You
may be seated. Greetings in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ! I thank God and the Congregation for this opportunity
to stand behind this anointed desk we call a pulpit. I’m grateful for this
opportunity to bring to you the word of God, as the Lord has laid it upon my
heart.
What I would like to talk to you about today, are the
five most important things in your life: Part 4. I want everyone here to think
about what the five most important things in your life are. Most of you have
been here as I presented my list during the first three parts, so you’ll know
where I’m heading. For those of you who’ve heard the first three parts, I would
hope that you have fervently prayed over that list, and I would hope that
you’ve made it your own.
As we have done in the previous lessons, we will be
discussing the prioritization of our lives. We all need to prioritize whether
we know it or not. We prioritize things in our minds, and we prioritize things
in the physical; on paper, or in a PDA, or a planner. Those who prioritize things
in their mind only; are more apt to forget things, or the order in which those
things need to be done. As an example:
If you were to do your Christmas shopping all in one
day; as men are apt to do. You would have your list of items you need to
purchase and which stores those items are located in. You would also plan your
shopping according to the location of the stores in order to prevent the
necessity of back-tracking, thus wasting time and gas. Gas costing more these
days than some gifts you may purchase.
Today, we will discuss what I believe the
prioritizations should be for each of us as a Christian. You have hopefully
made your own personal list of the most important things in your life. I will
now give you the list that I live by. The five most important things in your
life; in my personal opinion, are as follows: and I ask that you repeat them
with me. The very first is:
1. Your personal, intimate, eternal, relationship with
God.
2. Your personal, intimate, till death do us part,
relationship with your spouse.
3. Your personal, intimate, until they leave home,
relationship with your children.
4. Your personal, intimate, till the rapture,
relationship with your local church.
5. Your personal, intimate, until you retire,
relationship with your job.
Since this message is titled: Part 4. You have
probably figured out that we are going to be talking about “Your personal,
intimate, till the rapture, relationship with your local church.” If you will stand
and turn with me to our text today:
Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without
wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24: And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works: 25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching.
You
may be seated
In Genesis 1:1 we
read that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This was the
first day of God’s creation. And on the sixth day, God created man for
fellowship and to be loved and worshipped by man. Thus, the most important
thing in our life, loving and worshipping God.
In Genesis 2:21-24 we read “21: And
the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took
one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22: And the rib, which the LORD God
had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23: And
Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be
called Woman, because she was taken out of
In Genesis 4:1
we read: “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and
said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.” Thus we have the third most
important thing in our life, loving and caring for our children.
In Exodus 20:8 we
read: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Thus we have the
fourth most important thing in our life, loving and serving God in His church.
Now some of you may be saying that man
had to work long before the church was started. Man had to work even before his
first children were born. You would be correct in that assumption.
Because of man’s failure toward God; his lack of true
love in protecting his relationship with God and his failure to protect his
wife from the dangers presented by the serpent, he was forced out of the Garden
of Eden and into the world.
In retrospect, Adam had a job from his creation
forward. His job was to “dress the garden”. Gardening has a very profound and
highly regarded beginning. It was the very first profession of man, and it was
created by God himself. One wonders if Adam wasn’t so carried away with his
job, that he forgot where his priorities truly lay.
That said; loving and worshipping God has always been
a priority since the beginning. Therefore I have placed it above our
relationship with our job. Many a family has been destroyed due to a man or
woman putting their career above their relationship with God and family.
Serving God in the local church has always been a part
of God’s plan for His people. From the building of the tabernacle in the
wilderness forward, God has always used people to fulfill positions in the
church. Aaron and his sons were the priests; the Levites were to perform all
the manual functions of the tabernacle such as the baking of the shew bread and
the transportation of the tabernacle on its many trips.
Even in the New Testament church, God has called
people to work in his church.
In Ephesians 4:11-12 it says “And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers; 12:
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ:”
There is, and always will be work in the church. There
will always be an opportunity to be used in the church. The only real question
is, are you usable? There will always be a need for musicians, teachers,
preachers, evangelists, and missionaries. There will always be a need for
greeters, ushers, sweepers, moppers, trash can dumpers. There will always be a
need for people in the church, but the people in the church are not always
usable.
There are requirements for people that want to be used
in the church. The first is found in 1 Corinthians 4:2 where it says that “Moreover it
is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
· If you’re not faithful to the house of God, how can
you expect to be used?
· If you can’t find the time to be in church. How are
you going to find the time to prepare a lesson for a Sunday School class?
· If you’re not faithful to the house of God, how can
you lead a choir?
· If you’re not faithful to the house of God, how can
you find the time to practice a special song?
