Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church     
 
Pastor Tim Janiszewski - "Inspection Time"

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Messages of Grace

(Past Recorded Sermons) 


















 
This Sunday
July 31, 2016




Sermon Title:
"The Blessing of Family"




Scripture 
Psalm 127:3-5; Psalm 128 


 



 




Picture
July 29, 2016
 
"The uninspected life is not worth living."
 
Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:
 
So, where in the Bible does the quote written above come from? Are these the words of an Old Testament prophet? Perhaps the language of Peter, James, or John in one of their New Testament letters? Maybe a saying of Jesus Himself? This actually is a bit of a trick question, since the saying does not appear in the Bible; rather, it was spoken by the famous Greek philosopher Socrates who lived in Athens during the fifth century before Christ. Yet Socrates reflects truth that applies to Christians as well as to all people.
 
After all, we live in a world in which inspection is a regular part of daily life. For instance, just last night I went to a local store to purchase a refrigerator for our family. The saleswoman, who was tremendously friendly and helpful, advised, "When the refrigerator is delivered to your home, encourage your wife to look it over closely before it is brought into the house. If she sees any dents or scratches, she can refuse delivery and we'll be obligated to bring another one." That's inspection. And even today as I write, my 2003 Le Sabre is at the local shop for its annual state inspection. I'm hoping that the car will be ship-shape and roadworthy for another twelve months without need of repair. But if there actually is something wrong with the automobile, I hope my mechanic catches it for the sake of safety and of good future performance.
 
So, we inspect refrigerators at delivery. We inspect our vehicles yearly at a state minimum. Do we inspect our lives? With Socrates, do we consider that if we live uninspected lives, they are not worth living--or perhaps at least they are less worth living? And do we recognize the inverse of Socrates' saying, namely, that the inspected life is worth living or at least more worth living? When did we last set aside time for personal inspection and self-inventory? It's so easy in our busy world to overlook taking time for assessment. Like the person who is so preoccupied with daily affairs that he doesn't keep track of the designated month for state inspection posted on the sticker of his car windshield and misses the deadline, we get so busy with life that we fail to note our need for personal inspection and reflection.
 
Provided that we do see the value of a self-inspected life, what diagnostic questions might we pose for our evaluation? The list could be quite long, so here are just a few suggestions.
  • How close and healthy is my relationship with God every day?
  • Am I growing in reaching upward to God in my prayer life and worship time?
  • Am I growing outward by sharing my faith in what I say and do?
  • Am I growing inward in deeper faith through meaningful relationships with fellow Christians and daily spiritual disciplines such as prayer and Bible study?
  • Do I know more about what I believe, why I believe it, and how to express it better than I did a year ago?
  • Is my life less and less about me and more and more about others--particularly about God who is the Great Other?
  • Am I growing in love? Am I growing in holiness?
  • Am I treating my body as a temple of God's Holy Spirit in my eating, exercising, and sleeping habits?
  • Am I loving God with my mind by being a life-long learner who never stops seeking to think my thoughts after God's thoughts?
  • Do I conduct myself at work and in the way I work such that it brings honor to Christ?
  • If I were to die tonight, am I ready to meet God? Have I put things right with Him and with my fellow human beings--fellow Christians, family, friends, neighbors, even enemies?
  • Finally, am I able to measure my progress or regress in these areas based on real examples and solid measurement? What evidence do I have concerning my self-assessment?
Again, these questions are just a starting point, but they provide a way to begin to inspect our lives.
 
We finally might ask what benefit there is to living inspected lives. Let me briefly return to the example of the mechanic who today is inspecting my Le Sabre down at his auto-shop. The ideal goal of the inspection is that my car will be safe and ready to perform well in the coming year. And when my car is safe and performs well, it gets me where I need to go and I enjoy the drive. Apply this to our self-inspection. Self-inspection helps us to live safely in God's keep. It prepares us to live better daily lives for the glory of God. It ensures that we can and will get where the Lord wants us to go and that we'll enjoy the journey without many breakdowns. After all, as the name of our current sermon series reminds us, "the journey isn't over."
 
So, I encourage us to look on the front windshield of our lives. Pretend that the sticker for inspection reads, "8-16." Let's get ourselves into the soul-shop, because the inspected life is worth living.
 
Pastor Tim
 
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