Revelation 3:1b-3
“I know your deeds, you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know what time I will come to you.”
Illustration: The Painting of the Last Supper
Our Words
Matthew 12:30-37
Illustration: How not to train a parrot
1. You are Accountable for your words.
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” - Matthew 12:36
2. Your words reveal the Abundance of your heart.
“For out of the overflow (abundance) of the heart the mouth speaks” - Matthew 12:34
(CR - Luke 6:45)
3. You can also be Acquitted by your words.
“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
- Matthew 12:37
Legal Terms
Condemn = to show the guilt of; convict
Acquit = to free or clear from accusation
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (acquitted). For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
- Romans 10:9-10
“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s only Son.”
- John 3:18
Transition: What kind of Words come from your mouth? Do your words condemn you, or acquit you from your guilt?
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” - Psalm 19:14
Our Works
1. Our works reveal our Quality of commitment.
“If any man builds on this foundation (Jesus) using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his 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 man’s work.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-13
Illustration: Castle VS. Shack - pictures shown on the slides. What you chose to use to build your house (life) with is what determines the type of house you will end up with - a shack or a castle. The choice is yours.
2. Our works reveal our Quantity of commitment.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew it and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against the house, and it fell with the great crash.” - Matthew 7:24-27
Illustration: The slide shows a picture of an apartment building in India that cracked in half during an earthquake in 1997. 12,000 to 16,000 people were killed in the earthquake and over 600,000 were left homeless. This tragedy, however, was not the result of the earthquake, but rather the real estate czars that for years were building cheep living quarters that were not up to building code and specifications. These czars are still in hiding for fear of prosecution and imprisonment.
3. We need to Qualify our commitment.
“Wake Up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in this sight of my God. Remember what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.” - Revelation 3:2-3
For some of you here today, your foundation is shaking because of the rain and wind, and your house is about to fall with a great crash. You’re compromising with sin, you’re flirting with the enemy and your spirit is dying. Wake up before it’s too late!
Illustration: Some of us set our alarm for the last possible moment before we need to wake up for school or work. We know what time we need to be there by. We are aware of the schedule. However, we don’t know when Christ is coming back! We can’t wait until that last possible moment.
“But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” - Revelation 3:3b
Because we don’t know when Jesus is coming back, we must qualify our commitment by being ready and equipped NOW.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as one working for the Lord, not for man.” - Colossians 3:23
Transition: What do your works reveal about your commitment? Is your spiritual house a castle or a shack? Does your house blow leak or blow over when the rain comes and the wind blows? Are you working at strengthening your house through study and hard work?
Our Walk
(This is our daily routine, our day-to-day life.)
1. God doesn’t miss a Beat. - “I know your deeds . . .”
“Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make; He’s aware of every step you take.”
- Proverbs 5:21
* There are no surprise for God. You can’t hide from God, so why try.
- He knows your sin, so why not just confess them to Him and receive forgiveness?
- He also see the good you do, and He’s proud of you!
2. Watch your Step!
“Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all the sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither to the right nor the left; leave evil in the dust.” - Proverbs 4:25-27 (TM)
Illustration: As a child, my second home was a baby-sitters house. My father worked on rotating shifts as a policeman, so often times we even slept there. My sitter was one BIG lady - over 300lbs. After many times of wetting her bed, she took away my bed sleeping privileges and forced me to stay on the floor in her bedroom. Well, one night she awoke to answer the call of nature and it almost cost me my life. I had apparently rolled from my 3 foot square sleeping quarters right into her walking path. Since she was so big, she was unable to see where her feet were stepping. At this time I woke up as well hearing the earth shaking footsteps of this woman. Unfortunately, it was a moment too late as she asserted her 300lb body on my head with her left foot. I blame this event as the reason to why I was called egghead as a child. Obviously she wasn’t watching her step.
3. God will Reward those who are faithful!
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to his what deeds deserve.” - Jeremiah 17:10
“For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” - Matthew 16:27
Transition: Is God enjoying what he sees in your walk? Are you watching your step and staying away from sin? What reward will you be receiving when Jesus comes back?
Closing:
Option #1 - Close with a review by asking the transition questions again, then wait for the students to respond. Then call those who responded to come to the altar for prayer.
Option #2 - Re-read Revelation 3:1b-3. Ask them, “What kind of reputation do you have with God? Some of you say that you’re alive - but God knows that really you’re dead. For some of you it’s your Words, others it’s your Works, and still others it’s your Walk. Today we need to remember what we received from God - the commitment we made to Jesus Christ. Today we need to respond to what we’ve heard and obey - repent! That’s what we have an opportunity to do here right now. It’s time to “Wake up”. Let’s come to this altar right now and do it.
