MET. AND WHAT YOU HAVE MAY BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU. YOU WILL BE CURSED IN YOUR STORES.

WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY MAY BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW.

GOD ALLOWS TRIALS TO BESET US TO BRING US BACK TO HIM.

READ V 19-I THINK THIS ONE IS A LITTLE HUMOROUS. WE HAVE ALL HEARD THE SAYING CONCERNING THE GOVERNMENT AND TAXES. THEY GET YOU COMING AND GOING.

WELL, GOD CAN TRULY GET US COMING AND GOING. THIS IS TELLING ME THAT WE CANNOT HIDE OUR SINS FROM GOD. AND WE CANNOT RUN FROM HIS JUDGEMENT.

WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN ARE YOU? ARE YOU STANDING FAST ON THE TRUTHS OF GOD?S WORD OR ARE YOU RUNNING FROM SOMEONE THAT YOU CANNOT HIDE?

LET?S READ V 37-WHAT DOES THIS SAY TO YOU?

I WANT TO ELABORATE ON THIS. IF I DESCRIBE SOMEONE HERE THIS MORNING, I MAKE NO APOLOGY. I AM MERELY STATING WHAT GOD HAS LAID ON MY HEART.

YOU COME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNING AND EVEN ATTEND MOST WEDNESDAY EVENING SERVICES. YOU STRIVE TO BE AT THE EXTRA FUNCTIONS THE CHURCH MAY HOLD.

YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY DURING THESE TIMES. BUT DURING THE WEEK, WHAT KIND OF COMPANY ARE YOU KEEPING.

YOU HANG AROUND THE SIN SICK CROWD LONG ENOUGH AND YOU START TO LOOK LIKE THEM. YOU START TO THINK LIKE THEM, AND PRETTY SOON YOU START TO LIVE AND TALK LIKE THEM.

THEN NO ONE CAN TELL YOU APART FROM THE WICKEDNESS IN THE WORLD.

THAT IS WHEN THE WORDS IN V 37 START CREEPING IN. YOU ASTONISH THOSE AROUND YOU. PEOPLE WHO KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN CHURCH AND PROFESS TO BE A CHRISTIAN, WILL EVENTUALLY SEE YOU IN THE CLUTCHES OF SIN AND TEMPTATION.

THAT IS WHEN YOU WILL BECOME A PROVERB TO THE LOST. WELL, IF THAT IS WHAT BEING A CHRISTIAN IS ALL ABOUT, I DON?T NEED THAT. THAT PERSON IS DOING THE SAME THING I AM. THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN ME.

I KNEW THE CHURCH WAS FULL OF HYPOCRITES. THOSE PEOPLE CAN NEVER LIVE LIKE THEY SAY THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO.

YOU SEE ONE PERSON CAN DESTROY THE WORK OF THE ENTIRE CHURCH. THAT IS WHY GOD CHOSE TO HAVE ROMANS 14:12-"SO THEN, EVERY ONE OF US SHALL GIVE ACCOUNT OF HIMSELF TO GOD" IN THE SCRIPTURES.

THE WORLD JUDGES THE CHURCH, NOT BASED ON THE ENTIRE CHURCH BUT BASED ON THE FEW THAT FALL. JESUS CHRIST IS JUDGED BY THE WORLD THROUGH EACH INDIVIDUAL THAT CALLS HIM OR HER SELF A CHRISTIAN.

YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHOM YOU DISCOURAGED FROM ACCEPTING THE LORD AS THEIR SAVIOR BY THE WAY YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE WATCHMEN OF THE WORLD, RATHER THAN RECKLESS EXAMPLES.

YOU SAY PREACHER, HOW CAN WE LEAD THE LOST TO CHRIST IF WE DON?T HANG AROUND THEM?

THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN BEING AROUND THEM TO DEVELOP A WITNESSING OPPORTUNITY, THAN IN JUST HANGING AROUND.

I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS MORNING, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT YOUR LIFE ACTUALLY INFLUENCES.

YOU INFLUENCE YOUR FAMILY-EACH AND EVERY MEMBER.

YOU INFLUENCE YOUR CHURCH-EACH AND EVERY MEMBER.

YOU INFLUENCE YOUR FRIENDS-EACH AND EVERY ONE.

YOU INFLUENCE THOSE THAT ARE YOUNGER THAN YOU. YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS WATCHING THE OLDER GENERATION IN THEIR LIVES.

THEY LEARN TO LIVE BY WHAT THEY OBSERVE.

NOW, WHOSE BLOOD WILL BE ON YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU STAND BEFORE GOD ALL MIGHT TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF YOURSELF?

WHAT KIND OF CHRISTIAN ARE YOU? ARE YOU AND EXAMPLE OR A STUMBLING BLOCK ON SOMEONE?S ROAD TO SALVATION?