Only What You Do for Christ Will Last

Devotional

Day 1: True Service is About Tilling the Ground

The word "serve" carries a deep meaning rooted in ancient agricultural practices. To serve God is to actively till the ground, preparing it for the planting of His word. This involves breaking up hard hearts and minds, making them receptive to the seeds of truth. It's a co-laboring with God, an essential part of His plan for a fruitful harvest of souls. This active engagement is not just about showing up, but about diligently working the soil of people's lives. [01:53:06]

Genesis 2:5 (ESV)
"before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to work the ground,"

Reflection: In what ways can you intentionally "till the ground" in the lives of those around you this week, preparing their hearts to receive God's word?

Day 2: Worship Involves Bending the Knee

Worship, in its truest sense, is not merely singing songs or attending services; it is an act of bending the knee. This posture of humility and submission is intrinsically linked to serving God. Just as a farmer bends to till the soil or plant seeds, our worship involves a physical and spiritual yielding to God's will. This act of bending the knee signifies our dedication to Him alone, acknowledging His sovereignty in all aspects of our lives. [01:55:16]

Matthew 4:10 (ESV)
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and on him only shall you serve.”'"

Reflection: Where in your life might God be inviting you to bend your knee in worship and service, even when it feels difficult or inconvenient?

Day 3: Deliverance is from Whom We Labor

Our deliverance is not from labor itself, but from the bondage of serving the wrong master. Just as the Israelites were freed from Pharaoh's oppressive rule, we are called out of serving the world's systems and desires. This transition moves us from a life of forced servitude to a life of willing worship and service to God. It's a profound shift in allegiance, where our efforts are redirected from worldly pursuits to advancing God's kingdom. [02:00:40]

Exodus 8:1 (ESV)
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.'"

Reflection: Reflect on the "masters" you might be serving in your daily life. What would it look like to shift your allegiance fully to serving God?

Day 4: Only What You Do for Christ Will Last

In the grand scheme of eternity, the only things that truly endure are the actions we take for Christ. Possessions, worldly achievements, and fleeting pleasures are temporary. What will stand the test of time are our investments, efforts, and acts of love dedicated to advancing God's kingdom. These are the works that hold eternal significance, built on a foundation that will withstand any trial. [01:19:33]

1 Corinthians 3:12-13 (ESV)
"Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done."

Reflection: Consider an area where you've been investing your time and energy. How can you reorient that investment to be for Christ, ensuring it has lasting value?

Day 5: Gifts are for Kingdom Advancement, Not Self-Promotion

The gifts God bestows upon us are not for personal gain or self-aggrandizement, but for the purpose of advancing His kingdom. Whether it's singing, preaching, teaching, or any other talent, these gifts are meant to generate resources and impact for God's work. It's a call to use what we've been given to serve others and build up the community of faith, rather than seeking personal recognition or worldly applause. [01:35:42]

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:"

Reflection: Identify a gift God has given you. How can you intentionally use this gift this week to serve others and advance the cause of His kingdom?

Sermon Summary

God’s people are urged to move from passive religious habit into disciplined, purposeful service that endures beyond temporal success. Drawing from Exodus and Matthew, the text argues that deliverance is not an exit from labor but a reorientation of labor toward God: freedom means being freed to serve Elohim rather than worldly masters. Service is reframed in ancient Hebrew terms—abad—as tilling the soil, a humble, physical, persistent work that prepares hearts for the seed of the Word. Worship and service are linked: to worship is to bend the knee, to till requires bending, and both are vocational acts that cooperate with God’s planting and harvest.

The address warns against confusing earthly acclaim, wealth, or visibility with eternal fruit. First Corinthians is invoked to remind listeners that works will be tested by fire; only those built on eternal materials—gold, silver, precious stones—will survive. Therefore gifts are not for self-promotion but for stewardship: every talent and position is entrusted to be used to advance the kingdom. Practical Christianity is stressed: faith ought to produce action—teaching, healing, hospitality, accountability—so that the church becomes a tiller of hearts and an agent of conversion.

