke his disciples: For

instance when he met two disciples on the road

to Emmaus following his resurrection, these are

his recorded words:

“You are such fools and slow to believe in

your hearts everything that the prophets

have said and recorded about the Messiah.”48

Are you like this? Slow to believe or resisting

God? Christian, what do you believe?

A Christian friend once said, „lots of people say

they believe in Jesus but they are still not

Christians! What does believe really mean?‟

Word meaning: [This is the educational bit]

48
Luke 24:25

33
The Word in the Greek is π iοτιç, (pistis,

pistos...etc) means: believe, to be persuaded,

to give credit to, to trust, to have confidence in,

to have faith, to follow...49 In ancient writings

this word „πiοτιç‟ denotes „loyalty‟. (200AD)50

In our verse above, the two disciples of Jesus

were a bit lacking in glue components, and

therefore were rebuked by Jesus for being a

bit „slow setting‟ in their belief (v 25). Following

their encounter with Jesus they knew who He

really IS and their faith solidified! Just like

„Araldite‟, two components are mixed to obtain a

firm bonding. We cannot simply „believe‟ in our

heads!51 We need to „bump into‟ Jesus and be

stirred in our hearts to really believe! Then stick

49
Used 67 times in New Testament
50
22 Young‟s Concordance, [1982, p 87]; Berry‟s Greek/English
Lexicon, [1980, 4102, p119.]
51
Luke 8:12

34
to Him. Remember Jesus rebuked these two,

which might have shocked them into belief.

How do we get glued to Jesus?

Rule number One: pray to God and ask for the

Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ; you will

realize quickly that your sin is separating you

from God; confess and mean it!

Rule number two: read the Gospel of John if

you have never done so before. This will give

you a greater insight into who Jesus is and why

you would be wise to get acquainted with him.

Jesus says he was with his Father in Heaven

before the foundation of the world. He came to

find his followers; died and will return and take

each one home to a place in Heaven. 52 Jesus

is kind, friendly, compassionate, straight

52
Jn 14: 2 - 6

35
forward, just, honest and righteous in every

possible way. Remember it was others who wrote

Jesus‟ words, not Jesus himself; giving credence

to the facts that they are authentic and have

been proved as such over and over by billions of

people since Jesus first set foot on terra firma as a

human being. You can be noted as one of those

billions who will see their saviour with a smiling

face when you leave this earth to receive your

eternal destiny and reward for your faith. If your

glue is „letting go‟ through lack of prayer,

confession of sins, bible reading, fellowship and

communion with God‟s saints, then change the

course of your glue today: get fresh glue and put

your life back on track, as it was meant to be. If

you let the words of Jesus set in your heart your

glue will also set and you will experience a

36
fellowship with God that is beyond

comprehension and delight; you and I will truly

understand the meaning of BELIEVING IN JESUS!

Your reward will be noticeable to you and your

comrades.

P.S My husband Henry used this sermon idea;

he gave a demonstration of the product Araldite

and added „it needed stirring up‟ just like we do

to get involved with Jesus. 53 He said „It worked

like a dream‟, so there‟s encouragement for you

and me!

You are on your way up!

©E Marie Seltenrych, B Min, 2010

53
Hilltop Nursing Home, Brisbane, 28th June, 2010

37
 SERMON 4

GET REALLY RICH

Reward of big riches from God

Created by Marie Seltenrych 54

Key Scripture: 2 Cor 8:2

Another shorter sermon suited to devotional

type of ministry; nursing homes, fellowship
meetings, etc; should take around 20
minutes to deliver.

Central theme: understanding „riches‟

Introduction:

DEAL OR NO DEAL? WHO WANTS TO BE A

MILLIONAIRE? Who is on the RICH LIST?

Answer a few questions and we can become

millionaires in one night! Is this our ultimate

dream? Or is your dream deeper than earthly

riches?

54
MBC Bulletin message, 30/05/2007

38
(Primary Message): Listen to the Apostle Paul

who is addressing the early Corinthian church:

„Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy

and their extreme poverty welled up in rich

generosity‟. He was referring to churches in

Macedonia [situated at the Northern end of

Greece]55; these are true riches that are recorded

in the heavenly ledgers. Make these your goal,

not worldly riches.

Rich: Let‟s define this word from the Bible‟s

perspective:

In the Greek the word is: πλουσουç = plousous

= plentiful, wealth, abundance and in Romans

11:12 it means spiritual riches.56

We all want to be rich, don‟t we? Well, certainly I

don‟t know anyone who wants to be a beggar in

55
2 Cor 8:2
56
Berry‟s Greek/English Lexicon, [1980, 4145, p121.]

