A0425_Coram Deo
Date: 1st February 2009 (Sunday AM) Ref: A0425
Place: Kambah P.S.
Title: Coram Deo
Text: & Hebrews 4:13
Illust: "Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England. They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff. There are an estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain, about one for every 14 people. – Big Brother is watching you. – Well in England he certainly is. A surveillance society, imagine you drop a wrapper & a voice suddenly booms out, ‘go back & pick up that litter’. – We don’t have that here but you should realise that you are under constant surveillance.
I. He See’s All I Do
A. Coram Homo
i. Most people in our society live their lives to be seen by man, what do I mean by this? We live superficial lives; present a superficial self to others. – Fundamental basis of our celebrity worshipping culture.
ii. All advertising is aimed at presenting you with lifestyle choices, clothes, shoes, cars, watches, dining habits, toothpaste, deodorant, cars, homes & doing it in such a way as to portray the image that you will show to others. If you dress in Gucci, use Colgate, etc you will be seen as wealthy, successful, happy. – All about image.
Thing about image is it is what others see
iii. We live our lives judging books by their covers, even though we know the old saying, can’t help ourselves, we see people, immediately we size them up, judge them by the externals, the image they portray.
Naturally because that’s how we judge others, that’s how we act, presenting a positive image to be judged by others.
Coram Homo ‘Before the face of man’
What you see is what I want you to see.
B. The Heart of the Matter
i. While this may be how society operates, we are called to live differently to understand that we are not to live Coram Homo but Coram Deo. – ‘Before the face of God’
ii. A basic understanding we must have. God sees all I do He hears all I say my God is listening all the time time time. –
Job 34:21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. (NKJV)
Psalm 33:13-14 13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; (NKJV)
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. (NKJV)
iii. He sees everything you do and say but most importantly He knows your heart, the intentions, the selfish ambition, the jealousy, the fear, the self interest, the envy, the lust, the carnal you, the fleshly you, dare I say it the real you,
Jeremiah 17:10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. (NKJV)
iv. There is no thought, no desire, no word, no action, no sin that He does not see & take account of.
Psalm 90:8 You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. (NKJV)
Wether you like it or not you are under surveillance, you are living Coram Deo:
‘Before the face of God’ - & Text
II. Living Coram Deo
A. Presence & Authority
i. With this realisation, that you live Coram Deo, it should stir you to posture your life, in everything to live Coram Deo – How do I mean, what does it mean to live Coram Deo?
ii. In your bearing, in your attitudes you live with a heart postured to a lifestyle lived in the presence of God.
I am continually in the presence of God,
iii. How often do we say things, look at things, think things, do things, that you WOULD NOT DO, if you were aware of the very real, very near presence of the Living God.
iv. What about His authority over your life. A work place boss has authority over you & we have all probably done things that we didn’t want the boss to find out about, because he has authority. – God has all authority, what decisions do you make in defiance of His authority over your life, simply because you are not living Coram Deo
B. Honour & Glory
i. What is the purpose of your life? That should dictate how you live your life.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism which is composed of 107 questions and answers to address various doctrinal & theological questions has as it’s first question:
Q. What is the chief end of man? - A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
ii. This is a powerful summary of what should be the purpose of your life. To bring Glory & honour to God, in all that you do
1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (NKJV)
iii. Living Coram Deo, is living a life in the full realisation that you are living before the face of God & you have postured your life to bring glory & honour to His name in all that you think & say & do.
Will you live Coram Deo, set your heart to live each day Before the face of God’
~ Coram Deo
III. We Must Give Account
A. Accountability
i. There is a sobering element to this; we should want to live Coram Deo, in His presence, submitted to His authority, to bring glory & honour to His name. This should be your hearts desire.
ii. But the sobering element is that even if you don’t, you have to understand that there is a purpose to surveillance. – Accountability. ~ You will be held to account. - & Text
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (NKJV)
iii. We often tend to live our lives like God is a million miles away & that our actions / thoughts & words have no consequences. – Not true, You live Coram Deo & there is coming a time to give account. – That can radically transform your life, change the way you live if you continuously remember that you will give account.
The Mishnah, Pirke Aboth ‘Sayings of the Fathers’
“Grow not thoughtless of retribution” (i. 8).
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. (NKJV)
B. Saviour & Judge
i. Our great hope this morning despite all of this worlds trouble is that Jesus Christ our Saviour is coming back to gather His own unto Him & to set up His Kingdom.
ii. The solemn element to His return is that we must realise that He is our Saviour & that is glorious and liberating, but we must also understand that He is our Judge.
John 5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (NKJV)
iii. Living Coram Deo, is living with the ever present appreciation that There is a judgement seat you will stand before & give an account & Romans 14:9-12
Important to remember Paul is writing to the church, to believers to you & I.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (NKJV)
Lets live Coram Deo Before the face of God’