Prepare To Meet Thy God!

  1. INTRODUCTION:
    1. SCRIPTURE: Amos 4:12-13 = "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, o Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name."
    2. GOD EXISTS:
      1. The fact that you cannot see God, does not prove that he does not exist. Note: We cannot see: Pain, Electricity, or Wind; but it is very evident that they exist.

      2. A self-existent being (God) is the only way to account for the things about us. Genesis 1:1 = "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

        1. Evolution accounts for nothing.
        2. Scientists say that they have made such strides that they think they can now create as God did.

          3. ILLUSTRATION: Some Scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and that they no longer needed God. So they picked one of them to go and tell God that they no longer needed Him. The scientist went up to God and said, "God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you go on and get lost." God listened very patient and kindly to the scientist and after he was finished, God said, "very well, how about this, let’s say we have a man making contest." To which the scientist replied, "OK, great!" But God added, "Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam." The scientist said, "Sure, no problem". He then bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt. God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no. You go get your own dirt".

        3. The Atheist reminds me of the story about a dog in the baggage car on a train. At a stop, the baggage clerk was asked: "Where does is this dog going?" The baggage clerk replied: "I don’t know - He don’t know - Everyone else don’t know - Because he’s done chewed up his tag." Comment: According to atheism, nobody knows where we came from, why we are here, or where we are going.
      3. Nature itself offers testimony that God is: Psalms 19:1 = "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handy work."
        1. This world did not just happen.

          2. Comment: Someone calculated the if the 26 letters of the alphabet were tossed into the air, the possibility of them falling together in the present order we know them (A-B-C) it would be once change in 500 million, million, million times.

        2. There is too much order of things in the universe, than for some one to argue it all happened by chance.

        Comment: This would be like arguing that the Lakeland telephone directory is the result of an explosion in a printing factory.

      4. The Bible testifies that God is. Genesis 1:1 = "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Ecclesiastes 12:1 = "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the year draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."
        Ecclesiastes 12:7 = "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Acts 17:24 = "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;"

      Note: All that we have said thus far is rather a lengthy introduction, but we have established that God is. Now we turn to the subject matter at hand:

    3. PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD:
      1. Man must meet God.
      2. Man must prepare for the occasion.
  2. DISCUSSION:
    1. MAN MUST MEET GOD IN JUDGMENT.
      1. Justice demands a judgment between good and evil - They are so different that it would be an injustice for them to be treated alike.
        1. The courts of the land are to function as a means of judgment between good and evil.
          (See Romans 13:1-6) Note Romans 13:4 = "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."
        2. The judgment of the Lord will be universal – no exceptions to it.
          1. This includes everyone. Romans 14:10 = "… For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." II Corinthians 5:10 = "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
          2. This will include all nations. Matthew 25:32 = "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he sdhall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."
          3. This includes all the world. Acts 17:30-31 = "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
      2. The Bible will be the standard of judgment.

        3. John 12:48 = "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

        Revelation 20:12 = "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

      3. Each person must meet God on his own record. Romans 14:10 = "… For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." II Corinthians 5:10 = "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Galatians 6:7 = "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
      4. The judgment meeting will be at a time when we least expect it. Matthew 24:36 = "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." II Peter 3:10 = "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Matthew 24:42-44 = "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
    2. MAN MUST PREPARE FOR THE OCCASION:
      1. There is too much at stake for one not to prepare for it. Mark 8:36-37 = "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 10:28 = "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
      2. Life is too uncertain not to prepare for it. James 4:13-14 = "Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Hebrews 3:8 = "Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:" …Hebrews 3:15 = "While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation."
        Hebrews 4:7         = "Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts."
      3. How does one prepare for it?
        1. Search the Scriptures. John 5:39 = "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
        2. Be doers of the word and not hearers only. James 1:22 = "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
        3. Obey the gospel, God’s power of salvation. Romans 1:16 = "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
        4. Add the Christian graces of II Peter 1:5-10. [Faith; Virtue; Knowledge; Temperance; Patience; Godliness; Brotherly kindness; Charity or love.]
        5. Remain faithful or persevere unto the day of judgment. Matthew 10:22 = "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
          Revelation 2:10           = "…Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
      4. The greatest tragedy one could make is to fail to make preparation. Remember:
        1. What the five foolish virgins lost because they made no preparation (Matthew 25:1-13).
        2. What the one talent man lost in not make any preparation for his master’s return
          (Matthew 25:14- 30).
  3. CONCLUSION:
    1. THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING: [Matthew 25:31-46]
      1. There will be a separation of good and bad. (Matthew 25:32-33) = "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
        1. Those on His right hand. (Matthew 25:34) = "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
        2. Those on His left hand. (Matthew 25:41) = "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
      2. Where will you be found: on the Lord’s right, or left hand. (Matthew 25:46):
        1. Those on the left hand "shall go away into everlasting punishment".
        2. Those on the right hand shall go "into life eternal".
    2. THIS IS THE DAY FOR WHICH MAN LIVES. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 = "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
    3. FOR MAN TO FAIL HERE, HE HAS FAIL IN HIS DUTY TO GOD. Note: Just as the man with the one talent failed in his duty [Matthew 25:14-30].
    4. GIVER SERIOUS THOUGHT TO THESE QUESTIONS:
      1. Have you made preparation to meet the Lord in judgment?
      2. If not, why not tonight?

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