39
the street with no home, no bed or possessions

and with a need to rely on others‟. If we visit

the city at night we will find people who

are homeless, more and more this is

happening. If we see someone in need and we

have plenty, do we give to them? We are

sometimes locked into our own societies and

cannot see the needs of others. However, we do

not have to look too far to see that there are

people who are poverty stricken for some

reason, maybe nothing to do with their own

actions at all. If we have plenty it doesn‟t mean

two pigs and a cow; no it means abundantly

more than others around us. We will know if this

is true for us. Some people use the Bible

incorrectly: they state [wrongly] that money is the

root of all evil, but the Bible actually says, the love

40
of money.57 Notice the word „love‟ in the verse. In

the case of the Corinthian Church, the Apostle

Paul was pleading with them to give as much as

they could give to help their brothers and sisters

in Christ. It seems a reasonable thing to do if we

have the possessions, the desire and the ability to

give to others.

Now, remember, riches are indicated to mean

abundantly more than others, rolling in money

might be a good way to describe this word. What

does Jesus say to us about this kind of riches?

Let‟s look into His Word...

Beware! It is almost impossible to enter the

Kingdom of God if you are filthy rich.58

He warned the rich to remember God before

they drop dead.59 He says the poor widow gave

57
1 Tim 6:10
58
Matt 19:23,24

41
more than the very rich.60 He allowed rich women

to supply his needs.61 He was buried in a rich

man‟s tomb.62 Biblical riches must be deciphered

correctly to gain God‟s understanding.

In our key verse, 2 Cor 8:2, we note that the

Churches in Macedonia 63 discovered abundant

riches through serving God with joy and even

in „extreme‟ poverty and while under

tribulation gave generously to help the

suffering church in Jerusalem. They simply

couldn‟t do enough! They were high on God‟s Rich

List! Are you on God‟s Rich List? Do we have true

riches to share, such as „Grace‟, 64 Kindness,

Generosity,65 Wisdom and Knowledge of God,66

59
Lk 12:16-21
60
Mk 12:43, 44
61
Lk 8:3
62
Jn 19:31-42
63
Acts 16:9-15
64
2 Pet 3:18
65
Gal 5:22

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Love, Unity?67 Do we know where the ultimate

treasure of God is?68 Do we have more than our

share of worldly goods and maybe could give a

gift or two to someone in need? This will need

prayer for direction from God, who will give you

your answers clearly.69 If we are continually giving

of ourselves and our gifts, we are on God‟s Rich

List! Let us continue to strive to go even higher on

God‟s Rich List.70 Remember, you cannot out-

give God who gives and gives and gives every

day... My prayer for you: God bless you richly.

©E Marie Seltenrych, B Min, 2010

66
Ecc 2:26; Eph 1:17
67
1 Cor 13: Eph 4:2,3
68
Col 2:3
69
1 Pet 5:6,7
70
2 Cor 8:2; Eph 3:16-21

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 SERMON 5

MUD PUDDLES

Created by Marie Seltenrych71

[Christian‟s reward when we do not fall into

„crowd‟ sin traps]
Short sermon for use in Devotionals, nursing
homes and fellowship meetings; good for
sharing in a group as well; why not discuss
issues after?

Key Scripture: 1 Pet 4:4: "...do not rush with

them into the same flood of wickedness..."

Introduction: "Flood towns complain about bad

72
SES advice... Explanation: SES is the official

volunteer society that works to keep people safe

in emergencies such as flood, earthquake,

storms etc. in Australia. For information on

71
MBC Bulletin message, 20/06/2007
72
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/11/1948083.htm

44
this emergency state volunteer organization see
73
this site:

I saw one man interviewed on TV:

"We packed everything up, put it on the back of

the truck, took it away, and because everybody

was out sticky-beaking at the river, there were

a lot of people in town and we lost a lot of trade,"

“Complaints and abuses were hurled like a

flood at SES officials during the recent flood

disaster in the Hunter Valley…”74

A volunteer SES said, “If we didn‟t move people

out and the floods came through there would be

worse bad mouthing,”75

73
http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/volunteers/
74
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/11/1948083.htm
75
http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/volunteers/opportunities.htm…

45
Can you imagine this? Someone comes to help

you because you are drowning or in danger of

losing your life and they get verbally abused for

helping you, in their own time and with their own

resources. It is a disgrace of the highest kind:

SES were called the 'lifeline' in the news, which is

what they do, they save people.

Have you ever been abused because you were

good, helping folk or giving of yourself? Do not

be shocked at the abuse you felt; read the

Apostle Peter's explanation. He says :

"Unbelievers (and skeptics) are astonished at

our change of life! To show their hatred of

Christian values they hurl abuses and say

evil things, badmouth us, blaspheme us...

