Pastor Smith preached this sermon about on Sunday morning November 14th, 2004.  You can also hear this and other sermons on our audio page thanks to Tom Vallance! 

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SCARCELY SAVED!

TEXT: (1 Pet 4:18 KJV) And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

INTRO: Peter was asking this question to those who were unsaved, but he was also saying volumes about the righteous also.  The message that I want to deliver today has more to do with the scarcely saved than it has to do with the lost. 

I think that most Christians can be put in one of three categories…

1. ON FIRE SAVED!

2. AVERAGE SAVED!

3. SCARCELY SAVED!

The sad thing is the danger of the SCARCELY SAVED staying saved is marginal at the best.

Let’s take a look at some Biblical examples of each of these and take a good look at where we stand.

I. ON FIRE SAVED!

A. I suppose that in order to find those in the Bible who were ON FIRE SAVED we have to first define what it is…

1. Someone who is fervent in their PRAYER LIFE.

2. Someone who is fervent in their BIBLE STUDY.

3. Someone who is fervent in their PRAISE and WORSHIP.

4. The operative word in all of these is FERVENT!

B. The BEST PERSON at anything is the person who is FERVENT about what they are doing!

1. Would you rather watch a football game made up of FERVENT PLAYERS or a game made up of MEDIOCRE PLAYERS?

2. Would you rather work along side a FERVENT WORKER or a MEDIOCRE WORKER?

3. Would you rather listen to FERVENT WORSHIP SINGING or just MEDIOCRE SINGING?

C. FERVENT is from the Latin word, spelled the same which means… “to boil.” It also means “zealous.”

1. BOILING for the Lord will prevent us from being MEDIOCRE or SCARCELY SAVED!

II. AVERAGE SAVED!

A. Once again we should take a look at what makes a person AVERAGE SAVED!

1. Someone who PRAYS more or less every day.

2. Someone who READS God’s Word occasionally.

3. Someone who will PRAISE and WORSHIP God but only in accordance with their feelings.

B. The AVERAGE SAVED often look at their Christianity only as a MEANS TO THE END.

1. A lot of people are only Christians because they want to go to Heaven.  Though that isn’t a bad reason, it isn’t necessarily the main reason for being a Christian.

a. The RICH YOUNG RULER wanted to “inherit eternal life” but he wasn’t willing to “SELL OUT TO JESUS!”

b. Herod listened as was moved by what the Apostle Paul had to say, but in the end he said… (Acts 26:28 KJV)  Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

c. We need to say… YES LORD YES, TO YOUR WILL AND TO YOUR WAYS!

III. SCARCELY SAVED!

A. One more time it is necessary to look at qualifications of the SCARCELY SAVED.

1. Someone who PRAYS only when they are in trouble or need something.

2. Someone who READS God’s Word along with everyone else in church.

3. Someone who sometimes feels  something when others are PRAISING and WORSHIPING GOD.

B. The SCARCELY SAVED are USERS OF GOD’S MERCIES! 

1. They use God when they are SICK!

2. They use God when they need a JOB.

3. They use God when they are going through a tragedy. 

4. They use God’s PEOPLE and God’s HOUSE to temporarily satisfy an emptiness within.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with calling on God or His people when you are in need, but God wants you to call on Him in GOOD TIMES as well as BAD TIMES!  GOD SAID…

(Psa 50:15 KJV)  And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. BUT GOD ALSO SAID… (Prov 1:28, 29 KJV)  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: (29) For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

5. The reason they (Israel) didn’t find God was because they didn’t have a daily walk with Him.  In fact God said that they “HATED KNOWLEDGE” (the knowledge of the Lord).

6. There are a lot of SCARCELY SAVED PEOPLE today who want and need God, but who hate to receive Gods instruction and correction.

IV. OBLIVIOUS TO OUR CONDITION!

A. No matter which SPIRITUAL CONDITION YOU ARE IN, your situation becomes more dangerous when you are OBLIVIOUS TO YOUR CONDITION!

1. I’ve known those who will cheat you Monday through Friday and profess Jesus as their Lord on Sunday!

a. THE SAD THING IS… THEY REALLY BELIEVE THAT ALL IS WELL WITH THE LORD! 

b. WE ALL NEED SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A SUNDAY RELIGION! 

2. The person that your friends and family sees on Sunday should be the same person they see the rest of the week!

V. ENLIGHTENED, ENCOURAGED AND ENTHUSED! 

A. The ultimate goal of mine this morning is to say something that will ENLIGHTEN, ENCOURAGE and ENTHUSE you!

1. The OPPOSITE of being SCARCELY SAVED is being ENLIGHTENED, ENCOURAGED AND ENTHUSED! 

2. Christians DON’T LIVE TO THEMSELVES!  CHRISTIANS…

a. SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THE LORD.

b. SHARE THEIR TIME AND TALANTS FOR THE LORD.

c. SHARE THEIR MATERIAL BLESSINGS AND SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS WITH OTHERS BECAUSE WE WANT OTHERS TO HAVE WHAT WE HAVE!

ARE YOU SCARCELY A HUSBAND?

ARE YOU SCARCELY A WIFE?

ARE YOU SCARCELY A PARENT?

ARE YOU SCARCELY AN EMPLOYEE?

ARE YOU SCARCELY ALIVE?

HOPEFULLY YOU ARE MORE THAN JUST SCARCELY THESE THINGS!

HOPEFULLY YOU ARE MORE THAN JUST SCARCELY A CHRISTIAN!

Then, finally in the TEXT Peter asked the question… “…where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”  That is answered elsewhere…  (Rev 20:15 KJV)  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.