A sharp distinction is made between servant and slave: servants are used by God; slaves are misused by people. Serving God dignifies labor and redirects it toward kingdom ends. The assembly is called to intentional disciplines—prayer, fasting, stewardship, fellowship—so that when Christ returns, the harvest will be plentiful and the servants faithful. The model is an early-church Pentecostal devotion where daily life and spiritual practice cultivate durable fruit. The conclusion moves into corporate practices—communion, confession, and offering—that bind worship, service, and stewardship into a life lived for God’s purposes, preparing each believer to hear “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Key Takeaways

1. Only work for Christ endures Eternal value depends on motive and object, not merely on effort or visibility. Labor offered to worldly masters decays; labor offered to God is invested in souls and the kingdom. This reorients career, talent, and time from self-advancement to stewardship for others’ flourishing. The final accounting will measure faithful service more than public success. [85:17]
2. Service is tilling the ground Serving God is described as a farmer’s work: breaking up hard soil, removing weeds, and preparing ground for seed. Spiritual tilling is patient, unglamorous, and intentional work that readies hearts to receive the Word. The church’s growth hinges less on clever programs than on faithful tilling of people’s lives. This practice requires humility and consistent labor. [109:05]
3. Worship means bending the knee In the biblical language, worship is physical and vocational: to worship is to bow, to submit, to align one’s life under God’s sovereignty. That posture undergirds all service—planting, tending, and harvesting require kneeling hearts. True worship resists divided allegiance; it shapes how work and gifts are offered. Yielding the knee reorders priorities toward God’s reign. [115:00]
4. Serve God, not the world Liberation shifted Israel from serving Pharaoh to serving God, not from toil to idleness; believers are called to change masters. Ambition, sponsorship, or applause can become new taskmasters if service is not re-rooted in God. Discernment about allegiance protects vocation from becoming bondage to culture or commerce. Choose whose voice will steer the life of service. [120:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[77:17] - Scripture passages introduced
[77:59] - Exodus reading: let my people go
[79:00] - Matthew reading: worship and serve
[80:08] - Disciplines of the faith
[84:57] - The discipline of service
[109:05] - Serve = till the ground
[109:42] - Parable of the sower applied
[115:00] - Worship as bending the knee
[119:11] - Delivered to serve God
[123:36] - "Well done" the intended reward
[126:22] - Warning from the ten virgins
[140:19] - Communion: preparation hymn
[148:02] - Institution of the Lord's Supper
[158:02] - Offering and stewardship instructions

Bible Study Guide

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary and transcript:

Bible Reading

Exodus 3:12
> "But I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain."

Matthew 4:10
> Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’"

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
> Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Observation questions

The sermon emphasizes that deliverance is not an exit from labor but a reorientation of labor toward God. How does Exodus 3:12 illustrate this idea of being delivered *to* serve? [01:18:21]
In Matthew 4:10, Jesus responds to Satan by quoting Deuteronomy. What is the core command given in this verse regarding worship and service? [01:19:15]
The sermon highlights that only what is done for Christ will last, referencing 1 Corinthians 3. What does this passage say will be tested by fire, and what determines if our work will survive? [01:33:22]
The sermon explains that the Hebrew word for "serve" (abad) originally meant "to till the soil." How does this ancient understanding connect the physical act of farming with spiritual service? [01:45:28]

Interpretation questions

The sermon suggests that true worship, in its biblical sense, involves "bending the knee." How does this physical posture of submission connect with the idea of vocational service, like tilling the soil? [01:55:00]
The sermon draws a distinction between being a servant and a slave, stating that servants are used by God, while slaves are misused by people. How does this distinction help us understand our relationship with God versus our relationship with worldly systems or ambitions? [01:39:28]
The sermon argues that our gifts are not for self-promotion but for stewardship. How does the idea of building with "gold, silver, precious stones" versus "wood, hay, straw" in 1 Corinthians 3 relate to the motive behind using our gifts? [01:34:44]
The sermon states that deliverance from Egypt was not from labor but from *whom* they were laboring for. How does this reframe the concept of freedom in a spiritual context? [01:59:49]

