Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.heritagesermons.org/sermons/8805/romans/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject which you will find in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 14 and the 12th verse.

[0:26] So then, every one of us shall give account of himself unto God.

[0:39] Chapter 14, the Epistle to the Romans and the 12th verse. So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

[0:56] The subject is one that is very solemn for you and I to contemplate.

[1:08] And that which makes it especially solemn is that every one of us at this time under Union Chapel Rue is interested in this subject.

[1:28] Sometimes when the preacher announces his subject, it is especially for people taught of God.

[1:41] Sometimes it may be for the world at large. But this subject is for every one of us before God at this time.

[1:54] What this word declares, you and I will realize. Every one of us, from the oldest to the youngest, will appear before the judgment seat of Christ when time shall be no more.

[2:17] And every one of us, shall give account of himself to God. And now, dear young people, dear children, what do you think about that prospect?

[2:34] You must not put it away into the background of your mind and say, I am still young.

[2:46] This is a young people's service. I am still in the children's phase of life. And I may be able to think about it later on.

[3:03] Suppose, before next Sabbath day, a grave should be digged for one of you. Because, in the providence of God, you have been called to step out of time into eternity.

[3:18] And that has happened more than once in my long ministry. I have been preaching the gospel in this cause of truth and in other causes of truth.

[3:35] And one has been listening to the gospel for the last time. And their place where they have been to worship God, the place where they usually sat, has known them no more forever.

[3:52] And it could be like that this Sabbath Eve. Therefore, I want you to look this word in the face, as it were, and ask God to help you ponder it in your heart.

[4:08] So, then, every one of us should give account of himself to God. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

[4:26] And now I want, as the Lord, to help me in giving you an address on this subject, to make it as simple as I can. And I do hope God will use it to your eternal good.

[4:48] And I want to take the word account. So, then, every one of us should give an account of himself to God.

[5:01] And I will show you some characteristic, according to the letters in the word account, whereby you and I will have to give an account of what that word really is.

[5:16] It will be a full account, a complete account. Do try to think about it. I know it is difficult to comprehend it.

[5:31] But I want to show you what are the characteristics of it. Our thoughts, our words, our deeds. Every one of us should give an account of himself to God.

[5:50] And now, this word account means that you and I are people before God responsible for being who we are and what we are.

[6:08] What I mean is this. I will try to make it plainer. You and I are creatures. God is our creator. And even if you should never be born again, I hope you will be.

[6:23] But if you should never be, you will still have to give an account of yourself as a creature to God who is your creator.

[6:34] Hence the wise man says, Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth. You will have no vain excuses to produce when you do give an account of yourself to God.

[6:53] No extenuation, but every one of us will be judged according to what seth the scriptures. You see, dear young people, if I can make this plain without being too much like preaching a sermon, we are all accountable to God as his creatures.

[7:15] You may say, And what for? Well, I will help you to think about what for. God has given you two eyes to see.

[7:29] The blessing of sight is a wonderful mercy. But you will have to give an account of what your eyes have looked upon and what mischief your eyes have looked upon which has wrought havoc in your soul.

[7:47] The books that you read. What your eyes observe. God has maintained your eyes and given you sight ever since you were born.

[8:04] You should say thank you to God for it and ask him to help you to make a right use of it. Like good John Flavor the Puritan when he said, O may mine eyes kept closed it be to what concerns me not to see.

[8:21] God has given you two ears as his creatures and therefore take heed not only how ye hear take heed what you hear all the mischief that has been done to young people and children with that which comes in the ear gate.

[8:44] But then it does come in it makes havoc within you churns up all that you are by nature and God will call you to account what use you have made of the two ears he has given you.

[9:04] Not only so your two hands wherewith you can labor to earn the bread which perisheth you will have to give an account of what your hands have done and you will have to be weighed up according to this word whatsoever thy hand findeth thee to do do it with thy might according to what the scripture lays down actions are louder than words.

[9:38] then God has given you two feet and you have good health and you can run hither and thither as you journey on through life you can use your feet for that which you find in your heart you are determined to do which is to be after the flesh the things of the flesh but what did the wise man say?

