What Does the Record Say?
2 Cor. 5:10
Intro
We are a record keeping age. Even from the time of your birth a medical record is started. The first day you start school, a scholastic record is kept and will follow you all the way through college. Salespersons must keep accurate records. Businesspeople keep financial records to show either a loss or a profit.
The Bible says repeatedly that God keeps a record, not only of our deeds, but even of our thoughts and motives. Throughout the Scriptures we are taught that each of us will one day face our own record. Acts 17:31, tells us that the Judgment Day has been set and that the Judge has already been appointed.
In life we are constantly called upon to give an account of ourselves. The IRS requires us yearly to give a account of our financial affairs. At the end of each year, must of us take a account of what we have done in the past year, in order that we can plan for the next year to come. Students are called to account for themselves through examinations. Politicians stand on their records as they seek reelection.
It is good for us periodically to take a look at the record we have made for ourselves. The record of our achievement has already been written. In reality we can in no way change the record of the past. We can only deal with the consequences of the choices we have made.
While the record of the past is important, it is not nearly as important as what we hope to do in the future. God is more concerned about our today’s and our tomorrows than he is about our yesterdays. It would be wise for us to face the future with a sincere and steadfast determination that the record of the future will be better than the achievements of the past.
What do you want God’s record to say about you? If you could write your own record, what would it say? This morning, I want to share with you six things, I believe we would all like to see in God’s record book about ourselves.
I. God’s book to declare our conversions (Rev. 20:15)
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
a. The most important item to be found by individual’s in God’s Book of Life is their name.
i. The new birth establishes a relationship between the believer and God.
ii. This grants believers that privilege of entrance into the heavenly home at the end of their earthly lives.
iii. Church membership is of vital importance, but it would be of no significance if no saving faith preceded it.
iv. Baptism is of tremendous importance and should not be neglected under any circumstances, but baptism is meaningless if it is not a declaration of a relationship to Christ.
b. Every person wants to be among the redeemed on Judgment Day.
i. You can be sure to be among that number if you will entrust completely the care and custody of your soul into the hands of the Savior.
ii. By doing so you can be sure that God’s record will contain the fact that you are one of His children.
II. God’s book to declare that we have been obedience children.
a. Saul the first king of Israel in (1 Sam. 15:14-23), discovered that there can be no adequate substitute for obedience.
b. Jesus made love and gratitude the basis or motive behind Christian obedience
John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
c. An attitude of glad obedience is essential for success in our service to God.
d. Glad obedience brings happiness into the heart of a child of God.
e. Glad obedience enables one to be useful and fruitful as a servant of God and as a helper of one’s fellow humans.
i. The commandments of God are to the Christian what correct formulas are to chemists.
f. Disobedience to the command of our living Lord is causing Christianity to be more and more a minority movement in the world.
III. God’s book to declare that our lives have been pure
a. Personal purity in a world where contaminating contact is so easy, is a real achievement.
b. James, in his epistle emphasizes the practice of pure religion
i. He defines it both positively and negatively in James 1:27
“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
c. While we live in a sinful world that brings constant pressure on us, our greatest defiler is to be found within ourselves.
d. The Christian’s only hope of living a life of purity is to be found through the dedication of his or her body as a living sacrifice to God and by a continual renewal of the mind as he or she studies the Word of God and responds to the leadership of the Holy Spirit who has come to dwell within.
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore I urge you, brethren by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
IV. God’s book to say that we have been faithful
a. Faithfulness to the Book of God would require that we do more than own a beautiful copy of the Bible.
i. We must store its truths in our mind and let its teachings determine our manner of life.
b. Faithfulness to the church involves more than mere membership
i. The church is the body through which Christ continues his ministry in and to the world.
ii. Each of us must be functioning members of the church if we would be truly faithful.
c. Faithfulness to the home requires more than a mere keeping of the marriage vows.
i. Real faithfulness involves continuous and loving dedication to bringing happiness into the lives of the other family members.
V. God’s book to declare that we have lived a life of devoted service to others.
a. It is sad to see a person come to the time of retirement without any accumulation of savings.
i. Experience tells us that only those who constantly make deposits ever achieve success in this desire objective though.
ii. The same is true in the spiritual realm.
1. If we want to achieve a record of generous unselfish service to our fellow humans, we can do so by a consistent effort as the years roll by.
b. All of us have probably speculated as to what we would do if we had a million dollars.
i. Perhaps we have wanted to support God’s work in a great way.
ii. We need to face up to the fact that if we want to do something truly significant, our best chance of doing so is through the faithful bringing what you have right now, rather then waiting to cash in on something that might never come.
VI. God’s book to declare that we have been soul winners.
a. One of the basic drives in the human heart is the desire for significance and meaning to life.
i. We have but to look about us to discover that multitudes of men and women have dedicated their lives to that which is temporary.
b. Only the soul of a person will survive the experience of death.
i. Daniel the prophet spoke concerning the wisdom of the soul winner in terms that should challenge us to use our time and talents and treasure so as to influence others to receive Jesus, as their savior.
Closing
The record of yesterday is written. It cannot be changed. There are many things about yesterday’s record that should lead us to confession of failure. If we confess and experience God’s forgiveness and cleansing, let us forget those failures as far as permitting them to be a hindrance to us, and let us press forward with all there is within us toward the prize.
There is no judgment unto condemnation for those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. The day of judgment will be a day of rewarding for them. If you have not yet received Christ as your Savior, then receive him today. If you have received him as Savior, then decide to live for him so as to receive his commendation for a life well spent.