Application questions

The sermon emphasizes that only what we do for Christ will last, and that eternal value depends on motive and object, not just effort. In what areas of your life (career, hobbies, relationships) can you intentionally shift your focus from worldly acclaim to serving God's purposes? [01:25:17]
The idea of service as "tilling the ground" implies patient, persistent, and often unglamorous work that prepares hearts for the Word. Where in your daily life or community might God be calling you to "till the ground" for others, even if it's not flashy or recognized? [01:49:05]
Worship is described as "bending the knee," a physical act of submission that undergirds all service. How can you intentionally practice this posture of submission in your daily routines, not just on Sunday mornings, to reorder your priorities toward God's reign? [01:55:00]
The sermon warns against serving the world, where ambition, sponsorship, or applause can become new taskmasters. What are some subtle ways worldly ambitions might be steering your service, and how can you discern and choose to be steered by God's voice instead? [02:00:04]
The sermon stresses that practical Christianity ought to produce action like teaching, healing, and hospitality. What is one tangible way you can actively use your gifts and talents this week to advance God's kingdom and serve others, rather than for self-promotion? [01:35:42]
The call is to intentional disciplines like prayer, fasting, stewardship, and fellowship to prepare for Christ's return. What is one specific discipline you feel God is calling you to focus on more intentionally in the coming weeks to cultivate durable fruit? [01:23:36]
The sermon concludes by highlighting corporate practices like communion, confession, and offering that bind worship, service, and stewardship. How can you more fully participate in these communal acts of faith to live a life dedicated to God's purposes? [02:19:36]

Sermon Clips

And can I share with you, my brothers and sisters, as Jesus' day approaches, the devil is not going to lighten up on his attacks? His attacks are gonna get stronger. They're gonna be more intentional, and God has not called you to operate in a spirit of fear, but that of power. But in order for you to activate the power that God has allowed you to live in, you must have a disciplined life. [01:22:03] (40 seconds) #LiveDisciplinedNotFear

When I've been praying for us here at Turner, what I've been praying about for us here at Turner is that we would have an early church Pentecostal experience where the early church saints devoted themselves to the teaching of the word, to the fellowship of each other, to prayer, to fasting, to stewardship, and the Lord added daily those who were being saved. [01:23:17] (29 seconds) #EarlyChurchDevotion

Why is it that we can quote everybody by heart? We can sing the latest song, but when it comes to the word of God, we got to look it up. We got to find it. But hear what David said, I know come on and talk to me. I'm preaching to somebody in here. Hear what David said, thy word have I hid in my heart so that I will not sin against thee. It is a shame that the people of God can quote the latest lyrics, but got to look up the scripture. Lord, help me to preach in here. [01:27:43] (42 seconds) #HideTheWordInHeart

My brothers and sisters, I as I stated earlier, I give glory to God for this time. God has spoken to us in dealing with the spiritual disciplines of our faith. Because more than ever, we who are living out our faith each and every day, we who are working out our soul's salvation with fear and trembling, it is a mandate that we have a disciplined life. [01:19:53] (42 seconds) #SpiritualDisciplineMandate

My brothers and sisters, god says, I'm tired of folks taking the gift I give to them and giving it to the world. Oh, help me here, holy ghost. God says, I'm tired of folks taking that what I give a holy and pouring it out to the dogs. And we are quick to take what God has given us in here and then go out there. Lord, have mercy to try to make a name for ourselves. But my brother and sister, somewhere I read the lord giveth and the lord will take it away. [01:36:20] (46 seconds) #GuardHolyGifts

My goal for you, for each of you, is that you grow stronger in the Lord and that the Lord will begin using you to invite persons who do who does not know Jesus, invite them into the kingdom of God. It it is my sincere prayer, sister Penny, as your pastor, I want you to be able to lay hands on the sick, and they will be restored. [01:22:43] (34 seconds) #InviteOthersToChrist