[10:12] Rejoice O young man in thy youth let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth but know thou for all these things God will bring thee into judgment then think of your tongue God will want to know what you have done with your tongue every one of us should give an account of himself to God and the word of God tells us the tongue is an unruly member you and I have made that manifest too many times but there is an account to be given you then as a creature have to give an account of yourself to him who is your creator that is the foundation of the subject so then every one of us should give account of himself to God and now coming to this word account the letter A every one of us should give account of himself to God for our aims in life what you are living for whether it is for God for self whether it is to be after the flesh or after the spirit and our aims will be governed by our motives and that is one thing to keep in mind sin is not only measured before

[12:07] God by its its intent and its extent not only what you see but what you purpose to do which was not always what you managed to do but God will judge you by the intent if I hold an acorn in my hand I hold an oak tree in the embryo of it therefore whoso is angry with his brother is a murderer his brother is still alive but he had it in his heart it was his intent to do it if the way was open for him to do it although in the providence of God he was not allowed to do so but it still remains he is accountable to God for what was in his heart to do and now every one of us should give account of himself to God for the aims with which he is journeying through life and now you dear children it is your school life you have your aims and many of them are lawful for you to possess and the

[13:34] Lord bless you in following those aims that are to fit you to fill some useful sphere in this life but we shall have to give an account to God of what we are aiming for as we journey on through life and now could you appeal to God that you are aiming to get to heaven or are you concerned to still live as you were born and put off this time when every one of us should give account of himself to God the real time when you will have to do it will not be put off it is ordained in God's purposes but you may hope to live a little longer yet and still do those things pleasing to what you are by nature and think you will as you young people say get away with it you will not get away with it what you will get away with is a guilty conscience and you will need the help of God to get that matter put straight between him and you be not deceived

[14:58] God is not mocked whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting have have you ever thought dear young people about some people who live in their lives with such useless aims can bring no glory to God and no good to anybody else and yet in living their lives with such aims they're just pleasing themselves you think of those who live their lives for sport think of a man who spends a third of his life kicking a football about or batting a cricket ball as a professional what an aim that is to be journeying through life

[16:05] I say it can bring no glory to God no good to anybody else and when at length one appears before God to give an account of it the question will be asked how came you to live such a life seeing that you are a creature I created and you owe to me a life obedient to what the word of God lays down that you should be living you can follow that up with other things there are many things they come over the radio they are seen on television and they are people who are living with that aim just to please the multitude but God is not glorified thereby nor do other people get good as a rule these aims are that which pleases those who possess those aims and seek to live according to them but this still remains so then every one of us should give account of himself to God much might be said under that heading and now

[17:37] C stands for conversation and when you weigh that up especially those of us who are old and grey headed and what saith the scriptures there is a word recorded which will give you many searchings of heart but I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned dear children dear young people think how many thousands of words have dropped from your lips to no purpose whatever not edifying to those to whom they were spoken but what the word of God says here idle words and yet they have gone from you and they are recorded like this address of mine is but your words are recorded before God that you may give an account of what you said what was in your heart when you said it foolish thoughts idle words lead into evil deeds oh it is very solemn when you think on this sea every one of us should give an account of himself to

[19:29] God concerning his conversation as he journeyed on through life I wonder how many words drop from our lips during a day in our everyday lives words oh how we do need that prayer of the dear psalmist let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight oh Lord my strength and my redeemer words Job says how forcible are right words and he said to one of his friends not at that time friendly in what he said the words of thy mouth are like wind yes words give pleasure words give pain words are wise words are vain and oh that you might keep this thought in your mind words weigh most when they are few every one of us should give an account of himself to God concerning our conversation journeying along through life whether it has been spoken to do the one spoken to good instruct them help them comfort them show them kindness or whether it has just been idle words the talk of the lip which tendeth to penury oh to think about it to purpose there is another

