A lot of people say life is short, we need to enjoy life to the fullest!
There is a saying: Life is short, time is fast, no replays, no rewinds, so just enjoy every moment. But I’m here to tell you: Eternity will be very long, you better prepare for it!
We are so caught up with the affairs of this life we give little attention to eternity. “Eternity is awfully long and we better spend our time getting ready for it”
Jesus taught us that there is an eternal destiny for each individual – either heaven or hell (John 5:25-29). The eternal destiny of each individual depends on decisions made in this life time (Luke 16:19-31) – to be followed by a life of obedience.
“The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
“Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalms 90:10-12 NKJV
Do you number your days? Do you realise how important every single day is? Think of it!
If you live to be seventy, or you may well live to be eighty, the scripture says you are likely to have a lot of labor and sorrow and troubles and difficulties.
There is a collapse of time around us. Many things are evolving in the world. Did you know that the journey from Ireland to America in the 19th century, took 90 days and today you can go from Ireland to America in just 7 hours?
Today we are so evolved, we have so much technology, but we are destroying our moral and spiritual life as time collapse on us. How much longer do you still have?
The psalmist requested that the Lord remember how short time is.
“For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.” Psalms 90:4 NKJV
A night watch is only four hours long.
“My days are like an evening shadow that lengthens and vanishes [with the sun]; And as for me, I wither away like grass.”
Psalms 102:11
“But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.”
Psalms 102:12
Think of it! God will endure forever but on this earth we’re like a shadow that is declining! We are all dying. From the moment you were born, you started dying. We are all heading towards death.
Everyone of us is under the sentence of death. I’d say there won’t be anybody in this audience alive in 90 years from today. Nobody, we will all be gone!
What are you going to do with those years?
Every human being has exactly the same numbers of hours and minutes every day.
Do you know how many minutes there are in a day? 1,440 minutes.
Do you know how many hours in a week? 168 hours.
If you live to be seventy your first 15 years are your childhood and adolescent. You spend approximately 20 years in bed. In the last 5 years of life your activities will be dramatically reduced. That means you only have around 30 years to get everything else done and fulfil your calling on earth.
30 years. And part of that time has to be spent eating, and working, paying bills and figuring out your income tax.
The scripture asks this question: What is your life?
“What is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
James 4:14 NKJV
The oldest of us won’t live long!
Our time is already in God’s hands. God has a day already set for our being taken from this world. It may be natural death or an accident or heart attack. This week a dear friend (she is an old lady) send me a message saying that her heart has almost stopped beating. It’s beating only 30 beats per minute. (A normal heart beats 60 to 100 per minutes) she is healthy but her heart is stopping.
My question to you is: How are you using your time? Heaven is real and hell also is real, eternity is real and only a breath away. You will only live for a few short years on Earth , and Eternity is spent somewhere else.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”
Hebrews 9:27 NKJV
After death you will stand before the great judgment of God to give account of how you spend your time in this life.
What have you done about Jesus? Because God had already given his son to die for your sins. Because we are all sinners and we all have the same disease.
I don’t care what the colour of your skin is, God does not look at our exterior self. God looks at your heart and God sees that you have a spiritual heart disease and that spiritual heart disease is called sin. We are all sinners.
That means we have broken the laws of God. We have disobeyed God, we have rebelled against God, and because we have rebelled against him, we have to face judgment.
There is a verse in the scripture that many will hear:
“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Matthew 7:23 NIV
Depart from me, I never knew you! For many are saying Lord, Lord, but they do not obey the will of the father.
It’s interesting that rich people cannot buy more hours, doctors cannot give them more days of life, scientists cannot invent new minutes, you cannot even save time to spend it on another day.
There is an urgency at a time. Last week I said that many people are wasting their time for not having a vision from God and for not having a serious commitment with Him.
Time is the most precious thing you have, use it for the Glory of God.
The way you use your time will influence where and how you live in eternity.
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time , because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV
Be very careful how you live and how you use your time, make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil and will become even worse.