Because work done with a Christ like character. And if you are doing what Christ has created you to do, you have to do it with a godly character. My brothers and sisters, can I remind you what first Corinthians chapter three y'all write this down? First Corinthians chapter three verses 12 through 15. First Corinthians chapter three verses 12 through 15. Read it tonight before you go to bed, but let me summarize. It tells us that when Christ return, fire will reveal what kind of work each person has done. [01:32:40] (47 seconds) #BuildWithGodlyCharacter

windows you see, they're temporary. The the pew that's holding you up is temporary. The TV monitor that you're watching worship on, all of that is temporary. The the house that you probably gonna go to when you leave here, that's temporary. The car that you're get in to drive down the highway, all that's that's that's temporary. The clothes on your back, my beloved brothers and sisters, all of that is temporary. It's not gonna last. [01:31:08] (38 seconds) #EternityOverTemporary

My brothers and sisters, the gift that God gave you is not for self promotion. Oh, help me here, holy ghost. Your gift of singing is not for self promotion. Your your gift of preaching was not given for self promotion. Your gift of teaching, of pantsing, of speaking was not given for self promotion, but God gave you that gift so that you can generate resources for the kingdom. [01:35:42] (38 seconds) #GiftsForKingdomNotSelf

On the day when you appear before God, the only thing that will matter is what you did in the name of Jesus Christ during your life here on earth. I would not be a good pastor if I did not tell you that when you stand before God, nothing else will matter. [01:25:32] (29 seconds) #LiveForWhatMatters

It won't matter how many points LeBron James scored during his NBA career. It does not matter the net worth of Bill Gates, the fact that you lived in a beautiful house, that you drove a nice car, that you worked for the government for thirty years. None of that will matter. The only thing that will matter is what you did for Christ. [01:26:01] (31 seconds) #NotFameButFaithful

It's gonna be destroyed because it's man made. The stuff in this world is temporary, so that's why the songwriter encourages us to build your hopes on things eternal. You better hold on to God's unchanging hand. The world and its desires are gonna pass away, but doing the will of God is gonna last forever. [01:31:46] (32 seconds) #HopeOnEternalThings

Now understand we are not owners of the kingdom. We are called to be stewards. We we are not just working for God, but we are working with God. And this partnership requires us to use our influence to serve others and generate resources for the cause of the kingdom. [01:35:15] (28 seconds) #StewardsNotOwners

Please, beloved, do not be deceived. Only what you do for Christ will last. You got to make sure in this consumeristic type of culture that you keep God number one in your life. [01:27:08] (24 seconds) #KeepGodFirstAlways

Beloved, only, only, only what you do for Christ will last. Your actions, your investments, your efforts dedicated to advancing God's kingdom that's motivated by love for Jesus rather than selfish ambitions. [01:28:25] (26 seconds) #OnlyWhatYouDoForChrist

They operate as a harmonious network that addresses the whole person, ensuring and making sure that your spirit and your soul is strong and fit so that you will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [01:21:40] (24 seconds) #StrengthenSpiritAndSoul

This culture and the enemy has tricked us, has bamboozled us to focus our attention on the things that we see, the things we see on television, the things we see on Instagram and other social media platforms causing, us to make unfair comparisons of your life to a sixty second reel. [01:26:33] (36 seconds) #DontCompareToReels

The disciplines of our faith cultivates inner transformation and godly character, And you cannot claim to be a Christian unless you desire to be Christ like. [01:21:20] (20 seconds) #DisciplineLeadsToChristlikeness

You're gonna be shocked and surprised because some of the folks who walking around here are bling bling talking about how blessed they are. Oh, my brothers and sisters, you gotta be careful what attention the devil gives. Only what you do for Christ will last. [01:30:01] (22 seconds) #BewareBlingStayHumble

Your goal should be ultimately, should not be to just have one discipline practice, but to have a lifestyle where the disciplines of our faith are important aspects to your existence, just like drinking water and eating food. [01:20:56] (24 seconds) #MakeDisciplinesALifestyle

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Only What You Do for Christ Will Last

Devotional

Day 1: True Service is About Tilling the Ground

Day 2: Worship Involves Bending the Knee

Day 3: Deliverance is from Whom We Labor

Day 4: Only What You Do for Christ Will Last

Day 5: Gifts are for Kingdom Advancement, Not Self-Promotion

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Only What You Do for Christ Will Last

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