SERMON: GOD'S SHORT-HAND
INTRO: Long-hand=normal writing. Short-hand=abreviated-to the point.God has used His long hand through holy men to give us the Bible. 2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Why did He write this way? God chooses long hand most because He Loves to work through us!! But why not directly, in the sky with clouds and rainbows? That would get our attention! Well we know it is a test of faith and so we trust. God wants us to have His Word on our hearts. We hear His word and believe. But imagine if did it that way! (Describe how it might be like...) Imagine if we saw the finger of God write, we would certainly give great attention! Oh yeah? Wait a minute, God did write short-hand, He did write directly - 3 times! TRAN-STATE: Lets take a look at God’s Short-hand, and see what He found important enough to write directly. . . and take heed!! 1.LAW Exodus 31:18 “When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.” a. God wrote the Ten Commandments-they are the law b. They show us the difference between right and wrong c. What is Sin? And, what God hates. God hates sin. John 2:13-16 “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of Cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” d. We somehow have forgotten that simple truth e. We have come accustomed to sin. We live in a world that says its alright for a man and woman to live together and not be married. We say it’s all right that abortion is performed. f. Nothing shocks us anymore. Sin has become OK. g. Psalm 119:133 “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” h. John 8:34 “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” i. 1 John 3:9 “No one is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” j. The law was written for us as a guide as a commandment. What we should and shouldn’t do. k. How we should pattern our live. l. Somehow we have become complacent to sin. We have allowed gray areas in our lives. God has no gray areas. Sin is Sin. m. The law makes us conscious of our sin. n. Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law, rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” o. The law makes us aware of our sin p. Romans 7:7 “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not Covet.” q. God wrote the law, so you and I would know how we should act, and so we would realize our sins. r. We are all sinners, no doubt about that. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, but God hates when we sin. He hates the sin. If he did not hate sin, then he would not have written the law. s. God wrote the law, because he hates sin. 2.JUDGEMENT Daniel 5:5 “Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lamp stand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.” Verse 26 “ God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” a. King Belshazzar thought nothing of God’s Law, and he was judged. b. He thought there was no God. c. It’s all right to be an atheist, just don’t die. d. Illustration of Bear and Atheist The Bear and the Atheist An atheist was walking through the woods looking at the beautiful trees and flower that had just bloomed. Because he was an atheist he couldn’t thank anyone for the beautiful landscape that he was witnessing. As he was gazing at the sky he saw a bear running toward him, he jumped up and began to run up the hill. Not knowing any better he continued to run up the hill, a bear runs best up a hill because of his strong hind legs, it is better to run down a hill, but any way… The atheist fell to the ground and thought a second and said well I don’t believe there is a God but maybe this one time I will call upon His name. The atheist said “God, I need help!” Since I don’t believe you exist, I have a request. Will you make this bear a christian? Just then the wind stopped howling, the creek stopped running and the bear stopped - knelt to the ground and said “Dear Lord, Please bless this food that I am about to eat!” e. Christians Alike: 1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? If we pay no attention to God’s Law and we as a nation and we as Christians refuse to see sin as sin, we will be judged. God will judge us. f. We cannot continue to sin. We cannot continue to allow sin to creep into our lives and our churches. g. If you plant a flower bed and you don’t put that plastic down before you plant the flowers and put the potting soil than the weeds will over come your flowers. h. God talks about judgment over 300 times in his world. i. Why then do we continue to sin. Why do we not think God will judge us? j. Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” k. “Story of Man and Aids” God Judges us. One weekend on a business trip a husband and a father committed adultrey. After the woman had left his hotel room he thought to himself, "I got away with it, no one will ever know what I have done". When he awoke the next morning he walked to the bathroom and on the mirror in red lipstick were these words "Welcome to the world of aids" God judges you and I. We can never run from the sight of God. l. Haven’t we had enough examples of God’s Judgment? Moses sinned and was judged. He was kept out of the Promised Land. If God judged Moses this great man, won’t he judge us for our sin? God destroyed the earth because of man’s sin. m. 2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. n. We cannot play with sin. God will judge us. 3.FORGIVENESS John 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. a. I believe Jesus wrote forgiveness in the dirt. When Jesus knelt to the ground I believe he wrote the word forgiveness.That certainly became the context! b. Even though God hates sin, and God will judge our sins, God must of all will forgive. c. I believe the way we realize how much God hates sin is the action he took. God sent his son to this earth to die on the cross. d. 1 Timothy 1:15 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” e. Jesus wrote Love and Forgiveness in the dirt because that was his character. f. We should strive for His Characteristic g. A Characteristic that: 1. Loves People 2. Has a burden for Lost souls 3. That doesn’t want to sin 4. Shows others the love of Jesus Christ We are found to find others We are told to tell others We are won to win others We are saved to save others h. As we talked about earlier, this world has allowed sin not to shock us .We must be shocked, and hurt! Mt 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Mt 5:13 ¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Connection, you can be no good as salt if you do not mourn for your sin and the sin of this world, because unless they learn to mourn and repent, this world is over! Mourning is a blessing, Godly sorrow brings repentance to salvation. It keeps Christians on the straight and narrow and is the best defense against denial. i. Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not destroy it, but I found none” Now is the time like no other to stand in the gap and show this world Jesus Christ Character. YOUR life is God's continuing long hand letter of love. God chooses long hand most because He Loves to work through us!! RECAP: 3 things that God wrote Short Hand: But first remember, that God chooses long hand most because He Loves to work through you!! 1. Law—God hates Sin. All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. 2. Judgment—...The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ 3. Forgiveness-- For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in me shall not perish but have everlasting life Are you taking serious the sin in your life? Are you mourning for it and interceding for others? Are you sowing in the fear of God/judgement? Are you living to warn others and reap righteousness? Are you recieving forgiveness? Are you giving it to others? Are you letting God work through you? These 3 things God wrote directly! Take them seriously!1JOHN4:17 Here is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world
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