Look to the news, we cannot believe all the murders, and the rapes, and death of innocent people happening everyday, immorality, pornography…
The days are evil and we have a big task ahead of us that is to save the lost, to be light in the darkness, to make disciples for Jesus Christ. So the question to you is : How are you using your time?
The days are evil, redeem the time, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is!
We have to redeem time. This is a phrase of the business world. It means to buy time.
We are supposed to tithe our money because the Bible says that 10 percent of our money belongs to God, but if you’re a Christian you’re also supposed to give tithes and offerings of your time.
We should tithe and offer our time. Take 10 percent of your time and say Lord, this is yours!
Today we have time for everything except for God.
We have invented all of these modern things to save time but we have less time than ever before. We have a lot of less time than our fathers and mothers used to have.
Years ago, they’d travel by horse and today we have fast cars, fast airplanes, fast computers to help us save time, but we lose and wast time with so many other things.
You have time.
You have so much time but for what? Every one of us has 24 hours a day, but for what?
You have time to serve Christ, you have time to live according to His will, you have time to obey him.
How many of you want to be with God after death?
Why do you want to be with God after death, when during your life on earth you don’t want to spend time with Him?
How the church has suffered from the lack of committed people who spend their time for the Kingdom!
Biblical Studies, prayer meetings, Conquerors’ School , Hope cafe, is always working with the same few people. Only some people work, only few people pray, only few people visit and disciple others.
Yesterday we had 12 hours of prayer, how many were there?
I pray that God will awaken and revive your life, before it is still not too late and you may regret how you wasted your time and your life.
“My times are in Your hand.”
Psalms 31:15 NKJV
Can you say this like David once said: My time are in your hands and I’m at God’s disposal.
Have you committed your whole life to Christ? Maybe you’ll say: Yes, I’ve being baptised and I go to church once a week.
But are you totally committed to Him?
Are you sure if you were to die at this moment, you would go to heaven?
Are you sure that your sins are forgiven?
What are you going to hear in the day judgment?
That’s why Christ came and died at the cross and shed his blood for you: so you could serve Him and make disciples.
Did you know that you belong to God twice?
First: He created you and formed you, but you sinned and moved away from him.
Second: He rescued you, bought you with his blood, and redeemed you!
“for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT
You were lost, because of your sins you were in the hands of Satan and you were going to hell!
But God bought you, He paid a high price to have you, and your life no longer belongs to you, you have a new owner, you have a Lord! You and I don’t own ourselves, we can’t live however we want anymore.
“We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.” John 9:4 NLT
The night is going to come to you ! The night is the day when you close your eyes for this life. Today you have the opportunity to serve God. Serve Him while you can, serve him now. Put Him as first in your life.
“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” John 17:3-4 NLT
This is the way to eternal life: To Know God and Jesus Christ and finishing the work that he assigned us to do.
God has a plan for your life and you can finish it with God’s help.
God has assigned a work that only you can complete. You are unique and nobody can take your place. God needs you in His Kingdom
What is the will of God?
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
II Peter 3:8-9 NKJV
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, He is not willing that any should perish but wants everyone to repent and be saved!
This is God’s will ! This is why we are living, not to do our will but to live for him and do his will.
The number one desire of God’s heart is to save the lost! God’s desire is to have a big family with many children like Jesus.
Where have you invested your time? In people or in things?
When you invest your life in people, you are showing that Jesus lives in you and you are fulfilling the greatest of all the commandments.
We are a church and we are here to make disciples and save the lost because this is the will of God!
When God saves you, He makes you His partner in saving others; you become His co-worker in reaching others with His message of salvation.
Who are you visiting? Who are you discipling? Are you involved with your Cell group to save the lost?
Can God count on you for his kingdom to grow?
Can God count on you at prayer meetings?
Our Cell groups need more leaders! Who is going to say yes to God?
Hope café needs volunteers, intercession needs volunteers.
We need to repent from our selfishness and live for eternity.
Your eternity is determined by how you used your time in these few years!
God bless you and see you next week