This seems to make them feel better and

hopefully make us feel rotten!"(v4)

46
Beware; they want us back in the mud puddle!

Instead we must bring them the only lifeline that

will save their 'real lives' - Jesus, who is the

ultimate judge of everyone.76

Just as Christ suffered physical pain, we must

arm ourselves with the same attitude he had, and

be ready to suffer, too. For if we are willing to

suffer for Christ, we have decided to stop sinning!

Peter's reasons and recommendation:

"Everything in the world is about to be wrapped

up; take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake

in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your

life depended on it..."77 We are also to "Keep open

house for all with a glad heart".78 If we do this we

76
Acts 17:31
77
1 Pet 4:5
78
1 Pet 4:9

47
will be ready for the Lord's return, which will

come like a flood, taking many by surprise!79

Peter‟s advice is timely: keep praying about

everything that unsettles our Christian faith. I

must add here that you will suffer for your

righteousness even among Christian folk! This

happens all the time. Remember, not everyone

shares your values and has your understanding of

situations, or even of Scripture, so don‟t be

surprised when you are hurt because you have

taken a stand against someone who is out of line

with God. If we do suffer at the hands of

„brothers or sisters‟ or even spiritual fathers, we

need to move back; get closer to the Lord by

prayer, conversation and praising God as much as

possible; stay away from „gossipy type‟ people

79
1 Pet 4:7; Matt 24:43

48
[you will be shown who they are] and gather

around you a handful of faithful spirit filled people

who will encourage and hold you up in prayer

during your time of trial.

This is a time of real trial when you will go

through fire and storm, but remember Jesus is

with you all the way, so don‟t give up your faith.

You can leave a church or fellowship for many

reasons but there is no valid reason for giving up

your faith.80 Your reward will be a very happy

expression on your face when Jesus returns to

bring you home. You will not cringe or hide, but

run to Him knowing that you have suffered and

survived without joining the thugs and mobs of

sinful people around you; halleluiah!

80
Matt 25:34 - 36

49
Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank

you for your grace towards us in Jesus Christ.

Please give us more grace for the temptations

and struggles that we are having right now; help

us to trust in you more and more even as this

trial heightens and burns; in Jesus precious

name, Amen. Let's try to stay out of the mud

puddle, even during a 'flood' of abuse! Your reward

will be glorious when Jesus turns up

unexpectedly!81

God bless

©E Marie Seltenrych B Min, 2010

Contact me: http:www.aussieoibooks.com.au/

Email: [email protected]

81
Matt 25:34

50
 References:

ESV Study Bible, [Crossways Bibles] Wheaton, 2007

[See internet address below for details]
Richer Berry, George, Berry‟s Greek/English Lexicon Baker
Book House, Grand Rapids, (1980)
Tenney, Merrill C, General Editor, Zondervan‟s Pictorial Bible
Dictionary Grand Rapids, 1967
Young‟s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Thomas Nelson,
[Nashville], 1982
Internet links:
http://www.esvstudybible.org/
http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/volunteers/opportunities.htm
http://www.pilgrimtours.com/mideast/israel/info
http:/www.wikipedia. org/wiki/Herod_the_Great
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/11/1948083.ht
m
(Bethlehem information):
http://www.bible-history.com/links.php?cat=39&sub=450&cat_
name=Manners+%26+Customs&subcat_name=Inns

Ministry venues cited: Hilltop Gardens, 23 Rochester Ave,

Normanby, Brisbane, Qld. 4059 (Sunday Service message,
Sermons 1 & 2: 21/11/2007)

MBC – Margate Baptist Church, 27 Duffield Rd, Margate, Qld,

4019. (Bulletin messages/ sermons 3, 4 and 5).

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 Bible references:

Old Testament: Gen 35:16-18; Ruth 14; Jeremiah 17: 1 –

4; Jeremiah 42:17; 1 Kings 2:7; Ps. 121:4; Ecclesiastes 2:26;

Zechariah 13:9
New Testament: Matthew Chapters 1 & 2; 6:18; 10:42;
19:23,24; Matt 24:43; Matt 25:34-36; 27:57; 28:20; Mk
7:22; 12:43, 44; Luke 2:3-9; 8:3,12; 12:16-21;22:8, 24:25;
John 1:1-14, 5:17; Jn 13:23, 14:2 6; 16:6 - 10, 17; 17:4;
–

18:10,11; 19:31-42; 20:22; Acts 2:38; 16:9-15; 17:31;

Romans 8:28; 11:12; Rom 11:33; 1 Cor 3:14; 13; 2 Cor 8:2;
Gal 5:22; Eph 1:17; 2:7,8; 3:16-21; 4:2,3; Col 2:2,3; 3:24;
2 Thes. 3:2; 1 Tim 6:10; Hebrews 10:5; Heb 11:6; I Pet.
3:18; 4; 4 – 9; 5:6, 7; 1 Jn 2:16; 2 Jn 1:5, 8; Rev 19:16.

52