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God Wants More Than Just Leftovers | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes/God Wants More Than Just Leftovers

Sermon notes

God Wants More Than Just Leftovers

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Summary

Dr. Tony Evans teaches on the Judgment Seat of Christ, explaining that God evaluates the totality of our lives rather than a curated list of highlights. Using illustrations of high-priced restaurants, fire-tested materials, and football highlight tapes, he challenges believers to stop offering God leftover time, energy, and devotion. Because Christ paid the ultimate price for our salvation, our daily pursuit should be to build with eternal value and live to please Him.

Key Scriptures

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1 Corinthians 3:12-15↗

Themes

The Judgment Seat of ChristEternal Value vs. Earthly ValueWhole-Life StewardshipLiving to Please GodGod's Refining Fire

Key Points

1.God deserves our primary devotion rather than the leftover time, money, attention, and faithfulness of our lives.
2.At the Judgment Seat of Christ, God will evaluate the full program of our lives rather than just a self-selected highlight reel.

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3.The fire of God's judgment is His discerning eye, which tests the quality of each person's work to determine its true eternal value.

4.Gold, silver, and precious stones require intentional effort and digging, whereas wood, hay, and stubble represent passive, low-value living.

5.Becoming overly attached to temporary earthly accomplishments can result in suffering significant spiritual loss when judged by God.

6.Believers who build poorly will still retain their salvation, but they will experience the genuine loss of heavenly rewards.

7.Through God's grace, past failures do not have the final say because believers are given time to make new tapes that please Him.

Sermon Moments

“Going to an expensive restaurant, being served leftovers, and still being expected to pay full price would be an insult—yet we often give God leftover time and money after the high price Christ paid.”

“Wood, hay, and stubble lie on top of the ground requiring no effort, but gold, silver, and precious stones must be dug for because of their value.”

“When a hamburger is placed on the grill, useless fat burns away and it shrinks down to its true size—just as God's fire reveals the real spiritual substance of our lives.”

“NFL scouts didn't just want Jonathan Evans' curated highlight tape; they came to the tape room demanding to see the whole game, including the fumbles.”

“While we cannot erase old tapes of past failures, God's grace allows us to make new tapes moving forward that can still receive an eternal reward.”

This Week

Begin each morning with a deliberate prayer declaring your intent to live the day in a way that pleases God.
Audit your daily schedule and finances to ensure God receives your firstfruits rather than your leftover time and income.
Acknowledge and confess daily shortfalls immediately so you can quickly return to living for God's approval.
Evaluate your weekly activities to distinguish between temporary tasks (wood, hay, stubble) and eternal investments (gold, silver, precious stones).
Examine your life beyond your public 'highlights' to invite God's grace into areas you typically keep hidden.
Hold earthly success and possessions loosely, ensuring Jesus Christ remains the sole foundation of your life.
Commit to making 'new tapes' starting today by faithfully serving God regardless of past mistakes.

Remember This

Jesus paid the ultimate price for us, so we must offer Him our entire lives and primary devotion rather than giving Him our leftovers.

A Challenge for You

Wake up every morning with the mindset, 'Lord, today my goal is to live in a way that pleases You,' acknowledging shortfalls immediately so that by God's grace, you can make new tapes that carry eternal reward.

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