Prepare to Meet Your Godfinal
†Sometimes I think that à
the lawyers have taken over the world./
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†It seems like everything we do à
has some type of terms we have to agree to. /
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†Just listen to a car dealer commercial à
on the TV or radio sometime./
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†They go through all the commercial telling you about à
this once in a lifetime sale they’re having this weekend only./
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†They say push, pull or tow your old car in and à
they’ll give you a top-dollar trade in value for it. /
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† They say, they’re practically giving cars away. /
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†Whoever reads that stuff for the commercial is à
loud, enthusiastic, and over the top with excitement. /
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†Then comes the part where they have to à
disclose all the terms. /
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†The reader changes his voice to just above a mumble. /
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†And he reads faster than any human being à
can possibly understand. /
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†It’s the same thing with all the junk mail I get. /
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†Somebody will send a credit card application. /
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†All over the front in big 2-inch letters it will tell me about à
all the money they’re going to give me. /
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†But, then at the bottom or on the back, à
it will give the terms and conditions. /
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†Of course, you have to have a magnifying glass à
to read the print. /
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†The only reason they put the terms there in the first place à
is because the lawyers make them. /
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†But they still try to hide the terms and conditions à
as best as they can. /
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†But you can’t hide the fact that à
nearly everything in life has terms attached to it. /
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†Whether you’re buying anything, getting a job, or à
entering a contract—terms have to be agreed to. /
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†? Did you know that God has terms as well? /
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†Except God is no lawyer, He sets His terms up front./
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†The problem comes à
when we try to meet God on our terms instead of on His./
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†That is what Israel did, ever since God called up Abrahamà
& promised àto make of him a nation./
God had laid out His terms to them,à&à
the people consistently refused God’s terms. /
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†They wanted a relationship with God, à
but they wanted it on their terms. /
†They wanted to meet God on their terms, not His. /
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†In our focal passage this morning, from Amos Chapter 4,à
God speaks through Amos to review His case against Israel./
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†He reviews the ways Israel tried to meet God à
on their own terms in spite of His continual persuasion. /
-†Even though times have changed, human nature hasn’t./
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†Neither has God’s character. /
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†There are still two ways we can prepare to meet God. /
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†We can either try to do it on our terms or His. /
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†We will meet Him either way. /
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†Either we will meet Him in judgment or à
in eternal relationship./
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†Each of us is going to meet God. /
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†I want each of us here this morning à
to prepare to meet God on His terms. /
†Amos 4:12 says, “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;à Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
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†Prepare to Meet Your God
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†These 5 words are powerful words./
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†This 5 word phrase “Prepare to Meet Your God” à
is a warning for all people./
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†This 5 word phrase “Prepare to Meet Your God” à
is a warning that is always relevant./
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†This 5 word phrase “Prepare to Meet Your God” à
is a warning never to be cancelled./
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†Why Is It So Important to Heed This Warning?/
†It is important to heed this warning à
“Prepare to Meet Your God” Because we must meet God./
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†We must realize that God does not give an empty warning./
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†Hebrews 9:27 says that after death is the judgment./
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†Paul tells us in Romans 14:12 thatà
We must give an account./
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†Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that à
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ./
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†And we must hear the words of John as he talks of à
The Great White Throne in Revelation 20:11-15./
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†Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
11 Then I saw a great white throne & him who was seated on it./
Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. /
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. /
Another book was opened, which is the book of life. /
The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. /
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. /
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. /
The lake of fire is the second death. /
15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire./
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†Yes, We Must Meet God, à&à
it is our most important appointment ever./
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†We Must Meet God à
it is a coming meeting we cannot escape./
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†It is important to heed this warning Prepare to Meet Your Godà
Because we must meet God, but folks,à
It is important to heed this warning because God said it,à&à
We Must Prepare to Meet God./
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†We must understand thatà
God does not command the unnecessary./
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†Of course there are some who à
mistakenly feel that they are ready./
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†They feel they are ready because à
they were born into a Christian family./
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†They feel they are ready because à
they were born in a civilized nation./
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†They feel they are ready because à
they were baptized or members of a church./
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†Or, they feel they are ready because à
they were living an upright life./
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†But folks, None of these things prepare us for that meeting./
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†Look at what Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away./
†There are many examples of unprepared people in the Bible./
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†We have the example of Adam and Eve à
hiding after their sin in Genesis 3:8, they were not prepared./
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†Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden./
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†In Daniel chapter 5 we see another example of à
one not prepared Prince Belshazzar, à
when God wrote on the wall./
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†Let me summarize what is going on in Daniel 5./
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†24 years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar à
the events in Daniel chapter 5 take place in 539 b.c. ./
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†Prince Belshazzar, son of King Nabonidus,à
throws a big party despite the presence of an à
overwhelming Persian force à
poised to overrun & concur,à
just outside Babylon’s mighty walls./
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†Prince Belshazzar in a drunken state, ridicules à
the God that Nebuchadnezzar’s decrees had exalted à
by using bowls dedicated to God at the Jerusalem temple./
Prince Belshazzar ordered à
the bowls be removed from the temple and used them asà wine cups, and to make offerings to pagan deities./
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†When a hand miraculously appears & writes on the wall, à
the terrified Prince demands, that the now aged Daniel à
be called for an interpretation. /
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†Daniel interprets the message and announces that sinceà
Belshazzar has not followed Nebuchadnezzar’s example à
of honoring God, à
the kingdom is about to be torn from his hands./
†The Prince keeps his promise to reward Daniel, à
but that very night the Persians enter the city and à
Belshazzar is killed./
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†The key verse in Daniel chapter 5 is verse 22./
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†Daniel 5:22 (NIV) 22 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this./
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†What this key verse says folks is, : Knowing is not doing./
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†God measures us not by how much of His truth we know, à
but by how committed we are to act on it./
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†Prince Belshazzar is just another Biblical example of à
one who was not prepared to meet God./
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†And we all remember how unprepared Saul à
who we now know as the Apostle Paul was unprepared à
on the road to Damascus./ (Acts 9)
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†It is important to heed this warning Prepare to Meet Your Godà
Because 1st of all “we must meet God,” but folks,à
since we must meet God , à
We Must Prepare to Meet God, à
And the good new is that à
We Can Prepare to Meet God./
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†We can prepare to meet God because à
God would not command the impossible./
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†And we can prepare to meet God becauseà
God has prepared a way to be right with Him./
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†Jesus died to pay for our sins & Isaiah wrote about it in à
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
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†Jesus died to pay for our sins & Paul wrote about it in à
Romans 5:8 (NIV)8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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†Jesus died to pay for our sins and then à
He arose, offering salvation./
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†Paul teaches us in Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) 9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
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†Romans 10:13 (NIV) 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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†God’s word tells us that we prepare to meet Him by faith,à
Acts 16:31 says, (NIV)31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
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†Romans 5:1 says, (NIV) 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
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†And John in 1 John 1:9 tells us thatà
wayward believers prepare by confessing their sins./
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†Like the prodigal who returned home./
†Confession of sin brings forgiveness./
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†Folks this is great news : we can prepare!/
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†? What Have You Done to Prepare?
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†? Want you Respond to His Love right now?
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†Come to Him with all your sins./
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†Accept Jesus and be forgiven./
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†You will meet Him, sooner or later,à
You need to be prepared./
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