You’ve Got A Date
12/5/99 Eccl. 11-9-12:14 2 Corinthians 5:8-12
When someone asks you for a date, there are usually three things you have to consider. First, do I want to be with this person. Second, do I want to do what this person wants to do. Third can I get prepared in time to be available at the time of the date.
If the answer to the first question is No, then a flat out no should be given when asked out. If the answer to the first question is yes, but the answer to the second question is no, then a "not this time but maybe some other time" should be given. If the answer to the first question is definitely, and the answer to the second is yes, but the answer to the third question is no, then you need to see if you can readjust something in your life to get prepared to make the date.
Let’s suppose Tracy and David are going to go to the prom together. Tracy has spent money getting her hair done just right, and she has on a beautiful dress. Their colors are blue and white. All her friends and family members are at the house waiting for her date to arrive. Her dad has the video camera out, and her Mom has some professional photographer waiting to take a picture of her and her guest.
Finally up comes a beautiful blue car with David driving it arrives. David steps out of the car, with a white T-shirt and his favorite pair of blue jeans with the holes just below the butt in the back, and the knees torn out. David has a big smile on his face. But how do you think those who have been waiting for Dave to arrive are going to react to his appearance?
Well, Tracy bursts into tears and runs back into the house. Tracy’s father walks over and says, "boy how in the world could you show up wearing this on a date?." David says, "the colors were blue and white, and this outfit was the most comfortable thing I had. Tracy has seen me in it many times. I had planned to get a haircut but I ran out of time."
We celebrate Advent because it is the time in which we look forward to the coming of Christ. Unlike David, Christ is going to come prepared for the occasion. God has set two dates with the world. God promised to send a savior into the world which is the reason we celebrate Christmas. God also promised to come back and judge the world, which is why we as Christians look forward to the second coming of Christ. God has one other special date for followers of Christ alone and that date is known as the rapture.
One reason for setting a date is to build up the excitement of what’s going to happen when the person arrives. Sometimes thinking about the date is actually more exciting than what actually happens on the date. The other reason for setting a date is to have sufficient time to get oneself prepared for the date. Very few of us want our date showing up early, and we have not yet even begun to get ready for the outing.
The only thing we have to do as believers to get ready for our date that God has set for us is to live for Jesus 24/7. God never called anybody to be a part time Christian. Yet amazingly there are many people who are convinced, they could have this part of their life as Christian, and that part over there as something God has absolutely nothing to do with because they are in control. Somehow they think they can fool God into thinking they are obedient when in fact they are not. Partial obedience is always disobedience.
We have a dog by the name of Hope. Hope knows that she is not to get on the bed in the blue room. If Hope is in the Blue room, when she hears or sees me coming, she will be sitting on the floor with a smile on her face as I enter the room. But the dent she left behind on the bed, lets me know she has not been on the floor very long. Now Jesus knew that some of us would live our Christian lives like Hope. As long as somebody is watching me, I’ll obey Christ, but the moment nobody knows I’m suppose to be a Christian, look out.
To help us keep honest in our journey, Jesus decided to make a surprise date with all pretenders. It will not be a surprise to those who are living for Him because they are always living under the thought, Jesus might come in just a few minutes. Whereas the second coming of Jesus into the world will be accompanied by the sky lighting up around the world, angels marching from heaven in formation behind Jesus, and great destruction coming upon the earth with earthquakes and floods and the like, the rapture is going to be totally different.
It’s going to be so silent you won’t even know it happened. Only those who were prepared by living for Jesus will go out in that instant. You will be saying grace at the table, and when the person saying grace is finished, two of the family members are no longer at the table and nobody heard them leave. You will be at a wedding, and the music for here come the bride will start playing, and the bride will never come down the aisle. The groom has also disappeared.
You will be at school, watching the teacher write on the chalk board and hear the chalk fall to the floor with no teacher in sight. You will be in the car waiting for your husband to come out so that you can go to church, only he never comes and you can’t find him inside. Millions of people will quickly and silently disappear all because they had an unannounced date with Jesus. But even though the date was unannounced, they had been prepared because they were 24/7 followers of Jesus Christ.
There is another date that we as followers of Christ have, that other people will not have a part in at all. But this time, Jesus does not come to his followers his followers come to Him This is the date which is known as the judgment seat of Christ. We will enter into the most magnificent of settings possible as we see Jesus in His full glory.
There will be seven golden lamp stands more beautiful than anything we have ever seen. Jesus will be dressed in a robe with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair will be white look wool, white as the brightest snow. His eyes will look like blazing fire. His feet will be a glowing bronze as you would expect to see in a blazing steel furnace. When He speaks, it will be like the sound of rushing waters. When He calls forth your name it will be the most powerful sound you have ever heard.
