Christian Challenge Sermon X: Review Life's Greatest Discoveries Series

CHRISTIAN CHALLENGE SERMON X: TIME FOR CHRISTIANS TO REVIEW LIFE’S GREATEST DISCOVERIES

Life Review is a technique used in geriatric counseling to help us regain a positive self-image and reestablish a sense of self-worth as we advance toward the goal of going home to be with the Lord.

Emotional health is linked to spiritual health. The two combined also can affect one’s physical well-being. Spiritual maturity promotes emotional stability which, in turn, empowers Christians to deal with life’s trying times and troubles in a manner that contributes to healthier lifestyles.

On the other hand, if the “cares of this world” get you down so that your mind is filled with negative thoughts and your actions betray your profession of faith in Christ, your physical health will deteriorate at a much faster pace than is normal for your age and stage in life.

Of special interest to me recently was a test administered to me along with a very thorough assessment of my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state of being, the outcome of which would determine my age based on appearances as opposed to my actual chronological age.

As it turned out, I am so glad I volunteered for this particular “exercise in futility” inasmuch as the “experts” concluded that, whereas my chronological age is in fact 85, my biological age appears to be, at least on paper, sixteen years younger.

Now, folks, that is the kind of test result I like. To keep me humble, though, two days after I received this good news, I had to undergo surgical procedures to treat skin cancer. Fact of the matter is: We never know from one day to the next what life will throw at us.

Thus we have learned to take it one day at a time – and that is a good thing. Jesus taught His followers to do just that --- Matthew 6:25-34 . . .

Rather than approach this particular lesson (from the Sermon on the Mount) in terms of planning for the future . . . setting goals and establishing priorities . . . seeking directions for becoming mature Christians, suppose we look at it from this perspective: Having already attained a certain age and level of maturity, now is the time to review life’s greatest discoveries - made during our lifetime of seeking, finding and living out God’s will to the best of our ability. Let’s review:

We became seekers in the spirit of Isaiah 55:6 - “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the evil doers their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them - and to their God, for he will

freely and abundantly pardon.”

We became seekers saved by grace in the spirit of Psalm 34:4 - “I sought the Lord and he answered me. The Lord delivered me from all my fears. The Lord saved me from troubles, and His angel encamps around all of those who revere Him.” And now as mature Christians:

We are seekers who sought and found the Lord, and the Lord became the top priority of our lives in the spirit of Matthew 6:33 - “Seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” What a challenge we faced as we began our Christian journey! We were to submit to the “reign and rule of the Lord” and live in obedience to Him! This we have done and will continue to do for the rest of our lives.

That said, my focus today is: not on His command . . . on His commendation. You are to be commended for having sought and found the Lord, for having lived a worthy Christian life, for having given your utmost for his highest - deserving of our

Lord’s “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

You discovered that, by making the right choices in life, you had no need to worry incessantly and unnecessarily about all the things that must be provided in order to sustain life. You trusted God to provide.

Yet, you never hesitated to do your part. With the guidance and help of the Lord, you labored to provide for yourself and your family. God’s providential care and daily presence in your life made you keenly aware of where God was at work in and through others, and you joined God in the work that He was doing.

Through the years, you devoted yourself to God . . . country . . . family . . . the tasks at hand - whether at home, on the job, in the community. You did this because you realized that the Lord expects His people to accept responsibility for making a living as well as for making a life, but that He wanted you to do so within the context of priorities – Jesus first, Others second, Yourselves last!