Sermon Tone Analysis

A couple of weeks ago, I had perhaps one of the saddest and yet most enthralling dreams ever.

This dream was so potent that I woke up in tears.

This dream was so vivid that I found myself remembering every detail.

This dream was so important, that my scripture readings from the following week reinforced the lesson I took from this dream.

The dream began as I and many other people were working in a warehouse of some type.

The place was mammoth, and was filled with hundreds if not thousands of workers.

We were told to gather at a certain place for some type of announcement.

As we waited there I could see an envoy of people approaching.

They had a different look upon them, almost alien in nature.

As the envoy approached we were told that our governments could no longer bare the responsibilities that the world had placed upon it, and through its wisdom had turned over control of everything to those of this envoy.

At this time, we were standing a few feet away from our new world leaders with nothing but a railing between us.

As the new world leader began to speak, a feeling of dread came over me.

I began to hear this creature’s promises and realized that this was perhaps the worst experience that has ever occurred in all of our recorded history.

There was finality in these events, a conclusiveness which opened the door to a great ending.

In my despair, I turned my back on these new leaders and uttered the phrase “come quickly Lord Jesus”.

At that moment, at that pivotal moment in time we began to rise and to flow out of the warehouse.

It was slow and gradual.

It was a moment before I and the others with me realized, that this was the Rapture.

This was the moment that all Christians wait for.

That moment when Jesus Christ returns for His Church.

As it began to occur to people what was happening a sort of celebration occurred.

Everyone was rejoicing, and hugging.

I remember finding my wife and kissing her as we all flowed along, out the doors of the warehouse and through the fields outside.

We began to realize that as we looked upon those new world leaders, that we had actually looked upon the face of the Antichrist and his minions.

As I looked I saw thousands of people flowing in from many directions like a bunch of cars coming off of the entrance ramps onto a major highway near a megacity.

We were gradually going up!

I had not met Jesus yet, but I knew we were heading towards him.

Then I began to look for my daughter, and other people began to look for their loved one’s-expecting them to be there.

I could not find my daughter.

She wasn’t there.

She wasn’t included in this great multitude.

I looked back over my life and hers, I saw the points in her life where the opportunity came to share the good news of salvation, and I did not step up.

She was meant to be saved, but I never took the action to insure her salvation.

This time of joy had become a time of mourning for those who were missed during man’s time of witness.

I awoke in tears, realizing my own shortcomings as Christ’s witness to not only my own family, but to the world around me as well.

Earlier I mentioned getting hit with a scripture verse, one that went hand in hand with my dream.

It was from the book of Amos chapter four verse twelve.

In it the prophet Amos gives this warning to the people of Israel: “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” Wow! What a message.

Prepare to meet your God!

This short five word warning is by far the most powerful message that we can get from the Scriptures.

It is a message that is for all people, it is a message that it always pertinent, and it is a warning that shall never be cancelled!

Prepare to meet your God!

Are we prepared to meet Him?

We must all meet him.

Everyone in this room today will one day stand before God in judgement.

Everyone in the town of Pittsfield will one day stand before God in judgement.

Everyone in Massachusetts will one day stand before God in judgement.

Everyone in this country, everyone in this world will one day stand before God in judgement.

It doesn’t matter, whether you’re a Baptist or a Catholic, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian or a Muslim.

All of us will stand before God in judgement.

In Hebrews 9:27 it is written that it “is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement” This verse tells us two things.

Firstly, we will die, secondly, we will be judged.

In Romans 14:12 we get a little more information about the judgement.

It is written “so then each of us shall give account of himself to God” We shall stand before God and have to explain all our actions in this life.

Why did we help that little old lady across the street when we were twelve.

Why did we go to Church every Sunday, why did we stop to help that young mother of 3 whose car was broken down on the side of the road… Why did you push that kid in first grade.

Why did you steal that money when nobody was looking, why did you snub your Christian brother, why do you look at pornographic sites when everyone else is sleeping.

Why did you hit your spouse.

Why do you take God’s name in vain.

Why did you not lead that person to the Lord?

Everything, we have done we shall have to give an account for.

All of us.

It is further written in 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” Not only are we giving an account before God, but we are giving an account before Jesus Christ.

He sits in judgement over us.

But some people may have thought that Jesus was just a myth, but you will stand before him and give an account of everything that you have ever done.

Listen to this account of what that day will be like.

In Revelation 20:11-15 we read “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.

And there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.

And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.

And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.

And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death.

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

No matter how great or insignificant your life may seem, we shall all stand on equal footing before the judgement throne of Christ.

Here, we will not be able to talk our way out of what we have done in the past.

There is no fancy lawyer who will talk in riddles to try and cast doubt of your sin.

There will be no jury to deliberate and determine if there is sufficient evidence to convict you.

For those that are convicted, there is no chance of appeal, or getting out early on good behavior.

Christ’s judgement is final.

You see, I think that it seems as if there is vast library in heaven.

Each book, or volume of books has a person’s name running down the spine.

The book of Norm, the book of Lisa, the book of Janet, the book of Michelle, the book of Bill.

Some of us have a short story, while others have volumes.

The pages are filled with all that we have done, good and bad in this life.

In this life that we live, we have become authors in our own right.

Preparing a detailed story of our life, to be read before all at the great white throne of judgement.

You know that secret thing you did all those years ago?

It’s in there.

It will be read for all to hear.

Nothing will be left in secret.

But there is another book there by the throne of judgement that not one of us has put a pen to.

This book was written by Jesus.

In it is the name of every person who has ever made the choice to give their life over to Jesus.

Christians are excited about this book because they know that because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior that their names are in that Book of Life.

You see, that Book of Life, overrules all that is in our own volumes of books.

It divides the Christian from every do-gooder ever in existence.

It covers the Christian, not from being found guilty of sin, but rather it shows that Judge Jesus has already endured the punishment for your sin.