Nobody is immune to trouble, trials and tribulations. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." So, whether the "rain" is showers of blessings or if the "rain" is trouble, trials and tribulations, the HUGE difference is when the "rain" is trouble, trials and tribulations, the just have this confidence and assurance ... And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Whereas, the unjust are NOT anchored, and do NOT have the confidence and assurance we have. Instead, they are tossed to and fro by the angry waves of life’s storms.

Throughout this study I will presume to speak for multitudes of "professing" Christians. I won’t be focusing on "they", "them", "some" or "many" as much as I will be on "WE", "US" and "OUR". There is a TREMENDOUS difference in a "concern" or a "burden" driving us to our knees and that of faithlessness ... plain out old worry and fretting. It takes more than a "wannabe" and an "arm-chair quarter back" to navigate and stay afloat out on the open sea. Out on the open sea, a storm can pop up fast. And, the waves can get very, very rough in a relatively short period of time. Likewise, out on the open sea of life ... if we are not very watchful, and a storm pops up ... and we get caught with our faith a little weak ..., instead of getting caught up with all this worrying, fretting, indecision and doubt, we should not let our imaginations run wild. Instead, we should settle down, come to their senses and get in touch with the Master **IF** He really is on board our vessel, as we claim. Sad to say, but, too often we ... as children of God ... act just like those who have no faith, nor hope in Christ. We run around, wringing our hands, worrying, fretting and doing everything in the world EXCEPT humbling ourselves down, pushing the plate back and falling on our face before God UNTIL the answer comes AND the storm passes over. Furthermore, too often, we put our Lord to an open shame by acting the direct opposite than what a true child of God should. Then, we wonder why nobody is buying what we claim we’re trying to sell others. They’re buying, alright. But, they’re buying that they’re just as well off as us, without having to buy what we’re offering them. And, I say "Shame on US!"

There was a saying years ago, "All leaders are readers. But, not all readers are leaders." However, with today’s modern technology, a person only needs to be able to press play on a tape player, cd player or some sort of electronic marvel in order to learn. The challenge is getting hold of the right information to put into your brain. You can never go wrong by using the Bible for "brain food". But, years ago, I did a lot more inspiration type reading than I do today. Most of my reading today is God’s Word. At any rate, some years ago, I read a real small ... easy to read ... book called, The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. If you would like to learn the value of being a "real" merchant, and doing things "right" ... and for the right reason ... I would suggest you find a copy (if its still in print) and read it. **IF** our livelihood depended upon us being able to make a sell in order to eat. Many of us would absolutely starve to death. Whether you like it or not. And, whether you believe it or not. A child of God MUST know something about selling if we ever expect to win somebody to God. However, that is a subject for another day. So, I’ll get back on track.

Mark 4:37-41 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? ... By the way, ships are also referred to as "vessels".

1 Corinthians 4:1-9 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

The bottom line is this: The storms of life are going to come. The question is, "What are we going to do?" This gets me to the next part of this study ... The Sin of Selfishness.

I don’t believe Jesus Christ had a "selfish" bone in His body, nor a "selfish" thought to come driving up and making camp in His mind. We, on the other hand, started out in life as a little child being selfish. And, many of us still are! Jesus was "SELFLESS" but He was NOT ignorant. It seems to me that many people today are trying to work their way to Heaven by doing good deeds, while ... when you get right down to it ... still being selfish. And, it just doesn’t work that way. I mean, they take the "biggest half" of the candy bar (so to speak) when they’re sharing with someone else. And, they save the best for themselves, and give the less desirable to someone else, thinking they are really doing something special. Guess what? Lot chose the well watered plains of Sodom, and left old Uncle Abraham out there to "root hog or die". However, I don’t believe Abraham had a pity party or a big falling out with Lot. Instead, I believe he just continued to trust God for his provisions because God had brought him out of his homeland, made him a promise, and had taken care of him all the way up to there. So, God wasn’t going to fail him now. At any rate, we all know the mess that Lot found himself in. And, if it hadn’t been for old uncle Abraham, Lot probably wouldn’t have been delivered out of captivity one time ... and probably would have died when the fire and brimstone started falling on Sodom and Gomorrah, too. Therefore, we need to learn a few things about "selflessness".

Selflessness is NOT being foolish. Whereas, selflessness is wise. Selflessness is charity. Selflessness is love. Paul says this about charity (love) in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

God is not asking us to be rude to ... or inconsiderate of ... others in order to please Him. And, He is not asking us to deprive ourselves or our family of life’s necessities in order to help someone else. But, He does expect us to be selfless when it comes to serving Him. We simply cannot hold back on God and expect to have His Divine favor in our lives. Besides, He knows when we are holding back ... or holding out ... on Him. So, since there is no way to fool God, doesn’t it make more sense to strive to be everything He wants us to be, as opposed to trying to cut corners, and holding out on Him?

Because the Lord has dealt so strongly with me about being burdened for the lost (in general) with as much concern as for those who are near and dear to my heart, and impressed upon me today’s subject, I felt pressed to present this study before going into Matthew Chapters 5, 6 and 7 as I had planned.

