The Future is Worth Living For
1 Corinthians 2:9,10
Jan 1,
2012 AM
Pastor
Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction
A.
The truths we are going to
learn this month:
1.
The Future is bright for the
Christian
2.
Heaven will be Worth Living
For – can’t earn it, but you can limit its rewards!
3.
The Judgment Seat is Serious
Business
4.
A Long Life is Worth Having
5.
Nothing is Wasted When Done
for The Lord
B.
God is good to His children!
He is good to Christians
1.
Not usually monetarily, or
with riches or great possessions
2.
Not with the greatest mind
or smarts - 1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise
men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
3.
But with things that are far
more priceless! Like a great future!
C.
If you are a born again
child of God, then your future is better than the greatest wealth this world has
ever produced!
1.
What was the future of the
very rich man in Luke 16? An eternity in hell because he lived only for himself
and for now!
2.
What was the future of Judas
Iscariot? He thought a bigger and bigger bag of money? He ended up hanging
himself, and dying and going to hell!
3.
What was the future of the
likes of Marylyn Monroe, or Judy Garland, or Michael Jackson, or Amy Winehouse,
Steve Jobs, or countless thousands of others?
II.
Message – The Future is
Worth Living For!
A.
Don’t Limit God’s Abilities
(1Cor 2:9)
1.
We limit God by our
experiences
a.
Our eyes have seen some
pretty amazing things
1)
From seeing men walk on the
moon
2)
To seeing the most beautiful
pictures of galaxies and planets
b.
Our ears have head of some
wild stuff
c.
Our minds have imagined some
crazy inventions and possibilities
d.
But none of that can compare
with what GOD has already prepared for His children!
2.
Our worst enemy can be
our own expectations
a.
We expect a perfect marriage
b.
We expect to have a perfect
church
c.
We look forward to perfect
children
d.
We expect better and better
jobs and pay
e.
And when it doesn’t happen
like WE want, we get discouraged – we get angry
f.
We decide that it just isn’t
worth the effort then!
3.
Do you realise that we
should be trusting Him to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ever
ask or even think about (Eph 3:20)!!!
4.
Aren’t you glad that God
DOESN’T do what you and I want?
a.
That would be CRAZY
b.
At 9 years old you would be
marrying your 3rd class teacher!!!
c.
At 14 you would have quit
school and started work full time
d.
In a fit, you would have
murdered your brother or sister a thousand times over
e.
It would be snowing over
your house while raining on the field next to you, while sunny an 25 degrees
Celsius just down the street!
B.
Trust God’s Work
(1Cor 2:9) – Trust that He knows what He is doing!
1.
Job struggled with his
circumstances (Job 23:8-12)
a.
Nothing in his life made
sense on that ash-heap
b.
Everything that he held
important and of value was gone
c.
Listen to his frustration
(Job 23:8,9)…
1)
Behold, I go forward, but he
is not there
2)
I go backward, but I cannot
perceive him:
3)
I look to my left hand,
where he doth work, but I cannot behold him
4)
He hideth himself on the
right hand, that I cannot see him
5)
That’s frustrating!
d.
Listen to his faith (Job
23:10)…
1)
But he knoweth the way that
I take
2)
When he hath tried me, I
shall come forth as gold.
e.
Listen to Job’s
determination (Job 23:11,12)…
1)
My foot hath held his steps,
his way have I kept, and not declined.
2)
Neither have I gone back
from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more
than my necessary food.
2.
People struggle with their
past – it’s like a huge boulder holding them back!
a.
They believe God failed
them, or wasn’t there at some important time in their life – yet He was there!
There was never a time that he wasn’t there!
b.
Believing their failures are
too many, and scars too deep
c.
They decide that THAT was
their only time for success and now they will only and always be a failure!
d.
A Christian trusts God
completely – even with all their past!
3.
People live way too much in
“the now”
a.
Many a younger person runs
from the past, and decides to just live for the now
b.
Spending themselves into
financial ruin – we have a load of spoiled 30 somethings who have been living
like there is no tomorrow – smoking, drugging, drinking – thinking none of it
will ever matter
c.
“Now” is such a fleeting
thing! How long is a “moment”? An hour? A week?
4.
Believers in this Book of
books need to live for the future! Need to look forward to God doing greater
that we could ever imagine!
C.
Invest in the Future – in
the future that GOD has prepared!
1.
That means: look forward to
what God has in store for those who love Him
a.
Look forward to having a
family – and work towards that end – not just towards a career, or towards a new
car
1)
But look forward to having a
godly wife (Pr 18:22)
2)
Look forward to having a
bunch of children
3)
Look forward to having grand
children and even great grand-children
b.
