Christianity and Godliness are a way of life for the people in the Church of God.  We know that there will be decisive trials and tests for us to face prior to the return of Jesus Christ.  God’s true people will be sorted out from among those lacking faith; those who are not following the lead of God’s Holy Spirit.  The Children of God are a select people.  The apostle Paul said it like this, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Children of God” (Romans 8:14).

God is not mocked.  No one that is unqualified for the Kingdom will enter into it.  God is serious about that.  Sadly, too many have been baptized, and thought to themselves, “I’ve got it made,” and never grew in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2Peter 3:18).  They were “seat warmers” who were content to socialize.  Somehow, they never got around to the practice of pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world (James 1:27).  God is not going to allow negligence like that to stand:

“Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”  (1Corinthians 3:13)

Others are never satisfied – always looking for some new thing.  When they happen upon the truth of God they keep searching because they do not know what they are looking for.  They are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2Timothy 3:7).  They are like children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. (Ephesians 4:14)

“The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fiction.”  (2Timothy 4:3-4)

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”  (1John 2:19)

Brethren, these are very dangerous days for us – spiritually speaking.  Let’s recall that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and every one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:10-12).  Jesus Christ has a Book of Remembrance on each one of us – with every important detail of our lives.  That Book of Remembrance holds every act of Christianity and Godliness we’ve done in this lifetime.  Every encouraging word, every sacrifice made, every unselfish deed, and every Godly stand we took are all written therein.  Also recorded in our book is every unrepented mean or spiteful action, every cruel or hateful word spoken – it is all there – a complete record of our lives.  Our book contains all the evidence we will be judged on – for good or for bad.  John said:

“I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”  (Revelation 20:12)

I just learned that another good friend of mine in the ministry died of a sudden and massive heart attack – he was only 58 years old.  When someone we’ve known for decades and decades dies unexpectedly, it is always a sobering experience.  We ask ourselves, “Am I ready to go with less than a moment’s notice?”  My friend’s book is closed and sealed.  Nothing will be added or erased from his Book of Remembrance.  But for us, it is different.  We still have occasion to fill up our last page.  The record of our life’s story continues to be written.  We have the opportunity and are able to live up to God’s expectations for us, and write our last page.

The Bible is filled with warnings of how a Christian should live his life.  We have the time to make the necessary changes in our lives.  God will accept no substitute in place of His sincerity and truth.  We are still alive.  The journal of our lives is still being recorded.  What would we like to see written on our last page?

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Sermon:

"Last Page"