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Level Up


LEVEL UP!

Sermon notes from FCBC weekend service 4-5 Jan 2025 by Senior Pastor Daniel Khong

Background: 

Level up is an expression used in gaming to represent progress,  improvement and growth. It is not something that comes easily but requires effort. There will be challenges but if we overcome, we will emerge as an improved version of ourselves 

Scripture: 

Mt 25 - parable of the 3 servants. The master entrusted his 3 servants with a portion of his wealth. The first servant had 3 bags of gold, the 2nd had 2 bags while the 3rd had 1 bag. This is no small sum - in today's money, a bag (or talent) of gold is about USD$2.8M. 

After a long time, which may be years, he returned and found that the first 2 servants increased the money two-fold, but the third servant buried the money in the ground and did nothing. He commended the first 2 servants and took the money from the 3rd and gave it to the first servant. 

What must we do to level up in 2025?

1. To step out in faith

If we want to something we have never seen before,  we have to do something we have never done before. The master expects 3 servants to level up, each according to their ability.  The one with 5 bags of gold went at once and put his money to work. 

Note: all 3 servants are just servants,  not professional money managers. Thus, there is a high risk and possibility of failure. This accounts for the 3rd servant to keep his master's money safe by burying it. Being fearful is not wrong, but being so fearful that no action was taken, even as simple as giving the money to bankers to collect interest, is wrong. 

2 Tim 1:7 for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and of a sound mind.

2. Stay put in faithfulness

There are areas in our life where we need to step up but also areas to stay put. As we start the new year, we make new year resolutions...but it is one thing to make resolutions but a different things to see them through. We get distracted, and we miss fulfilling them and we set new ones....we never seem to level up. Rather than making new resolutions,  perhaps it is best to work on the previous resolutions.

When faithfulness is most difficult,  it is the most necessary - Daniel Khong

Faithfulness is our business. Fruitfulness is an issue we must leave to God - J.I. Packer
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