Sermons

What A Difference A Day Makes!

Posted by Alex on
Sermon on January 22 by Pastor Roland Eskinazi

Scripture:  Malachi 3:16-4:5

If you are a stranger in another country, your accent can give you away! Living in the light of the Last Day will make a difference.

To stand out in our generation we must be:

1. WISE WITH OUR WORDS, NOT WASTEFUL! (v16)

  • Godly speech accumulates
    Our speech before God is being recorded. Are you like Jesus – an active, constructive responder?
  • Gospel speech multiplies
    ‘Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.’ (Col. 4:5)
    One little seed sown for Jesus can impact a life, a nation, or a generation.

2. LIVE AS IF WE ARE GOING, NOT STAYING! (v3:17 – 4:3)

  • In an instant culture, God is taking His time
    An ever clearer day of separation is coming…
    ‘God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed’ (Acts 17: 31)
    In the meantime, God is sharpening His sword. Don’t envy the wicked but pray for them and love them.
  • In a crumbling culture, God is lifting up His Son
    Jesus the Sun of righteousness has risen. The dawn of His first coming guarantees the noon of His second. Knowing who you belong to makes a big difference in how you embrace challenges.

‘My men expect it of me. I’m the son of Theodore Roosevelt. I have to – it’s who I am; it’s part of my character’.
(Theodore Roosevelt Jr)

3. RUN FAITHFULLY, WITH OUR FAMILY! (v4, 5)

  • To run faithfully you must use your memory
    Most of us are the result of the faithfulness of others who ran towards the finishing line and passed on the baton.
  • To run faithfully you must leave a legacy
    If the greatest legacy we leave our children is Jesus, we have loved and served them well.

‘Christians do not place their hope in their children, but rather their children are a sign of their hope . .that God has not abandoned this world’ (Tim Keller)

Remember! Jesus was wise with His words, sacrificial with His life, and successful with His legacy. Live in the light of His return.

 

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

  1. Why should the Last Day have implications for the way we use our words? (See Mat. 12:36) What will help us to weigh our words carefully and to be active constructive responders like Jesus?
  2. Should believers fear the second coming? Why, or why not? Should we lose heart when it seems as if evil is having the last say? Read Psalm 7.
  3. Who are those who influenced you most to love and serve Jesus? How should this affect us in the present and in our service? What does this mean practically for us, whether we are single, married without children or have families?
  4. Pray for yourself, your family and your church family – for patience in God’s timing but urgency in sharing Jesus.

Photo credit FreeImages.com/Stanley Leung