· If you’re not faithful to the house of God, how can
you be used as an usher or a greeter?
· If you’re not faithful to the house of God, how can
you find the time to prepare a sermon?
· The first requirement of being used is to be found
faithful!
Remember
the last scripture of our text today:
Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as
ye see the day approaching.
This scripture not only tells us to be
faithful to be in church, it tells us to exhort one another! This word we
translate “exhort” comes from the Greek word par-ak-al-eh'-o. Which means “to
call near, that is, invite, invoke (by imploration, consolation): - beseech,
call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.
You are not only required to be
faithful to church for your own good, you are also required to encourage others
to come as well. We need to love people into the
· How can you do that when you’re always angry?
· How can you do that when you’re always grumpy?
· How can you do that when you’re always complaining?
· How can you do that when you’re never here?
Hebrews 10:25 also says “and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.”
This is in reference to the second
coming of Christ. Anyone in their right mind and with a heart toward God knows
that we’re not only in the end times, but we’re in the last days. It’s necessary
to be faithful to church so that we can learn where we are; as a corporate body
of believers, in these last days.
1 Chronicles 12:32 says “And of the children of Issachar, which were men
that had understanding of the times, to know what
I believe that God has put men in the pulpits of his
true church these days that have an understanding of the times. They’re trying
to get those lambs in their flock to draw nearer to God because the days are
evil.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that
we are in the last days. You can read it in your local newspaper on a daily
basis. You hear it on the radio. You can see it on the news if you own a
television or a computer.
Romans 10:14-17 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they preach, except they be
sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel
of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!16: But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17: So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
God has prepared a plan for his children. That plan is
for them to be faithful to the house of God.
· They have to hear the word in order to believe.
· They have to hear the word in order to have faith.
· They have to have faith in order to be saved.
· They will not have faith if they don’t believe!
· Therefore it is imperative that they hear the word so
they can be saved!
· It is imperative that they be in the true church in
order to hear the word “rightly divided”.
Many churches use the word, but they pick and choose
what they want to believe. They take things out of context or refuse to put any
emphasis whatsoever on things they disagree with. They put their own desires
above the teaching of God.
· That’s why it’s so important that people get
established in a church that teaches the whole word of God!
· That’s why it’s so important for the saints to read
the word daily.
· That’s why it’s so important to pray and ask God for
guidance.
· That’s why it’s so important to be filled with the Holy
Ghost.
Do
you want to be used in the church? Make yourself usable!
· Study the word!
· Pray without ceasing!
· Fast!
· Be faithful to be in church!
Revelation 2:1-5 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These
things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in
the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2: I know thy works, and thy labour,
and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou
hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them
liars: 3:
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and
hast not fainted. 4: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love. 5: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,
and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and
will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
If you don’t consider attending church
faithfully to be one of the most important things in your life, you won’t make
time to be there. There are so many things in this world that a person could
want to do, that you have to not just take the time, but you have to make
the time to go to church.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t
want to take a chance on not making it into heaven. Attending church is a part
of your worship of God. We need to make sure that we don’t lose our first love
and therefore our place in the
Attending church alone won’t get you to heaven. There
are things the bible says that you have to do in order to be saved. If you
don’t know what they are, just ask me after service and I’ll be happy to tell
you. Here’s a clue, it’s a lot more than just believe.
If
the musicians will come at this time:
Matthew 7:21-27 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven. 22:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? 23:
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity. 24:
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25: And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for
it was founded upon a rock. 26: And every one that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand: 27: And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the
fall of it.
I need to ask you some questions at this time. So with every head
bowed, and every eye closed.
1. Do you want to be known as the foolish man
or the wise man?
2. What answer do you want to hear from the
Lord when you say Lord, Lord to Jesus?
3. Have you been as faithful to the house of
God as you could be?
4. Do you want to be used in this church?
5. Have you done what needs to be done to
make yourself “usable” in this church?
I would like at this time for everyone as
a corporate body; to come down to the altar at this time. You either need to
pray that your true response to these questions is the right one, or you need
to pray that all who attend here will always give the correct response to those
questions.
I’ll let you know right now that I am not
worried about those who come down to this altar; they’re humbling themselves
before God. If they need help from God they’ll get it. If they’re down here to
help others, they’ll receive a blessing from God for so doing.
I do worry about those who don’t come to
an altar when requested to do so; unless they have a legitimate reason that
prevents them from doing so. Because without that; whether they will admit it
or not, they have issues with God that need to be resolved. Whether it be
pride, sin, or just laziness, all three of those issues are things which God
dislikes….