[21:34] C and that stands for company every one of us should give account of himself to God concerning the company that he keeps the company where he desires to be as he journeys on through life and there are some scriptures which warn us if sinners entice thee consent thou not and there is a word in the proverbs he that walketh with wise men shall be wise but a companion of fools shall be destroyed you read in the acts of the apostles concerning those who were put in prison because they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and preached his gospel when at length they were released the word of God says it is a beautiful scripture and being let go they went to their own company dear young people let us just make a pause here dear children too when you were let go do you go to your own company not just your family circle but when you were not under your home roof and out abroad what company do you keep it is your own company and I might say that this company not only means people young people surely it means the books that you read what you listen to on the radio if you do

[23:40] I'm not fitting any caps on I'm just telling you what is the truth about this the company that you keep and what you want to observe on television is it that which pleases your natural mind and churns you up inside and sometimes you find havoc wrought within and you are surging with the wickedness of what you have looked at or listened to and now that is the company that you keep being let go they went to their own company oh now people who were taught of God they feel far otherwise and maybe some of you dear young people

[24:44] I'm sure you would be like this if you had to go away from where you now dwell under your home roof and go and live elsewhere to fill up some useful sphere or niche in life you would search out your own company when you were there in fact you would consider if any of your own company were to be found there before you engaged to go there if there was a place where you could gather with the people of God to remember the Sabbath day and keep it and seek to worship God right because you have this feeling some of you I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness gates and and now do think think this over think about what your own company is in your innermost thoughts you might have said like

[25:47] I did when I was a teenager when I am old enough I shall do as I like I shall kick over the traces of parental discipline and I shall be in the world and of but God in his great mercy did not allow me to do what I purposed to do for he I humbly hope called me by his grace and then I felt in an altogether different frame and the company I desired to keep then and be found amongst living and dying was the company that I had said I would have no more to do with our people when I could do as I liked oh how great is the mercy God has shown some of us in causing us to realize we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren and being let go they went to their own company and now do remember there are some things you have got locked up it may be your father and mother godly people have never dreamed that you have done this thing or thought about doing it but you have done it you have become attached to what you desire to be your own company well

[27:15] I can only warn you so then every one of us should give account of himself to God and now we come to the letter O and that stands for occupation so then every one of us should give account of himself to God regarding his occupation and that is to do with our actions as well you read in the book of Haggai either earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes and I might turn aside a moment and say it needs thinking about you and I will have to give an account to God of how we have spent our money whether it be little or much when you have money if it comes to you if you earn good wages and if you have got pocket money you are accountable to God for what you do with it whether you use what you possess for the flesh or whether you desire to use it to the honour of God and the good of his cause in the earth do suffer these words of exhortation dear children because

[28:56] I can assure you nowadays you dear young people and children at school you have got ever so much more pocket money than some of us in our childhood years and teenage life ever possessed when I was in the printing office as an apprentice I was 19 years old I was paid 10 shillings a week although I was then almost a first class printer but that was the terms of the apprenticeship 10 shillings a week and I gave my mother 9 shillings and I went through the week with a shilling pocket money and that had to last a year but I hope I was called by grace then and God helped me in other ways to get some pocket money but that was how things were 60 odd years ago but it is far otherwise today and listen to what

[30:11] I'm going to tell you the world is no better for it either England is a bankrupt nation with all the money that is being paid out and people are earning it needs grace to handle money and if you are saving it which is a good thing to do the Lord help you to do especially you dear young people with responsibilities may he bless you and help you therein but if you have it in your hearts to be occupied in getting rich there is just one scripture to warn you we brought nothing into this world and certain it is that we should carry nothing out wealth is a very great responsibility much might be said along that line of thought but I must hasten on so then every one of us should give account of himself to God and now regarding your occupation can you be in it and still pray

[31:23] I will put it like this can you be in it whatever your occupation is and feel you have a good conscience before God in being occupied therein you really must weigh it up and now we come to the letter U and this is a very surprising thought so then every one of us should give account of himself to God for his unthankfulness unthankfulness have you noticed that in that record the apostle Paul gives in Timothy's epistle about the signs of the last times what does he say unthankful neither were they thankful unthankfulness is a sign of the last times and it almost seems in our land nowadays that the more those in authority try to give the more they are asked to give like the horse leeches two daughters ever crying give give so that while the rank and file in the land in which we live they are in better circumstances financially than their forefathers ever were yet at the same time there is more discontent in England today and Scotland

