Make It Count | Stephen Chandler | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Make It Count

Stephen Chandler

Union Church • Dec 8, 2025 • 40 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

While saving faith in Jesus guarantees eternal life in heaven, a life that truly counts must bring heaven\'s goodness down to earth today. By supplementing basic faith with godly virtue, practical biblical knowledge, self-control, and spiritual vision, believers can avoid spiritual barrenness and make an eternal impact on those around them. When we prioritize God\'s kingdom above our personal comfort, temporary inconveniences become opportunities for God to work through us.

Themes

Spiritual FruitfulnessFaith and CharacterSpiritual VisionKingdom Over ComfortTransformation

Pastor's Points

1.

I must get the recipe right.

2.

I can\'t be shortsighted.

3.

My delay becomes their destiny.

Key Points

1.
Saving faith in Jesus secures eternal salvation, but faith alone is not enough to bring heaven\'s peace, joy, and abundance into everyday earthly life.
2.
A life that counts for God is marked by spiritual fruitfulness and active evangelistic impact rather than spiritual barrenness.
3.
God is not merely in the business of fixing bad habits; He transforms spiritually dead people into living instruments of His grace.
4.
To live a life that counts, believers must get the recipe right by adding virtue, biblical knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love to their faith.
5.
Virtue means holding firm moral convictions grounded in God\'s Word rather than living by compromise or personal feelings.
6.
Failing to grow beyond basic faith leads to spiritual nearsightedness, causing immediate daily struggles to consume our focus and obscure God\'s bigger plan.
7.
God prioritizes the advancement of His kingdom and the salvation of lost people over personal human comfort.
8.

Sermon Moments

“Just as a weightlifter must perform a lift according to the strict rules of competition for it to count, living a life that counts before God requires following His biblical design rather than external appearances.”

“Faith gets you into heaven, but faith alone without virtue and knowledge will not bring heaven to your daily experience on earth.”

“God does not take a bad person and make them good; He takes a dead person and makes them spiritually alive.”

“Unbelievers often ask how you maintain peace or joy in trials—recognize that when they ask how you stay grounded, they are ultimately asking for your Savior.”

“Sin is not about making God angry; it is about bringing unnecessary pain and disruption into our lives that God wanted to protect us from.”

“Spiritual nearsightedness makes today\'s 24-hour problem look like the biggest obstacle of your life because you lack vision for what God is preparing ahead.”

“God\'s plan for your life will always disrupt your personal plans, but temporary inconveniences produce eternal miracles.”

This Week

Examine your character and identify any areas where you are relying solely on saving faith without adding daily spiritual discipline and moral conviction.

Read and apply Scripture directly to a specific situation at work, home, or in relationships this week rather than simply reading without action.

Identify a non-believer in your sphere of influence and intentionally let God\'s joy and peace show through your conduct when facing difficulties.

When facing a current frustration or delay, pause and ask God what eternal purpose or perspective He might be working out through it.

Set boundaries against worldly compromises, holding firmly to biblical standards of right and wrong defined by God\'s Word.

Practice perseverance by staying committed to a spiritual goal or prayer target beyond 90 days, trusting God\'s timing for breakthrough.

Surrender one personal preference or comfort this week to serve someone else and advance God\'s kingdom.

Remember This

Saving faith secures your place in heaven, but adding virtue, biblical knowledge, and spiritual discipline brings heaven to earth and makes your life count for God\'s kingdom.

A Challenge for You

Give God permission to inconvenience you for His glory, surrender your own plans, and place Christ at the absolute center of your life.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.