Reverend Raymond Osborne, Pastor

Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

My Mother tells the story about when my Grandfather packed his bags, got on a bus, and headed for Cochranville, Pennsylvania. It was the only vacation he had taken, or ever would take in his life. I know it's hard to believe, but it seems that I had gotten into a little bit of trouble and she was after me with a flyswatter. In my desperate attempt to flee my Mother's wrath I ran behind the living room couch where my Grandfather was sitting.

Mom would go to one end of the couch and I'd scamper to the other. Then she'd run to THAT end and I'd scamper to the other. This went on until my Mother's patience had been totally depleted.

Her voice shook the room as she yelled, "RAYMOND CHARLES OSBORNE IF YOU DON'T COME OUT FROM BEHIND THAT COUCH THIS VERY INSTANT YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE BEATING OF YOUR LIFE!"

To which I immediately put seven-year-old wisdom to work and responded, "Well that's what I've been trying to do for the last 10 minutes but you haven't given me half a chance!"

See I knew each time she got close that my time was running out and it finally did! I got the beating of a lifetime! This morning I want to share some facts with you.

Fact #1: Life is short.

God informs us in the book of James that we do not even know what tomorrow will bring. The question is asked, "What is your life?" The answer: "For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Job reminds us that our "days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle."

The hard cold reality is that we are mortal and our lives here on earth are one day going to be over. The mystery that remains to be seen is when. None of us here this morning know when God, who is the author and finisher of our existence and going to say, "Okay, that's enough come on home." The last breath in our bodies is held in God's hand and He will decide when to let that breath go. If Jesus tarries, each and every one of us here is going to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, some sooner and some later. I will venture to guess that someone who has been with us this past week will not be here next year because God will have already called him or her home.

Now that's something we don't want to think about, but it's representative of the truth and reality of this journey called "life."

Fact #2: We are all going to give an account of what we have done with our lives.

The Bible teaches us that when we die, we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ and explain how we have chosen to live our lives.

Let me share another passage of Scripture with you this morning. Paul, in his second letter to the church of Corinth writes:

5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling--
3 if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked.
4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord--
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others:

Whenever I was studying for an exam in school it was always good to have some study questions. Let me share some good study questions for the day when we stand before Christ.

· Did we live lives that brought honor and glory to the name of God? Or did we live lives that brought Him embarrassment?

· Did we live lives where the presence of Jesus was overwhelmingly evident to those around us? Or did anyone ever really know that we were anything other than just another church member?

· Did we lead people to Jesus or away from Jesus?

· Did we know Jesus as Savior or simply God's Son?

· Was He Lord of our lives or did we lord over Him?

· Did we submit to God's rule in our lives or did we rebel against it?

I'm afraid when we get to Heaven we are all going to have some explaining to do.

Let me ask you this question this evening: Can you truly say this evening that you have lived the kind of life that God has wanted you to live? Or will you honestly admit this evening that your life hasn't always been what God expects it to be?

Let me ask you another question. If you went to bed tonight and God decided your time on earth was over, do you have absolute assurance that you would be in the presence of Jesus?

If you answered yes to the first question I have news for you. There's only been one perfect human being to walk the face of this earth and they nailed Him to a cross.

1 John 1:10 says, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and his (God's) word is not in us."

Jesus was the only perfect one to walk this planet and the only perfect one who ever will. The rest of us are imperfect yet we should actively be moving toward perfection.

You see, we begin this process by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. Jesus says, "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me." (Rev. 3:20)

Let me share fact #3 with you:

God loves you! Jesus died for you! And you can have absolute assurance before you leave this place this morning that if God ended your life tonight you will be in the presence of Jesus!

I don't know if you've ever seen the artist's rendition of this Scripture, but if you look closely there is no doorknob on the outside. Isn't that interesting? Why do you suppose that is? Jesus will never impose Himself on anyone. He won't force Himself into our lives. If He's going to come into our lives we have to invite Him in. Has he ever refused to enter anyone's life before? Nope! Not one solitary invitation has been rejected.

St. Luke writes, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)

The first step in this process is accepting Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Savior of our lives. Brothers and Sisters listen to me, God loves each and every one of us so very much that he sent His only begotten Son that who so ever believes on Him might not perish but what? Have eternal life.

Many of us here have already taken that first step by inviting Jesus into our hearts, but some of us haven't. In just a few moments you are going to be given that opportunity and if you've never accepted Jesus into your heart, if you've never extended to Him an invitation to live inside your heart and life DO NOT let this day go by without it.

Now for those of us who HAVE invited Jesus into our hearts let me ask you how you are going to stand before Jesus? What will you have to offer Him when your life is over? One of the downsides to Camp Meeting for me is getting to eat all this wonderful food at all your tables. It's only a downside because I feel guilty that I come empty-handed.

One day we are going to sit down at a Wedding Banquet prepared for Christ and His church. How will we come? Empty-handed? or will we be able to say Lord I've served you well! I'd like to think that when my life is over, the choir would gather and sing my favorite song, "It is Well With My Soul." But at that moment I will already have been before Jesus and I hope to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

I hope when I'm lying on my deathbed that I can say as the Apostle Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

What about you? What will He say to you? What will you say to Him?

Subscribe FREE to Reverend Osborne's Sermons
Powered by groups.yahoo.com

People Have Reviewed This Sermon