[33:07] I was going to say from Land's End to John O'Groats than ever before unthankfulness and yet you can look round the world at large see the woe and wickedness that is everywhere abounding war raging in Vietnam and thousands of displaced persons who through no fault of their own have no land of their own in which to live displaced persons oh how thankful you dear young people should be in children all of us under Union Chapel roof for the mercies which attend us by day and night the mercies of home life the blessings God has given us in our family circles for there are tens of thousands of these displaced persons who are still under the heel as it were of those who persecute them not allowing them the pleasures of home life which they are entitled to and now by comparison when you think of the life they live and I will go a little farther when you think of the life that Jesus

[34:36] Christ lived how he came down into this world as verily man was seen as a babe in Bethlehem's manger foxes have holes birds of the air have nests the son of man hath not where to lay his head and Jesus in his public ministry went here and there so that he had no real home no home center like you dear young people possess wherever you go you have in your mind a picture of your father and mother and your home life your anchorage it is and when you have done the business you have gone out to do you return to it but suppose you had no home to return to it would cause you to think and now when you think how many are our mercies day by day

[35:37] I sometimes think of an illustration I have used in the pulpit before and that is the river Jordan you all know is a swift flowing river and it flows with fresh water which runs into the dead sea but it remains the dead sea with all the waters of Jordan that run therein and so that is like man as he is before God as he is born in God we live and move and have our being but man as he is born is unthankful though the mercies of God every day flow like the Jordan in his home life and in his circumstances and in his family life it is like flowing into the dead sea in that man's heart not born again there is no response never a thank you to

[36:44] God for his goodness and mercy even to the next breath that you and I shall draw do you ever say thank you to God if not so then every one of us should give account of himself to God for his unthankfulness that will be a very solemn business now we come to the letter N every one of us should give account of himself to God for our neglect our neglect of God and I will put it like this our neglect of the word of God our neglect of the Sabbath day remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy the word of

[37:44] God says but through the mercy of God some of us have been brought on the right side of that word we desire to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy but the great majority in the land in which you and I are living neglect it they think it is a holiday and so they use it but dear friends do remember this the psalmist said in his day I went with a multitude that kept holy day h o l y holy and now there is the difference between heaven and hell in the letter y and the letter i holy day holy day keep it as a holy day there is heaven in doing that keep it as a holiday neglect it do as you like do that which is pleasing to the flesh use it as a holiday not giving glory to

[38:59] God to whom it is due hell is at the end of a life like that do remember it neglect of the word of God I said and now you let your consciences tell you what you do with the word of God in your weekday life you hear some chapters read from it on the sabbath day and you hear your godly fathers and mothers when they have family worship it may be if you were with them at that time but I mean for yourself do you try to find a few minutes to look into the sacred pages and feel like one in writer when he said I seek and hope to find a portion for my soul do you wait on God if so be he will give you some word of help some word of hope some word of comfort some word of direction do you ever say to him make thy word unto me a lamp unto my feet a light unto my path and there is this word how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation another thing

[40:31] Nehemiah said in his day when things were not going well with those which had returned from Babylonia's captivity why is the house of God forsaken now under Union Chapel roof we are favored for we do have a goodly number gather week in week out but what are you going to do when you are on your own initiative no longer under your home roof responsible to your godly fathers and mothers what are you going to do then are you going to neglect the house of prayer do think these things over neglect the worship of god all very solemn if you should turn your back on how you were brought up and trained in the way wherein you should go so then every one of us should give account of himself to god for neglect of god and there is a word in the psalms i will read to you and i do hope that you will weigh these matters up because these things that are being put before you as the lord helps me they are realities and now the psalmist says here these things hast thou done and i kept silence thou thoughtest that i was altogether such and one as thyself but i will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes now consider this ye that forget that is neglect god lest i tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver what a very searching scripture that is i will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes you see god will have the account in every detail of it it will be audited and correct your life as you have lived it in thoughts words and deeds so then every one of us should give account of himself to god the last letter t stands for time and you might weigh that matter up you will need to do it prayerfully you think how much wasted time there comes in our lives