In his right hand, He will be holding seven stars. Therefore He must be huge and all powerful. Out of his mouth will comes a sharp double edged sword, and his face is like the sun shining in all its brilliance. His presence will be awesome and somewhat terrifying. My friends that’s the Jesus you and I are going to stand and give an account of one day. Not some Jesus with a blue robe, holding a baby lamb in His arms. Not some Jesus looking beat up on a cross. We are going before the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. We are going to be showing up at His place with the heavenly host seated around him. The issue is not "if we will show up", because the Bible says of Christians, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ."
The question is how are we going to arrive and appear with this date we have with Jesus Christ. Are we planning on arriving in the same way that David arrived for his date with Tracy? Are we coming into the presence of the King of Kings and Lords of Lord dressed in our old T-shirts and raggedy old jeans, because it was comfortable to live our Christian lives the way we wanted to, rather than live as God required us to live.
We live under this false notion that all you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your savior and you’re going straight to heaven to get a reward. Now the bible teaches the only way you’re going to accept Jesus is to choose to love Him. The only way you know you love Jesus, is that you keep His commandments.
Jesus himself said, some of us will show up for the date with him, and he will let us know, "you’re at the wrong house. I never agreed to go out with you." We will start saying, "yes you did Lord." Jesus will say, "that’s impossible. I’ve never even known you." We will say, "Aw come on Jesus. Quit tripping. Lord you remember when we went to church, Think Glenville New Life Community Church-- Pastor Rick & Pastor Toby.
You remember, when we sang in the choir, remember when we ushered, remembered when we prayed for people and they got better. Remember the New Life Center We Built. Lord we even prayed for people in your name and they were healed." Jesus will then say, "No, I’m not dating you. Depart from me all of you who would not obey my word. You’ve got a date with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire. " Now that group of pretenders along will all the other people who did not receive Christ will go have a date with God the Father to be judged and then they will be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
But only believers have the opportunity to go before the judgment seat of Christ. Now if you made it before the judgment seat of Christ, it means you did accept Jesus as your Savior, and you did try to obey the word of God even though you had to ask for forgiveness time and time again. God always knows when our hearts are sincere with repentance and when we are simply trying to trick Him to escape hell. When our hearts are sincere, God removes that sin and forgives us. But don’t equate removing sin, with removing all of its earthly consequences.
Not every Christian is going to die, and go to heaven and get a reward. Every Christian is going to before Christ, to see what rewards they are actually eligible to receive. Rewards are dependent upon good works done with the right motive. Everything you and I do will be tested to see what our motives were in doing what we did. If our motive was out of selfishness, greed, the desire to be seen, somebody forced us to do it, envy, jealousy, ungodly competition or whatever, all of those good works will go up in flames when they are tested by the fire and come out as ashes and rubble. If our motive was out of love, mercy, desire to be faithful in serving God, then those good works which were put into the fire, will come out of the fire as precious jewels.
The Bible teaches, there will be some believers who will not have anything to show for their lives. All their works will go up in flames. They will be saved, but only as those who just escaped the flames. Other believers will have all kinds of good works to show and present at the throne of Jesus on the day of the judgment.
When they enter the judgment hall, they will not be in a t-shrit and raggedy jeans, but will have the things Jesus gives to them. They will be dressed in a dazzling white robe matching Jesus’. They will have the crown of life on their head. The morning star will travel with their presence as they walk forward. They will have a scepter in their hands as a sign of the authority given by Christ. They will hear Jesus acknowledging to the angels that one is one of my finer servants. They will be invited to sit upon the throne with Jesus. They will sit down with Christ and wait for the judgment to continue on.
How we appear for our date with Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ is all dependent upon what are we doing today. The judgment seat of Christ goes to the heart of our commitment to follow the Lord. Do you want to truly know Jesus and His plan for your life, or are you simply just trying to make sure you don’t go to hell. There’s a world of difference between loving the Lord, and just trying to get by.
We all need a healthy fear of God in order to grow spiritually. We all need a more realistic view of the Jesus we’re going to meet someday, and the works we are doing now. What we do is going to be judged, and who we are is going to be revealed. In 2 Corin. 5:10, The Greek. word for “appear” in v. 10 means more than “stand” or “show up.” It carries the idea of being revealed; “for we shall all be shown as we are” is the meaning. All of our secret lives will be revealed, both the good and the bad. Some of us will be so embarrassed we will shrink before the presence of Christ. Others will be amazed at the small things we did, which Jesus was taking note of and remembering on our behalf.
There will be no pretending at that judgment; our character and works will be revealed as they are, and the suitable rewards will be given. The person living for Jesus is careful even today to have an open life, before God and before people. Our lives are 24/7 lives which means we don’t break because we’re at work, or at home, or at school, or with our friends. Never forget that “results” are not the only test of a worker’s life and service. The motives of the heart are very important.