At any rate, we need to learn many things. And, among them is the absolute necessity of being selfless ... or not being selfish ... in order to grow spiritually as individuals AND to grow as a church family. Therefore, let’s continue to investigate the repercussions of being selfish, as opposed to the many blessings of being selfless. Just going about, doing good stuff and putting on a good show, is NOT what God is looking for. No siree! He wants to be Lord of our life ... and to have first place in our heart and mind ... but that doesn’t mean we have to live like a bunch of hermits on deserted islands. When God walked the earth in form of man, He was a Good News Ambassador, but NOT a "hot shot - smart aleck". Where ever He was, He was Heaven minded, AND helped others along life’s way ... and this was regardless if He was in the midst of hypocrites in a synagogue of worship, or in the midst of sinners having a meal. He didn’t seek, require or want the praise, adoration and recognition of men, and neither should we. Any how, instead of being first in our life, too often He gets put on the back burner, or comes in second place to something ... or someone ... else, and doesn’t really have a trusting and faithful relationship with us at all. It may surprise some of us to know this, but most folks can spot a phoney a mile away. Therefore, to really be effective, and to be what God really wants us to be, we MUST be right on the inside. AND, our motives MUST be genuine and pure. To be anything less will only produce a life full of frustration and grief. And, I’ll tell you what, I had rather suffer for my efforts to serve and please God than to suffer for being less than what He wants me to be.

Matthew 21:28-31 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Matthew 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Matthew 21:33-46 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

I don’t believe there is a person under the sound of my voice, or reading this via the Internet, who would dispute the fact that we are living in the last days. The "former rain" spoken of in Joel Chapter 2 has done fell. It fell on the Day of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2. And, the "latter rain" spoken of in Joel Chapter 2 started falling at the turn of the last century. People from all walks of life, all from all religious persuasions have experienced it. The new birth that Jesus told Nicodemus about in John Chapter 3 is real. AND, it is for every man, woman, boy and girl. Yet, some still have their head stuck in the sand, and say "It ain’t so". Or they say, "It was for them, but it ain’t for us". Then, there are those who "claim" the new birth with only the Roman Road approach. Folks, it is up to those of us who know better, to let them know "there’s more to it than that". I’ve traveled the Roman Road. Some of you have. I’m not saying the people who do are bad, mean, evil and wicked. I’m saying there’s more to it than accepting Christ as your personal Savior. There’s more to it that making a public profession of faith. There’s more to it than repeating the words of the "Sinner’s Prayer" or even getting baptized in water, for that matter. While speaking to Nicodemus in John 3:5, Jesus said, "Verily, verily (surely, surely) I say unto thee, Except a man be"(that means everyone must be -not everyone should be or ought to be) born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Period ... end of issue!

Now, I realize many people are being taught these days that they have been born again of water and of the Spirit as soon as they believe and/or get baptized in water. But, that does NOT harmonize with the preponderance of Scriptural evidence found written verbatim upon the pages of God’s Holy Word. In Acts Chapter 8 there were those who both believed AND got baptized in water, but did NOT experience the new birth of the Spirit until afterward. And, in Acts Chapter 10 there were those who believed and experienced the new birth of the Spirit BEFORE they got baptized in water. Then, in Acts Chapter 19 there were those who believed, and had been baptized in water once, but who heard "the rest of the story" and got baptized again, this time in the "name" of Jesus, and who received the new birth of the Spirit afterward.

While we cannot "see" the wind. We can see the "results" of the wind ... leaves blowing and limbs waving. However, this is NOT how Jesus chose to describe those who are born again of the Spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus that just as the wind blows where it will, and we "hear the sound thereof" ... but cannot tell where it came from or where it is going ..., so is EVERYONE that is born of the Spirit". I’ll promise you this, unless a person is physically blind, a person can be seen whether they claim to be born again of the Spirit or not. But, we cannot "see" the Spirit. We only "hear the sound thereof" AND see the results ... in good works. And, just as faith without works is dead, works without faith is no good either. I have challenged many people to show me from the Scriptures what the "sound" Jesus spoke of is if it isn’t speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance. So far, no one has ever given me a coherent Scriptural explanation. I’ve had a number of denominational ministers and workers tell me that they did not believe "the sound" Jesus spoke of is "speaking in tongues", but they could not tell me what "the sound" is. Furthermore, they didn’t understand the difference in the operation and "gift" of tongues in the Church. I think it is about time for everyone to allow God’s Word to just speak for itself, instead of trying to make it to say something someone may want it to say. And, according to the preponderance of Scriptural evidence, documented in Acts 2:1-4; Acts 10:44-48 and Acts 19:1-7, EVERYONE who experienced the new birth of the Spirit spoke in tongues. There wasn’t some who did and some who didn’t. Now, let me quickly add something. Is it possible for somebody to just jabber something, and claim to have received the new birth of the Spirit? You’d better believe it! That’s why it is crucial for us to be where we need to be and what we need to be in our service to ... and relationship with ... God. And, to be spiritually discerning. You can count on this: The devil is going to try and copy cat anything he can in the Kingdom of God. And, speaking in tongues is no exception. Therefore, we shall know them by their fruits (works) ... Matthew 7:15-20. The genuine won’t just speak in tongues, but they will also have good works and the right attitude and Spirit.

Now, you may ask what in the world has all this had to do with not being selfish ... or being selfless? Don’t keep this to yourself. Share it with others! Let others know that there is more to it than what most folks are being taught. But, don’t spread stuff that ain’t edifying. Love. Be kind. Build up. Don’t tear down. One more thing: I’m sure many New Year’s resolutions have come and gone. But, here’s some advice: **IF** someone in your church family tries to use you to "grind an axe" (discuss something that ain’t edifying), just let them know in a kind and loving way that if their conversation is something which they don’t want your pastor to know about, they’d be better off to just keep it to themselves. That’s what I’ve decided to do.