International Baptist College just finished this week of preaching events. I preached last, (I don' t think they were thinking it would be the best, but rather that everyone would already be asleep by the time I got up). There were 12 preachers in 4 days of chapel, 15 minutes a sermon. The sermon I wrote is made for about 25-35 minutes and so I just barely overviewed each point. Here is a copy of the sermon I wrote.

Text: Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14
Subject: Conclusion
Theme: Living life in view of death
Title: The Matter of Matter Matters. (The issue of material is important).
Proposition: You must live life in light of God’s judgment.
Interrogative Sentence: How do we live in a way that will honor God in light of future judgment?
Key Word: Ways.

Introduction: When you sit down to read a novel or comic book do you flip through to the ending, read the chapter headings or just start in the beginning and work your way through? Personally I overview each chapter heading so I know where the story is going, but the ending is still unknown. In God’s Word He has given you the beginning and the ending of His story, but whether you like to start in Genesis or Revelation one thing is certain, you must live in accordance to God’s command for your life. In Ecclesiastes 12:12 Solomon says “of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” This does not mean that we should just leave college, but that philosophers and philosophy will always be around, and the conclusion must be to fear God and keep His commandments. Solomon concludes Ecclesiastes with a call to hear. The word hear is from shema, which means to hearken or to obey. Deuteronomy 6:4 is known as the shema, a call to obedience and love of God with all of our being. You must understand how to live in a way that honors God by fearing Him and keeping His commands in light of His judgment.

I. Duty of Man (could be rendered the whole of man)

A. Fear God (13)

Yare’ (yă-rā) Hebrew: fear, revere, cause to frighten, dread.
1. Fear God for He is God and no one is His equal. (Job 40:1-9)

2. Fear God for He is God and He is good. (Lev. 25:17-22)

B. Keep His commandments. (13)

1. Keep His commandments in your heart. (Deut. 6:4-6)

2. Keep His commandments in your home. (Joshua 24:15)

II. Judgment of God

A. God will judge every open work.

1. What is your action

2. What is your motive

B. God will judge every secret thing.

1. Behind the scenes gifts

2. Behind the scenes gossip (prov. 18:8)

Conclusion: You have heard the conclusion of the whole matter; it is your choice to live according to God’s commands through the reverential fear of Him. But remember that God will judge your works whether they are good or whether they are evil. James Denney said, “All that we have hidden shall be revealed. The things we have done in the body will come back to us, whether good or bad. Every pious thought, and every thought of sin; every secret prayer, and every secret curse; every unknown deed of charity, and every hidden deed of selfishness; we will see them all again, and though we have not remembered them for years, and perhaps have forgotten them altogether, we shall have to acknowledge that they are our own. Is not that a solemn thing to stand at the end of life?”
William Hunter was a Marian martyr burned to death in Brentwood at the age of 19 on March 27, 1555. He had lost his job in London as a silk-weaver because of his views and had come to live with his parents in Brentwood, but got into a dispute when reading the Bible in Brentwood Chapel. He refused to accept the Roman Catholic dogma of transubstantion according to which the bread and wine of the communion become the body and blood of Jesus. He was taken before the local Justice, Antony Browne, but refused to retract his position. Then he was sent to see Bishop Bonner in London. He resisted both threats and bribes—Bonner offered to make him a Freeman of the City of London and give him £40—and was eventually returned to Brentwood to be burned.
God will judge you for your works, by all means, strive to hear those words, “well done thou good and faithful servant.”

Yesterday when I preached it I changed my introduction. When I arrived at school yesterday there were four helicopters hovering over the 101 highway and traffic was backed up for miles, my deduction was that there was a bad accident. In my introduction I mentioned the accident and said that most likely for the amount of traffic and helicopters it was probably a very serious accident. We don't know what tomorrow holds. You can make plans to go to church tomorrow for Easter, or to stay home and sleep, but what if you don't get a tomorrow. The most important question you can ask yourself is what happens 5 seconds after you die. Where you end up 5 seconds after you die is the same place you will be 5 billion years from now. Hell and Heaven will not end. You will live eternally, will you live in complete agony or complete peace. I found out after I preached my sermon that the accident resulted in death. a man was riding his motorcycle at 100 mph and slammed into the median about 5:30 am.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death but the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;