What Will It Take? (2 Of 2)

(1) THEY LEARN A LOT FROM BIBLE COLLEGES AND SEMINARIES

When young pastors graduate from Bible College or Seminary, they are excited about preaching and teaching all the things they have learned from God’s Word. But as much as they might learn in Bible College and Seminary, also-

(2) THEY LEARN A LOT FROM THE MINISTRY ITSELF

In the ministry, you learn things that no Bible College or Seminary could ever teach you. For example, a Pastor over the years learns a great deal about people.

One of the things they learn immediately, is that WHAT PEOPLE SAY MAY NOT ALWAYS REFLECT WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN.

Many professing Christians say, “I love the Lord.” These Christians state that very clearly, but their life also very clearly reflects that they DO NOT truly love the Lord.

Let me show you what I mean. I tell my wife I love her, which I do, but:

• Suppose I was always making excuses for not coming home. In fact, the only time I would come home was when she begged me to come. If I was to do such a thing, do you think I could convince her that I really loved her?

We have people who say they love the Lord and the only time they come to the house of God is when someone begs them to come….humm! Do you think they really love the Lord?

• Suppose I was a military man and I had been away for several years. I finally come home, and as she is unpacking my clothing, she finds all the letters that she wrote to me are in my suitcase, unopened. Do you really think I could convince her that I loved her? When she asked me why haven’t I opened her letters and read them, suppose I told her I was too busy to open them.

We have people in our churches who claim to love the Lord, but they do not have time to read God’s letters (His Holy Word) written to them…humm! Do you really think they love the Lord.

• Suppose I spent all my money on other women. After I recovered from the gunshot wounds, do you think I could convince her that I loved her?

We have people who claim to love the Lord, and they spend their money on everything that you can imagine, but when they come to church they do not even give the Lord a decent tip…humm! Do you really think they love the Lord?

I could tell my wife that I love her all day long, but if my life reflected these negative things, THERE IS NO WAY SHE WOULD BELIEVE ME, ABSOLUTELY NO WAY! DID YOU HEAR ME? NO WAY!

Then folks, why do we think God is not as smart as the average housewife?

This crowd that you have to always beg to serve the Lord, might have once loved the Lord, but it is certain that they no longer love the Lord.

Many professing Christians see the Christian life as a life that you continue to live in sin, but you slow down a tad on sinning! No! God does not want us to SLOW DOWN, God wants us to STOP OUR SINNING!

Illus: This reminds me of the fellow who came to a stop sign and he slowed down and kept on going. A patrolman pulled him over for running the stop sign.

• He said to the officer, “When I came to that stop sign I slowed down.” The officer politely said, “Sir, stop does not mean slow down, it means stop.”

• The driver kept arguing and said, “I slowed down a lot though.”

• The officer decided he was going to teach him what STOP MEANT. He reached over and grabbed him by the head and took out his nightstick and started tapping him on the head, and he said, “Do you want me to stop or do you want me to slow down?”

When God saves us, He does not want us to slow down on sinning, he wants us to stop!

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET YOU TO THE PLACE THAT YOU WILL TRULY LOVE HIM AND SERVE HIM?

We know it is not going to take the GOODNESS OF GOD for many, because it seems the more God blesses some, the further they get from the Lord.

Illus: Every pastor can show you people who once served the Lord every time they got a chance, and every time the church doors were open they were there. However, God began to bless them, and now they do not have time to serve the Lord.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE to draw us near to the Lord? As I read the Bible, I find that the Lord uses different things to deal with those who are not where they ought to be.