"The Ultimate Test"
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· 20 viewsIf you have been in college you know what it means to study for a test; Spending time filling your mind for the exam that will determine wheather you pass the course or fail it. As important as our education is for life in General there is a much more important testing as believers. This test determines our standing in God's realm.
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Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.
Francis Chan
Today so many Christians spend their time worried about the things that have no real meaning, we saw that last week when we looked at the book of Ecclesiastes. Everything in this world is meaningless, if we can’t trust in the things we see to give us true satisfaction then the answer must be in the things we don’t see.
We are devoted to our Jobs, to our families to our recreation and we spend very little time or effort on the Spiritual side of our existence, we worry about how we live now which in a very short time will be over and less time on how we will live in eternity. Believe me when I say we are all going to live for eternity but the question is where?
If you believe that coming to church weekly is enough them my friend I have some disturbing news for you; God expects more. If you think just sitting in your pew as a casual observer is enough well God expects more. You may think well the bible doesn’t say that it just says I must have faith in Jesus Christ and I am saved. That may be true but God expects more if you want true satisfaction and peace.
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Well Pastor this is for teachers and Pastors and the Leaders of the Church. No it is for all of us since we are all responsible for proclaiming God’s word. What is the purpose for mankind; Why did God create us in the firs place ? Are we to be like Children living off our parents never doing anything in return, no we have a purpose and it is the same for all of us;
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Our purpose is to Glorify God, that is our work that is our duty. First and foremost in our Worship. It isn’t enough to walk in the Church and sit like your in a concert and just listen to the worship team, they are leaders only they lead us in worship that means getting on our feet and working together asking for the Lords presences to come and instruct us, giving God the glory he so richly deserves and that we don’t.
Glorifying god means coming to service prepared to worship him, not leaving our bibles sitting at home where it has collected dust on the table. Opening the bible when the Scripture verse is read and reading it to yourself as the speaker reads it.
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
When that word is spoken to your heart it strengthens your faith it causes you to draw closer to God it teaches you what you need to know to continue to live a life glorifying God.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
When service is done our obligation to God has just started because we are tasked with sharing our faith with those around us. When we share what God has done for us and that he will do the same for others it Glorifies him. Even when we are not in church we are investing in the Kingdom of God that is our purpose that is what we should be worried about. What are we building on the foundation of Jesus Christ? What is the quality of our work because it will be tested.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
1 Cor. 3:12
What Paul is telling here can best be illustrated by the parable Jesu Gave us in;
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Luke
You take the faith and Spirit Given you by God and you use it, How?
If you invest wisely you can see your money grow for retirement and a legacy for your family. It can be in a business, land, stocks, the point is you take what you have and make it grow.
Your Spiritual life is no different you invest in outreach, teaching, missions, ministry, your devotions. All this causes your Faith and relationship to God to grow and become stronger. It can resist temptation, it can resist persecution, it will endure fire. And look what Paul tells you will happen if your work passes the Test.
If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
1 Cor. 3:1
Rewarded Just as jesus taught in the parable of the tenants. But what happens if you don’t pass the test, in other words you have done just enough to get by on and nothing more. You believe in Jesus you have faith you obey the commands for the most part you got to church you do all the basics and nothing more.
If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Pastor your saying we will be judged but we are promised we will not be judged if we believe. You will not face the great white Throne of Judgement which is for your sins, those have been forgiven through Christ and your salvation is a gift from God. But the quality of your work or you faith and trust in God is being judged here. God is asking you what have you done for me, did you take my gift and bury it in the ground and kept it locked away where no one could see it and persecute it? Or did you go out as my son did and allow others to see me in you? did you take a risk as my son did for you?
It may seem small that well we have eternal life who cares about the benefits? Let me tell you you want God to acknowledge you see what Jesus says;
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
Matt.
What a great loss to be in the presence of God and not be acknowledged by him because you failed to get to know the true God in heaven. The sad thing is if you stay where you are you never know the greatest joy see the love of God revealed in others. See god gave us so many promises, David Jeremiah says there was a man several years ago that wanted to count all the promises God made in the bible, so for 3 years he read the bible through about 26 times, each time he came across a promise he wrote it down at last count there were 7,436 promises and he believed he might have missed a few.
You see you bible is a book of God’s promises and those promises reflect his Love for you and for me, he doesn’t have to do it but he can’t help himself because that is who he is. He created you because he loved you. you were created for a purpose to Glorify God. As you leave today think to yourself if I was to stand before God today would my work pass the test? If I was asked by God what I had done for Him would it be a resume of Life experiences giving Glory to the Father or a short story? Will you pass in glory or Get burned?
Don’t get comfortable where you are seek God and his Glory first your rewards await you in Heaven.