Sermon Central
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Pause And Take Inventory
Contributed by Lola Olanrewaju on Apr 7, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and forget about our first love, Jesus Christ. We need to pause, examine our life and return to Him, because the end is near, and He is coming soon.
Inventory is an integral part of any business. People takes inventory to uncover theft, minimise loss, find flaws in sales strategies, evaluate product performance and get rid of out of date items. Most businesses take inventory of their stock at least once in a year to improve the business and meet target. As business owners takes inventory, the same way Christian need to pause from the busyness of life and take inventory of their lifestyle. Are there things in our life that are not pleasing to God? Are there areas of our life that needs improvement? Are we in the right track with God’s will? Have we forgotten our first love, Jesus Christ? (Revelation 2:4).
2 Corinthians 13:5 says "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith". This is a very challenging verse that urges us to examine our life to prove whether we are still in line with the will of God or whether we are off the track. To Examine ourselves means to see ourselves the way God sees us and identify any areas of strength, weakness, failure, mistakes, regrets and disappointments. It also means to identify any gifts, talents and skills that we are yet to explore. We can examine behaviour and attitude, such as anger, pride, envy, jealousy and rudeness that has paralysed our relationship with God and others.
HOW DO WE EXAMINE OUR LIFE?
Through the spirit of God.
Our salvation is always preceded by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. As we receive Jesus into our life, the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins, righteousness and judgement (John 16:8).
Through the word of God
Hebrews 4:12 explains that the word of God is sharper than two-edged sword and it can penetrate deep down our joint and our spirit to judge our thought and our attitude. The word of God is a powerful instrument that can be used to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 1:16). It allows us to examine any area of our life that have come short of the glory of God, so that we can be justified freely by His grace through the redemption power of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23-26). The word Of God can teach, rebuke, correct and train us to be righteousness and thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Because it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, we need to pause and be still in the presence of God (Psalm 46:10). We need to asses ourselves regularly and reflect upon our life by studying the word of God and allowing His spirit to transform us by the renewal of our mind. In doing so, we will be able to prove what is good, what is acceptable and what is the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).
WHY DO WE NEED TO TAKE INVENTORY?
Because God commands it.
We are to give careful thought to our ways, meaning, we must examine our life and our service to God and others (Haggai 1:5).
To know if we are still genuine Christian
Being born again is an experience gained when a person repents of their sins and turn to the Lord for their salvation. To be born again is a major criterion to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). As Christian, we constantly need to ask God to search us to know if we are still on track with His will (Psalm 139: 23-24).
To keep us in track with Gods will
At some point in our life, it is possible that we find ourselves guilty of letting God down, either in our service to Him or in our relationship with other because we are not perfect. If we are off track, we need to assess our life, identify areas of our shortcoming, rededicate ourselves to God, renew the covenant of salvation with Him and get back on track (Lamentations 3:40). It is important to review our life, so we don’t fall (1 Corinthians 10:12)
To be ready for the kingdom of God
Our target should be to enter the kingdom of God and reign with Jesus forever (John 3:3-5). It is paramount for Christians to regularly examine their ways, feel remorse, recognise their sins, repent and turn to God, because the kingdom of God is near (Matthew 3:1-2).
WHAT SIGNS SHOWS THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR?
The Sign of Deception
Many people will claim to be the Messiah and deceive people. Mathew 24:4-5 advised us to watch out, so that we are not deceived. Also, 1 John 4:1-6 urges us to test all spirit to see whether they are from God or whether they are false. Already, there are many false prophets around the world, claiming to be the messiah.
The Sign of wars and rumours of wars