That means you can be in church all your life and not get one credit for it as being done for God. You’re here because your mother made you, or your wife wanted it, or you wanted to see your friends. Now we’re glad to have you for whatever reason you’re here, because we know that God can make a change in you when you least expect it. But you will not be able to stand before Christ and talk about all the times you came to church, because your heart will reveal your motive for being here. The same will be true about anything else that we claimed to have done for the cause of Christ.
Today, did your worship Christ and offer praise to Him during the Celebration of Praise and Worship. Or were you among those who showed more enthusiasm for turning on the TV last week than you did in singing praises to God this morning? Well Jesus was watching you and, He remembers. If pleasing God is not the motivating factor in our lives, we’re wasting our time and hurting our chances of receiving what God wants to do in and through us here on this earth, and in the life to come. For all the other things we do are not going to be that significant on our date which is certain to come.
Again the judgment seat of Christ is not about our sins, as much as it is about the attitude we displayed in serving God. Are we offering God the best we have in life based on what He has given to us? Are we despising the gifts and talents God has placed within us, by throwing them out the window through neglect, misuse, or even a failure to use them at all. Are we just plain lazy as believers in living for Christ?
Since we’ve got date scheduled with God, we will answer these questions in the presence of the King Of Kings. There’s no such thing as retirement from the work of God. God expects an 8 year old to be as committed to Him as a follower as He does an 88 year old.
We as Christians persevere in the face of trials because we know that this life is not all there is to life. Sure we could shortcuts here and there, and compromise over here to make like a little more enjoyable, but we know the truth of God’s word. God’s word says, God is going to hold us accountable for every decision that we make. We definitely all have a date with God to explain why we either obeyed His word or disobeyed it. No lies will be uttered in His presence because He will reveal our hearts.
One thing for sure, we will never be able to say, God I wanted to obey but I could not do it. Because God has said in His word, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to all people. And God is faithful; God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor. 10:13" Now it may cost something, no, it will cost you something to say no to temptation, but in the end we are always better off obeying God and being set free.
You will not have again as much time left to serve the Lord faithfully as you do right now. Jesus loves you. Right now He wants to be your savior and your Lord by showing you how to live your life. He knows that you have a date scheduled with Him. He wants you to be prepared and fully dressed when that day comes. He looks at you, and He knows, if you yeild your life to Him, on your date, you will hear the words, "Well Done, You Good and Faithful Servant. Well Done."
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Sermon Outline--Pastor Rick
You’ve Got A Date
12/5/99 Eccl. 11:9-12:14 2 Corin. 5:8-12
I. When You’ve Got A Date
A. Be With This Person
B. Go To This Place
C. Be Prepared & Available
II. The Big Prom Date
A. Tracy & The Family
B. Everything Prepared
C. Arrival Of David
D. Family Reaction
III. Celebration Of Advent
A. God’s Date With The World
B. Christmas
C. Second Coming
D. The Rapture
IV. Purpose Of Date
A. Excitement Waiting
B. Time For Preparation
C. 24 Hours 24/7 Part Time
D. Partial Obedience--Disobedience
E. Hope--The Blue Room--The Bed
V. The Rapture & Second Coming Different
A. Lightning, Earthquakes, Flood Noise
B. Silent and Absent
C. Grace, Wedding, School
D. Millions Gone 24/7
VI. Judgment Seat Of Christ
A. Seven Lamp stands
B. Robe- Golden Sash
C. Hair--Wool--Snow
D. Eyes--Fire, Bronze
E. Voice--Roaring 7 Stars
F. Wrong Jesus
VII. We Must Appear
A. T. Shirt & Jeans Comfortable
B. Accept Savior---Go Get Reward
C. To Know Is To Love
D. Jesus--At The Wrong House
E. We---But Lord You Know Us
F. Another Date
VIII. Judgment Seat Of Christ Believers Only
A. Sincere In Following
B. Good Works--Right Motive
C. Test Of The Flames
D. Nothing Left To Show
IX. Coming Down The Hall Prepared
A. White Robe--Crown Of Life
B. Morning Star--Scepter
C. Seat At The Throne
D. Commitment To Follow The Lord
E. Loving Or Just Getting By
X. The Appearance
A. Fear Of God
B. Revealed As We Truly Are
C. Embarrassed or Thankful
D. No Pretending 24/7
XI. Don’t Miss The Credit
A. Why Are You In Church
B. What Praise Did You Offer
C. What Enthusiasm
D. Not Sin But Attitude
E. Giving Our Best
F. Never To Young Or To Old 8-88
G. Persevere In Face Of Trials
H. God Will Hold Us Accountable
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor. 10:13 [NIV]
I. You’ve Got A Date
So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:9-10 [NIV]
