Saturday, September 15, 2018

SERMON - BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

BETTER LATE
THAN
NEVER

There are many that are doubtful of attaining Paradise that they fail to see truth. Regardless of the time you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are saved and God will reward you.

This parable I now provide gives credence to my words:

Matthew 20: 1-16  

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 
2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 
4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 
5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.
6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 
7 “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 
10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 
11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ 
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 
14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 
15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

What does this parable mean to you? 

Could it be that you accepted Christianity at an early age , worshipped God for the same number of years only to see a person accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior on their deathbed and questioned that acceptance? Could it be that you feel jealous that God has chosen to place that person's reward of eternal life on  a plane equal to or greater that you will receive?

We must ever be aware that God knows things we do not. Maybe that person has been living his/her life in such a manner pleasing to God and had never had to be reminded to, "Do unto others what you would have done unto yourself."

In my lifetime , and in yours as well, I have met people who have dedicated their life to God, but the attitude of 'Holier than thou' has been exhibited. That person, according to him/her, has expectations of a place of honor at God's table. Sadly, this attitude is  in existence here on earth.

In the words of Jesus, "Many who are first will now be last..." That is saying, Those who came to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior  in their latter years may be worthy of a place at His table more honored than  many who accepted Him for the most part of their lifetimes.

It is not my wish to be seen as more holy than any other man or woman. In my lifetime I have sinned and I know you have as well. I have sought forgiveness and done my best to repent from sin and turn to the Lord.I know that I am not among the 'early hires.' I wish I could say I have been a laborer for my entire lifetime, but to be honest, I have not.

If I were to be so fortunate to witness a single person, just one, turn to Jesus Christ and truly accept Him for all of His glory, I would be ecstatic! I pray that you too would rejoice in witnessing another soul; turn to Christ and come to His flock.

In my quest for learning more and more about the Word of God (Bible) I have had the pleasure of receiving  sermons delivered by other Pastors. Some were awesome, some were yawners, and many were clear in the message sought to be delivered. 

One, a sermon delivered by Pastor David Wilkerson, was based (in part) on Luke 14. Jesus had been invited to the home of a Pharisee leader.  As He sat He saw guests making attempts to get close  to the head of the table as possible. 

In the words of Jesus He teaches us, "the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored."

This message is not far from His parable set forth in Matthew 20. 

The time spent spent in the service of the Lord is not the measure by which He will judge your life. It is the humble, the unassuming, the meek who will be seated above those setting forth an attitude as being 'holier than thou.'

I wish to set forth Scripture that tells us just who is entitled to say the words, "I am saved."

Romans 10:9-10  
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
  

Regardless of the time in one's life that these words came to be believed, the person involved is, indeed, saved.

I closing I will set forth the meaning of the word 'holy.'

Holy: spiritually sound.

So, as we learn, a person setting forth a 'holier than thou' attitude is actually saying, 'I am more worthy of God's grace than you are.'

That is not the Way of our Lord.          

(Closing prayer)

Heavenly Father we praise Your name. We come to You with our needs as You are our God and only You have the power to answer our prayers.

Lord, we worship You as we ask that we be allowed to come to the realization the it is Your will to be done. Bestow upon us the humility to do Your biddings and not our own. May we be subservient to Your will.

Abba, allow us the strength to sow the seed  taught us by Your Son, Jesus Christ, in such a manner so as to lead souls to His glory.

Father, we ask that you protect our military, those police forces who seek to protect us and the honest elected officials that seek to represent us.

We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever,

Amen, amen and amen.   

-- 
Pastor Lee S Gliddon Jr
God's Word Christian Ministry
Conservative Patriot http://conpats.blogspot.com

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