Ecclesiastes 12:14 – For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. A. Our Judge and Us Points 1 -3 are in Part 1. Who is our Judge? What qualities are in our Judge? What will be the standards of our judgment? What will be judged? Romans 8:1, John 5:25 – Our works: 1 Cor.…
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Old Testament
In this sermon, Pastor Jim begins a two part message on our day of judgement by touching on first three of five concepts: who our Judge is, what qualities our Judge has, and the first two standards of of our judgement. In the final verse of Ecclesiastes Solomon acknowledges a universal judgement, which is confirmed throughout the old and new testaments. For believers, this judgement is not punitive but is still certain and should drive us toward a desire to please God, not fear Him. This will allow us to have a proper perspective on our judgement and approach every day and situation with eternal purpose.
Giving. It is the very nature of God. He gives – a lot and overflowing. The most familiar verse in the Bible reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave” (John 3:16). And He does so, not reluctantly, but freely and fully. Our Lord even told us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Yes, God is the Supreme Giver and has left us in the life of the Lord Jesus the example to follow. And in our relationship with the Lord, the best thing we give Him is ourselves; all of us.
In this sermon, Pastor Jim continues the dissection of Ecclesiastes 12:13 by analyzing the next point, obedience to God’s commandments. In this transition he explains that the first instruction, fear God, produces in us the second instruction, obey His commandments. Pastor Jim then details three reasons why we obey God: we are responding to God’s love; we desire God’s fellowship; and we desire to be more like Christ. Finally he wraps up with what heartfelt, loving obedience to God looks like.
The voice came from the vicinity of where our dinner table is located, “Would you please come and hold this for me?” My wife was packing something away and needed another hand. So, to the rescue I came, not with one hand, but two and the task not able to be accomplished by one was easily taken care of. All she needed was someone to come alongside with another set of helping hands. Have we recently thought about the security and help we find in God’s hands? As we walk through this sin-cursed and treacherous world, no safer place exists than walking spiritually and by faith, hand in hand with the Lord Jesus.
A faith untested and untried is a faith which must not be trusted. It will fail every time the storms of life come. It will not stand the crashing waves of tough circumstances. It is of sand, not the solid rock of Christ and His Word, and will be washed away at the first sign of difficulty. And to ensure we have the type of faith which holds during trying times, God tests us. He tries His children with intense and severe tests. He told us so – “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10).