The Race To The End---Fathers Day Series

THE RACE TO THE END

6-17-12 Fathers Day, New Liberty Christian Church. with Rich McQuinn, Minister

TEXT: REVELATION 20:12-16

INTRODUCTION; Good morning to each of you and my I wish to all of you a very Happy Fathers Day. I hope it is a day of cook outs, rest, family outings and gatherings and pure joy. We do not meet the same standards on Father’s Day that we do with Mother’s Day. On Mother’s Day we crowd the churches and restaurants and on Fathers Day it is a relaxed celebration. No reservations are needed.

I am going to give you today several scriptures to look at, so I will ask you to keep your Bibles open as we study together. The text today is the same text I will use for next Sunday as well as we celebrate the graduations of our high school seniors.

Please turn with me to Revelation 20:12-16 (NIV) The Judgment of the Dead

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens 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 they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

I have chosen this text for the mere reason to let everyone here and beyond know that our time on earth is very very very short and we should do as much good while the time allows us to do so. Do good every day you have left.

How many today consider yourself a failure in life? I didn’t think I would have any takers on that one. The fact remains no matter if we are a father, mother, son or daughter we have all failed. Even Romans 3:23 tells us that, we do not go around and wring our hands and tell everyone we meet that we are the world’s greatest failure. You learn from your mistakes and move on. That is part of life.

The Bible informs me that our God is a Second Chance God. He took a murderer by the name of Moses, and turns him into a great national and spiritual leader. He took a liar and deceiver by the name of Jacob, and made him the cornerstone of a nation. He took an adulterer and murderer like David, and used him to write many of the Psalms to strengthen and encourage the people of God. He took a woman who had been married and divorced five times and was now living with a sixth man and turned her into the first evangelist to go into Samaria. He took some of us, who know what we were, and turned us into to what we are becoming today. Amen!

It is by the Grace of Almighty God that I stand with you today. I am blessed and not afraid to praise the Saviour who saved me from my sins.

Let’s look at the next set of scriptures I want you to consider today. That being in the reading to II Chronicles 33:1-20

I. II CHRONICLES 33:1-20

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, arousing his anger.

7 He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.