The Standard
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Math is a wonderful testament to God, math has a standard and every time you do an equation correctly the answer is the same
That is why when space missions take place you can depend on it to calculate your trajectory
That is why it can be used to get your flight where it needs to be, rather that is the right flight angles or amount of fuel needed
The math doesn't care how you feel, nothing about you determines what is true math 1 + 1 will always be two, no matter your mood or who you are, but we all have to abide by the laws of math, unless you Ma and Pa Kettle
You want to know something the formulas/rulers we have to guide us in life have been corrupted and no matter how many times you work the problem you gonna come up short, and that is why this morning I want to talk about the Standard setter and what a life correctly calibrated looks like
Only God can set the standard because only He can speak absolutely without error. You cannot measure yourself by your own standards. If you are measuring yourself by the wrong ruler, you will come up with the wrong measurement.930
Read Matthew 25:31-46
By What Authority and by What Standard Does He Separate (v. 31-32)
By What Authority and by What Standard Does He Separate (v. 31-32)
The reasons He sits on the throne:
Ownership
This should be conversation done and over with
he is the creator, he owns the sheep and goats
Spoke creation into existence, if he can create with words, he can destroy with words
His glory
And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Holiness
to be set a part
glory is to be in a place of high esteem
Lord of armies
power
His presence is everywhere
statues often would demonstrate where a king has power, whose image do we bear?
Because of his position of authority he sets the standard
Unfortunately we live in a culture all about shaping our own identity and defining our own truth, and sadly hat culture has crept into the church (Matthew 7 plank and speck)
The church has became a culture of play-dough Jesus worship
This is where we create a mold and set a standard of what can go into it according to our desires
We pick and choose the parts of Jesus we want
We remove
wrath and a disdain for sin
And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
We want to look over the fact this event took place around God’s house not in the streets of the city
We have a responsibility as the church to be a light to the dark streets
suffering / from our Monday through Saturday world
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
We want the exaltation with Christ without the tribulation with Christ
In other words we want to skip the being refined by fire and just go straight to refined
When we remove this stuff is it still Jesus? No, if this was Jesus then their would be no need for Jesus
What is his standard?
His standard is right here, His judgment is right here, the answer to following his standard is right here
Walk through the Bible
“before him will be gathered all the nations”
This standard all will be held accountable to
Every human being has to do two things: 1) Die 2) Stand before Jesus
there is no wiggling your way out, when Christ speaks come, none will be able to disobey in that moment, all will bow in his presence (John 18:8, Philippians 2:10-11)
The question is will you bow willingly or forcefully?
willingly- worship, admiration
force- fear, anger, anxiety, regret
When all are gathered, they will be separated by sheep (saved) and goats (unsaved)
You are only a sheep by the blood of Jesus, not because you self identify as a sheep
The blood work reveals the true state of things
You can mask all kind of things with appearance but the blood work reveals the unseen and the true state of things
“He will separate people”
Realize this separation is final, and this is why every relationship in this world needs to be done be with eternity in mind
Penn of Penn and Teller quote
"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for."
A Faith that Goes Beyond Sunday
A Faith that Goes Beyond Sunday
If you are truly a sheep, their will be evidence
You will love others because you love God
Selfless
You simply do what is right because of the joy it brings in the Lord
Jesus did not brag on their church attendance, how they dressed, or what they done inside the church walls
he talked of what they done beyond these walls, faith in action
You now why he talked of these things and not attendance
A people that seek God rightly in their home will not neglect the fellowship of believers
The church will not be a country club but a place of discipleship, accountability, prayer, worship by song, etc. but most importantly a launching pad to minister to the local community
being a church with impact does not require a big budget, does not require all kind of youth and children programs.
Being a church with impact requires one thing, being a church filled by God’s Holy Spirit
You the congregation how do you live Monday through Saturday?
Does your character give people a reason to listen or not to listen to you talk of the Gospel?
How is your character at work?
How is your character at home?
How do you minister to the widow?
How do you minister to the youth from the broken home?
How is your attitude with the waiter today at lunch?
How is your attitude towards the immigrant?
We can live out the great commission without even leaving Alabama
How do you intentionally take time to minister beyond Sunday? or are you to caught up in yourself to worry beyond yourself
The sheep look beyond themselves the goats live in their three foot world
Take not this is not a boastful faith, not a hey look at me faith
The people in this text are a little taken back, they are like what you mean you done that for you
Doing good is done purely for the joy of living right with the Lord, doing what is right and holy is a life of worship
The sheep live as if Jesus is always present
A Life in a Three Foot Circle
A Life in a Three Foot Circle
If you are a goat your life will be characterized by:
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
selfish goals
Presented with the same opportunities as the sheep
the same opportunity to be saved, you only have you to blame if hell is where you spend eternity
If you live with the mindset of I’m not at church or the preacher ain’t around or this is not a church function so I don’t need to minister, ask yourself if you are showing the character of a sheep or a goat
The goats rather than living selfless, live selfish
Is your every decision made by what gratifies your heart and pleasure or are your decisions made with what brings the Lord joy?
The goats will experience the wrath of God for all eternity, with no fellowship with him
What makes this even worse judgment day gives the goats a glimpse of what there eternity could have been if they had only died to self
Outroduction
Outroduction
Let us not let our church buildings become goat pens, but let our churches be sheep folds
Let our life's be calibrated in such a manner to bring joy to the Lord