Luke 12:3-7 

Introduction: Recently I was reading the biography of Charles Spurgeon.  What a blessing this was!  I understand him much more than I did before this.  He was a prince among preachers.  He had his faults as we all have but God used him greatly.  His generosity was challenge to me.  His love for young preachers was a blessing to my heart.  I want to help young preachers.  He started the preacher’s college so young men could get an education without much expense. 

      One of the biggest parts of the book was sharing some of his messages.  You could not separate Spurgeon from his preaching.  He was not perfect but God used him mightily.  I know no other preacher who has most of his messages still in print today even after all these years.

      In one of the parts of the book, it was said that one of his favorite subjects he would share with the young preachers was this thought.  It has almost a month since I read the book and this thought has stuck in my mind and heart.  It is the thought “Not seen but not forgotten”. 

      In our text we see the thought that our Father does not forget even the sparrows.  Nothing escapes His attention.  He knows all the details of our life. 

                                                Matthew 10:30

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

                                                Psalm 139:1-6

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

      These thoughts could go on and on.  I was meditating on this thought of “Not seen but not forgotten” and came up with a few thoughts I want to give today.  Who are some of the people in the Bible who are not seen but were not forgotten? 

I.  SOUL WINNERS WHO ARE NOT SEEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

                        The one that jumps off the pages of my Bible is Andrew, the brother of Peter.

                                                John 1:37-42

“And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

      When you go to the Book of Acts and the first section of the book, you see Peter.  Peter is the one who preached on three thousand men got saved.  Peter is seen preaching to many groups in those first twelve chapters.  In fact, we are saved today because Peter preached the gospel to the Gentiles and that is us.  We talk about Peter in great detail but if it had not been for Andrew who brought his brother to Christ, we may be still lost.  Andrew is not seen much in the scriptures.  In fact, just a research showed me that his name is only found twelve times in the Bible.  In fact, after chapter one of the Book of Acts, he is not mentioned again.  He is basically not seen in the scriptures but I know one man that has not forgotten him and that is his brother Peter.

      There are many soul winners who are not seen but not forgotten in the portals of time and eternity.  Charles Kimball led D. L. Moody to Christ and most people never think of him but many think of Moody.  A layman preached the night Spurgeon got saved.  He may be not seen but Spurgeon never forgotten him and neither did the Lord.

      Many people never saw the soul winner who led me to Christ basically but I have never forgotten him.  He went back to Pocahontas County three times to start an Independent Baptist Church there.  It was that third time that I got saved.  In fact, if I have ever been a blessing to any one of you, you can thank my pastor, Gail Cutlip.  Not seen but not forgotten.   

II.  SERVANTS OF THE CHURCH WHO NOT SEEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

                                                Psalm 134:1

“Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.

      Who are these folks?  They are the ones who performed the duties of the Temple during the night.  Most folks did not know they were.  They were not seen but not forgotten.

      I asked a pastor friend if he had some that cleaned his church.  He said it was a particular couple.  I asked him how many in the church knew who cleaned the church.  He told me only a few.  Why?  They are servants of the church who are not seen but not forgotten.

      Let’s name a few.  Many people know who Paul was.  But how about the man who went with him?  In the second missions trip, Silas goes with him.  In fact, Silas is the one who is in the jail when God did the jail house rock. 

      Many know that Peter was the main character in the first twelve chapters of the book of Acts but who was his prayer partner and companion in this great adventure.  It is John.  John is not as well known because he is not seen but he is not forgotten. 

      With the exception of the Peter, John and James, the other nine disciples are not remembered with the one notable exception of Judas Iscariot.  But they preached and went just about everywhere with Jesus as Peter, James and John.  In the portals of time and eternity, they are just as important as Peter and John.   
 

III. SUPPLICATORS ARE MANY TIMES NOT SEEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

      Some of the greatest Christians we can know are those seek God for others.  Paul begged for folks to pray for him. 1^st Thessalonians 5:25

                  “Brethren, pray for us.”

                              2^nd Thessalonians 3:1

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you”

                              Hebrews 13:18

                  “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

                              Colossians 4:3

“Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds”

      There were literally hundreds of people who prayed for Paul.  Many of them he probably never met but they were still praying.  Think of that.  They prayed for Paul without him sending them a prayer card or maybe even a prayer letter.  Some of the rewards that Paul will receive will be shared with those who begged God on behalf of Paul. 

      How many are the blessings of those who beg God on behalf of others?  I was thinking about the revival on an island off the British Isle. Here is a short excerpt from the life of Duncan Campbell. 

      “Thus it was that in January 1949 Duncan and his wife and family, now numbering five children, moved to Edinburgh where the Faith Mission had provided a house as his base for mission work. He started once more on Skye before moving to the Highlands, and he was soon able to report, "I am again fighting the old battle I fought twenty five years ago, but enjoying it on the victory side", as the power of the gospel was at work in many hearts. Duncan would have been content to continue with this work and in fact he was making arrangements for another visit to Skye, when he received an invitation to lead a mission at the village of Barvas on the isle of Lewis. Spiritual awakenings had marked the religious life on the island on many occasions, most recently in 1938, and now ten years later, some Christians there were earnestly praying that God would once again visit them in revival power. The minister at Barvas, the Rev James Murray Mackay, had been led to write to Duncan through the prayers of his congregation, and in particular two elderly sisters named Peggy and Christine Smith who had received the God-given assurance that Duncan would be the instrument that God would use to fulfil His purposes on the island.”

       The revival came about on a large part by the prayers of those two elderly sisters.  In fact, a missionary visited the area fifty years later and many of the folks saved during that revival were still going strong for the Lord.

4. SHEPHERDS THAT ARE NOT SEEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

      If you would review all the writings of the Apostle Paul, you would find a lot of cities and towns in which churches were started.  Who was the pastor in Laodicea?  Who was the pastor in Thessalonica?  Who was the pastor in Athens?  No one really knows.  These people have seemed to walk off the pages of time.  They were not seen but they were not forgotten.    Hebrews 6:10

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

      Most pastors I know do not pastor big churches.  They are basically unseen men.  I don’t know personal or can call some of the big name pastors my friend.  They are friendly to those other preachers and me but basically we are unseen but not unknown.  I am not a Jack Hyles, Lee Roberson, Jerry Falwell or Harold Slighter but I have a place to serve the Lord to the best of my ability. 

      In this last year, we have seen the Lord do some marvelous things for us.  We see people getting saved.  We see the church growing again.  Soon the baptistery will in use.  We see some young people who are getting a heart for the Lord.  God has not forgotten where we are.

      Our Hispanic pastor is preaching in Honduras and winning people to Christ and helping folks.  God has not forgotten that.  He has blessed Bro. Jose even though he is not seen but he has not been forgotten. 

Conclusion: One day we will be standing before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  When the rewards are given, it will be given for our faithfulness.  It should be the desire of every believer that we hear those words “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  (Matthew 25:21)

      That day we will be seen and never forgotten.  We may be not seen here but we have never been forgotten.   Hebrews 13:5-6

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

      To want to be seen is nothing less than sinful pride.  Here is the Bible cure for that problem.

                                                Galatians 6:14

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”