Look forward to winning a
soul – winning them and then discipling them! Personally helping them crawl and
walk and then run as Christians instead of religious pagans!
c.
To living long and healthy
on this earth
d.
Train for THAT future!
1)
Some of you have spent
countless hours studying and preparing for a career
2)
Some of you have worked so
hard to attain a measure of success
3)
Let’s get into the habit of
asking the God who is already in our future – how we should prepare for what he
has prepared for us
4)
Know this Bible – inside and
out
5)
Serve others – minister the
truths of this Book
6)
Learn HOW to make your
marriage LAST
7)
Learn what foods are right
to eat so you live longer
8)
Put up with every hardship –
because Jesus says it will be worth it all!
2.
I hope that you realise that
God has always been there for us – He is the “I AM” – the ever present One!
3.
But the wildest truth is
that He is also way out in the future, working everything together for good (Isa
46:9,10)
4.
According to Eccl 3:10, He
is making everything BEAUTIFUL – in His time!
5.
So, no matter your past… and
no matter your current circumstances, a Christian’s future is going to be good
(Ps 31:19)!
a.
It makes it so that our
“now” is not so bad! Even suffering is not so bad for the Bible believer (Philp
1:29; Rom 8:16-18) – The Lord jesus will make it all worth while!
b.
The Rapture is worth waiting
for! If you are the generation that gets to experience the rapture, I don’t
think any of us will complain!
c.
If not the rapture, even
death is going to be awesome for the believer (Philp 1:21; 1Cor 15:55-57) – to
be absent from this body, means I will be instantly present with the Lord!
d.
The Rewards of the Judgment
Seat (Mt 5:11,12; 2Cor 5:10) will be worth it
e.
The Second Coming – we will
be WITH Him – the wildest ride we will ever experience!
f.
The reign of Jesus Christ
for 1,000 years with us reigning WITH Him! Don’t we realise that the FUTURE has
just barely begun for us!!!
g.
The new heaven and new earth
starting eternity
h.
And according to Ephesians
2:4-7, that is just the beginning!
D.
Do you know what our
challenge needs to be? What is OUR Part?
1.
Love Him (Rom 8:28; James
1:12; 2:5)
2.
Quit living by only OUR
imagination
3.
Quit bringing up and
struggling with our past – mortify it – bury it and don’t ever bring it up
again!
4.
Listen to God’s Holy Spirit
(1Cor 2:10)!!!
a.
And take these things
seriously
b.
Do you ever wonder why SOME
Christians don’t get discouraged?
c.
It probably is because they
are able to hear God constantly revealing to them how good He is, and how good
the future is going to be!
d.
God hath revealed the future
things to us by His Spirit!
e.
Have you listened to him
today?
f.
The most encouraging time
you will have in your day will be when you just sit and listen to God!
g.
Discern the difference
between the “spirit of this world” and the Spirit of God
1)
One is all about your
happiness and fulfilling your expectations…
2)
The other is all about
showing you GOD’S will and design for your day, and what He has prepared for
you!
3)
Better than you deserve –
for sure
4)
But better than you could
ever imagine!!!
h.
If we would be honest, our
lives now, as Christians are BETTER than we ever could have wished for!
1)
Yes, you could have married
some “beautiful” blond, and then 2 years later end up divorced and on depression
medication
2)
Yes, you could be working
for that big-name company, making hundreds of thousands of euros, but in ten
years, could be struggling with burn-out, and stomach ulcers, and insomnia, and
no family!
5.
Trust God with your future –
no matter how “bleak”
a.
He took very good care of
Job!
b.
He carried Joseph through
every trial and then set him up as prince of
c.
He took very good care of
Daniel in the lion’s den!
d.
He too great care of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego in the fiery furnace
e.
He too superb care of David
in the caves and forests of
f.
He took care of Peter, and
John through the persecutions and imprisonments
g.
He protected Paul through
all his hardships (2Tim 3:11)
h.
If there is anything the
Bible is there for, it is to convince us that WE too can trust God with all our
hearts!
6.
Start investing in that
future
a.
Not YOUR will, but God’s
will – not your own any more – it can’t compare!
b.
Live God’s way – the Bible
way – not the catholic way, or the protestant way, or the modern way, but the
way Jesus lived and taught!
c.
Give of your BEST for God –
not the left-overs!
d.
Stay pure in mind and body,
in preparation for a long life!
e.
See beyond the visible,
physical, and emotional (Heb 11:13; 11:27; 12:2; Ps 16:8; 2Cor 4:18)
7.
Starts with the new birth
(John 3:3)!