Is This For Here Or To Go?

Is This For Here Or To Go?

James 1: 17 - 27

Intro: Have you ever come home from the grocery store and realize you left something behind? Have you ever gone through a drive-thru restaurant, place your order, paid at the first window and drove off without picking up your order. Your frustration, anger etc. could have been avoided if you had just paid attention.

I Would a stranger know that you love God?

A God’s church-going score card may look something like this:

1) 1 pt. for staying awake during the sermon.

2) 3 pts. staying awake thru the entire service

3) 4 pts. For serving as liturgist

4) 5 pts. For doing service projects.

5) 10 pts. For singing in the choir, playing

handbells or handchimes.

B The purpose of coming to church isn’t to earn points. It is to be equipped to live like Christ Jesus the other 166 hours of your week.

II “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” People think “What happens in church, stays in church.”

A. Satan doesn’t mind us going to church, or having an emotional experience in church. He doesn’t mind if you feel inspired as long as you don’t take it with you when you leave

B VS. 22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

III Read VSS. 23 – 25

A Isaiah 29: 13 – 14 says: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are farm from me.”

B How far from God are we? Just being in this place does not bring us closer to God.

Concl: During WW2 King George of England worked in a factory running a lathe. He not only said what he believed important, he did something about it.

The proof of BEING IN CHRIST is that we do and live as Christ would. So, I ask you, is your faith for here or to go?