[43:37] I mean time you were spent in things which are useless bring no good to you nor to anybody else the word of god says redeem in the time because the days are evil so then every one of us should give account of himself to god for how he has used his time how he has spent it how much of it he has wasted some of it has been idled away and god has not been considered therein remember time is always transient what do you sing sometimes the present moments just appear then slide away in haste that we can never say they're here but only say they're past and they're gone into the past oh time dear friends is important one time especially it is time to seek the

[45:03] Lord oh how important that is can you dear young people call to remembrance such a time which has already come into your life as you are journeying on a time to seek the Lord when you have been looking unto Jesus for his divine aid that he will remember you with the favor that he bears unto his people and visit you with his salvation remember another thing about time it is measured you go round our church yard and you will see quite a number of little green mounds that cover babes graves and children time is measured when you and

[46:03] I came into the world God in his purposes allotted us a time to live but it does not tell us how long that time is a time to be born and a time to die but the time in between is not stipulated I can tell you this that if it was it would make some of you live different lives to what you are living if you could realize the limitation of your life and that it may be in life's morning you will go out of time into eternity you would be seeking to consider this matter so then every one of us should give account of himself to God and when all is said and done here we are under Union Chapel roof young and old middle aged delight in life's morning afternoon and evening time but time when you weigh it up is not only passing but it is endless because eternity can be illustrated as being endless time time that no clock will will ever tick off until the hours thereof but it ends in forever and ever and you and I have got to live in it spend an eternity either in pleasure beyond words to describe forever with the

[48:01] Lord or in unspeakable misery in hell so so then every one of us should give account of himself to God and now you may say this is a very solemn address and so it is and it ought to be solemn under union chapel rule we have to do with the things of God and the things of God are always solemn and the great thing is to realize so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom and now let us look in coming to the amen that just one other viewpoint of this subject so then every one of us should give account of himself to God and now for the people of

[49:04] God down through the ages Jesus Christ came down into this world to be their substitute to do love redeeming work on their behalf and to be their surety you remember Hezekiah when he had been sick and was recovered in his sickness he tells us he said oh Lord I am oppressed undertake for me you will find in the margin two alternatives which are very very good one is ease me undertake for me ease me but this is the one I want you to think about be surety for me and that brings us to this word if you ponder these things and think about that great day that is coming when every one of us should give account of himself to

[50:14] God there is hope in God for you there is help provided for you if any man sin we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and Jesus Christ lived his life on behalf of poor sinners concerned to have matters made right between their souls in God and he died in their stead and he does delight in mercy and he is ever ready to befriend poor sinners who feel their need of all that he is as the sinner's friend and if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and you see that will bring you into a wonderful position before

[51:15] God so that when at length you shall appear before God to give an account of yourself you will find the account has already been rendered and Jesus Christ has signed and sealed it and settled it on your behalf so that while you appear before your judge your judge will be your savior too one him writer has got a beautiful word on that see the judge our nature wherein clothed in majesty divine you who love the lord's appearing that is the crucial test you who love the lord's appearing then shall say this god is mine gracious savior own me in that day for thine the day of judgment will be a tremendous day no words of any preacher can begin to give you any more than a hint of it but the word of god does say this and i saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them and 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 who whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire and now that that sounds very solemn and it will be very solemn indeed when you appear in that great day you and

[53:29] I will be there in that vast multitude but there is one word of a hymn writers which I hope you dear young people dear children to may by the grace of God realize to be how God has dealt with you and this hymn writer says bold shall I stand in that great day for who ought to my charge shall lay since by Christ's blood absorbed I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame so then every one of us should give an account of himself to God our aims our conversation our company our occupation our unthankfulness our neglect and how we have spent our time when you weigh these things up how do you feel in regard to it it will be good if you feel like this you want to stand alongside the publican and smite your bosom and say

[54:48]  God be merciful to me a sinner amen your joy to do you how they may star what you may of