Every Act Counts – Sermon outline by Tom Moore on the decisions we make and the consequences both good and bad of our judgments.<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION:<\/p>\n
A. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14<\/p>\n
B. Our age tends to blur distinctions and throw everything into a “gray area” – but in the Scriptures matters are more clear-cut.<\/p>\n
C. In the world there are good people and there are bad people: those who lovingly obey their God and those who stubbornly reject Him<\/p>\n
1. Romans 2:5-10<\/p>\n
a. Two destines await mankind<\/p>\n
b. Our destiny depends on our actions<\/p>\n
2. Romans 6:16<\/p>\n
a. Our action show who we serve<\/p>\n
b. We serve only one of two masters<\/p>\n
D. It is worth asking how people get to be the way they are<\/p>\n
DISCUSSION:<\/p>\n
A. OUR CHARACTERS ARE THE ACCUMULATION OF THE DECISIONS WE HAVE MADE<\/p>\n
1. When we are dissatisfied with our present state in life, it is tempting to blame circumstances beyond our control – we tend to think we would be better off if we had been “dealt a better hand.”<\/p>\n
2. Yet, in all the important ways, we are each the product of decisions that we have made in the freedom of our wills<\/p>\n
a. We have voluntarily thought, spoken, and done the things that have made us what we are.<\/p>\n
b. Our characters are built up not from our external circumstances, but from what we have chosen to do with those circumstances.<\/p>\n
1) Contrast Saul with David.<\/p>\n
a) 1 Samuel 13:14<\/p>\n
b) 1 Samuel 15:28<\/p>\n
c) The kingdom was to be taken away from Saul because of his bad choices<\/p>\n
2) David was better than Saul – because he had made better choices, not because he had better circumstances<\/p>\n
3. We need to accept responsibility for what we have made of ourselves.<\/p>\n
a. We are what we have chosen to be.<\/p>\n
b. We are self-made persons.<\/p>\n
c. Unfortunately, the self-made person is often the product of unskilled labor!?!<\/p>\n
d. We reap what we sow – Galatians 6:7-8<\/p>\n
4. Decisions and choices have a cumulative effect – they tend to “snowball”<\/p>\n
a. Even “little” choices are more significant than we might think.<\/p>\n
b. Every decision and every act change a person for better or worse – one is never exactly the same after making any choice.<\/p>\n
c. Future choices have to be made by a person who has been shaped by the choices already made – Daniel 6:10<\/p>\n
1) “as he did aforetime”<\/p>\n
2) Choices build a habit of life for Daniel<\/p>\n
d. With every one of even the slightest deeds, we are building up a character and a self that will find it progressively easier to act in certain ways and more difficult to act in others.<\/p>\n
1) We are building habits by our actions<\/p>\n
2) We are building good habits by our actions<\/p>\n
3) We build bad habits by our actions – some of these will hard to quit<\/p>\n
5. None of us is standing still<\/p>\n
a. With every choice we are becoming more like God or more like Satan<\/p>\n
b. John 8:44, 47<\/p>\n
c. Ephesians 4:17-19 compare this with- Hebrews 5:14<\/p>\n
B. IT IS SOBERING TO THINK THAT EVERY ACT COUNTS<\/p>\n
1. God will take every act into account in His judging of our lives.<\/p>\n
a. No decision is too small to be significant.<\/p>\n
b. Matthew 12:36<\/p>\n
c. 2 Corinthians 5:10<\/p>\n
d. 1 Corinthians 4:5<\/p>\n
2. As children on the playground, we may have said “That didn’t count” or “I had my fingers crossed” – but when God judges our lives, no such excuses will be accepted.<\/p>\n
3. We may think we are merely being careless or haphazard, but the consequences of our choices are eternal and we are responsible for them.<\/p>\n
4. Hell will not be the arbitrary punishment of people who engaged in certain acts.<\/p>\n
a. It will be the telos (end, goal, outcome) of those acts, the inevitable consequence of actions that we chose.<\/p>\n
b. Romans 6:21<\/p>\n
c. Every action has consequences<\/p>\n
5. God will not “inadvertently” or “mistakenly” consign anyone to eternal punishment.<\/p>\n
a. Only those will be there who demanded to be there by the choices they made.<\/p>\n
b. And few of those will be people who set out to be wicked.<\/p>\n
c. “Sooner or later, we must all sit down to a banquet of consequences” (Robert Louis Stevenson).<\/p>\n
6. It is dangerous and detrimental to ever to say no to God – even once- Hebrews 12:25<\/p>\n
C. IT IS ALSO ENCOURAGING TO THINK THAT EVERY ACT COUNTS<\/p>\n
1. We can never truly say that our lives are helpless and hopeless – we can do something that will alter our situation for the better.<\/p>\n
a. In spiritual matters, there is really no such thing as a “stalemate.”<\/p>\n
b. We need the youthful confidence of David-1 Samuel 17:26<\/p>\n
c. We can make choices that will truly alter the present situation.<\/p>\n
2. We can act in the faith that steps in the direction of goodness and truth, however small and seemingly insignificant, do make a difference- Mark 12:41-44<\/p>\n
a. God does not require larger steps of righteousness than we can manage, only small steps taken in faith.<\/p>\n
b. God is not looking for people who can do everything, but for those who are willing to do what they can!<\/p>\n
3. Heaven will be the outcome if we learn to choose actions that tend in God’s direction- Romans 6:21-23<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION:<\/p>\n
A. Life is serious business – it pays to live carefully – Ephesians 5:15<\/p>\n
1. Let us be sobered by the fact that each action reaches into eternity, and take responsibility for the bad choices we have made.<\/p>\n
2. On the other hand, let us be encouraged knowing that we can make a difference for good even in “small” acts of faith.<\/p>\n
B. In all things, let us be grateful for the opportunity to make better choices today- 1 Corinthians 15:9-10<\/p>\n
C. Remember, every act counts – even the little ones!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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