Sermon Central
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I Know Your Deeds
Contributed by Roger Nelmes on Jan 29, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Are you spiritually dead or alive? Your "deeds" answer for themselves.
“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
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.”
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.”
“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.”
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.”
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
