Payday sermon

THERE are many "special" days in which folks are interested: One of these

"special days is payday. The laborer looks forward to his pay envelope, and

to the blessings that are made possible by it. Even preachers are more or less

interested in payday! There are two paymasters. One is the Lord and the other

is the devil. Our pay will depend upon which one we are working for—in

whose vineyard we labor.

Payday came to Adam and Eve. God had placed them in a perfect

environment. They could eat of the fruit of all the treesof the garden, save one. Of the fruit of this tree they must not eat. God had

said: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of

it: for in the day that thou eatest hereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen. 2:17.)

This was a plain prohibition, but the devil came preaching a lie. saying: "Ye

shall not surely die." (Gen. 3:4.) Here was a plain contradiction of what God

had said. Of course the devil made his appeal through the lust of the flesh, the

lust of the eye, and the pride of life. This appeal was too strong for the

woman. She ate and gave unto her husband, and he ate.

Thus sin and death and all their woes were brought into the world. The

man and the woman were driven out of the garden. Even the ground was

cursed because of this sin. And so we have the thorns and the thistles. Payday

had come!

Almost two thousand years later another payday came to the human

family. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. Every

imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. God

decreed that he would destroy man from the face of the earth. Only old Noah

found grace in the sight of the Lord. God told him to build an ark to the saving

of his house. Noah built the ark. He and his sons and their wives entered the

ark. All who were not on the ark were destroyed from the face of the earth.

And so another payday had arrived. And what a day it was!

A few more hundred years roll into eternity: and then we have the history

of two desperately wicked cities. Sodom and Gomorrah. God decreed to wipe

them off the face of the earth. But a righteous man and his family were living

within the environs of these cities. This righteous man was Lot. Some years

before he had made a very unwise decision when he moved into that wicked

place. But when he made this unwise decision, he was thinking too much of

worldly prosperity. So many others have done that very thing. But faithful

Abraham had power with God. He prayed in behalf of the righteous of these

two cities. God promised him not to destroy the righteous with the wicked.

Lot and his wife and their daughters were set downoutside the city and commanded to escape to the hills, and not to look back.

But Lot's wife looked back; and what a look! She was turned into a pillar of

salt. That was the last time she ever disobeyed God. You know there does

come a last time. And so another payday had come!

And time rolls on! God's people have multiplied in Egypt. They are being

led through the wilderness by that magnanimous man, Moses. They need

water. God told Moses to speak to the rock. Moses did, and he did more. He

smote the rock twice. And Moses said: "Must we fetch you water out of this

rock?" This rebellion displeased Jehovah. God called this disbelief on the part

of Moses. Belief is to do exactly what God says in exactly the way God says

to do it. Moses had not done this. "And the Lord spake unto Moses and

Aaron. Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children

of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I

have given them." (Num. 20:12.) Weary years pass. At last Israel is encamped

at the foot of old Mount Nebo. The rolling Jordan lies between them and the

promised land. But good old Moses did not get to go over into the earthly

Canaan From Nebo's lofty heights he was permitted to have a panoramic view

of the promised land, but he could not set foot on it. So payday had come to

one of God's great men!

David was a man after God's own heart. But he was a man, and men sin.

David sinned grievously. He coveted another man's wife. He set things in

motion so he could get this woman. He had her husband placed in the thick

of the battle so he would be killed. He got his woman, but in getting her he

got a lot of other things. Sin is a terrible monster. Listen to David: "For I

acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." (Ps. 51:3.)

Payday! Be sure your sin will find you out. There is nothing covered that shall

not be revealed.

Judas Iscariot betrayed God's Son for about fifteen dollars. What good did

the money do him? He threw it down, and then went out and hanged himself.

What a bitter payday!When Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, he wanted to set him free. But

the Jews would not have it that way. They said let his blood be on us and our

children forever. And how they have suffered! Payday!

Abraham was faithful to God. His years were spent in humble service to

God. The end came. He was ready to go. Payday!

Joseph was sold into slavery. In the king's palace he had temptations hard

to bear, but through it all he was true to God. He became governor over all the

land of Egypt. God used him to save his people from destruction. Payday!

The first Christian martyr was Brother Stephen. The enemies could kill

Stephen, but they could not kill his faith in Christ. Faithful was he unto death.

They could stone his body to death, but they could not stone out his hope in

Christ. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God. and saying, Lord Jesus,

receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay

not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts

7:59, 60.) He looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and

Jesus standing by the right hand of God. Payday!

Perhaps the greatest gospel preacher of them all was Paul A third of a

century did he toil in the vineyard of the Master. And how he did suffer!

Oftentimes was he hungry, without sufficient clothing, thirsty, and in all kinds

of perils. Year after year of this did he undergo. But the last year came. The

last sermon has been preached. His toils and his tears are over. Paul, how does

it look as you stand at the end of life's pilgrimage and look back over your

faithful life and just across the river of death? "For I am now ready to be

offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I

have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for

me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give

me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his

appearing." (2 Tim. 4:6-8.) Payday!The further along the road we travel the more we are going to think about

the end of the way. The race will be over soon. "For the wages of son is death;

but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23.)