Gtcotr/ss081912
The Parting Counsel Of A Dying Man Deserves The Full Weight Of His
Life
My
father’s parting counsel …
Ecclesiastes 12
9 The Preacher was wise, he
continued teaching the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and
set in order many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to
find acceptable words; and what was written was upright — words of
truth.
11 The words of the wise are
like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one
Shepherd.
12 And further, my son, be
admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is
wearisome to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion
of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every
work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
From
Genesis to the book of Revelation, we find all encompassing statements aimed at
bringing conclusion to the great matters of life.
There
are many other conclusions in the Bible which encourage us render the true
principles of life in ways that can easily be remembered. Some of these
conclusions include:
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O
man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do
justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Hebrews 13:16 But do not
forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
James 5:12 But above all, my
brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.
But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and your
"No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.
Through
the years I have taken my opportunities to solicit and catalog the wisdom of God
found in the lives of men. I have asked many of my peers what they consider to
be the secrets to life as God intended. I have also taken the time to counsel
with several men of God who began serving the Lord well before I was born as to
the conclusions they have drawn and have asked them to pass them on to me
before they pass on to heaven.
Those
of you who know me well will attest that the lists of these seasoned
convictions have become my disciplines of life. Not only do I review, rehearse
and repeat them often, but I also use them to guide me in, or at times back
into, the blessed pathway of life.
Like
the writers of these passages we have already read this morning, allow me to
give you three simple, yet profoundly true disciplines of life which I have
drawn from God’s Word. From the heart of this seasoned servant of God, here are
my conclusions for living a pleasing and productive life. (providing you are
already born again that is …)
Conclusions
1. Let your word be your bond
2. Pay your just and honest debts
3. Treat others the way you want to be treated
We
live in a world today that has removed expectancy that a person’s word means
anything. No longer do we trust our neighbor to be neighborly or consider a
clear and understandable conversation or even a handshake anything that can be
depended upon.
More
personal than a contract, less passionate perhaps than a covenant, is our word.
It is simple and basic, and it should be both powerful and dependable. When all
else fails, stick to the agreement without having to be threatened or
attempting to make others feel you’re being mistreated. Let your word be your
bond. In the end, we are only as good as our word.
When
God wanted to reveal Himself --- He sent His Word …
John 1:14 And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
When
Jesus reported back to the Father as to what He had been doing since being sent
to earth, Jesus simply said:
John 17:14 I have given them
Your word …
God’s
Word is all we have on which to depend. Let me ask, how can we be sure we are
saved? Only because we have God’s Word
in which to trust … As well, the name of Jesus is synonymous with the Word -
Revelation 19:13 He was
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Psalms
138:2 God magnified His Word above all
His Name.
If
we want to be more like Jesus, we should:
1. Say What We Mean
* Be honest
* Speak the truth without deception
2. Do What We Say
* Learn the value of commitment
* Make quality decisions
The
second conclusion I gave this morning deals with paying our just and honest
debts.
Debts
don’t just deal with money which is owed
*
The story of Elgin Taylor, the man I owed.
*
Romans 13:7 Render honor to whom
honor is due.
*
1976 to 1999 - 23 years later God told me to pay the debt I owed
When
it comes to bills, taxes, love, tithes, appreciation, gratitude, honor or
respect … just pay your debt … God expects no more, but no less than what is
owed … and if you are anything like me, you owe others a lot!
Pay your just and honest debts
Finally
this morning I want to address our testimony …
You
know, we are writing the story that others will one day tell about us. With
each decision and every act we are building the testimony that will be used as
evidence during eternity’s trial. If our comfort is at all important, then we
must get to work building a testimony worthy of heaven.
We
cannot afford to live life like it is all about us and ours. If we are only
concerned about us then I am concerned that we will miss the whole point of
life. The Bible gives us clear instructions:
Philippians 2:4 Let each of
you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of
others.
Matthew 7:12 Therefore,
whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and
the Prophets.
Simply
put - Treat others the way you want to be treated. Put yourself in their shoes:
Romans
12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep.
One
day your life will be concluded, what will that conclusion be?
Joke about 3 Cajuns
discussing what they want people to say about them at their funeral. (3rd one: oh!, look!, he’s still
breathing)
Providing
you are born again by the sacrificial blood of Jesus the Messiah, I conclude
that we should all determine to: Let our word be our bond; Pay our just and
honest debts; and Treat others the way we want to be treated.
However,
if you have not been born again …
